Jeremy: 2 days!!!

In case you were wondering, just two more days until the Gopher Spring Football game and the Gopher Nation Celebration! I might be excited. Can you tell?
Two reasons I'm excited about this:
First of all, IT'S FOOTBALL!!!
Second of all, IT'S TAILGATING!!!
Yep, you read that right, we'll be tailgating for the spring game. What is this Florida? Texas? Who do we think we are, USC?
You know what? I don't care. Brewster is pumping up the troops, and the fans, and it's about time. Think like a winner, play like a winner.
In case you haven't been paying attention, there's a lot of excitement going on over at the U. I have to tell you, it's pretty impressive what Joel Maturi has been able to do for Gopher Sports in the past 90 or so days. I believe that I've said it before, but he had a chance to make the Gopher Sports program the talk of the town, and he has managed to do it. I never thought I'd be saying this about Joel Maturi, but nicely done!
So back to Gopher Football. Since National Signing day in early February, Brewster has continued to make an impact in recruiting. Just this week Champlain Park linebacker Sam Maresh committed to the Gophers, and Ryan Grant (son of EP coach Mike Grant and grandson of former Vikings coach Bud Grant), quarterback/linebacker from Eden Prairie, committed as well.
Maresh is a big commitment. He's will be the top defensive player in the state when high school football opens in the fall, and he's been ranked in the top 250 prospects in the nation. I saw a brief interview with Maresh who said that Brewster absolutely sold him on the program and staying home to play football.
Apparently Maresh was driving home from the U of M campus to Champlin with his dad and he told him to turn the car around, he wanted to make a verbal commitment to Minnesota.
In an interview with WCCO's Mike Max Maresh said "It just put butterflies in my stomach with all the stuff he was saying about 'we need Minnesota boys to stay in Minnesota' and 'we really need you'. He's just a real passionate guy and he's real dedicated in what he's going to do for this program."
And, oh by the way, Maresh had been offered scholarships at Michigan, Miami, Wisconsin and Iowa, and has said that he will actively speak with Cretin-Derham Hall receiver Michael Floyd and Eden Prairie defensive end Willie Mobley about staying in Minnesota.
Wasn't it Glen Mason who said we couldn't land blue chippers in Minnesota?

Jeff: From Hoops to Hardball

Deja vu? Yes here we are again, with a national final of Florida and Ohio State. Just as conventional wisdom (or at least mine) said the Buckeyes should have no trouble beating the Gators in football, after watching Saturday's games I see no way Florida loses to Ohio State in basketball. Which if the football Title game is any indication means Ohio State will win by 20. But I doubt it. Once the Gator's outside shooters started knocking down shots early in the 2nd half against UCLA (you knew it was only a matter of time), it was over. Ben Howland knew it too, as he had used all his timeouts before the 12 min TV timeout to try and slow the momentum. But the Gators, as they were last year, were just too much, overpowering the Bruins inside and outshooting them from the perimeter. And defense. We can't forget that, the part that UCLA prided itself on most was where Florida really shined. Corey Brewer was impressive shutting down Aron Afflalo and Darren Collison on the perimeter, and UCLA got nothing inside, going one-and-done on just about every trip.

Ohio State is better than UCLA because of Mike Conley and Greg Oden, but it's not going to matter for one simple reason: Oden can't stop committing quick, cheap, early fouls. IT's like he has foul-itis, where he can't stop himself from reaching in or running over somebody when he should know better. Oden HAS to know by know that EVERYBODY they play will be trying to get him in foul trouble. And what did he do against the Hoyas? He said "screw it" and picked up 2 dumb fouls in the first 3 minutes. His first half minutes in this tournament have been as short as Britney Spear's hair, and his chances of him not continuing that trend in tonight's final are about as good as the chances of Ms. Spears staying in rehab.

IF Oden can stay in the game, we could see an all-time classic, but even then the Gators have too much. They can run Noah (who's moving into a Mateen Cleaves-level of annoyance for me), Hortford and Richard at him, while Brewer and Green slash to the hoop and Humphrey nails 3 after 3. As Denny Green would say "They are who we thought they were! We knew this was the 2006 National Champs, so if you wanna go ahead and crown their ass, you crown them!" Thanks Denny. I believe they will be crowned Monday night as the first back-to-back Champs since the damn Dukies.

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A quick uneducated baseball preview, since nobody told me the season started. What? IT did? Already? I suppose it is April already. AL division winners as the A's, Tiggers, and Red Sox, wild card is Toronto (and I hate Toronto, so keep in mind it kills me to say that). The A's don't look to be the best team in a weak West, but they always find a way. In Beane We Trust. The Central is the best division in the game, and the Tigers have the depth and experience to win it. Cleveland's margin for error is too small for my liking. If/when CC Sabathia goes down they're in trouble again. They will hit though. I'm not saying the Twins will have a bad year (they'll be above .500), I just don't see how you win with the best player in baseball and then 4 #5 starters as your rotation. Anyone? Watch they'll go and win the whole damn thing. And the Yanks? They're starting Carl Pavano on opening day. Randy Johnson's not walking through that door. Roger Clemens' not walking through that door (calm down, he's going back to Houston once the roids have had a few cycles- I'm sorry what?). Their pitching is suspect to begin with, and if you've noticed, there's not a lot of teams out there with a surplus of pitching to trade with. Unless you want to give up a king's ransom for Jon Lieber in Philly? Didn't think so. The offense will hit as always, but the entire pitching staff (short of Mariano Rivera) is suspect, and in the AL that's not going to get it done.

Although I'd like to dance on the graves of the anti-christ, this is actually not a good sign for anti-Yankee fans like myself. Now that GM Brian Cashman is actually allowed to do his job (ol George is too old and tired to control everything anymore), the Yanks are building through their farm system (i.e. dealing Sheffield and The Unit for prospects), and will still have the cash to sign the big free agents or make the shrewd deals. So although they'll miss the playoffs this year (first time in a decade. Wow!), they'll be back to stay in 2008.

In the National League, um, I mean, do you really care? Do you? It's still AAAA baseball over there, and as I said last year, there's not one team in the National League as good as the top 6 in the AL. The Mets? Rotation issues. Phillies? Bullpen issues. Cardinals? They don't make horseshoes that big to have a team that bad win 2 titles in a row. And the NL West is awful. So who's in? (Closing eyes and pointing randomly to teams) Mets, Phils, Brewers and...San Diego (founded by the Germans in 1904. I will never tire of that joke)? Sure sounds good.

Ok enjoy the games!

Jeremy: ...allow me to retort...

Let me start off by saying, Jeffrick might have me on this one. He's got stats and knowledge about Tubby Smith that I just don't have. And one thing that he definitely does have, that I definitely do not have, is perspective.
Look, let's be honest here: I'm a Minnesota guy. Go down the list of any sport and I will tell you that my favorite team is the one representing 'Sota and I'll follow that up by telling you that none of the other teams matter. When it comes to sports I might have strong opinions, but my loyalty to the hometown team is probably even stronger.
Having said that, keep in mind that I was the person who broke the Tubby Smith news to Jeffrick, which I had heard from a co-worker who is a huge Iowa fan, just two minutes after I had heard it. The Iowa fan was absolutely beside himself, knowing that his Hawkeyes were looking for a new basketball coach too.
As a Gopher fan sometimes you expect to hear the worst (I do). You probably never expected that the Flip Saunders thing was going to happen (I didn't), and you assume that Joel Maturi is going to make a mistake (I still did). So when the name Tubby Smith comes up, it really knocks you off your chair.
After some thought and perspective about the hiring, I do have a couple of reservations, but not nearly as many as Jeff.
I see all of his arguments and I understand each and every one of them. But is one thing that Tubby Smith brings, that none of the up and coming young coaches can bring to a program like Minnesota.
Tubby Smith brings credibility to a program that had lost all credibility and desperately needed it back. Ten years ago the Gophers were the cream of the crop in the Big 10, and since then absolutely nothing good has happened to this program. There was one, and only one, single move that could erase a decade of free-falling and that was hiring a coach who has a credible track record with a big name. Rick Majerus and Bobby Knight were the only other possibilities that could have brought instant credibility to this program. Majerus has probably been out of the game for too long to do it (not to mention his health concerns) and Bobby Knight was never a viable option.
Credibility breeds excitement, excitement breeds ticket sales, ticket sales breed atmosphere, and atmosphere might win some recruits. How many recruits would be excited about Rick Majerus? Would any of them even remember when he was coaching?
Joel Maturi had the opportunity to right the ship, and the opportunity to do it in one fell swoop. There's a lot that goes into building a quality program. Based on what was available, I think he made the best possible choice.

Jeff: Monday Musings

Quite a little sporting weekend. Maybe Bed Bath & Beyond but I don’t know if I’ll have time. Seeing how the Madness played out I feel even dumber about my bracket selections. Remember my ramblings about not being able to make picks because I hadn’t followed college hoops much during the year? That looks pretty foolish now, doesn’t it? Go with the chalk! All 4 #1 seeds, 3 #2’s, and a 3 seed in the Elite 8. A couple of upsets here and there but nothing major and we end up with 4 teams that were ranked in the top 8 for most of the season as our Final 4. I’m going to REALLY try to remember this when I’m filling out my bracket next year!

Not sure if I was more impressed with Georgetown’s comeback or appalled at North Carolina’s collapse yesterday. Up 10 with 6 minute left and then the bottom completely fell out of things for the Heels. All that young talent but they couldn’t find a go-to guy, well except the White Karl Malone, aka Tyler Hansbrough- actually, since Karl Malone is one of the whitest black men in history, Hansbrough would just be the Next Karl Malone. Hansbrough’s only move is to fight for good position in the post and then throw himself into his defender to draw the foul. Wash, rinse, repeat. All he needs now is a 15 ft jumper and to never dunk with two hands and he could be a Hall-of-Fame power forward- well maybe in the 80’s. Georgetown’s front line altered or blocked a lot of his shots, which means he’ll have a lot of trouble getting his shot off at the pro level. I know the Hoyas Roy Hibbert is 7’2, but it’s not like he’s much of a leaper. How many rebounds did the guy get standing FLAT FOOTED? As Billy Packer said, he looked like a dad playing with his kids. It’s not good when you look like a 7’2 version of Gheorge Muresan. Still he’ll be a lottery pick in June, and he was white, you know the Wolves would have to take him (Paul Grant anyone? Anyone? You in the corner with the ugly sweater? No?).

