Apr/070
Bullpen Struggles
I know it's early in the year and they need to work the kinks out, but I would sy the Minnesota Twins bullpen isn't as sharp as they were last year. As I watch games that are in the late innings, I don't have quite as much confidence in the bullpen as I did last year, I'm actually a little nervous. They have been talked about as one of the best in baseball and as of right now they're not performing like the best. I'm not a big stat guy, but listen to these. The bullpen's combined whip is 1.52, not a great number. Reyes(I got paid!) has an ERA of 8.53, Crain's is 6.43. The others don't have horrible ERAs but not quite good as last year's. Don't get me wrong I still think they are a great bullpen and have shown some great flashes, like Neshek striking out the side this past Saturday. I just hope I can go back to watching games and not needing a pack of Tums.
Apr/070
I knew the NBA was rigged
We now have YouTube proof the NBA is rigged. Read this article and watch the video and you'll see the NBA put Patrick Ewing in New York when the league needed a superstar in a big market really bad. Its so freaking obvious Stern looks and picks the envelope with the crease first. I was watching and was speachless. And here's the clincher, when NY is anounced the TV anouncer says, "The horseshoe worked, basketball is back in New York City my friend".
I knew the NBA was rigged, I just knew it. It should be of note that the NBA no longer televises the lottery ball drawing, they just give us the results from a closed off room.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/blog/index?name=simmons&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab6pos1
Now I just need some proof of the Vegas connection.
Apr/070
Twins New Ballpark
The Minnesota Twins officially released their plans for the new ballpark across the street from Target Center. Follow this link for a description and three photo slideshows.
Apr/070
Early Vikings Prediction
OK, the NFL schedules were announced today at noon on the NFL network. It's never too soon for a little light-hearted speculation and conjecture. Therefore, here is how I see the 2007-2008 NFL year shaking out for our favorite team:
Sunday September 9 ATLANTA FALCONS Noon FOX-- Mike Vick always kills us at Metrodome: Loss (0-1)
Sunday September 16 at Detroit Lions 3:05 p.m. FOX-- Tarvaris Jackson has his coming-out party at Ford field: Win (1-1)
Sunday September 23 at Kansas City Chiefs Noon FOX-- The way to win on the road is to run the ball and stop the run. Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor combine for a huge day, and the Viking rush D stifles LJ all day long: Win (2-1)
Sunday September 30 GREEN BAY PACKERS Noon FOX-- Vikings able to squeak out a close one against their up-and-coming rivals: Win (3-1)
Sunday October 7 BYE
Sunday October 14 at Chicago Bears Noon FOX-- No chance against the Champs at Soldier: Loss (3-2)
Sunday October 21 at Dallas Cowboys Noon FOX-- Cowboy pass rush is too much and TO gets three jump ball touchdowns over 'Toine Winfield: Loss (3-3)
Sunday October 28 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Noon FOX-- Andy Reid's genius is the only reason Childress is a head coach in the first place; Vikings will be outcoached in this one: Loss (3-4)
Sunday November 4 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS Noon CBS-- LT goes wild in the passing game indoors: Loss (3-5)
Sunday November 11 at Green Bay Packers Noon FOX-- Packers get the season split at home: Loss (3-6)
Sunday November 18 OAKLAND RAIDERS Noon * CBS-- Jamarcus Russell is picked 3 times trying to force the ball downfield to "84" (errr 18): Win (4-6)
Sunday November 25 at New York Giants Noon * FOX--Our last three meetings with the Giants have been lost by an estimated combined score of Giants 100 Vikings 12 (does 41-donut ring a bell?): Loss (4-7)
Sunday December 2 DETROIT LIONS Noon * FOX-- Vikings roll at home against the ratty Lions: Win (5-7)
Sunday December 9 at San Francisco 49ers 3:05 p.m.* FOX-- This is a pick 'em game for me, so I have to go with the home team: Loss (5-8)
Monday December 17 CHICAGO BEARS 7:30 p.m. ESPN-- The Bears win primetime games and we lose them, history supports this: Loss (5-9)
Sunday December 23 WASHINGTON REDSKINS Noon * FOX-- Another pick-em game for me; again I will go with the home team: Win (6-9)
Sunday December 30 at Denver Broncos 3:15 p.m.* FOX-- Broncos are playing for the #2 seed in the AFC, Vikings already eliminated from playoffs. No chance against Baily and Bly: Loss (6-10)
I would like to think that the Vikings will improve upon their 6-10 record from last year, but I don't see it happening this year. If anything, the team has gone backwards this offseason. We have lost our only two reliable receivers (Taylor and Robinson), our only offensive threat at TE (Wiggins), and haven't signed anyone of consequence on either side of the ball. Adrian Peterson and Tarvaris Jackson are the two bright spots that will "vault" our beloved Vikings up to 6 wins. At least we will have the draft to look forward to for another offseason in April 2008...
