Bleacher Report - Minneapolis

Why Minnesota's Jonny Flynn Needs To Continue To Start Over Ramon Sessions

Kevin Lindsey — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:20:35 -0500

The last eight minutes of the Minnesota Timberwolves' 106-100 win over the Nuggets in Denver Sunday night should have convinced all fans of the team that rookie Jonny Flynn needs to continue as the starting point guard.

Flynn was penciled in as the Timberwolves' starting point guard from day one of the season. Flynn has made his share of mistakes running the team. Flynn’s 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio is unacceptable, and has occasionally caused his minutes in games to be limited.

Some speculated that Flynn would be replaced by Ramon Sessions after Coach Rambis made a comment about the possibility of proposed changes to the starting lineup.

Well, Coach Rambis made a change to the starting lineup on Sunday, but the change was to go with a smaller lineup with Damien Wilkins replacing Ryan Hollins. Initially, the shake-up appeared to have little impact on the Wolves, as they fell behind 40-25 after the first quarter.

Sensing another loss, many fans at the close of the first quarter probably wondered if Coach Rambis would shake up the lineup by replacing Flynn with Sessions in the next game.

In looking at Ramon’s statistics for the season, a compelling case could be made for him to be given the keys to the car. Sessions has a better shooting percentage from the floor, and a better assist-to-turnover ratio than Flynn.

Clearly, a team like Minnesota that struggles to consistently generate offense should maximize the time on the floor of its best shooters. Further, limiting turnovers would help the Timberwolves stay within striking distance until the end of the game.

One could understand why Sessions should be given an opportunity to start at point guard.

However, Flynn showed the Wolves something on Sunday against the Nuggets.

Flynn played well against Denver, scoring 16 points, handing out six assists, and grabbing four rebounds, all while limiting his turnovers to only two. However his stat line in Denver was not enough by itself to justify keeping him in as the starter for the foreseeable future.

No, what Flynn demonstrated on Sunday night is that he is the emotional leader of the team, and brings positive energy to the court.

Losing takes its toll on you, no matter how positive your mental outlook. As a result, you get tight in crunch time and you begin to think about failure.

If you aren’t careful, your mind will ensure that your body fulfills what is in your mind’s eye.

The Wolves had a sizable lead late in the fourth quarter. The Nuggets made a late push. Would the Wolves envision another collapse, and allow the Nuggets to make it 11 straight wins over them?

As the fourth quarter wound down, the Wolves needed a basket. Which Wolf was going to step up and make the big shot?

Big Al Jefferson made a move in the post, but was rejected by Denver’s Nene Hilario. On Minnesota’s next trip down the floor, Ryan Gomes had his shot erased by Kenyon Martin.

Knots in the stomachs of Wolves fans were tightening. Would the Wolves lose every game in the month of November?

Flynn didn’t seem fazed by the blocked shots of Hilario and Martin. Flynn drove past his man and, despite seeing Hilario in the paint, decided to challenge him.

The shot wasn’t pretty, as Flynn shot a “change-up” in that he softly shot the ball with the hand closest to Hilario. Nene, surprised by the shot, made no attempt to block it, despite being on top of Flynn.

Flynn’s soft shot rolled in. But more importantly for the Wolves, Flynn was all smiles.

The smile was wide and broad. Flynn’s face was expressive and his joy was infectious.

All of sudden any tension among the Wolves dissipated. All of the Timberwolves were now smiling and laughing as a result of Flynn. No longer tight, the Wolves went back to work.

On the next possession, Corey Brewer scored and converted an old-fashioned three point play with a free throw. The subsequent trip saw Jefferson hit a jumper.

Denver would never seriously challenge the Wolves in the game again.

A team such as the Wolves that is rebuilding faces an uphill battle against a more talented opponent night in and night out. They need to have a leader that can visualize a win despite a lopsided win-loss ledger.

There is little doubt that the Timberwolves feed off of the positive energy of Flynn. There is also little doubt that despite rookie mistakes, Flynn is improving as a player.

Flynn’s smile and positive energy by itself will not translate into victories. However, if the Timberwolves are building a foundation for long term success, Minnesota needs to start every game with as much positive energy as possible.

A point guard such as Flynn with his smile and on-court personality appears to be the type of player the Wolves need to keep them on the right track.

The Timberwolves need Flynn to continue starting for the Wolves.

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Busting the Myth: Why the Vikings Should Be Considered Elite

Andrew Kneeland — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:11:56 -0500

For even the most optimistic of fans, the 2009 season of the Minnesota Vikings has been a pleasant surprise.

Looking more dominant every week, the Vikings have been unable to grab the national attention and top position in power rankings they feel they deserve because of two undefeated teams in front of them.

The Vikings have a single check in their loss column, but does that make them worthy of our respect?

This year, Minnesota is a land of Norwegians, lutefisk, and potent offensive attacks. After enduring the never-ending Brett Favre saga during the off-season, Vikings' fans have been rewarded with one of the most complete offensive games in the league.

This combination of talented receivers is what is giving Favre an MVP-caliber season. To think otherwise would be foolish. Like the guy or not, it is plainly evident that Favre is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.

The fact that he is having his best statistical season at age 40 should be an indicator of the kind of team he has been provided with. Favre is not without his fair share of tall, athletic, and fast receivers and running backs.

Claiming that Minnesota hasn't established itself as a premier team is ridiculous.

While their defense is abnormally average this season, the Vikings are enjoying of the best offensive seasons in many years. In fact, outside of 1998 this may be the least offensively challenged teams for the past few decades.

For a team as offensively debilitated as the Vikings usually are, this year has been a culture shock to fans, to say the least.

Those who claim that Minnesota shouldn't be considered an elite team usually reference the fact that the Viking's opponents have a combined winning percentage of just .592. This point is quite valid and could have some merit, but should do nothing to prove the opposite.

Yes, the Vikings have had their way with some astonishingly weak teams this season. Minnesota has played the Browns, Rams, Bears, Seahawks, and Lions a combined six times. But does having six of your ten wins come against poor teams somehow take away your elite status?

I should hope not.

The Vikings didn't choose their opponents. There is nothing they can do about being scheduled to play inferior teams. The fact that they are steam-rolling them should not have as much impact on how they are ranked as some people are giving it.

Sure, as a Vikings' fan I would like for some high-profile victories. If Minnesota had beaten the Steelers, Cardinals, and Chargers instead of the Browns, Seahawks, and Lions, the Vikings would certainly be receiving more notoriety than they are now.

But in the end, though, a win is a win, no matter how small.

For the record, I have no problem at all with both the Colts and Saints being ranked higher than the Vikings. They haven't lost a contest yet, and deserve to be on the top.

Minnesota has dropped just one game all season—a close one to the Steelers—and to consider them much inferior to either the Colts or Saints would be a mistake.

Defense aside, the Vikings are very capable of matching either the Colts or Saints across the board. All three teams have high-quality quarterbacks, a few play-making receivers, and a tight end able to haul in a few passes.

The Vikings, though, are capable of defeating either team in any venue. Although I would take both Drew Brees and Peyton Manning over Favre, the 40-year old has proven himself to be very able to come up big in crucial situations.

Favre hasn't been without help. Sidney Rice and Bernard Berrian, both above-average wide receivers, have been complemented this year with the emergence of rookie Percy Harvin, the early favorite to win offensive Rookie of the Year.

Tight end Visanthe Shiancoe and running back Chester Taylor are also great at catching passes from Favre.

Oh, and there is a running back named Adrian Peterson who's apparently pretty good, as well.

The offensive line isn't as good as it's been in recent years, but it has proven perfectly capable of protecting Favre. The veteran quarterback has been sacked just 22 times this year while never fumbling the ball and throwing just three interceptions.

As a testement to how talented the offense of Minnesota is, consider that Tarvaris Jackson, in six games this year, has a passer rating of 124, has thrown 159 yards in 10 completions, and hasn't been picked off.

The Minnesota Vikings are a very talented team, and one of the best in the NFC. They will have their challenges, no doubt, but deserve to be considered one of the elite teams in the NFL.

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Minnesota Vikings' Dream Season Can Only Be Dampened By Saints' Tiring Act

Joe Mikolai — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:06:51 -0500

In 1998, as many fans remember, the Minnesota Vikings seemingly came out of nowhere with quarterback in Randall Cunningham, a hot shot rookie wide receiver in Randy Moss, and a swagger that truly hasn't been back since, until season.

This year, Cunningham has been replaced by an even better Brett Favre and that hot shot rookie (who I predicted to be runner-up for the ROY) is Percy Harvin.

As a Vikings fan, I've wrote about it all here in "Brett Favre to the Vikings has the Makings of 1998 all over again with a better ending." once Brett Favre was officially announced, I also predicted the Vikings to make it all the way to the Super Bowl and lose (i.e. I made these picks prior to the season). Knowing that they are rolling now doesn't come as a surprise to me.

What does, however, are the Saints who I, like the rest of the league, didn't see coming. Last night's beating of the New England Patriots may have been the best and last chance we, as Vikings fans, had to catch everyone's media darling, the boring New Orleans Saints, for home field advantage.

The Saints can also thank their lucky stars that they played the game in the over-hyped and over-emotional Superdump, uh, dome. Had they been up in Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, the game may, I emphasize, may, have been different.

As I've written before, the Saints just look unbeatable at home, and that is the sad part of it for all Vikings fans. The Vikings are going to finish 15-1 only to see the Saints run the table and finish 16-0 and thus, for their troubles, they will have to travel down to the Big Easy for the NFC Championship Game.

Introducing the "Hurricane Katrina's": AKA the New Orleans Saints

It's bad enough that we are seeing Saints fans come out of the woodwork. Suddenly everyone's Cajun—how many of you fools had to look up the spelling (and meaning for that matter) of "Geaux Saints"?

How many of you so-called Cajuns thought "Geaux" rhymed with "box" before a real Saints fan, (i.e. the ones who put old paper bags over their heads during the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s told you otherwise?

Yeah, I see your gold and black and I also see that it is neither faded nor worn, it's new, kind of like your taste for winning thus reinforcing my bandwagon claims.

These Saints are starting to remind me of the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who went from worst to first, even though I will admit they always had some talent on the offensive side of the ball.

What puzzles me is the "good defense" the Saints are now playing. Suddenly Mike McKenzie, who you cut, is playing well? Darren Sharper, who wore out his welcome the last two years in Minnesota and looked like he was done, is rejuvenated? I don't buy it, just like I don't buy their defense or their chances at long-term success.

Enjoy it while you can Saints fans, because when it's gone, you so-called "fans" will be gone too.

The worst part of it all though, is that once the playoffs start, all we are going to hear about is Hurricane Katrina, over and over again. Sure it was sad, no one is denying that, but every state faces hardships and unfortunate circumstances. Minnesota had a bridge collapse and they didn't sensationalize it like the announcers will no doubt sensationalize the tragedy of Katrina.

Here's hoping for 2006 all over again, like when these Saints lost their playoff virginity opposite of the playoff-tested Vikings. That year, everyone's favorite upstart made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game before losing to Rex Grossman, yes Rex Grossman, and the Chicago Bears.

That game however, was in Chicago and not the new "friendly confines" that this game will likely be.

Minnesota needs this win. For New Orleans, it would just make for a "nice story."

New Orleans, if you lose, there will be next year. You'll still have your core of Brees, Colston, an emerging Robert Meacham, a healthy Shockey, an overrated Bush, and that overrated defense.

Minnesota, should they lose, could be on their way to L.A. sooner rather than later.

Los Angeles.

You remember that, right? You know, the place you were once rumored to go, potentially before Hurricane Katrina ironically saved you.

Don't take this personally New Orleans, as its nothing against you, per se, I just: A, don't like band-wagoners and I'm seeing way too many of them now that the ESPN hype machine has basically become ESPNEWORLEANS; and B, when it comes down to it, I'll take anyone re-locating to L.A. over my team.

You're a good team. I get that. You somehow won eleven straight games and if my team was out of the playoffs I'd probably cheer for you knowing its better than the alternative of the Cowboys, the Eagle, or the Packers.

Also consider that while I don't want anyone to move to Los Angeles, I find it hilarious that the second largest metropolis in the United States can't support and doesn't have a team in the nation's most popular league.

If anyone has to move let it be the Jacksonville Blackouts, uh, Jaguars, who never should have been in the league in the first place with their small, apathetic base, and similar market.

Remember those rumors I mentioned where you could have ended up in L.A? I was, (and still am) one of those who defended your right to stay in Louisiana and that was before and after Katrina, long before you were good, or even competitive for that matter.

Please don't take this as a shot against any one of your players or against the city as a whole. It's the media and their propaganda.

They are only doing their jobs in trying to create fan interest and intrigue but there has to be a limit. I at least hope they call it both ways and don't make their bias toward "the little team that could" too obvious.

1998 Revisited

How sad would it be if our own fairy tale season a 40-year-old Brett Favre, who came back to play for the arch-rival Vikings after 16 seasons in Green Bay, has an MVP season that is quite possibly going to end up his best statistically, and the only thing that stops them from capping the dream season and even making the Super Bowl, are the pesky and "lovable" Saints?

In 1998 the 15-1 Vikings were similarly steamrolling through opponents until they ran into the 14-2 Atlanta Falcons, who upset them at home in the NFC title game.

To the Falcons credit, they were 14-2, but watch out Saints, those Falcons disappeared after the season and didn't emerge again until Michael Vick led them back to that game in 2002 where they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

This year, unfortunately, the Saints have taken on the role of the Falcons, only this time, as repeatedly stated, the venues will be reversed once the Saints and their legion of "fans" host what should be our game.

I mean, what are the chances that the NFL sees a 15-1 team have to go on the road, to that location and city of all places, in the most important game in the recent history of the franchise?

It's about as likely as the NFL having two teams go undefeated the same season, as the Colts and Saints are preparing to do. After three decades of having no undefeated teams, the NFL is about the have three in the past three seasons.

In 2007 it was the Patriots, the NFL's spoiled child. Three rings, a corporate atmosphere, and monotonous management coming from the uninspiring Bill Belichick.

Now in 2009, we get our pick between daddy's boy Peyton Manning and the cow town Colts (who should still be in Baltimore by the way) and these tiring Saints, whose act and reign at the top I believe will get old quickly.

Awesome.

I can't wait.

In either case, the Vikings and their magical season will continue to play second fiddle to the Colts and the Saints.

See, I had prepared for the Vikings to steamroll through the playoffs only to run into the boring buzz-saw that is either the Patriots or Colt.

Now we get the Saints who are coming out of left field and are ripe to spoil the party—or is it a "gala" in "Nawlins" talk?

Destined for Disappointment

As a Vikings fan from birth, I've seen many disappointments.

Beyond the 1998 season, I've seen the hype and excitement of all of the Dennis Green years.

I've put up with the "Love Boat" shenanigans, the "Straight Cash Homey" lingo from Randy Moss , who, to his credit, gave the franchise the same shot in the arm Favre is doing this year.

