Bleacher Report - Articles by TK on Toast

Minnesota Twins: Midseason Report

TK on Toast — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:27:00 -0400

The All-Star break is generally considered the halfway point of the 162-game MLB season (even though most teams have played closer to 90-plus games at that point).

Since that break is coming up this Monday, it seemed appropriate to review what has transpired so far this year and take a look towards the second half of this 2008 Twins season.

What follows is a list of questions about the team and my breakdown/answers to those questions. If you have anything to add or a different opinion on something, feel free to get that comment section going.

Record

Is the Twins' record (51-41 as of Friday) an indication that this team is better than most people thought, or the product of favorable schedule?

At this point in the season, most “experts” had the Twins penciled in for roughly 40-43 wins. Sitting 10 games above .500 with three games left until the break should be considered a major success.

Of course, part of the reason for that record is the run the team just went on where they won 18 of 21 games. Did we take advantage of a weak interleague schedule? You bet.

But that shouldn’t take away from anything the team has accomplished so far. Going 14-4 against inferior competition is what good baseball teams do. It is funny to me how a couple of games can change everyone’s perspective in a very short amount of time.

Before the Boston series, everyone was talking about us winning the division/wild card and discussing potential trade deadline moves that should be made. A three-game sweep later (in which, it should be noted, we could/should have won at least two if not all three) and suddenly the team has been “exposed” and the naysayers feel that we’re done. Not me.

If you had told me, or any other Twins fan, that we would have at least 50 wins at the All Star break, I would have been ecstatic. I’m going to say that this team is good and will be in contention for both the division and the wild card throughout the rest of the season.

Pitching

Is the starting staff this good?

This might be the toughest part of this Twins team to figure out. The season started with Livan Hernandez, of all people, leading the way for our otherwise young staff.

The young guys got knocked around a little bit, but they gained experience. As the season progressed, especially during the recent hot streak, all four of them (Baker, Blackburn, Perkins, Slowey) have showed signs of being capable, if not very good, major league starting pitchers.

During that same stretch, Livan has shown signs of being the 5-plus ERA pitcher that he’s been for quite some time now. Those shifts make this staff a bit tricky to figure out.

So is the emergence of the young starters a sign of things to come?

The homer in me wants to say yes. I’ve watched a lot of games and it doesn’t appear that these are mediocre pitchers who are getting an enormous amount of run support or getting lucky throwing bad pitches.

All four guys seem to have spot-on control and a very good ability to mix their pitches. The only problem I see is that all four remind me of Brad Radke. That is to say that they are good pitchers who can be very solid at times, but not dominant, No. 1-type guys.

Can a team win a title with four good, but not great pitchers? Historically, you’d have to say no. Depending on what the teams around them do, they might be able to get into the playoffs with that kind of rotation, but it seems like you need that top dog in order to win in October.

That said, they will be good enough to at least keep things interesting and keep the team in contention.

What happens with Livan and Franchise?

The prevailing attitude among the fans and media in this town is that Hernandez should be shipped out for a box of baseballs at the deadline and that Liriano should be brought up to reclaim his spot as staff ace. That sounds nice and all, but there may be some issues with it.

First of all, finding a taker for Livan might be quite a bit more difficult than most fans realize. Not too many contenders are looking for a starter who will pitch 6-7 innings, giving up 10 hits and five runs every outing.

Then there’s the matter of Liriano, who’s been less than dominant during his stint in AAA. It would seem that the Twins standing in the division and wild card races will be the determining factor in the fates of these two gentlemen.

If we are still in contention at the end of July, Hernandez probably stays. If we seem out of it, Franchise comes up to set up the rotation of 2009 and beyond.

What do we make of the bullpen?

Oi. This has been, far and away, the most frustrating part of the Twins this year. There have been stretches where guys like Guerrier, Reyes, and even Crain have looked unhittable.

Of course, there have also been times where they have looked, well, let’s call it less than capable. The truth probably lies somewhere in between the two extremes.

Here’s what we know: with Neshek out for the year, most of the guys in the pen have been pitching in situations that they are not used to. There’s also the issue of Gardy mismanaging the bullpen very badly, but we’ll get to that later.

So basically, the answer is that we don’t know. If you believe that the Boston series was simply a hiccup or a learning experience for some of these guys, then they should only get stronger as the season progresses.

If you’re in the camp that said series exposed our weaknesses and showed that we’ll buckle under pressure, then it could be a frustrating end to the summer.

Hitting

Can the clutch hitting continue?

Even with the struggles in Boston, the Twins still have the best batting average with runners in scoring position in the majors (and it’s not even close). The team has found a way to win games that we would not have won in the past couple years.

Even more impressive is the fact that we are not leaning on guys like Mauer and Morneau to do everything. Seemingly every game has a different guy stepping up with multiple hits, clutch RBI, and/or some unexpected power.

While this is very encouraging, you have to ask yourself, “Can we consistently expect guys like Brendan Harris, Nick Punto, and Brian Buscher to deliver clutch hits?” Realistically, it would seem like the team needs its stars to step up a bit over then next couple months.

Sure we can hope that the younger players continue to improve and that the clutch hitting continues to be contagious, but in order to be a division winning team, you need the studs to carry the team at times.

So where has Morneau’s power gone?

It seems like Justin has gone to the Joe Mauer school of hitting (Quick Swing not included) and has decided that it’s better to hit .310 with 20 HRs (still five times as many as Joe hits) than to hit .275 with 35 bombs—seemingly standard for all Twins hitters.

While this approach is getting him quite a few RBI and keeping runners on base, I would say that it’s not the way to go. There’s no guarantee that guys like Span, Gomez, and Casilla are going to continue to be on base when Morneau comes to the plate.

On top of that, there are times, especially late in games, where a one- or two-out double simply isn’t going to be enough—we need the power. If it were up to me, I’d be pushing for No. 33 to participate in the Home Run Derby next week as a way to get the power back in his swing.

What will the team do with the lineup when everyone gets healthy?

This is the most immediate and pressing issue facing the Twins right now. The outfield already has Gomez, Young, and Span looking like a very good, young core. Add to that Jason Kubel and Craig Monroe coming off the bench (and splitting the DH role) and you have a lot of talent.

However, Michael Cuddyer is scheduled to come off the DL soon, so that gives the team a glut of players at this position. Do you really send Span back down to AAA?

In the infield, Gardenhire has already shown that he’s determined to play Nick Punto on a regular basis at some position. Brendan Harris has been a viable player at multiple positions as well.

Brian Buscher has been hitting very well, but has fallen victim to Gardy’s hatred of batting lefties against lefties. Also in the mix is Mike Lamb, who’s been terrible but is making a lot of money, and Matt Tolbert and Adam Everett are scheduled to return to the team soon.

What can we realistically expect from The Kids in the second half?

The youngest players on the team (Carlos Gomez, Alexi Casilla, Denard Span, and Delmon Young) have been the most exciting and the most frustrating part of the offense so far this year.

Gomez has the ability to bunt at any time and make things happen on the basepaths, yet has shown poor plate discipline and an inability to get on base consistently. Casilla is still hitting over .300 and getting into scoring position for the big guns. Nevertheless, he was hitting only .220 in AAA for a reason. Span is flourishing (both in the bigs and in the minors) and seems to have found a bit of a niche in the No. 9 hole.

But what happens to him when Cuddyer gets healthy? Young is hitting in the .280’s and has been hot lately, yet has shown none of the power that gained him many accolades during his rookie year in Tampa.

So where does that leave us? I’m going to go out on a limb and say that each of these guys will continue to improve as the year goes along and will, at the very least, give the Twins and their fans a ton of hope for the future.

Coaching

What kind of lineup decisions are in store?

Loyal readers know that I’m nowhere near being a fan of Gardy’s. I think he makes sketchy lineup decisions and constantly misuses the bullpen. It is scary to think about the lineups that he will come up with once the team is entirely healthy.

I still think it’s a mistake to bat Mike Redmond third when he plays for Mauer. I know he’s a .300 hitter and all, but for some reason this organization just doesn’t understand the concept that a No. 3 hitter should drive the ball and drive in runs.

The decisions that are sure to cause a lot of talk and head scratching will be who Gardy plays at short and third on a day-to-day basis. It’s a given that his boyfriend will play at one of the infield positions virtually every day, but the rotation at third will be the thing to watch.

Brian Buscher has been ripping the ball and hasn’t been nearly as shaky in the field as he was said to be. Yet somehow he can’t find his way into any playing time. Apparently a .330 hitter with gap and HR power isn’t good enough for Ron.

That leads to things like Harris playing third and Lamb somehow being our late inning lefty pinch hitter. Because, you know, that makes sense…

How will Gardy use the pen—especially Nathan?

I’m going to try and keep this brief (because I can, have, and will go on at great length about all of the mistakes I think Gardenhire is making with this team) and just let you know about a few things that are guaranteed to happen in the second half of the season.

1) Gardy will continue to refuse to use Joe Nathan in non-save situations even though it would make sense to have your best reliever come in during the most crucial situations.

2) He will continue to pitch the “Bassman” (Gardy’s pet name for Brian Bass—gawd, he plays favorites more than any other manager in the game) in situations where he has no business pitching.

3) Someone in the bullpen will get overworked to the point that their arm and performance suffers (like he did with Neshek last year). The leading candidate at this time is Guerrier.

Schedule
Will the team’s brutal July schedule be the downfall of this season?
Well, we’ve already seen the less-than-encouraging start to what appears to be a very difficult month of July. Along with the Boston and Detroit road trips that lead up to the All Star break, the teams has dates with the Yankees, Tigers (again), and White Sox, among others, still to come this month.

The team’s struggles against the Bronx Bombers have been well documented, and shouldn’t come as any surprise should they struggle. They key to the month will be how well the Twins play against division rivals Detroit and Chicago.

I know the media is trying to convince you that the Tigers are “coming around” right now, but that team doesn’t really scare me at all. I think we take five of seven against them. Thus, if we can simply hold our own against everyone else, we should be fine heading into August.

How much will the long road trip in August affect them?
In an extremely rare scheduling quirk, the Twins will play 14 consecutive games on the road at the end of August. The majority of these games will be on the West Coast, which makes it even more daunting.

With the AL West looking relatively tough at this point, except for Seattle of course, this might be a more important stretch than that brutal end to July that we just went over.

If they can play well during that trip, it should give them the confidence to try and make a playoff push during the month of September. If not, it could be the beginning of a 2001-like collapse.

Of course if we’ve already fallen out of contention by that time, all of this will be a moo point (you know, like a cow’s opinion—it doesn’t matter).

Minnesota Timberwolves: Playing the NBA Draft Lottery

TK on Toast — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:34:00 -0400

On Tuesday night, the NBA held their annual Draft Lottery to determine the order of picks 1-13 in June’s amateur draft. As was the norm for most of the first 10 years of the franchise’s existence, as well as the last few years, the Timberwolves were prominently involved. Here are our expert takes on some of the proceedings from the lottery. Obviously, we will have a more in-depth look once we get closer to the actual draft weekend.

Question 1: The Chicago Bulls and their 1.7 percent odds became the second-least likely team in lottery history to land the No. 1 pick last night (second only to the 1993 Magic). Two-part question: Was this a fix? Who do they take at #1?

Dogg: I don’t think it is ever a fix, but a redux for sure. I think they take Derek Rose. The Bulls have a number of players worth something to other teams so I would be dealing. I would trade Gordon/Deng/Hughes, Gooden/Nocioni because they have too many guys who can play ball. I would personally deal Gooden and Gordon for picks or a better top player. Whatever they decide to do, the Bulls should be near the top of the Eastern Conference next year.

Fuzz: Tim Donaghy is out of the league, so I don’t think it was fixed. Kidding. I don’t think it was fixed, I just think the Bulls got extremely lucky and something like that never happens to our club. We’ve never had the first pick and we have been an abysmal franchise. That’s the part that sucks. Anyways, I see the Bulls taking Beasley. This is a hard pick, in the sense that they have a ton of forwards and a ton of guards. Beasley or Rose is going to add more competition to their team and bump someone out. They could be looking to trade some of the riff-raff on their roster to clear some things out. With guards Hinrich, Gordon Duhon, and Hughes, I see them going with the forward Michael Beasley.

Q: Apparently I’m the only conspiracy theorist in the group. I feel like the NBA is the shadiest professional sport by far. Can you imagine the uproar if an NFL official was being charged with fixing games? NFL Live would be on in 24/7. Somehow the NBA manages to sweep it under the rug. There have been a ton of sketchy lottery proceedings as well: the Knicks getting Ewing, the Magic getting Shaq, etc.

Now you have the Bulls, a major market team (and former home of Basketball God) who is down on their luck and needs a boost, beating unbelievable odds to get the first pick and their choice of two instant studs. Naw, that’s not fixed at all. Anyways, I think they should take Beasley with the makeup of their team. They have some talented guards and he would make their team much more complete. That said, I think they’ll end up taking Rose, because everyone is scared of passing on the next Chris Paul.

Question 2: The Wolves landed at No. 3—not great, but not terrible either. This means they have their pick of anyone outside of Beasley and Rose. Make your case for who we should pick and why.

Dogg—I think this draft is loaded with players. I believe our franchise will take Brook Lopez or O.J. Mayo. What do I think we should do? Trade down and get D.J. Augustin. Try and move into the 1st round with another pick and take Robin Lopez or Roy Hibbert. I know both won’t be NBA superstars, but this team needs a true center who can rebound, play very good defense, and take the load off Big Al a little bit. Maybe even a guy like Kosta Koufos, if he can manage to guard low post players effectively. He seems to be a little perimeter-oriented but he’ll be a good offensive player in the NBA.

Q—For sure, we should take Lopez. He’s already proven that he can score the ball, plus he’s 7 feet tall. At the very least, he’ll be a presence defensively and on the boards, maybe more than that. I know the “experts” are going to yell until they are blue in the face that Mayo is the third best player in this draft, but I don’t like him for the Wolves. We have some talent at the guard position; we don’t have a center. If you can get a center to pair with Big Al for the next 10 years, your rebuilding project is going well.

Fuzz—Brook Lopez, Center. Our main needs are at Center and Point Guard. He fills one of these needs. He isn’t going to be a sexy pick, but we’re rebuilding here. We aren’t making the playoffs next year with anyone we draft, so I would like to go with a solid 7-footer. He’s not a stiff. He has moves and a reliable jump shot already. Plus, he in no way will demand the ball to score, leaving our main man Jefferson free to do what he does best. We’d have a very good frontcourt for years to come with Lopez.

Question 3: Okay, now for a little negativity. We know that McHale destroys just about everything he touches, so what is the worst case scenario for our pick and why?

Q—Is it possible for us to run out of time and lose the pick? If not, then it has to involve us taking some foreign pud (copyright Kevin Kelly) who never leaves his homeland or sees the inside of the Target Center. Since there are one or two guys like that projected in the top part of the draft, the likelihood of this happening seems extremely high right now.

Dogg—We take Danilo Gallinari from Italy. I know the league has some great foreign players, but most of them don’t pan out in the NBA.

Fuzz—A lot of people are jumping on the OJ Mayo bandwagon. He’s the risk/reward guy. Before the college season, he was the #1 pick. Now, he’s somewhere in the top 5. I’ve never liked him, so I don’t want him but I’m afraid we’re going to take him. I think he’s an egomaniac with a piss-poor attitude. The worst case scenario is for Mayo to turn out to be a superstar only to pull a Marbury and ship himself out of here. I’m stereotyping here, but guys like Mayo don’t want to be “stuck” here in Minnesota. We take him third, he rips it up and he’s gone in three years. That would suck…

Question 4: One last Wolves question: we have two of the top four picks in the second round. What are some names that you'd like to see us go after with these picks?

Fuzz—I think those picks will be based off what we do with our first rounder, obviously. If we take Lopez, we’d go with someone smaller with these picks. Vice versa if we take a guard/forward. Anyways, if there were a way that we could trade these picks to move up to the late first round and take a guy like Ty Lawson, I wouldn’t be pissed. I don’t know if this is even a possibility, but I would like them to make a move up if they could.

Dogg—If we take Brook Lopez with the No. 3 pick, I say we roll with Ty Lawson early in the second round. He is small but he’s got strength so I wouldn’t worry about him getting abused in the low post. This team needs a true PG and I think Ty Lawson can be effective in this league. The other guy who I think could have a solid NBA career coming out of the second round is D.J. White from Indiana. He seems he could be that guy off the bench who averages 10 and 5, which every good team needs.

Q—These guys hit the nail on the head in that picks 31 and 34 depend entirely on who we take at No. 3. Since this isn’t the NFL, I seriously doubt that we’ll be able to move up by exchanging the two of them either. So if we take Lopez at No. 3, then I’d like to see us go after at least one guard, maybe two. Some guys I wouldn’t mind seeing us take in the second round include: Ty Lawson, Kyle Weaver, Davon Jefferson, and Wayne Ellington.

Question 5: Make a call—who is the sleeper in this draft that no one is talking about right now?

Fuzz—Jerel McNeal. Kidding, he fucking blows. I like Donte Green from Syracuse. He’s been overshadowed since Day One. He was a top 10 freshman coming in last year, but all the accolades went to Beasley, Rose, Love, and Mayo. He’s a big kid at 6-foot-10 and 225 pounds. He averaged nearly 18 points and seven boards a game his freshman year. A few casual college hoops fans don’t even probably know who he is. He projects in the mid-first round and could end up being the steal of the draft. His perimeter game improved greatly and if he could be a "three" in the NBA, he’d be lethal.

Q—I really like Davon Jefferson out of USC. He’s a 6-foot-8 wing who can score, rebound, and defend. Obviously, as is the case with most draft sleepers, it is going to depend on who he gets drafted by. If he can get on a team where he can fill a niche, a la Brandon Bass in Dallas, then he could be very good. I’d love to see the Wolves pick him up at 31 to come off the bench as Brewer’s sub when he inevitably gets benched.

Dogg—I like Kyle Weaver out of Washington State. He knows how to play tough defense coming from that school and seems to have good NBA game. I’ve seen him in the low block and also on the perimeter with scoring abilities from both positions. I would love to see the Wolves select him in the second round.

Horse Racing: Big Brown Bound for the Crown?

TK on Toast — Mon, 19 May 2008 21:01:00 -0400

The fellas are back from HK Stables to give you a recap of the Preakness this past weekend.

The H from HK Stables:

Two down and one to go for Big Brown's chase at the elusive Triple Crown of horse racing.

HK stables again, back to recap everything that went down this weekend involving the Preakness and local live racing at Canterbury Park.

Preakness

Once again, Big Brown showed on Saturday why he is currently considered the best horse in the country. Big Brown, in his past two races, has won by a combined total of 10 lengths over the competition, and has looked unstoppable.

Most who caught the race on Saturday from Maryland noted that Big Brown actually took it easy coming down the stretch and the jockey has been quoted as saying "I eased him up. There was no reason to keep pushing him; he had the win wrapped up."

Big Brown is still searching for competition and may find it in a Japanese import known as Casino Drive in the final race towards horse racing history.

The win was pretty inevitable, as all who took note could have told you. This was no clearer than in the winner's payouts. Big Brown was the clear 1-5 favorite and only paid out $2.40 for the win bet. He also was the lead horse in the following payouts: $36.60 exacta, a $336.80 triple and a $1,192.30 superfecta. Big Brown has made it hard for all of us bettors out there to make money, and this will continue into the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

HK stables does not want any credit for those who took our advice and played Big Brown in the favorite over the field bet, but congratulations to those who took it. As for the two of us, we split up a fairly hefty Trifecta bet, only to come out slightly ahead. This is what will happen when there is a heavy favorite and a weak field; just how the Preakness shaped up.

Canterbury

Members of HK and Bluewater Stables were in attendance for this past weekend's live racing at Canterbury Park, with some members attending the races Friday through Sunday. There were two major races on Saturday, with the 10,000 Lakes Stakes and the Lady Slipper Stakes. Both races paid $50,000 to the winners.

In the Lady Slipper Stakes (for girls only), Bankers D Light edged out the competition, winning over Trickeyville Dew and Bee o Bee Bob. The filly paid out nicely for those who had her parlayed into exotic bets such as Exactas, Trifectas and Superfectas, as she was a long shot going in at 10-1 (morning line).