But as bad as the Heels looked down the stretch, credit Gtown for taking advantage and taking the lead. I love Florida’s Corey Brewer’s nickname of “The Drunken Dribbler” but I thought Jeff Green was even more deserving of that nickname. He looks out of control and almost clumsy on his drives and his shots, yet he’s so effective. He might be the tourney MVP thus far. The matchup with Ohio State should be fabulous, as I’m intrigued to see how Greg Oden does against Hibbert, who’s legitimately his equal in size and strength (although not in athletic ability). That game could be a slug fest but I’m really looking forward to it.

On the other side it’s Florida vs UCLA. Again. As Colin Cowherd said this morning, what’s changed since the Gators ran the Bruins off the floor last year? Nothing, which is why the Gators SHOULD do the same again. I picked Florida to repeat and I see no reason to change that now, as they’re the most talented and experienced team left. Their game against Oregon was a fun one to watch, as the Gators pushed the hell out of the ball all day. Expect that pace against UCLA who’s a great (aka boring!) defensive team. Not blow away by UCLA, which is why I had them getting knocked out earlier, but that’s not how Ben Howland’s team plays. They win ugly and will continue to. I just wish I didn’t have to watch it!

Jeff: Kentucky's Trash Is Minnesota's Treasure

This is one of those rare times when Jer and I have a difference of opinion on a sports topic (Hopefully he’ll present his argument on the Tubby Smith hire because this is one where I’d like to be wrong). Jer likes it and believes the good outweighs the bad. An average of 26 wins a year and 14 straight NCAA tourney appearances at 3 different schools (Tulane, Georgia & Kentucky) while running a clean program with likable athletes is certainly a reason to get excited. There’s just one problem: Tubby Smith failed at Kentucky. In 1998 he was handed the reigns to THE best basketball program in the country, and 8 years later he leaves it as a middle-of-the-pack major conference school. Call me crazy, but that’s not a good sign. The Gophers are getting a guy who couldn’t succeed with every conceivable advantage, and now is being asked to do so with far less.

Save your breath. Don’t bother me with the argument that if Tubby got the Gophers 20 wins and an NCAA tournament berth every year, they’d be naming streets and erecting statues after the man. I agree completely, but how confident can you be that the man will be able to recruit and build a program when he couldn’t maintain the best in the country? Kentucky IS one of the top programs in America (along with North Carolina, Duke and Kansas), one of the few places where they measure success by Final Four appearances and National Championships. 20 win seasons and NCAA berths are not only expected, it’s the minimum standard, which Smith was able to maintain. Yes he won a National Title, but it was with Rick Pitino’s kids, a group that had 5 or 6 NBA players on its roster. Now? Kentucky will be lucky to have one guy get selected in June’s NBA draft. Tubby had every possible advantage, from name recognition to athletic budget to facilities, yet he wasn’t able to recruit the elite athletes that Kentucky is expected to get. Patrick Reusse’s comments yesterday in the Strib are bogus. He claims that more kids want to stay home nowadays, so it’s not possible to dominate the landscape anymore, citing Duke as his example. Really? How many quality basketball players come from the state of Kansas? And yet aren’t the Jayhawks playing in the Elite 8 on Saturday? Greg Oden is from Indiana but went to Ohio State. Kevin Durant is from DC but went all the way to Texas. The certifiably insane OJ Mayo, this year’s top high school senior, is going from West Virginia to Southern California next fall. Hop on this thing we call the interweb and look at the rosters for the sweet 16 teams, and you’re going to see a lot of players that are playing out of state. Kids DO travel, but few elite players wanted to travel to the basketball Mecca in Lexington, Kentucky. And that has to fall squarely on the shoulders of Tubby Smith.

I hope Tubby succeeds and returns the Gophers to a respectable level where they’re annually competing for the Big 10 title and traveling to far off lands for the NCAA tournament. But I have to ask: if Tubby couldn’t recruit at Kentucky, how’s he going to do it at Minnesota? If kids wouldn’t play for him at an elite school, why would they suddenly play for him in Minneapolis?

Minnesotans celebrate this because he’s going to be better than Dan Monson. Hey congratulations, the mindset that Gopher football fans had (well at least he’s not Jim Wacker!) has now carried over to the basketball program. Flip Saunders or Rick Majerus (who wanted the job and was more successful at freaking UTAH than Tubby was at Kentucky) would have been better hires. Despite Sid Hartman’s usual asinine comments, plucking an up-and-coming coach from Southern Illinois or Xavier would have been better hires too. I’d rather have a guy who had success at his last job than a coach who got run out of town because he failed to meet expectations.

Jeremy: Smell 'Em

Okay, quick story...
I was at Cub Foods yesterday with my special lady friend, doing a wee bit of grocery shopping. Cub often sells a bit of local sports swag: I have found Gopher floor mats for my truck there, and a Gopher rug that looks like a football field. Currently Cub is selling Twins memorabilia with the popular catch phrase "Smell 'Em," a phrase coined by catcher Mike Redmond, short for "Smell those runs."
So we're walking past the display for the "Smell 'Em" hats and t-shirts, and I see one of the funniest things I've seen in a long long time. A well-dressed middle-aged man was standing there, with a "Smell 'Em" hat in his hand, and he was... you guessed it!!! SMELLING THE HAT!!!
Now, one can't be sure if the man was smelling the hat because the words on it had prompted him to do so, or if the hat was giving off some kind of odor which caused him to do so. I prefer to think that he was smelling it because the hat said to smell 'em.
Either way, I got a good hearty laugh at this man's expense.

Jeff: Madness?

Is there any doubt that today and tomorrow (and the day after the Super Bowl while we're at it) should be national holidays? Anyone? Every year we see stories about how many billions of dollars (or beaver pelts and mukluks here in Canada)are lost over these 2 days because of lost worker productivity. If you've got any leverage at all, you've found a way to skip work today and tomorrow, or at least get out early. Or if you're Jer, you walk 5 seconds down the hall to a conference room where they've got a big screen TV with the game on and free popcorn for when you're "just checking out the scores". If I ran a business, I would just give people today and tomorrow off. It's really pointless to expect people to work on the two greatest sports days of the year.

Having said that, I already had to miss some games for an internship interview, and have to work tonight so I'll miss more, but so far, I really haven't missed much, and neither have you if you weren't fortunate enough to find a way to skip work. We've had a grand total of ZERO upsets that far, and in the last game of the day games, Vandy is currently crushing GW 43-16. Nothing like a cross-country flight over 4 time zones for GW from DC to Sacramento to get blown right out of the building. And now James Brown tried to use the phrase "I'm looking at GW for some 'give-up'". James, you're the third whitest black man in America behind Stuart Scott and Karl Malone; Just stop it, please.

So how's my bracket looking, you ask? Just dandy, thanks. My only loss so far was ODU to Butler, but I had Old Dominion losing in the 2nd round anyway. Looking this over, I really don't have much in the way of 1st round upsets: Villanova, VCU (isn't it great that Duke sucks? This would be like the Yankees finishing last in their division or the Knicks giving Isiah Thomas an extension when the Knicks are still under .500 with a $120 million payroll...uh nevermind), Long Beach State (who, just in case you're wondering, are indeed going to the Sweet 16), Xavier and Arkansas (they haven't even played and I'm already regretting that one) are my only upset picks of the first round. I just didn't see that much "MADNESS!!!!' happening in the 1st. So far so good, but with the way my bracket usually goes, I'm sure my bracket will be in shambles by this time tomorrow.

I have to say, I did find it difficult filling out the ol' bracket sheet. Jer and I both said it's tough when you haven't watched a lot of college hoops all year, and then are suddenly faced with figuring everybody out. If you've got the time to watch 5 or 6 games a week during the regular season, then more power to you, but for guys like Jer and I, there's no way you're going to be able to cram in 4 days to become a college hoops genius. We figured we'd read a few sites, watch a tourney preview show or two, and just go with the gut. It's as good a strateegery as any I say.

My Elite 8 looks like this: Florida over Notre Dame, Kansas over Pitt, Texas over Georgetown, and Ohio State over Texas A&M. I then picked Florida to thump Ohio State in a college foosball-style title game rematch. I don't like picking last year's champs to repeat because it so seldom happens, but their side of the bracket is ridiculously easy, and once they've won 4 in a row to get to the Final 4, how can you pick against them? I just couldn't. As for Texas, yes I'm on the Durant bandwagon, and I just see the guy winning a few rounds by himself, and yes that includes beating North Carolina AND a lot of people's darkhorse in Georgetown. After watching the Hoyas today, I can see why they were a chic pick because there's not much they can't do. The East, obviously, is THE toughest of the 4 regions.

I also just couldn't pick against Ohio State because they have Oden and nobody else does. I hope we get to see A&M and the Buckeyes in the Elite 8, because that would be a beauty, and then set up the Greatest College Basketball Game Probably Ever between Texas and OSU. The chances of it happening are slim I know, but I thought hey why not? Also, speaking of Texas A&M, they are another team that I've seen in a lot of people's Final 4 predictions. I'll be honest: I was THIS close to having Louisville beat them in the 2nd round and going all the way to the Elite 8 (Memphis as a 2 seed is a joke. They WILL lose to Nevada in the 2nd round), but changed my mind at the last minute. After watching the Cards destroy Stanford (who, let's be honest, had no business whatsoever being in the tournament) in Lexington, I'm thinking they're going to be VERY tough for A&M to beat in what is essentially a home game for them. I'm just saying.

Well we'll see if things get crazier tonight and tomorrow. I know nobody ever comments on this site, but I'd be interested to see who everybody picked to win it and who your "Upset Special" was for the first two days: Mine was Long Beach State over Virginia.