I've seen the Vikings sneak into the playoffs when they didn't deserve in 1996, only to get blasted by the eventual Champion Dallas Cowboys.

I've seen the Vikings come back from ten down with under two-minutes to go in a playoff game, like they did to the 1997 New York Giants. I've also sat through the entire 41-0 beatdown in the 2000 NFC Championship Game where the Giants returned the favor.

I've had my heart broken so many times by this team that I keep expecting the "bad game" the experts expect Favre to have to come sooner or later. For this reason, while the team is 10-1, I can't fully enjoy it knowing it could come any week and thus cost us a chance at hosting the NFC Championship Game.

I, however, keep getting this feeling that it will come when we can least afford it—in the playoffs against, you guessed it, the New Orleans Saints, in their house against their vaunted defense, thus completing the cycle and killing our season.

Vikings-Bengals: Super Bowl XLIV not allowed to happen?

The Super Bowl I want, the Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals, may not even get a chance to happen thanks to the Saints and to either the Patriots or Colts.

Why did I want the Bengals?

If worse came to worse, I don't have a problem losing to them. After all, do they have staying power? As much as I'd like to think so, I doubt it, as the Ravens and Steelers are probably just struggling temporarily.

I can empathize with them seeing how the Corporate Colts or Plastic Patriots will probably overshadow them and beat them if and when they meet in January on their way to Miami.

I see a lot of similar disrespect here, and the fans and the media are to blame.

But who can blame them? The NFL would rather market pretty boys like Manning and Brady, or over-hype the Saints.

In a league of true parity, it would be a shame to see two franchises that truly would make for some fresh and exciting story lines to get snake bitten by the same tired, old franchises and petty story lines.

Vikings Schedule -Saints Schedule

Here's hoping the Cowboys can roll into 'Nawlins and stun the Saints in three weeks. Looking at the rest of their schedule, the Redskins game this weekend could be a trap game after the emotional win on Monday Night Football yesterday.

Still, I just don't see the supposedly good Washington defense being able to stop the NFL's No. 1 offense.

Other than that, if Matt Ryan comes back for their December 13th matchup, they may be able to hang with the Saints, but I doubt the Falcons can overtake them, especially considering their special teams in flux with Jason Elam being released and replaced by Matt Bryan.

The Vikings meanwhile will be trying to navigate through two first place teams—at Arizona this Sunday on Sunday Night Football and against Cincinnati the following week. A Saints loss to the Cowboys would cause the Vikings to leap them should they survive.

Finally, the Saints close out against two teams that will all but roll over in the improving, but still no-match divisional "rival" Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the similar, hapless Panthers who have already quit.

Meanwhile, the Vikings will play a pissed off underachieving rival, the Bears on Monday Night Football on the 28th in what could be a trap game in cold Chicago where Favre may have trouble throwing. They then close out against an equally underachieving Giants team that even though they historically dominate (as 2000 shows) anything is possible.

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Carl Pavano Receives Arbitration Offer from Minnesota Twins

Jeremiah Graves — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:38:18 -0500

The Minnesota Twins have reportedly offered Carl Pavano arbitration.

Minnesota had until Tuesday’s 11 p.m. deadline to offer the right-hander arbitration for next season, but chose to do so early.

The decision makes sense as Pavano qualifies as a Type-B free agent and that guarantees the Twins a draft pick if he signs elsewhere.

Additionally, if he chooses to accept the offer, the Twins have shown no hesitation to the prospect of Pavano making an encore performance in Minnesota next season.

Pavano was highly-regarded for his gritty, veteran presence on the young pitching staff late last season. He also produced by going 5-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 12 starts for the club down the stretch, seven of which qualified as quality starts.

The Twins have already had discussions with Pavano about a potential second tour of duty, so it is more likely that if he were to accept the arbitration offer, the club would strike a multi-year deal.

Pavano, 34, has a lengthy injury history that includes an infamous injury-laden, four-year stint with the New York Yankees.

He bucked the trend in 2009 by staying healthy for a full season for the first time since his 2004 campaign with the Florida Marlins.

He pitched 199.1 innings over 33 starts and posted a cumulative 14-12 record with a 5.10 ERA. Those numbers are skewed by an abysmal April. After his shaky start to the season, Pavano went 14-9 with a 4.67 ERA in 181.1 innings.

Despite his injury history and middle-of-the-pack overall numbers, Pavano has garnered interest from a number of teams.

Cleveland has shown interest in bringing him back and it is rumored that a number of National League teams are interested in the right-hander as well.

At his best, Pavano is probably no better than a middle of the rotation starter at this point in his career, but he did finish in the American League’s top five in starts, walk rate, and strikeout-to-walk ratio, so he still brings something to the table.

I look at this situation as a win-win for Minnesota.

If Pavano accepts, we get a reliable innings-eater for the middle of the rotation.

If we sign a multi-year deal—at the right price—it gets even better.

If it comes down to an arbitrator on a one-year deal, Pavano’s overall numbers merit a raise, but not a substantial one.

Pavano’s base salary last year was $1.5 million and he made roughly $4.35 million when performance bonuses were factored in. At worst, he would probably cost the Twins somewhere in the $6-7 million range via arbitration.

Then there is the alternative.

Pavano could decline arbitration and guarantee the Twins a draft pick when he signs elsewhere.

The Twins could then use the money they were going to use to sign Pavano to acquire a different starter or to bolster the infield.

Barring the sudden, unexpected return of the “American Idle” version of Pavano from his tenure with New York, the Twins can’t lose in this situation.

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10-1: How You Like Him Now?

ExJx Brooks — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:08:07 -0500

With the Vikings two wins away, or one win and one Packer loss away from clinching the NFC north, what can you say about Brett Favre now?

He's a traitor? Okay, maybe he is.

He's selfish? Yeah, but what player isn't selfish in someway?

They all want the same thing: to win. Most of them would sell their soul to the devil to win.

If he's selfish because he wants to win, I'll take selfish all day.

He's indecisive? As far as I see it, he's been very decisive the 24 times this season he has thrown TD passes.

Say what you will, but bottom line is that he is, at worst, an indecisive, selfish traitor whose team is 10-1 and has all but wrapped up the NFC north.

As I've said before, what he has done in the off-season does not matter. The 2,874 yards, 24 TDs, only three INTs, 69.2 passing percentage, a league leading 112.12 QB Rating, and the 10-1 record is all that matters.

I think if he hasn't earned the respect he deserves yet, then he never will. He is doing what most 40 year-olds can only dream of, ex-NFL players included. Not only is he the starting QB of the second-best team in the NFC at 40 years of age, he's doing it very successfully.

The man has obviously earned his stripes back.

I know, I know. He's a jerk, a traitor, and selfish, but lets be real: Wouldn't you rather be a selfish, traitorous jerk at the helm of a 10-1 team having one of the best, if not the best, seasons of your career instead of being the overlooked hero/fan favorite sitting on the bench for a team fighting for its playoff hopes; or sitting at home knowing you still have "it"?

Call me crazy, but if it were me I'd say paint me purple and call me a Viking.

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76 Classic Reveals That Minnesota Is Not Quite Ready for Prime Time

Kevin Lindsey — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:20:24 -0500

The Gophers learned many lessons playing in the 76 Classic Thanksgiving Tournament. Yes, Minnesota can play with anyone in the country, but they aren't good enough to win when they don't play well—at least not yet.

However, the most important lesson learned over the weekend is that you do it Coach Smith's way or you don't play.

The 82-73 win by Minnesota over Butler sent the most rabid Gopher fans to the NCAA website to see how they could order first round tournament tickets. Optimism was warranted given how well Minnesota played.

The Gophers, with their aggressive defense, forced the Bulldogs into 21 turnovers. Butler could only muster shooting 33 percent from the floor in the face of Minnesota’s pressure.

As has historically been the case for Tubby teams, good defense led to easy baskets in an up-tempo game. Minnesota shot 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from beyond the arc as they controlled the game for the entire second half.

The only blemishes for Minnesota were a technical foul picked up by Al Nolen by kicking the basketball in response to a call made by an official and the Gophers shooting 64 percent from the free throw line.

Unfortunately, these two issues would be themes for the weekend.

The Portland Pilots upset the Gophers the following night, 61-56.

Early in the ballgame, Coach Smith substituted all of his starters. The lack of defensive effort by the starters appears to have motivated Tubby to get his team to play hard on defense.

The move worked, as the Gophers played hard. Minnesota forced Portland into turning the ball over 19 times and the Gophers limited the Pilots to shooting only 39 percent from the floor.

Unfortunately, the Gophers did not always play smart on defense as they often left Portland's best outside threat open. Portland's point guard T.J. Campbell scored 23 points, making four of his eight attempts from downtown.

Campbell came into the game shooting better than 50 percent from beyond the arc. It is inexplicable why the Gophers double-teamed in the post, leaving Campbell open at the three-point line.

The Gophers also struggled on the offensive end.

Portland did a great job getting back in transition, eliminating fast break opportunities, and forcing Minnesota to run its half court offense. When Portland took the lead in the game they often went into a 2-3 zone.

Minnesota looked constipated trying to find an open shot all night; the team shot an anemic 33 percent from the floor.

Minnesota failed to make any of its 12 attempts from beyond the arc in the second half. Opposing teams will likely use zone defenses against the Gophers until they demonstrate they are capable of knocking down perimeter shots.

As bad as they played, the Gophers could have won if they could have made their free throws. Minnesota shot 59 percent from the charity stripe, making only 13 of their 22 attempts.

The most embarrassing statistic of game was that the Pilots out-rebounded the Gophers, 42-33.

The most surprising game of the tournament was Minnesota's last game against Texas A & M, which they lost 66-65.

Starting guards Al Nolen and Lawrence Westbrook were benched and saw less than 15 minutes of playing time for violating team rules. Coach Smith said little after the game about the decision he made concerning Nolen and Westbrook.

The statement by Tubby in punishing Nolen and Westbrook hopefully has made it clear that no one on the team is going to get special treatment from the Coach.

Minnesota again struggled on the offensive end to find an open shot. The Gophers shot 39 percent from the floor, 33 percent from downtown, 67 percent from the line, and they committed 16 turnovers.

Despite limited offensive production, the Gophers' Paul Carter had an opportunity to pull out the game on a last second shot.

The Gophers' defensive effort against the Aggies was similar to Portland—aggressive pressure on the ball and good denial of passing lanes, but failure to properly defend the three-point line.

The Aggies shot 41 percent from the floor and committed 14 turnovers primarily because of ball pressure applied by the Gophers. But, the Aggies also shot 43 percent from the arc because Minnesota allowed too many open looks.

The Gophers left Anaheim knowing that they have the talent to play with the best teams in the country with their victory over Butler. They are able to play consistent defense regardless of who is on the floor and can usually limit their opponent to 40 percent shooting or less.

The most obvious weakness for the Gopher defense is their inability to identify the opposing team's best outside threat and contest all shots taken from beyond the arc.

As a team, the players should know that they are not ready to be considered among the best teams in the country.

The Gophers' offense is stagnant and they often struggle to get open shots. Minnesota's scoring problems are compounded by their failure to shoot at least 75 percent from the free throw line.

Going into the tournament, three Gopher players were suspended and unavailable. Coach Smith then had to punish two of his starters by limiting their playing time during the tournament.

If we didn't already, we should now know that Tubby is willing to suffer losses in order to ensure that his players are properly disciplined.

At the end of the day, the two losses suffered by Minnesota should not hurt the team's NCAA resume as Portland and Texas A & M should either be in the tournament or at least bubble teams.

Next up, Minnesota plays the Miami Hurricanes in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. While it is early, this game already feels like a must win game for the Gophers as they need all the wins they can get before the Big Ten season begins.

Hopefully, the Gopher team that played Butler will show up and Minnesota will take another step to becoming a quality team every night they step on the floor.

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'09 Saints/Vikings Eerily Similar to '98 Vikings/Falcons

JP Frederick — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:17:10 -0500

Once upon a time a dome team went 15-1, with the highest scoring offense in the league (in league history, at the time), the highest point differential in the league, a turnover-happy defense that pounced in the fourth quarter when their team had the lead, and were generally regarded as a lock to represent the conference in the Super Bowl.

At the same time another dome team went 14-2, with the fourth highest scoring offense in the league, the third-best point differential in the league, a veteran quarterback having the best year of his career, a running back they were running to death, and a coach generally regarded as kind-of a moron.

But later in the season, in the most important game, when the 15-1 team's defense needed to get a stop, they couldn't stop the opposition.

The 2009 New Orleans Saints are the number one scoring offense and have the highest point differential in the league. Just like the 1998 Minnesota Vikings.

The 2009 Vikings have slightly better statistics (second highest scoring offense, second in point differential) than the 1998 Falcons.

And, when you really think about it, O.J. Santiago might be Visanthe Shiancoe, after taking gallons of steroids and Fountain of Youth Juice (tm: Johnson and Johnson).

We've seen this movie before, and the ending.

The dome surface doesn't give an advantage to either team; the team with the sturdier defense holds up; Gary Anderson skips in, shanks a field goal, and skips off; and the gamblers of America weep sadly. Or cry joyfully. It is always hard to tell what the gamblers of America are feeling.

No one knows if the story will be the same this time. That's why we watch. But the analogy is pretty interesting, even if doesn't hold up entirely.

This '09 Vikings team is being given a better chance than the '98 Falcons were given; perhaps rightfully so, perhaps not.

Back then, nobody really thought the Falcons would stop a record-setting Vikings offense that featured MVP Randall Cunningham; the devastating trifecta of Cris Carter, Randy Moss, and Jake Reed; and the Robert Smith/LeRoy Hoard combo in the backfield.

Nonetheless, the Falcons defense—led by a consistent and talented defensive front four—were able to stymie the Vikings just enough, and let their offense go to work on the Vikings statistically-overrated defense.

The Falcons offense was riding Jamal Anderson in the best year of his career, but Chris Chandler and the passing game pulled out this game. Time and again, Chandler was able to find an open receiver (usually Tony Martin or Terrance Mathis) against the Vikings slow secondary.

Brett Favre is not Chris Chandler, though. Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin have much more talent than Martin and Mathis had, even if they lack the veteran awareness of the Falcons duo. And then there is Adrian Peterson.

The Saints defense and that Vikings defense have a couple of distinct differences, though.

The Saints have a young, talented, emerging defensive line; whereas the Vikings had John Randle and three guys who couldn't take advantage of all the attention opposing offensive lines gave John Randle.

Will Smith and Charles Grant, the Saints defensive ends, would cause a lot of havoc for Vikings tackles Bryant McKinnie and Phil Loadholt. The Saints young, first-round defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis could annihilate the Vikings young, sixth-round center John Sullivan.

Jonathan Vilma, the Saints middle linebacker, is faster and bigger and stronger than Ed McDaniel, the Vikings middle linebacker in 1998.

But any possible Saints-Vikings game would inevitably come down to what that Falcons-Vikings game came down to: Which secondary blinks first?