In the Boys race, the 10,000 Lakes Stakes, it was A.J. Banks and jockey Scott Stevens brining the win home for trainer Todd Hoffrage. A.J. Banks (7-2 morning line) beat out Hills of Ireland and Pretty as a Smile to claim the $50,000 stakes at Canterbury.

On a side note, a new partnership was formed at Canterbury on Sunday afternoon with the newly named Tres Borrachos (named after the horse in the Preakness race) all holding winning Trifecta tickets. H, K and Moe all bet the same trifecta combination (without knowing it) in race 6 yesterday paying off $110.80 for the $1 investment! Needless to say the Oil Cans (Fosters Beer) were flowing after that, and the Tres Borrachos all left the track Sunday with cash in our pockets.

The K from HK stables:

I couldn't have thought of a better weekend to take in the races. The official formation of Tres Borrachos was one of the highlights of my young horsemen career and I couldn't have been more proud of the handicapping we completed that race.

That seemed to be the start of something good, the very next race, we didn't handicap the same race but Borracho Moe's horse beat mine out by a nose in a photo finish for the show and he won another, smaller trifecta.

Even though I lost, it's always more fun when the horse you liked at longer odds makes a run for the money. Borracho Moe and I are also on the lookout for the owner of a certain horse that absolutely screwed us both on a rich trifecta. When we find that horse, it's going to the glue factory.

Borracho Moe wasn't the only hot handicapper this weekend, I managed to pick A.J. Bakes in the Lady Slipper, a nice $68 exacta payout. And finally, Borracho Hill hit the biggest winner of the weekend, taking the field over Trickeyville Dew in 10,000 Lakes Stakes. Unfortunately, after a few too many Oil Cans on Saturday, I was literally a Borracho and threw the damn ticket away. I got you on that Borracho Hill.

As for Big Brown, nobody is going to beat this horse. End of story.

Three weeks until we find out if Big Brown can end the 30-year Triple Crown drought...

NBA Roundtable

TK on Toast — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:00:00 -0400

Another roundtable! This is a random conversation about the current NBA playoffs. Let's roll!

Fuzz: First off, I want to first give props to the Detroit Pistons for their sixth straight conference finals appearance, but is anyone else sick of them? I am. And I have no idea why. I've always liked Flip, because Flip coached here and I love anyone that has Minnesota ties. I love Billups and Prince. The others are also good players as well, but I'm not crazy about them.

Rip can still shoot the lights out and RaWeed is still one of the best characters in the league. They also play mad defense in a league that forgets that once in a while, or all the time. Yet I don't want them in the finals. Am I alone here?

Q: I don't hate Detroit. I think Flip is an overrated coach and that they'd have been to more NBA Finals (maybe another title too?) with a different or better coach, but that's just me.

As good as Billups is, I just don't get him. How can he spend the first half of his career bouncing around with terrible teams (Denver, Boston, Minnesota) where he can get all the playing time in the world and not be any good, yet as soon as he lands in Detroit, he becomes Captain Clutch and the leader of the six-time conference finals team?

I love Wallace because he's extremely talented, emotional, and hilarious. I love Prince, because I told Dogg that he would be a great pro coming out of Kentucky and he's proved me right (one of the few calls I've ever been right on). They may not play the most exciting brand of basketball, but they do have continuity, likable players (which separates them from San Antonio), and they just flat-out win. I'm cool with them beating the Celtics or Cavs in five or six games and then getting destroyed by LA in the Finals.

Dogg: The Pistons aren’t the most exciting team to watch in the league but you’re right when saying props are a must with this organization. Six straight conference finals? I don’t know what to think about that, because the East has been the JV to the West for the past about…six years.

They do have an NBA title, though, but a road that easy to the Finals is definitely an advantage against the West teams, which have to struggle to get out of the first round. That hasn’t been the scenario this year, but it has been in past years.

Billups, Weed and Prince are very good players and I actually don’t mind these players either. I cannot stand Rip Hamilton though. First of all, I call BS on that nose protector. He said this year that he has to wear it because he would need surgery if he broke it one more time. Why didn’t you tell us 19 years ago when you first started wearing the stupid mask? Rip is a little bitch on the court and I hope Ray Allen absolutely destroys him in the next series.

Yes, I think Boston advances because nobody can touch them at home right now. It would be great to see Boston win the NBA title without winning a road game. What you fools think about that?

Fuzz: If Boston pulls that off, that would be frickin' great. They have home-court advantage throughout, so this is possible. Plus, they play like shit on the road and awesome at home, making this a real possibility.

This Boston team has shown some serious weaknesses this postseason. They won like 65 regular season games but they have no go-to player (not surprising with KG on your team) and they seem a tad bit old. Atlanta and Cleveland won because they are out running and out working them. Boston can't keep up with these teams.

Another side note about this: If it's a Boston-New Orleans finals, the Hornets are going to kill the Celtics. Also, has anyone seen Ray Allen this playoffs? I'm surprised he's not on a back of a milk carton by now, because he's been missing for three weeks. It's a little shocking Boston isn't worried about him, because he is nowhere to be found. I still probably also like Boston taking the Cleveland series, but I have them losing to Detroit. Detroit is the better team.

Q: I'm starting to get a little tired of all the hype around the Celtics. They are on every single commercial, story, and magazine cover involving the NBA. We get it: they have three veterans who are all very good and have not won a title. Maybe there's a reason for that.

I do love listening to all of the Boston fans bitch and moan about KG doing nothing in the fourth quarter but fall away J's from 15 feet out. Did you guys miss the first 10 years of his career? He's been doing it for quite some time now.

It's also embarrassing that they can't win one game on the road. They had the best overall and road records in the league this year, but they can't beat the Hawks in Atlanta or the Cavs in Cleveland when LeBron is playing like LEBRON JAMES? C'mon. I know it's their "right" to play at home more than on the road, but if they lose one home game, they're screwed. I don't want my NBA champion to be completely inept in games away from their own building.

Dogg: I don’t know why everybody is so concerned with Boston after winning 65 regular season games. Yeah, they aren’t dominating teams like they did in the regular season, but who is? Detroit had a tough time with a poor Philadelphia team and the Hornets and Lakers are both going deep into their second round series. Both teams have shown major weaknesses on the road so I don’t understand why Boston is getting criticized for not winning on the road when no other team really is either besides Detroit.

They don’t have a go-to player? That is really weird since they have three HOF’ers (Allen, Pierce, Garnett) in their starting lineup. I believe all three of them are go-to players in their own right and don’t buy any of that talk about Boston not having “the man” in the fourth quarter.

Play team ball and get a good shot then. It doesn’t always take a LeBron or Kobe to charge into the lane every fourth quarter and throw up a shot no matter how many guys are surrounding them. Make the extra pass and get an open shot. In crunch time, your players should all be able to knock down open jump shots and Boston should just play a solid team game even in the fourth quarter.

They are not short on great players so things shouldn’t get difficult just because it’s the 4th quarter. Shouldn’t we be scared that Ray Allen and Paul Pierce haven’t shown up in playoffs yet? They are still winning games and advancing without having 2 of their best players not showing!

Fuzz: That's not a bad argument. I don't have much to say to that, other than that either those three don't take the big shot or aren't that great at it. KG always passes during clutch situations or fades away if he does take it, like Q said. I like the guys that go in the lane and try to draw a foul, and KG doesn't do that. Yes, he probably can and should, but 12 years of watching him locally says he does not.

Pierce can probably get in the lane (and would be my pick for a game-winning shot), but he's dirt-slow now, and guys like LeBron are too quick for him to go around. Ray Allen? He's been dead this playoffs and he's more of a spot up shooter. He needs to break loose. Yes, they have three talented players, but they have weaknesses in a tight game. It might not hurt them, you're right. However, if the situation arises, it will be interesting to see if they can pull through. I'm not sold yet they can in a really tight game against a good defensive team, like the Pistons.

Q: I agree that you can win without a dominant player. Just look at the Pistons and Spurs over the last few years. The problem is they seem to shy away from the spotlight late in tight games. All season long, they have made the extra pass, gotten clean looks, and pushed the ball in transition.

When it comes down to the end of a close game, that style doesn't necessarily work, because NBA teams actually try on defense at that point and everything is a slow-down, halfcourt type of game. That doesn't suit the Celtics at all. Pierce is the only guy who can (and is willing to) create his own shot. When he's getting doubled or not doing that, their offense sucks.

By the way, I'm not so sure that all three of those guys are HOF'ers. KG for sure, but the Hall has proven that you need to be more than a three-point shooter to get in (Ray) and I'm not sold on Pierce's credentials either. Also, you can't call Ray Allen anything more than a glorified role player at this point. He sucks.

Dogg: Ray Allen is not just a glorified role player. He is one of the best 3-point shooters in NBA history and you just don’t lose that overnight. Yeah, he hasn’t performed well in the playoffs but neither has Carlos Boozer. Is he just a role player now as well? No, he’s just having a tough stretch in an important time so all fans are seeing it. Guys go through slumps but nobody knows during the regular season. Ray Allen will hit a clutch shot in this postseason and will turn it up a notch soon...Pierce and Allen are fringe HOF’ers but KG is a lock.

Fuzz: Ok, enough about the Triple A of the NBA and onto the West. With a 3-2 lead, are the Hornets going to take down the dynasty that is the San Antonio Spurs? If so, is this the end of the Spurs as we know them?

Dogg: I guess I will continue with this year's trend and take the Spurs at home in Game Six and the Hornets take game 7 at their place. Until this trend changes, I'm going to continue to believe nobody is going to win on the road. I wish I would've known that no NBA team can play on the road, because I would've been betting the home team the entire postseason.

I don't know what the Spurs do if they lose. Do they really destruct after going into the second round and to a Game Seven at that? I don't see how they are going to get any better unless they sign somebody under their average age of 57. I would say they try one more after this year with the same core and if that doesn't work, then they blow up a little bit. I don't see Duncan going to another team though. Maybe he plays one more season and calls it quits. He's already got four rings I believe so he might get out of dodge early. I hope so because I hate him and the Spurs.

Fuzz: The Spurs have to be close to being done as a dominant team. I guess it all depends on Tim Duncan. Once he retires or starts breaking down, the Spurs will never be the same. He's showing signs of this already. Personally, I think this is their last year to do anything and it's not looking good being down 2-3. Teams like the Hornets, Lakers and maybe even the Jazz are better than them now and will be next year just based on their youth and experience they are getting this playoffs. They better turn it around ASAP, because I see this year as their last real shot at another ring.

Dogg: The Spurs need to get rid of Finley, Horry, and Vaughn. They are veterans, but these guys can only manage the game for so long. If they can keep Duncan, Ginobili and Parker to go along with a couple fresh role players, they still have a good shot. Ginobili and Parker are still in their prime, but they need some fresh meat as role players. Go out and get a Bonzi Wells-type player. I'm not counting them out until they have a bad regular season and a bad postseason or even miss the postseason.

Fuzz: Speaking of the Hornets, you have to love this squad. This team wasn't in the playoffs last year and now they're one game away from the conference finals. I love stories like this. It's what makes sports so great. With Chris Paul cementing himself as a superstar, this team could be good for a long time. I hope one day the T-Wolves have a turnaround like the Hornets had. They waited and waited, and now the fans there are in for a decent run the next six to eight years. I'm jealous.

Q: I think New Orleans will take down the defending champs, but it won't be in Game Six. Good teams don't lose at home in the playoffs. Scratch that. NOBODY loses at home in the 2008 playoffs. San Antonio will be jacked up, Timmy will bank in 15-20 points, Ginobili will be flippy-flopping all over the place, and CP3 will shoot about 35 percent from the field. Game over.

Then the Hornets will take care of business at home in Game 7. Is it the end of the dynasty? I'm going to say yes, unless the Spurs make some serious changes this summer. They have one of the oldest teams in the league, with guys like Finley, Horry, Barry, Duncan, Thomas, etc. I just don't see them making deep playoff runs with the team they have right now, especially with that bench.

Fuzz: We didn't even touch the Lakers/Jazz series but we'll be back next week with another one of these. The NBA playoffs have been phenomenal, so if you're not watching, I would start. They have been extremely entertaining and the TNT halftime crew is a must-watch.

Minnesota Sports Notes: Twins Take Boston, Timberwolves Ready for Draft

TK on Toast — Tue, 13 May 2008 23:12:00 -0400

A little round-up from the local teams...

Gophers

I saw a little action from the recent AAU tournament this past weekend. The main attraction was the 17+ team, the Howard Pulley Panthers. It’s the best traveling AAU team in Minnesota. My friend Kevin has a brother (Michael) that plays for this team.

(A little background: Kevin, the oldest brother, became famous for his stifling defense at St. Thomas and memory loss at the bar Major Goolsby’s in Milwaukee. The second brother of this trio is Dan and he became famous for his long-range shooting at Marquette and his ability to tolerate six traveling fanatics. Michael is the youngest brother and he’s already famous for his silky smooth J and being waaaay cooler than his brothers. Back to the column...)

Anyways, the team is consisted of about 10-12 local Twin Cities kids that are all bound to play college ball at some level. The two headliners are Royce White and Rodney Williams. The Royce White name should ring a bell since he just verbally committed to the Gophers a couple weeks ago. White and Williams are two very highly recruited players in the whole country. On rivals.com, White ranks 32nd and Williams ranks 43rd. To put that in perspective, in the last five years, Minnesota has had only two players ranked better than 43rd. Cole Aldrich was 30th in 2007 (now at Kansas) and Kris Humphries was 15th in 2003 (now in the NBA). So, if you’re not catching my drift, these kids are real good. Nationally good.

I’m kind of a college basketball recruiting nut, so I was excited to see this team and specifically these two players in action. This was my first time seeing both White and Williams. First reaction is that they both lived up to the eye test and the ability test. Both are in the 6’6"-6’7" range and both are extremely athletic. Williams needs to put on some lbs and White is already pretty cut for being just 17 years old. Ally-oops, flat footed-stand still dunks, and threes were in both of their arsenals. Williams probably had the dunk of the year and only about 200 people saw it. It was ridiculous. He jumped from about the third block up the lane (yes, that far) on the right side and two handed hammered it. Brought down the house. Kevin mentioned that it was like “Rucker Park, MN edition” after the dunk. The whole bench exploded with about half the guys on the court.

On the flip side, I personally saw one thing that wasn’t that pleasant. Royce White’s attitude. I only saw one game and they beat the team by 40 points, but he was unbelievable lackadaisical and cocky for most of the game. Almost like he was too cool. Side note: He also had a mohawk with a huge letter “M” carved in the back of his head. I guess he wants to broadcast that he in fact is signing with the U. I don’t know if this is always like he acts, but it was noticeable. Everyone else on the team played relatively hard given the fact that they were killing them, but White stood out. I’m interested to see how he plays when Tubby’s watching. I bet his demeanor changes. And it will have to, because Tubby isn’t going to put up with that shit.

Overall, the team has good talent and White & Williams have the potential to be game changing college players. The word is that they are good friends and it would be great for the program to get both of them and let Tubby work his magic.

Twins

Your Minnesota Twins just took 3 of 4 from the best team in baseball, the Boston Red Sox. They are now 20-17 and leading a balanced Central division. We talked a lot of Twins last week but this weekend series win vs. the Sox was a good sign. This wasn’t a below-average team, they had the best record coming into this series and we took three games. Our pitching is holding up, our bats are coming around and are fielding is right there again. I didn’t see this coming. If we’re hanging around the lead at the end of May and into June, then that’s a pattern and I’ll really start getting my hopes up. Right now, it’s cautious optimism. Random Twins thoughts:

-The Neshek injury is a biggie. From the sounds of it, he’s gone for the season. The Neshek/Nathan combo was almost like having two dominant closers on your team. If you can get to the 8th with a lead, it was pretty much game over. Now, the 8th inning is going to have to be pieced together by guys like Rincon, Guerrier, Crain, and Reyes. Some decent arms in that group but not nearly as effective as Neshek. Gardy is going to have to work his pen very well to soften this blow.

-Craig Monroe is seeing the ball like a beachball. He’s on fire. I didn’t think I’d say that line this year. A common theme this year so far, stuff happening that most didn’t see coming. Monroe’s hot hitting is one of them. Along the same lines...

-Livan Hernandez is 6-1! I think he’d get votes for the AL Cy Young right now. He throws about an 85 mph fastball but he keeps winning. Unreal.

-Morneau hasn’t had a homerun in 13 games. I’m calling one tonight vs. the Blue Jays. I deposited my money in the bomb pool, so pay up when it happens.

Timberwolves

One week from today is the NBA draft lottery. The Timberwolves are again in prime position for a high draft pick. No surprise there. They have the third-best position with a 13.8 percent chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick, which if we get, would be historic, since we’re a really shitty organization. We’ve made it past the first round of the playoffs one effing time and yet, we’ve never got the No. 1 pick. Is this the year? History says no. But, it has to happen one of these years or I’m going to start thinking this franchise is cursed.

We can go as high as No. 1 (unlikely) and as low as No. 6 (likely). Guys I want: Rose, Beasley, Bayless, or Lopez. Guys I don’t want: Gordon, Mayo, or foreign guy from Italy. Those are the players that have been projected near the top of most mock drafts. Like everyone lately, I’m on the Derrick Rose bandwagon. An ultra quick, pass first, but not a midget point guard. He also can fill it when he wants. This is still a dream since anywhere out of the top two puts you at zero chance of landing him.

I know I sound like a poser since I’ve been pimping Beasley on this site for five months, but after everything went down with the season, march madness and media reports, I’m going with Rose now. If we get Beasley, I’m not going to pissed. Let's get that straight. But, word is his attitude sucks and Rose would fit in with our team better. Is Beasley going to play the 3? Big Al is a perfect 4, so moving him would seem stupid. Whatever happens, Beasley on this team wouldn’t suck but I’m rooting for that “make everyone else better point guard” and that is D. Rose.

So, stay tuned to next Tuesday to see where our luck lands...

Vikings

May is finally the month that the NFL kind of takes a break, which has been nice. Vikings notes have been minimal at this time. That of course doesn’t stop me from mentioning them on the back end of this column. It’s the Vikings for Christ sake; they are king in this town.

Anyways, SI.com and ESPN.com have both come out with their power rankings now that the draft is done. SI has the Vikings as the seventh ranked team heading into pre-season and ESPN has them at #12. Too high? Too low? Or just right? Personally, No. 7 seems aggressive and No. 12 seems a little low. I would put us at #10, a good round number. With the additions we’ve made (Jared Allen in particular) and assumed maturation of some players (T-Jack), I like the 10th spot for the Purple. That puts us right around the fourth or fifth spot in the NFC. I can live with that.

Another quick note- Our schedule came out maybe a month ago and here it is for those that don’t pay attention:

@Green Bay, Indy, Carolina, @Tennessee, @New Orleans, Detroit, @Chicago, Bye, Houston, Green Bay, @Tampa Bay, @Jacksonville, Chicago, @ Detroit, @Arizona, Atlanta and NY Giants.

Two things: 1) I should switch that No. 10 ranking, I only see three losses (Indy, @Jacksonville, and one of the Green Bay games). 2) The coldest place we play is Oct. 19th at Chicago. Everything else is perfect weather. That could be huge.

We’re comin, We’re comin...

Timberwolves Offseason Preview

TK on Toast — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 22:38:00 -0400

Yesterday you read Fuzz’s recount of the 2007-08 Minnesota Timberwolves season. I’d first like to apologize for making you remember all of that dreadfulness. Like many of you, I had already blocked this season out of my mind before Fuzz’s nice little jaunt down memory lane. So rather than focus on the extreme negative that was this season, let’s look towards the future of the franchise. This is a very important off season if the Wolves are going to try get regain their form and return to the playoffs in the next few years. The roster is pretty much wiped clean, save for a few building blocks, so it will be interesting to see the direction we take. Here’s what to look for.

Ok let’s be honest here, you don’t lose 60 games and keep a majority of your roster intact the following season. These guys will be here: Foye, Brewer, Jefferson, and McCants. After that, there are no guarantees. Think about that; there are only four guys (out of 14 on the current roster) that will for sure be here next season.

