#-1: Twins (Last Week: -1). Do you remember the "Got To See 'Em!" ad campaign? This was a few years after their "Get To Know 'Em!" campaign in the early-to-mid nineties, when they became known and became, well, good. Those "Got To See 'Em!" players heralded the Renaissance of the Twinks in the early years of this millennium. And with the way they're going, we are seeing the echo of that boom.
It's a 4-2 week for the team holding down the top (and soon-to-be only) spot in the WMNSS, which they capped with a two-game sweep at Pittsburgh. Congratulations to Joe Mauer, who got off the Home Run schneid with a blast to Center Field to give the Twins the 4-3 win (last) Wednesday night.
Right now they are stalking the two best teams in what has become a pretty good American League Central, Kansas City and Detroit. Maybe more importantly, right now they are a few games clear of what currently are the dregs of the division, the White Sox and Cleveland. If the lineup keeps hitting, the defense maintains its vast improvement, the starting pitching remains decent and the bullpen remains hot (probably the biggest fact in the team's turnaround this young season), the organization's best days will certainly be ahead of them.
They visit the White Sox this weekend, then begin a three-game series against Boston Memorial Day.
#-2: Timberwolves (Re-Entry!). I should be happier that the Woofie Dogs, with the worst record in the NBA, actually got the first pick in the draft. They have never improved their record in the lottery, but they often have gotten worse. And with them having the worst record, the only way they could go was down. That the ping-pong balls went according to probabilities means that there is a God, and that God does not hate the Timberwolves.
So why in the hell am I afraid they're going to fuck this up? Because these are the Wolves, and they always fuck things up. It appears as if this is a two-man draft (which would have meant in previous years that Minnesota would have slipped into the third spot, but again, God had mercy on the Wolves), and it looks as though the mockers are coalescing around them picking Karl Anthony-Towns out of Kentucky. The scuttlebutt, however, is that General Manager and Head Coach Flip Saunders is quite enamored with Duke's Jahlil Okafor.
Here's the contrast between the two. Okafor is the better player now while Anthony-Towns (KAT for short) has the better potential and may be better later. Okafor has the better offensive game but has been too fat to help out on the defensive side. KAT, meanwhile, already has a sound rim protection/shot-blocking game and projects to be better all-around. One of them has been compared to Tim Duncan, but I've done so much research I forgot which one it is.
My take? First of all, people are hyping this upcoming draft as the best one in the modern age. I thought last year's draft was the best one in the modern age. Recency bias, perhaps? Frankly, I'm not smitten with either, and I'll wait to see if the hype over this draft crop is better than last year's. I saw Okafor get beaten like a bitch from Frank Kaminsky, of all people, so I'm afraid he'll be too lazy to translate to the NBA game. Also, he needs some work, especially with speed, and I don't know if he'll be able to learn with the T-Wolves. KAT has the upside, but I hold the fact that The Best Freshman Class In College Basketball History failed to win a title and didn't even make it to the championship game.
Nevertheless, I go with KAT. They need a defensive presence that'll replace the too-often-injured Nikola Pekovic ... assuming, of course, Saunders will actually preach defense. I'm really scared, however, that the Wolves will draft Okafor and he becomes a bust. Hell, I think KAT may be mistreated with the way this franchise is run. So, yeah, I guess I'm skeptical of how the Woofs will improve their team, because they're the anti-Midas; their touch turns gold to dust.
#-Infinity: Gopher softball and Gopher baseball (Last Week: -3 and -2, respectively). Both University of Minnesota diamonds sports end their seasons in the same survey, one in nail-biting fashion, one as if they were embarrassed to play. And thus the 2014-5 U. sports year ends with one thrilling championship (women's hockey, redeeming all of us), a couple of very promising programs (softball and football), two very puzzling flameouts (men's basketball and men's hockey) and a blown chance (wrestling). Guess you can't realistically ask for better.