The Falcons secondary was under the most stress, as the Vikings secondary would be in any game against Drew Brees and the Saints' passing attack. If the Vikings blink, and Brees has one of those Brees games that gives fantasy owners fantasy wins, the Vikings chances to win would go from "possible" to "highly improbable."

However, if the Vikings secondary—like the Falcons secondary—can work in tandem with their defensive line to hold down Brees' potent passing game, then the pressure would shift as it did in '98, albeit to the Saints.

While they are enjoying a statistically good year, the Saints secondary can be had.

Darren Sharper might still be able to catch a pass thrown to him and run straight, but he is a 34-year-old safety; those creatures don't last too long in the NFL. Chris McAlister might have been one of the best corners a couple of years ago, but that was a couple of years ago. Their other corners are very young, and in the playoffs, young corners are often exposed by veteran quarterbacks.

If pressure is put to this secondary, they could easily fold. And if the Saints have to re-adjust their defense to focus on the Vikings pass, that's when Peterson would make them pay.

Lucky for the Saints, pressure might never be applied them. Much like the '98 Vikings, their offense looks unstoppable. Unbeatable. And their defense looks good enough.

But just like in 1998, there is a team that is right there with them, unafraid of going into their dome, with all the necessary pieces to expose that Achilles' Heel, and the necessary talent to win.

There really are some eerie similarities going on here.

Of course, this could all be moot.

Maybe the Cowboys or Cardinals or Eagles put it all together, and ruin this almost-assured NFC-championship matchup. Maybe Brett Favre retires tomorrow; that actually seems more likely than the Cowboys putting it all together.

Sean Peyton could be jailed for tax evasion. What if Drew Brees quits football to be a monk in Tibet?

Who really knows what the future holds.

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SavetheVikes.org Rallies for a New Stadium in Minnesota, Will You Be There?

Carrie Daklin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:04:50 -0500

Cory Merrifield was not about to let the situation continue as it was.

"From my perspective," he said, "there was little being done. I wasn't going to sit by and just wave my team off to Los Angeles or another market."

Currently, the Minnesota Vikings are ranked 31st out 32 teams in revenue generation. That means that since the NFL pools ticket sales and broadcast revenue, the rest of the NFL is subsidizing a large part of the Vikings.

The Vikings have been lobbying the legislature for a new stadium for years, but with little progress. With the current economic climate, rumor has it that, again this legislative season, no bill will be promulgated. The Minnesota Vikings' lease runs only through the 2011 season. After that, they have no obligation to play in the Dome and, if they so choose, are available to relocate to more financial-friendly digs.

An exit reminiscent of the Colts, or the Browns, or the Texans, is not , Merrifield believes, what Minnesotans want. And so he started SavetheVikes.org .

"It just hit me one day, about six months ago," Cory said. "We needed grass-roots, fan-fueled lobbying. And I decided, if it was going to get going, really get going, I was going to step up and start it."

To date, SavetheVikes.org has been up and running for approximately five weeks and has had over 10,000 hits on the site. The organization is also on Facebook, where it has over 7,400 fans and is growing daily by the hundreds.

Will their lobbying efforts be successful?

Josh Hewitt, administrator/fan advocate, states that many fans have written to their legislators only to receive replies that this is not the year for a stadium bill. "I don't think this is a decision for the legislature to make unilaterally, without discussion, without input from the community. We're here to make our presence known and let them know the time to get this stadium done is now."

Hewitt is encouraging those who receive neutral or negative replies to continue to contact their representatives. "Regular contact will force them to see that we take this seriously."

And their first full-body contact with the legislature is just days away. SavetheVikes.org has organized a rally on December 3 from 3-6 p.m. on the steps of the state capitol in St. Paul .

"We'll be gathering there once a month from now through the legislative session," said Hewitt. "We want them to feel our presence and our passion."

SavetheVikes.org welcomes any and all Minnesota Vikings fans, local or not. To join them, visit SavetheVikes.org or visit them at SavetheVikes on Facebook .

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Twins Can't Sleep on Joe Mauer Deadline

Teddy Mitrosilis — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:46:58 -0500

Some things are so right, so true, so meant to be, that there is no conceivable way they can play out other than expected.

Warm chocolate chip cookies go with milk.

Sunflower seeds cater to the word "spit."

City-defining athletes should remain home.

For our purposes here, that last one is the most important. Without living in Minneapolis or having any connection to the Minnesota Twins or their fans, I'm going to say that Joe Mauer should retire as a Twin. He is Mr. Minnesota. If there's a superstar that shouldn't be gobbled up by the powers in the East, it's Mauer.

With one year remaining on Mauer's current contract, the catcher has set a spring training deadline to discuss an extension with the Twins, reports Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports. As soon as Opening Day 2010 strikes, Mauer will either be a Twin for the coming years, or he will be the tastiest name to hit the free-agent market next winter.

Good for Mauer to set this deadline. It is in the best interest of Mauer and the Twins to get a deal done as soon as possible, and I'm all for keeping contract negotiations relegated to the months from November through March. Once the games begin, it's time to prepare and it's time to win. It ain't time for business.

I suppose there is nothing easy about locking up one of the five best players in the sport to a long-term deal when he sits in line to cash in on some ungodly figure that only Alex Rodriguez can fathom, but this should be one of the easier negotiations.

If you're Minnesota, there is no reason to wait. Give me one good reason why these talks should even last until Christmas. You can't.

Mauer is the best catcher in all of baseball and has defined the Twins organization in the 21st century. The fact that he is a hometown boy, represents the city with class, keeps his private life out of the news, and so on, is all peaches and cream. The bare bottom of the issue is that Mauer is one hell of a player, a guy that is irreplaceable in Minneapolis.

I could reel off a bunch of statistics to prove to you how good Mauer is, but the fact remains that Mauer is so good, such a thing would almost be insulting. You watch the games. Mauer is 26-years-old, has won consecutive Gold Gloves, owns three batting titles since 2006 (at a position that is traditionally allergic to such offensive prowess), and is the type of hitter that should age well.

Twins GM Bill Smith knows what kind of gold he has on his hands. We all do. He would be a fool to let that slip away.

Would the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, et al, be waiting to pounce on Mauer next winter? You bet, but it shouldn't get there. Mauer is going to make huge money—after all, he deserves a fair market price—but he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who will chase every last dollar. And the fact that Mauer is represented by Ron Shapiro (or anyone other than Scott Boras) is promising for a club like the Twins that can't afford to rumble with the rich.

But, in order to avoid that nightmare, the Twins must act now. This is their opportunity to make their guy feel wanted and comfortable. If they let this go to next winter, the odds of the Twins resigning Mauer are cut in half, at least. Not that their pitch would change. It's just that $190 M Yankee dollars and life atop Manhattan will seriously tempt any man, regardless of how much love he has for his childhood playground.

Realistically, it wouldn't be out of line if Mauer commanded a six-year, $150 M deal. Can Minnesota fork over $25 M a year to one player? I doubt it. But they are going to have to swallow hard and allocate a large portion of their payroll to this one guy. I think $20 M per year would get it done with Mauer because I think he truly wants to remain a Twin for the rest of his career. Minnesota is all he has ever known, why would he want to leave?

The Twins have to be more creative than the giants that annually record the highest payrolls—you know who you are—but with manager Ron Gardenhire in place, the Twins will always be competitive.

Rebuilding through the draft is imperative for them, but Minnesota is a club that always seems to get the most out of their young pitching, and they play a relentless style of ball that keeps them clawing until the final day of September.

Forget for a moment about the heartache that would be caused throughout greater Minneapolis if Mauer were to jet for one of the coasts next winter, and all the Twins were left with are a couple of draft picks.

Smith understands that Mauer is not only an imperative part of the future success on the field, but he is also an imperative part of the future success at the turnstiles.

The Twins have that nice new jewel named Target Field ready to open next spring, and it is already going to be hard enough to get enough fans donning blankets and sipping coffees to fill the seats in the blustery Aprils to come.

If Mr. Twin himself isn't part of the future plan, Smith may as well crawl up in the baggie in the Metrodome and stay there. The welcoming won't be so pretty when the snow melts next spring and the Twins set out on another quest to capture the American League Central.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at tm4000@yahoo.com.

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Could Favre's Monster Season Hurt the Vikings?

Paul Preibisius — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:38:28 -0500

Brett Favre is putting together a monstrous year.

I still think Manning will edge him out in final MVP voting, but one more weekend like this and I have to re-think that notion. He has taken a massive strain off the team by making it omni-dimensional.

Yet with all the accolades, and the great things it seems to spell for this season, I can’t help but wonder if his role will backfire long-term for Minnesota.

As a forty year old retiree, he was brought in to be a game managing savvy vet, think a slightly better version of Baltimore’s Trent Dilfer. Put in 200 yard games, make one or two throws like his 49ers hail mary, and let Adrian Peterson steamroll defenses that now have to put eight instead of nine in the box.

What has come to pass, instead, is a season that could easily go into the books as Brett’s finest.

He is routinely using the artillery on his shoulder to fire up three hundred yard, multi-touchdown games. He has done so while making next to none of the mistakes usually attributed to his ‘gunslinger’ mentality.

The more he tears apart defenses, the better the Vikings playoff outlook is. So why the concern?

Brett may hmm and haw. He may even play next year. But sometime soon he will retire and stay that way.

The Vikings would be a much better team when that time comes if they were relying on him to do the basics and little more. Their young stud Peterson will be around for a long time. His style may make him highly susceptible to the running back age-30 wall, but he will have plenty of years before that time.

It seems the stronger Favre’s performances, the more Peterson is fading into the background. If you take away the long run/fumble by AP in the game against the Lion’s, he has not had a 100 yard game since week 6 against the Ravens. More telling is that four of the last five weeks he has averaged below four yards a carry.

This paired with his tendency to fumble showing itself strongly the last few weeks, makes me wonder how much of the difference is a focal attention on stopping the run, and how much is a growing commitment to the pass?

With a subpar passing attack last year he averaged over 4.5 yards per carry in nine of his seventeen games. To date, with team needing to focus some extra defensive attention on the passing game, he has averaged above that in four of eleven games. 53 percent of the time compared to 36 percent. A fairly significant drop.

With a game-managing Favre, the team would be in a much better position to go replacement shopping.

Many teams can find quarterbacks that are good, but not necessarily pro bowlers. In asking Favre to be the hall of famer he is, are the Vikings inviting a letdown when he is gone?

I know this is not a big deal this year, and whatever is putting up points and wins should be considered the ‘right’ way. But I wonder if Brett Favre of the first six weeks (224.5 ypg) is better for Minnesota in the long haul than the Brett Favre of the last five (305.4 ypg).

Bottom line: Does Minnesota really want Favre to make himself irreplaceable?

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Minnesota Vikings Roll Despite Inconsistent Offensive Line

JP Frederick — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:04:57 -0500

The Minnesota Vikings look more and more like the most complete team in the NFL with each game.

Passing game, rushing offense, rushing defense, secondary, even special teams. The Vikings are truly firing on all cylinders.

Alright, maybe not the special teams; they gave up a couple of big returns to Chicago.

Over the past three games, Minnesota is averaging 486 total yards, with a high of 537 on Sunday against Chicago.The defense is giving up 226 total yards over that stretch, with a low of 169 on Sunday against Chicago.

The vaunted Vikings run defense had looked shaky earlier in the season; the Minnesota run defense is now second in the NFL after holding Matt Forte to 27 yards on 8 carries and the Bears offense to 43 rushing yards overall.

In short, Minnesota is getting better, and they were already pretty good.

This just in : the amount of loud, obnoxious Minnesota Vikings fans has risen to troublesome levels on the Internet, and the Milky Way galaxy in general. SWAT teams have been called in, as well as some poison control specialists with those space-age haz-mat suits. It's going down. Protect the booty. Save the children. Love the one you're with. Now back to our regularly scheduled article.

Minnesota continues to lead the NFL in sacks with 40, five over the second-place Dolphins and Steelers.

While the secondary can still be beat occasionally, they have given up only 190 yards per game over the past five games; even more impressive considering Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield has missed the past five games due to injury.

The Vikings gave up a season-low 126 passing yards against Chicago on Sunday.

Chicago really didn't play good on Sunday.

At all.

Seriously.

On offense, Percy Harvin and Sidney Rice are a hyperbole-inducing, hybrid-composite of Cris Carter and Randy Moss. Visanthe Shiancoe has become the outstanding tight end Brad Childress envisioned. Chester Taylor and Bernard Berrian, two other high-profile free agent signees earlier in Childress' tenure, are dangerous supporting players who can hurt the opposition for focusing on the younger Vikings' weapons.

And somebody this one time said something about some guy named Farva? Favor?

But it's not all gumdrops, lollipops, and blowouts.

One nagging concern is the inconsistent production from Adrian Peterson, the offensive line, and the running game.

It is uncomfortable and perhaps criminally insane to complain about the third-leading rusher and the ninth-best rushing attack in the NFL.

Consistency is the problem, though. Not production.

According to footballoutsiders.com, a Vikings rush is getting stuffed the third most in the league (the running back is either getting tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage).

The Vikings power success (percentage of runs of two yards or less to go, on third or fourth down, that achieve a first down) is 27th in the league at 53 percent.

Penalties also plague the line; rookie right tackle Phil Loadholt has improved dramatically over the season, but he is still guaranteed for a flag or two a game.

In addition, Peterson has averaged less than four yards per carry in four of the last five games. And then there are the fumbles, those damn fumbles...

Obviously, 10 consecutive one-yard Peterson rushes are often prologue to an absurd 40-yarder, and the passing game has more than picked up the slack.

All the same, the line needs to get more push and create more space for the running game, and Peterson needs to hold onto the damn ball.

The running game has to show the NFL why it should still be viewed as the Vikings number one offensive option, because Brett Favre can not possibly continue to play at this level. It's unfathomable, pure madness to think that.

Right?

Sooner or later, Favre is going to have an off-game, right? Sooner or later, the quarterback who has averaged more than one interception per game throughout his career is going to have one of those games, right?

Right?!??!

At that moment, when Favre remembers his beard is gray and he's due for an interception, that is the moment when Peterson and the run game need to take over, if that moment ever comes...

With the way things are, it is almost to the point where the opposition will start focusing more on Favre, Rice, Harvin, and the NFL's sixth-ranked passing game, and take their chances against Adrian Peterson.

Almost.

Pity the poor defensive coordinator who has to make that decision.

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Minnesota Twins Top-15 Prospects: No. 12: BJ Hermsen

Andrew Kneeland — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:45:10 -0500

2009 stats: 1.35 ERA, 53.1 IP, 42/4 K/BB, 0.675 WHIP at GCL (Rook)
Last year’s rank: Not ranked
Acquired: Sixth round selection of the Minnesota Twins in the 2008 draft

BJ Hermsen exploded onto the scene this past year, his first in professional baseball. The 20-year old-right-hander from Iowa doesn't boast the velocity you'd expect from a 6-foot-6, 230-pound former three-sport athlete. Attending West Delaware High School in Iowa, Hermsen was among the state leaders as a 25.7 points per game basketball player, quarterback, and right-handed pitcher. Being a big, athletic guy, Hermsen's delivery is understandably slow, but remarkably smooth.