The kid's a stud and he'll be here for a while.

Two others that could join the Core 4 are Ryan Gomes and Craig Smith. Both are restricted free agents, which means the Wolves have the right to match any contract offer they get. It will be interesting to see just how much the team values these two guys. If Smith is gone, that should mean that Chris Richard will stay with the team, but not both. You can’t have two undersized power forwards on your team; it’s a waste of a roster spot. Another player who has a decent chance at being here again next year is Sebastian Telfair. He played well enough at times during the year to get another chance to prove himself. So that leaves Foye, Brewer, Big Al, McCants, Smith or Richard, Telfair, and hopefully Gomes, as part of the franchise in 2008-09. Everyone else could and should be gone from this dreadful team. That means you Antoine Walker, you greedy bastard. And you Michael Doleac/Kirk Snyder/Greg Buckner: the NBDL called and your services have been requested. Mr. Jaric, you and your unfairly hot girlfriend can take off too. On second thought, Adriana stays, Marko goes.

Another picture of Adriana Lima; I'm sure you're upset.

So by my calculations, we have about seven holdovers on the roster (although there is a chance Madsen stays—even though it would make absolutely no sense—so we could have eight). So where does the rest of the team come from? Well, one place is the draft. The Wolves should be adding an impact player thanks to this awful season we all just had to endure. They have the third best chance of getting the #1 pick, and will not pick lower than 6th. We’ll also have the first and fourth picks in the second round, so that gives us 3 of the first 34 picks this June. That’s definitely a great way to build the roster. As for who the team takes, that’s all going to depend on the lottery. (Side note: Fuzz and I think that the Wolves have some very good karma going into this lottery/draft. For the first time in a long time, the team didn't tank at the end of the year to improve their draft position. This good karma has already shown up as we won the coin toss that gave us the 3rd best chance at the top overall pick. If we would have won that same coin flip last year, we would have either Oden or Durant instead of Brewer. Not a bad trade off there. If we get lucky in the lottery, you can thank that win against Milwaukee when we should have been trying to lose.) The top two spots are going to be occupied by Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose (though not necessarily in that order), so we’ll take one of those two if we luck out and get a top two pick.

Wouldn't this look nice in a slightly different shade of blue?

After that, it’s a crap shoot. I’d love for us to get Brook Lopez with the pick if we’re not in the top two, or maybe even Jerryd Bayless, but those are just guys I like. Picks 3-30 in the first round could go absolutely any direction. Pay no attention to any mock draft, because no one has any idea how this year’s draft will unfold after #2.

Another way to build a roster is through free agency. This has to be one of the most impossible things to predict, especially in April. There are a ton of guys who will or potentially could be available this summer, but there are two big variables here. The first one involves restricted free agents. It’s tough to gage how much certain teams value their own players, especially those mid-level type guys. Since they have the ability to match any contract offer, you never know who you’ll be able to get and who will be retained. The other big issue here is that I have no idea what the Wolves philosophy is as far as spending goes (I don’t think McHale or Taylor do either, but that’s another article entirely). Are they going to go after some sort of big name, big contract type of guy? Are they biding their time for a run at a superstar in the next couple years? Are they just going to go after mid level guys and hope they fit a role? Do they roll the dice on a young guy and hope he develops? So many questions, so few answers. As difficult as it is to speculate, here are a few names to keep an eye on: Emeka Okafor, Andris Biedrins, Matt Barnes, Jose Calderon, Ramon Sessions, Carl Landry, and Daniel Gibson.

Is this Fuzz or a future Timberwolf?

The third way to build your roster is via trade. I just don’t see this as being any sort of legitimate option for the Timberwolves. We just cleared out our roster and don’t have any big expiring contracts to deal or impact players that anyone would want. There are only two situations in which I see us making a deal. One, we deal McCants. Like Fuzz said, he is the most polarizing player on our team in the minds of the fans. I get the feeling that the same could be said about NBA GM’s (and possibly within our own organization).

Hate him or love him...

If someone is really sold on him, I could see us moving him. The other situation comes with our multiple high second round picks. Second round picks tend to have very little value in the NBA because those players rarely pan out. If there is a guy slipping down the board that we like, I could see us trading those two picks to move into the end of the first round. Other than those two scenarios, you won’t see a significant trade involving this team this summer.

There are plenty of signs of encouragement for the future of this team. We have our franchise player in Al Jefferson and could possibly add a major compliment to him in the draft. We have extremely solid players like Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, and maybe Corey Brewer. The team played very well during the last couple months of the season too. Ok, maybe “very well” is going a bit far, but in comparison to that amazingly awful start, it was pretty damn good. We’re still not likely to be a playoff team in the next year or two, especially in the Western Conference, but I don’t see us being one of the worst teams in the league either. The most likely scenario has us creeping closer towards 35 victories next year and a push towards .500 the year after. Yup, you can smell the excitement around the Target Center…

Where Mediocrity Happens

Minnesota Timberwolves Review

TK on Toast — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 15:11:00 -0400

The local NBA franchise had a forgettable year this season. They averaged just over 14,000 fans a game and that seems about 13,000 too high. I’m sure they counted all the season ticket seats and about half of them showed up for the game, so no way the 14,000 is legit. Either way, they finished a lousy 25th in overall home attendance and other than the people at the games; no one really cared at all about the T-wolves.

Except us.

We followed them probably a little too much but that’s what we do. The season just ended last Wednesday, so we thought we’d do a little review/preview of your Minnesota Timberwolves. Fuzz will be analyzing the season that just was and Q will be speculating on what’s to come.

T-wolves Review-

I’ll be going over the 2007-2008 season that our club just finished. I’ll be analyzing it in many different random categories. If you didn’t see a damn game all year, hopefully you’ll get a picture on how it played out.

Best player- Al Jefferson. It’s only fitting that you mention Big Al upfront when talking about a review of this year’s season. He WAS the Minnesota Timberwolves this year. Our best statistical player, most recognizable player, & thee franchise guy for this club. He was the main chip in the KG trade and he exceeded expectations. Everyone kept telling us that he was one of those good young players in the league, but I didn’t expect a 21/11 season like Al put up. One of four guys in the whole NBA to average over 20 points and 10 rebounds a game. He had a monster year and only should get better. Oh yeah, he’s 23.

Greatest victory- They only had 22 of them so it was pretty easy to scan the schedule to find the dandy’s. They beat Utah twice at home and beat Golden State on the road. Not too shabby. But the T-wolves best victory this year was a home win against Phoenix on January 23rd. At that time, the Wolves were 6-34 and Phoenix was 30-12. Just a hair different, wouldn’t you say? They won 117-107, scoring their fourth highest total of the year. Big Al went 39/15 that proved to all of us that this guy is freaking awesome. This was also a back-to-back game where they beat Golden State the night before at G.S. and then beat the Suns the next night at home. Easily the best stretch they had.

Worst loss- Ok, let’s get this out of the way: We effing sucked this year! I just went through all our losses and we got pummeled in a lot of games. A lot. After all the searching through the 60 (yes, 60) losses, the worst was a road loss to Utah on March 3rd. We lost 105-76. We shot 37% and tied our lowest point total of the season. The Jazz could have showed up stoned & piss drunk and still beat us that night. We were that shitty. I would like to say that this was our only 25+ loss, but we had like 20 of these. It’s been an historic season in that sense.

Most polarizing player- Rashad McCants. Fans either like him or hate him. No in-between. You either want him to play more and want him to get traded…ASAP! Personally, I like him. He provides offense in a league that is offensive geared and on a team that doesn’t have a ton of offensive weapons. Yes, he flat out sucks on D sometimes (or all the time) but he’s a good sixth man guy. He (kind of) accepted this role this year and hopefully if he’s around, they can sell him on it 100%. He has a few good skills and I don’t see how you can just throw that away. The fans that want him traded want someone else instead. But I ask, who? It’s hard to find decent/good players in this league, especially to come to Minnesota. If I were Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) in the movie “Gladiator,” my thumb would be turned up to keep the warrior alive instead of being killed. And then the whole arena would erupt! Or maybe not…

Most likely to sleep with the entire Dance team- Michael “bedroom all-star” Doleac. Just kidding. This has to go to Antoine Walker. Did you guys even remember he was on our team? He hardly played when he was healthy and sat out the last 30 games because of one of those NBA injuries. Glen Taylor wanted to buy him out so he could have the opportunity to go to a contender. Antoine politely declined because he didn’t want to take the pay cut. What? He has the money, so the only other explanation is that he was playing Wilt Chamberlain with the dance team. His fun zone wanted him to stay---so he did.

My favorite new player not named Jefferson- They had a lot of fresh meat this year. 10 new faces---Brewer, Buckner, Doleac, Gomes, Jefferson, Ratliff, Richard, Snyder, Telfair and Walker. My favorite out of that group was Ryan Gomes. He’s a great starter- role player, if that makes sense. You can’t have five all-stars starting for you. Or, you can’t have five offensive only guys starting for you. You need a balance. Gomes is a great fit for this category. 12.5 pts, 6 boards and just over one turnover a game. Good FG & FT percentage guy and great overall team guy. Solid--that defines Gomes. He doesn’t demand the ball but does well when he has it. Love this guy.

The “how’d the F he do that” award- Marko Jaric dating Adriana Lima. This one is odd. Adriana Lima is smoking hot. She’s been on like a billion magazine covers, looks great in underwear and could date any guy in the world. Who does she pick to date? She wanders up North and lands with this stinky, Euro trash chump with really small eyes that sucks at his profession. Really Adriana? Really!?!?!?!?

Player with the most calluses on his hand- This one is a lock every year until this player leaves our “great” franchise. This category obviously goes to Mark Madsen. Is there a better player cheerleader in the entire sports world? There’s no way. I wonder if he makes it a point not to clap during the off-season to give his hands a rest? I bet that’s his off-season workout. Coach Wittman at last team meeting: “Jefferson, work on your defense. Brewer, get to a man’s weight level. Foye, stay healthy. McCants, get another tattoo. Jaric, don’t ever come back and Madsen, don’t clap! We need those paws for another year! Alright fellas, see you next year.”

The Rookie- I have no award, I just want a spot to talk about Corey Brewer. Chris Richard was also a rookie but he played 10 minutes a game and is nothing more than a bench guy. Most of you know Brewer’s pre-pro credentials: Two-time National NCAA champion, good team guy, good defense and overall a good wing player. I had zero problem with the Wolves drafting Brewer. Zero.

However, he didn’t have a great year. Just under six points and four rebounds a game. He did play some pretty good defense, probably the best on the team but he’s farther away from being a legitimate player in this league than most of us thought. First off, he’s a toothpick. He needs to bulk up this off-season, like 50 pounds. Another thing he needs to do is work on his jump shot. He ended up finishing at 37% from the field. Horseshit, pretty much. He was good at Florida because they played a good transition style and not having a penetrating point guard or having an up & down offense hurt his strengths. A guy like Derrick Rose would do wonders for him. Oops, I’m just supposed talk about the year that was. My bad. I’ll leave that stuff for Mr. Cue.

Three records were set- 1) Jefferson set the Wolves record for most offensive rebounds in one season. 2) McCants set the Wolves record for most three-pointers made in one season. 3) And we set the record for the most times the franchise’s season ticket holders had the email subject line: “Want free tickets tonight?”

T-Wolves preview by Q tomorrow...

The View From 101

TK on Toast — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 21:16:00 -0400

Welcome to the first installment of a six part series we’re calling “A View From 101”. Some background: the three of us here at TKOT decided that to purchase a six game package of Twins tickets this year. We figured it would be a great way to follow our favorite baseball club in person. It tends to be difficult to get people together to go to a game, especially if you try to do it at the last second. By purchasing these tickets, we already had that roadblock taken care of. So why “101”? Because that’s the section of the Metrodome where we will be sitting at each of these games. Now, six times during this summer, we will be reporting on what we see on these game day excursions. Enjoy.

We begin Game 1 by taking the lightrail down to Minneapolis. The consensus is that this is the only way to travel downtown. It’s cheaper than a cab and more reliable as well. Plus, you don’t have to deal with traffic or parking (or the outrageous parking prices around the Metrodome area). The only negative about the whole situation comes when buying a ticket. If you pay more than the $2 it costs for a ticket, your change comes in dollar coins. It might be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard of. Who uses dollar coins? Anyways, other than the coin thing, there really is no drawback to the lightrail.

The train arrives at roughly 5:45 and we immediately high tail it into Hubert’s. I love that place. It is the ultimate pre and post game place to grab a beer. It is always packed, wall to wall, with Twins fans for every single home game. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Friday night or a Wednesday afternoon, there will be a ton of people at Hubert’s decked out in Twins regalia, drinking a beer. A good question did come up during our time there. What is going to happen to this place when the new stadium opens? Have/are they going to purchase land by the new ballpark? Will that place just be obsolete during the summer? I really hope this doesn’t ruin them because it’s a great place to be during baseball season. Another great part about Hubert’s is the girls. Fuzz mentioned it in an article recently: there are always amazing looking women at Twins games. An inordinate amount even. And seemingly every single one of them comes to the bar before the game. Now that is the kind of atmosphere I want to pregame in.

I’ll spare you a long, drawn out recap of the game. If you wanted to know details, you would have already figured that out by now. Instead, let’s look at a couple of major issues this team has right now. The first is that the offense is absolutely pathetic. On Friday night, we managed three whole hits. To paraphrase Harry Doyle, “That’s all we got is [three] goddamn hits?” It’s painful to watch, especially from a team that was expected to be better at the plate.

Another problem is our outfielder’s inability to utilize their exceptionally strong arms. This especially applies to Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young. Both of these young men have lethal weapons attached to their right shoulders, but both are having some troubles throwing out runners. This was extremely evident Friday night, as both men at opportunities to throw out runners at the plate and failed. Both situations should have been easy assists for our outfielders, but neither resulted in an out, which is pretty important considering the 4-0 final score. After discussing this, we came to the conclusion that they must not be charging the ball hard enough to buy them those precious extra seconds that make the difference between a Web Gem and another Twins loss. We’re guessing that the purposefully lollygag (copyright Bull Durham) to the ball in an attempt to bait the runner into going. This isn’t a terrible idea given their amazing arm strength, but it’s costing the team runs that they can’t afford to give up right now. This needs to be addressed and soon.

Here are some other non-game-related things that I noticed during our stay at the Hump Dome: Dogg and I are fairly convinced that, if given the chance, we could throw the ball into the Dodge truck from the upper deck in right field…With an opportunity to win free stuff on the line, some genius decided that the correct distance from Minneapolis to Virginia was 750 miles…Did anyone else know that the crowd vendors at the Dome sell milk and cookies now? Why? I mean, it would make sense in the “DQ Family Section”, but not in the “Drunk and Disorderly” Homerun Porch…On a related note, do they send beer vendors to the left field stands anymore? I don’t think I saw one the entire game. Does that area have such a bad reputation now that the team is trying to discourage the drunkenness and bad behavior by simply not sending the beer guys there anymore?...Speaking of drunk, Fuzz was absolutely hammered last night; more on this later…I honestly wonder what some people are thinking with their apparel that they wear to Twins games. Really, you’re going with the 2008 blue alternate jersey with “Killebrew” and 3 on the back? And just because your mom says that she can sew doesn’t mean that you should let her put the name and number of your favorite player on the back of your jersey. It’s not the same, no matter what she tells you.

Once the horribleness of that game was finally over, the three of us decided that the night was still young and figured the best place to be after the game is the same as the best place to be beforehand—Hubert’s. Surprisingly, the place was not nearly as crowded as it was the first time we were in there. Even on a Friday night, which just seemed wrong to me. There were still a good number of patrons there, and people watching is always a good time, especially if it involves idiots wearing beads and crowns. We get that it’s your birthday, but do you have to celebrate like a 13 year old girl? Anyways, the perfect way to cap a night like this is with a trip to The CC.

That’s right; the favorite local watering hole of TK on Toast is a great place for a nightcap. As usual, there was an amazing looking broad that was on the stage singing directly to us the entire time we were there (or at least we thought so). Everything was perfect until Fuzz’s drunk ass decided to embarrass himself. If you recall from our “Live Look In”, he and I had nicknamed the bartender Joe when we didn’t know his real name. Well as luck would have it, that same bartender was there last night. And Fuzz, trying is try to be smooth, goes with the line, “Hey, thanks for everything. Joe, right?” He was dead serious. The bartender responds with “Uhh, no. Todd, but thanks.” as Dogg and I try to decide if we should fall off our barstools laughing or cower in embarrassment (if you know us at all, you already know which of those two options we chose). Finally, we ended the night with the obligatory Taco Bell run. Good times. We’ll catch you again on May 12th.

National League Preview

TK on Toast — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:42:00 -0400

Ah, the National League; the ugly stepdaughter of Major League Baseball. Growing up in Minnesota and cheering for the Twins my entire life has made me an American League guy. I know the teams better, I know the players better, and I care more about both. Because of this, along with the NL’s lack of talent over the last 5-10 years, I don’t know as much about these teams as I should. Deal with it. Without further ado, I present to you the teams vying to lose in the 2008 World Series.

NL West

The Favorite—Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs have a chance to have the most dominant starting rotation in the National League. They already had the very underrated Brandon Webb, traded for Oakland ace Dan Haren, and could possibly have a healthy, motivated Randy Johnson (13 wins away from 300). They also have a very terrible lineup (worst batting average in the NL last year), with only Chris Young as a legitimate hitting threat. For me, the questions surrounding Johnson, the bullpen, and the lack of run production are too big to ignore and I have Arizona being a non-factor this year.

The Forgotten Team—Colorado Rockies. They won 21 of their last 22 games (including that dramatic play-in game) to improbably make it to the World Series. They have an extremely potent lineup (Tulowitzki, Helton, Holliday, Hawpe, Atkins) that, thanks to some spending by management this winter, is locked up for the foreseeable future. At the very least, their pitching is average with the potential to get much better with young arms like Ubaldo Jimenez, Franklin Morales, and super closer Manny Corpas. Yet the press keeps passing them over to fawn about Arizona or LA. Not me. I think the Rockies win this division going away and have a chance to make a post season run again.

At Least They Have A Nice Ballpark—San Diego Padres. From everything that I’ve seen and heard, Petco Park is one of the best stadiums to watch a baseball game in. It’s just too bad the local fans have to watch the Padres every night. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure getting to watch Jake Peavy throw every 4th or 5th game is just as exciting as it was from Twins fans to watch Johan Santana over the last few years. The problem is the rest of their team, including that anemic offense (actually, that sounds A LOT like the Twins). With the high number of quality pitchers in this division, it’s going to be very hard for Adrian Gonzalez and company to score enough runs for San Diego to become a serious threat.

A Couple Years Away—Los Angeles Dodgers. Bad news: Andruw Jones is not the answer. I know LA is very much a “win now” kind of town, but Jones was a colossal waste of money. Good news: Joe Torre is the answer. This guy just has the look of a winner and is going to bring that attitude to the Dodger organization—just not yet. They have a bunch of young talent (Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, James Loney, and Clayton Kershaw on the way) that could get them there soon, but they’re just not ready yet. The sooner they get rid of the dead weight (Jones, Juan Pierre, Nomar Garciaparra) and add one more arm and one more bat, they will be a force in the NL.

The Worst Team In Baseball—San Francisco Giants. Quick, name a Giants player other than Barry Zito (if you could even name him)…Nope, Barry Bonds isn’t there anymore. Sorry, Jeff Kent is in LA. Will Clark hasn’t been there in years. Can’t do it, can you? This is, by far, the worst team in Major League Baseball. Their best hitters are Aaron Rowand, Randy Winn, and Benji Molina. Yuck. Their top pitchers are better, but not by much (Zito, Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum), and their closer is something named Brian Wilson (not the Beach Boy). In fact, they’re so bad that I don’t even want to write about them anymore.

