So I'm sitting here watching the World Series at work, waiting for high school football coaches to call in their scores (yes, in Minnesota they play some HS football games on Saturday once playoff time runs around). Actually I'm more listening than watching -- my desk is up against the wall and I can only see about half the TV screen. And the TV here is only about 24 inches (rough estimate), so I've only got about a foot of viewable baseball. Why have all the newspapers I've worked at (Kansan, Olathe News, St. Cloud Times) had such tiny TVs? After watching on the widescreen, 60-inch "Unger special" this seems pretty pathetic.
Thing is, it doesn't even bother me a whole lot. This is possibly the least interesting World Series in my lifetime. Yankees/Phillies? Who cares. One is possibly the most overexposed team in American professional sports and the other had no tradition outside of Mike Schmidt before last year. Blah.
The most recent Sports Illustrated tried to trump up the Series by casting it as an epic battle between two of the game's top sluggers -- Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez. Through the first two games I believe the two of them were a combined 0-for-25 with 24 strikeouts. OK, so that's an exaggeration, but they've both been gawd-awful. At least that's what I've read. I hadn't been able to bring myself to watch a single inning of this snooze-fest until tonight, and I'm only pseudo-watching it now because I'm being held against my will. Just have to keep reminding myself that I'm gettig paid to be here.
Of course, some of my apathy might just be baseball fatigue (though I adamantly reiterate that I care not one bit about the Yankees and Phillies). It is almost November, after all. How in the heck did this season manage to drag out so long? At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man whining about the "good ol' days," I remember when the World Series used to be played in October. Exclusively in October. Now we've got two teams in the frigid Northeast desperately trying to get a series in before the snow starts to fly.
I believe what happened was some TV exec decided that they needed to add a bunch of off-days to the playoff schedule so that no two games were played simultaneously. It's hard to televise two games simultaneously on the same station, after all. And then the baseball commissioner and owners all bowed down to that exec and said, "So let it be written, so let it be done, Oh Mighty Bringer of Television Revenues."
Be interesting to see how this whole "November baseball" thing works out if the Twins ever make it to the Series in their new outdoor park. I don't know precisely what the temp was here today, but it cold enough that several of the trick-or-treaters were in their "witch-wearing-parka" costumes.
I would certainly be a lot more interested in a "Twins vs. Anybody" Series in November than I am with the current Series. But I don't think I would try and get tickets. I'm not sure how much I would pay to watch 4 hours of baseball outdoors in sub-freezing temps. Hopefully I'll at least be near a bigger TV if said hypothetical Series ever comes to pass.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Yeah, NBA! (Seriously)
I'm probably one of the few people excited to see the Timberwolves open the regular season this week. It's not that I'm a huge fan of the NBA. I much prefer college basketball — the games are shorter, often less sloppy, and always more intense. I'd take a ticket to a Kansas-Missouri regular season game over an NBA Finals ticket any day.
That being said, I guess I've just been living away from an NBA team long enough to work up a bit of nostalgia for it. Of course, it would be nice to be back to have a team better than the T-Wolves, who finished 24-58 last year. But there's some things I'll enjoy seeing with my hometown squad.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Al Jefferson manages to amass the 20 points and 10 rebounds I see by his name in nearly every box score. I always liked Karl Malone in part because he put up 20 and 10 almost every game without fail. That kind of consistency over an 82-game schedule is pretty remarkable, and Jefferson seems to have it. Just hope his nagging injury isn't too serious.
Speaking of injuries, it will be awhile before anyone gets to watch Kevin Love, but I'm also looking forward to seeing more of him. There's something poetic about big men who can pass. Adds some much-needed tempo to the NBA game.
Overall, I've always been more interested in guards, though, so the addition of Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions to the Minnesota roster are quite welcome. I enjoyed watching Sessions play against KU when he was at Nevada and watching Flynn lead Syracuse past UConn in that six-overtime game last year.
That's really one of the most fun parts of the NBA for me — watching the guys I used to watch in college. Nostalgia again, I guess. It's a powerful feeling.
My prediction for the T-Wolves: 35-47. Unless Jefferson misses significant time. Then they'll be lucky to win 25.
That being said, I guess I've just been living away from an NBA team long enough to work up a bit of nostalgia for it. Of course, it would be nice to be back to have a team better than the T-Wolves, who finished 24-58 last year. But there's some things I'll enjoy seeing with my hometown squad.