Hermsen's fastball currently sits at around 91-92 mph, but he also claims a plus changeup and slider in his repertoire. The right-hander has the potential to develop his 10/4 curveball into a plus pitch, but based on what I've heard, Hermsen started throwing that pitch as a teenager. The 10/4 curveball wreaks havoc on a young pitcher's arm, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Hermsen go down with an injury in the near future.

Besides an unfortunate football injury during his high school career (to his collarbone, I believe) Hermsen has remained relatively healthy and appears to be capable of adding a few miles per hour onto his already deadly fastball.

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Hermsen's pitching, though, is his impeccable control. During 10 starts this summer in the Gulf Coast League, Hermsen walked just four batters while striking out 42. Hermsen doesn't strike out many per nine innings of pitching (just 7.1), but his strikeout to walk ratio of 10.5 is extremely impressive.

This summer, Hermsen didn't do an exceptionally good job at missing bats, and relied on the GCL Twins' defense for his 1.35 ERA. Still, Hermsen didn't surrender a single home run in the 50-plus innings he pitched, and he limited his number of baserunners very well.

Some projected Hermsen to go in the first round of the 2008 draft, but his collarbone injury and the fact that Oregon State had offered him a full-ride held some teams back. The Twins grabbed him in the sixth round, and paid him above-slot. So far, Hermsen appears to be worth every penny.

Ideal scenario: Hermsen thrives with the Beloit Snappers and gains some velocity on his fastball. He keeps his walk rate down, and misses more bats than he did in 2009.

Path to the majors: Hermsen has the makings of a potential ace, and has an already-developed repertoire of pitches. He could advance a few levels at a time for the next few years and conceivably land in the Minnesota rotation in 2012 or 2013.

Originally from TwinsTarget.com

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Brett Favre Proving that the Elway and Montana Principles Do Hold True

Chaz Mattson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:52:03 -0500

Considering all the great quarterbacks in NFL history, without a doubt, Brett Favre has proven that he is among the best.

He sits along the legends of the NFL lore in John Elway, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Roger Staubach, Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady.

Say what you will, Cheesehead Nation, you never wanted to see a No. 4 FAVRE jersey come into the frozen tundra in any other color scheme but the Packers' gold and green.

Unfortunately you, the franchise owners, and the front office let it happen. It was during that time period that a few key ideologies, theories, and principals about how to handle such situations became the center of great debate nationwide on sports talk shows.

The questions surrounding Brett Favre had to do with his offseason attitude and questions about his desire. On the Packers' front, it was complicated to say the least; but it had more to do with building for the future than the present.

Certainly, since Favre beat the Packers twice this season with the arch rival Minnesota Vikings and his new team appears primed and ready to make a deep playoff run...one which will in all likelihood have them playing in the NFC Championship and possibly in the Super Bowl.

The whole debacle and fallout between the Packers and Favre is not unique in and of itself. However, it did cover a lot of ground. With that, it’s really time to get a clear pulse on the dynamic of what happened between Favre and the Packers.

At the end of the day, any way you slice and dice the data, the Packers and their fans only have themselves to blame for letting Brett Favre go. Moreover, and most damaging, they instigated it with not allowing him back to camp and with the eventual trade.

It's an emotional issue but one that is worth looking at on a deeper level.

So by now it’s fair to ask what exactly is the Elway Principle and how does it apply to Brett Favre?

Explaining the Elway Principle

In a sense the Elway Principle is the explanation of a dynamic that does exist and is unique to professional football.

The Elway Principal is simply this: A franchise quarterback is retained by the franchise for the greater good of the team and the player with the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl Championship in mind.

In the case of John Elway, it took the intervention of owner Pat Bowlen to keep a trade of Elway from Denver to Washington from happening.

Dan Reeves was later fired in part because of his decision to seek a new quarterback. Reeves drafted Tommy Maddox out of UCLA as Elway’s possible replacement in the early 1990s.

The Elway Principle is somewhat sympathetic on both sides.

Don’t misunderstand it however. It’s not entirely empathetic.

When applying the rule to Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers, the direct comparison can and should be made between John Elway and the Denver Broncos because there are parallels that exist in how each franchise handled their business.

In the Broncos' case they knew they had a franchise quarterback who was heading into the sunset of his career.

By 1990, John Elway had played in three Super Bowls while his team suffered blowouts in each of the big games. Denver became one of the best teams in the NFL during that time period, but could not win the big game.

Something very unique happened to the Broncos franchise at that time, a time when free agency played a major role in the NFL.

Both Elway and the Broncos stuck with one another through challenging setbacks and time periods. Elway and the Broncos showed noticeable signs of falling into mediocrity and there was the trade that never was and never should have even been a discussion.

The Broncos could have given up on Elway in the early 1990s when Dan Reeves had a personal rift with Elway and Mike Shanahan over play calling. In many ways, Dan was reaching a burnout point over the shortcomings of his Broncos teams in the Super Bowls.

The loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV was devastating and forced major changes on a team that went to the Super Bowl three out of four seasons but lost to the 49ers 55-10 in the big game.

The Broncos, however, became yesterday’s news as they went 0-3 in the big dance while the Buffalo Bills hit their stride and reached four consecutive Super Bowls from the AFC.

The Bills' fate was no better, as they went 0-4 in those games, as the NFC was dominating football at the time with the emergence of the retooled Dallas Cowboys.

Broncos’ owner Pat Bowlen ensured that despite these hardships, John Elway stayed in Denver and never landed in Washington, as Reeves was proposing at the time.

Pat Bowlen showed Dan Reeves the door after the 1992 season and eventually got his man Mike Shanahan to return to Denver and lead his football franchise in 1995.

The Broncos had been through two mediocre seasons under Wade Phillips and the first one under Mike Shanahan. Then the Broncos had a devastating playoff loss to Jacksonville in 1996 after the team filled so many high expectations.

It was one loss that still stings the franchise, especially when you consider they could have possibly had a three-peat, something that has never been done in the Super Bowl era.

The Broncos were the clear favorite in the AFC and had a memorable blowout victory at New England, the eventual 1996 AFC Champion during the regular season.

Consider the fact that during the following season of John Elway’s career he tore a bicep tendon in a pre-season game in Mexico in 1997 against the Miami Dolphins.

That was the same season John Elway made his now-legendary helicopter leap to decisively tell his team they were going to beat Brett Favre’s Green Bay Packers team in Super Bowl XXXII.

The Pack were the defending champions and Elway on that one play began to drive the dagger through the hearts of the Green Bay faithful as he came crashing to earth for a first down.

That play and that Super Bowl matchup might not have happened if the Broncos had given up on John Elway. The key note here is that John Elway and Denver stuck it out together during Elway’s 15^th season.

In Green Bay there is a clear distinction that must be made. Brett Favre was being forced out by the Packers management and head coach who wanted to endorse the draft pick of Aaron Rodgers, who was picked four seasons previously.

So when he retired at the time, he was being forced out. Then Brett decided he had something to prove since he later felt he could still play and still wanted to play.

By that time, the concessions being made by the Packers were nil and none. They were sticking with Aaron Rodgers.

Here is the flaw of that argument: Aaron Rodgers is not Brett Favre either in athletic ability or in star talent. It’s very possible that Aaron Rodgers may never even reach the Super Bowl.

Now think about that for a moment and consider the argument thus far.

John Elway had the type of injury that could have kept him from playing the 1997 season. He could have been on the IR and not the championship platform hoisting the Super Bowl XXXII trophy above his head.

It still seems peculiar at best to think that the Green Bay Packers were ready to part with Brett Favre before he was really ready to part ways with them. It’s not like Brett Favre really ever had an Elway like injury holding him back at the time either.

So what was holding them back?

It’s a simple answer, but a complicated formula that causes blindness in business and athletics.

It’s called pride. Its best friend is ego, who, for the record, is also blind.

The Packers management did what many management groups do. They took control of the situation with their power and their money, but they failed to do what people are generally paid big dollars for: making the right decision.

The same sort of actions that got Dan Reeves fired in Denver would most likely be the fate of current Packers coach Mike McCarthy if only it was his decision alone to part ways with Brett Favre. The fact of the matter is that it was not.

Mark Murphy, President and CEO of the Packers, along with G.M. and Director of Football Operations Ted Thompson led the charge with McCarthy against Favre.

Make no mistake; this was an all-systems-go charge against their former NFL MVP and future Hall of Famer.

The Packers offered Brett Favre over $20 million to never play professional football again shortly after he was banned from the facility and team activities.

Brett Favre has made less actually playing for the Jets and the Vikings, but he did prove his point this year to the Packers twice, once at hallowed Lambeau Field.

This is the pivotal piece defining the Elway Principle.

There is no way, none whatsoever that the Broncos fans or owner were willing to part ways with John Elway. It was part of the understanding through trials and shortcomings in the playoffs that the franchise owed John time and space to work towards coming back for the next season late in his career.

There was no political maneuvering. No conspiracy. No collusive change management policy designed to oust a longtime veteran, star power and all.

Absent in Denver was the future franchise quarterback. Up until the very end of Elway’s career the Broncos had the likes of Bubby Brister and Brian Griese ready to go, but neither could be considered seriously as filling Elway’s shoes.

Even if John Elway retired and later decided to come back, the Broncos' franchise would have allowed it to happen. They would have made concessions based on his ability and leadership.

This is the thing the Broncos figured out that the Packers somehow could not.

For whatever reason the Green Bay Packers failed to recognize those attributes in Brett Favre.

The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. It was at that time the team started looking ahead, little did the fan base actually know they were seeking a successor to actually oust Brett Favre.

Had it been sold to the fans that way then an absolute uproar would have taken place, even in the depths of the Packers' mediocrity at the time.

Brett Favre was respectable in 2005, just as he played more than respectably his last year in Green Bay, leading them to the NFC Championship in 2007.

Brett showed his mettle last season after his trade to New York in helping the Jets be one of the best teams in the AFC in 2008 until their late-season collapse.

The Jets implosion was bigger than Brett Favre, but he was partially to blame for his poor play and arm injuries that weren’t entirely disclosed or known at the time.

Then came the 2009 season, one in which Brett Favre was in Minnesota Vikings camp for only a short time before taking the reins and with them a total change in the mindset of a football franchise.

There was a great deal of fear and excitement among the Vikings fans and coaching staff.

Head Coach Brad Childress is now virtually married to that decision; to bring Brett to Minnesota even after wavering with the Vikings could have been career suicide for the coach. So far it’s been paying huge dividends on the 2009 season with the Vikings at 10-1.

Explaining the Montana Principle

This brings to mind another situation it’s called The Montana Principle, named after San Francisco legend Joe Montana who won four championships with his 49er teams and was later traded to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Montana Principle is simply this: A franchise quarterback is traded by the franchise regardless of the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl Championship in mind. This is usually done to accommodate a youth movement or a younger backup quarterback.

Specifically, in Joe Montana’s case, Steve Young became the starter for two years before Joe was healthy enough to play again. So at that time he did have an image of being damaged goods like other star players traded late in their careers.

Looking at first piece of the definition, it may as well be called the Montana/Favre Principle for the rest of time. Both franchise quarterbacks were spurned by their former teams for whatever reason for the sake of progress and moving on. This was all done despite six Super Bowl appearances and five championships between them.

The situations are very different, however. Joe Montana was injured and traded two years later. Steve Young eventually did win a Super Bowl; it is however very possible to make the argument that Joe Montana may have won two Super Bowls.

In Favre’s case, Aaron Rogers clearly lacked playing time, but it was the front office that had to cover themselves and found that to be more paramount than winning football games and championships most immediately.

It’s possible that Brett Favre may hoist the hardware one more time at the end of this season, ultimately proving out these principals all the more. In Green Bay, it’s already proving to be a long cold winter.

Consider for a moment some of Joe Montana and Brett Favre’s career statistics.

Joe Montana was 117-47 spanning a 15-year career. The 49ers never ensconced Montana into the starting role until starter Steve DeBerg was injured midway through the 1980 season.

Montana’s first full season as a starter in 1981 saw him lead the 49ers to a 13-3 record, which thanks to Dwight Clark’s amazing catch in the NFC Championship resulted in their first Super Bowl.

San Francisco downed the Cincinnati Bengals in that game to claim their first championship.

Montana won three more with the 49ers in 1983, 1989, and 1990. His playoff record was something to be admired with nine playoff appearances with San Francisco and two with the Kansas City Chiefs. His record with the 49ers was a brilliant 14-5 in playoff games.

At Kansas City, the Chiefs had very good teams but could not win big games and lost out on making a Super Bowl with Joe Montana. His record there was 2-2 in the playoffs. The Chiefs however were not the 49ers on or off the field.

As a passer, Joe Montana connected on 3,409 passes for 40,551 yards. His career completion record finished at 63.2 percent.

Joe Montana was essentially replaced as the starter in San Francisco due to an injury he suffered on his elbow in 1991. Joe only played one game over the 1991 and 1992 NFL seasons.

The 49ers found insurance in backup Steve Young and by the end of the 1992 season the franchise parted ways with Joe Montana.

This was a time that saw a little tension and heartbreak as the franchise could no longer keep Joe Montana on their roster due to the evolution of change in San Francisco.

Perhaps, when it comes to Brett Favre, the Packers knew more about Brett Favre’s arm than the rest of the country. That may be the reason they did not want to bring Brett Favre back after he led them to an NFC title game.

The press however had numerous reports regarding a deteriorating relationship between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers front office.

So for Brett Favre’s part, his statistics and leadership were shown the door.

Probably one statistic speaks volumes more about Brett Favre’s dilemma in Green Bay than any other. That statistic is the measure of a quarterback’s performance itself, the quarterback rating.

In 2007, Favre’s last year in Green Bay his quarterback rating was 95.7, the third-best rating of his career. His career rating resides at 86.4.

At the peak of Favre’s career, when he won the Super Bowl in 1996, his rating was 95.8, his second-highest rating ever. The following year when the Packers lost to the Broncos in the Super Bowl, Favre’s rating was at 92.6.

What catches the eye are his ratings with the Jets and Vikings. In New York, with an injured arm, Brett the Jet had a rating of 81.0.

This season with the Vikings through 11 games, he’s sitting on a 112.1 rating, his best-ever by a mile.

But ratings don’t tell you the amazing last minute heroics and the ways in which Brett Favre is a man among men. It’s a shame, perhaps they should.

For his career Favre has thrown nearly 6,000 completions, has a 61.9 completion percentage, racked up 68,001 yards, 488 touchdowns, and 313 interceptions.

His numbers take a backseat to no one.

Perhaps the Green Bay Packers thought of Joe Montana’s situation briefly and spurned their golden boy Brett Favre in the blockbuster trade that landed him in New York for all of one season.

