Week 3 Recap: 49ers @ Vikings

This is for my only out of state reader, Kory Ellingson. He lives down in Iowa and is at the mercy of their television programming. He complained that they aired the Green Bay/St. Louis matchup, then jumped to the Detroit/Washington game (to capture Detroit snapping their losing streak...high quality TV!), neglecting one of the most memorable game winning drives in Vikings history. I also have to apologize that I was forced to listen to the game on the radio (except for the last five minutes, we caught "the drive" on TV), due to driving back from Kansas City...but, here are some random things I took away from the game on Sunday:

* Favre's completion percentage wasn't even close to what it was last week. However, he seems to do just enough to move the chains on 3rd down when passing the ball. Having confidence with a quarterback on converting a 3rd down attempt hasn't been there the last 4-5 years.

* No way Bobby Wade makes that catch at the end of the game. I know the Greg Lewis signing/Bobby Wade release a couple days before the season started raised some eyebrows...but, Childress actually looks like a genius because Lewis is a simply more athletic than Wade, plus they saved money under the cap.

* We've played the Browns, Lions and 49ers...and we're still saying we have to protect the quarterback better after every game. If we can't protect Favre when we play these teams...what are we going to do when the schedule actually gets tougher?

* I don't feel like Adrian Peterson is touching the ball enough. He's crazy good, besides his fumbling antics and pass protecting...he still puts up 90 plus yards per game on limited carries (under 20 carries the last two games). I know they stack the line, but they've been stacking the line since he's been in the league...and he's played with lesser quarterbacks than the one he is currently playing with. Save our quarterback and give him the ball more on a regular basis.

* Can we really fault the fans for leaving early and not seeing the spectacular finish? Yeah, I'm sure we can...but, this franchise has never had a big time quarterback in their prime (by no means am I saying Brett Favre is in his prime). Our fans are not accustomed to these type of games where the quarterback will take over the game and help us win in the final minutes/seconds. To quote a country song...Brett Favre is not as good as he once was, but he's as good once as he ever was...

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Kansas City/Kauffman Stadium Review

Our family started an annual tradition this year to follow the Twins to an opposing team's ballpark to take in a few games over a weekend. With the newly renovated Kansas City stadium being fairly close to us, we figured we may as well start off there. I took in a Friday night game with a buddy...then the whole family attended the Saturday night game (so we are 2-0 while attending)...here are some of the memories I'll take back with me:

• The ballpark itself is amazing...I'm not exactly sure what was renovated and what was there prior to the overhaul, but everything was perfect. It sits really low, just like the new Twins stadium will. So the minute you walk into the gates, you can see the field immediately.
• The outfield concourse is a great gathering point. Lots of different activities for all different ages of fans. Quick recap: outdoor bar, indoor bar, Royals Hall of Fame, waterworks display, carousel, other baseball activities for younger kids (almost like our State Fair, but better), and a variety of different vendors for food and drinks.
• On Friday night, we had seats right in front of the "Waterworks" display. This was cool up until the 3rd or 4th inning when the constant mist felt like we had a rain cloud plopped over our heads.
• Royals had a discount vendor selling jerseys of former Royals players in the stadium. I thought this was an excellent and original idea from a small market team that usually ends up losing their better players anyways, however there was no one to choose from other than Coco Crisp. How cool would it be to sell and get jerseys from former Royals: Jermaine Dye, Johnny Damon, Bob Hamelin, etc? Or how about getting jerseys from guys that actually had a big league career because your team was so bad and/or unwilling to spend money at a certain position? Twins fans could expect a Tony Fiore, Lew Ford, or a Tony Batista jersey...the ideas are endless.
• The scoreboard was huge and centered perfectly in the outfield. Even if you were sitting in the outfield, you could still gather any information from the scoreboard you needed without any issues.
• Beer was $7.25 (which is probably standard) in the park. If I was to do it again, I would've tailgated for the experience (for one of the games) in the parking lot, but to also save money on the back end (in the stadium).
• Potty training our twins (Caidence and Cullen) at a public restroom at a ballpark is not how you avoid the swine flu. Their hands were all over the seat...we washed them up, but that still that gives me the chills thinking about the germs on that toilet seat.
• The ballpark is great, the atmosphere and surroundings (as places to go afterwards) outside is virtually dead besides the tailgating done before games. The city itself is pretty industrial...but, there was absolutely no where to go except your hotel restaurant to eat, much less drink.
• On Friday night, my buddy and I sat in between a Kansas City couple on our left and two New York guys on our right who were in town for a wedding on Saturday. Can you have a more random seating arrangement than that at a baseball game? I'm sure one would be able to top that, but the dialogue was interesting and diverse throughout the whole game.
• The George Brett Bridge...blows...what kind of tribute is that to your Hall of Famer? It's a regular overpass over a highway that has a sidewalk on both sides that's narrower than a balance beam. They just slapped a sign that says, "The George Brett Bridge". No colors, no significant design on the bridge to honor him...maybe you could get away with this if he was dead...but, he's alive and has to look at this piece of shit that is supposed to be in honor of him. Good job, Kansas City!