PS- Vandy is up 30 POINTS to start the 2nd half. I had them also getting to the Sweet 16 thank you very much.

Jeremy: Free Stylin'

I will now attempt to rant free style, without looking up any facts, about my thoughts on the world of sports. (Disclaimer: Yes, I have had >/= 3 beers.)

*Is there any doubt left in anyone's mind that the Vikings will NOT improve going into next season? Honestly. There was one area that desperately needed to be addressed during free agency and that was WR. So what did we get? Something named Bobby Wade? A dude who is under 6 feet tall with two first names? That's it? Also, we got a tight end in free agency, who caught less passes last year than the guy we let go, Jermaine Wiggins. Remember the "Sarcastic Clapping Family" sketches on Saturday Night Live? Picture that sketch, but instead of a family, picture me at the table, clapping sarcastically, with Zygi Wilf and Brad Childress across the table from me.

*By the way, if you haven't yet, please read more about the Vikings free agency dealings this off-season. After which, if you aren't already, please consider what a perfect time it is to become a Golden Gopher Football fan.

*Kevin McHale was voted by Forbes magazine as the best General Manager in all of sports. The criteria was weighted ridiculously heavy by comparing current GM stats vs. prior GM stats. We here at Midwest Sports Rubes believe that this criteria is fair, balanced and accurate in its ability to show the talent of GM's in all of professional sports.

*In other news, Kevin McHale was also named as the best General Manager by the Bill Cosby Society (BCS). Criteria was weighted 100% based on each GM's collection of hideously ugly sweaters.

*Also, in Beating A Dead Horse news, Glen Taylor was voted as the second best owner in all of sports by the Al Davis Association for Owners Who Allow Their Emotions and Personal Feelings to get Too Involved in Front Office Decisions (ADAOWATEPFTIFOD).

*This just in... Troy Hudson has been put into the starting line-up by Randy Whitman. Hudson will attempt to build a house with all of the bricks that he shoots so that the Timberwolves don't have to board up the franchise, they can actually just move. (Side note: If we ever have to refer to the Timberwolves as "The House That T-Hud Built," please remind me that choosing death by killer bees is still an option.)

*Sid went ahead and said this week that the only coaches that can save the Gophers men's b-ball team are Flip Saunders or... Bob Knight. Here's a question... Is there anyone besides Sid who thinks that Bob Knight has a shot at this job? Here's another question... Have you seen this team play? I'm not sure that ANYONE can save this program right now. The wheels fell off a long, long time ago, and this is probably a 2-3 year rebuilding job.

Jeff: BJ, CJ, and More

Before we get to Calvin Johnson we'll pass along to you that the Vikes, to no one's surprise, released Brad Johnson yesterday. I'm sure there's a backup job for him somewhere, but as he displayed last year, his days as a starter are definitely over. To quote Jer: What was your favorite moment from the BJ era?

In that same story Chilly says it'll be an open competition between Tavaris Jackson and Brooks Bollinger (is he sure? There's gotta be a 3rd option there somewhere right? RIGHT?) but then says there could be some interest in taking Brady Quinn at #7. That, of course, is total BS, which is to be expected this time of year, when EVERY team talks nothing but BS about who they're taking (well except the Raiders). Do not trust what a team says, look at what they need. I would hope they'll at least entertain trade talks about David Carr or Jake Plummer because the options out there in free agency are slim to none, especially with the Chiefs resiging Damon Huard, who I really would have liked to have seen in Minnesota. Bringing him back can't be good news for Trent Green, but trust me when I say we don't want him either. The best "options" (and I use that term REALLY loosely) are Jeff Garcia, Aaron Brooks, or Kerry Collins. OK so how much do the Texans want for David Carr again?

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Ok then onto Mr SuperFreak Calvin Johnson. 6'5, 239 pounds, and he ran a 4.35 40 yd dash which means he's playing wide receiver in a linebacker's body with sprinter's speed. He's got TO's body with Randy Moss' skills and Marvin Harrison's work ethic and demeanor. In other words, he IS the perfect wide receiver! There's always been this stigma of not taking wide receivers high in the draft, partly because it's a difficult position to adjust to, and also because as Peter King mentions, the failure rate of 1st rounders has been pretty high. He guesstimates that only 10 of the last 30 WR's taken in the first round could be considered impact guys. For every Randy Moss or Marques Colston (who was of course a 7th round pick and not even a 1st rounder), there's so many receivers who struggle that first year. Now, the failure rate is also pretty high at quarterback and other positions, but because there seems to be less importance placed on wideouts than quarterbacks, well you're not going to see teams stop taking QB's #1 overall.

This is also a very strong wide receiver draft, so if the Vikes don't get CJ, they'll be in position at #7 to take Teddy Ginn of Ohio State, Robert Meachem of Tennesee, or Dwayne Jarrett of USC, just to name 3. It's all well and good, and I highly doubt the Vikes brass has the stones to deal up, but for me, all of these arguments just cement the fact you HAVE to go up to #2 or #3 to take Johnson, and deal anybody not named Hutchinson, Williams, or Winfield to do it. Seriously.

Simply BECAUSE wide receiver is such a volatile position and BECAUSE it can be such a crapshoot with first rounders, that is all the more reason to get Calvin Johnson! He's a CAN'T MISS PROSPECT at a position where MOST GUYS MISS!!! Don't you see? Because Johnson is such a safe bet to be a productive Pro Bowl-caliber receiver for the next decade at a position where it's so difficult to find assess, that's why they NEED to go up and get him. And yes it's a strong receiver class, but Johnson is that much better than everybody else! You're rolling the dice with any of the other guys who have some glaring flaw to their game. CJ? NONE! He's a physical freak with a great attitude, work ethic, and superior ball skills (and yes I just wanted the excuse to use "ball skills" in a sentence)!! He would also help their slipping attendance by putting a marquee player in Minnesota that could make a big impact from day 1. Do you have any idea how many CJ jerseys the Vikes would sell? I would order one on draft day if they took him!

He would solve so many of their problems and create so many for opposing teams, but because Minnesota lacks the stones to take the SAFEST PICK IN THE DRAFT, I'm sure we'll be watching him light up the league in a Bucs jersey for the next 10 years.

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Finally a shameless plug. I'm off to Hamilton, Ontario today to do play-by-play webcasting for Trinity Western University men's volleyball team, who are the defending national champs and are the top seed in the tourney. My buddy Ben is the assistant coach, so it'll be fun to watch him and the lads hopefully win for a 2nd year in a row! If you're bored Friday or Saturday night and want to listen to the game, tune in at www.spartanwebradio.ca at around 8pm Est both nights and you can hear me do what I love to do most. They also have some past games archived on there. Have a great weekend everybody!

Jeff: I'm In a Glass Case of Emotion!

Wait, wait let me say something...WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Yeah it's been an emotional week so excuse me if I get a little weepy during this post. Dan, a good friend of the site (as well as most of our tens of readers), is a proud new papa! Dan, I'm so happy for you and Megan for the entry of Elijah Daniel Porta into the world. We'll be praying for the three of you that things go welll, and that one day he'll be able to grow an epic beard like his dad. Actually judging by the hair on his head he could have one by kindergarten.

Tonight the emotions continued as I watched the series finale of the OC, capping the best 3 year run of any cheesy teen drama ever! EVER I say! What will I do without Sandy Cohen in my life? What about Seth Cohen? Or Taylor...ok I don't even know Taylor's last name, but she will be missed! I blame Jer, Dan, and Sam for starting me on this a few years ago when I lived in the Dakotas and had nothing else to do. Wait I still don't have anything to do...ok getting emotional again.

What else? Busy but not busy time in sports right now with only hoops going (or if you live in Canada only hockey going. Seriously it's insane here. Just insane. It's hockey everyday all day.). NBA trade deadline flatlined with no big deals, which reminds me for like the 15th year in a row not to get excited next year when it rolls around because again nothing big will happen. I have a feeling I'll be having this chat with myself for a 16th time next year.

I'm excited for March Madness but I can't even begin to comment on it because I've seriously seen about 4 games this year. Florida should win the whole thing but probably won't, and of course I'll anxiously fill out a bracket only to watch it go down in flames by the end of the first weekend.

Still a lot of NFL and baseball talk going on too. (By the way it's an unofficial mwsr rule to only refer to the NFL as the NFL instead of calling it "The National Football League" like everybody else does. We like to be different here. But then again you already knew that) Has it REALLY come to this as a Vikings fan? I'm getting excited that David Carr could possibly be our QB for 2007? Or Byron Leftwich? Jeff Garcia? Why not Doug Flutie? Ok so probably not Doug Flutie, but I wouldn't rule anybody out as the Vikes QB for 2007, especially with Chilly's potential to continue recycling old Eagles quarterbacks. If he tries to bring Rodney Pete, Ron Jaworski or one of the Detmer brothers to training camp, seriously, I will LOSE IT! (I was about to make a "The Champ" joke until I realized Jer is the only one who would get it. Nevermind then)

Oh, and we're all in agreement that the Vikes DO NOT want Brady Quinn in the draft right? Right? Not only is he overrated (I was compiling a Troy Smith vs Brady Quinn comparison, which I thankfully didn't get around to completing. Still Quinn's numbers vs good competition were not pretty. I'll dig those up as we get closer to the draft) but when the Purple and the Pack play Fox announcers would blab about Quinn's sister being married to Packer AJ Hawk and then they would show her not-so-hotness wearing a half Vikes-half Pack jersey and then the earth would explode because I'm pretty certain that the melding of those 2 jerseys would cause an end to the world. Especially with her wearing it. So in summation let's not draft Brady Quinn ok? Good.