NL Central

The Favorite—Chicago Cubs. No offense to any Cubs fans reading this, but I just don’t get the fascination with this team. Every year, multiple newspaper/magazine columnists, TV talking heads, and other “experts” think they’ll be cute and pick the Cubs to play in and/or win the World Series. Why? Do the recent WS titles by the Red Sox in ’04 (after an 86 year drought) and the White Sox in ’05 (88 years) have everyone honestly convinced that the Cubs are somehow “due”? This is especially perplexing when you look at this year’s team. Yeah, I think the Fukudome kid is going to be awesome, but where’s the pitching? Sure, the Soriano-Lee-Ramirez trio can pack a punch, but what about the rest of their role players? Not it to pick the Cubs to do anything this year.

Q’s Favorite—Milwaukee Brewers. I feel bad for Brewers fans. For 25 years they’ve had to watch truly atrocious baseball. They’ve had to transition from greats like Molitor and Yount to punch lines like Pat Listache and Jeremy Burnitz. Then came 2007. After years and years of suffering, the Brew Crew had finally developed a ton of talent (Sheets, Fielder, Weeks, Braun, Hart, etc.) and were media darlings for most of the year. Then as August turned into September, Milwaukee fizzled down the stretch and eventually missed the playoffs…again. So for the sanity of Brewers fans everywhere (yes, both of you), I’m going to say that the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers will absolutely make the playoffs—if Ben Sheets stays healthy for an entire season.

All Pop, No Pitching—Houston Astros. There seems to be a common theme in the NL Central: get as much mediocre to above average hitting as possible and take your chances with below average to terrible pitching. Literally every one of the teams in this division subscribes to this mantra (except Pittsburgh, who wants nothing to do with any talent whatsoever). The Astros may have pioneered this trend (which is why their ballpark is the size of a Little League field), and have taken it to a new level this year. Their big acquisition for 2008 was Miguel Tejada. This is the same guy who has extremely limited range defensively and might be in the clink at some time soon because he lied to Congress about his knowledge/use of steroids. If they can find a way to have Roy Oswalt pitch every other game, then they have a shot at making the playoffs. If not, they may as well bring back those horrendous jerseys from the 1980’s just to make themselves relevant again.

The Darkhorse—Cincinnati Reds. The Reds are a tough team to figure out. On the surface, they appear to have the prototypical Central-style team with a bunch of big bats and little pitching. But looks may be deceiving for Dusty Baker’s squad. They have two legitimate starters in Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo, and signed a big time closer in Francisco Cordero. The runs shouldn’t be hard to come by, thanks to Brandon Phillips, Junior Griffey, and Adam Dunn. If one or both of their newly acquired starters (Josh Fogg and Jeremy Affeldt) can be a reliable number three, and they don’t fall victim to the dreaded injury bug, this could be the surprise team in the division and maybe even the league.

Didn’t You Used To Be The St. Louis Cardinals?—St. Louis Cardinals. How does this happen? The Cardinals won over 100 games in 2004 and 2005, and then followed those seasons with a World Series title in 2006. Now? They have very little hitting outside of Albert Pujols—who may not be around for much of the season because he might need Tommy John surgery (please don’t try to tell me that Chris Duncan and Troy Glaus are legit)—and their best three pitchers are arguably Adam Wainwright, Matt Clement, and Kyle Lohse (though Mark Mulder is due back in May and Chris Carpenter sometime after the All Star break). Um, what? On top of all of that, they have very little up and coming talent to look forward to. All is not good in St. Louey.

Somehow Still A Major League Franchise—Pittsburgh Pirates. Pop quiz hotshot: You are the Pittsburgh Pirates. Your team hasn’t mattered since Sid Bream scored the winning run for Atlanta in the 1992 NLCS. You are the single reason why Major League Baseball adopted the “every team should have an All Star” thing. You’ve had one above average player (Jason Bay) in the last 10-15 years. Last year, you lost 94 games in what is widely considered an inferior league. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO? If you’re General Manager Dave Littlefield, you do…nothing. You make no major trades or free agent acquisitions. You also have no young talent (except maybe Ian Snell) that could develop over the next couple years. It sure must be fun being a Pirates fan.

NL East

The Favorite—New York Mets. Look at that picture above. Does it make anyone else nauseous? Which image over the next few months has the potential to cause more pain to Minnesotans: KG winning a title (and possibly MVP) with Boston, or Johan winning a Cy Young and possibly a WS title with the Mets? There is one factor, and one factor alone, that will determine the success of the Mets this year, and that is health. When your team relies on a 41 year old left fielder (Alou) and multiple players who have had injury concerns over the years (Delgado, Castillo, Pedro), you’re always going to be holding your breath slightly, hoping that nothing bad happens. A healthy season gets them a World Series berth. Anything less and all bets are off.

Defending Division Champs—Philadelphia Phillies. The major headlines across the NL East this off-season: the Mets getting Santana, the return of Tom Glavine to Atlanta, the new stadium in Washington, and the super low payroll in Florida. Somehow, everyone has found a way to forget about the defending division champs (I know that it took an historic New York collapse for them to claim that title, but still…) in Philadelphia. As with most teams, the Phillies success this year will depend on their pitching. Everyone knows they have enough hitting to get it done with Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins (last year’s MVP—or did you forget that too?), Chase Utley, and Pat Burrell. If their bullpen (cough…Brad Lidge…cough) can manage not to give up too many leads, then the Fightin’ Phils are my pick to win the Wild Card.

Team AARP—Atlanta Braves. Tom Glavine is 42 years old. John Smoltz is 41. Mike Hampton…well, he’ll be hurt as usual, so he’s a non-factor. These are supposed to be three of the top four starters for Atlanta this year. Hell, even Tim Hudson is no spring chicken at 33. Neither is Chipper Jones, their offensive leader and arguably their best hitter, at 36. There should be plenty of runs to go around on this team with a lineup that features Jones, Mark Teixeira, Jeff Francoeur, and Brian McCann. Rafael Soriano is a big time closer, but the problem will be trying to get the ball to him in save situations. Between the high likelihood of one of their starters breaking a hip and a shaky at best bullpen, those odds don’t seem high. Have fun in third place boys.

New Ballpark, Same Dead Arms—Washington Nationals. You gotta give the Nationals props on one thing: they have created a ton of excitement in the DC area. First, there’s that brand spanking new ballpark that got national coverage thanks to ESPN. I’m always glad to see a baseball team get their own park so that they don’t have to play in a football stadium (like the Twins will finally get to do in two years). Second, they’ve brought in some exciting new blood in youngsters Lastings Milledge and Elijah Dukes. If those two can mature quickly (not likely) and mesh with vets Dimitri Young and Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats could surprise some teams. If they act their age (or simply like the idiots they’ve been in the past) and the pitching staff—highlighted by, um, Shawn Hill? (didn’t he use to play for the Vikes?)—struggles as they are expected to, then Washington won’t be setting off too many fire works in that pretty new park.

Team Payroll Less Than A-Rod’s Yearly Salary—Florida Marlins. Their team payroll is roughly $21 million. Total. The second lowest in the league? Pittsburgh at $42 million. That’s twice as much. It’s all part of yet another rebuilding plan in Florida. They do have the best-player-you-haven’t-heard-of in Hanley Ramirez, and they did get two stud prospects from Detroit in Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller, however. So maybe all is not lost. I’m not saying they are going to win 90 games or anything, but they seem to know how to tear everything down only to build it back up again in that organization. Most likely scenario involves the Marlins giving up the most runs in baseball, having the occasional highlight reel defensive play and/or homerun, and about 60-65 wins. Go Fish!

If you’re going to Vegas soon, here are some bets that will win you some money: NLDS—New York Mets over Milwaukee Brewers, Colorado Rockies over Philadelphia Phillies. NLCS—New York Mets over Colorado Rockies. NL MVP—Matt Holliday. NL Cy Young—Barry Zi…yeah right. Johan Santana.

Final Four Randomness

TK on Toast — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:08:00 -0400

I was going to do some sort of recap of the game and the Final Four but you can find that in your locals. Plus, I assume all of you watched all the games, so no need to tell it again. Instead, you’ll find some random thoughts on what I saw. Let’s Play!

First off, remember who said their favorite player was Mario Chalmers? Oh yeah, that’s me and he’s such an effing stud. That shot to put Kansas in overtime is what makes this tourney so great. However...

It wasn’t that great of a March Madness. Before the final game, I believe I read that 42 out of the 60 games were won by 10 points or more. It wasn’t a classic tourney in that sense. If it wasn’t for Q's man crush Stephen Curry and Davidson, it would have been worse. And this didn’t get better in the first Final Four games on Saturday. Memphis and Kansas won easily. Yes, UNC pulled back to four points, but Kansas put down the throttle after that. Speaking of those Tar Heels...

I couldn’t be happier that nutjob Hansbrough and UNC got pounded by Kansas, ending their run. It was fantastic. As a bona fide Duke fan, seeing those guys fall was a great sight. I was waiting for Psycho T to pull an Adam Morrison and start crying in the middle of the floor. Hansbrough said before the Final Four that he’s not leaving until he has a ring. I don’t buy it. I see him going. His stock is at it’s highest and you take the money. That’s the correct play. Even if he won’t do anything in the league, get paid son. I could see someone like Ellington possibly leaving also. You’ll see a much different UNC team next year.

Josh Shipp...you suck!

Derrick Rose...you don’t! More on him later...

I don’t know if I should feel sorry for UCLA head coach Ben Howland or be jealous of the guy. At one end, he’s been to the Final Four three years in a row and he couldn’t pull one title down. Not one! That has to be frustrating, especially with all that UCLA history. 18 Final Four appearances---11 titles. The pressure is always there with that job and he walked away with zilch in three years. Not good times. But, on the other end, he’s in sunny California, he has a really good job and he HAS been to the Final Four the last three years. Other coaches dream about going to one. He’s in a very odd position, but one that I would like to have.

Joey Dorsey is one bad ass Mo-Fo. He’s a guy that you wouldn’t want to piss off at the bar or anywhere for that matter. Minnesota corn fed Cole Aldrich found that out firsthand when Dorsey gave him a little chest bump last night. Give Aldrich credit though, he stood his ground. I think Dorsey is a tough guy but Dogg thinks he wears a pink thong.

I don’t know if I trust John Calipari. Seems like the guy that shakes your hand with a smile on his face only to steal your wallet as he walks by. I trust him like I trust Steve Buscemi’s character in Con Air. Calipari seems that shady.

Billy Packer needs to go away. I still like Jim Nantz and those Jim Nantz narrated Masters commercials give me wood. Seriously. A tradition like no other...

Winner-Winner-Chicken Dinner. Congrats to the Kansas Jayhawks. An awesome game and an awesome comeback.

Hey Calipari? You still think free throws aren't that important?

Derrick Rose is the deal. He had a very good year but got on everybody’s map in this tourney. He went up against good players like Neitzel, Augustin, Collison and abused them all. He was too quick, too big and too good for those players. He was held in check in the first half of the title game, but he could have still been sick from eating too many gummy bears (a true story). He almost carried them to victory but came up one free throw short. Either way, he’s the man and I want him throwing oops to Big Gay Al and company next year.

Will Bill Self take the money that OK State is offering now? Word is that some billionaire alum wants to offer him 10 years, 40 million dollars with a 6 million dollar signing bonus! What!?!?! If that’s true, Billy Boy might be gone. I think it would be stupid. You have one of the top five jobs in the country and I don’t think Self is that great of a coach to do it anywhere. The name Kansas gives him a lot of creditability in recruiting. I would ride this job out as long as you can, even if you just won the NCAA Championship.

UNC head coach Roy Williams sitting at the title game with a Kansas sticker on his chest was a little weird. He did spend 15 years there, but you’ve moved on, so act like it.

"One Shining Moment" is still the best thing in sports. The ball is tipped...

The way I see it, I don’t see one of these teams back here next year. With guys graduating and guys leaving early, I don’t see one of these teams making it to the Final Four next year. Hansbrough, Love, Rush and Rose are all gone in my mind. Plus, you might see others besides those four. Ellington? Westbrook? Chalmers? Douglas-Roberts? Anyways, I think these teams lose too much to make it back. If you had a gun to my head, I’d say UNC has the best shot coming back because of their strong recruiting class. Anyways, I still don’t see it, which leads to me this...

My Final Four next year is:

Duke- Should be returning everyone except Nelson (senior) and getting five-star recruit Elliot Williams. Plus, they are four schools still in the running for the 5th ranked player in the country--- a 7-footer. They could use him! They’ll need to learn from getting bounced early, but I think they get there next year. All of you tools probably disagree with me, but they only lost 6 games last year and those top teams this year are going to lose a lot, when Duke won’t. I’m just saying.

Louisville- Even with Padgett graduating, this team should be in the top 5 all year next year. Scorers 2-6 will be coming back and they are getting two five-star recruits that are ranked in the top 15 on rivals.com. 7th ranked Samardo Sameuls (6’9, 230) and 15th ranked Terrence Jennings (6’10, 225). With an Elite Eight appearance this year and Pitno running the show, I like their chances out of any of these teams I’m mentioning.

Texas- I’m banking on DJ Augustin coming back, which I think he does. Their lone senior averaged 1.1 pts a game this year, so they won’t be hurt in that category. Augustin, Abrams, James, Atchley and Mason should all be back. I like taking the Elite Eight teams in the year prior to make the Final Four the next. See 2008 Kansas, Memphis & UNC. Texas fits that bill.

Florida- My wildcard. They have everyone coming back that won 24 games last year with the NIT. They have a top five recruiting class coming in that is anchored by two five-star recruits and Billy Donovan knows how to coach. Enough said. I was thinking about the Gophers here. Kidding, but my roommate Dogg seriously thinks it. Not joking.

Until next year...

Fuzz

Exclusive Interview: Twins Writer La Velle E. Neal III

TK on Toast — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:12:00 -0400

With the first week of baseball in the books we thought we'd sit down with none other than the beat writer for the Minnesota Twins, La Velle E. Neal III. You can find his work in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. His online blog is also linked to the right. All three of us here at TKOT are fans of La Velle, so it's a privilege to have him take some time with us. Enjoy!

Paul Allen from KFAN once said that the 1998 Vikings season turned him into a Minnesota Viking fan. Have you had a similar experience that turned you into a Twins fan?

I'm not a Twins fan! It's impossible for a sports writer to be objective if you are pulling for the team you are covering. I will state for the record that I have learned a lot from the people in the Twins organization I've dealt with over the years. The Twins are generally accessible and are frequently forthcoming with information, which is different from other clubs in town, based on what I've heard. Some out of town writers prefer to talk to the Twins than their own teams!

What's your typical workday like and what do you like most about covering the Twins?

I get up in the morning and spend a couple hours on the internet reading all the Twins coverage as well as baseball coverage in some other cities. I tend to keep up with AL Central teams but I also enjoy reading coverage of a few other teams, too.

By midday I've already make a couple calls, looking for news. I usually have an idea of what my Twins notebook is going to contain by then. I like to arrive at the park by 2:30 p.m. before night games. The clubhouse opens at 3:30 p.m. so I like to get set up and check in with the office to see if there are any special instructions for that day.

I end up writing two stories. One for the early edition and one for the final edition. If there's news during the game, I'll either put in the game story or climb back into my notebook for a late add. I leave the park between 11:30 p.m. and midnight.

It's great when your office is a ballpark but the job itself has become less fun in recent years because of the rush to get things online as soon as possible. Plus I blog and I podcast. Somehow, the work week has been extended without a change in pay!

Normal fans (homers) like us tend to look at our local squad with rose-colored glasses. What is the national perception of the Twins?

People in baseball praise the Twins' organization for being competitive in recent years despite not being big players in the free agent market. They speak highly of Terry Ryan, Bill Smith, Mike Radcliff and others, and feel that their farm system has been productive.

Do you plan on writing about the Twins for an extended period of time or do you have a different future career path in mind?

Don't know. I used to think that all I ever wanted to do was be a baseball beat writer but I've begun to think about branching off into other areas. Radio? TV? Not sure. The newspaper industry being in transition (loss of revenue to on-line, etc.) doesn't help either.

What is something that would surprise us about your job that we don't know?

Probably the hours. I often hear the, `you get paid to watch a game,' argument, but there's so much that's involved in a workday. Your dealing with people who, sometimes, don't feel like talking or who are just bad interviews. Evenings and weekends during the summer are booked. My friends don't understand why I can't meet them right after games.

Do you have any funny or interesting clubhouse stories (from this spring or in the past) that you can share?

Off the top of my head, I remember how Livan Hernandez was trying to bet Casey Daigle that he could get hits off his wife (Jenny Finch). I'm guessing that Daigle has won a few of these bets in the past. What made this one different is that Hernandez plays fast-pitch softball during the offseason, and he wanted to stand in against Finch with a softball bat. "I've gotta think about this,'' Daigle said. I don't think they ever arranged a showdown, and Daigle is now at Rochester. Finch did show up at a few spring training games. I saw her in the back row in Sarasota shielding their son, Ace, from the sun.

On the random side, what TV shows do you enjoy and what is the best movie you've seen recently?

I think Entourage is the best show on cable. Movies? I'm not going to tell you the last time I've been in a movie theater. Too embarrassing....

Three part food question: A) what is your favorite restaurant in the Twin Cities? B) what is your favorite Dome food? And C) what is your favorite ballpark food item at any other stadium?

A. Mancini's
B. Dome Dog
C. Sushi at Safeco Fiel

To our readers: Any guesses on why it was too embarrassing for him to answer the movie question? My guess is that he saw the movie "27 Dresses." It was a chick flick this summer with Katherine Heigl, the hot chick from "Grey's Anatomy" and "Knocked up." Either he has a soft spot for these type of movies or was dragged to it by a woman. The chick flick type has to be the only type of movie you couldn't mention. Everything else you could say. Give me your guesses...

American League Preview

TK on Toast — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:30:00 -0400

As March has bloomed into April and the snowstorms from Monday are now a distant memory as we watch the temperatures rise to a balmy 45 degrees, it seems appropriate to preview the American League. Well, that and the fact that it’s the first week of the season. Anyways, here’s what you need to know about each team, broken down division by division along with a brief playoff prediction.

AL West—“The Shittiest Division In Baseball”

The Favorite: California, no, Anaheim, wait, Los….fuck it. The Angels. There will be a lot of runs scored in…well, where ever the Halos play these days. The lineup is absolutely loaded with table setter Chone Figgins at the top, followed by the likes of Gary Matthews Jr., Vladimir Guerrero, Garrett Anderson, Torii Hunter, and Howie Kendrick, among others. Offensively, their only problem may be too much talent. They will have at least 6 major league caliber outfielders (Anderson, Guerrero, Hunter, Matthews, Juan Rivera, and Reggie Willits), and only 4 can play regularly. Will this cause dissention and anger in the clubhouse? Possibly. The bigger problem for the Angels is their lack of pitching. Kelvim Escobar is out for the year and John Lackey is missing the first month of the season. That leaves Jon Garland and Jered Weaver to anchor the staff. Yikes.

Q’s Favorite: Seattle Mariners. Not many teams in baseball did more to improve their roster than the Mariners did. They signed former Twin Carlos Silva to come in and be their third starter and eat innings. Seattle also made the second biggest trade of the off-season by moving highly touted prospect Adam Jones (and others) to Baltimore in exchange for their ace, Erik Bedard. He’ll lead the staff that also includes Felix Hernandez. That’s a very good top three. As usual, their lineup looks good on paper, but can they come through? Ichiro Suzuki (he has a last name) had a down year by his standards last year. If he can rebound and be the catalyst at the leadoff position, Seattle should be able to score enough runs to win the West. Of course, he also needs some help from perennial disappointments like Adrian Beltre, Richie Sexson, and Jose Vidro.

The Dark Horse: Oakland Athletics. Is there a team in Major League Baseball that is harder to predict that the A’s? Every year they seem to lose major pieces to the puzzle, and every year a bunch of guys you’ve never heard of keep them in contention. 2008 is no different. Gone is ace Dan Haren, along with Nick Swisher, Mike Piazza, and Mark Kotsay. Newcomers include…Emil Brown. Um, not exactly a blockbuster acquisition. It doesn’t matter, though. Oakland has guys like Joe Blanton, Rich Harden, Jack Cust, Jack Hannahan (St. Paul represent), and Daric Barton. Oh, you haven’t heard of any of these guys? You will have by August.

