Busy week of sports from every direction...so, I'm throwing it all at you with no rhyme or reason.
* I attended the Saturday late afternoon tilt between the Rangers and Twins with my wife and another couple. We had four tickets in the Legends Club and the seats and surroundings were excellent. I can't compliment the Twins enough on how they built that stadium. The wide open concourse and use of windows all over is easy on the eyes no matter where you are in the park. Also, the Legends Club is a hot spot for foul balls (we probably had about 5-6 balls land in and around the two sections on both sides of us).
* Jim Thome has now racked up 21 home runs this year. Did anyone realistically expect this kind of production from him, while doing it in a quasi-part-time role...? The answer is no...and kudos to Gardy for not overextending his playing time with the loss of Morneau.
* Gopher fullback Jon Hoese's dad dies less than a week after he has a career performance of three touchdowns in the opener against Middle Tennessee State.
* Why are members of my family and fans in general disgusted that we traded away Sage Rosenfels and kept T-Jack? Ideally, none of these guys will see the field for any significant/meaningful time regardless with Favre in the fold this year. Which gets me thinking...if you're a black quarterback and play for the Minnesota Vikings...you pretty much have a 2-3 year window to win the Super Bowl, or else the fan base will eventually turn on you (examples: Moon, Cunningham, Culpepper). Good luck Joe Webb!!
* Golden Gopher basketball goes 3-0 in exhibition games during their Canadian tour. Not sure what the competition was like, but I'm excited for the group that Tubby has in the fold. They have a plethora of quality big men (Iverson, Walker, Sampson, Mbakwe) they can choose from that will create lots of match up problems for the opponents (even in conference play).
* I recorded and watched a little bit of the "Legends Game" on Fox Sports North. I enjoy it when the Twins bring back former players...but, come on...Brian Raabe is participating in the "Legends Game". What did he do as a member of the Minnesota Twins? Not only was he a borderline prospect that didn't do anything individually at the major league level, but he managed to accomplish nothing on bad Minnesota teams.
* Season opener for the Vikings at New Orleans on Thursday night. It would be nice to sneak out a win...but, does that really help anybody cope from that NFC Championship game meltdown last year...??
* Ten person fantasy football draft in my cousin's league last night. I've won three consecutive years somehow while having the last pick in the first round every year (you draft based on your record/finish from the previous year). My squad: Larry Fitzgerald (keeper), Greg Jennings, Brett Favre, Ronnie Brown, Felix Jones, Clinton Portis, Tony Gonzalez, Robert Meachem, Stephen Gostkowski, Jeremy Maclin, Chester Taylor, Vince Young, New Orleans Defense, and Mr. Irrelevant...Greg Camarillo.
I've never felt so depressed about my team so early in the draft. My keeper doesn't have a quarterback that can get him the ball. Favre is playing one of the toughest schedules. Ronnie Brown will share with Ricky. Felix will share with Barber. Chester will split with Forte. Portis will get hurt in the next week or two. Meachem and Maclin are unproven and probably going to be highly inconsistent throughout the year. Vince Young is clinically depressed. However, I think I got great value with my Camarillo pick...so I have that going for me.
SBG
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Jim Dimick Jr.
Below is an article from the Pioneer Press on 8/24/2010, about the Richfield High School basketball program parting ways with their head coach Jim Dimick Jr.:
Former Richfield High School boys basketball coach Jim Dimick Jr. took one last shot to get his job back Monday night, but it might as well have been an air ball. Unknown to him, his shot was doomed from the start.
Dimick's passionate, 45-minute presentation filled with graphs and pie charts to defend his job performance and illustrate race issues in the western first-ring suburb apparently fell on deaf ears as the school board voted before the special hearing to approve his dismissal.
"I knew it was a long shot to get reinstated,'' said Dimick, who averaged 16 victories per season in his nine years as the Spartans' head coach. "It's pretty disappointing to hear that they already had their minds made up. Hopefully, I had a chance to educate them on some issues that they are facing.''
Superintendent Robert Slotterback confirmed after the meeting that a vote to approve Dimick's firing already had been taken. He said Dimick's presentation didn't require more discussion or a revote by the board.
"I'm very disappointed that coach brought the race issue into this,'' Slotterback said.
Dimick, son of legendary St. Olaf College baseball coach Jim Dimick, said he is considering a legal appeal.
"Even with all of the opposition, I still want to coach these guys,'' said Dimick, who led Richfield to two state tournament berths, including a runner-up finish in Class AAA in 2005. "I have a group of kids that I've been coaching since fourth grade. I'd like to see them through to their senior year.''