I'm looking forward to seeing how Al Jefferson manages to amass the 20 points and 10 rebounds I see by his name in nearly every box score. I always liked Karl Malone in part because he put up 20 and 10 almost every game without fail. That kind of consistency over an 82-game schedule is pretty remarkable, and Jefferson seems to have it. Just hope his nagging injury isn't too serious.
Speaking of injuries, it will be awhile before anyone gets to watch Kevin Love, but I'm also looking forward to seeing more of him. There's something poetic about big men who can pass. Adds some much-needed tempo to the NBA game.
Overall, I've always been more interested in guards, though, so the addition of Jonny Flynn and Ramon Sessions to the Minnesota roster are quite welcome. I enjoyed watching Sessions play against KU when he was at Nevada and watching Flynn lead Syracuse past UConn in that six-overtime game last year.
That's really one of the most fun parts of the NBA for me — watching the guys I used to watch in college. Nostalgia again, I guess. It's a powerful feeling.
My prediction for the T-Wolves: 35-47. Unless Jefferson misses significant time. Then they'll be lucky to win 25.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Twins 2010 hopes rest on Liriano
Like most everyone else in MN I was excited about the way the Twins ended the regular season — winning 17 of their last 21 including a pressure-packed victory against Zack Greinke (who ought to be the AL Cy Young, team record be damned) on the final weekend and an extra-inning thriller against the Tigers in Game 163. It was a great run and provided some nice "in-your-face" redemption for much-maligned guys like Nick Punto and Delmon Young, who played big roles. But my main thought was to savor it while it lasted, because I figured it wouldn't continue in the playoffs.
The playoffs are generally won by teams with power pitching, and the Twins just didn't have that. They didn't have a legitimate ace, so they figured to be battling uphill against whoever they faced. Throw in the fact that it was the Yankees, who went out and bought two legitimate aces in the offseason, and the Twinks were the longest of long shots. So how can they change that next year? There's no simple answer.
Some in the media have suggested a new manager, citing Ron Gardenhire's dismal career playoff record. But the manager can't come in for a key strikeout with the bases loaded and one out. Just getting the Twins to the playoffs this year was a monumental task for Gardy. He had to deal with a starting rotation ravaged by injuries and inconsistency, a bullpen that occasionally couldn't find the strike zone with a Garmin (Jessie Crain/Jose Mijares ring a bell?) and a line-up with too many outfielders and not enough infielders (how long can a manager be expected to mask significant holes at second, short AND third?). Down the stretch Gardy showed that if you get him the players (Pavano, Cabrera, and a couple mediocre bullpen arms), he'll make it work. They don't even have to be great players, just a slight step up from Alexi Casilla and Armando Gabino. Gardenhire's not the problem.
Joe Nathan's not the problem, either. I've also seen it suggested that the Twins should jettison him and his big contract after his horrendous letdown in Game 2 against the Yanks. But it's hard to argue that the guy's washed up after he had 47 saves and a 2.10 ERA this season. The Twins problem has generally been that they don't get to Nathan with a lead often enough in the playoffs. He has two years left under contract and while the Twins probably shouldn't be thinking extension (he'll be 36 at the end of it), they shouldn't be thinking "dead weight," either.
There's some issues with the line-up for next year. The Twins either need to re-sign Cabrera or find somebody else to play shortstop (one of the Toronto guys, Scutaro or McDonald, could be an option). Unlike many people, I think Punto is fine at second. Yes, he is often a black hole in the batting order, but most teams can afford one of those, especially if he is a dynamic defensive player who can bunt runners over reliably (he needs to stop sliding into first, though, that is getting beyond annoying). Third base either needs to go to Danny Valencia if he's ready or maybe think about moving Cuddyer over there to ease the outfield jam. He's obviously got the arm for it. Or there's always Brendan Harris in a pinch, though he seems better suited for spot duty at second.
With a few tweaks, the Twins should be fine offensively and defensively. But their playoff hopes still rest with the front of their rotation and there's no easy answer for that. Even if they do get Pavano back, he's more like a No. 2 or 3 playoff starter, not an ace. Ditto for Scott Baker. The Twins need another guy up front. But where do they get him? There's not a lot of great starting pitchers on the free agent market and even if there were, we all know the Twins wouldn't come close to winning the bidding wars for them. There's probably not enough top-flight prospects left in the system to swing a trade for a guy like Roy Halladay for one year, either.