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Week 2 Recap: Vikings @ Lions

Here's some of the random things I came across while watching the Vikings play the forever rebuilding Detroit Lions in Week 2:

* Larry Foote, Linebacker for the Detroit Lions...does a dance/stomp with his "foot(e)" after every play (very uncreative by the way), as if he made the play all on his own...even though he has 3-4 teammates assisting him, if not making the plays themselves.

* Marquand Manuel is really good and getting injured. Las Vegas needs to post an over and under number for how many times Marquand Manuel gets assisted off the field on a weekly basis.

* Percy Harvin is a keeper. I know we got to keep it in perspective while playing the Browns and the Lions, but this guy is always falling forwards and keeps churning for more yards even after initial contact (on kickoff and while playing receiver). He's a wide receiver that runs with the ball in his hands like a running back.

* Brett Favre has been efficient. Even on some of his incomplete passes, I saw some shaky route running (Rice and Shiancoe) by the intended receivers.

* Was it the second half adjustments, or just the intensity of the Vikings (combined with the lack of intensity by the Lions in the second half) that turned the tide of this game. I guess we won't know until we start facing better competition.

* Another game...another win...and no major injuries to any of our key players.

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So, you're saying we've got a chance...

The Twins have been brutal to watch this summer. They are much like the Vikings under Mike Tice: below average payroll, lack of quality depth throughout the roster, a shoddy defense (this would be comparable to the Twins pitching staff) but, they have stars (Moss/Vikings vs. Mauer/Twins) on the squad that you just can't help not watch.

Even with the up and down season they have had thus far...the Twins are only a mere 4 games out of first place with plenty of head to head games versus the slumping division leader, Detroit Tigers. Here's what I'm looking forward to (some of my opinions for not only the rest of this season, but looking towards next season as well):

* Play Jose Morales...you don't even have to play him, just let him DH and get some quality at-bats. I wasn't a believer in him early (because I remember when Redmond was batting a surprising .320 or so a couple years back and fans were clamoring for him to be in the lineup more as well), but he deepens the lineup especially when you can use him over Redmond.

* Will the Ewing Theory (Bill Simmons reference that team may actually play better without their best player...addition by subtraction) play out for the rest of the season with the Twins playing without Justin Morneau...and how does this effect a former MVP winner, with the the last three years having him collapse during the stretch runs.

* Who actually steps up this year on the pitching staff during this final stretch? Could Brian Duensing really be a playoff starter if somehow we managed to squeak in? Not to overwhelm you even more, but who the hell is our starting pitching rotation next year: Pavano (do we re-sign him), Baker, Blackburn, Duensing, Slowey, Perkins, Liriano, Swarzak, etc...could you even be confident to lock in three of the above as sure things?

