#-1: Twins (Re-Entry!). Not a bad start! OK, so they foresook the chance to go undefeated for the year with their Opening Night loss to the Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim Angles Of ... but then they took the last three games of the series, in regular (5-3), small (4-2) and biggie size (10-1). I'm not impressed with Scott Baker or Jose Mijares yet, and Jon Rauch still scares me, but maybe Kevin Slowey has got it locked in. More importantly, the bats are coming through as expected. Can they keep this going with their trip to the South Side against the Chicago White Sox? After that, they open up Target Field with three against the Boston Red Sox.
#-2: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -1). Also went 3-1 for the week, including taking the back two of a three-game series at Purdue over the weekend. I put them second because of their loss, a 3-2, 10-inning setback where they held a 2-0 lead until the Boilermakers tied it in the bottom of the ninth. Along with a 10-3 victory over Hamline Tuesday, the Minnesota college nine seems to be off to a good start as well, at least in Big Ten play. And like the Twins, they start a new era in new digs this week: They're in the Metrodome for good, starting with a series against Michigan St. Friday through Sunday. By the way, congratulations are in order to Outfielder Michael Kvasnicka for being named conference Player Of The Week.
#-3: Wild (Last Week: -4). If you weren't a baseball team, you outright blew this week. These guys aren't exactly finishing on a high note, going 1-3 this week. I know Todd Richards is starting the rookies these last few games, but still, their only win was a shootout victory against Calgary last (Thursday) night. They scored too little, too late at home to San Jose, somehow scored two goals after an empty-netter to force overtime at Vancouver, only to give up a penalty early in OT and allow the game-winner, and then were completely uncompetitive against the worst team in the league, Edmonton. They scored nine goals in the four games this week. This year can't finish soon enough.
Their last game: Tomorrow (Saturday) night against The Team That Was Stolen From Us and Mike Modano. I have conflicted feelings about him. I know he's a good guy and he might be retiring after this year, and I think the schedule-makers wanted him to have his possible final game in the place he was drafted in -- and where he should've played his entire career. But he's the enemy now. He has to maintain his allegiance with Dallas, but that doesn't mean we should be cheering for him. And that's what I'm looking forward to the least. Are we Wild fans going to give him a standing ovation? Why? He should belong to us, but he doesn't. Any standing O for him is complicit approving the North Stars being taken from us. I'm serious, because that's true.
#-4: Swarm (Last Week: -2). Their game this week was a loss to Edmonton, but that it was at the X isn't the most noticeable thing about this. What's noticeable is that they had a five-goal lead going into the fourth quarter and shit their pants; the Rush won it in overtime. The magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains at two because Colorado apparently won last weekend. Meanwhile, the Swarm host Rochester Friday night (tonight).
#-5: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). Lost all three games this week. I was at the Golden State game Wednesday -- what an abortion. The Warriors shot hot, but rarely did the Woofie Dogs put a face on the shooters. Stephen Curry was absolutely phenomenal, and surprisingly deft at the point; whenever the Wolves tried to double team, Curry snapped it to the open man before they closed in. He notched 27 points, 14 assists and 7 steals. And I'm sitting there thinking, Why in the fuck didn't we draft this guy? The leading scorer in this game? Anthony fucking Tolliver. Who? But he had, like 26 before halftime and 34 for the game. Really?
Thank Buddha this is their last week. The final four: vs. the Bastard Minneapolis Lakers (which, by the way, was not televised. Why isn't this going to be on TV? I mean, yeah, it's the Wolves, but it's also the Lakers. Fucking confounds me), at the Bastard Charlotte Hornets, at San Antonio, and finally, home against Detroit. I will be at that game. I think they can beat the Pistons. Then again, I thought they'd beat Golden State.
No comments:
Post a Comment