TheGoldSeat

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With the 3rd Pick in the 2008 NBA Draft the Minnesota Timberwolves select:

Ok, with 4 games remaining the Timberwolves are currently slotted in the 3rd best position in the draft lottery, which would give them a 15.6% chance of landing the #1 overall pick.  However, at 19-59 the Timberwolves are only one game in the win column ahead of the Seattle Supersonics (18-61).  This means that to catch Seattle the Supersonics will have to win one more game than the Timberwolves the rest of the way.  Complicating matters is that Seattle has three games left and the Timberwolves have four. 

On first blush it would appear that we have no chance in this equation.  Seattle’s three remaining games are against solid Western Conference opponents (San Antonio, Dallas and Golden State).  However, here is the scenario by which we could catch Seattle.  The Timberwolves have 4 remaining games, the next 3 of them on the road.  I predict that we will lose out.  We play Orlando, Memphis and Detroit on the road in the next week or so, and will lose all three.  The only close game will be at Memphis, but Rudy Gay will prove to be too much on the road.  Then we come home for the final game against Milwaukee, which we will use to give backups extended minutes to try to determine who should remain on the roster for next year (Richard, Smith, Telfair, Snyder, etc.). 

If we finish the year 19-63 we have a shot.  The reason being that Seattle will win one of its remaining games, and here’s why:  First they play San Antonio.  There’s a chance that Duncan and company could be resting their players.  They have no shot at catching New Orleans for the number one spot in the West and might not have a huge preference whether they play Dallas or Phoenix.  Seattle’s second game is against Dallas.  This is more of a long shot, but it’s possible that Dallas might not want to win out, because securing the 7th spot means that they will have to play SA or LA.  If you’re SA, why not lose a couple, grab the 8th spot and play New Orleans in the first round?  Which brings us to the game that I think Seattle has the greatest chance to win: Golden State.  Right now GS is in the 9th spot, on the outside looking in.  By the last game of the season they will likely be officially eliminated, deflated, and looking to next year.  On the other hand, Seattle has a lot of young talent who will be looking to make a statement for playing time to the coaches going into the offseason.  If, and it’s a big if, Seattle can pull out one of these three games for the reasons I have stated, and if the Timberwolves do the prudent thing and lose out, the Timberwolves will have a chance at a coin flip to see who gets the second slot and a 19.9% chance at grabbing Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose with the number one pick on May 20th.  Here’s hoping that the Supersonics will finish their run in Seattle on a strong note - maybe even win a couple more games..

Rose or Beasley, who do you want when it all unfolds?

   OR   

After clinching the Northwest division with 98 points the MN Wild will open the 2008 playoffs as the #3 seed. The Wild will face off against a familiar rival the #5 seeded Colorado Avalanche.

After breaking down the the other 3 Western Conf. matchups I will make this prediction - The Wild will play in the Conference Finals. Here’s how:

The playoffs are re-seeded after each round. If everything follows the chalk then the Wild would face the #2 seed San Jose Sharks. But the Sharks are the playing a feisty Calgary team that went 3-1 this year against the Sharks. I’m not saying this will hold up in the playoffs but it does show the Sharks have struggled with the Flames. The real reason I think the Flames with upset the Sharks is the schedule. The NHL has scheduled the opening two games to be played Wed & Thurs. back to back. I believe this will only help with the momentum one of the team creates in game one as they will play again without a practice or much time for adjustments. The Flames have been very inconsistent this year but San Jose has a history of blowing up in the playoffs. If the Flames get something going they could win the series.

If the Flames pull the upset the Wild would then face the #4 or #5 seed Anaheim or Dallas. The Wild have a winning record against both. The Flames would play the Red Wings. If the Wild win again they will play the Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals. I only see this playing out if the Flames can somehow upset the #2 seeded Sharks. If they do, the Wild should be playing in Detroit later this year.

Then again if a goalie gets hot and starts standing on his head anything can happen. My 2008 Playoff Prediction - Wild vs. Wings in the West, Canadiens vs. Caps in the East. The Red Wings end up having too much and beat the Capitals in six.

Stickandballguy is reporting that he:

came across the following nugget: the top-level domains www.landolakespark.com and www.landolakesfield.com have been purchased by the Minnesota Twins. According to my WHOIS searches (see graphics below), club itself is the Registrant and the technical contact given for the domain is John Avenson, the Twins’ Vice President of Technology.

Here is the proof:

It’s way too early to be making predictions based on the season opener but if Gomez continues to hit in front of Mauer and gets on base…I could see Mauer adding 20 points to his batting average or drawing more walks this season. With opposing pitchers worrying about the steal, the SS covering the steal and 1B holding on the runner Mauer should see better pitches, bigger gaps or a lot more walks.

If Gomez does steal and Mauer moves him over to 3rd with that patented miss hit dribble to 2nd then Cuddyer or Morneau could be adding another 20 RBI this year. Please Gomez, be the second coming of Kenny Lofton 1992-1998.

Can he hit .380 this year?