On June 29, Dimick was told by Richfield activities director Todd Olson that his contract would not be renewed. According to Dimick, Olson said one of the reasons cited was his inability to unite the entire Richfield basketball community.
"(Olson) said he wanted a new voice that can unite this community,'' Dimick said. "He told me I've burned too many bridges.''
Olson attended the meeting but left quickly and was unavailable for comment.
Ten days later, when Dimick received his letter of nonrenewal of his coaching contract, it cited overall performance concerns, including communication, leadership and program development. Prior to his arrival, the two previous coaches averaged six victories a season.
In his presentation — which was attended by about 30 supporters, half of them African-American — Dimick demonstrated the changing demographics of an inner-ring suburb as it relates to student-athletes who play basketball.
With the rampant open enrollment of the past decade, not just in Richfield but throughout Minnesota, kids who played in the community traveling leagues were getting displaced by students moving into districts.
According to Dimick, from 2003-10, 92 percent of the boys playing basketball in the Richfield community who moved into the city after sixth grade or open enrolled as ninth graders, were students of color. In that same period, 96 percent of the participants in the Richfield boys basketball traveling program did not make the varsity team as seniors.
From 2007 to 2010, 64 percent of Richfield's boys basketball varsity roster were students of color. In 2002, 71 percent of the varsity roster was white.
"You've got a small group of traveling (basketball) parents that don't consider themselves racists, but are pretty good people, yet they want a program of institutional racism,'' said Dimick, who is a certified public accountant in Minneapolis. "Then you have a group that you can call closet racists that don't want to see black kids wearing Richfield uniforms. It is a difficult issue. Nobody wants to talk about it.''
Richfield resident Jim Noonan, who is white, was so disgusted with the racial divide that he resigned from the traveling league board. He attended the meeting in support of Dimick.
"I've been on the (traveling) board longer than anyone here,'' Noonan said. "The demographics in his community have changed, period. Jim has provided a lot of money to the program for scholarships for all kids — white, black, green or yellow. He always did what was asked of him by the traveling board.''
Tartan boys basketball coach Mark Klingsporn attended the meeting in support of Dimick. Richfield plays in the Classic Suburban Conference along with Tartan and many other east metro schools.
"Jim had a very well thought-out and organized presentation on why he should not be fired,'' Klingsporn said. "I agree with him 100 percent on all of the issues and the situations he shared. I am concerned about quality coaches that get fired for the wrong reasons.''
Dimick said he plans to attend Richfield basketball games this coming season.
"I've got a lot invested in these young men,'' he said. "I've seen them grow, and I want to see them excel.''
The article is pretty one sided towards Dimick's side...and before I even start ranting...the only reason this article even made it to the paper is because of Jim Dimick's dad (Jim Dimick Sr.) who is a well known baseball coach in the Northfield area (St. Olaf) has some pull around the sports community (specifically, the Pioneer Press sports department). I grew up in Richfield and was a part of the program all the way through my senior year...here are some of my differences of opinion that are not noted in the article because of how much of a love fest this article turned into for Mr. Jim Dimick Jr.:
* Jim Dimick Jr.'s contract wasn't renewed. Even though the Pioneer Press stated this fact in the article, why are the words "dismissed", "dismissal" and "firing" still all over in this article?
* Jim Dimick Jr. lazily pulled out the race card. That's pretty funny because prior to coming to Richfield, Dimick was canned at Washburn (an inner-city school) for not getting along with board members/parents (pretty much the same issue at Richfield). Was the race card not convenient for him to use at Washburn on his way out?
* Jim Dimick Jr. is not a teacher in the Richfield School district...or any district for that matter. Please don't humor me about how much time you "invested" in these kids when there are real teachers/coaches helping these kids on and off the court every day.
* Flaunting your coaching average of 16 wins per season, while the predecessors only averaged 6 wins a season is incomplete and misguided information (and I'm not even sure the six wins is correct...it should be higher, but who knows how he manipulated the data). Before you arrived, Richfield was struggling to find a home in a conference where schools had similar enrollments to Richfield. The two predecessors you're referring to actually had to play in the Classic Lake Conference where the majority of the schedule is all 4A teams. They didn't get the luxury of your schedule year in and year out of playing mostly 3A teams. You would've been better off just stating that you've brought your team to the State Tournament twice in your nine years.
* Dimick has also been accused of recruiting/persuading other players from other communities to play for him at Richfield. Even if he's innocent on all these accounts, it's the perception that he's giving out to the community by assembling teams of non-Richfield residents on a yearly basis. If you're going to alienate your community/youth programs you better have a damn good team every year, otherwise shit will hit the fan and catch up to you as it did this year.