The sheer neglect of seeking out the best possible solution for the Green Bay Packers franchise is baffling when considering the great lengths they went to silence Brett Favre and to back the draft selection of Aaron Rodgers.

The Packers probably should have considered how the Denver Broncos handled John Elway late in his career for the betterment of their own franchise, yes even through extremely challenging times.

Certainly the past is the past, but we can learn from it.

In the case of Brett Favre, these well stated principles do hold true.

He’s still proving it game after game.

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Dipped, Fried, and Chomped: Timberwolves Make Meal Out of Nuggets

Matthew Hayden — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 23:01:20 -0500

First off, thank you Minnesota Timberwolves for, as sadly as it sounds, re-sparking your fan base with a win over the Denver Nuggets.

Over the web, just one minute into actually winning their second game, Timberwolves fan's are incredibly impressed and NBA fans are amazed that the Wolves end their 15 game losing streak against the Denver Nuggets, in Denver Nuggets territory.

If the Wolves would have lost that game, it would have tied a franchise losing streak.

A game that the Wolves truly deserved to win? I have to say so....

The Wolves played every possession (especially in the second half), like it was the last possession. They shared the ball, didn't turn it over as much as usual, finished correctly inside the paint, and played with true heart.

Five Timberwolves in double figures.

27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block from Ryan Gomes.

15 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists from Damien Wilkins.

16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist from Corey Brewer.

14 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block from Al Jefferson.

16 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals from Jonny Flynn.

Also Ramon Sessions and Wayne Ellington contributed 12 points, four boards, four assists and two steals in limited minutes.

Jonny Flynn played great, and his 16 point, six assist game is what the Wolves fans expected from him before the season started. He only turned the ball over once, took his time, shot good shots, and made great last minute decisions down the stretch.

Ryan Gomes kept the defense honest, and was extremely efficient. He played very good defense, and did the intangible things to help the Wolves win the game. If he can continue that level of play, Ryan Gomes is definitely a keeper for the future.

Corey Brewer surprised all Wolves fans. Every other game, he seems like he either can finish at the rim, or he can't. Corey Brewer played well down the stretch, making correct fouls, getting the foul calls, and played with high energy the whole game.

Al Jefferson played well despite the low scoring and rebounding. He didn't turn the ball over as much, he played DECENT defense the whole game, but was out-muscled by Nene and Martin. Despite that, he grabbed key rebounds down the stretch, that helped the Wolves to the win.

But ultimately, the big contribution has to come from Damien Wilkins.

He played very efficient the whole game, hit a big shot in the last six minutes of play when the Nuggets started to show life, gave Carmelo Anthony a VERY hard time on the defensive end, and grabbed the most boards out of all the Timberwolves. Arguably, it was because of Wilkins, that we've won BOTH of our two games.

Keeping him in the starting starting does not seem like a bad idea....

What does a win do for this ball club?

"I think if we can get a win, it would really do something for our confidence, and it can turn into 5 wins, maybe even 10". -Ramon Sessions

"You would have thought we won an NBA championship back there in the locker room". -Jonny Flynn

I'm not saying the Wolves are going to win 10 in a row, but it surely gives Wolves fans hope that the Wolves are going to be competitive, and it can only improve when Kevin Love gets back.

Timberwolves 106- Nuggets 100

Thanks for reading!

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Pepsi Center Hosts 'Melo vs. Johnny in High-Scoring Affair

Ryan Maloney — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:31:00 -0500

Only two players have been drafted in the NBA lottery out of Syracuse University over the past eight years. Those two men are going head-to-head tonight on the hardwood at the Pepsi Center in Denver, CO. Carmelo Anthonty's Denver Nuggets led Johnny Flynn's Minnesota Timberwolves 64-50 after 24 minutes of play in Sunday night's regular season match-up. The game can be viewed online by clicking here .

UPDATE: Flynn has led the Wolves on a 14-3 run to start the second half and it is now a three-point game with under eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. Thus far, Flynn has scored 12 points and Anthony has poured in 19.

UPDATE No. 2: Make that a 21-7 run to tip off the third as the Wolves have tied the game 71-71. They are looking to snap a 15-game losing streak after winning their season opener.

UPDATE No. 3: Break up the Timberwolves! Minnesota snapped their 15-game losing streak with a 106-100 victory over Denver.

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Minnesota Has Favre Fever, but Adrian Peterson Still Vikings' Backbone

Teddy Mitrosilis — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:00:30 -0500

Another Sunday in Minneapolis, another dreamland victory for the Minnesota Vikings. So life goes nowadays for the Vikes, led by a magical man who refuses to fade.

After Sunday’s 36-10 thrashing of the Chicago Bears, the Vikings are slowly building momentum to January and are making their case to be called the NFC’s best team. I know, the boys in the bayou have the most explosive offense in the NFL to go along with that sparkling 10-0 record, but take one peek north and you may find the surest brand of football today.

It never was supposed to be like this. Tavaris Jackson was supposed to be the guy under center, Adrian Peterson was supposed to handle an unprecedented amount of carries, and the Vikings were supposed to be clawing with the Bears and Green Bay Packers over the NFC North title.

What a difference a little persistence makes. When Vikings head coach Brad Childress refused to give up on bringing Favre to Minnesota until the day he picked him up from the airport, fate changed in the land of the lakes. Favre threw for 392 yards (10 shy of his career high) and three touchdowns Sunday adding to his MVP season, and further caressed the hearts of Vikings lifers.

No longer do you think Minneapolis and immediately begin pondering the possibilities of an afternoon spent in Mall of America. No longer do you think Metrodome and begin plugging your ears to escape the deafening sound of the blaring horns that accompany autumns spent inside one of the country’s loudest stadiums.

We think about Minnesota, we think about the Vikings, and now we think about how Favre has transformed a team with talent into a team with conviction. By simply donning a purple No. 4, Favre gave this city and this franchise hope. By merely stepping on the field, he gave this team leadership and confidence. That’s what a Hall of Fame presence will do.

Problem is, that nostalgia only lasts so long if it isn’t compounded with something of substance. Hype fades faster than morning dew if it isn’t worked with and molded into production. This party train that is steamrolling through Minnesota would have been off the tracks weeks ago if the New York Jets version of Favre showed up to complement the game’s best running back and a championship-caliber defense.

With the comfort of some new Wranglers and the blessing Dr. James Andrews put on his right arm, Favre is playing the best football of his career. With Sunday’s performance, Favre eclipsed the 2,850-yard mark for the season while sporting a 24/3 TD/INT ratio. Completing just about 70 percent of his passes for the 10-1 Vikes, Favre is grabbing all the headlines. The resurgence is well underway, or some say.

Lets not make any mistake about it. The Vikings wouldn’t be half the team they are today without Brett Favre. They wouldn’t be looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders without the ol’ gunslinger whizzing passes around the field while maximizing the talents around him, such as targets Sidney Rice and Percy Harvin. And I wonder if the defense would be as good as they are if they knew they had to hold the opponent to two scores in order to win a game. With Favre, mental burdens have been purged.

There is no doubt Favre is the MVP of the Vikings and could even make a strong case for being the MVP of the league. But there’s one thing we must not forget. While Favre directs this magnificent orchestra of speed and power, it is Adrian Peterson that makes it possible.

Nobody needs to be reminded of the wizardry of Peterson. His fluorescent purple Nikes can be seen slashing and dashing across the turf on his way to another six points often. But it is in times like these, with heightened celebrity and attention flocking to the organization, when we say hell with the foundation.

If Favre is the slick speedboat gliding across the lake in sheer beauty, Peterson is the relentless engine that keeps on churning water underneath the surface without poking up for some sun.

Early in the season, nobody expected Favre to play at this level, and therefore teams stacked the box against the Vikings, essentially saying, “Beat us, old man.” And he did. The game plan was to take away the Vikings greatest threat, Peterson, and force relatively unknown receiving targets to elevate their games. And they have.

While defenses are beginning to adjust—i.e. remain confused on how to attack the Vikings—Peterson is quietly putting together one of his finest seasons yet. He passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark during Sunday’s game, and already has rushed for two more touchdowns this season than he did in all of 2008. Peterson is on the cusp of averaging five yards per carry, right on par with last year’s rate.

Peterson has doubled his 125 receiving yards from a year ago, averaging almost nine yards per catch. The two-time Pro Bowler has done all of this while seeing his carries decline about two per game compared to last season. Childress would be smart to continue to ease the workload on Peterson as Minnesota wraps up the division and sets its sights on the playoffs.

A fresh Peterson in January means the opportunity to utterly obliterate opposing defenses, and the continued presence of Peterson allows Favre to succeed and remain healthy. Favre deserves credit for allowing the Vikings to back off Peterson slightly, but without “All Day,” would Favre even be standing heading into Week 13? It’s a question worth asking.

This story has grown almost too good to be true. Favre wasn’t supposed to come back at all, but when he did, it was clear he was as motivated as ever (for some possible reasons that could be painted in green and yellow). Favre wanted to make this thing work more than anybody, and he’s succeeding in style. Favre has almost become young again in the process.

And while I join many of you and dream up possible fairytale endings to this season—my favorite is a Vikings-Colts Super Bowl with a Favre-Manning showdown for the ages—remember one thing. While Favre dances up and down after scores, enjoying what has been his finest season, it’s the guy lining up in the backfield that keeps this dream alive.

Favre may hold the key to the city, but Peterson still holds the key to the title.

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Bert Blyleven Makes Another Pitch at Cooperstown

Jeremiah Graves — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 18:54:26 -0500

Bert Blyleven belongs in the Hall of Fame.

In fact, he’s belonged in the Hall of Fame for 12 years.

Yet, for 12 years in a row, the Baseball Writers Association of American has erred by leaving him out in the cold when the voting results are announced.

Now in his 13th year of eligibility, Blyleven is down to his final three strikes.

Blyleven’s inability to get inducted has never been a case of talent.

For Bert Blyleven, the numbers have always been there, however, the votes have not.

In a 22-year career that spanned five teams and both leagues, “The Flying Dutchman” put up some very impressive numbers.

Those impressive numbers include 287 career wins, which is good enough for 27th on the all-time list. Almost every eligible player ahead of Blyleven on the wins list is enshrined in Cooperstown.

In fact, plenty of pitchers with less wins that Blyleven have be inducted. Some notable examples include: Jim Palmer, Juan Marichal, Whitey Ford, Don Drysdale, and Catfish Hunter, among others.

Wins aren’t the only statistic where Blyleven’s numbers are Hall-worthy.

Blyleven’s 3,701 career strikeouts rank him fifth all-time, he’s 11th in games started with 685, he’s ninth all-time with 60 shutouts, and he’s 13th on the all-time innings pitched list with 4,970.

Blyleven’s career 3.31 earned run average tops current Hall of Famers Phil Niekro, Fergie Jenkins, Robin Roberts, and Dennis Eckersley.

Clearly the numbers are there, so what’s the issue?

It seems that voters haven’t yet made a big push to get Blyleven in because of his lack of the so-called “benchmarks” for entry into the Hall of Fame.

Blyleven never won a Cy Young Award, he didn’t reach the 300-win plateau, he was only an All-Star twice in 22 years, he won 20 games in a season just once, and he only led the league in one of the key pitching categories once, in 1985 when he paced the American League with 206 strikeouts.

Despite his lack of a standout season or any of the archaic benchmarks, one needs only look so far as his overall body of work in comparison to his modern-day counterparts to see that he belongs.

How many starters will ever reach 287 career wins?

How many starters will ever strike out more than 3,000 batters again, let alone reach his lofty mark?

How many starters—in the age of pitch counts, specialty relievers, and the six-inning quality start—will ever come close to pitching 242 complete games or 60 shutouts?

Blyleven’s already rock-solid numbers, although unchanged since he retired following the 1992 season, figure to grow more impressive as the era of the workhorse pitcher fades farther into the past.

Blyleven was a pitcher cut from a different cloth.

He wanted to start and finish a game on the mound with the ball in his hand. Too many pitchers now are content to earn the quality start and hit the showers.

Take for instance Blyleven’s 242 complete games and 60 shutouts.

Randy Johnson is the active leader in complete games pitched with 100. The modern-era workhorse, Roy Halladay has just 49.

Johnson is also the active leader in shutouts with 37, followed by Tom Glavine with 25.

No one is going to catch Blyleven any time soon, meaning that his lofty, Hall of Fame-worthy rankings will remain intact long passed the end of his 15th year of eligibility.

Arguments can be made that Blyleven’s numbers are a product of his lengthy career, that he lost too many games, or that he never had one standout season to hang his hat on.

All of those arguments could be valid, but all are easily disputed by simple facts.

Blyleven’s career spanned just as many years as Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens. All of whom are considered to be first-ballot Hall of Famers.

No one would ever claim that their successes were a result of pitching for two decades, as opposed to raw talent.

All four of the aforementioned pitchers also had the good fortune to pitch for winning, playoff-caliber teams for most of their careers.

Blyleven pitched in two World Series, in 1979 with Pittsburgh and in 1987 with Minnesota. He only played in the postseason one other time, in the 1970 ALCS with the Twins.

Most of his career was spent toiling for mediocre clubs that hovered at or below the .500 mark, no doubt that impacted his won-loss record in a big way.

Finally, the lack of a standout season is a moot point. How many pitchers have won a Cy Young Award or 20 games only to fade into oblivion?

A pitcher’s Hall-worthiness shouldn’t hinge on whether or not he had one stellar year somewhere along a 22-year journey that saw him finish among the game’s elite in numerous categories.

Blyleven didn’t need to win an award or have a standout year to show that he belongs in the Hall of Fame.

The numbers, as they always have been, are there.

Now it’s time for the BBWAA writers to finish what Blyleven, and his infamous curveball, started and vote him into the Hall of Fame.

The voters, despite not yet making the right decision, have been moving in the right direction.

After receiving just 17.5 percent of the vote in 1998, his first year of eligibility, his totals have grown nearly every year.

Last year he finished with 338 total votes for 62.7 percent, still shy of the 75 percent required for induction to the Hall of Fame.

Blyleven’s slow march toward the 70 percent mark is important as well, because every player who has reached 70 percent of the vote has subsequently been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Even more encouraging is that since 1980, only four players have received over 60 percent of the vote and not ended up in Cooperstown.

All signs point toward Blyleven’s eventual induction.

With no sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famers on the ticket this year and a whole slew of holdovers, this could finally be the year that Blyleven gets his due.

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Minnesota Timberwolves: Players on the Trading Block

Matthew Hayden — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 13:08:15 -0500

It will be interesting to see who the Wolves may trade before the February deadline.

The key for any trades will be how the move affects the team’s “culture”, something they need to show they are really stepping towards improving.

Minnesota has plenty of cap space and draft picks, which hopefully bodes well for the Wolves.

While there are only five or six keeper players from the Wolves, let’s look at who could be traded and what we could get in return.