Also in the Division: Texas Rangers. Well, Texas at least made an attempt to get better this winter. They brought in a bunch of new guys to try and shake things up. However, I’m not so sure that guys like Milton Bradley, Ben Broussard, Josh Hamilton, and Jason Jennings are the answer, but hey, at least they tried. As is the case every year, the downfall of this team will be it’s pitching, or lack thereof. Kevin Millwood is a solid starter, but after him you’re looking at Vincente Padilla and Jennings as the next two in the rotation, which doesn’t exactly strike fear in the hearts of opponents. Their hitting will keep them in more games than you’d think (especially Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Hamilton, and Hank Blaylock), but ultimately they should be mathematically eliminated by July.

AL East—“Where The Big Dogs Still Eat”

The Favorite: Boston Red Sox. It’s tough not to like this team to win the division, the American League, and the World Series this year. They are the defending champs and lost no one from last year’s team, while adding Sean Casey’s bat off the bench and Bartolo Colon to their bullpen. They have proven veterans and up and coming youngsters who should benefit and grow from another year in the Bigs. Guys like Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury should get even better as the year goes along, and that is a scary thought. Even scarier? Manny Ramirez is in a contract year—watch out. The only issue could be their pitching (I’m going out on a very long limb here). Josh Beckett has been bothered by injuries all spring, Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield are a combined 97 years old, Jon Lester is still recovering from cancer, and Dice-K showed signs of wear last year. If they don’t win the East, this will be the reason why.

Q’s Favorite: New York Yankees. I seriously cannot believe I just typed that last line. I hate the Yankees, always have. Yet, as the last few years have gone by, I find my dislike shifting more and more to Red Sox Nation. They used to be the lovable losers that couldn’t win the big one, now they are just a bunch of pompous jerks. They’re making Yankees fans look polite and generous by comparison. Anyways, I think this New York team has a giant chip on their shoulder heading into this season. They still have the most balanced and dangerous lineup in baseball and I think their pitching staff is going to have a monster year. Phil Hughes is the deal, and he’ll be their 4th starter. They have the perfect balance of veterans (Mike Mussina and Andy Pettite) and youth (Hughes and Ian Kennedy) to go with their ace, Chin-Ming Wang. They might be scary good this year.

The Dark Horse (Allegedly): Toronto Blue Jays. I keep hearing that the Jays could be a sleeper candidate in the American League this year. Why? They’ve done absolutely nothing to improve their 83 win team from a year ago. The only major change to their roster was trading an overrated, injury-prone Troy Glaus to St. Louis for an overrated, injury-prone Scott Rolen. Combine that with the 38 games they have to play against the Sox and Yanks, and I’m not buying Toronto as a sleeper.

The Real Darkhorse: Tampa Bay Rays. Ok, so I know to the untrained eye this might be extremely contradictory to my Blue Jays rant. I know that the Rays play those same 38 games that I chided Toronto about. The difference is that Tampa has done a lot to revamp their roster and they are a young team with a chance to break out this year. It starts with their pitching. At the top of the rotation is Scott Kazmir who, when healthy is one of the best pitchers in the league. If they can get some production out of their young starters (Matt Garza, Edwin Jackson, and Andy Sonnastine), they will leave the cellar in the East and make a serious push for third place. In order for that to happen, they will also need some serious production from their lineup. They have a major talent in Carl Crawford, but after that they will need a few guys to “make the jump” from prospects to legitimate players (BJ Upton and Evan Longoria to name two).

Happy To Be Here: Baltimore Orioles. Plain and simple, there’s just not a lot to like about the Orioles this year. They picked up highly touted prospect Adam Jones in the Bedard trade, but he’s the only ray of hope for this team. The rest of the lineup is full of guys you’ve never heard of and never will. Even if they get career years across the board, the best they could hope for is 4th in the East. The pitching staff isn’t much better. Headlined by Mark, I mean Jeremy Guthrie…well, that should say it all right there. There isn’t a lot of hope in Baltimore, and there isn’t any help on the horizon coming from the farm system. Confidence is low, repeat, confidence is low.

AL Central—“The Analysts' Favorite Division”

The Favorite: Detroit Tigers. Obviously there is major excitement in Detroit these days, and a majority of that surrounds the extremely potent lineup that the Tigers are going to shuffle out everyday. There isn’t a weak spot to be found from Curtis Granderson at the top (when he returns from that pesky broken finger) to Jacque Jones at the bottom and especially including the formidable Sheffield-Ordonez-Cabrera middle of the order. They’re going to score more than their fair share of runs, but the big question is how many are they going to give up? Justin Verlander is a stud, but after him there are more than a few question marks both in the starting rotation and in the pen. Anything resembling consistency in the pitching staff and they win the division and at least one playoff series. Shaky pitching could lead to more disappointment.

Very Overrated: Cleveland Indians. Honestly, I really don’t get the hype and the love that the Indians are getting going into this season. I know they didn’t lose anything from a first place team last year, but I just feel like they peaked in 2007. A lot of their players played beyond their abilities, much like the 2006 Twins, and they are poised for a drop off. This is especially true when it comes to their pitching staff. Fausto Carmona was a below average reliever in danger of being out of the league entering last season. Miraculously he responds with a 19-8, 3.06 season. Paul Byrd, a journeyman starter who struggled while pitching for the Royals not so long ago, somehow manages a 15 win season. Joe Borowski, aka Captain Heart Attack, had 45 saves despite a ridiculous 5.07 ERA. Am I really supposed to believe that those numbers are going to repeat themselves this year? Sorry, but I just don’t. The lineup will still be solid (unless Hafner hits .260 again) and they will be in the running for the Wild Card, but expectations are far too high for this team.

Very Underrated: Minnesota Twins. Ok, so the other day you were treated to three pages of my thoughts on the Twins, so I’ll try to keep this short. When you have a balanced and (possibly) potent lineup to go with a young, exciting rotation, there is always the possibility of shocking the world. The first two months will let you know if this team will make a push to be a Cinderella story or if they’re playing for the new ballpark in 2010.

The Enigma: Chicago White Sox. I seriously have absolutely no idea what to make of this Chicago team. They still have Thome-Konerko-Dye anchoring the middle of their lineup, plus they added Nick Swisher and Orlando Cabrera to bolster both the offense and the defense. The pitching staff has potential with Buehrle, Danks, and 63 year old Jose Contreras in the rotation and Bobby Jenks as the closer. If they finish 2nd or 3rd in the division and challenge for the Wild Card, I won’t be surprised. If they finish last in the division by a mile, I won’t be surprised. They are the enigma.

Not As Bad As They Used To Be: Kansas City Royals. I am by no means the first person to say this, but I’d watch out for the Royals this year. They have a ton of young talent, especially in Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and Mark Tehan. The addition of Jose Guillen to that lineup could make them a very interesting team to watch. Usually, the big downfall of the Royals is their pitching. That might not necessarily be true this year. The Gil Meche signing a year ago brought a lot of laughs, but then he turned in a very solid season (don’t let the nine wins fool you; he only had a 3.6 ERA). Now they just need a little consistency from Zack Greinke, Brian Bannister, and company to get the ball to the most underrated closer in the game—Joakim Soria—in the 9th inning. I’m not saying they’re going to vie for a division crown, but they could turn some heads this year.

So what can you expect come October? Other than Dane Cook commercials and more Joe Buck than anyone should have to endure, I’d bet on the following scenario playing out: ALDS: Red Sox (Wild Card) over Tigers (Central), Yankees (East) over Mariners (West). ALCS: Yankees over Red Sox. I will now go throw up…

Final Four time! You ready?

TK on Toast — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:39:00 -0400

Florida had their turn. Who's next?

After UNC and UCLA won on Saturday night, I went straight into “I’m rooting for Memphis and Kansas tomorrow because I want all the No. 1’s to advance.” We’ve never seen it in the history of the tournament but we finally got it this year! I think it’s great. The seeding is set-up where the four No. 1 seeds should be the four best teams in the land and this year it truly felt like it.

UNC, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas all seemed waaaaaaay better than any other team, so it seems fitting that they’ll be battling it out this weekend. Goliath vs. Goliath vs. Goliath vs. Goliath! Jay Bilas from ESPN and every woman picked all No. 1’s to advance to the Final Four and I can’t believe they were right. So many things can go wrong in a one game format. However, this year just felt like the year that this situation might happen because of the significant drop-off after these four. And then there’s this:

Preseason AP and ESPN/USA Today polls:

1) UNC 2) UCLA 3) Memphis 4) Kansas

Back in November, both of the polls had this exact 1-4. Both polls the exact same? This was destiny! So buckle up because it’s Memphis vs. UCLA and UNC vs. Kansas! Are you f-ing kidding me? Who has wood? Let’s roll baby! (It’s March Madness, so using a Dickie V “baby” is acceptable)

Breakdowns of the first games beyond...

Memphis vs. UCLA

UCLA

“Third time’s a charm?”-Social phrase

You’ll see the other teams have actual quotes from a stated source but I think this common used phrase fits UCLA the best. This is UCLA’s third straight Final Four appearance so this quote fits perfectly with them. I put the question mark on because the “third time’s a charm” is still well up in the air.

The most experienced Final Four team is looking to finally capitalize on past failures to guide them this year to an NCAA Championship. Players like Collison, Westbrook, Shipp, Mbah a Moute, and Mata Real have all been here before. All those guys are good players but they all bow down to their best player—freshman Kevin Love. Loverboy is averaging 21pts and 11rebs this March Madness. Plus, he had the most ridiculous behind the scene videos of the tourney so far. Tell me you guys saw this? The video showed Love hitting a half court shot, a 3/4 shot and finally a full length court shot...all two handed! Come on! That’s not fair. He’s a beast and will need to carry this experienced team.

Even though coach Ben Howland called this UCLA team his “best by far,” this is the best Final Four of the three years and his squad still has limitations. They don’t have a good perimeter game and one of their “better” players, Josh Shipp, hasn’t done shit all tourney. He’s like the Nick Punto of this team. So UCLA will be relying on the freshman Love, the great Collison and their team experience. They’ll also be used to the hype, the media obligation and the overall schedule that accompanies the Final Four. Nothing will be new for them—this will help.

This could be enough to win it, but with four No. 1 seeds, these games aren’t going to be easy and I think UCLA is the “worst” team out of the four. They’ll play a fast Memphis team and if they win they get the winner of UNC or Kansas! Good luck Chuck. But you could say the same thing about any other teams. Every team is going to have a tough road.

Does UCLA have enough? If you’re looking for a prediction in this line, you’re kidding yourself. I don’t do huge sporting events predictions anymore (Superbowl, March Madness, etc…) I leave that up to TKOT’s own Brandon Lang...Q. He’ll be doing his prediction voicemails on Wednesday this week for all of you subscribers. Read beyond the Memphis part for his expert prediction on this game.

Memphis

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."—Mahatma Gandhi

This quote fits them well because they were widely ignored by the majority, they were laughed at for their poor free throw shooting, which was a common theme on why they would end up losing early. They were fought in the sense that they had to face the disrespect factor for two weeks and then in the end they ended up winning despite all of this. Gandhi said it well.

Memphis was the No. 1 seed that almost everyone had losing well before the Final Four. You heard it mentioned multiple times by announcers and analysts that they didn’t have what it takes to get to the Final Four. Horrible free throw shooting team, bad shot selection and shaky defense were the things that flew out of these “experts” mouths. Coach Calipari has even gone to lengths of defending his team in post game conferences. They proved that all wrong with a victory over Texas on Sunday, putting them in the Final Four for the first time since 1985.

Memphis made it to the Elite Eight the previous two years, which I believe is what helped them this year, finally get over the edge. That and Derrick Rose. Love this kid. I’ve been pimping Michael Beasley for a while on this site for the Timberwolves in the upcoming draft but I think I need to change that opinion to this stud.

Look, I’m not going to cry if we get Beasley. He’s a scoring machine and is NBA ready but this Rose kid looks like the next star point guard. Star point guards make bad players decent (Pargo in NO), average players good (Marion when in PX) and good players great (Amare in PX). The game is so much easier with a really good PG. The T-pups don’t have one. Foye is still trying to figure out his NBA position and Telfair is alright. Rose would completely change how we do business on the basketball court.

Enough of that NBA stuff and back to this Memphis team. As they proved the last four games, they can play any style with anyone. They love to run but have enough good half-court players to compete with a slow-down team. UCLA is a big, all-around team that will obviously test them. Memphis is a faster team than UCLA, so they will need to use that speed to catch UCLA off guard and get them in foul trouble.

If you can catch a few quick fouls on their guys trying to adjust to Memphis’ quickness, Memphis will win. If the fouls are normal it’s going to be a battle. I had Memphis in my Final Four in my bracket but was still a little skeptical going in. Now? I fell in love with this Memphis team over the first four games, that’s all I’m going to say because only one man’s prediction matters at this point...

Q’s predicition:

Memphis is going to end the dream for Ben Howland's club. Calipari has them flying all over the court and playing with a giant chip on their shoulder. Their athleticism will negate Kevin Love as they head to Monday's championship game. Tigers by eight.

UNC vs. Kansas

UNC

“In the end, the game comes down to one thing: man against man. May the best man win.”—Sam Huff

I was looking for a team one, but this will do. This fits well for UNC because most people would agree that they are the best team. When they go up against that “man” the better “man” wins and UNC is the better man...right now.

UNC was the No. 1 team in the land coming in and have beaten their four opponents by a combined score of 372- 271. Their closest game was their last vs. Louisville, which was a ten-point win. They look like your next NCAA Champion the way they are convincingly killing teams and rolling through the tournament so far. But, we all know that is not a guarantee.

They have weaknesses, one being that they aren’t that deep. This is one of their only weaknesses and having a deep bench is an overrated weakness at this time of the year. Every team is going to play their big dogs for 35+ minutes because of the magnitude of the tourney. However, this will come into play if they get in foul trouble. UNC only played eight guys vs. Louisville. If Psycho T or Lawson get in foul trouble, UNC can get beat. Their back-ups in my mind fall off more than any team left.

If you’ve noticed a theme, it’s all nitpicking with these No. 1 seeds. These teams are very good college teams and I’m stretching to find something. Besides the lack of depth, UNC does everything else very well. Great rebounding, good team defense and they have star power for late in the game. You want your studs to have the ball late in the game and they have Tyler Hansbrough—the best player on any team.

I can’t stand watching him for some reason but I have respect for him. His style of play bugs me and I can’t figure it out. It’s like he’s trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. He just doesn’t look like a natural basketball player with the way he plays. That’s the best way I can put it. In a close game however, he is an ultimate weapon. A player that will literally do whatever to win and has shown a knack for stepping up in “the moment.” He’s one of the best hustle college superstars we’ve ever seen. The cliché that no one works harder is so true with him. He’s like a four-year old after 20 cotton candies—full throttle the whole damn game.

You’re going to hear a lot of “I got UNC winning it all” talk this week so if you’re not a UNC fan get prepared for that. I’m not a fan, so I’ve already started to build up the patience for this week’s flood of UNC picks. Read beyond the Kansas part for Q’s prediction.

Kansas

“All good things come to he who waits.”—Proverb quotes

This quote obviously fits Kansas and Bill self since they have been knocking on the door for a while now and finally made it to the Final Four when in previous years they have choked. Who thought that last second heave was going in? I did.

Bill Self and his squad round out the fourth No. 1 seed to make the Final Four. It wasn’t easy either. They let a Davidson team hang around until the last shot when their main guy, Stephen Curry, shot an abysmal 9-25. (Side note: Read Q’s great write-up about Davidson that was posted on Sunday).

Beside the Davidson game, Kansas has looked really good starting with the Big 12 tourney. They have been winning pretty convincingly but in typical Kansas fashion, looked flat in the Elite Eight game.

The little trigger went on: “It’s a really big game, I have Kansas on my jersey, it’s time to disappear for 40 minutes.” I personally think if they had played a more talented team, they would have gotten beat by 20. They didn’t looked good at all especially since Sasha flipping Kaun was their best player that game. Either way, the monkey is finally off their backs and they will need to capture their pre-Elite 8 magic to knock off UNC on Saturday.

Furthermore, if Kansas plays like they did vs. Davidson, they’ll lose by 25 to the powder blues. They need to play like that balanced, seasoned team that we’re so used to seeing. Their top seven guys are better than any other top seven on the other teams, IMO. Collins, Chalmers, Rush, Robinson, Jackson, Kaun and Arthur are an awesome rotation. They have every type of player you want in that group. They probably lack a true superstar but Chalmers, Collins and Rush aren’t afraid to take the last shot. Especially Chalmers, my favorite player in college basketball by the way.

After I just gave them some good praise, they are about to go up against the favorite. And as you just read, UNC has been smashing teams. Kansas will give them a great test but I don’t know if they’ll have enough but I picked Kansas in my bracket so they fucking better!

Anyways, here is Q’s prediction:

North Carolina-Kansas. Big time marquee matchup here between two dominant squads. In the end, Hansbrough will be too tough for KU's front court trio (Jackson, Arthur, Kaun). The Heels pull away late in what will be an extremely entertaining game. UNC by seven.

Final thought- This tourney hasn’t been too exciting, yet. Western Kentucky, Davidson and West Virginia gave us a little but overall it’s been mellow for March Madness standards. I think that’s all about to change and we’re about to witness something special this weekend. The drama and excitement has been put off until now because these four monsters have just been waiting to get to this point to show the nation whom really is the true No. 1. I don’t think I’ve ever been this jacked for a Final Four in my life and maybe never will after this.

Well, until Tubby gets us there in a couple...

Out,
Fuzz

Talking NBA: March 27, 2008

TK on Toast — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:46:00 -0400

Five NBA related questions! Yes, that NBA that no one likes. Come on, at least give these a chance. Read on for Q's hatred toward the Dallas Mavericks, Dogg's thoughts on Chris Webber and Fuzz's Eastern Conference NBA Champion.

1) Right now, who is your pick to win the NBA championship and why?

Q: We were talking about this last night, and I'm going out on a limb with the Hornets. I know that they have very little playoff experience, but they have been crushing potential playoff opponents lately. They're also one of the few Western Conference teams that has played pretty consistently all year. The Spurs, Lakers, Mavs, Suns, etc. all have bounced around the standings due to erratic play. Plus, they have CP3, possibly the most well-rounded PG in the league. The guy can put up 40 on you and drop 20 dimes. That, combined with guys like Peja and David West make them very tough.

Dogg: My pick to win the NBA championship is the Los Angeles Lakers. They have the best player in the league in Kobe Bryant and I think they have the deadliest bench with the likes of: Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf, Jordan Farmar, Vladamir Radmanovich, Sasha Vujacic. This is contingent on Pau Gasol coming back healthy and hoping Bynum can give them solid minutes at the center position after being out so long.

Fuzz: I think if you’ve asked this question to the sports nation, like one of those ESPN Sportscenter nation polls, you’d get an alarming number of people picking a team from the West. It’s a natural answer. The West is far superior than the East and has been for years now. Saying that, I’m going with the Boston Celtics. They have the best record in the league at 56-15, getting number 56 last night with a convincing 20 point win over Phoenix. Their record is a little inflated because of their cushy Eastern Conference schedule but have beaten Utah, L.A., Phoenix, Dallas, San Antonio, Golden State, Houston, Detroit and Cleveland. Pretty much everyone that matters! They have not beaten the Hornets yet but play them tomorrow. They have three very good known veterans and won’t have to give a 100% effort until the Eastern Conference finals, which is a lock for them getting too. The experiment works and KG gets his ring...

2) Which one team misses the playoffs in the West between these teams: Dallas, Golden State and Denver? Why?

Fuzz: Dallas will still get in. Dirk “18 inch” Diggler is a big loss but they have enough talent to grab one of those bottom seeds. They have a 2 ½ game cushion also. Here are the remaining schedules of Golden State and Denver:

G.S.- Portland, at Denver, Dallas, at San Antonio, at Dallas, at Memphis, at New Orleans, Sacramento, Denver, Clippers, at Phoenix and Seattle.

Denver- Dallas, Golden State, at Phoenix, Phoenix, Sacramento, at Seattle, at Clippers at Golden State, at Utah and at Memphis.