SBG
Former Richfield High School boys basketball coach Jim Dimick Jr. took one last shot to get his job back Monday night, but it might as well have been an air ball. Unknown to him, his shot was doomed from the start.
Dimick's passionate, 45-minute presentation filled with graphs and pie charts to defend his job performance and illustrate race issues in the western first-ring suburb apparently fell on deaf ears as the school board voted before the special hearing to approve his dismissal.
"I knew it was a long shot to get reinstated,'' said Dimick, who averaged 16 victories per season in his nine years as the Spartans' head coach. "It's pretty disappointing to hear that they already had their minds made up. Hopefully, I had a chance to educate them on some issues that they are facing.''
Superintendent Robert Slotterback confirmed after the meeting that a vote to approve Dimick's firing already had been taken. He said Dimick's presentation didn't require more discussion or a revote by the board.
"I'm very disappointed that coach brought the race issue into this,'' Slotterback said.
Dimick, son of legendary St. Olaf College baseball coach Jim Dimick, said he is considering a legal appeal.
"Even with all of the opposition, I still want to coach these guys,'' said Dimick, who led Richfield to two state tournament berths, including a runner-up finish in Class AAA in 2005. "I have a group of kids that I've been coaching since fourth grade. I'd like to see them through to their senior year.''
On June 29, Dimick was told by Richfield activities director Todd Olson that his contract would not be renewed. According to Dimick, Olson said one of the reasons cited was his inability to unite the entire Richfield basketball community.
"(Olson) said he wanted a new voice that can unite this community,'' Dimick said. "He told me I've burned too many bridges.''
Olson attended the meeting but left quickly and was unavailable for comment.
Ten days later, when Dimick received his letter of nonrenewal of his coaching contract, it cited overall performance concerns, including communication, leadership and program development. Prior to his arrival, the two previous coaches averaged six victories a season.
In his presentation — which was attended by about 30 supporters, half of them African-American — Dimick demonstrated the changing demographics of an inner-ring suburb as it relates to student-athletes who play basketball.
With the rampant open enrollment of the past decade, not just in Richfield but throughout Minnesota, kids who played in the community traveling leagues were getting displaced by students moving into districts.
According to Dimick, from 2003-10, 92 percent of the boys playing basketball in the Richfield community who moved into the city after sixth grade or open enrolled as ninth graders, were students of color. In that same period, 96 percent of the participants in the Richfield boys basketball traveling program did not make the varsity team as seniors.
From 2007 to 2010, 64 percent of Richfield's boys basketball varsity roster were students of color. In 2002, 71 percent of the varsity roster was white.
"You've got a small group of traveling (basketball) parents that don't consider themselves racists, but are pretty good people, yet they want a program of institutional racism,'' said Dimick, who is a certified public accountant in Minneapolis. "Then you have a group that you can call closet racists that don't want to see black kids wearing Richfield uniforms. It is a difficult issue. Nobody wants to talk about it.''
Richfield resident Jim Noonan, who is white, was so disgusted with the racial divide that he resigned from the traveling league board. He attended the meeting in support of Dimick.
"I've been on the (traveling) board longer than anyone here,'' Noonan said. "The demographics in his community have changed, period. Jim has provided a lot of money to the program for scholarships for all kids — white, black, green or yellow. He always did what was asked of him by the traveling board.''
Tartan boys basketball coach Mark Klingsporn attended the meeting in support of Dimick. Richfield plays in the Classic Suburban Conference along with Tartan and many other east metro schools.
"Jim had a very well thought-out and organized presentation on why he should not be fired,'' Klingsporn said. "I agree with him 100 percent on all of the issues and the situations he shared. I am concerned about quality coaches that get fired for the wrong reasons.''
Dimick said he plans to attend Richfield basketball games this coming season.
"I've got a lot invested in these young men,'' he said. "I've seen them grow, and I want to see them excel.''
The article is pretty one sided towards Dimick's side...and before I even start ranting...the only reason this article even made it to the paper is because of Jim Dimick's dad (Jim Dimick Sr.) who is a well known baseball coach in the Northfield area (St. Olaf) has some pull around the sports community (specifically, the Pioneer Press sports department). I grew up in Richfield and was a part of the program all the way through my senior year...here are some of my differences of opinion that are not noted in the article because of how much of a love fest this article turned into for Mr. Jim Dimick Jr.:
* Jim Dimick Jr.'s contract wasn't renewed. Even though the Pioneer Press stated this fact in the article, why are the words "dismissed", "dismissal" and "firing" still all over in this article?