So there you have it, my predictions are in. Please reply to this and post what you think will happen with the Vikes in 2007/2008. Somebody please talk me off of the ledge; Bring the positivity if you can conjure some up!
Apr/072
Professor’s NFL Draft Pick #7 Possibility (Part V): Adrian Peterson
Mel Kiper, in his newest mock draft, which was shown on NFL live on Tuesday, but not updated on the ESPN website, has our Vikings selecting Adrian Peterson with the 7th overall pick. Peterson is listed as Kiper as the third best player available behind Johnson and Russell. It doesn't seem to make a ton of sense on the surface for the Vikings to select a RB; however, our number one priority is getting a PLAYMAKER in this draft, and Peterson is, no doubt, a bona fide playmaker. I realize that we already have Chester Taylor, but as "Paper Champs" wrote earlier this offseason, one thing that this year's playoff teams had in common was a two-man backfield. A combo of Peterson and Taylor coming out of our backfield would be a welcomed sight to see. With that said, here is the book on Peterson.
p.s. Can we please sign Eric Moulds already?? I don't think "Paper Champs"' boy Billy McMullin is going to cut it...
Adrian Peterson
RB | (6'1
", 217, 4.4) | OKLAHOMA
Scouts Grade: 98
Strengths: Possesses an outstanding combination of size, power and speed. Shows a great deal of competitiveness and toughness as a runner. Extremely instinctive as a runner. Shows excellent vision and patience. Runs with ideal balance and body control. Makes quick cuts and shows very good initial burst off his plant foot. He is an upright runner but he also knows when to lower his shoulder for the most part. Rare in terms of his ability to gain yards after contact. He is a punishing back that will wear a defense down with 25-35 carries, and he seems to improve as the game wears on. He shows the initial burst and speed to consistently turn the corner as an outside runner. He continues to improve as a route runner. He has displayed soft hands as a receiver and has upside in that facet of the game. He also shows the size, strength and competitiveness to develop into a solid pass blocker with improved technique and more attention to detail.
Weaknesses: Durability is the biggest concern. He has been limited by injuries in each of his three collegiate seasons, yet he also has lots of mileage on his legs with 728 carries in the 30 games played to date. He will enter the NFL having already suffered injuries to his shoulder, ankle and collarbone. He is an upright runner that loses some power because he fails to consistently run with good pad-level. He's not overly elusive and won't make many defenders miss in space. He lacks ideal experience in the passing game. Will need polishing as a route runner and as a blocker.
Overall: Peterson started eight of 13 games played as a true freshman in 2004, when he rushed for 1,925 yards and 15 touchdowns on 339 carries. He also caught five passes for 12 yards that season. He was suspended for two days during 2005 spring practice and did not start vs. UCLA because he missed classes. As a sophomore in 2005, Peterson started eight of 11 games played (missed Baylor and parts of three other games with ankle sprain), and finished with 1,108 yards and 14 TD's on 220 carries, and caught nine passes for 50 yards. A broken collarbone (Iowa State 10/14) forced him to miss seven games in 2006. For the season he rushed 188 times for 1,012 yards (5.4 average) and 12 touchdowns and also caught 10 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown, earning him a first team All-Big 12 selection. On a side note: His father was in prison from when Peterson was in middle school until October of 2006.
Durability is the biggest knock on Peterson. Otherwise, he's a complete prospect with special physical skills and competitiveness. When healthy, Peterson displays an outstanding combination of size, vision, instincts, burst and power as a runner. Also, while his receptions were limited in college, he displays soft hands and lots of potential in that department. Overall, Peterson is by far the best running back in the 2007 class and he ranks as one of the top-five prospects regardless of position.
The following is from Wikipedia.com; and as Michael Scott says, Wikipedia is the greatest invention ever... anybody anywhere in the world can write anything they want, so you know you are getting the best information...
High school career
Peterson played football at Palestine High School coached by Jeff Harrell. As a senior he rushed for 2,960 yards on 252 attempts, an average of 11.7 yards per carry, and 32 touchdowns. He finished his 2002 campaign with 2,051 yards on 246 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry, and 22 TDs. Peterson was considered one of the best runnings backs in Texas prep history and consensus national player of the year 2004. He was awarded the 2004 Hall Trophy as the Ball Park National High School Player of the Year. Peterson was also named MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl after leading the West squad with 95 yards on nine carries and scoring two touchdowns. Highly recruited, he chose Oklahoma over Arkansas, Miami (FL) and Texas.
At Palestine HS, Peterson also competed in track and field and basketball.