Both aren’t the easiest schedules around but I like Denver’s by a pubic hair better. Golden State is a half game up on Denver right now. If you take common opponents out and the times they play each other, G.S. has slight harder draw, that’s why I think they miss the playoffs. Plus, A.I. will find a way in somehow because we ain’t talking about practice here.

Q: I really, really, really hope Dallas doesn't make it. Two reasons for this: one, I don't like their team. I hate Dirk and think he's one of the most overrated players in the league. Plus, it would be funny if going out and getting J Kidd actually made them worse. The second reason is that Cuban would absolutely flip out. He'd be signing, tradings, etc. all offseason and that would be entertaining to watch.

Dogg: I believe Dallas will miss the playoffs. I don’t understand why NBA teams feel the need to trade when they are playing good basketball and that is exactly what Dallas did when getting Jason Kidd via trade. It takes time for guys to gell with new teammates and Dallas had a great core of players that have been playing together for years so why mess around with it. I understand you got bounced in the 1st round last year but it’s simple, play better and beat the teams you’re supposed to beat. With Dirk out, they will be on the outside looking in. It’s going to be a shame when Avery Johnson gets fired.

3) Your darkhorse Eastern Conference team?

Dogg: My darkhorse team is the Philadelphia 76ers. I would love to see Denver miss the playoffs and listening to Iverson explain why Denver missed the playoffs and Philly is in the postseason without him. You know he did want to go to a contender! I know what my answer would be and is simply the Eastern Conference is terrible and the Western Conference is as good as it has ever been. I’m sure Allen would come up with a much more brilliant “Answer” than that. About their team, they have as solid as a PG you can find in Andre Miller and a rising superstar Andre Iguadola. Louis Williams has finally developed into a player and they are hot right now and hoping to ride that high into the weak Eastern Conference playoffs.

Q: Well, since I don't think anyone outside of the top three teams in the East has even a remote chance of making to the Finals, I'm going with the Detroit Pistons. Everyone has been talking about the C's all season long and they have the best record. Cleveland gets tons of hype because of LBJ. Not many are talking about DETROIT BASKETBALL. They have been there before, have a very talented and balanced team, and if they can overcome the shortcomings of their head coach, they will be the ones who have the privilege of getting destroyed in the Finals.

Fuzz: Q took the finals route with his darkhorse team. I’m going to stick with just the Eastern Conference. I’m going with the Atlanta Hawks, the current 8th seed in the East. And I’m not even talking about them winning a series; I’m talking about them just making the fucking playoffs as my darkhorse. It’s been almost 10 years since they’ve been and if you haven’t noticed in those last 10 years, the East has sucked giant balls.

4) Who's the MVP this year?

Dogg: I would like to see the MVP go to Kobe Bryant. He’s never won one and yes his supporting cast is solid but I believe he’s the best player in the league and if he’s not the most valuable, he’s damn close. The “Most Valuable Player” in the league for me is Chris Paul. He plays with talent similar to what Kobe had the past two seasons and they currently have the best record in the West. Peja has stayed relatively healthy this season and the rise of David West and Tyson Chandler have helped Paul but I believe he’s risen his game to a new level and now holds the title as “best PG” in the league.

Q: Despite the fact that only Kobe and LeBron get any press, I'm going with Chris Paul. The guy has been flat out unstoppable and is the single biggest reason that his team is in playoff contention. On the other hand, I could play small forward for the Cavs and make the playoffs in the shitty Eastern Conference. Similarly, any shooting guard who would be willing to be part of a team system and pass the ball would have the Lakers in contention. But having a point guard with an amazing ability to score and dish at will simply cannot be replaced. CP3 is the man and needs to get recognized for his amazing season.

Fuzz: Kobe Bean Bryant. 28 pts, 6 rebounds and 5 assists a game, plus probably the best defender of the MVP candidates. You can argue back and forth between Kobe, LBJ and CP3---the three best players this year. You can throw out stats and compare all you want but I think you give it to Kobe because he’s never won it. Is that a bad reason? Maybe. But he’s deserved it before and it’s not like he doesn’t deserve it this year. He’s having a hell of a season and he’s team is winning.

5) Your NBA rant please...

Dogg: Did Chris Webber really retire with a dozen games left in the season? Really, you couldn’t wait until the season was over? Golden State looks like they will hold the 8th seed in the Western Conference and he didn’t want to sit through that? What a chump this guy is and I have lost all respect for him. His knee was bothering him so he calls it quits after 15 seasons. You’ve been complaining about knee problems for 5 years so nut up and finish out the season you turd… I would pay a lot of money for San Antonio to meet Phoenix again in the playoffs. Watch Shaq and Amare spike piledrive Robert Horry into the ground. My last piece of information, the San Antonio Spurs better not win the NBA title otherwise I will be boycotting the league next year!

Q: Though not many people have noticed, the Wolves are comin'. Over the last few weeks, they have been playing like a real, actual NBA team. Granted, most of their wins are still coming against lesser opponents, but still, progress is progress. Now we will get a top 5-8 pick in a potentially balanced and deep draft to go with the manchild Al Jefferson and the rebuilding is well on it's way.

Next year we finish in the middle of the pack, forfeit our draft pick to the Clipjoint, but pick up the additional pick from Boston. Within 2-3 years, we're back as a playoff mainstay. Not bad when you can completely purge your franchise and be back in contention in less than five years.

Fuzz: For all the NBA haters out there, you should really give the playoffs a chance this year. If you wrote off the NBA a long time ago for whatever reason, this year would be a good year to test the waters again. I’m not asking to jump in now for the final 15 games of the regular season. That would be asking too much. The playoffs will be great though. The league for the first time in a while has a bunch of likeable, young, talented players. Out East it’s a three-team race with the likeable Celtics (and the KG factor for Minnesotans), the team oriented Pistons and the one-man circus-amazing act Cavaliers. Lebron James is a treat to watch if you’re unfamiliar. The West playoffs are going to be insane. Too many teams to dive into but pick any Western conference first round series to watch and you’ll be entertained. They’ll only get better after round one...

Picture of the Day

TK on Toast — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:58:00 -0400

Fuzz: Ray Felton (No. 20) is either singing alleluia or just tried to pull the most half ass charge in the history of basketball. One or the other.

Q: Felton obviously read the scouting report on Kobe: "Warning: No. 24 does not play well with others. Avoid getting in his way and touching him at all costs."

Dogg: I believe all three of us were just talking about Ray Felton last night and wondered what the fuck happened to him. This picture gives us good reason to why we haven’t heard a lick from this chump.

Readers note No. 1: We're trying something new here. It's a little bit of a lull for the sports world so we figured we'd throw up a picture of the day with our comments for a cheap way to have something up everyday. We're still going to write as much as we can but this should fill in for the days that we don't have any stories up. Picture of the Day (POD) will be up every working day. Hopefully all three of us comment each day but no promises. At least one will comment everyday though.

Readers note No. 2: Five NBA questions to follow sometime today. Stay tuned...

Readers note No. 3: For the non-computer skilled people, you can click on the picture to see a bigger and better version of it.

March Madness: What We Saw & What We Will See

TK on Toast — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 21:10:00 -0400

Wow, what a great weekend that was. First, I want to thank those of you who followed along and chimed in on Friday’s live blog. I wish it could have been more entertaining, but apparently all the fun was reserved for later. Anyways, here’s a quick recap of what we learned from the first four days of the tournament along with an expert’s opinion on what we can expect for the Sweet 16 games on Thursday and Friday.

Let’s start off in the most predictable region this year, the East. Top seed North Carolina was easily the most impressive team in the field this past weekend. Wins by 40+ and 30+ showed that this Tarheel team is on a mission this year. Not once was a game of theirs in question. Dogg and my’s favorite non-Minnesota team, the Washington State Cougars, also looked impressive as the defense we’ve been telling you about all season on this site was in rare form. Wazzou held a very good Notre Dame team to only 41 points as they coasted into the Sweet Sixteen. As for Indiana, well, Hoosier fans are probably just thankful that this season is finally over. After all of the turmoil that they went through this year, some believed that they’d come together in honor of Sampson and the seniors. Not so. They were thumped in the first round and now must get to restoring a once proud university. Not surprisingly, both Tennessee and Louisville also looked very good in their two wins on the opening weekend. I guess that’s what you get when the top four seeds all advance to the second weekend.

The South region was also surprisingly routine, as the 1, 2, 3, and 5 seeds emerged victorious over the weekend. One of the biggest stories in the tournament comes from the suddenly vulnerable Memphis Tigers. While they looked strong in their opening round victory, John Calapari’s squad almost squandered away their second round game against Mississippi State. They shot under 50% from the free throw line and their struggles showed up the most at the end of the game when State almost completed an amazing comeback. Even more amazing is Calapari’s defiant attitude whenever he’s questioned about their poor free throw shooting. It’s like he’s actually convinced himself that they don’t matter. Regardless, the Tigers are officially on upset watch for their matchup with Michigan State. The only other game of note from this region was the allegedly fantastic back and forth battle between Marquette and Stanford. I wouldn’t know about that because the worst place in the world to watch college basketball—Tiffany’s Sports Lounge—refused to break from their precious Kansas game for 35 seconds so we could see the end of either regulation or overtime. I’m still too mad about this to go on.

The Midwest region provided some serious drama in the opening games. We saw two major upsets with Villanova taking out Clemson (many people’s darkhourse), and Siena shocking Vanderbilt (and beating the tar out of them in the process). This all sets up a great 1 vs. 12 matchup in the top half of the bracket as Nova will now get a shot at the Kansas Jayhawks. KU was apparently impressive in their two wins on Thursday and Saturday, though no one cares because Kansas fans are annoying, unintelligent, and selfish (yes, still bitter about the MU thing). On the bottom half of this region we find America’s new favorite underdog, the Davidson Wildcats. Now, I seem to remember reading on some website way back before the season started that this would be a great sleeper team to keep an eye on. Where oh where did I read that? Oh yeah…RIGHT HERE! That’s right bitches, we tried and tried to tell you about Stephen Curry and his Davidson teammates, but no one would listen. All we got was comments about Arizona and Butler. How are those two doing right now? That’s what I thought. Our boy Curry has been unstoppable (especially in the second half of games), dropping 70 points in his two games. Now they try to play giant killer once again against the painfully boring Wisconsin Badgers.

With equal amounts of drama, late game heroics, sketchy officiating, and America’s Least Favorite College Basketball Team, the West region pretty much had it all through the first four days of the tourney. In yet another region, we saw both a 12 (Western Kentucky) and a 13 seed (San Diego) advance to the second round, and both on simply amazing endings. Western Kentucky’s collapse at the end of regulation and then miracle three point winning shot in overtime was arguably the best game of the tournament. Meanwhile, San Diego’s back and forth battle with UCONN was won on a step-back fade away jumper with just a second left on the clock. Both were amazing games that are the epitome of March Madness. In another sort of madness altogether, UCLA barely escaped their second round game against Texas A&M thanks to a mysterious no call against the Bruins late in the game that led to their victory. That no call, combined with the 3-4 other terrible calls that have gone in favor of UCLA late in the season are fueling rumors that sketchy is going on with LA’s favorite college squad. Be on the watch for more “interesting” officiating this coming weekend that manages to help Captain Outlet Pass and Co. into the Final Four. Finally, in a complete shock to absolutely no one, the Duke Blue Devils lost in the second round to West Virginia. In fact, they were extremely lucky just to get out of the first round, relying on a last second layup by Gerald Henderson to thwart mighty Belmont. Good lord they’re terrible and the country as a whole celebrates their exit from the Dance.

So we are now down from 64 to 16 and by this time next week we will have the 2008 competitors for the Final Four. Who’s going to win you wonder? Well considering my expertise has been proven over and over this year, I think you should listen to what I tell you will happen in the eight matchups on Thursday and Friday:

North Carolina vs. Washington State--Despite my love for the Cougars and their lock-down defense, the Tarheels are going to take this game. That said, Washington State will be the first team to hold UNC to under 100 points in the Tourney (I know, not the most impressive feat of all time) and I think the final score will be closer than most will predict. Heels by 7.

Tennessee vs. Louisville--There will be a ton of running and points scored in this game, with both teams likely to be in the 80’s or higher. Ultimately, the Volunteers’ lack of a consistent inside presence coupled with their poor free throw shooting will be the difference as the Cardinals emerge victorious. Louisville by 3.

Memphis vs. Michigan State--A lot is going to be made in the media this week about the Tigers inability to make free throws. More than one talking head will tell you that they are going down. And Calapari, being the brilliant coach that he is, will use this as motivation for his squad and they will roll the Spartans. Memphis by 16.

Texas vs. Stanford--Warning, now entering the DJ Augustin Coming Out Party. Please have your ticket and id ready at the door. That’s right kids, this will be the individual performance that everyone will be talking about over the weekend. DJ and his Longhorn teammates have just enough interior defense to handle the brothers Lopez and move on to an Elite 8 game against Memphis. Texas by 9.

Kansas vs. Villanova--A lot of media folks are going to try and convince you that Nova has a legitimate chance in this game because their guards can matchup well with KU’s. That’s simply not true. Kansas, despite my newfound utter destain for them, has too much depth in their backcourt and will find enough inside scoring to win. Jayhawks by 11.

Wisconsin vs. Davidson--Well, I have a feeling that I better gloat about my preseason Davidson call while I can. As impressive as Curry and his Wildcats have been, I think that Bo Ryan will have a defensive game plan in place to keep him in check as the Badgers grind out yet another ugly win. Wisconsin by 8.

UCLA vs. Western Kentucky--Two words: blowout city. Nuff said. UCLA by 19.

Xavier vs. West Virginia--Back and forth this game will go. The Mountaineers will grab hold of an early lead, up by as many as 13 at one point. Then the Muskateers will slowly work themselves back into the game thanks to some timely three’s and break out layups. Xavier by 1.

Friday Hoops: NCAA Tournament Liveblogging

TK on Toast — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 11:46:00 -0400

Good morning TKOT faithful. Welcome to my attempt at a live, running diary of the college basketball action that will be taking place today. After the jump, you will get my brilliant insights on the games, commercials, and any other random thoughts that pop into my head. Be sure to refresh occasionally because I'll be updating throughout the day (hence the "live" thing). Enjoy.

11:00 am--Alright, it's almost time for games to begin and I am more than ready. I have the TV on CBS, and am loaded up with two laptops in front of me (thanks Fuzz)--one to watch other games on March Madness On Demand and the other to update this site. I also have beer in the fridge and my little brother (Chosman to those of you who post on this site regularly) on his way with burgers to grill...

And there in lies our first problem of the day. We had this all planned out for a great Triple B day (burgers, beer, and basketball). But because this is Minnesota and someone is trying to ruin my day, this was apparently the perfect day for a snow storm. It has been snowing heavily ever since I got up this morning (8:30 in case you were wondering--I'm that excited) and there are no signs of it letting up. This will make for some terrible driving conditions and even worse grilling conditions. It will not deter me though, as I plan to brush off the grill and give it a go later this afternoon. We'll see how it goes.

11:10 am--So yesterday's afternoon games provided very little drama. I swear that always happens. People like me get ridiculously excited about Tournament Day and then sit through boring, predictable blow outs like "Kansas 85, Portland State 61". Oh well, at least the tournament is underway and Marquette pulled off a nice little victory over Kentucky, which pleases the DFTFC. Then the night games rolled around and everyone got to cheer against Duke. We all nearly got our wish until Gerald Henderson went in for an uncontested layup with 11 seconds left to win the game. Chumps. Then, Beasley and Mayo matched up and K State pulled off the first "upset" of the 08 Tourney. I was at Joe Sensor's in Eagan for those games--man, what a place to watch basketball. Great food, beer specials, and every game on multiple big screens. That place was made for March (and Sunday's during NFL season).

The early games for today are Tennessee-American (where the 15 seed American squad will surely hang tight for the first half, fueling speculation that we could have our first major upset on the way, only to fold in the second half and lose by 25), followed by a mid-major party: Gonzaga-Davidson, Miami-St. Mary's, and Drake-Western Kentucky. Personally, I'm looking forward to the Davidson game to watch my boy Stephen Curry light up the Zags.

11:30 am--It's worth mentioning that I have the Davidson game on the TV with Jim Nantz and Billy Packer announcing and the Tennessee game on one of the laptops with Verne Lundquist and Bill Raferty announcing. That's four of the best announcers out there giving me the insight on the first two games of the day--I'd say that's a good omen for this wonderful Friday. In honor of this quartet of announcing royalty, I think I'll have my first beer of the day (and yes, I was looking for any lame excuse to crack number one. So what?). The beer of choice for the morning games is Sam Adams. I bought one of their variety packs because I'm terrible at making decisions. For now, I'm going with the Black Lager. I feel like you need to know these things.

11:45 am--Tate just showed up with the burgers and his laptop. Of course he did. Josie of course went nuts. So now the two of us are sitting here with three computers, beer, and basketball. Good times.

Commercials that aren't going to get old--the ones where a different version of some guy shows up to say that he isn't going to answer the phone because he's an idiot for having a shitty phone service. For some reason those crack me up. Especially the one where the guy calls himself a dillweed. I haven't heard that word since 1994. Oh, and if you have no idea what I'm talking about then either I did a terrible job of explaining it or you don't watch enough TV. I'm going with the latter.

12:10 pm--Tate is hoping that Stephen Curry brings back the hightop fade in honor of his dad. Then we decided that Pat Ewing Jr. should do the same. It's a great look and we figure it is about time for a comeback.

We're also hoping the Gus Johnson announces one of the games today. Apparently he did one or two yesterday, but that shouldn't matter. Considering these are the biggest games of the year, wouldn't you want your best announcers calling as many games as possible? Fly them between two cities over the weekend and let them call two games a day. I know it would be a lot of work for the announcers, but I think this should happen.

12:33 pm--So all four of the games are at the half. Pretty close contests all around, but not a lot of excitement. Probably has to do with all of the mid-major teams playing. They just don't have the star power. Hopefully they stay close so we can finally have a little madness with a buzzer beater or late shot.

This seems like as good of time as any to let you know that besides writing this diary, I'm also constantly monitoring the comments section. So if you're reading this and feel like chipping in your two cents or have a question, just make a comment and I'll respond. End shameless plug.

12:46 pm--Some odd and ends for you: While watching Gonzaga's game, Tate wondered if Josh Heytvelt is high. I told him it's not a matter of "if", but "what" he's high on. That's gotta be a great recruiting/PR tool for the Zags. Come the Great Northwest--we have Shrooms!

Another commercial series that's not getting old any time soon: the Bud Light "Dude" commercials. Those are absolutely hilarious. They've even changed the "dude" guy for the latest batch of them (but definitely tried to make him look like the original guy, like we wouldn't notice). Doesn't matter, they're outstanding.

American is hanging tough with Tennessee as the score is tied at 40 with 11 to play. Maybe that second half blow out I predicted wasn't the best call...

12:54 pm--Nike has a commercial with a bunch of footage from famous Tourney games in the past (Jordan, etc.). I'm assuming it's supposed to be inspirational, but the tag line at the end reads "There are no Cinderellas"--what the fuck does that mean? Just another odd commercial in a series of them from Nike lately. According to the Swoosh, Cinderella's don't exist and their better is better than your better. Right...

Curry has scored 11 straight for Davidson to pull them within 4 of Gonzaga. Uh oh.

I think I'm going to attempt to grill at this point. I have a feeling that getting read for grilling will take longer than the act itself. I can't say I've ever had to shovel and brush 4 inches of snow off of the grill in order to cook some meat. I guess I can check that off of my personal bucket list.

1:27 pm--So to the shock and surprise of pretty much no one, the grilling adventure was a complete failure. I went through all of the work of shoveling and brushing and preparing, only to find out that we're out of propane. Obviously. Definitely should have seen that one coming. I thought about running to the store to get a new tank, but I thought it would look nuts to be buying a propane tank during a snow storm.

In basketball related action, Tennessee has pretty much wrapped up their game, winning by 15. Miami is holding a double digit lead over St. Mary's with just a few minutes left in their game. Western Kentucky is pulling off the typical 5-12 upset as they lead Drake by 8 with 4 and change to play. And in the big matchup, Curry just hit a 3 with a minute to play to give him 27 points...in the second half! Davidson by 3...