* Is Carlos Gomez just going to be a defensive replacement/pinch runner in the late innings? Is Alexi Casilla in that same role? Granted they have both struggled mightily this year...but, we are not even a year removed when these two players were key components to our run the year before.

* Joe Nathan is scaring me (I know he is prone to bad stretches here and there...but, still he seems less confident with his fastball)...he hasn't quite bottomed out like Brad Lidge in Philadelphia, but this is another reason to bolster up the bullpen even more for next year in case he collapses just like pretty much everyone else did in that Twins bullpen this year.

* Let Orlando Cabrera walk after the season. Trade one of your young mediocre pitchers and a mid-level prospect over to the Brewers for J.J. Hardy.

* Does Joe Mauer get an MVP award for the remarkable season he's had offensively? I doubt it...but, no other full-time catcher will come close to the numbers he's put up this year...I'm not even sure he can match this godly performance.

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Week 1 Recap: Vikings @ Browns

Just wanted to share some of my random thoughts while watching the season opener for the Vikings:

* Brett Favre looks old. Just watching him walk around looks very grueling to him. The shoulder pads look like they could weigh around 100 lbs the way his shoulders are sagging.

* How do we have two players (Adrian Peterson and Benny Sapp) getting so dehydrated to the point where they had to insert IV fluids? We were in Cleveland of all places, and it was only 70 degrees outside...??

* On Adrian Peterson's 64 yard touchdown run...Sludge (KFAN morning show) brought up a great point when trying to describe the play: "If you were playing video games, it was the kind of play that happens that infuriates you to point where you think it's so unrealistic...and they've made the guy on the game too damn good."

* I think Brian Billick thinks Brian Billick is amazing at everything he does...but, I actually have to admit that I did enjoy his play-by-play commentary. I never really cared for him as a coach, but he was pretty spot on throughout the game. (Although, this judgement could be influenced by how horrendous the two clowns doing the Gopher football game the night before.)

* Although they won't go public with this information...don't you get the feeling that the Vikings thought process with the whole handling of the Favre situation (still pursuing him after training camp had already broke)...we have three winnable games right out of the gate, no matter who our quarterback is under center...we'll use that as Brett's preseason to get him acclimated with the offense in general, as well as conditioning.

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The Wonderful World of Youth Sports...

I coach basketball in the winter. I'm not exactly a volunteer, considering they technically pay me...but there is no amount of money that pays enough to deal with delusional parents in youth sports...especially, when you have to deal with parents, like the one below. This is a real email exchange between a parent (Katie) and myself (Coach Casey). I got to give kudos to my wife who brilliantly wrote the last response...I was en route to our familiar "friendship game" for the weekend when the response came back from the parent. I was just going to let the parent have the last word, until I read what my wife wrote. It was too good not to send it off.

Hi Casey,

I realize I caught you off-guard after the game last night. I apologize for that, but I wanted to explain my frustration.

When I sent you that email in the beginning of December, I was hoping it would be received as constructive and come at a time when it could help you build some momentum with this team. I realize you have your frustrations, but I'm really trying to understand why, after having had a terrible experience the previous year, you didn't start fresh with this team and see what you could do to adjust and work with the girls. From what I have seen from these girls, they are coming to practice, trying hard, and despite a really lousy record, sticking in there.

I just think that this substituting 5 in at a time and plays we're playing are killing us. When our girls call 'Edina' I can see the opposing team know exactly what to do to break it. Hannah was frustrated last night because she didn't understand why you'd call play 13 (a play not practiced) over 14 (what you had practiced). Why not be a little strategic and get ahead when we can? Last night was the perfect example--call a timeout when we're nearly even and put in your strongest players. This isn't about my daughter -- if she's not playing well, I wouldn't expect her to be in. The whole team would gain some confidence despite who was on the court.

I know it's late in the season and don't expect things to change, but I wanted to explain my frustration and reasons for my comment last night. I will keep quiet and remain constructive.