* Jim Dimick Jr. lazily pulled out the race card. That's pretty funny because prior to coming to Richfield, Dimick was canned at Washburn (an inner-city school) for not getting along with board members/parents (pretty much the same issue at Richfield). Was the race card not convenient for him to use at Washburn on his way out?
* Jim Dimick Jr. is not a teacher in the Richfield School district...or any district for that matter. Please don't humor me about how much time you "invested" in these kids when there are real teachers/coaches helping these kids on and off the court every day.
* Flaunting your coaching average of 16 wins per season, while the predecessors only averaged 6 wins a season is incomplete and misguided information (and I'm not even sure the six wins is correct...it should be higher, but who knows how he manipulated the data). Before you arrived, Richfield was struggling to find a home in a conference where schools had similar enrollments to Richfield. The two predecessors you're referring to actually had to play in the Classic Lake Conference where the majority of the schedule is all 4A teams. They didn't get the luxury of your schedule year in and year out of playing mostly 3A teams. You would've been better off just stating that you've brought your team to the State Tournament twice in your nine years.
* Dimick has also been accused of recruiting/persuading other players from other communities to play for him at Richfield. Even if he's innocent on all these accounts, it's the perception that he's giving out to the community by assembling teams of non-Richfield residents on a yearly basis. If you're going to alienate your community/youth programs you better have a damn good team every year, otherwise shit will hit the fan and catch up to you as it did this year.
SBG
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
One Shining Moment(s) Volume 6
Strolling down memory lane for more random and obscure sports figures that have touched our lives here in the great State of Minnesota...
Cherokee Parks - Nothing memorable about his play on the court. The only thing that stood out was the massive amount of ink he piled up over the years all over his body. Is anyone in the same boat as me and thinks he got all these tattoos to be the anti-Christ to "Christ"ian Laettner...?? He was in Laettner's shadow during the majority of his Duke career and enters the NBA with pretty much the same skill set, plus size as Laettner. I think I'm on to something or on something.
John Smiley - There's just some things you can't duplicate. The amazing Twins season in 1991 is one example. However, when Jack Morris (workhorse of the staff) left for more money in Toronto. Andy MacPhail tried to work the magic again and replace Morris by acquiring John Smiley from Pittsburgh via trade before the 1992 season. Not a bad move on the surface. However, Smiley left after only one year with the Twins (via free agency)...and we had to watch Denny Neagle (one of us...played for Gophers...who we sent to Pittsburgh in the Smiley trade) go on to have a very good career in the National League. The John Smiley trade was the beginning of the end of competitive baseball in Minnesota for the rest of the 1990's.
Rick Fenney - He only played five years in the NFL (all with the Vikings 1987-1991...and all under Jerry Burns as Head Coach). A Quasi running back/fullback that thrived in a West Coast system in a limited role. His One Shining Moment is somehow having a career average over 4.2 yards a carry while getting the majority of his playing time in goal line situations where yardage is not as easy to rack up.
Townsend Orr - There are many good stories in college athletics, however most get overshadowed...Townsend Orr was a backup for the majority of his college career. Nowadays, that same kid put in Townsend Orr's situation may have transferred to get more playing time elsewhere. Townsend stuck it out and the Golden Gophers went on a rampage through the Great Alaskan Shootout with the leadership and tournament MVP performance of...Townsend Orr. They beat Arizona (Damon Stoudamire), Villanova (Kerry Kittles) and BYU (all eventual tourney teams) to catapult the team into the Top 25 poll.
Mitch Berger - A punter that nibbles on and stashes a half eaten Snickers candy bar in a shoe during a game...to save it for later...for energy...?? Ridiculous on so many levels. All you do is kick a ball...and your kicks don't even put points on the scoreboard...you just kick it around the field and jog back and forth to the sideline. Am I missing anything...how are you expending all this so called energy...and that you need to regain it with a Snickers...??
Denny Hocking - It seems like ages ago...but, the Twins actually won a playoff series in Oakland in 2002. During the celebration, Denny Hocking was spiked on his hand during the celebration pileup in the infield. Some speculate that the spiking of Hocking's hand...was intentional...by Jacque Jones. The funny part...is if that is/was the case...there were more unlikeable guys in that dugout than Hocking...A.J. comes to mind...
Rick Mahorn - Doesn't Rick Mahorn just sum up the Minnesota Timberwolves drafting history of the past, present and future...?? A two team expansion draft (Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves) consists of Orlando landing the 1st overall pick (figures). We then pick Rick Mahorn at pick #2 (our first team pick), but he doesn't want to play with us so we have to ship him to Philadelphia. So...virtually, in only a two team draft...the Timberwolves don't actually make a selection until pick #4 overall.