1:35 pm--In the Davidson game they just panned to a shot of a depressed Adam Morrison. Wow, what a freak. His trashy hair is now down below his shoulders and he's still rocking the trailer park 'stache even though he hasn't been on TV in 2 years (I always assumed the reason for growing it was to get some television exposure). What a tool.

Curry, who looks like he's 12 years old by the way, finishes with 40 points (30 in the second half) for the game as Davidson beats Gonzaga 81-76. Told ya bitches.

1:48 pm--Somebody forgot to tell Drake that, as the 5 seed, they're supposed to get upset. They were playing the role of losers until the last 2 minutes of the game. That's when they realized that they are better than Western Kentucky and finally started playing like it. Now we get to watch bonus basketball and there is a small chance that my bracket isn't completely fucked afterall.

Oh, and the burgers are now being made on the skillet. Not quite the same but it'll do. I know, you care.

2:13 pm--Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh!!!!! The Hilltoppers with the game winner at the buzzer! Now that's what I'm talking about. I don't care that I picked Drake. This is what the Tournament is all about.

Time to eat--a decent little delay is possible.

2:48 pm--Ok, that was delicious and now it's time to do some hardcore basketball watching again. What's on tap for this afternoon? Oh. Butler-South Alabama, Georgetown-University of Maryland Baltimore County, Texas-Austin Peay, and Connecticut-San Diego. Well, at least that UCONN game might be close.

I know the NCAA does this to people like me on purpose. They put all the shitty, boring games on in the afternoon because they assume people actually work during the tournament. It makes sense, I know, but help a brother out here and get me a better game to watch. I'm tired of watching mid-majors run around and miss open shots and turn the ball over.

(Yes, I know it's ridiculous that I'm complaining after the endings to the Davidson and Western Kentucky games from this morning. Short term memory.)

3:12 pm--This is getting a bit boring. Three of the four games have leads of 15+ at the half. UConn-SD is the only close game as they are knotted at 20 with 7 to play. This seems like the appropriate time to end this live blog. I figure most of you out there reading will be leaving work relatively soon, so I'd have no audience. Thanks for joining me today and keep reading.

The Madness Begins: Minnesota Twins Opening Day

TK on Toast — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:11:00 -0400

Happy Tournament Day everyone! I don't know about anyone else, but this, along with Opening Day for the Twins and the day school gets out for the summer, is one of my three favorite days of the year.

I had trouble sleeping last night in anticipation of today's games. Since all three TKOT writers are extremely busy today/tonight, there won't be any other posts today about the games.

So turn on CBS if you have access to a TV and/or log into marchmadness.com for live, streaming video of the games and enjoy the day. However, if you find yourself at work on Friday without much to do, make sure you are refreshing this site every half hour. I'm going with the Running Diary (copyright Bill Simmons) during all of tomorrow's action, and will attempt to update roughly every 30 minutes. Enjoy the games and have TK up as one of your window's tomorrow. Peace.

Minnesota Sports: What I'm Rooting For in 2008

TK on Toast — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:46:00 -0400

Below are a few things that I'm rooting for right now.

1) I’m rooting for Francisco Liriano aka “F-bomb” aka “The Franchise” aka “our only #1 quality pitcher” to be the opening day starter. Reports in the locals this week have Gardy leaning toward Livan Hernandez as your March 31st (19 days away!) starter. I don’t like that. Livan was the add-on fatty we added late in the off-season to help us eat innings---not be our #1 guy! And everything I’ve been hearing is that Liriano has a great chance to make the rotation out of spring ball rather than be sent to the minors for more rehab work. So, if F-bomb makes the five-man rotation, why not start him against the Angels that first game? By the way, it’s a nationally televised game. The sports nation is going to feel pity on us when we roll out 8.00 ERA Livan for our first game. Liriano is clearly our best pitcher and having him run onto the mound in the first game would give fans a sense of hope---Liriano is back baby!

2) I’m rooting for the Minnesota Vikings to get going on this whole back up quarterback situation. They’re acting like college students with this procrastination method they’re implying. Half-heartedly looking for someone to bring in. This isn’t the night before a term paper due at your 8:15 class Chilly, this is about the future of your job. The Vikings employ three quarterbacks in their franchise. Tarvaris Jackson, Brooks Bollinger and Darrell Bevell. One looks like an overmatched small college quarterback, one looks like Kyle from “Road Trip” and the other is a 38-year-old offensive coordinator.

I think it would be smart for Chilly to grab a good enough veteran to push T-Jack. Just my opinion folks. It will also be a safety blanket in case T-Jack isn’t the answer, which everyone seems to be predicting. A 2nd round pick for Sage Rosenfels is probably too much. Some people might not think so because draft picks are never guaranteed to pan out. However, a second round pick for a below average veteran QB is too much for me. However, the Vikings do have two 3rd round picks and two 6th round picks along with their current picks. Would a 3rd and a 6th do it? I would do that. Or if you do think you’re that close for competing for a title, give up that second round pick but for a better QB. Second round picks are pretty valuable and could get you someone with a better resume. Would a first day pick be too much for like a Kurt Warner? I don’t have the answer to that but I’d rather have him than a J.P Losman, Mark Burnell, Chris Wienke or Bryon Leftwich, the only guys that are available right now. Either way, T-Jack needs some pressure and we need a plan B bad!

3) I’m rooting for Big Al Jefferson to develop some sort of illness that prevents him from playing the rest of the season. That’s right, I’m on the tanking bandwagon. If it’s a case of the shits (like Harry from “Dumb & Dumber”) or a herpes breakout (like 1-4 US teenage girls I guess) or Kidney stones (like Al Swearengen from “Deadwood”), anything to keep him off the court, I’m all for. Actually, I don’t wish the Kidney stones on our favorite player. The Doc stuck a two-foot rod up Swearengen’s penis to try to remove them---not cool. Make something else up T-wolves, just something! Tanking doesn’t promise you anything but it increases your odds. Having a better chance at a game changer like Michael Beasley or a Derrick Rose fits this team a lot better than another wing player like OJ Mayo or the Euro fuck. Our wing players aren’t rock stars but we have a good amount of solid ones (McCants, Foye, Brewer, & Gomes). An influential post like Beasley or a penetrating point guard like Rose, balances out our team. Anyone up for kidnapping Al for the next month? I’d be down.

4) I’m rooting for the newly acquired psycho wingman Chris Simon to flip out another NHL player. I don’t wish injury on anyone but a cheap shot that suspended him again would be an interesting scenario for this market. Minnesota is known as the nice State. The “we do things right up here” State. Adding Buffalo Bill to the roster at the trading deadline didn’t fly so well in Wild Hockeyland. The move was ripped by almost everyone. Now, I’m the jackass cheering for him to blow a fuse on the ice. He hasn’t played much but when he does, keep your eyes peeled. The fucked up thing is, I’m truthfully rooting for this. I want to see the uproar when he takes off a guy’s head like in Mortal Kombat.

5) I’m rooting for my roommate Q to come around on Tricky Nicky Punto. Dogg & I are trying are best to convince him that Punto is going to have a bounce back year. 2/3 of TKOT has faith in the diving into first base little speedster with the big heart. Q doesn’t. For example, Q brought up the fact that Punto is hitting .077 this spring. Then I proceeded to point out that Ichiro is 0-21 this spring and that all good hitters come around. He didn’t buy it but we’re still trying our best people. He’ll come around sooner or later. As the old cliché goes: Nick is #8 in your programs but #1 in your hearts. So true.

6) I’m rooting for the snow to go away so I can get on the golf course, grill outside and beat the shit out of my friends in “bags.” That’s how I do.

7) I’m rooting for Jason “Bobby Marley” Castro to win American Idol this season. One, I have him on my fantasy Idol team. Two, I think he’d be the first contestant ever to win the show and celebrate by smoking a J. on stage. This would immediately strip him of his million-dollar contract but I think he’d still do it. He’d say he would be fine because all he needs is his guitar and a street corner to live on man.

8) I’m rooting for the NBA Western Conference standings to end just like it is. First round playoff matchups would be: Lakers vs. Golden State- another #1 choke job? Probably not, but Golden State did it last year and could easily do it again. G.S. is 14 games over .500, so they aren’t a slouch team. You never know, but I think Kobe would will the Lakers to win this series. Houston vs. Dallas- battle of Texas. Dallas comes in as the #6 seed with a major role reversal from last years #1 seed. Maybe they play loosey goosey and play spoiler here. Houston is on a 20- game win streak and every team in history with a streak as high as theirs has gone onto win the NBA title. Well, they easily could get beat in round one. The West is so awesome this year…again. San Antonio vs. Phoenix- Revenge factor for the Suns after Horry bodychecked Nash last year that caused Amare and Diaw to get suspended for a game that gave the Spurs all the momentum to finish them off for good. One of the biggest bullshit rule enforcements ever. Will the trade for Shaq payoff in this series? We’ll see. Utah vs. New Orleans- Paul vs. Williams. Two of the best young pure point guards going head-to-head. Enough said. I don’t know how many NBA fans are out there, but these matchups would be entertaining as hell.

9) I’m rooting for Lucas & Lindsey and Nate & Haley.

10) I’m rooting for the PGA to keep John Daly on tour. Some people think his actions are bad for the game. I don’t think it’s hurting it. He’s a colorful character that makes Golf more interesting. He respects the game and is not doing any inappropriate to the course or the fans. He’s doing all the hurt to himself. Last weekends tournament, Daly got cut but stayed the weekend to “hangout” around the area, especially Hooters. His actions were called into question and here was his response: "I love Hooters. I had a few beers and some chicken wings. It was Saturday. I wasn't even playing in the tournament." Please keep him around.

11) I’m rooting for Duke to win the NCAA Championship. Surprised? Probably not. I don’t give a shit what any of you say; they have a pretty good shot. This year is wide open as ever. Now, I will say a few things do need to fall into place for them to get the last image in “One Shining Moment.” First off, they can’t have an off night shooting behind the arc after the Sweet 16. I think they are good enough to have an off shooting night and get to the Sweet 16. ESPN braketology has them as the #2 seed in Midwest bracket. They would play #15 Bellmont first round. Assuming they win, they would play either #7 Gonzaga or #10 Texas A&M. I just don’t see them losing before the Sweet 16 to those types of teams. So, beyond those first two games, their bread & butter (shooting threes) needs to be on or they will be bounced.

The second thing that needs to happen is they have to get lucky with teams in their bracket that don’t have a ton of size---a major weakness of this Duke team. Staying with the ESPN bracket, Tennessee is the #1 seed, Wisconsin is the #3 seed, Notre Dame is the #4 seed and Butler is the #5 seed. Sorry to break it you, but they have as good as chance as any of those teams representing the Midwest in the Final Four. I’d be nervous if the #1 seed in their bracket was a UNC or a UCLA. They’ll have a hard time competing with the big frontcourts. However, the tourney is full of surprises so maybe a team with some size gets bounced early and Duke shoots the lights out (which they can) for three weeks. I’m waiting to see the brackets to put them all the way, but they are on a short list of mine to win it all. I’d probably only favor 3-4 teams above them to cut down the nets (copyright Steve Lavin).

11) I’m rooting for Ben to kill Locke. Locke’s pissing me off. He’s the only chump that wants to stay on the island (for obvious reasons) but he’s taking down everyone with him with his personal agenda. Ben is the sneakiest dirty bastard on that island and will find a way to dethrone Locke’s power. That is a guarantee. Just think, Sayid had Ben figured out when he was a black man named Henry Gale from Minnesota about two seasons ago. Should have listened to him...

12) I’m rooting for politicians to be moral upstanding citizens. In the latest case of shadiness, New York Governor Eliot Spitzer solicits a hooker for his pleasure. Seems like a hell of an idea when you’re married with three daughters and are the Governor of one of the great States in this country. Way to think that one out pal. Below is the lady he was seeing:

Maybe it was money well spent...kidding...kind of...

13) I’m rooting for the Vikings to take Calais Campbell DE from Miami in the upcoming draft. If you remember, our very own resident draft guru, “The Bag,” had Calais at the 6th overall pick in his “Voices from a Stranger” column about a month ago. Since then, Calais has dropped in a few mock drafts I’ve seen in the teens. Mel Kiper even has him going to us at #17. We have a glaring need at DE and CC would be a nice addition to our team. Let’s hope he’s not like the stereotypical Miami player that find themselves more in police blotters than at charity events.

14) I’m rooting for May 17th, 2008. It’s the day Spencer Tollackson graduates.

15) Finally, I'm rooting the State of Minnesota to get out of this sports funk. We're the fucking laughing stock of the nation in the sports world. We have GM's and coaches that are punchlines. Every team is either really shitty or not quite there. Vikings and the Wild seem closer than the Twins and Wild. Gopher hoops is a few years away also. We don't have one team in this market that has everyone fired up. Please let that happen soon...

Out,
Fuzz

Minnesota Twins Update

TK on Toast — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:48:00 -0400

Seeing as we are roughly at the midway point of Spring Training now seems like an appropriate time to update everyone on our favorite baseball squad. Here’s a look at what we know exactly three weeks before Opening Day about your Minnesota Twins.

The Twinks are a robust 8-4 in the Grapefruit League heading into today’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays (no longer Devilish). That record, of course, means absolutely nothing because the final outcome of Spring Training games in inconsequential.

What does matter is that the offense has looked solid thus far. The team seems to consistently be getting timely hitting with runners on base (and especially in scoring position). Considering the fact that for the first time in roughly 10 years the bats are going to have to carry the team this year, this is a very good sign.

The pitching has been up and down so far. The trend that is starting to take shape is our starter going 2-3 innings while giving up 2-3 runs (if not more). Then the bullpen comes in and completely shuts down the opposing bats while we mount a comeback and steal a victory.

We all know that this team possesses multiple shut down relievers, so that’s no surprise. The lack of quality innings from the starters is something that we may need to start worrying about though.

With such a young starting pitching staff, the early struggles in March are not uncommon and really shouldn’t be a major concern just yet. Kevin Slowey has shown signs of brilliance (3 innings of scoreless ball yesterday) and horror (giving up 6 runs in 3 innings of work his first time out).

The same can be said about the other starters penciled in to our rotation—Boof Bonser, Scott Baker, Livan Hernandez, and Fransisco Liriano. Livan is throwing today and will hopefully show a bit more promise than he provided in his last outing. The F Bomb has only been out once, and while throwing at roughly 80%, looked good. I’m cautiously optimistic at this point.

Speaking of optimism, Delmon Young appears to be the real deal. The kid is absolutely crushing the ball this spring to the tune of .474/.500/.632 numbers (I know they don’t mean a whole lot, but those are too nice to ignore). Even when he’s not punishing the ball to the gap or into the seats, he’s at least putting it into play. Only one K in 20 plate appearances so far is a very good sign.

Another guy who seems to have found his stroke early (stop giggling) is The American Dream—Joe Mauer. Every bit of news out of Fort Myers about this guy is pointing towards a huge season. He’s ripping the ball all over the field, he’s becoming the vocal leader of this team, and he’s told Gardy that he wants to be in the lineup every single day no matter what (no more days off because of “the wear and tear” or “demands” of the position). Sounds to me like another year of .350 hitting from our catcher.

As crunch time approaches for this team, there are still some major decisions left to be made. Slowly over the next week or two there will be many guys sent to the minors, ending their dream of breaking camp with the big club.

With that said, there are about four spots on this team that have yet to be decided. The first is the 5th spot in the starting rotation. With Baker, Bonser, Hernandez, and Liriano virtual locks to occupy the first four, it comes down to three guys for that final starting gig: Slowey, Glen Perkins, and Nick Blackburn. Thus far, Blackburn has looked the steadiest of the three. Slowey’s problems have already been mentioned, and Perkins simply hasn’t done anything to distinguish himself from the others.

Don’t be confused, there is no clear cut favorite at this time. But it’s definitely a big thing to keep an eye on through the rest of the month.

Another pitching spot that remains unclaimed is the last spot in the bullpen (assuming the team heads back to Minnesota with 12 pitchers as Gardy has said he wants to). Joe Nathan, Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon, Pat Neshek, Matt Guerrier, and Dennys Reyes are all in. That leaves guys like Carmen Cali, Julio DePaula, and Bobby Korecky all doing their best to impress Rick Anderson and company.

The best bet to fill out the ‘pen though? Perkins. Again, he hasn’t done much to prove his worth as a starter just yet, but the team seems to like what he brings to the table. He would also provide a second lefty arm in relief so that Reyes isn’t the only one. Seems like the logical move to me.

On the positional player side of things, the big race is still in centerfield. Jason Pridie hasn’t done much, and since he lacks the speed and upside of the other two candidates, he seems destined to become a Red Wing. Carlos Gomez and Denard Span have shown equal amounts of impressiveness and disappointment. There is no definitive leader at this point, which will make the next three weeks very intense for these two.

At this point, it looks like there is one bench spot available for the taking. This will be a heated battle between Brian Buscher (TKOT’s boy), Garrett Jones (who seemingly has fixed that giant hole that was in his swing last year), Alexi Casilla (still with an outside chance to win the 2B job), and Randy Ruiz.

I know what you’re thinking…who? Yeah, Randy Ruiz bitch, and remember you heard it here first. The kid can play all four infield positions and is currently has a hitting line of .450/.500/.835 that includes two dingers and a team leading 17 total bases. The kid is knocking the cover off the ball and would seem to be the perfect bench player for this team.

By the way, there are whispers of Nick Punto being cut/traded/sent down by the end of spring in favor of one of these younger players who bring a lot more to the plate and might actually be a valuable asset to a Major League Baseball team. Just whispers, but I thought you’d like a heads up on that potential roster move.

Before I end this, I thought I’d give everyone a quick update on the Big 3 that departed the Twins in the off season and how they’re doing so far. Torii Hunter is dominating for the Angels to the tune of a .611 average so far this spring. Johan Santana, after a less than stellar debut with the Mets, came back yesterday with a very Cytana-like performance against Boston, throwing 4 innings of scoreless ball on only 2 hits while striking out 4. Carlos Silva has gotten torched so far in Seattle--his two outings have resulted in an ERA over 10.

Fuck those fucking guys.

Out.

College Basketball Roundup: Looking Ahead to March Madness

TK on Toast — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 05:53:11 -0500

We love college basketball and don’t write about it nearly enough. That changes now! We’re in the prime of the college basketball season and so many things are happening. I need to take a look at a few of them.

Readers note: I’m going to be asking questions to myself and then answering them. Extremely lame—I know.

Who’s the best team in the land?

Who the F knows? Seriously. I know it’s cliché but this year it is wide open. It all depends who you talk to and when you talk to them. I could easily say one team, one day and another the next day without any games being played in between. You get that?

Tennessee just beat an undefeated-high flying Memphis team at their house, but then came back three days later and lost to Vanderbilt. So long for that No. 1! By the way, when did Tennessee become the center of basketball? The Memphis Grizzlies completely blow and the only things I know about Tennessee are: good whiskey, Tennessee football and Country Music. Where did having three ranked big time college basketball programs come out of?

Anyways, since I need to make a decision, I’m going with Kansas. That probably will get ripped since they just had a horrible loss at Oklahoma State this weekend. Memphis has one loss but can’t shoot free throws.

I don’t like this UNC team. They do only have two losses but they’ve played a fairly easy schedule.They’ve played one ranked opponent in the last 13 games and lost it. The best two non-conference games were Ohio State and Kentucky. They’ve lost to Duke and Maryland. There is a reason why they keep winning while Ty Lawson is injured—they aren’t playing anyone that great! Anyways, I can’t pick them. UCLA and Texas don’t have the depth that Kansas has.

If Kansas can just pull their head out of their asses for one March Madness, they should get to the Final Four at the very least! They are a balanced team with four guys averaging over 12 a game and are 13th best in the country in points scored. Only four teams from the big conferences are ahead of them. They can fill it. If Bill Self didn’t look like Alfalfa from the “Little Rascals,” I think more people would be on their bandwagon.

Who is player of the year?

Our boy Michael Beast-ley! With all due respect to Eric Gordon, Kevin Love, D.J. Augustin, Chris Douglas-Roberts, DJ White and especially Tyler Hansbrough, I think Beasley is the best player in the land.