First the obit for softball, which did all it could before getting eliminated Sunday night in Tucson against regional host and national 12-seed Arizona. The Wildcats ticked the Gophers' first loss after the U. beat New Mexico St., necessitating a second meeting (and second win) over the Aggies. That meant that they had to beat Arizona twice to advance to next week's super regional.
And they did beat Arizona -- once. The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh (remember that whenever two teams have a rematch in a regional, they switch the home and away teams; thus the Gophers were the home team), but the U. managed to load the bases, and with one out, Paige Palkovich launched her second grand slam of the season into left field to give Minnesota a 5-2 win and force a second game Sunday evening.
That rubber match may be the most exciting loss in Gopher softball program history, maybe even moreso than the ones they survived in the regional they hosted last year. There were four lead changes in the game. The U. went up 2-0 before trailing 4-2 going into the seventh. In the top of the seventh and with the team down to its final out, Hannah Granger hit an RBI single, then Taylor LeMay cranked a three-run shot out of the stadium, giving the Gophers a 6-4 lead.
Unfortunately, the Wildcats battled back in the home half of the seventh, courtesy of a two-run homer by Chelsea Goodacre. They managed to put runners on first and second with nobody out, but managed to send the game to extra innings with a double play and a diving catch by Palkovich in left. If she doesn't make that catch, the runner on third trots home and ends the game in seven.
Sadly, Arizona ended it in eight. The Gophers left two on in the top of the inning, and Kellie Fox ended the game, and the team's season, with an RBI single. The final score was 7-6 in eight innings, versus a team the Gophers seriously should not have played this early in the tournament. If I were more of a die-hard fan I'd be pissed at the draw.
Nevertheless the squad finished with a record of 49-11, tied for its best ever. Seven seniors, the vanguard of what appears to be a Renaissance for the program, won 160 games and lost 64; the winning percentage of .714 is the best for a Gopher senior class. And it feels like Jessica Allister has laid the groundwork for a solid, if not conference-contending, program year after year. Things are looking up, and I would like to believe regionals will be an annual occurrence for this club.
Meanwhile, the Gopher baseball team appears to be in a serious funk. They finished the season winning two of three against Michigan St. at beautiful Siebert Field, but they needed Nebraska to get swept at the hands of Big Ten regular season champions Illinois, and that didn't happen.
Therefore, their season ended Sunday, a game I was able to attend. And with the important fate of which eight teams will make the conference tournament (being held this weekend at Target Field; I am hoping to see all the games this weekend, weather permitting) decided (although the exact seed for the Spartans was not until the season was over Sunday afternoon), both teams wasted no time in getting through it. It looked as if every single batter, as well as the home ump, had planes to catch; they were swinging at the quasi-meatballs thrown as the first pitch, and it looked like the ump expanded the strike zone to the size of Rebel Wilson. It was just as hilarious, too. The irony was that after the second inning the game was tied at 1; they were speeding their way towards extra innings if they weren't careful. Luckily for all involved, First Baseman Austin Athmann doubled in Shortstop Michael Handel (named team Most Valuable Player and all-B1G Second Team) in the sixth inning and Minnesota "held on" for a 2-1 victory that took an hour and 52 minutes to complete.
But now the questions come. It looks as though the money from the flush Big Ten Network is being used to fatten up some non-revenue sports; lacrosse comes to mind. Baseball too, because that sport (as well as lacrosse) fill content in the spring season, when football and basketball are at rest. Nothing brings ratings like good teams, and now it looks like the B1G has better ones -- Indiana with Kyle Schwarber, and now fifth(?)-ranked Illinois and Iowa possibly being the class of the conference for now.
The Gophers should be up there as well. After all, they have a brand-new stadium and a legendary Manager in John Anderson. And yet they have been moribund for several seasons now. What's the problem? Seriously, why isn't this team better? Is the problem Anderson? Does the program need a new guide to go along with the new stadium? I see no answer that makes more sense.
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