Here is an incredibly accurate and poignant editorial on exactly what is going wrong with our favorite pro basketball team. It’s written by a college student in Boston, of all sources. Thanks for the insight, Ross!

http://media.www.tuftsdaily.com/ - Keep Your Mouth Shut Article

This year the Minnesota Vikings will have the 17th overall selection in the NFL Draft.  Midway through last season it looked like we were a lock to land a top 5 pick.  Then Adrian Peterson realized that he was one of the 3 most explosive, game-changing players in the league and all hell broke loose.  The worst case scenario in the NFL is to narrowly miss the playoffs; in this scenario you not only miss out on the postseason, you also get a lousy draft pick. Unlike sports like hockey and baseball, it definitely pays to tank in the NFL; there’s not even a lottery..  Although the Vikings did pay bigtime for their winning ways the last half of the season in the way of draft order, the way they will not pay is by having to invest in upwards of $30 million guaranteed dollars in what likely will amount to a bust player from college. 

With the 2008 NFL Draft closely at hand (relatively speaking), I for one am glad that our Vikings don’t have the responsibility of picking in the top 10 and paying top 10 money to a player who has never stepped foot on a pro field.  This year the Dolphins have been ‘rewarded’ for having the most pathetic record in the league by being given the opportunity to invest $30 million guaranteed on basically a coin flip.  I will highlight my point by taking you back to the 2005 NFL Draft.  I’m choosing 2005 for a couple reasons.  The first is because the players in that draft have had 3 years to prove their worth.  The other reason is that it was a really bad first round for those selecting in the top 17 picks.  If the 2008 draft turns out anything like the 2005 draft, we should thank our lucky stars to have had our draft status drop like a football clanked off Troy Williamson’s facemask.  Here is what the top 17 picks looked like in 2005:

Draft#:1

Alex D. Smith                     
Position:QB
Drafted From: Utah

CAN BARELY COMPLETE A PASS

Draft#:2

Ronnie Brown                             

Position:RB
Drafted From: Auburn

SHOWS SIGNS OF DOMINANCE BUT CAN’T STAY HEALTHY,  3 YEARS LATER THE DOLPHINS HAVEN’T IMPROVED

Draft#:3

Braylon Edwards                          
Position:WR
Drafted From: Michigan

COMPLETE STUD, TOP 10 RECEIVER IN THE LEAGUE IN MY ESTIMATION

Draft#:4

Cedric Benson                                 

Position:RB
Drafted From: Texas

FAT AND SLOW WITH NO VISION OR CUTBACK ABILITY

Draft#:5

Carnell Williams                               

Position:RB
Drafted From: Auburn

NOODLES FOR KNEE LIGAMENTS, FLASH IN THE PAN HIS ROOKIE YEAR

Draft#:6

Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones                      

Position:CB
Drafted From: West Virginia

MAKING IT RAIN IN JAIL (ABOUT TO BE TRADED TO DALLAS FOR A 7TH ROUND PICK)

Draft#:7

Troy Williamson                                       
Position:WR
Drafted From: South Carolina

TOO SAD TO EVEN MENTION (MAYBE NOT THE BEST DECISION TO TRADE MOSS FOR NAPOLEON HARRIS AND 7TH PICK) 

Draft#:8

Antrel Rolle                                       

Position:CB
Drafted From: Miami(Fla.)

NOT HALF THE CORNER HIS BROTHER IS.  WILL BE MOVED TO SAFETY THIS YEAR

Draft#:9

Carlos Rogers                                     

Position:CB
Drafted From: Auburn

WAS A SLIGHT DISAPPOINTMENT BEFORE TEARING HIS ACL, WE’LL SEE HOW THAT GOES…

Draft#:10

Mike Williams                                      
Position:WR
Drafted From: Southern California

RUNS MORE LIKE PAT WILLIAMS THAN ROY WILLIAMS (HE DID MAKE A ONE HANDED CATCH IN COLLEGE THOUGH…)

Draft#:11

Demarcus Ware                                   

Position:DE
Drafted From: Troy State

ONE DIMENTIONAL 3-4 SCHEME PASS RUSHER (COULDN’T COVER THE AFOREMENTIONED MIKE WILLIAMS)

Draft#:12

Shawne Merriman                               
Position:OLB
Drafted From: Maryland

PRO BOWL DEFENSIVE TEAM LEADER (ALTHOUGH HE HASN’T BEEN AS GOOD SINCE HIS STEROID SUSPENSION)

Draft#:13

Jammal Brown                                       
Position:OT
Drafted From: Oklahoma

ALL PRO ON THE FIELD AND AT DOMESTIC DISTURBANCES

Draft#:14

Thomas Davis                                                                  

Position:FS
Drafted From: Georgia

CONVERTED TO OUTSIDE LINEBACKER, SECOND ON TEAM IN TACKLES UNTIL SHOULDER INJURY IN GAME 15

Draft#:15

Derrick O. Johnson                                

Position:OLB
Drafted From: Texas

GOOD STARTING OUTSIDE LINEBACKER, VERY ATHLETIC, NOT GREAT VS. THE RUN

Draft#:16

Travis Johnson                                        

Position:DT
Drafted From: Florida State

ENDED TRENT GREEN’S CAREER LAST YEAR, KEITH OLBERMANN CALLED HIM ‘THE WORST PERSON IN THE NFL’