The only other player you can make a case for is Hansbrough. You could make a hell of a good one, too. 23 points (7th in the country) and 10.5 rebounds (11th) on the 3rd ranked team in the land. Those are super numbers and he’ll win it. He’s an upperclassman on a better team with good numbers.

I’d be shocked if he doesn’t win. Plus, if you don’t vote for him and he loses the POY it’s a pretty good guarantee Tyler will be parked in your street in a shady looking white van with no windows with tons & tons of explosives in it.

My vote would still be for Beasley though. He plays on a pretty good team that is far less talented than UNC with numbers of 26 points (third in country) and 12.5 rebounds (first) a game. Three more points and two more rebounds a game. He won’t win because he’s on an inferior team but his numbers don’t lie. If the Wolves somehow get lucky and get this guy next year, I’m buying one of those gay “Howl-pack” game packages for sure. Watching him and Big Al together would be entertaining as hell.

Who do you predict will get the #1 seeds?

Memphis, UNC, Kansas & Texas.

Honestly, the spot I’m on the fence the most is with the last spot. Memphis will enter March Madness with one loss so they have a No. 1 seed locked up. Duke will beat UNC the last game of the regular season but lose the ACC Championship so that puts UNC at the No. 1 over Duke.

However, I don’t know how the committee would look at this. If one wins the last game and the other wins the ACC Championship against that same team, whom do they take? Either way, I’m taking UNC for the 2nd spot. I see Kansas and Texas both winning out but Kansas winning the Big 12 Championship, which puts Kansas ahead of Texas for that third spot because they will have less total losses. The last spot gets tricky.

If Bruce Pearl (above) can coach Tennessee to win out and win the SEC Championship, they are a lock at a No. 1. For some reason, I don’t see that happening. They play Kentucky and at Florida to round out their season, plus the SEC tourney. I see them slipping up.

I’m not going to predict when because I suck at that. If they do slip up, I see Texas taking that last spot. That spot could go to Duke or UCLA also. I’m sticking with those four but those conference championships could mess everything up...

What do Stanford, Xavier, Butler, Kent State, & St. Mary’s have in common?

Teams in the top 25 that I have really no flipping idea how good they are and that will eventually kill my bracket because of my unfamiliarity with them. Stanford is eighth in the country and I haven’t seen them play once. The only team I’ve seen play a full game is Butler and I watch a fairly decent amount of basketball. Paul Allen from KFAN said that Xavier is a lock for his Elite Eight maybe even Final Four.

Granted I’m talking about the same Paul Allen that guaranteed TE Carlester Crumpler (who?) would have 10 touchdowns for the Vikings after the former seventh round pick came to us from Seattle with three total touchdowns in four years.

Carlester finished with two catches on the year! So Paul makes some outrageous statements but he’s obviously watched Xavier enough to make that call. Myself on the other hand? No idea about them. The only thing I know about Kent State is they had school shootings back in the early 70’s. I know nothing about their basketball team in 2008. St. Mary’s? You guessed it...no flipping idea. Here’s to hoping they all get bounced from the tourney early! Doesn’t Kent State just reek of a Sweet 16 bid?

Which team outside the AP top 10 right now can win it all?

A lot of the teams after the top 10 are very similar. You could make arguments for a few of them. What would you guys think about a team like Indiana? This is my pick. They are 23-4 and have a good chance of winning the Big Ten.

However, anytime you hear the word “Indiana” it’s always followed by “Sampson” & “possible sanctions.” You don’t hear hardly any talk of their actual play on the court, which is pretty damn good I might add. If they could somehow squeak by the sanctions this year they could make a run. The players will be even more motivated with the “let’s win one for the Gipper angle and they have the talent. They have one of, if not the best 1-2 tandem in the land with Gordon and DJ White.

And the stat that I love best about them is that they are ninth in the country in FT percent. A huge stat when it comes to close games.

These are the eight teams above them in this category: Cornell, Utah State, IUPUI, California, Florida State, Loyola, Houston and UC Santa Barbara. I went through all the teams and looked at records and it’s a realistic chance only Cornell gets in the tourney and fucking Cornell is getting bounced by UNC first round. So you could argue that Indiana is going to be the best free throw shooting team after round one. That’s called a weapon. By the way, the 11th ranked team in FT% after unknown UC Davis at 10...Xavier.

Three players I love (not a question, I know)

Mario Chalmers (Kansas)- Probably my favorite player in the country. His stats aren’t jaw dropping but he’s so clutch. He mostly scores in the teens but a lot of his buckets come late in the second half. Love his game.

Chase Budinger (Arizona)- Big white guy that can shoot the three and looks like he has a giant pile of pubes on his head.

Drew Neitzel (Michigan State)- A straight G. As in gamer. A prototypical college player that makes college basketball so great.

Three players I hate (also not a question, kiss my ass)

Jerel McNeal (Marquette)- It’s pretty simple. He thinks he’s really awesome and shoots waaaaaay too much. Shooting 30 percent is his mojo and his single handily lost a couple games for MU. I hate him.

Roy Hibbert (Georgetown)- An overrated pile of shit. He’s 7’2 and averages six boards a game. That’s one rebound every six and half minutes. Come on dude, you’re the tallest chump on the floor every game—extend your arms. He moves like a guy with osteoporosis.

Shan Foster (Vanderbilt)- His name is pronounced Shane as we heard in the Tennessee game this week. Soooooo put a “e” at the end of it!

Who’s your favorite mid-major team?

Davidson. You have the little man Stephen Curry whom is just flat out a stud, averaging 25 points while weighing only 110 pounds. Models weigh more than this kid.

You saw Davidson a lot early in the year with close losses to UNC, Duke, NC State and UCLA. They have six non-conference losses and zero conference losses. If they win their conference championship, they are going to be an intriguing pick come tourney time. To be honest, I’m not a die-hard fan of these guys. I don’t hate them either. It’s just that my two roommates and co-writers love this team and love this Curry kid. And since we’re a tri-pod, I’m obviously on board...

Finally, how about those Golden Gophers?

The Gophers RPI is 108 in the country. Besides the Illinois game, they have lost to everyone that is better (below) than 108 and have beaten everyone that is worse (above) than the 108 number. Illinois has a worse RPI and we lost that game. That’s it out of 27 games. Really no slip-ups but we didn’t steal one game. That’s incredible. Luckily are schedule was so cupcake early that they jumped to a 10-1 start. They aren’t making the big dance and need to win a couple more games to get in the NIT.

I like the promise going forward though friends. My favorite players in order are: Hoffarber, Nolen, & Damian Johnson. Well, they are all coming back with “Tubby’s Five” rolling into campus next fall.

Can you say “Big Time” with a giant fist-pump? I can and I just did it to myself. I can’t wait to get some real talent in here. My least favorite players in order are: Tollackson, Tollackson, Tollackson, Tollackson, Tollackson, Coleman, & Kevin Payton.

Loser Spence and I never reached my potential-Coleman are seniors that are gone in about two weeks and won’t be getting any jersey’s retired or welcome back to Williams Arena showcases. Kevin Payton needs to get red-tagged. He pretty much averages as many points as he does turnovers...one! A great Division 1 player Monson stole from New Jersey.

Whatever happens this year it will be nice watching us at some postseason tournament. Anytime the Gophers are on national TV it’s great. The Big Ten Network is a complete buzz kill that needs to work a deal out to get it to a larger audience.

Whatever. Maybe next year. What do you think of a starting lineup of: Nolen, Joseph (freshman), Hoffarber, Iverson (f) and Sampson (f) next year? All three of those freshmen are in the top 150 on rivals.com. Put them with the Minnesota kids and I say—We’re coming! We’re coming!

Spring Training Preview: Minnesota Twins

TK on Toast — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:30:52 -0500

If I wanted to, I could start this post by waxing poetic about the birds and the grass and the trees all coming back into our lives as we transition from the doldrums of winter into the new life of spring.

Then I would make a seamless transition into the changing of the sports scene from the ugly winter we’ve had with the Wolves, Vikes, and Gopher hoops team to the new life surrounding the only consistently productive team around, the Twins.

But I’m not going to do that.

For one, we all know that winter is going to last for another month or two at least.

Also, this is far from your typical Twins team from the last six or seven years. It is a major transition period as we head toward the new stadium, and that transition is most evident in what you won’t be seeing in Fort Myers this spring.

Much has been made in both the local and national media about the Twins off-season. Gone are franchise staples Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, as well as the steady arm of Carlos Silva. Those three combined to sign for $279 million worth of contracts/extensions.

Obviously, those losses are going to hurt, especially Santana. Rather than dwell on the negative though, we’re going to move on with the team we have and look forward to the 2008 season. So without any further ado, here are the key things to watch for during the next month and a half as our favorite baseball team prepares to shock the world.

The Starting Rotation
This is going to be the biggest and most important thing to watch as we prepare for this season. As it stands right now, either Scott Baker or Boof Bonser will be starting for your Minnesota Twins on Opening Day. Yikes. After those two, the rest of the rotation will be filled out by Francisco Liriano, Livan Hernandez (at least for the first 3 months of the season), and either Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey (my pick), or Nick Blackburn. To the casual Twins fan, that’s a “Who’s That?” kind of rotation. For those of us who know better, this is one of the more exciting things to happen in recent memory.

Every single year I hear about how great our minor league pitching is; about how much talent we have ready to step in when we need them. Well, we need them. Since we never trade pitching prospects (which made that Garza-Young trade so unexpected), it’s about time we saw what these guys have on the big stage. I don’t want to see anymore guys in AAA going 12-1 with a 2.05 ERA and wonder when he’s going to take over for one of the stiffs in our rotation with a 5+ ERA.

The future is now. Over the next six months, we are going to see the future of this rotation and this team take shape. Can Liriano return to anything close as to what we saw two years ago? Are Slowey and Blackburn anywhere near as good as their minor league records suggest? Is Perkins an over-hyped hometown prospect or a legit lefty threat? Those questions and more should begin to be answered, at least in part, over the next few weeks.

The DH “Battle”/Platoon
I’ll say this right off the bat: I hate platoons. Managers all over the league fall in love with the idea of having one guy bat against righties and another against lefties. They look at splits and believe that they are going to get the best out of both players. And it never works. Tom Kelly tried it with Jacque Jones for years and all it did was stunt his growth as a player. Now Gardy is taking a page out of his predecessor’s book and is going to do the same thing with Jason Kubel and Craig Monroe (the most over paid player in Twins history) at the DH position.

My hope is that one of these guys (most likely Kubel of the two) plays out of his mind during Spring Training and wins the job outright. But seeing Gardy’s track record, this probably won’t happen. Once he gets an idea in his head, it is almost impossible to get him to change (see: Punto, Nick).

Centerfield
Another much talked about position battle will be in centerfield. In order for that Santana trade to not be a complete disaster, Carlos Gomez has to be a fixture at that spot for years to come. But will he be there this year? I think most fans want him to have the opportunity to grow into the position and see what he has. He is by no means a lock, however. Jason Pirdie and Denard Span are supposedly going to be given an equal opportunity to win the job down in Fort Myers. Span even recently came out in the media saying that he was going to win the spot, which almost certainly means that he will not. Personally, I think you have to go with Gomez and let him take his lumps this year. He has a ton of potential, and there’s no reason to waste it the minors while we finish .500 this year.

The New Kids on the Block
There are a lot of new faces in the Twins clubhouse this spring. Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, Brendan Harris, Delmon Young, Craig Monroe, Livan Hernandez, and the Met boys all should play prominent roles on this team in 2008. It will be interesting to see how they get acclimated to their new teammates and the “Twins-style” of play that we always hear so much about. Even more exciting for most fans will just be watching and learning about these new guys that we know so little about.

By far the most potential in that group belongs to Delmon Young. He is widely considered one of the best young hitters in the league. Of course the problem has always been his attitude (you may recall that he threw a bat at an umpire a couple years back). For the time being, he’s saying and doing all the right things. Maybe a change in scenery is just what he needs to get his shit together. Or maybe he’ll blow up and get suspended halfway through the year. Either way, he is going to be a major factor in how well this team plays this year.

M&M
One last thing that might be worth watching is how well the leaders of this team, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, start off this spring. If we’re going to have any chance at being decent this season, those two need to have seasons closer to their 2006 numbers than their 2007 ones: like how Mauer went from hitting .350 two years ago to under .300 last year. Often, a hot start in March can lead to a very good season.

Top Ten Things I Don't Understand

TK on Toast — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 22:07:35 -0500

It’s simple. Below is a list of things I don’t understand.

1. I don’t understand the optimism in the Twins having a legitimate chance at the postseason this year. We’re rebuilding, why can’t we accept that?

I was talking to a die-hard Twins fan the other day that somehow is related to me and he pretty much said we’re the favorite to win the World Series. Ok, he didn’t flat out say it but his optimism for this season was alarmingly high. I don’t get it.

Yes, our lineup has gotten better from last year’s squad. However, we scored the third least runs in the AL last year. Does replacing Hunter, Punto and Castillo with Young, Lamb and Harris put us in the top half? I don’t see it unless the other staples like Mauer, Morneau, Cuddy and Kubel have better years. If they do, that might be a moot point because of the pitching staff.

Baker, Bonser, Hernandez, and Slowey are almost locks for four of the spots in the rotation. Their ERA’s last year: 4.26, 5.10, 4.93 & 4.73 for an average of 4.75 on the nuts. A healthy Liriano hopefully fulfills the last spot but that seems to be in question to start the season.

First off, he’s not even in the country. Get him on a flipping raft and send his ass over here. Why wasn’t this Visa issue worked out way in advance? Second off, he’s coming off MAJOR arm surgery and hasn’t pitched in 18 months. Anyways, if he starts in the minors you’re looking at a guy like Perkins or Humber. Two unknowns that haven’t proved shit in the Bigs.

The point being is that the stars will have to align for us to make the playoffs this year. We have a young squad and that pitching staff is very inexperienced. Give everyone one or two years of game experience and my tone will be very different. I just don’t see it this year.

2. On a truly serious note, I don’t understand people opening fire against innocent people. We’ve seen it quite a bit in the last year.

It happened again last week at the campus of Northern Illinois. Some people just aren’t right up in the head for completing an act like this. If it’s that bad take your own life but don’t drag down innocent people with you. I cringe at stories like this. That’s pretty much all I’m going to say because the whole thing is extremely sad.

3. I don’t understand North Carolina’s hire of Everett Withers, the former University of MN defensive coordinator. Does the UNC AD look at stats?

Here’s one for you: The Gophers finished LAST nationally in total defense. How in the F was he even a candidate? Well, they just hired a dude that orchestrated a defense that gave up an average of 518 yards a game last year—great hire Tar Heels. I feel like we just got out of a bad business deal. We should be popping the bubbly over this. You know, maybe Everett was sick of Brewster talking like a hillbilly with phrases like: “very-very,” “a dynamic player,” and “Gopher nation.”

4. I don’t understand NBA trades. Aaron Mckie was coaxed out of retirement to make the Gasol to the Lakers trade work. Now, Keith Van Horn was also coaxed out of retirement to make Kidd to the Mavs trade work.

Mckie was a volunteer player assistant coach with the Sixers but the Lakers still had his trade rights. So to match up the salaries, he was included. He’s now getting minutes with Memphis! Keith Van Horn was probably living in Utah with his polygamous family when he gets the call that he’s been traded. He’s not even in the league at all!

I have a ton of questions on this: Why is this possible? Can’t they just get rid of this loophole of the trades? Does it have to be a player? Van Horn is probably going to get bought out and get a million dollars for this whole thing. He doesn’t even have to leave his 15 children and four wives. He can just chill and collect a million bones.

Wouldn’t it be cool if the employee of the year in the organization could reap these benefits? Because Van Horn was a player he gets the extra money. Why can’t that be Mitch Toolbag in sales?

As I’m writing this, I realize they do it because Van Horn is still probably getting a salary from Dallas and they need it to match the trade up. But, if they can find a loophole where players are sitting at home that get traded and don’t play a minute, they should be able to find a loophole for Mitch, the common man.

I’m sick of these players getting richer. Ok, moving on because that whole paragraph has a 2 percent chance of making sense now that I think about it.

5. I don’t understand Yahoo. I would like someone to explain in detail why it was worth it for Yahoo to reject Microsoft’s bid of 44 billion dollars to buy them. Maybe I’m not smart enough to realize how much search engines are worth but 44 billion ain’t bad chumps.

That says a lot about Microsoft too. They have the capability to offer 44 fucking billion dollars to buy something. How sweet would that be? It would be hard for me to offer 4,400 dollars to buy something. I know I have a few friends/relatives who are economic people that understand this better than I do, so please explain why Yahoo took a dump on 44 bill.

6. I don’t understand Dwight Howard. Actually, it’s more that I don’t understand his genetic make-up. How can you be 6’11"/270 and jump that high?

I’m sure most of you saw or have seen clips of the dunk contest and you know what I’m talking about. A hell of a dunk contest I might add. Players keep getting more creative every year.

Gerald Green’s blow out of the candle on the cupcake was awesome and Kenny Smith about lost it during the broadcast. Anyways, Howard has a 40-inch vertical leap. 270 pounds of muscle and the guy can jump out of the gym. It’s not fair.

Fun Fact: He petitioned the NBA to raise the rim to 12-feet for the dunk contest but they said no. Come on—loosen up NBA!

7. I don’t understand the show LOST. I’ve watched for three seasons and some change now and I still have no fucking idea what’s going on. Sorry for cursing but it’s really confusing.

The show throws more curveballs at you every week that you can literally go crazy trying to come up with theories about what’s going on. The last scene of last week’s episode is so mind blowing that you sat there with your mouth on the floor like you just saw an alien walk into your living room. Without giving it away, I just don’t understand how those two could be on the same side. Ridics.

8. I don’t understand NASCAR. 200 laps of nonsense when really the only laps that matter are like the last five. Maybe just the last one to be honest.

Mostly everyone that starts the race is in the same pack of cars heading into the last lap so whoever wins that lap wins the whole damn thing. Seems like the first four hours were a waste. Then to have the Daytona, the Super Bowl of races, the first race of the year is confusing too. Whatever. Millions of people watch it and I still don’t get the appeal.

9. I don’t understand Kayne West. I like his music but can’t stand when he opens his mouth at these awards shows. He’s the biggest self-promoting asshole on TV. Just stick to rapping Mr. Golddigger. I dislike the guy more and more every time I hear him speak. I don’t think I’m alone either and I think he’s ruining his image a bit.

10. I don’t understand Kelvin Sampson and Indiana University. We haven’t said anything about this and it probably should be covered.

Last week, Indiana was slapped with five major violations that involved head coach Kelvin Sampson. Sampson is a slimeball. Thought I’d get that out of the way.

Out of the five major violations the phone call violation is the main point. From 2000-2006 Sampson made 577 impermissible calls, which is a ridiculous amount. Sampson was put on probation but Indiana still hired him.

After Indiana hired him, he made 100 more impermissible calls. So, little boy Kelvin didn’t learn his lesson and now he’s screwed. Indiana U is to blame too because they knew all of this prior to hiring him but hired him anyways. You hire a guy with a deep history of shadiness you deserve some of the blame when that shadiness continues.

Sampson is on a game-by-game basis before he gets canned and once that happens his college coaching career is over. I hope it was worth it you idiot.

He’ll probably end up as an assistant coach in the NBA making good money so I’m not going to feel bad for him.

I heard another intriguing point on the radio driving home today that I haven’t heard anywhere else. The ex-Georgetown coach John Thompson (the Dad) was being interviewed and said some of the blame needs to be put on the kids for improper recruiting. This is a very interesting point and it sparked full phone lines on the show.

Thompson, who is very respected, said that with the resources kids have that they should be held accountable for knowing if something shady is going on. And that kids are let off too easy these days. Kids are always innocent was his point.

To an extent, I agree with him. Sampson is the professional and the adult here that deserves plenty of the blame but don’t tell me the kids don’t know how to work the system also. It’s a sticky situation but I thought it was decent point by Thompson that I’ve not heard anywhere else. If you have any thoughts on this, please comment.

Out,
Fuzz