Thanks for listening,
Katie

Katie,

Just to clear some things up...13 is an offensive set against a zone, we only run it if the team is playing a 2-3 zone on defense (that Jefferson team was mixing their defenses up, just like what we do). I never call for that play unless I see that they are running a zone on defense. Otherwise, if they are running a person to person defense, we will run Edina or 14.

Half the battle of having any success at any level is to be lined up properly for whatever we are running (offense or defense). Running fives at a time helps us prepare the girls as to where they need to be and what we are going to do on the offensive and/or defensive side of the ball. They are accountable to be at certain spots, depending on what we are doing.

We are mixing and matching the fives every game, depending on how they played the previous game.I know you and several parents are passionate about winning. Well, I'm passionate about coaching and developing ten girls into better basketball players. I called my last timeout at the end of the Jefferson game (prior to our encounter) just to tell them how proud I was in their play during that game. I saw a back door pass for a hoop. I saw a give and go for a hoop. We had defensive intensity on a regular basis.

Just to give you a heads up, John and I have attempted putting our best five on the floor to start the game and then go from there. However, one game we got off to a horrible start and we were down 8-0. What do you do then? You put all your eggs in the basket and you get nothing out of it. The best five isn't actually the best five players. You need role players amongst those five, that help compliment the better players. You need girls' that do the little things: making that extra pass, boxing out, rebounding etc. Let me know if you have any questions...

Thanks,
Casey

Hi Casey,

I just don't see the passion you claim to have about developing the girls. I think your communication style doesn't suit you well for coaching and I implore you to take a look in the mirror and try to understand what you could have done better last year and this year. That would be leadership.

Katie

Katie,

I don't think that you know me well enough to question my passion for coaching, I've been doing it for several years (six in the Edina program) and I work hard to teach and develop all the girls that I have. There is a strategy behind the things that I do and I'm sorry that you don't see that, however I am here to work with the players and would get no where if I aimed to keep all of the parents happy. I would also ask that you focus only on this year, I didn't coach your daughter last year and I don't feel that season has anything to do with our current team. To me, leadership isn't defined by the number of wins at the end of the season, it's defined by working hard to get everyone to play to the best of their ability.

Side note: the girls ended up winning today, but I thought they put forth a better effort in both games (against better competition) yesterday than they did today.

Thanks again,
Casey

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Meet Athlete-Student...Greg Paulus

The Minnesota Golden Gophers open up their football schedule with an away game at Syracuse this Saturday. Syracuse's quarterback is Super Senior Greg Paulus...actually, on Syracuse's team website they point out that Greg's class is "Graduate". A quick recap on how this doesn't make any sense to me how he can play...

* You played and used up all four years of eligibility at Duke while playing basketball. You were never red-shirted or injured in any of those years to gain an additional year of eligibility.

* If you had some ambition to play football in college, why didn't you factor that into your original choice of school. Why didn't you maybe go to a lesser school athletically where you could realistically play both sports?

* Your playing time diminished during your upperclassmen years at Duke. Why didn't you approach Coach K about playing both basketball and football at Duke during your last year or two? It's not as if Duke's football team is anything to write home about. They would've gladly taken you on.

* Your basketball career fizzles with no legitimate opportunities to make bank in the United States.

* You are invited to the Green Bay Packers (need I remind you that this a professional team) for a tryout, but you don't impress them enough for them to sign you to a contract.

* The NCAA grants you an extra fifth year of eligibility. Plus, you don't even have to sit out a year which almost all Division I athletes have to abide by no matter the reason behind the transfer.

* If you disliked the Brett Favre drama, this is no different...except of course it's on the collegiate level and doesn't get the ridiculous, every day coverage of ESPN. A one year solution at the most important position on the field. All of Syracuse's quarterbacks last year, either left the program or had to change positions. All incoming quarterback recruits that probably signed with Syracuse because of instant playing time (they've had one of the worse 5-6 year stretches in Division 1 football) either have to waste a year on the bench or are being redshirted.

Go Gophers!!

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