Ryan Gomes

His contract comes off the books after this upcoming season, and he could be an asset to another young, upcoming team that needs depth at the three and the four spots. What could we get? Second round pick, cash, and a young bench player that needs some playing time, i.e J.R Giddens or Bill Walker.

Oleksiy Pecherov

His contract comes off the books this upcoming season, and the fact of the matter is, if Kevin Love is his old self, there's no playing time for Pecherov. Personally, I am more confident with Love shooting threes than Pecherov. What could we get? More than likely, just a second round pick.

Mark Blount

A valuable asset to the Wolves, his contract could be traded to a team looking to free agency, and in need of a veteran big man. What could we get? Hopefully, a young player distraught with his team, i.e Nick Young. Although we'd probably have to give up a second round pick and filler.

Brian Cardinal

His contract also is a valuable asset to the Wolves. But more than likely, we couldn't get anything in return for Cardinal straight up, and he will serve as filler.

Now it gets juicy.

Jonny Flynn or Ramon Sessions?

It's almost inevitable that one of these two players will be traded. Two point guards capable of starting in the NBA on the same team; it's kind of a giveaway. What could we get? I'd love to trade Jonny or Ramon to the Sacramento Kings for Kevin Martin, but that's just me.

Al Jefferson

I know some are going to love this, and some are going to hate it. But I think by the trade deadline, Jefferson is going to grow frustrated, and he's going to want to go to a different situation. We ultimately would have Kevin Love as our future starting PF, which would STILL be great.

What could we get? A little bit of everything; a young prospect big man, a first round pick, cash, maybe a European contract...who knows?

I think Corey Brewer will stick around because, eventually, the team is going to become the run-n-gun squad David Kahn has envisioned; Brewer will flourish. Kevin Love is a keeper as is one of our starting caliber point guards.

Ultimately, anyone could be traded on this team. But it's always nice to speculate just who it might be.

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In 2010, the Big Ten Schedule Will Have It Right

Kristopher Fiecke — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:09:22 -0500

Football has become an integral part of Thanksgiving traditions all across America. The games are a welcome diversion from all the hoopla, shopping, and gatherings that tend to tax a person's patience. It sure would be nice if those of us in Big Ten country could watch some of the best rivalries over the long holiday weekend.

Starting in 2010, the Big Ten will finally catch up with the rest of the BCS conferences. The conference allows teams to play non-conference games after Thanksgiving. Illinois will play not once, but twice after Thanksgiving this year. The majority of the league ended its regular season last week, however.

Some of the biggest rivalries are played Thanksgiving weekend. The Big 12 is loaded with marquee matchups every year. Mizzou/Kansas, Oklahoma/Oklahoma State, Texas versus Texas A&M, just to name a few. The Big Ten has been really missing out.

A major part of the conference's decision not to allow teams to schedule conference opponents after Thanksgiving was the fear of inclement weather, citing 1950's Ohio State/Michigan game, which became known as The Snow Bowl. The Snow Bowl was played in blizzard conditions in Columbus, OH. By the end of the first quarter, there was more than five inches of snow on the ground and the wind gusted to 40 mph.

That type of weather isn't going to be the norm though. For every year that the weather is going to be miserable, there are going to be 10 seasons where the conditions are going to be more than tolerable for both the fans and the players.

The Big Ten's decision to extend the conference schedule past Thanksgiving certainly has its pros and cons. Coaches have argued that they really liked the opportunity it gave their players to go home for a long Thanksgiving weekend. After a long season, it's nice to be able to give the team a break.

One way or another, the team gets a break following the regular season anyway. Extending the conference season by one week helps with scheduling. It gives teams bye week during every season. Other major conferences enjoy the luxury of a bye week, it's time for the Big 10 to catch up.

Another plus that I can see is the influx of dollars to the home school's economy. Iowa's fan base traditionally travels very well. I'm certain hotels, restaurants, and shopping malls around the Twin Cities will gladly accommodate the thousands of Hawkeye fans that will infiltrate the metro area following Thanksgiving in 2010.

If the weather is bad, you can't control that. The odds of inclement weather increase week by week as we move toward winter, but one week really wouldn't make that much difference. In fact, the weather in October overall was much worse than it was during November.

Football's the one sport where weather can really have a significant effect on the game. Many fans embrace that fact. If it rains, they don't put a tarp over the field and hide the players under a roof. The game goes on and the coaches have to adjust. That's what makes it great.

It just makes too much sense for the Big Ten to play conference games after Thanksgiving and frankly I'm sorry that the conference didn't see fit to allow schools to work these games into their schedules sooner. Maybe the permanent bye week will help the conference perform a little better in the bowl games from now one. Time will tell.

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Flynn Vs Sessions: Kurt Rambis Hints At Different Starting Lineup?

Matthew Hayden — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 11:38:28 -0500

As a Minnesota Timberwolves fan that's going through turmoil with his favorite team on a 15-game losing streak, unfortunately there are a lot of positives followed by more negatives.

A few positives about the Timberwolves:

They are fun to watch.
They can run, and finish greatly when the run.
Ramon Sessions can be a floor general with a very sorry second unit.
Ryan Hollins can pick, roll and score with the best of the athletic bigs in the NBA.
Corey Brewer plays 100 percent all game every game, despite inefficiency.
The coaching staff is the heart of the Wolves.

There are a lot of negative things going on with the Wolves, and some things are very fixable.

After each game, every head coach talks to the media about the games, and Kurt Rambis has hinted at changing the starting lineup.

But the biggest change I think among us in Ramon Sessions becoming the starter.

Twenty-three points off the bench on 10-13 shooting, leading the Wolves in assists, seven assists in his first eight minutes in a game, and Kurt Rambis' praise on constantly getting the team organized.

One reasons for the Timberwolves offensive efficiency

I do not think it has anything to do with the triangle offense. In the first half of the second meeting against the Clippers, Jonny Flynn had 10 points and 4 assists, and the Timberwolves led by three.

The main reason for the Wolves shooting 55 percent from the field, and scoring the ball well, was that Flynn was making great decisions on the floor on scoring and distributing the ball. When Jonny Flynn plays well, the Wolves play well.

However, there has been many a game that Ramon Sessions comes off the bench with the whole second unit, and while there's no one to really score the ball, he somehow get's the team back into the game. He often dishes out three-point shots to Pecherov and Pavlovic, but other than that he takes scoring into his own hands.

Ramon Sessions and Jonny Flynn ought to switch up the roles, and Ramon should become the starter.

Jonny Flynn I believe is a better scorer than Ramon Sessions is, due to him actually being able to shoot. Jonny is quicker, and he'd be a flame off the bench. Jonny Flynn is also massively inconsistent with both scoring and distributing.

With our starting five, the Wolves would love to have defensive minded Ramon Sessions to organize the team, get them involved, and more than likely score the ball pretty well as well.

Why have the distributor in Ramon Sessions come off the bench? Once you turn Jonny lose off the bench, and let him go score the ball, things will open up for the second unit, which we NEED, due to the second unit being HORRIBLE.

Other possible starting lineup changes

Corey Brewer is likely to remain the starting 2 guard. Ryan Gomes could see his spot fall to Damien Wilkins, given that Ryan Gomes can play the 3 or the 4, and could use his versatility to the second unit. Al Jefferson is our starting 4, and Hollins more than likely will continue to be our starting 5.

Thanks for reading!

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Top 15 Minnesota Twins Prospects: No.13: Rene Tosoni

Andrew Kneeland — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:58:57 -0500

2009 stats: .271/.360/.454, 490 PA, 15 HR, 98/45 K/BB at New Britain (AA)
Last year’s rank: Not Ranked
Acquired: 34th round selection of the Minnesota Twins in the 2004 draft; 36th round selection of the Minnesota Twins in the 2005 draft

Before 2009, Rene Tosoni was simply an average corner outfield prospect who got on base at an above-average clip. Besides his pure hitting ability, there really wasn’t anything special to the young left-handed batter from California.

Tosoni didn’t have great speed on the base paths, didn’t walk at an abnormal rate, and didn’t possess any power to speak of. When Tosoni was brought up among Twins’ bloggers, there wasn’t much to talk about, other than an anecdote regarding a visa snafu in 2006.

In 2009, Tosoni hit 15 home runs and 25 doubles, both career highs. For the first time in his career, though, Tosoni’s on-base percentage dropped below .400 and he nearly doubled his strikeout total. This can be partially attributed to his atrocious splits against left-handed pitchers, against whom he hit just .183/.285/.302 in 2009.

Tosoni’s BABIP was well below his career average this season, however, so expecting a progression to his mean wouldn’t be far-fetched. Still, Tosoni has always struggled against southpaws and will need to improve if he wants to be of major-league caliber.

Conceivably, Tosoni could be an effective fourth outfielder and a solid bat off the bench on days when a right-handed pitcher is on the mound. If he’s able to maintain a level of respectability against left-handed hurlers, Tosoni could be an everyday outfielder for just about any team in baseball.

Ideal scenario: Tosoni starts the season in Rochester and works on his patience at the plate while learning how to hit left-handed pitchers from hitting coach Riccardo Ingram. He could be a call-up in 2010 for the Twins if someone goes down with an injury or a bench bat is needed for a pennant drive.

Path to the majors: The Delmon Young experiment is reaching a breaking point, and Tosoni could be called upon if the former first-overall pick fails to hit in 2010.

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Vikings Look To Dominate Bears

Casey Womack — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:29:14 -0500

Starting the year both teams went after star quarterbacks to take their team to the next level.

So far, it's only working out for one of them.

Brett Favre looks to lead the Vikings to their 10th win Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

I honestly think the Vikings will dominate this game with their high powered offense going up against an injured Bears squad.

Chicago has made it obvious that they can not stop Adrian Peterson and the Vikings running game.

The only chance they have to slow down this offense is to try and get pressure on Brett Favre who is having a stellar season. Good luck with that, Bears.

The entire season teams have tried to stop the run and force Brett Favre to beat them. That strategy hasn't quite worked out for opponents this year.

The Vikings defense is also looking to continue their solid performance this season and slow down Jay Cutler and Matt Forte.

I think the Vikings will put constant pressure on Cutler, who is leading the league with 18 interceptions, and try to force mistakes.

Matt Forte has been pretty disappointing this year but the blame is mostly on the offensive line.

Chicago ranks 28th in rushing, averaging only 89.3 yards, and will go up against the arguably the best rush defense in the league.

My pick: 35-10 Vikings

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2010 Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft: Will Colt McCoy Fall To Minnesota?

Tanner Thoms — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:17:58 -0500

The NFL Draft is in exactly five months from today (11/28/09). I haven't done a full Minnesota Vikings mock draft in almost eight months now.

This is one of my favorite articles to post out to the world of Bleacher Report.

Typically, I get a good response from my mock drafts because of how accurate and realistic they are.

Enough of my boasting.

Now it's time for the picks!

First round (30): Travis Lewis, Outside Linebacker, Oklahoma

Ben Leber, the Vikings current weakside linebacker has obviously lost a step in his game. Lewis would be the perfect candidate to take over for him in either 2010 or 2011. He has great size at 6'2" and 230 lbs. Lewis is a great tackler and an all around dominant linebacker. He will be able to step in right away to make an impact for an already impressive Minnesota Vikings defense.

Second round (62): Nate Allen, Free Safety, South Florida

For some reason I just can't seem to think that Madieu Williams is a great start at free safety. The reason is simple: It's because he's not. Allen is a great prospect, and would be an excellent pick late in the second round. Will he start in 2010? Doubtful. But he would definitely start if Williams is gone when the 2011 season comes rolling around.

Third round (94): Jay Ross, Nose Tackle, East Carolina

Ever heard of Jay Ross before? I bet only a select few of you have heard of this massive nose tackle. After doing some studying on Ross, I am starting to fall in love with this guy. Pat Williams will likely hang up the cleats within the next one to two years. What will that leave Minnesota with at nose tackle? Nothing. At 6'3" and 320 pounds, Ross is a phenom who recently returned a fumble for a touchdown on national television.

Fourth round (125): Joe McKnight, Running Back, USC

Despite only being a junior, I believe that Joe McKnight will declare for the 2010 draft. He will get way less carries when Stafon Johnson likely gets a medical redshirt for this season and comes back next year. When Chester Taylor becomes a free agent, Minnesota will need a running back that can both run the ball and catch it out of the backfield. Joe McKnight is the perfect fit for those two needs.

Fifth round (157): Brandon Sharpe, Defensive End, Texas Tech

Brandon Sharpe is one of the more underrated defensive ends in the entire draft. Many see him as going in the fifth or sixth round. I think that the fifth round is an appropriate spot for him. In eight games, Sharper has 11.5 sacks. He could end up being the eventual starting left end for the Vikings if Ray Edwards decides not to re-sign after year's end.

Sixth round (189): Dan LeFevour, Quarterback, Central Michigan

Dan LeFevour has had a good year at Central Michigan, but he's not going to be a very high pick. Some have him going as high as the fourth round. I have him going in the sixth due to the fact that he's played some very weak opposition this season. If Favre retires, quarterback depth will be desperately needed.

Seventh round (221): Nate Byham, Tight End, Pittsburgh

Not a huge position of need, but something that Minnesota could use depth in. Nate Byham is primarily a blocking tight end. Jimmy Kleinsasser is aging, and has clearly lost a step in his game. Byham will be good for depth. He should play a solid part in the 2011 or 2012 Minnesota Vikings squad.

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Brett Favre Is a God and the Minneosta Vikings Are the Best Team in the NFL

Matthew Deery — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:41:49 -0500

The Minnesota Vikings played their most complete football game of the year in Week 11 vs. the Seattle Seahawks. The game featured four different receivers catching touchdowns, a solid two-headed running attack, and a defense that didn't allow the Seahawks any breathing room.

Although the Vikings did not score any points in the first quarter, I would like to credit the Seahawks' defense for a job well done on the Vikings potent offense. Mix in some Viking penalties and you have your answer for the scoreless first quarter.

When it came to the second quarter, the Seahawks' weak defense could not hold on anymore, allowing the Vikings to march down the field and score on a drive that started on their own 16 yard line.

The Vikings poured on the points with Favre's precision passing hitting all his different dangerous down-field weapons. Couple that with a punishing running attack that did not only come from Adrian Peterson but also Chester Taylor.

The Vikings did not let an inferior football team hang around long enough to even sniff a victory. Many times, against weaker teams, the Vikings have played with their prey before finishing them off, but that was not the case against the Seahawks.

The Vikings got on the board and never looked back. Forget the first quarter hiccup. Minnesota put the pedal to the metal and played like the best team in the NFL should. That's right, I said it. The Minnesota Vikings are the most COMPLETE team in the NFL and that makes them the BEST team in the NFL.

The Vikings score the ball anyway they want on offense, have a dangerous special teams unit, and have a defense that stacks up with the best in the league. No other team in the NFL can get it done in every category like the Vikings can.