Have I mentioned I'm really excited for baseball? Good article in the Strib today (or maybe it was yesterday? Is there a worse constructed site than the Strib's?) about Jason Kubel's rehab from yet another injury. It's probably easier to list what body parts the guy hasn't hurt than what he has, but once again the Little Engine That Could is counting on him to hit. And really how he and every other batter not named Mauer or Morneau hits thie year is an important story. As unsettled as the rotation is behind Johan, with baseball's best bullpen, I'm confident they'll piece together 5-6 good innings most night from their starters. What's going to the real key for this team in a division with a LOT of firepower (good gracious have you SEEN the lineups the Tribe, Sox and Tiggers are rolling out there this year?) is getting offense from their whole lineup. What did Ozzie Guillen call them? The Piranhas? If you know anything about statistics (I somehow passed a college-level stats class but don't pretend to know much) you've heard of regression to the mean. I believe Mauer and Morneau are capable of repeating their 2006 stats, but what about the other guys? You hope Cuddyer, Barlett and Hunter will be close to their career years of last season, especially with Torii Hunter playing for his last big contract (altho if he hits .278 with 31 HR's again, I'd, well, Jer make something up. I'd be willing to do just about anything if Hunter hits those marks again because I'm positive it won't happen. Somebody make a bet and I'll take it). But Nick Punto, a career .260 hitter hits .290 and was way above his career SLG and OBP numbers, and Luis Castillo is entering his 30's and his greatest asset, his legs, are starting to go, so you'll be lucky to get a .296/.358/.370 out of him again. And you're looking to fill the rest of the lineup with some combo of Kubel, Rondell White, Jeff Cirillo, and Lew "taking-the-beloved-overrated-Minnesota-athlete-torch from-Wally-Szczerbiak" Ford. I'm not saying it can't be done because this IS the LLTC after all, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Well I'm spent. Have a good weekend everybody.

Jeff: KG Staying Put

Ok so that's not exactly earth-shattering. Although Jer and I remain proponents of dealing KG now, I'm going to say it's 100% certain he'll be a Timberwolf at least through the end of the season. Restating my opinion on trading him for probably the 9432nd time, Chicago can and would offer the right amount of young talent, expiring contracts, and possibly a draft pick to make the deal worth it. You HAVE to get at least 2 of those 3 things, and after this season's over, I'm not sure such a deal exists. But he's staying so I'm trying to see how the Wolves are going to build around Garnett with no real assets to deal. Short of winning the lottery in May and ending up with Greg Oden or Kevin Durant (and that's assuming both come out, which I don't believe is a lock, especially for Oden), can this team be more than a borderline playoff team? It means Randy Foye will have to continue to blossom, Rashad McCants needs to bounce back strong, and Mark Blount needs to continue to play like he never has before. A starting 5 of KG, Blount, Craig Smith, McCants, and Foye shows promise, but in a conference with Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Houston AND the Lakers (not to mention the Jazz and Nuggets in your own division), that still doesn't guarantee you contention. It's going to mean hitting a homerun in the draft regardless of where they draft, and making a few shrewd moves in free agency to shore up the bench and add contributors.

I'm skeptical, but with the The Mayor Freddy Hoiberg running the show next year instead of McHale, there;s at least hope of some competency. Outside of the guys mentioned in their starting 5, another key will be trying to deal the rest of the guys with bad contracts for either cap relief or contributors. With Isaiah Thomas no longer allowed to make deals in New York, the chances of that happening are slim, but you just never know. Rumors of floating of a possible 3 way trade between the Wolves, Cavs, and Kings. The Kings would get Mike James, Cleveland would get Bibby, and they didn't say what the Wolves would get, but hopefully some cap relief would be taking the place of the disappointing James. It's not a blockbuster for Minnesota, but it's certainly a start. Would I love to see them get involved in some of the big name trades being thrown out there like Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, and Pau Gasol? Of course, but because of McHale's blunders, we're back to the same problem they had during the Iverson sweepstakes: they have no talent, expiring contracts, or draft picks to deal.

However, the Wolves won't be alone in not making a big splash between now and Thursday's deadline. Despite a ton of rumors about Kidd, Carter, Gasol, Bibby and others, according to SI.com's Marty Burns it looks like none of the big guys will probably go anywhere.
Of course it's easier as a fan to sit here and criticize GM's for making moves that I feel should be made, but I still have to wonder why Rod Thorn wouldn't deal Kidd to the Lakers. Kidd' value will never be higher, and his contract goes sky high starting next year as he gets older and worse. Burns says that the big hang-up in the Kidd deal is 2nd year Lakers center Andrew Bynum. I understand why the Lakers wouldn't want to include him, but with Kobe, Kidd, and Odom it's not like you're playing for the future. That lineup wouldn't make LA automatic frontrunners in the ridiculously loaded West, but they'd definitely be contenders, and have a great shot at it. Bynum COULD end up being a great center, but you've got to risk that to get a guy like Kidd. As for New Jersey, if it's coming down to the deadline and the Lakers still refuse to budge, you've got to shallow hard and do it without Bynum. Kidd's going to more difficult to trade after this year, and nye impossible in the coming seasons. The available package without Bynum wouldn't be ideal, but it'd be better than nothing. And Vince Carter? I'm guessing the hold-up here is that Carter WILL opt-out of his deal at the end of the year, and teams like the Clippers or others don't want to give up some valuable pieces for a rental. And as I've been wondering why the Magic, a destination considered by some to be #1 on Carter's list as a free agent, wouldn't go ahead and get him NOW for the stretch run in a very winnable Leastern Conference, well I think I just answered my own questions. Why give up players or draft picks when you'll probably get him as a free agent anyways? To me that has to be the thinking. Finally on Gasol, I don't blame Jerry West one bit for holding onto Gasol. They've got the 2nd worst record in the league, and a great chance of landing one of those top 2 picks. With Oden or Durant plus Gasol, Rudy Gay, and some cap room to add some guards, they're right back in the playoff hunt next year. So unless the Bulls meet Jerry's request for the moon, stars, and everything under it (which they won't), he's right to hang onto him.

Jeff: I LOVE LAMP!

Happy Valentine's Day to all, even though I think it's one of those contrived Hallmark Holidays that force people to show affection and not be spontaneous or romantic. And yes I'm single and will spend my evening watching the Canucks/Wild game and a probably-disappointing-Lost episode. So in the contrived and forced spirit of love, let me talk about what I truly and openly love (and not in a John Amaechi kind of love)most in the world of sports today:
PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT TODAY!!
Thats right, as you sit there in sub-zero temperatures (or for me rainy and 50 degrees again), know that in sunny Arizona and Florida the boys of summer are checking in! It's times like this when I realize how much I LOVE baseball. It's that time of year when everyone's an optimist (well unless you live in Kansas City, Tampa, or DC) because if things break right this year maybe, just maybe, your team can be a contender. My Mariners? A long shot in a weak division but anything's possible. If nothing else I've got King Felix Hernandez, who actually came into camp in shape this year. Last year he was getting Young Doc Gooden comparisons before showing up to spring training with a body that looked like David Wells- if he had eaten Bartolo Colon and John Kruk. This year? He looks like ripped! He's muscular! It's like he actually cares about his conditioning and work habits and might even try to live up to all of his hype! (I'm going to pretend that even though he's from Venezuela and spent all winter down there, and even though the highest percentage of baseball players that have been caught using steroids have been latin, that he's doing all of this naturally). So bring on the Young Doc comparisons, and restart the Felix vs Liriano debates, because the King has returned!
For you Twins fans there's a lot to love here, other than the Liriano injury and your fine elected officials approving a Twins stadium WITHOUT A FINALIZED DEAL ON THE LAND!!! And you wonder why fewer and fewer people vote these days? But on the bright side Mauer's resigned, Morneausy's got at least one more year and hopefully longer (unless, you know, he wanted to sign as a free agent with the "hometown" M's next year), and the pitcher and bullpen on the planet returns intact. Seems to me like they've got enough cheap options in the rotation behind Santana to make a run. Being in baseball's toughest division? Well we'll save that for another day. For now, rejoice because spring training is almost upon us!

Jeremy: Adding Glen Taylor to the List

It's possible that the readers our there see me as a bit of a doom and gloom kind of fellow.
That's fine.
Is there some way that we can fire Glen Taylor? I realize that he's the owner of the Wolves, so he doesn't exactly have a boss, but is there some way that we can get rid of him? Vote him off the island? Something?
This from Sid's column today:
"Regardless of whether or not the Wolves make the playoffs, Randy Wittman will definitely be back as head coach next season, according to team owner Glen Taylor.
Taylor said he is not in the mood to change coaches for a while.
'Randy had a three-year contract as an assistant coach to assist [fired coach Dwane] Casey when he came back from Orlando,' Taylor said. 'I redid his contract, paying him a bonus now that he is a head coach.'"
I sincerely hope that "Taylor said he is not in the mood to change coaches for a while," is Sid adding his own scotch-laden spin on things, and not what Taylor actually said, because if this was a literal quote from Taylor, then go ahead and board up the franchise.
Please do not take this to mean that I don't like Randy Whitman. Based on the length of time that he's been at the helm, how could he possibly be judged as a head coach, especially considering what he has inherited?
But for Taylor to just give Whit the keys to the castle and not even be considering or evaluating what the coach is doing or what other options there are for this club... well that's just foolish.

Jeff: Fitzgerald to the Vikes? We Wish!

Reports from the Pioneer Press, which have been picked up by SI.com, ponder whether the Vikes could or should package the #7 pick in the upcoming draft with other goodies to Arizona for Minnesota native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. The move would be to not only to upgrade the team, but to also appease season ticket holders and give them a reason to renew. Is there any substance to this move? I really doubt it. Tell me why Arizona's going to part with one of the league's best receivers who's just entering his prime, has a reasonable contract, and is a great kid off the field to do it. Arizona's not, I repeat, NOT that far away from contention. As they've needed for seemingly years, the team needs help on the O-line, and I don't see how getting the Vikes #7 pick would help that, unless they used it to take Penn State tackle Levi Brown. The best tackle in the draft, and the guy the Cards would really want, is Scony's Joe Thomas, but he should be gone in the first 3 picks. Already holding the 5th pick, perhaps they'd package both to move up to get Thomas, but I just can't see how parting with Fitzgerald helps them improve. Like the Vikings they need to encourage people to show up, and getting rid of its best player doesn't seem like a good way to do that.