As far as I can tell, the Twins hopes rest on the surgically-repaired left elbow of Francisco Liriano. Yes, Liriano was pretty bad this season (5-13 with a 5.80 ERA), but it often takes more than one season to recover from Tommy John surgery. There's still a chance that, with an entire off-season of conditioning, Liriano will regain his muscle, those crucial four or five MPH on his fastball and some of the movement on his once-devastating slider.
If he can get back to 2006 form (and remember he's only 25), then the Twins suddenly have that intimidating ace who strikes fear in the opposition and puts a swagger in his teammates. They have that strikeout pitcher who can rise up and shut down a two-on, one-out rally. And they have a suddenly-formidable playoff rotation of Liriano, Baker, Pavano, Blackburn. As No. 1-2-3 starters, Baker, Pavano and Blackburn are less than average. As No. 2-3-4, they stack up with almost anybody.
Liriano's resurgence. It's a slim hope, but without it the Twins are probably destined for yet another "struggle mightily to make the playoffs only to be eliminated immediately" season.
The playoffs are generally won by teams with power pitching, and the Twins just didn't have that. They didn't have a legitimate ace, so they figured to be battling uphill against whoever they faced. Throw in the fact that it was the Yankees, who went out and bought two legitimate aces in the offseason, and the Twinks were the longest of long shots. So how can they change that next year? There's no simple answer.
Some in the media have suggested a new manager, citing Ron Gardenhire's dismal career playoff record. But the manager can't come in for a key strikeout with the bases loaded and one out. Just getting the Twins to the playoffs this year was a monumental task for Gardy. He had to deal with a starting rotation ravaged by injuries and inconsistency, a bullpen that occasionally couldn't find the strike zone with a Garmin (Jessie Crain/Jose Mijares ring a bell?) and a line-up with too many outfielders and not enough infielders (how long can a manager be expected to mask significant holes at second, short AND third?). Down the stretch Gardy showed that if you get him the players (Pavano, Cabrera, and a couple mediocre bullpen arms), he'll make it work. They don't even have to be great players, just a slight step up from Alexi Casilla and Armando Gabino. Gardenhire's not the problem.
Joe Nathan's not the problem, either. I've also seen it suggested that the Twins should jettison him and his big contract after his horrendous letdown in Game 2 against the Yanks. But it's hard to argue that the guy's washed up after he had 47 saves and a 2.10 ERA this season. The Twins problem has generally been that they don't get to Nathan with a lead often enough in the playoffs. He has two years left under contract and while the Twins probably shouldn't be thinking extension (he'll be 36 at the end of it), they shouldn't be thinking "dead weight," either.
There's some issues with the line-up for next year. The Twins either need to re-sign Cabrera or find somebody else to play shortstop (one of the Toronto guys, Scutaro or McDonald, could be an option). Unlike many people, I think Punto is fine at second. Yes, he is often a black hole in the batting order, but most teams can afford one of those, especially if he is a dynamic defensive player who can bunt runners over reliably (he needs to stop sliding into first, though, that is getting beyond annoying). Third base either needs to go to Danny Valencia if he's ready or maybe think about moving Cuddyer over there to ease the outfield jam. He's obviously got the arm for it. Or there's always Brendan Harris in a pinch, though he seems better suited for spot duty at second.
With a few tweaks, the Twins should be fine offensively and defensively. But their playoff hopes still rest with the front of their rotation and there's no easy answer for that. Even if they do get Pavano back, he's more like a No. 2 or 3 playoff starter, not an ace. Ditto for Scott Baker. The Twins need another guy up front. But where do they get him? There's not a lot of great starting pitchers on the free agent market and even if there were, we all know the Twins wouldn't come close to winning the bidding wars for them. There's probably not enough top-flight prospects left in the system to swing a trade for a guy like Roy Halladay for one year, either.
As far as I can tell, the Twins hopes rest on the surgically-repaired left elbow of Francisco Liriano. Yes, Liriano was pretty bad this season (5-13 with a 5.80 ERA), but it often takes more than one season to recover from Tommy John surgery. There's still a chance that, with an entire off-season of conditioning, Liriano will regain his muscle, those crucial four or five MPH on his fastball and some of the movement on his once-devastating slider.