Seven Important Things from the Game

No. 1 The most important thing from this football game was Brett Favre playing like a god. He threw for 213 passing yards by going 22/25. That is the highest completion percentage of his career and the highest in Vikings history. Oh yeah, he also threw four touchdown passes.

It is truly difficult to imagine Favre after all the accomplishments in his career and being virtually the possessor of every single quarterback record in the NFL still breaking records as a 40-year-old. Believe it or not Favre actually has better numbers through Week 11 this year than he did through Week 11 when he won all three of his MVP awards. Higher completion percentage, more touchdowns, less interceptions...as a 40-year-old.

Favre is definitely in the running for a fourth MVP award with how he stacks up to the league's best passers this year. Even though a player besides a quarterback can win it, a quarterback probably will win it this year. Unless Chris Johnson stays on his pace and the Titans rally off 10 straight wins after starting 0-6.

Favre has more than 600 fewer passing yards than Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, who are atop that coveted passing yards list. But you have to expect Manning to get all those passing yards considering Indianapolis rushes for the second fewest yards per game in the NFL averaging a mere 85 yards.

Favre has one less touchdown than the leagues leaders (Brees, Rodgers) with 21 total. He has a 69.7 completion percentage which is only a tenth behind the league leader Peyton Manning.

With Favre being in the top tier of all those passing categories, can you guess where the all time interceptions leader in the NFL stands this season in that very category? No. 1 (minus Shaun Hill who has only attempted 155 passes).

Who would have thought gunslinger Favre would have the fewest interceptions in the entire NFL through 11 weeks? Not I. Even precious Peyton and Drew Brees have nine interceptions this season. When all is said and done, if Favre plays out the season like this, his name should be a major player in the MVP discussion.

No. 2 What a dominating game by the Minnesota defense. The best stat a fan can pull from their performance is holding the Seahawks to only four rushing yards the entire game. With this overwhelming performance, the Vikings are now third on the defensive rushing list only giving up 85.5 yards a game.

Once Seattle realized they wouldn't be rushing the football (they only had 13 attempts) they went to the air where they still could not find a whole lot of success. Nate Burleson had a nice game, but he only racked up yards. No passing touchdowns from the Seahawks.

Seattle was 1-10 on third down conversions which is always important in the NFL. The defense also forced and recovered a fumble and rookie Asher Allen got his first career interception.

A little cause for concern is the two sacks hauled in by Linebacker E.J. Henderson and Safety Husain Abdullah. The Vikings do not blitz too often and that was the only way Hasselbeck was sacked the entire day. No sacks by the D line.

Jared Allen had three Quarterback hits, but the team only had five total (two of those equal sacks). Not the pressure Vikings fans are used to.

No. 3 It was nice to see Chester Taylor get into the rushing attack with AP. Even though neither back finished with over 100 yards, they both were inflicting damage on the Seattle defense with their carries. Especially Taylor who only had 11 carries but netted 73 rushing yards.

It was also nice to see AP catching more passes out of the backfield (he grabbed four). Both backs were productive and that is more than a good sign heading down the stretch of this season.

No. 4 Can I even stress enough how awesome Sidney Rice is? This past week, he just locked his Pro Bowl spot by catching two touchdown passes to give him four total on the season. That was the only stat he was lacking in receiving, and four puts him in the middle of the pack.

He is already fourth in the NFL in receiving yards, and is third in the NFL with catches over 40 yards. The only thing Sidney didn't do this week was have 200 receiving yards, but he made up for it with two touchdowns. The second touchdown he caught from T-Jack was a fine example of a player making a huge play.

No. 5 If one thing seems to remain consistent from week to week, it is that Visanthe Shiancoe catches a touchdown pass, and this week was no different. His seven receiving touchdowns this season are towards the top of the league and second best among Tight Ends (Vernon Davis has eight touchdowns).

Shiancoe was especially valuable in this game catching eight passes and playing the role of Favre's go-to guy in tight situations. Shiancoe works extra hard every week staying after practice catching passes from different angles and speeds. His hard work has payed off.

No. 6 The Vikings' secondary continues to play well in the absence of Antoine Winfield. Despite allowing decent passing numbers from the Seahawks, something has got to give when a team throws it more than two thirds of the time.

The secondary is needed to continue playing well even with the addition of Winfield to the unit in coming weeks. Upcoming on the schedule are the dynamite passing attacks of the Bengals and Cardinals. And you can never count out a man like the Panthers Steve Smith, who can destroy a defense by himself.

No. 7 Haters can hate, but you cannot deny Tarvaris Jackson looking good when he stepped in late in the game. Say what you want about the team we were playing, or the score, but the kid stepped in a got it done. His passes looked accurate with some zip on them. He still looked a little indecisive, but I think Favre's influence has helped him go through his reads better.

Jackson finished 6/8 with 77 pass yards and a touchdown. That is an average of 9.6 yards per pass. This play is just as efficient as Favre. If you are going to give Favre the credit for playing well against a bad team, the same needs to be given to Jackson. I always like to see him have success.

Important Things from Around the League

Which teams are pretenders and which teams are contenders ?

After everyone anointing Dallas the NFC East champions, they barely squeak out a win against an inferior football team in the form of the Washington Redskins. Dallas was only able to muster seven points against a defense that was missing its best player (Haynesworth).

The Cowboys could have easily lost this game if the Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham had not missed two field goals. The Cowboys did win on Thanksgiving, but they played the up and down Raiders. Speaking of the Raiders...

The red hot Cincinnati Bengals cooled off in Oakland as the Raiders toppled to AFC North Division leaders. The Bengals called a conservative game once they had the lead which ended up burning them in the end.

They allowed 10 fourth quarter points while scoring none. Idiot of the Week is the Bengals Andre Caldwell, who fumbled the football on a kickoff with :33 second left on the clock in a tie football game. The Raiders used that fumble to kick the game winning field goal.

The Steelers losing to the lowly Chiefs has to be the upset of the week. With how well the Steelers have been playing it is a shocker to see them lose to the 3-7 Chiefs. Not a surprising loss when you consider the Steelers had three turnovers and gave up a kickoff return touchdown.This is a perfect example of any team in the NFL having the ability to win no matter the opponent.

The Broncos are pretenders (even though they beat the Giants on Thanksgiving, but anyone can beat the Giants these days). The Broncos didn't even show up for a game of utmost importance against the charging Chargers (pun intended). The Chargers demolished the Broncos 32-3 to take the AFC West Division lead.

My biggest question is why even start crappy Chris Simms to destroy any momentum in the game and just start Orton. Once Broncos coach Josh McDaniels realized like the rest of us the Chris Simms is a joke in a NFL jersey, he put in Orton who facilitated some offensive success.

That isn't the only mistake McDaniels made as a coach this past Sunday. He foolishly tried an onside kick only to be recovered by the Chargers who took that field position and easily scored. The Broncos are not for real. The division is the Chargers and Denver is not near good enough to win the Wild Card.

Very quietly, the Jacksonville Jaguars are 6-4. After staring 0-2 it seemed everyone in the NFL counted them out. Now they have rallied off three straight victories. Their upcoming schedule will display their true colors as they face off against the Colts again, the Texans, the Patriots, the 49ers, and the Dolphins. That is a tough five-game stretch. If this team is a force, victories in those games will prove it.

Lastly, I want to take my hat off to Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans. After starting 0-6, the Titans needed to shake things up.

Enter the talented but doubted Vince Young.

Not only has this kid played efficiently to win football games, but he has played great down the stretch to get his team needed yards for first downs making crucial passes and using his legs to rush the ball. I am sure many NFL fans like me are rooting for a nice comeback for this team. With a back like Chris Johnson on your team, you can never count the Titans out.

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Top 15 Twins Prospects: No.14: Tyler Robertson

Andrew Kneeland — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 13:11:08 -0500

14. Tyler Robertson, LHP, 21 years old

2009 stats: 3.33 ERA, 143.1 IP, 103/51 K/BB, 1.326 WHIP at Ft. Myers (A+)

Last year’s rank: 7

Acquired: Third-round selection of the Minnesota Twins in the 2006 draft.

This past year was Tyler Robertson’s second year with the Fort Myers Miracle, and the first in which he managed to stay healthy for a complete season. Robertson has taken a few steps back since 2007, when he was one of the best prospects in the Twins’ system.

Robertson’s ERA has been inflated by more than a run, but more note-worthy is the fact that the young left-hander from California pitched to contact in 2009 and saw his strikeout rate greatly reduced.

Despite being listed at 6’5’’, Robertson manages to get just 88 mph on his fastball. Left alone, this clearly won’t be an effective pitch in the major leagues, but his slider and changeup are quite good.

Robertson also throws a decent curveball at around 67 mph. Perhaps the biggest problem with Robertson is his bizarre mechanics, which are the main culprit for his injury-plagued career. At 6’5’’, Robertson is relatively bulky, but not un-athletic.

He will undoubtedly need a fair amount of tweaking in his mechanics, but Robertson has a solid repertoire of pitches that he can throw for strikes. He doesn’t possess a killer out-pitch, and will probably be forced to rely on the defense behind him more often than not.

The high strikeout-rates of his first two seasons in professional baseball are most likely an aberration, and Robertson will be a contact pitcher in the future.

Ideal scenario: Robertson, with the help of pitching coach Stu Cliborn, tweaks his mechanics for the better with the New Britain Rock Cats and gains a few miles of velocity on his fastball.

Robertson could be a bullpen-bolstering September call-up in 2011, and possibly enter the rotation in 2012 as a 24-year old.

Path to the majors: The Twins have a young rotation, but Baker will be 31 years old in 2012 and Robertson could transition in nicely.

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Jared Allen Not Impressive This Season for the Minnesota Vikings

Michael Schottey — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:16:40 -0500

When is 10.5 sacks not 10.5 sacks?

That question isn't being asked nearly enough this season. ESPN, NBC, and FOX personalities all have mentioned Jared Allen when discussing awards like Defensive Player of the Year—all citing his tremendous dominance this season.

Really? I haven't noticed.

10.5 Sacks Is Not 10.5 Sacks When 7.5 of Them Come Against the Green Bay Packers

Sacking Aaron Rodgers is like catching the swine flu—everyone is doing it. Sacking Aaron Rodgers is like hitting concrete after you stumble out of the bar. Sacking Aaron Rodgers is so easy, a caveman could do it.

Seriously.

The Green Bay Packers are on pace to shatter their team record of 62 sacks allowed in a season. Stylez White, Leonard Little, Turk McBride, Julian Peterson, DeMarcus Ware, and Antwan Odom all had multi-sack days against the glorified police tape that is the Packers' offensive line.

If you remove 7.5 from 10.5, Allen has three non-Packer sacks in 2009—one each against Detroit, Baltimore, and San Francisco.

That is one sack against Jeff Backus, Michael Oher, and Barry Sims.

Allen has been held without a sack five times—against the mighty offensive lines of Cleveland, Seattle, St. Louis, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. Again, where is this dominance?

10.5 Sacks Is Not 10.5 Sacks When You Play On the Best Defensive Line In the NFL

Look at the talent around Jared Allen.

Kevin Williams is, arguably the best pass rushing defensive tackle in the game. Pat Williams eats space like it's wrapped in bacon. Ray Edwards is the "weak link" on the defensive line with 5.5 sacks. Although Edwards could be upgraded in the upcoming draft, there are 31 NFL teams who would love to have him on their team.

Behind Allen, the Vikings' Tampa Two defense doesn't have many weak spots. In fact, the defense is predicated around the defensive line pass pressure.

The Vikings blitz about as often as Artie Lange changes his shirt—barely at all.

Putting seven talented athletes in coverage on almost every passing down means that QBs rarely have open receivers, leading to coverage sacks aplenty.

So, as an offensive coordinator, what can be done to stop Jared Allen? The answer is, not much. A tight end can be moved over to his side, running backs can be left in to chip, or roll outs can be designed away from Allen.

You can't double-team him.

The instant an offensive guard is used to double Allen, Kevin Williams might as well be credited with a sack...or Pat Williams...or Ray Edwards.

10.5 Sacks Is Not 10.5 Sacks When You're Not Applying Constant Pressure

The insinuation with 10.5 sacks is that you've spent the entire season terrorizing quarterbacks.

With Jared Allen, that just isn't the case.

ProFootballFocus.com is one of the Internet's most thorough analysis sites—every game, every player, every play. According to their rating system, Allen ranks as the 13th best defensive end. Rushing the passer, he is 10th.

If you question, doubt, or disagree with their ratings system, look at the quantifiable stats.

Jared Allen only has five QB hits—good for 23rd in the league.

That means Allen has (legally) contacted the quarterback 15.5 times. Compare that to another Minnesota Viking—Ray Edwards. Edwards has a league-leading 15 quarterback hits and a more than respectable seven sacks. That means Edwards has put the opposing quarterback in the dirty stuff 22 times.

QB pressures are just as much an important stat.

Indianapolis Colt Dwight Freeney leads the league with an insane 32 pressures. His teammate Robert Mathis is second with 25. Jared Allen has a respectable 19 pressures, good for a tie at sixth (with Trent Cole and Osi Umenyiora).

In conclusion, Jared Allen is a great defensive end—one of the best in the league. He just isn't having the type of dominant season that the football media would like us to believe. By and large, the majority of Minnesota Vikings fans understand this.

Because of Allen's star power and name recognition, he will almost certainly make the Pro Bowl. Fans in NFC cities like New York (Justin Tuck), Washington (Andre Carter), Philadelphia (Trent Cole), Atlanta (John Abraham), and St. Louis (Leonard Little) will all have legitimate cause to claim their guy was unfairly passed over.

As for All-Pro teams and Defensive Player of the Year, anything more than a cursory look at the stats proves that Jared Allen doesn't deserve those honors.

It is clear that 10.5 sacks isn't always 10.5 sacks.

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Thomas the Tank Series Announces Development of New Engine Named Brett (Satire)

Dan Brickl — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:10:40 -0500

HiT Entertainment today announced today that they are in the process of developing a new Tank Engine named after Brett Favre.

“The engines have been such wimps lately and we wanted to bring a little NFL attitude into the Thomas the Tank Engine Series,” a company spokesman said. “We figured Brett Favre was the perfect example.”

Brett the Tank Engine will be discovered by Percy in a corn field on the island of Sodor. Brett will have a round face with blades of hay stuck to his chin and cheeks to represent Favre’s stubble look.

At first, Brett and Thompson, oops, Thomas will be enemies because Brett receives all the attention. Thomas thinks Brett is too dramatic, especially after he catches Brett crying because he wants to quit servicing the tourists of Sodor and go back to his corn field.

Brett will also win over the affection of Thomas’ two coaches Annie and Claribel. One day Brett winks at Annie and Clarabel and the two start fighting over him, resulting in a crash that makes Thomas unserviceable.

Sir Topham Hatt asks Brett to replace Thomas and deliver the Christmas presents to the orphanage which makes Thomas cross and gives him a boiler ache.