Draft#:17

David Pollack                                            

Position:DE
Drafted From: Georgia

BROKE HIS NECK AND LIKELY WILL NEVER PLAY AGAIN

Making the beginning of this draft even worse is the fact that with the 18th pick we took Erasmus James, who has absolutely lived up to the hype that he is extremely injury prone.  The point of all this is that it’s not necessarily the best to be at the top of the draft.  Call it sour grapes if you want, but the 49ers rue the day that they had to give Alex Smith $27 million guaranteed dollars, half of it up front!  Bottom line is I’d only want to have 5 of the players on this list on my team, period.  AND, I would only want Edwards, Merriman and Brown for how much they getting paid for their efforts.  So, from a value perspective I would want 17% of the top 18 picks.  Vegas cleans up and patrons have close to a 48% of leaving happy; if I were an NFL GM I would try to trade all my draft picks for players from whom  I was 100% sure what I was getting, even if it meant giving up some upside.  It might be a better strategy long-term, but nobody has had the seeds to try it.  It works in Madden…

Ok, with Denard Span being sent down to AAA and Joe Nathan being inked to a 4 year, $47 M payday, the Minnesota Twins opening day roster is rounding into shape.  Here are my predictions for the upcoming season.  The opening day lineup will look like this:

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Joe Mauer, C
3. Michael Cuddyer, RF
4. Justin Morneau, 1B
5. Delmon Young, LF
6. Craig Monroe/Jason Kubel, DH
7. Brendan Harris, 2B
8. Mike Lamb, 3B
9. Adam Everett, SS

The best case scenario is that Carlos Gomez becomes Jose Reyes, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau play like they did in 2006, Delmon Young plays like Torii Hunter did last year, and the 7,8,9 spots can get at least 3 combined hits a game.  Worst case scenario is that Carlos Gomez bats .232 like he last year with the Mets, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau play like they did in 2007, Delmon Young is still a couple years away from being a superstar, Craig Monroe remembers that he is old and Jason Kubel continues to deliver nothing on the hype that I have heard for the last 4 years, and our 7,8,9 batters consistently give the Twins only 18 outs to outscore our opponents who are getting 27 outs to play with. 

How about the pitchers.  It looks like the Franchise is going to start the year on a rehab assignment, and Baker will be given as much time to get up to speed as possible; so here is how I see the opening day rotation:

1. Livan Hernandez

2. Boof Bonser

3. Kevin Slowey

4. Nick Blackburn

5. Scott Baker

 Eventually, however, the rotation will look more like:

1. Francisco Liriano

2. Scott Baker

3. Livan Hernandez

4. Boof Bonser

5. Kevin Slowey

Either way, the prospects for keeping opponents under 5 runs a game don’t look good.  Blackburn and Slowey are essentially unknowns at this point.  They are both regarded by those outside of the Twins organization as decent pitching prospects.  To put it into perspective, the Rays didn’t want Slowey or Blackburn for Delmon Young, they wanted Matt Garza.  So expecting either of them to be better than Matt was would be irresponsible.  Boof and Baker both showed signs of dominant pitching last year, but those signs were all too often scattered in between 4 inning outings.  The same goes for Liriano.  He made the all-star game in 2006 after arriving on the baseball landscape like he was shot out of cannon.  Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to know how his elbow will respond to the Tommy John surgery, not to mention the complete transformation of his delivery mechanics.  To me, it looks like the smart bet would be that Liriano will get back to peak form by the end of spring training next year. 

As you can probably tell, I see the rotation as the biggest question mark.  One which could sway the Twins performance this year by 40 games or more from best-case scenario to worst-case scenaro.  If the starting rotation is a high yield junk bond, rife with risk, the bullpen is more like an index fund; solid performance with less risk exposure.  Joe Nathan is a top 5 closer in the league, Neshek was a top 5 set-up man before he had to take all of his innings and Jesse Crain’s innings the second half of the year.  Speaking of Crain, he is coming back healthy and will be able to spell Neshek and keep him fresh throughout the season.  Blackburn/Perkins/whoever else will be decent long-relievers for those times when the starters show their inevitable inconsistency. 

So, here comes a prediction.  The way I see it, we will be good enough to win 25% percent of our games against Detroit, Cleveland, New York Yankees and Boston.  So that gives us 10 wins in 38 tries against the Detroit/Cleveland and 3 wins in 12 tries against NY/Boston.  I think we are good enough to play .600 baseball the rest of the way in the 112 remaining games against the NL teams in interleague play and the non-elite AL teams.  So this would give us 67 more wins in 112 tries.  Therefore, my prediction for the overall season is 80 wins, 82 losses.  Unfortunately, 80 wins in the AL Central is probably only good for 3rd, depending on if the White Sox can come back to form and pass us.  This is by no means gospel, so if you have any thoughts/opinions/arguments/gripes we would love hear what you think!

This has nothing to do with sports. It will still make you laugh hysterically.