Tom Nevers - A top amateur athlete that played over at Edina High School. He excelled at both hockey and baseball and was offered a scholarship for both sports at the University of Minnesota. He declined and signed with the Astros after being drafted in the first round. "Nevers never made it to the big leagues." So, the One Shining Moment is having your rookie card in my baseball card collection.
SBG
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Contract Extensions...??
Maybe it's because we're "Minnesota Nice" and all...but, all across the board it seems that our local teams hand out undeserving contract extensions at some of the most inopportune times...here's a rundown of some of the recent extensions:
* Brad Childress - I like Brad Childress. I like stability. But, handing a contract extension in the middle of a season (specifically, a one of a kind season with the aging Brett Favre underneath center...with no future quarterback currently in the fold, even though he's an "offensive guru") is a bad decision. Keeping him is not a bad decision. Striking a deal at that time is a bad decision.
* Denard Span - To be honest, I think Denard is overrated. He plays outfield between Delmon Young and Jason Kubel/Michael Cuddyer...so he looks like a track star in comparison. His arm is a wet noodle. He pretty much hits ground balls (some for hits/most for outs). He is one of the worst fundamental base runners on the team. Yet, we extend his contract out for another 4-5 years before the 2010 season even starts. And we have Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks (similar players) making a fast rise in the minors.
* Tim Brewster - Maturi extended Brewster's current deal out for one more year so it wouldn't hinder his recruiting. It's actually not a bad deal on the University of Minnesota side (it creates a cheaper buyout after this year). However, the Gophers just opened up a new stadium last year and are already having trouble filling it. They should have cut ties with Brewster after this past year. Football is the main income in the athletic department and the with the brand new complex, it's unacceptable to have the program just waffling in mediocrity.
* Nick Blackburn - At the time, I really thought this was a good signing. They locked him up to a modest four year extension after pitching well in some of the Twins biggest games during the last two years. However, something went awry with Blackburn this year in the summer months. And now that extension is a black eye on a front office that usually has a keen eye on their own talent. Remember, this is a franchise that never handed out extensions unless it was their premier player(s) (and sometimes that didn't even happen...they often traded them). This past year they handed out three extensions with the new revenue that the stadium is piling up. And two of those (Span and Blackburn) look to be mistakes in hindsight.
* Darko Milicic - I'm in the minority and was actually hoping they would re-sign Darko. However, if you look at his "body of work" throughout his NBA career...it's pathetic that he should garner five million/year. And signing him to a four year deal is a little long in the tooth for someone who proved himself worthy in 20 something games for your club the previous year...?? I would've been happy with a 2-3 year deal for the big man.
SBG
* Brad Childress - I like Brad Childress. I like stability. But, handing a contract extension in the middle of a season (specifically, a one of a kind season with the aging Brett Favre underneath center...with no future quarterback currently in the fold, even though he's an "offensive guru") is a bad decision. Keeping him is not a bad decision. Striking a deal at that time is a bad decision.
* Denard Span - To be honest, I think Denard is overrated. He plays outfield between Delmon Young and Jason Kubel/Michael Cuddyer...so he looks like a track star in comparison. His arm is a wet noodle. He pretty much hits ground balls (some for hits/most for outs). He is one of the worst fundamental base runners on the team. Yet, we extend his contract out for another 4-5 years before the 2010 season even starts. And we have Ben Revere and Aaron Hicks (similar players) making a fast rise in the minors.
* Tim Brewster - Maturi extended Brewster's current deal out for one more year so it wouldn't hinder his recruiting. It's actually not a bad deal on the University of Minnesota side (it creates a cheaper buyout after this year). However, the Gophers just opened up a new stadium last year and are already having trouble filling it. They should have cut ties with Brewster after this past year. Football is the main income in the athletic department and the with the brand new complex, it's unacceptable to have the program just waffling in mediocrity.
* Nick Blackburn - At the time, I really thought this was a good signing. They locked him up to a modest four year extension after pitching well in some of the Twins biggest games during the last two years. However, something went awry with Blackburn this year in the summer months. And now that extension is a black eye on a front office that usually has a keen eye on their own talent. Remember, this is a franchise that never handed out extensions unless it was their premier player(s) (and sometimes that didn't even happen...they often traded them). This past year they handed out three extensions with the new revenue that the stadium is piling up. And two of those (Span and Blackburn) look to be mistakes in hindsight.
* Darko Milicic - I'm in the minority and was actually hoping they would re-sign Darko. However, if you look at his "body of work" throughout his NBA career...it's pathetic that he should garner five million/year. And signing him to a four year deal is a little long in the tooth for someone who proved himself worthy in 20 something games for your club the previous year...?? I would've been happy with a 2-3 year deal for the big man.