College career
Peterson runs against Boise State in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Peterson comes from a very athletic family. His mother was a collegiate track athlete, while his father signed a national letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Oklahoma. Personal troubles derailed his father's enrollment at Oklahoma, however, and he ended up playing for the University of Southern Idaho, and later serving time in prison. He was released from prison during the 2006 season, but was precluded from attending any Oklahoma's football games until his release from a half-way house in Oklahoma City. Peterson's father was able to watch his son from the stands for the first time on October 14, 2006. Oklahoma beat Iowa State University in that game, but Adrian broke his collar bone diving into the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown run. During a press conference on October 18, Peterson said he was told by doctors to expect to be out for four to six weeks. He was unable to return for the rest of the Sooners regular season, but he was cleared to play in the Big 12 Championship Game. However, he and the coaching staff felt it would be safer to hold him out one more game. He returned for the Sooners' last game against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl where he rushed for 77 yards. He refused to discuss his plans beyond the end of this season with the press. At the time of the injury, Peterson had only 151 yards to gain to pass Billy Sims as the University of Oklahoma's all-time leading rusher. Peterson finished 74 yards short of that mark after the Fiesta Bowl. Peterson is 6'2" about 225 pounds, with his 40 yard dash time reported at 4.38 by Sports Illustrated.
Career statistics
Rushing
| Year | Team | Attempts | Yards | Average | Long | TDs | Yards/Game | Rank* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | HS | 259 | 2313 | 8.9 | -- | 32 | -- | -- | |
| 2005 | Okla. | 220 | 1108 | 5.0 | 84 | 14 | 100.73 | 33rd | |
| * National rank based on rushing yards per game | |||||||||
Receiving
| Year | Team | Receptions | Yards | Average | Long | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | HS | 3 | 36 | 12.0 | -- | 0 |
| 2005 | Okla. | 9 | 50 | 5.6 | 11 | 0 |
NFL career
On January 15, 2007, Peterson declared that he will forgo his senior year of college and enter the NFL Draft where it is predicted by many that he will be a top 5 draft choice. It was the final day for players to declare for the Draft.
Scouting report
Peterson has good size at 6'2" and 220 lbs. He has the power to run over a defender and the elusiveness make him miss. He has great speed and has the potential to score on any given play. The main knock on him is durability. Throughout his career at Oklahoma, he has suffered numerous injuries, including a broken collarbone. However, Peterson has been compared to such NFL backs as Shaun Alexander, due to Peterson's strength and tackle-breaking abilities.
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, Peterson ran a 4.38 unofficial 40 time. The night before the Combine, Peterson's half-brother was killed in an apparent homicide in Houston, Texas.
Apr/071
Gophers Coaching Staff Looking Good
Yahoo sports seems to be praising the new Gophers coaching staff.
Yahoo - "...The spring game will also give fans a first look at Brewsters' staff, including defensive coordinator Everett Withers and offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar.
Withers will get his first taste of coordinating Saturday after spending the past five years as a defensive backs coach for the Tennessee Titans.
Dunbar joined the Gophers after serving as California's offensive coordinator last season when the Golden Bears averaged 32.8 points per game -- ranking Cal 11th in the country."
We get the man who led Pac Man at Tennessee and the man who led Marshawn Lynch the Pac10 Offensive Player of the Year at Cal.
For the first time in my life I'm actually excited to see how good this Gopher team will be in 3 years once this coaching staff gets some of their recruits in place.
Apr/070
Ortiz solidifies rotation
The biggest question mark coming into this season was surrounding their ability to patch together a workable starting pitching rotation. All other pieces to the team seamed to be in tact. The rotation however was the one thing that almost every baseball “expert” predicted would be our downfall.
When spring training started one thing was a given. Johan Santana would be our opening day pitcher. The rest of the team however was nothing more than a roll of the dice. Names like Silva, Bonser, Ortiz, Ponson and Garza to name a few were thrown around like ragdolls. Everyone had their opinion as to who should be #2-#5. While today’s rotation is certainly different than I expected (and to be honest hoped for), we do know one thing after the first three games this season. Our first three starters are set!
Monday night Johan had a so-so night and still was able to pull out the win. On Tuesday, Boof looked unhittable for most of the night. The only mistake he made was to Tejada and that ball landed in the left field bleachers. Last night, Ortiz, one of our newest Twins took the mound.
The word around baseball circles was that Ortiz had lost his ability to be a productive piture. He was suffering from something that I like to call “Bradke Disease”. He would eat up bunches of innings but would always suffer from giving up the “big inning”. He had problems keeping the ball in the park. Brad Radke used to give up the first inning blast. For Ortiz, he wasn’t picky on which inning this happened.