The more I think about this I know this is just pure speculation, because what the Cards need- O-line help and anything on defense- the Vikes certainly don't have extra assets in those areas to deal. So there's no way this happens. However it brings up the larger issue of Minnesota not only being in desparate need of a playmaker, but an identity. Jer's brought this up before, and I totally agree that we need something as fans to get excited about and there's nothing there right now. Say what you want about Randy Moss or Daunte Culpepper while they were in purple, but at least they were exciting to watch and gave us a chance to win every Sunday.

I'll be the first to stand up and say it: I MISS RANDY MOSS!! He was crazy and could act like a jerk and although he "played when he wanted to play" I always felt like we had a chance with him out there. For all the headaches he caused, I'd take him back. I really would. I'm not sure what that says about me as a Vikings fan, but that's the way I feel. Look at the current team now. Is there ANYBODY on that roster that excites you? Anybody that makes you say "yes we've got a chance this year!!" The conference will be mediocre again, and it's really truly anyone's for the taking. But we need a playmaker, whether at quarterback or receiver, to make it happen. We've got like 3 solid months to discuss what the Vikes should or shouldn't do in the draft, but we need somebody to hang our collective hats on, and there's only one player I want: CALVIN JOHNSON! They'd have to go up to 3 to get him, which Chilly would never do because, well, that's another story entirely. But still, some draft folks call him a bigger, faster version of Fitzgerald, with a similar demeanor and work ethic. How can you not want that guy? Although it's fun I know better than to start taking these mock drafts too seriously right now, but just seeing the Vikings taking a Ted Ginn Jr scares me. CJ's the man to solve all of our problems. Do you think if we send an email barrage to Winter Park telling them to trade up for CJ that they'd do it? Didn't think so either, but just thought I'd throw it out there. Speaking of which, if you've got better ideas on how to improve this team and make them watchable next year, PLEASE, feel free to share. We'd love to hear from you.

Jeremy: Thoughts on Mediocrity

So Jeff likes to make fun of me for not finding enough time to post anything on this site. That's funny, Jeffrick, real funny. Especially coming from a guy that doesn't have a job.
Okay, that was a low blow. I admit it. I'm sorry Jeffrick, and I'll say it, I miss you.

*The Wolves are horrible. It's just sad how bad they are considering how good Kevin Garnett is. In my opinion (which is quite obviously and admittedly incredibly biased) KG is still, quietly because his team is horrible, one of the 5 best players in the NBA. Can you even begin to imagine how bad these guys would be without KG? It would be epic!!! The Celtics and Grizzlies are tied for the worst record in the league today with 12 wins each, making them the leaders in the Greg Oden sweepstakes at this point. Without KG, you can rest assured that Oden would be wearing a Wolves jersey next year.

*In an earlier post I said that it was time to let KG go so that he could play for a contender and try for a championship. I have softened my stance on this a bit because I still love KG. But the biggest reason that I don't think that we should trade KG. Here's why: if we trade KG, guess who has to do it? That's right, Kevin McHale. My new position is that as long as Kevin McHale is the GM of the Timberwolves, we should not trade Kevin Garnett. McHale has proven time and time again that he cannot accurately evaluate talent in the NBA, so what makes us think that we could get equal value for KG. It seems like a no-brainer to be able to get some good young talent in exchange for KG, but McHale would no doubt find a way to package a first round pick into the deal along with KG.

*As a Vikings fan things feel pretty hopeless right now. The only hope we had, Mike Tomlin's defense, is now gone. The good news is that the talent is mostly there, and it's mostly young. The bad news, of course, is that Brad Childress is the man who is choosing who will wrangle that talent into a defense. Considering that Brad Childress couldn't game-plan his way out of a paper bag, I don't have a lot of confidence in whoever our next D-Coordinator will be. The fact that Tomlin turned out to be such a solid coordinator was a gift to Big Brad. As I am often fond of saying on this page, even a blind squirrel finds a nut.

*Three weeks into the Tim Brewster era at the U of M football facilities and everything seems to be coming up roses. Whoa! Maybe that wasn't the best use of language, might be a little mature on that one. Well, at least everyone seems to be happy. Players, administration, new coaches, the media, even most of the recruits that had previously committed to the Mason regime have decided to stick around. And, of course, Brewster's son Clint has decided to join his dad with the Maroon & Gold. Clint will likely red-shirt, but even without him in the mix there is considerable question as to who will lead the Gophs on offense next season. Personally I think I'd like to see Adam Weber get the nod. He's a little bigger than Cupito and is said to have a cannon for an arm and to have the ability to scramble as well. Mortenson of course is bigger than Weber, but he does not have the footwork of Weber, and the jury is still out on his arm strength.

Jeff: Brave New World

In the waning moments of Super Bowl XLI it started to sink in that the Colts were about to be crowned Super Bowl Champions. As Peyton Manning and the Colts celebrated and the monkey was forever thrown from his back, I started to wonder just what kind of world we were living in. Manning, the guy who had never won a game that really mattered (0-4 vs Florida in college- people forget Tennessee won the National Title AFTER he left!- and he'd never won an AFC Championship game, let alone won a Super Bowl), in a span of 3 weeks had knocked off Tom Brady and the Patriots and then beat a good Bears team in sloppy conditions in Miami on the world's biggest stage. 3 weeks ago if he wasn't so nice and people weren't so in love with him (or if he played in a bigger market), we'd have called him a choker. Now? We can put him in the conversation as one of the greatest of all-time. I couldn't have been more wrong about him. The guy who I thought not only wouldn't ever win a Super Bowl but COULDN'T ever win a Super Bowl just did. As Ricky Bobby would say "THAT just happened!" I mean, what's next? World peace? Dave Matthews makes listenable music again? Alex Rodriguez wins a World Series? Thankfully the last one will only happen if hell freezes over, and since I don't think we're quite there yet, I can still safely say A-Rod will never win a World Series.

But the world has definitely been turned upside down. Black is white, up is down, left is right, tall is short, back is front, or as Dr. Peter Venkman said "cats and dogs living together- mass hysteria!" Yes there's so many things that I've just assumed won't happen, but now because of the Colts win I've had to re-evaluate. Besides the Vikings, Mariners, Canucks, UDub Huskies, Gophers (football and hoops), Wolves and Wild winning a championship, could these impossibilites be possible?

* Jer posts on this website more than once every 6 months
* Kevin McHale makes a good trade- and receives a 1st round pick without giving one up!
* The Vikings have a good offense and good defense- in the SAME season
* Gophers fire Glen Mason because he's a mediocre football coach (I know I know but I STILL can't believe that actually happened)
* Blades of Glory somehow DOESN'T win an Oscar for Best Movie Ever Made!
* The Minnesota Twins trade for a cleanup hitter- and pay to keep him
* David Beckham actually makes Americans care about soccer
* Sidney Crosby actually makes Americans care about hockey
* College football installs a playoff system
* We discover that Paris Hilton has talent in something (well besides that)
* Barry Bonds becomes likable
* Red Sox fans realize they've become just like Yankees fans
* The national media in Toronto realizes there actually are people living in Canada west of Ontario. No really, there are
* Americans realize there are actually people living north of them- and south of them, and on other continents too. No really, there are
* NBA refs treat Dwyane Wade the same as everybody else
* Steve Nash wins a 3rd straight MVP award
* Terrell Owens shuts the hell up
* I start watching NASCAR
* Our tens of readers start posting comments

Jeff: Thank You Brett. Thank You

Surprise! Brett Favre is coming back! That he's coming back was not a surprise to us here at MWSR, since we've been saying he'd be coming back for months now. What WAS surprising is that he didn't take 8 months announce it like last year. Favre has been doing the "pondering retirement to draw attention to myself routine" for the last 4 or 5 years, and I've been as sick of that as I have of all the pandering and praising that the media and fans do for the man all year long. So I for one am thankful that Favre is said today's he back for good and we don't have to drag this out again through training camp.

My buddy Ben, who's been a die-hard Packers fan since Reggie White signed there forever ago, was nice enough to call me and rub it in that Fav-ray is back and it's going to be "another long year for the purple." I have to admit that the Pack could indeed be Back next year. They finished 8-8 last year with one of the youngest teams in the league, and with a few more free agent additions and draft choices, especially in the secondary, there's no reason the Pack can't contend in what should once again be a very mediocre NFC.

But then I got to thinking...if you compare The Purple to Green Bay, why can't the Vikes be contenders too? Our big gaping holes are at quarterback, receiver, and play-calling. No question about that and those are three areas that absolutely positively have to be addressed next year for Minnesota to contend. But our O-line, running backs (with a healthy Tony Richardson), and tight ends are better than the Pack. Our D-line and secondary are also better. So they win on QB, WR, LB, and coach. With Chad Greenway back next year and a boatload of money to spend again, the Vikes SHOULD be able to improve their backers, add another corner, find somebody that can complete passes, and a couple of guys to catch them. Really, in today's NFL, it SHOULDN'T be that hard! So yes, the Pack will be Back next year, but the Vikings have no excuse not to be next year too.

Jeff: Can Manning Win the Big One?

So apparently the Super Bowl is this weekend. Really? Already? I thought they were taking 2 months off between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl just so we can build the proper amount of hype and build up. Two weeks of beating us over the head with the same stories or then finding new and even more meaningless stories to hit us with just isn't enough. Thank god there's a 9 hour pregame at least.

The only good thing about having 2 weeks until the Super Bowl has been the NFL Network running the "America's Game" series, which counts down the best 20 Super Bowl teams ever with 20 one hour shows. If you love football you have to find a way to watch this. NFL Films is as good as it gets for showing off its sport, and nobody else is close. The depth, the interviews, and of course all the film is just awesome. I don't even like or care about most of the teams they've shown, but to see it and learn about what made the Steelers or Cowboys of the '70's great has been interesting. I also understand now why Raider owner Al Davis still believes in "Just Win Baby" and throwing the deep ball and everything else because of his 1976 team. That was a crazy team (throughout the hour it also shows just how good a coach John Madden was), but it worked for them and won. The things that worked for that team won't work in today's NFL which explains why Davis shouldn't be making decisions for the Raiders anymore, but at least now I understand why he is the way he is.