SBG
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Fireman's Recap...
After a year away from the biggest softball tourney in the state...Tenacious D was back in the Tier 3 bracket. Long story short...we went 2-2...here are some of the highs and lows (depending on your perspective) over the weekend:
* Ugly facial hair galore!! I don't know if guys did it because they missed Fireman's so much or maybe it was the Carl Pavano steam, but we had a crew of 6-7 members or our team sporting a vast array of facial hair that was quite horrendous to say the least. I showcased the "handlebar".
* Tier 3 has evolved. I'm not sure if the actual play on the field is all that better, but just the shear planning with the team "uniforms" is ridiculous. The majority of teams had brand spanking new uniforms (with some over the top design), with matching pants and bags included in the deal. We are not one of those teams...which I prefer.
* In four games, we scored an average of 5.75 runs a game. And we won two of those four games...and our defense wasn't all that stellar either. Kind of a weird weekend.
* We were stuck at Dred Scott for our first three games. It probably worked out well, because we were playing on fenced fields and were able to play a five man infield. However, you don't get the same atmosphere that you get while playing at Valley View. After every one of our games at Dred Scott, everyone pretty much left after every game because there was nothing to do other than bake in the sun.
http://www.softball360.com/pdf/firemans2010_Tier3.pdf
SBG
* Ugly facial hair galore!! I don't know if guys did it because they missed Fireman's so much or maybe it was the Carl Pavano steam, but we had a crew of 6-7 members or our team sporting a vast array of facial hair that was quite horrendous to say the least. I showcased the "handlebar".
* Tier 3 has evolved. I'm not sure if the actual play on the field is all that better, but just the shear planning with the team "uniforms" is ridiculous. The majority of teams had brand spanking new uniforms (with some over the top design), with matching pants and bags included in the deal. We are not one of those teams...which I prefer.
* In four games, we scored an average of 5.75 runs a game. And we won two of those four games...and our defense wasn't all that stellar either. Kind of a weird weekend.
* We were stuck at Dred Scott for our first three games. It probably worked out well, because we were playing on fenced fields and were able to play a five man infield. However, you don't get the same atmosphere that you get while playing at Valley View. After every one of our games at Dred Scott, everyone pretty much left after every game because there was nothing to do other than bake in the sun.
http://www.softball360.com/pdf/firemans2010_Tier3.pdf
SBG
Friday, July 9, 2010
At least we don't live in Cleveland...
I used to like LeBron James...that was up until he just took a dump on the whole state of Ohio (did we mention he grew up there) with a national television broadcast revealing that he's jumping to Miami. Minnesota sports fans have been dumped (more like farted and/or sharted on) on plenty of times...nothing of the LeBron James magnitude...but, here's a reminder of our sourest moments as Minnesota sports fans:
* Lou Holtz resurrects the Gopher football program only to leave it for greener pastures (Notre Dame) after two years. Program has been stuck in neutral for decades.
* Stephon Marbury demanding a trade (preferably New York/ended up going to New Jersey) because he claims he was homesick or he was simply jealous of Garnett's outrageous new contract. What a head case either way...not sure if we would've consistently won with him in the fold...probably should have just kept Ray Allen as our pick that year...
* Norm Green moves the Minnesota North Stars down to Dallas. We get rewarded with an expansion team years later and then market ourselves as "The State of Hockey". Am I the only one that finds this comical...?
* Carl Pohlad throws in the Minnesota Twins organization as possible candidates for contraction. Our only current professional team still in town that has actually won championships is being put out on the chopping block by our very own owner. ESPN was publishing mock dispersal drafts to see where our players would go...it still stings even though nothing happened.
* Laundry List for the Vikings (no particular order): 1. Lost 4 Super Bowls 2. 1998 NFC Championship 3. 2001 NFC Championship 4. 2010 NFC Championship 5. Running out of time during your 1st round draft pick and having two teams leapfrog you because of it. 6. Love Boat 7. Herschel Walker trade 8. Red McCombs trading Randy Moss (the most marketable player on the team) in the same summer he sold the team.
* Latrell Sprewell turning down a healthy-sized (around 3 years/30 million) contract extension because he needs to feed his "family". He didn't even get a sniff of another NBA contract after turning that offer down.