If he can get back to 2006 form (and remember he's only 25), then the Twins suddenly have that intimidating ace who strikes fear in the opposition and puts a swagger in his teammates. They have that strikeout pitcher who can rise up and shut down a two-on, one-out rally. And they have a suddenly-formidable playoff rotation of Liriano, Baker, Pavano, Blackburn. As No. 1-2-3 starters, Baker, Pavano and Blackburn are less than average. As No. 2-3-4, they stack up with almost anybody.
Liriano's resurgence. It's a slim hope, but without it the Twins are probably destined for yet another "struggle mightily to make the playoffs only to be eliminated immediately" season.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Things I think I think
Apologies to Peter King for stealing his column headline, but it seemed like the best label for a blog that is all about catching up on the sports happenings I've been neglecting lately.
1. Brett Favre's last-second heroics vs. San Francisco: Enjoy them while they last
OK, so that was a lot of fun. It seems like it's been a long time since any magic happened in the Vikings' favor in the last few seconds of a game. We all remember times when it's gone the other way (Gary Anderson's missed field goal, the Cardinals' last-ditch, playing-for-nothing, Viking-playoff-eliminating touchdown pass).
Watching Favre complete that pass (with a serious assist from Greg Lewis, who hasn't gotten enough credit for making a tough catch and getting his feet down) and improbably snatch victory from the jaws of defeat was pure purple euphoria. But, at the risk of raining on the parade, I have to wonder how much more he can do that. He's about to turn 40 and the Vikings have protected him about as well as David Letterman has protected his reputation this year. Favre is a tough guy, so no doubt he'll keep trotting out there unless he's got a bone sticking through the skin. But those hits will add up, and it seems likely he'll wear down in the second half of the season like he did last year.
2. 2016 Summer Olympics going to Rio: It's about time, but I wish they'd waited 4 more years.
Mixed feelings on this one. First off, I think it's great that South America is hosting for the first time. Millions of people who have never had a chance to see the Games up close and personal may now get to. Rio will be a great backdrop too — it's by far the most beautiful city I've been to. And I have several Brazilian friends who I know are justifiably excited about it (though not as excited as they are about hosting the World Cup in 2014). I'm happy for them.
But Chicago probably would have been my best shot to see an Olympics in person — it's only about 8 hours from St. Cloud by car with plenty of train and plane options from Minneapolis, as well. And I have friends who live there and a brother who lives an hour away, so lodging would have been no problem. So I guess I'll just to have to console myself with the thought that international superstars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Shawn Johnson probably won't be competing any more in 2016. Maybe it will be a boring Olympics with no historic performances, right?
In any case, I appreciate the President trying to bring the Olympics to the U.S. like Tony Blair did for London (2012). Chicago had the infrastructure to make money off it and it would have been fun for us Midwestern sports fans.
3. Jayhawks behaving badly: Get it together, guys
A group of basketball players from my alma mater, KU, got into a brawl recently with a group of football players on campus in front of a few hundred of their fellow students. Campus police are investigating. On the one hand, not that big a deal — in four years of college I saw plenty of fights fueled by ego and testosterone. Typical male macho idiocy, for the most part.
On the other hand, I think these guys need to punished more than your average Joe College (Idiot). They're receiving scholarship money not only to play sports, but also to be visible, high-profile ambassadors for the university. They need to understand that, as important as they think they are, representing KU athletically is a privilege, not a right. Along with that privilege comes responsibility, meaning they should be held to a higher standard of conduct than the average student. Bottom line: every player in the upcoming police report, football and basketball, should be suspended at least one game.
Oh, and special message for Tyshawn Taylor, the point guard who dislocated his thumb punching somebody: maintaining your street cred is not as important to your financial future as maintaining your limbs. Think about it.
4. Eric Decker: the most underrated player in college football
OK, so I know the Gophers lost to the Badgers... again. But I always love watching Eric Decker play wide receiver. Everybody and their sister knows that when the Gophers throw it's probably going to him, but he still finds a way to get open and anything that hits his hands seems to stay there.
He had 8 catches 140 yards 1 touchdown today. He's had at least eight catches in all five games this season and at least 110 receiving yards in four out of five. If he doesn't get some Heisman buzz soon, I might start writing letters to Lee Corso.