The other thing the America's Game series gives is perspective, which is something that can be applied to Peyton Manning and the Colts. I've never been a big Peyton guy, believing that he's been showered with praise and adoration by anyone and everyone without having ever won a title in college or the pros. My belief was that he was the Alex Rodriguez of football, that he'd be the greatest regular season quarterback of all-time, but would never ever win the big game. The win against New England 3 months ago or 2 weeks ago or however long ago it was that they actually played a football game in the AFC Championship, was a big win for Manning, but it'll mean nothing if he doesn't win Sunday. However, after watching America's Game shows about the '76 Raiders and the '98 Broncos (also nice of them to show the Gary Anderson miss again vs the Falcons. Thanks for that kick in the unmentionables) I no longer believe he can't win the Big One. Maybe you didn;t know this either, but before the 1976 season, the Raiders had lost 6 AFC Championship games. 6! They were a team that had a tag that "couldn't win the big one". And of course the Broncos of the late '90's talked all about how Elway was hearing the same things Manning's hearing now about being a choker and never being able to come through when it counts. Then in the twilight of his career, an aging Elway wins two Super Bowls, which had much more to do with Terrell Davis and his supporting cast than his own play, and yet because of the Super Bowl win he's now looked at as one of the greatest ever (and rightfully so).

Manning could win this Sunday like Elway did and cement his place already as one of the all-time greats. Or he loses and continues in the Dan Marino class of "great but never won a Super Bowl." It's not fair, because Manning IS a great quarterback, but that's the expectations that come with the position. Oh and I also heard Manning complaining at media day about getting too much credit or too much blame for the Colts' success: um Peyton? When you're in every commercial on TV and are the face of not only your team but the league, you can't complain about media criticism and getting too much attention. If you don't like all the attention then do what Tom Brady did and stop doing commercials. Really it's that easy.

Having said that I hold no ill will towards Peyton and will gladly admit I was wrong about him if he wins. But that's still a BIG if.

Jeremy: McHale Axes Another

The only difference between the Wolves firing Dwane Casey today, and the firing of Flip Saunders two seasons ago is that Casey has not completed two season as coach.
Outside of that Kevin McHale did today to Casey exactly what he did to Flip: McHale fired Dwane Casey because of McHale's lack of performance, not because of Casey's.
Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Dwane Casey is a great coach, because I don't know. What I'm saying is that Casey was given a crayon and some construction paper, and he was asked to re-create the Mona Lisa. Leonardo himself couldn't do that.
Jeff and I have literally been saying this for years, but it is Kevin McHale who should be shouldering the blame for the Wolves lack of wins on the court. It shouldn't be Dwane Casey taking the blame, and it certainly shouldn't have been Flip Saunders.
We could go on for pages and pages about all of the mistakes that McHale has made, but it all boils down to the fact that he has never given whoever the coach of the Wolves happens to be, the players in order to build a championship team. Let's face facts here, McHale got lucky with Spreewell and Cassell in 2004. The fact that he wasn't before able, and hasn't since been able, to build a proven winner on the floor, proves the fact that even a blind squirrel is going to find a nut every now and then. The cogs have simply never been there to make this team a championship caliber team.
I love Kevin Garnett. It's well-documented here. He's my favorite athlete of all time, and it's not even close. He embodies everything that can be good in a pro athlete off the court, and he's still top player in the NBA on the court. Having said that, it's time for KG to go.
I'm convinced, now more than ever, that when it comes to the Wolves, it's time to blow the whole damn thing up.
It's time to trade KG and get some young talent into the Target Center to surround Randy Foye & Rashad McCants because they are the future of this franchise.
It's time to can Kevin McHale and bring Freddie "The Mayor" Hoiberg off of the GM-bench and let him run the team.
It's time to allow KG to move on and win a ring someplace else, because Kevin McHale is absolutely, without question, unable to build a winner around him.
In the meantime, let's all hope that someday we can find a job like Kevin McHale has. One where you can squander your company's money and not get in trouble. One where you can consistently under-perform and still not find a pink-slip on your computer. One where you can mismanage to the point of making a mockery of your company and your industry, and still feel confident that you will have a paycheck on Friday.

Jeff: Mini Rants

Yo. After today I'll be off the posting train for awhile. Starting middle of next week I'll be relying on good ol' dial-up internet (yes it still exists, and yes it's just as awful as you remember it) to surf this thing Al Gore invented called the interweb, but I'll continue posting. I wonder what posting from Canada's metric internet will be like? Will my words be worth 1.6 of the American words I've been using down here? Will I have to double every post and add 32? Will you be able to pick up my accent when I say "no doot aboot it eh!"? Well it's an adventure we'll all share together. Mmmmmmmm thanks adventure.

Ok so I've got about 46 things I want to talk about, but limited space and time to do so.

HALL-OF-FAME VOTING
The voting process is ridiculous on so many levels, for both baseball and football. How do Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken not get 100% of the vote? Whichever baseball writers did NOT put these gentlemen on their ballots should be fired on the spot because they obviously know nothing about the game. And what about former Vikings guard Randall McDaniel? 12 STRAIGHT PRO BOWL SELECTIONS as well as being named one of the two best guards in the decade of the 1990's, and he's NOT EVEN ON THE FREAKING BALLOT? Seriously, how ridiculous is that? This isn't a popularity contest, it should be about the best players getting in. I know Randall will make it but the man was clearly one of THE best at his position his whole career, and should be in as soon as he's eligible. Why is he left off? Because the writers hold this place of honor for "first ballot hall-of-famers". Writers think it's a big deal whether he gets in his first year, or how much of that vote he gets. Does anybody else? Can you tell me how many votes Kirby Puckett got? What about Harmon Killebrew or Alan Paige? See nobody cares! The only thing we care about is whether they get in or not!

THE HALL OF GOOD
In all sports, we're way too sentimental about this. The Hall of Fame for any sport should be for the best of the best, not the pretty good, or was good for awhile, but the greats. This is why each team has a Hall-of-Fame or Ring of Honor or whatever you want to call it. Honor the guys that meant something to your franchise and fan base, like Andre Reed or Andre Tippett. Good players who meant a lot to the Bills and Pats respectively, but weren't ever the best players at their positions in the league. Leave the Hall of Fame for the truly greats.

STEROID VOTING
Nevermind the double standard that we have between football and baseball. Nobody cares that Shawn Merriman was suspended for 4 games for using steroids, but everybody seems to care that Mark McGwire MAY HAVE used the same thing and now we're treating him like the worst human being on the planet. ESPN baseball scribe Buster Olney is bang-on in his belief that when it comes to Hall-of-Fame voting for this "Steriod Era" you either vote for everybody or nobody. Period. Although McGwire appears guilty of juicing up, we still have no hard evidence to prove it. Last I checked this is America, where you need actual evidence to prove somebody guilty. We have suspicion but no proof. Not only that, we have no idea how many of these guys were actually using. Yes we have the rumor mill of McGwire, Bonds, Sosa and others who we THINK used, but what about the leadoff hitters like Alex Sanchez or the relief pitchers like Juan Rincon who we KNOW used?!? If those guys are steriod users, then we truly have no idea who did or didn't, and you can't keep McGwire or Bonds out on suspicion, when some other players that are coming up for election very well could have been using too. If you're taking the high road, which is ridiculous in the first place BECAUSE STERIODS WEREN'T ILLEGAL IN BASEBALL AT THE TIME, then you can't vote for anybody because we'll never truly know who's a juicer. Otherwise, vote for the guys who look to be Hall-worthy and leave it at that.

NFL PLAYOFFS
Wow what a weekend, at least in the AFC. In the NFC, I'm hoping for a Chicago/New Orleans matchup next week, but you can't look at me with a straight face and tell me you believe that's going to happen. It's really a toss-up all the way around, and it's not because of how good these teams are, but because of how flawed. The AFC, on the other hand, has talent all over the place. Can Belichek and Brady knock out the superior Chargers, who have a terrible big-game coach and an inexperienced quarterback, as well as a solid D and the best player on the planet? Can Peyton Manning complete passes with both hands around his neck? Are the Ravens the best team in football? All intriguing questions that I can't wait to have answered.

Jeff: Taking A Ride on the Coaching Carousel

Coaches are becoming as big a story as the teams or sports they coach, and money and loyalty are the two biggest reasons why. Nick Saban leaves the Miami Dolphins after just two seasons to sign an 8 year $38 million contract with Alabama. He was lambasted for not being honest about wanting the Bama job and for leaving the Fins high and dry after only two seasons. This only shows that both the media, and us the readers or watchers, can be very hypocritical.

Where was this venom the first 3 or 4 times Saban switched jobs? 1 year at Toledo, 4 years at Michigan State, 4 years at LSU (where he won a split National Title in 2003), then 2 years at Miami. Where were the loyalty questions then? Each time the man broke his contract to take a better position and a better paycheck. In any other profession, would this be questioned? Would he be called a traitor and worse for taking the opportunity for a better job? Would he be called a liar for not telling the media he was interested in the Bama job?

Puh-lease. I'm guessing all 6 of you that read us regularly have applied and accepted a new job while working at another place. Did you march into your bosses office and tell him or her that you in fact weren't going for lunch but instead to interview for another job? Of course not. If you played your cards right, I'm guessing your boss didn't know you were leaving until you gave your 2 weeks notice. So how can you expect Saban to give a straight answer to the media that would hurt his bargaining position? A "no comment" might as well be "I've already booked my plane ticket for Tuscaloosa." If it's anything but "I'm staying with the Dolphins for the rest of my freaking life" then everybody hammers him for looking around. West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez parlayed the open position with the Crimson Tide into a raise and bigger paycheck. That's just as shrewd as what Saban did, but because he stayed, it's no big deal.