* The Joe Smith under the table signing scandal leaves the Timberwolves with no 1st round picks for five years (I believe Stern ended up giving us one back, so technically only four picks/years were taken away). Combine that with our awful drafting and that means our franchise is crippled for years...even with Garnett on the roster. Stern sets a precedent with our pathetic franchise, but has yet to punish any team to the extent of ours in 10 plus years. He's only had to deal with a melee in Detroit, corrupt referees, a gun party in Washington and the collusion of the top 3 free agents in the class of 2010 all going to the same team. Yeah, I think the Joe Smith scandal is the worst of them all.
* Not only does Russ Archambault cost the Gophers from getting Khalid El-Amin (punching him in the face during a scrimmage)...him and Jan Gangelhoff are the focal points on why the men's basketball program gets turned upside down because of breaking NCAA violations. I'm not defending the program, but it took Jan just 400 papers and helping 20 different players to figure out that maybe she's doing something morally wrong.
SBG
* Lou Holtz resurrects the Gopher football program only to leave it for greener pastures (Notre Dame) after two years. Program has been stuck in neutral for decades.
* Stephon Marbury demanding a trade (preferably New York/ended up going to New Jersey) because he claims he was homesick or he was simply jealous of Garnett's outrageous new contract. What a head case either way...not sure if we would've consistently won with him in the fold...probably should have just kept Ray Allen as our pick that year...
* Norm Green moves the Minnesota North Stars down to Dallas. We get rewarded with an expansion team years later and then market ourselves as "The State of Hockey". Am I the only one that finds this comical...?
* Carl Pohlad throws in the Minnesota Twins organization as possible candidates for contraction. Our only current professional team still in town that has actually won championships is being put out on the chopping block by our very own owner. ESPN was publishing mock dispersal drafts to see where our players would go...it still stings even though nothing happened.
* Laundry List for the Vikings (no particular order): 1. Lost 4 Super Bowls 2. 1998 NFC Championship 3. 2001 NFC Championship 4. 2010 NFC Championship 5. Running out of time during your 1st round draft pick and having two teams leapfrog you because of it. 6. Love Boat 7. Herschel Walker trade 8. Red McCombs trading Randy Moss (the most marketable player on the team) in the same summer he sold the team.
* Latrell Sprewell turning down a healthy-sized (around 3 years/30 million) contract extension because he needs to feed his "family". He didn't even get a sniff of another NBA contract after turning that offer down.
* The Joe Smith under the table signing scandal leaves the Timberwolves with no 1st round picks for five years (I believe Stern ended up giving us one back, so technically only four picks/years were taken away). Combine that with our awful drafting and that means our franchise is crippled for years...even with Garnett on the roster. Stern sets a precedent with our pathetic franchise, but has yet to punish any team to the extent of ours in 10 plus years. He's only had to deal with a melee in Detroit, corrupt referees, a gun party in Washington and the collusion of the top 3 free agents in the class of 2010 all going to the same team. Yeah, I think the Joe Smith scandal is the worst of them all.
* Not only does Russ Archambault cost the Gophers from getting Khalid El-Amin (punching him in the face during a scrimmage)...him and Jan Gangelhoff are the focal points on why the men's basketball program gets turned upside down because of breaking NCAA violations. I'm not defending the program, but it took Jan just 400 papers and helping 20 different players to figure out that maybe she's doing something morally wrong.
SBG
Friday, July 2, 2010
Target Field Review #3...Left Field Bleachers: Part Two
Eight family members attended the Twins/Rays tilt on July 1st. Due to some late planning, we were scattered by two's all over the left field bleachers. Here are some of my random observations on the night:
* Dead patch of grass in right field (probably from Magglio Ordonez butchering plays out there during the Tigers' series) was covered with brand new sod...right field kind of resembled the Metrodome playing surface if you stared at it long enough.
* I'm starting to finally come around on Delmon Young. It doesn't hurt when you throw a runner out at home from left field, plus hit a home run to tie the game late (7th inning, I believe) to help sway me. I really hated Delmon Young last year, and even the end of his first year here (he casually jogged in the ninth inning after a fly ball down the left field line in Kansas City/which ended up as an inside the park homerun to tie the game...I believe we eventually won the game, but Joe Nathan was steaming...then, combine that incident with the fact that the Rays came out of nowhere to dominate the AL with Garza and Bartlett as major cogs). So, I don't know if I've ever hated a local athlete (past or present) more and had that same athlete turn his career around/my feelings towards him while he was still a member with the local team. Normally, a trade to another team would maybe blossom a career...but, to Delmon's credit he has resurrected his career wearing the same uniform and has really supplanted himself as an everyday player.