Brett pulls some pranks on Thomas to loosen him up and convinces him to blow his whistle a little more. Brett eventually grows on Thomas, especially after Brett convinces Sir Topham Hatt to go after Thomas’ friend Hiro when he is available from a competing train company.

Brett will be the most durable engine in the series. In one episode, Brett will go through rain, sleet, snow, and fall through an ice covered lake, but keeps rolling along under water until he finds his way out and back on the track.

Brett also endures endless maintenance problems, but drives on and ultimately becomes Sodor’s MVE (Most Valuable Engine).

Despite his success, Bret continues to tell the other engines that his next run will be his last, prompting the other engines to plead with him to reconsider retiring.

Brett’s color was originally designated to be green with gold stripes, but an unidentified source from HiT entertainment claims that Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf , Head Coach Brad Childres, and Offensive Coordinator Darrell Bevell have been ‘tampering’ with the design process despite the fact that HiT Entertainment wanted to maintain privacy until the color could be publicly announced.

Wilf argues that Emily, a "Stirling Single" engine is already green and gold, but the series does not have a purple engine yet. Ted Thompson, General Manager of the Green Bay Packers, quickly pointed out that Charlie is purple with white stripes, and Rosie is lavender and grey.

The United States Senate is rumored to be pressuring NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to resolve this color dispute quickly. Leading Senate and House Republicans had spent countless hours behind closed doors in debate about this dilemma and are now encouraging Goodell to push for Brett to be a Red, White, and Blue Engine.

Note: Completely Satire, No Evidence of Favre Becoming New Engine

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Golden Gophers-Bulldogs: Minnesota Puts No. 10 Butler in the Dog House

Kevin Lindsey — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:59:44 -0500

Minnesota played its best game of the season in upsetting the No. 10 Butler Bulldogs 82-73 in the opening round of 76 Classic.

The game was an upset because the Bulldogs were the higher ranked team going in. However, the best team on the floor clearly was Minnesota as they outplayed Butler for most of the game.

The Gophers used their usual formula of success, suffocating defense and balanced scoring, to wear down Butler.

The Gopher aggressive man defense forced Butler into committing 21 turnovers. Several Butler shots were blocked and almost all were contested. The Bulldogs shot only 33 percent from the floor.

The play which epitomized the game was the 15 second sequence made by the Gopher reserve players at the 1:46 mark at the end of the first half with the game tied at 27.

Butler’s Avery Jukes weaved through the lane and appeared to be on his way to a lay-up when reserve Colton Iverson made an incredible athletic move to block his shot from behind. The Gophers quickly retrieved the ball and raced down the court.

Reserve guard Devoe Joseph made a nice move to get himself open for a quick uncontested three point shot. The shot looked good but rattled out. Iverson, who had been hustling down the court on the play, fought off two Bulldogs for the rebound.

Iverson showing patience in the paint waited for the inevitable double-team. As Butler’s defense rotated, Iverson found a wide-open Blake Hoffarber for a three pointer.

Butler called a time-out as the crowd began to make noise. Minnesota would never relinquish the lead.

The 15-second sequence showcased some of the depth of the Gophers. There is little or no drop off when one of the Gopher reserves comes into the game.

Iverson was a force inside with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in only 18 minutes of action.

Hoffarber played well scoring 12 points on 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc and not allowing Butler to collapse.

Joseph added 14 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds off the bench. Joseph also hit two three-point shots in the final four minutes of the game to dash any hope that Butler may have had for mounting a comeback.

Minnesota’s reserves needed to pick up the slack for starters Rodney Williams and Al Nolen. Because of foul trouble, Williams played only three minutes. Nolen fouled out of the game scoring only two points in limited action.

Nolen uncharacteristically even picked up a technical foul for kicking the basketball after being called for a foul.

Butler stayed within striking distance for most of game by taking advantage of a tightly officiated game to get to the free throw line. The Bulldogs scored half of their points from the charity stripe as they made 80 percent of their 45 free throws.

As the season progresses, the Gophers will need to avoid allowing their opponents the opportunity to beat them from the free throw line.

Next up for the Gophers are the Portland Pilots. Coach Tubby Smith should not have any problems getting his team to focus on Portland as Portland has played well this season.

Portland demolished UCLA 74-47 in its first round game of the tournament to raise its record to 4-0. Prior to the tournament, Portland beat Oregon 88-81. The Pilots could go a long way to securing a NCAA bid with an upset over the Gophers.

Minnesota should however wear down the Pilots with their bench on their way to playing for the 76 Classic tournament title.

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Free Throws: Quick Thoughts From the Week That Was in College Basketball

Kendall Salter — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:49:00 -0500

UCLA does not look like a tournament team. Tonight's "effort"—and I use the word loosely—in a 74-47 blowout loss to Portland was nothing short of disgraceful. Not only did the Pilots look like they wanted every ball, but they hustled to the boars, nailed open shorts, dribble-penetrated to create looks on the wings and at the top of the key, and generally manhandled UCLA. It's certainly been a tough week for the Bruins, who learned of senior forward Nikola Dragovic's arrest on a felony assault charge just a few days ago, only to reinstate him for tonight's debacle. Dragovic responded by going 1-5 with three points on the night. All in all not a great past couple of days for him.

Major disappointment also for the crew calling the game on ESPN, which spent more time chronicling the woes of UCLA than giving credit to the Pilots as what appeared to be a very solid team. Calling this game an upset would be doing the term an injustice (more on this to come), as it was clear that Portland are clearly the better team. UCLA has no go-to scorer, lacks a rebounding presence, and is sorely missing the dribble penetration players like Darren Collison, Josh Shipp, and even Jrue Holiday would have brought to this team. Holiday's departure is looking more damaging with every empty possession.

Xavier is better than many thought they'd be. They handled Marquette pretty well until losing their grip on the game late. It's nice to see such a solid program continue to succeed even with the departure of so many good and great coaches (Sean Miller, Thad Matta). As for Marquette, they may have the coolest looking uniforms in the game.

Butler looked a little mismatched against the (dare I say it?) athleticism of Minnesota. While watching the game I was trying to remember the last time the Golden Gophers made any sort of national impact, and I came up with 1996-1997, when they went all the way to the Final Four.

Unfortunately, NCAA sanctions and bad coaching have led to a litany of NIT berths since then, but it would be a nice story to see the Gophers (awesome mascot) and Tubby Smith back on the map. Meanwhile, Brad Steven's crew played a solid game until Howard picked up his fourth foul, giving the Gophers a matchup advantage in the post, which Minnesota exploited to put the game away late. Butler is good, but calling it an "upset"—I'm looking at you, ESPN.com—is a bit, well, ludicrous. I don't think you can really call a close game between two ranked teams on a neutral court early in the season an upset.

Michigan's win over Creighton taught me two things. One: Creighton isn't that bad, and could be the team to beat in the Missouri Valley Conference. Two: Manny Harris can dunk. As a side note, I normally don't like T-shirts under a basketball player's jersey, but they seem to work for Harris, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite players for Jon Beilein. Michigan will continue to give teams fits with its unique zone defense and shooting. But let this be a warning: You live by the three-pointer, you die by the three-pointer.

I'll have more to say about West Virginia when they play someone that isn't Long Beach State. I think they're good, but just how good I have yet to be able to tell. They're tough defensively, as all Huggins-coached teams are, but they don't seem to have that one guy that people associate with that program. I think De'Sean Butler could be that guy, but we'll have to see. I just have a feeling about him.

Syracuse, Syracuse, Syracuse. You enigma. You fairweather team. You maddening bunch of freakishly athletic, streak-shooting ballplayers. Winning consecutive games against California and North Carolina count as good wins any way you look at it.

But I have to be skeptical, something many of our friends in the national media do not seem willing to be. The 'Cuse won both games as a de facto home team, playing in the Garden in front of thousands of adoring fans. Yes, this is technically a neutral game, but you see my point. The other thing that troubles me is that loss to LeMoyne. I don't care if it's an exhibition, or a national championship. Teams like Syracuse just shouldn't lose to teams like LeMoyne. Ever. So I praise the Orange for their valiant efforts and victorious work, but I hold back the accolades of national dominance that are showering upon them from all parts of the nation.

This is not a good year in the Pac 10. Oregon loses to Montana and Portland (although given the Pilots' performance against UCLA, that isn't looking so bad now). USC falls to perennial doormat Loyola Marymount. Cal gets throttled—twice—on national TV. UCLA loses at home to Cal State Fullerton. Washington looks like it may be the only team to be a legitimate tournament threat once March arrives, though with the experience of Cal's guards, I wouldn't count out the Golden Bears just yet. Other than that, this conference is a crapshoot. Maybe look for a team like Arizona, Washington State, or even Oregon State (yes, THAT Oregon State) to sneak into third place. One of the few bright spots has been Stanford's outstanding effort against a talented (yet overrated) Kentucky squad.

Speaking of which, John Wall is the real deal, but I'm not sold on the Wildcats. They're too young to trust. A team that starts three freshman, a sophomore, and a junior is not to be relied upon for consistent results.

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Dan Uggla: A Log For The Hot Stove

Dan Wade — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:33:06 -0500

The free-agent market officially opened last week, ushered in by a flurry of important signings that could truly change the game. Or a general malaise, one of the two, I forget which.

Anyone who studies market trends in baseball can tell you that a high volume of deals get done as the windows are closing, not opening.

Deals will get done between now and well into spring training as teams try to patch holes without creating new ones and without taking on ungodly salaries. The same is true with the trade deadline; sure, players get moved early in the season, but the last week of July is lousy with players flying from one team to the other.

Perhaps if the windows were smaller there would be more action. GMs bidding like floor traders, elbowing each other out of the way to talk to key agents, eventually a huge fight breaks out in the lobby of the Indianapolis Omni hotel with the winner getting the rights to sign Jason Bay for too much money.

As much as I’d like to see the Minnesota Twins go after a pitcher next, the rumblings I’ve heard are that they are still interested in an infielder. I certainly can’t blame them, as there are questions aplenty in there, so with one of the seasons’ hot trade targets already in the fold, let’s check out the other.

Dan Uggla may best remembered for his 2008 All-Star Game appearance in which he committed three errors and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts and a GIDP, but that’s certainly a far cry from his usual performance.

A career .243/.344/.482 hitter, the soon-to-be 30-year-old second baseman has been largely overshadowed by his double-play mate, one Hanley Ramirez.

Still, Uggla has been an above-average hitter in each of the last four seasons, hitting more than 25 home runs every season he’s been in the majors and never posting an OPS below .800. His EqA—a measure of his total offensive contribution, prorated by league difficulty, home park, and opposing pitching—has never dipped below the league average mark of .260, meaning he’s always been an offensive asset irrespective of position. When positional factors are taken into account, he’s worth about the same number of wins as Orlando Hudson, Nelson Cruz, and Aramis Ramirez, not at all a bad company to be in.

Last season, Uggla’s numbers fell off a little bit, dropping from .260/.360/.514 to 243/.354/.459 due in no small part to a regression in his batting average on balls in play–from .320 in 2008 to .274 last year. That figure was never going to stay that high, so a drop in batting average should have been expected.

One thing that bodes well for Uggla is that he kept his on-base percentage at almost the same level even with the drop in BA. His strikeouts were down both in relative (27.6% to 22.5%) and absolute terms (171 to 150) and his walk rate jumped from 12.4% to 13.8%.

One major concern I have about Uggla is his home/road split. His home park is a bit of a launching pad, one of the most hitter friendly in the majors in fact, and Uggla is a bit of a product of that. His home line—.251/.386/.513—is good for an OPS+ 21 points above average, or loosely as good as Matt Kemp and Denard Span were over the full season.

His away numbers—.235/.321/.408—turned him into Pedro Feliz or Miguel Cairo, 20 points below average. Over his career, the same split exists, though it’s narrower—just 10 points.

I would be more concerned about that split if it were lower across the board, that is, if his away line was .200/.291/.360, I’d be prepared to pass no matter the price.

As it stands, even if his away line becomes his overall stats, he’d still be better than any of the hitters the Twins had batting second last season. Additionally, with the addition of JJ Hardy (who has batted second in the order for almost his entire career), Uggla will probably bat seventh or eighth in the order. His power is legitimate wherever he’s playing: he hit 13 no-doubt home runs this season, good for 3rd in the NL.

If the Twins aren’t really in need of a marquee hitter, which since the next hitter they acquire will be their 6th hitter at best, then they need to be looking at defense as much as offense. Uggla’s is…enigmatic.

According to UZR, Uggla’s four full seasons have produced lines of 6.9, -9.3, 1.6, and -10.1; Baseball Prospectus’ FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) is a little more stable: 5, -19,-2,-1, at least stable enough to draw conclusions from. Uggla is well above replacement level, but below average overall. While he isn’t the guy who made three errors in the All-Star Game, he’s not making anyone forget Joe Morgan. He was close to Alexi Casilla’s level this year, but he is clearly a much better hitter, and thus has a much higher overall value.

If the Twins do bring in Uggla, it will be with the knowledge that he’s a passable defender at second, but hoping that he hits well enough to justify being in there (and having Nick Punto at third base, another consequence of adding a player at second.)

So what we have is a great offensive player whose production will decline because of a switch to the AL and may decline even more if his home/road splits hold up, and whose defense isn’t going to be there to help cushion the fall. Does that mean the Twins shouldn’t look at Uggla?

Not necessarily, but they need to understand that they won’t be getting the player who hit .243/.354/.482, and while he may not fall off precipitously, it’s much more likely that he’ll stay on the low side of his career numbers rather than rebound. This is why the increase in walk rate is so critical—plate discipline isn’t something that varies by league.

If he were a free agent, looking only for money and a place to play, I’d be a lot more eager to acquire him. However, not only will Florida be looking for a good return for their two-time All-Star, Uggla will also be looking for a raise during arbitration. He made $5.35 million in his first year of arbitration and will almost certainly make $1-2 million more this season, which would put the Twins to around $80 Million (assuming, perhaps unfairly, that Uggla is acquired and no one from the 25 man roster heads the other way).

I can’t imagine payroll going too much higher than that, and, as I’ve noted before, the Twins need to address their rotation.

If they feel they can get Carl Pavano back for $2-3 million plus incentives (unlikely), perhaps they could add both he and Uggla.

But if they want to pursue Rich Harden, Ben Sheets, or even (heaven forbid it) Jarrod Washburn, they probably will not have the flexibility to accommodate Uggla’s arbitration raise. As previously mentioned, removing one or more members from the 25-man roster would change these numbers a bit, but if, say Glen Perkins and Casilla, were to head to South Florida, the money saved wouldn’t even cover the raise Uggla was due, let alone his entire contract.

I’m not opposed to Uggla as a player, and for a team like the Cubs, he could make a lot of sense. However, given that Uggla’s arrival would signal not only a jettisoning of a possibly useful player or two in a trade, but also an inability to bring in a high quality pitcher or third baseman, I just don’t see it being the best move for the Twins right now.

Should a pitcher join Uggla on his trip north, however, that would change the calculus of this deal substantially.

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