Why is it that it's ok for guys to show no loyalty to smaller schools as they work their way up the coaching ladder, or for coordinators to break contracts (like the guy who takes the U job will do) to take a better opportunity, but it's not ok for Saban or Steve Spurrier or Larry Brown or any number of coaches who reach the Big Time to do the same? Considering his track record, if I were an AD, would I give a huge long GUARANTEED contract to Saban? Absolutely not. But then again if I were an NFL GM I wouldn't put TO on my team if he were paying me millions of dollars, and yet WHEN the Cowboys cut him, I will guarantee you someone else will take a chance on the guy. It's a free market system of supply and demand, and just because you don't like someone or how they handle their business, if someone's willing to pay a guy, or pay him more than his current employer, I just don't understand why he gets lambasted as a traitor or liar for doing something that 99.9% of us would do if given the same opportunity.

Jeff: Manly Manliness

Mmmmm hmmmm. If you're in the Upper Midwest this weekend, or probably even if you're not, you're certain to feel a rumble of manliness wash over the plains, causing you to feel like you should be running free in the woods with an "epic" beard, a shotgun in one hand, and a beer in the other. This rumble will eminate from somewhere in the Northwoods this weekend as it's once again time for the Winter Man Weekend. I've already broken the 1st two rules of the Man Weekend (the first rule is: you don't talk about the Man Weekend with those not going. The 2nd rule is YOU DON'T TALK ABOUT THE MAN WEEKEND WITH THOSE NOT GOING), but I just thought I'd let you know that the howl of men and barbaric yops you hear cascading over the ridiculously unfrozen lakes and unsnow-covered trees will be ours.

While we're gone there will be NFL games. Is it entirely unmanly to not watch playoff football? Insolent fool! Not when you already know what's going to happen! The Chefs will run all over the Colts, the 6-2 Giants team that started the season will show up in Philly and upset the Eagles, the Seahawks, because of the best homefield advantage in football and because I hate the Cowbows, will end Dallas' season, and the Patriots will take care of business against the J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS!

Your Golden Gopher athletic department continues its search for a new football and basketball coach. For more on the football coach, go to Jer's FireGlenMason site, which could now be renamed "Thank You For Firing GLen Mason". I don't know much about this whole thing, but I do know that Larry Coker is NOT the answer for Minnesota. The guy won at Miami with former coach Butch Davis' kids, and his control of the program and recruiting was slipping. They can do better. For perhaps for the first time in my life (and hopefully the last), I actually agree with Sid Hartman, who suggests the Gophers talk to former Wisconsin president Donna Shalala (who's now at Miami) and ask her how they went about building the Badger football program. Jer and I are apparently two of the few people in the State who believe that Gopher football should be as competitive as Wisconsin and Iowa every year. The Badgers program was just as sorry as Minnesota's before Shalala hired Barry Alvarez. With the right coach (i.e. one who actually believes he can win at The U, will make an honest attempt to recruit the homestate, and who will take responsibility for his mistakes rather than blaming everyone else) I believe it can happen. Hopefully administration does too.

Have a good weekend, even though it won't be as manly as mine.

Jeff: Chilly Needs One More Year

At a lovely meal at Buca's downtown for the equally lovely Mrs. Jer's birthday dinner, I was discussing the Vikes with Nato, a friend of the site. The two biggest topics that came up were firing head coach Brad Childress, and cutting WR Troy Williamson. Nato believes strongly that Chilly should have been fired yesterday, but that Williamson deserves one more year. I believe the opposite. As the talks unfolded, I realized that the same rationale I had for keeping Childress was the same he had for keeping Williamson. That's the kind of season it's been for The Purple, and this is what it's doing to its fans.

My argument for keeping Chilly is that he needs the chance to prove he can adapt. I have not been impressed with Chilly whatsoever thus far, and can see Nato's point about there having been few if any signs of hope or progress in year 1 of the Chilly Regime. His "kick-ass" scheme, as he so eloquently called it a couple of days ago, has been anything but. Strib beat writer Kevin Seifert pondered a few days ago whether it's the players' fault for running and throwing short routes on 3rd down that don't produce 1st downs, or if it's "the scheme" that is telling them to do it (as he notes, 43 times this year, or 40% of 3rd downs, the Vikes have completed passes that have come up short of a 1st down)? After watching Jackson on Thursday night, I wonder if it's not the scheme after all. A kid with a CANNON and great mobility sat in the pocket all night doing his best Brad Johnson impression (the first long ball that Williamsons dropped not withstanding. What a throw!) by throwing short and playing it safe. It seems that Chilly's philosophy is to live another day by not taking many chances, yet that strategy has failed despite a very good defense.

These coaches, just like the players, have gigantic egos, so big it's a wonder they can fit them under their headsets. They believe supremely in their "system" or "scheme" or whatever it is, and they want to do things their way to prove just how great a coach they are. Well if you know anything about football, you know the best coaches and players are the ones who make adjustments on the fly. No matter how good your scheme is, other teams will make the proper adjustments to stop it. It appears that other teams early on realized that if you stop Chester Taylor and the Vikes running game, you stop the offense, and that's essentially what's happened.

Nato doesn't buy the idea that Childress can change because he hasn't bothered to change all year. Although I wouldn't disagree, I'd still like to see him run this thing with a competant QB AND/or some receivers who can catch. You get away with a mediocre QB or bad receivers in the NFL, but not both. THe O-line is also adjusting to a new way of blocking (I know zone blocking is different than regular blocking, but couldn't even begin to tell you how. I just know it is), and so I'd like to see them get a full year and another offseason learning how to run it. There's some player big decisions to be made for next season, like quarterback (is Jackson ready to start?), and wide receiver (draft a couple? sign a couple of more?), as well as cornerback on defense (Fred Smoot is as good as gone). Give Childress some upgrades at these positions, and then let's see how he does. If the only ass his offense is kicking is his own, then it's time to find somebody else.

I also worry about firing a coach after only a year because of what's happened in Washington. The Redskins went through like 19 coaches and were overhauling the roster every year. Result? Nothing very positive in that time. A coach in the NFL needs 2 years to get a full group of "his guys" in there to try and do what he wants. Again this is not an endorsement for Childress, because he's been disappointing at best this year, but he should get one more season to prove he can coach.

As for Troy Williamson, another year's not going to do him any good. 10 more years won't do him any good! Williamson wasn't thrown to much at South Carolina, and now we see why. As he showed on that first deep ball on Thursday night, it doesn't matter how fast he can run if he can't make the proper adjustments and catch the damn ball when it comes to him. You can teach a receiver things like how to run routes, how to read a zone and where to settle in, as well learning to catch the ball with your hands instead of trapping it against your body. But what Williamson can't do, which is find the ball and adjust to it and then catch it when it comes to you, can't be taught. You can either do it or you can't. Cut your losses and move on, because there's slower guys who be much more productive with the playing time he's been given...not necessarily on this year's squad, but hopefully there will be next year.

Jeff: My Christmas Wish List

Well I can already tell you that Santa granted my biggest wish last night: an end to the Vikings season. With a loss that was as easy on the eyes as Brad Childress in a speedo, the Vikings are finally mathematically eliminated from the NFC playoff race, and we'll only have to endure one more regular season game. Is it possible that the Vikings can have a stifling offense as well as defense? When you have negative net yards offense in the first half, well, you don't deserve to be in the playoffs no matter how bad your conference is. So since my biggest Christmas has been answered, being the kind-hearted guy I am, here's what I hope Santa leaves under the tree for others:

Brad Childress: a new offensive scheme for 2007 that involves scoring points, converting 3rd downs, and completing passes more than 5 yards downfield. I also hope it involves this discipline he speaks of, since the Vikes had another 10 penalities last night and continue to lead the league in that category.
Tavaris Jackson: some receivers that can actually catch.
Brett Favre: a speedy decision on whether he's coming back or not. This has no chance of happening since I'm sure Santa has a man-crush on him too, and just loves how much "fun" Brett has out there. "Look at him! Look at how much fun he's having! Look at the terrible throw! Look at that interception! He's just having so much dog-on fun out there! He just loves football! And I love Brett!!" Sorry, broke out into Favre-arian there. So yes we can expect him to drag the thing out all winter, spring, and summer to receive massive amounts of media adoration that he claims he doesn't care about, and then announce he's coming back. There are now officially two seasons in Packerland: football season and "Is Favre coming back?!?!?" season.
Packer Fans: A case of old mil and a vat of nacho cheese to get them through the roller coaster ride of the "Is Favre coming back?!?" season.
LaDanian Tomlinson: A Super Bowl, or at least a chance to play for one. I don't want to see a guy this good have a Barry Sanders-like career.
Terrell Owens: to lead the league in dropped passes and not even be the best receiver on his own team so that he won't be able to talk about how great he is. What's that? He DID lead the league in drops? And Terry Glenn's a better receiver? And he's STILL mentioned at least 700 times a night on Sportscenter?
Timberwolves Owner Glen Taylor: get the dirty pictures or incriminating evidence of himself back from Kevin McHale so he can fire the Big Ostrich, and get a guy to run the Wolves that actually knows what he's doing. And somebody who doesn't mind putting in a 40 hour work week. Of course he'd actually have to be able to find McHale to fire him. McHale sees his office at Target Center about as often as Rueben Studdard sees his feet.
Kevin McHale: Since killing someone is still considered morally wrong, even if they've caused as much pain and anguish over the last decade as McHale has for Wolves fans, then I won't wish for that. Just a new non-basketball related job for McHale in 2007, like GM of the Minnesota Lynx.
Isiah Thomas: 10 more years running the Knicks. Please.
Francisco Liriano: a healthy left elbow.
Joe Mauer: for rudolf and the other reindeer to pin him down while Santa shaves off those $^%&*ing sideburns!!! Joe it's 2006! You're one of the best players in baseball and you look like an idiot! Sideburns went out with Dylan McKay in like 1996!
Joel Maturi: a letter of resignation.
Glen Mason: ditto.
Rick Majerus: job as new basketball coach at the U.
Lou Nanne: to take Maturi's spot as AD (seriously have you heard that guy lately on Barriero's show talking about the Gopher hoops coaching search? Who knew hockey players knew about other things besides hockey?!? Put Louie in charge! The man will get things done!).

My final wish is for you and yours to have a very Merry Christmas!