Last night Ortiz showed me (and the rest of Minnesota) something. He showed us that he can still be a very good pitcher at this level. He reminded me of the guy who beat us during the ALCS. He reminded me of “pedro-lite” as many people used to call him (in reference to being a smaller almost mini-me version of Pedro Martinez). While early in the season, his performance (along with Santana and Boof) made me believe that we can make some waves in this division and in the American League.
The reason that I think that we’ll prove the so-called “experts” wrong is because what they didn’t realize is that our offensive production is already in mid-season form. Although we took an early exit from the post season last year, we were one of the more productive teams in baseball for the greater part of 3 months last year. The team took some time last year to gel and we saw the outcome. This year, the team has gelled and we’re already scoring runs in bunches. The Piranhas are once again reaking havok on the basepaths. The M&M boys are doing what they are supposed to… get on base and occassionally hit the ball out of the ball park. Rondell White is hitting the ball hard (considering that we got absolutely nothing from him during the first half of last season….i’ll take what I can get!).
Couple all of these factors with our new found pitching staff and I think that we might have something to look forward to this October. While we’re only three games into the season, and still have Ponson and Silva to go, I think that having solidified the first three starters will go along way in making this season one to remember.
Apr/070
With the MLB season under way, it seems only fitting that the Twins should be overlooked again by the baseball analysts at ESPN. We have a reigning Cy Young pitcher, a perennial Gold Glover, a batting champ, and oh yeah the MV-frickin-P, and yet we get no love from the big name analysts at ESPN. Only one, Jim Caple, had the Twins winning the division and eventually winning the World Series. I thought with the talent we had we would get a few more looks from the likes of Gammons, Olney, and Stark, but no. The following link will take you to see who they picked:
So, I thought I would take it to the blog and see who you thought would win the division or grab the wild card, and win the World Series. The following are my picks, but please post a comment on who you think will make the playoffs and go on to win the World Series. Go Twinkies!!!
AL East: Yankees AL West: A's AL Central: Twins AL Wild Card: Tigers
NL East: Mets NL West: D-backs NL Central: Cubs NL Wild Card: Phillies
World Series: Twins beat the Cubs in 6, and keep the curse alive!
Apr/070
Random Thoughts
The 2007 Major League Baseball season officially starts tonight. The Twins will kick off the season by opening at home against the Baltimore Orioles.
I've been trying my best not to get wrapped up in speculation prior to the season starting. Now that the season officially starts, I thought it time to fire up the old laptop and start writing about my favorite team.
A few things worry me about the 2007 team. First of all, i'm not sold (yet) on the starting pitching rotation. It's been well documented that we have the best pitcher in baseball on our staff (in fact MLB might do well to rename the Cy Young award to pay homage to Johan Santana). I'm honestly worried about three starters on our team..... I'm worried about Ponson, Boof and scared to death by Silva.
I'll start with Boof. He's young and while he has some experience he certainly is not as dependable as I would like. I like what he does on the mound but I fear that in a pressure situation he'll find a way to give up a game or make a critical error. He has all the tools to be a quality pitcher but his inexperience in my eyes is what makes him risky. I would have no issues with him if he was our 4th or 5th guy but when he's slotted as 3rd in the rotation my palms get a little sweaty.
Now to Ponson.... He had a shaky start to Spring Training but he has seemed to turn it around. He's been fairly solid this spring. He has a modest 4.29 ERA which isn't great but the key is that he has yet to give up a homerun in 21 innings. That makes me believe he could be a solid 4th starter in our rotation. Let's hope that his "wine with dinner" doesn't cause him to make local or national headlines. That last thing we need in the clubhouse is a guy who could cause a distraction.
Last but not least, the guy i'm most worried about is Carlos Silva. To say that he's been bad this spring is an understatement. In 21 innings he's given up 21 runs (only 20 earned)... Somehow he beat out Garza for the last spot in the rotation. He has been struggling with location on every one of his pitches. His slider doesn't slide. His changeup isn't slow enough and he is struggling to be precise with his fastball. The inability to throw those pitches well will make him nothing more than batting practice on his April 10th start against the Yankees. A word to the wise for all you Twins fans.... Don't watch that game in HD. It will be painful enough. There is no need to make it worse on ourselves by watching Carlos sweating bullets in HD.
(closed circuit to Ron Gardenhire.... Just because Silva is Santana's best friend doesn't mean that he should have taken the 5th spot in the rotation. If he falters as all make sure and send him down to AAA.)
On to better subjects. Mauer and Morneau can now officially be called the "M&M boys". I figure that once you win the AL MVP and the batting championship those sort of nicknames are well deserved.
*** On a sad note, the Twins announced today that legendary announcer Herb Carneal died at age 83 from congestive heart failure. Herb had been fighting CHF for some time and my thoughts and prayers are with his family. The Twins have dedicated the 2007 season in his name***