* Good: Two guys were sporting the baby blue and bright orange tuxes worn in Dumb and Dumber. Bad: Rays apparently have fans that travel...? Four obnoxious idiots cheer everything pro-Rays...and by everything, I mean EVERYTHING...like balls and strikes. Ugly: Two intoxicated women were wearing eye black underneath their eyes, while sitting under an overhang in left field, during a night game...they should've been the ones sporting the Dumb and Dumber gear.
* Bottom of eighth...Rays are jogging out to take the field. I start thinking to myself why the hell Carl Crawford doesn't play centerfield for this club. They currently have lanky, but athletic Ben Zobrist patrolling centerfield. As if the Baseball Gods were answering my exact thoughts...Carl Crawford, while warming up with a bullpen arm in the outfield...not only overthrows his partner once...but, twice...consecutively...drawing great applause from the left field bleachers.
* Bottom of ninth...Rauch comes on for the save in a 4-3 game...he easily gets the first two guys out. Then, some asshole turns another set of the stadium lighting on (the lighting directly behind home plate). The whole stinking game they only had the stadium lights on down the lines (1st base and 3rd base lines) and now they turn everything on with one more out to get in the game...in a middle of an inning too...does that make any sense...?? Carl Crawford proceeds to single and then score on Evan Longoria's double down the left field line...all with two outs...tie game. It was as if they were prematurely prepping for the postgame without the game actually being over yet...doesn't anyone learn that nothing is in the bag when you're a fan of a Minnesota sports team.
* Game went into extra innings...however, a good percentage of the fans left before Rauch even took the mound in the ninth inning (when we were leading)...our fan base sucks...we get a new stadium and we're not even a year into it and everyone is still consumed about beating traffic. Do us all a favor and don't show up in the first place if beating traffic is your main objective.
* Gardy gets tossed on a "Jim Joyce" type call by the third base umpire.
SBG
* Dead patch of grass in right field (probably from Magglio Ordonez butchering plays out there during the Tigers' series) was covered with brand new sod...right field kind of resembled the Metrodome playing surface if you stared at it long enough.
* I'm starting to finally come around on Delmon Young. It doesn't hurt when you throw a runner out at home from left field, plus hit a home run to tie the game late (7th inning, I believe) to help sway me. I really hated Delmon Young last year, and even the end of his first year here (he casually jogged in the ninth inning after a fly ball down the left field line in Kansas City/which ended up as an inside the park homerun to tie the game...I believe we eventually won the game, but Joe Nathan was steaming...then, combine that incident with the fact that the Rays came out of nowhere to dominate the AL with Garza and Bartlett as major cogs). So, I don't know if I've ever hated a local athlete (past or present) more and had that same athlete turn his career around/my feelings towards him while he was still a member with the local team. Normally, a trade to another team would maybe blossom a career...but, to Delmon's credit he has resurrected his career wearing the same uniform and has really supplanted himself as an everyday player.
* Good: Two guys were sporting the baby blue and bright orange tuxes worn in Dumb and Dumber. Bad: Rays apparently have fans that travel...? Four obnoxious idiots cheer everything pro-Rays...and by everything, I mean EVERYTHING...like balls and strikes. Ugly: Two intoxicated women were wearing eye black underneath their eyes, while sitting under an overhang in left field, during a night game...they should've been the ones sporting the Dumb and Dumber gear.
* Bottom of eighth...Rays are jogging out to take the field. I start thinking to myself why the hell Carl Crawford doesn't play centerfield for this club. They currently have lanky, but athletic Ben Zobrist patrolling centerfield. As if the Baseball Gods were answering my exact thoughts...Carl Crawford, while warming up with a bullpen arm in the outfield...not only overthrows his partner once...but, twice...consecutively...drawing great applause from the left field bleachers.
* Bottom of ninth...Rauch comes on for the save in a 4-3 game...he easily gets the first two guys out. Then, some asshole turns another set of the stadium lighting on (the lighting directly behind home plate). The whole stinking game they only had the stadium lights on down the lines (1st base and 3rd base lines) and now they turn everything on with one more out to get in the game...in a middle of an inning too...does that make any sense...?? Carl Crawford proceeds to single and then score on Evan Longoria's double down the left field line...all with two outs...tie game. It was as if they were prematurely prepping for the postgame without the game actually being over yet...doesn't anyone learn that nothing is in the bag when you're a fan of a Minnesota sports team.
* Game went into extra innings...however, a good percentage of the fans left before Rauch even took the mound in the ninth inning (when we were leading)...our fan base sucks...we get a new stadium and we're not even a year into it and everyone is still consumed about beating traffic. Do us all a favor and don't show up in the first place if beating traffic is your main objective.
* Gardy gets tossed on a "Jim Joyce" type call by the third base umpire.
SBG
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)