Jeremy: Packer Week

Some thoughts about being a Vikings fan in a world of sports mediocrity:

*There is literally no good natured banter in the office today about tonight's Viking/Packer tilt. Nobody is excited about this game like most years, or even as excited about the first match-up earlier this year. You've got two teams who have performed poorly all year, playing for a the glimmer of hope that a playoff spot might fall into their laps and bragging rights. It's hard to be excited. Actually, it's hard to be excited about much of anything sports-related in this town right now. Every team we claim is either mediocre, or full-on terrible.

*It's always fun to see how Sid is going to react when a local sports figure has been bad-mouthed in this town. Look, I don't think that Brad Johnson deserved to be booed on Sunday. He did not play poorly, but don't get me wrong, he certainly did not play well enough to win. Sid takes things a bit far in his defense of Johnson today.
"Johnson owns a Super Bowl ring, and when he retires he will go down in history as being one of the better quarterbacks to ever play in the league."
Two problems with that statement.
#1, what constitutes calling Johnson "one of the better quarterback to ever play in the league"? Better than what? And what makes him better? The fact that he's been a starter?
#2, the fact that Johnson has a Super Bowl ring does not make him immune to booing.

*I'm with Jeff, the Tarvaris Jackson era needed to start. I think everyone was ready to have the Brad Johnson experiment come to an end. At this point Brad Johnson is like an old, lucky pair of boxers: they're beat-up, there's a hole here and there, they've lost some elasticity, but you just can't bring yourself to let go of them. But one day you realize a new hole, one that might cause you to get your wedding-tackle caught in the zipper. Thankful that you haven't already lost your facilities, and certain that it's time to part with your old friend, you move on. Hopefully Tarvaris doesn't end up being like boxer-briefs.

*I was a little surprised last night when I heard Joe "Mr. Fun" Anderson talking on KFAN last night and saying that he believes that if Brad Childress' job isn't in jeopardy heading into the final two games, he believes it should be. I don't understand this. Mike Tice fell into a 9-7 record last year by beating a host of bad teams. The fact that Brad Childress is going to finish with a record below Tice's means nothing. He's a first year head coach whose quarterback is unable to create anything on his own in the way of offense. Chilly deserves at least another year to show that he is able to build upon what he has started.

Jeff: AI Traded- KG Next?

As you've no doubt heard by now, the Philadelphia 76ers have dealt disgruntled star guard Allen Iverson- and it wasn't to Minnesota. The Denver Nuggets were the big winners of the AI sweepstakes, obtaining Iverson and something called Ivan McFarlin for point guard Andre Miller, Glen Taylor & Kevin McHale's love child Joe Smith (or more accurately Joe Smith's expiring $7 million contract), and 2 1st round picks, those of Denver and Dallas. I liked this trade for Philly because although they didn't get either of the young guys they really coveted (Minny's Randy Foye or the Clips Shaun "Dr Livingston, I presume") they still got a good team-first guard in Miller, an expiring contract that will start to relieve them of the league's 3rd highest payroll, and 2 more first round picks in what should be the deepest draft in years. It's not great, but considering the circumstances, and how poor GM Billy King's track record has been with trading, drafts, or, well basically being a GM, they did as well as they could.

I didn't like this deal for Denver, because I wondered how AI and Carmello could co-exist, and how there'd be enough shots for both, and with Miller gone, who would be getting these guys the ball? Then I read The Professor John Hollinger's Insider column on it (it's on ESPN.com but there's no point linking to it because if you don't have Insider you can't read it). Hollinger, with humor, insight, and other-worldly statistical analysis, has fast become my favorite NBA scribe, and he didn't let me down. In a nut-shell (insert Austin Powers joke here), here's why this should be a great trade for the Nuggets:

• They play at one of the fastest paces in the league (Phoenix, obviously, being the other), and other than Steve Nash, nobody likes to push the pace more than Iverson. He's a great fit for that system.
• Melo's leading the league in scoring, but it's not like he's taking every shot. Sure AI will take a few shots away from Melo, but he'll be taking most of the shots away from the departed Miller, and the might-as-well-be-gone 5'5 Earl Boykins, who's currently shooting 37% from the field. That's a big-time improvement for Denver.
• Denver's lowpost guys, Marcus Camby, Reggie Evans, and Nene, are all good defenders and rebounders, and, most importantly, don't need a lot of shots.
• Finally, coach George Karl is used to dealing with, um, head strong guards, like Gary Payton in Seattle or Sam Cassell in Milwaukee. Karl should figure out a way to keep everybody happy

Hollinger thinks the Nuggets are now a legit title contender. I scoffed at that too, but think about it: sure the Nuge will have problems containing Duncan, Stoudamire, or Dirk. But who the hell is going to guard Melo AND AI? The Nuggets now have 2 guys who are completely unguardable 1-on-1. If Carmelo and Iverson can put aside their egos a bit, this could work very, very well.

So what does this mean for the Wolves? Well for the front-office, it's probably time for them to put their heads back in the sand and keep believing that this is still a playoff team and they don't have to blow it up and start over. That's assinine, of course, because as Jer and I have been saying for well over a year now, this team's salary structure is so awful for the remainder of Garnett's contract, there's no way to add a good player through free agency. It's also going to be difficult through the draft when you're going to lose at least 1 #1 to the Clippers, and possibly also the one owed to the Celtics before Garnett's deal is up. And we just saw why it's going to be near impossible to improve the team through trades. The Wolves had the one guy in Randy Foye that Philly wanted most, but because of all the horrible contracts and lack of #1 picks, they couldn't get it done (Or as Steve Aschburner explains, it was because McHale thought Foye was too valuable to give up). Any way you slice it, this is the Wolves team you'll be looking at for the next 2 plus years, which means at best they're a 7 or 8 seed (which looks exceedingly doubtful now that the Wolves biggest division rival just got a helluva lot better), or at worse one of the 7 or 8 worst teams in the league.

Not getting Iverson means keeping KG is completely worthless, as well as senseless. They are NOT and will NOT be a championship contender as long as Garnett stays. That's the facts. If the front office continues to believe otherwise, they're only fooling themselves, and trying to fool the fans. I know nobody wants to see Garnett goes, but him staying means you're going to watch a mediocre-at-best team, and I would hope nobody wants to see that. I unfortunately believe Taylor and McHale are too gutless to pull the trigger on a KG deal at the deadline, so the only hope now is KG finally realizes that the goodship Timberwolf is sinking like the Titanic, and if he wants off before it goes completely under, it's up to him to demand a trade and get out. AI was the one shot the Wolves had at salvaging this, but now it's either deal The Franchise, or continue the long, slow, inevitable desent towards the bottom of the league.

Jeff: Monday Musings

• If I could have but one Christmas wish, I'd hope that Santa would beat BRad Childress over the head with his bag of toys, and have Rudolph repeatedly kick him in the jingle bells until he agrees that the Brad Johnson Era is officially over and the Tavaris Jackson Era has started. As the Strib reports, Chilly hasn't named a starter for Thursday's tilt with the Pack yet, but the fans choice, as well as the only logical one, would be for Jackson to make his first career start. Yes on the surface Johnson's numbers were decent yesterday, with a QB rating of 94.1, but anyone who watched the game knows how hollow those numbers are. Other than a great throw to Travis Taylor for the the Vikes opening TD, the offense was stagnant under Johnson all afternoon, and posed no serious threat. Is Jackson a better QB than Johnson right now? Probably not, but he can't be much worse. The other guys on offense certainly aren't responding much to Johnson's and Chilly's penchant for playing it safe and dumping it off time after time. I haven't seen a stat for "most 3rd down completions that come up well short of a first down" but if there were, Johnson would be leading the league. Souhan's column today was snarky and sarcastic, but I think he makes a good point near the end when he wonders if Jackson's going to be forced to make the same reads Johnson did and continue playing it safe. I don't condone throwing deep downfield every play, but it'd be nice to see the Vikes actually attempt to convert a 3rd down every now and then, you know, like the Jets did, where they throw the ball to a receiver who's beyond the 1st down marker instead of one who's 5 yards short of it. Jackson's not going to make this team a whole lot better, but he won't make them worse, and they need to figure out what kind of learning curve the kid's going to have heading into next year.
• If it's possible in today's world of 24 hour sports networks and the internet and blogosphere where EVERYTHING is overhyped and one good quarter from a guy warrants him being called "The Greatest" LaDanian Tomlinson is underappreciated. After 6 amazing years, I'm still not ready to talk about him as one of the greatest of all-time, but a few more years like this and he's definitely there. I can say, in watching him shred the Chiefs, that the guy makes moves and sees running lanes develop that nobody else sees, let alone gets to. He runs over people or around them, and is the best receiving back in the league, and is hands down the best player in the league. And yet his exposure is dwarfed by that of Terrell Owen's because Tomlinson is a good guy with a quiet demeanor who hands the ball to the ref after each of his 28 TD's this year. Tomlinson's a class act, and you can't possibly overhype that.
• STILL no AI trade, but it looks like the Wolves are still in the running as they possess the guy Philly wants most out of this, Villanova alum Randy Foye. AI coming to Minnesota would be the best thing to happen to the Wolves since KG was drafted, but I'm still doubtful McHale has the cahones to pull the trigger. Depending on who you want to believe, the Nuggets, Celtics, or Clippers are in the lead at any given moment.
• Brad Radke will officially retire tomorrow. In Twins history, he finishes 3rd all time in wins (148), 2nd in career starts (377), 3rd in strikeouts (1467), and in typical Radke fashion, first in home runs given up (326).
• Looks like the Little Engine That Could will try and find Radke's replacement in the rotation from in-house candidates, and the way the offseason has unfolded, I don't think you can blame them. The price for a free agent starting pitcher is ridiculous, and because of that, teams are asking for the moon if you want to trade for a pitcher. Looks like the LETC will slot Santana as the opening day starter (duh), with Carlos "Hi Ho" Silva, Boof Bonser, and Matt Garza filling the next 4 spots, leaving Scott Baker and Gopher alum Glen Perkins to fight for the 5th spot. There's definitely some question marks there but also some young talent, and with the strength of the Twins bullpen they should be able to get at least 4 reliable starts out of the 5 days.