5. St. Cloud Diocese puts moratorium on communal cup: Uhhh, duh.
This has nothing to do with sports, but I feel the need to comment on it. Why did the Catholic Church have to wait for swine flu to start re-thinking the wisdom of having hundreds of people drink out of the same cup? Bacterial meningitis can spread that way too, and, in case you hadn't heard, that can be pretty nasty too.
1. Brett Favre's last-second heroics vs. San Francisco: Enjoy them while they last
OK, so that was a lot of fun. It seems like it's been a long time since any magic happened in the Vikings' favor in the last few seconds of a game. We all remember times when it's gone the other way (Gary Anderson's missed field goal, the Cardinals' last-ditch, playing-for-nothing, Viking-playoff-eliminating touchdown pass).
Watching Favre complete that pass (with a serious assist from Greg Lewis, who hasn't gotten enough credit for making a tough catch and getting his feet down) and improbably snatch victory from the jaws of defeat was pure purple euphoria. But, at the risk of raining on the parade, I have to wonder how much more he can do that. He's about to turn 40 and the Vikings have protected him about as well as David Letterman has protected his reputation this year. Favre is a tough guy, so no doubt he'll keep trotting out there unless he's got a bone sticking through the skin. But those hits will add up, and it seems likely he'll wear down in the second half of the season like he did last year.
2. 2016 Summer Olympics going to Rio: It's about time, but I wish they'd waited 4 more years.
Mixed feelings on this one. First off, I think it's great that South America is hosting for the first time. Millions of people who have never had a chance to see the Games up close and personal may now get to. Rio will be a great backdrop too — it's by far the most beautiful city I've been to. And I have several Brazilian friends who I know are justifiably excited about it (though not as excited as they are about hosting the World Cup in 2014). I'm happy for them.
But Chicago probably would have been my best shot to see an Olympics in person — it's only about 8 hours from St. Cloud by car with plenty of train and plane options from Minneapolis, as well. And I have friends who live there and a brother who lives an hour away, so lodging would have been no problem. So I guess I'll just to have to console myself with the thought that international superstars like Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps and Shawn Johnson probably won't be competing any more in 2016. Maybe it will be a boring Olympics with no historic performances, right?
In any case, I appreciate the President trying to bring the Olympics to the U.S. like Tony Blair did for London (2012). Chicago had the infrastructure to make money off it and it would have been fun for us Midwestern sports fans.
3. Jayhawks behaving badly: Get it together, guys
A group of basketball players from my alma mater, KU, got into a brawl recently with a group of football players on campus in front of a few hundred of their fellow students. Campus police are investigating. On the one hand, not that big a deal — in four years of college I saw plenty of fights fueled by ego and testosterone. Typical male macho idiocy, for the most part.
On the other hand, I think these guys need to punished more than your average Joe College (Idiot). They're receiving scholarship money not only to play sports, but also to be visible, high-profile ambassadors for the university. They need to understand that, as important as they think they are, representing KU athletically is a privilege, not a right. Along with that privilege comes responsibility, meaning they should be held to a higher standard of conduct than the average student. Bottom line: every player in the upcoming police report, football and basketball, should be suspended at least one game.
Oh, and special message for Tyshawn Taylor, the point guard who dislocated his thumb punching somebody: maintaining your street cred is not as important to your financial future as maintaining your limbs. Think about it.
4. Eric Decker: the most underrated player in college football
OK, so I know the Gophers lost to the Badgers... again. But I always love watching Eric Decker play wide receiver. Everybody and their sister knows that when the Gophers throw it's probably going to him, but he still finds a way to get open and anything that hits his hands seems to stay there.
He had 8 catches 140 yards 1 touchdown today. He's had at least eight catches in all five games this season and at least 110 receiving yards in four out of five. If he doesn't get some Heisman buzz soon, I might start writing letters to Lee Corso.
5. St. Cloud Diocese puts moratorium on communal cup: Uhhh, duh.
This has nothing to do with sports, but I feel the need to comment on it. Why did the Catholic Church have to wait for swine flu to start re-thinking the wisdom of having hundreds of people drink out of the same cup? Bacterial meningitis can spread that way too, and, in case you hadn't heard, that can be pretty nasty too.
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