#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -1). And the beat goes on ... I was at the gym and saw the very end of the squad's game Tuesday against the New York Liberty (and Head Coach, Bad Boy Bill Laimbeer; Lynx HC Cheryl Reeve was hired from New York as she was Laimbeer's Assistant Coach). For some reason the game was close, but Lindsay Whalen, the only player from the club's starting five who didn't make the WNBA All-Star Game, sink a jumper late. The Libs tried to win the game, but they just couldn't sink the shot, so the Lynx survived, at home (well, the X), 76-15. Friday they actually had an easier game on the road, routing Atlanta, 90-80.
I don't really have much to add to this team other than the observation that, at least this year, the focal point of the offense seems to be Center Sylvia Fowles in the paint. Her spottiness may have led to the team's upset loss in the WNBA Finals last season; her resurgence may be a way of rectifying that mistake.
Oh, by the way, the team announced that, because the Wild have priority over the Xcel Energy Center and there will be preseason games there in September, all postseason games will be at Williams Arena, Whalen's old stomping grounds. It's sad that this proud has to move not once but twice in the same year. And have you also noticed that the renovations to Target Center were made in the middle of the Lynx's season and is occurring between the Timberwolves' seasons? I understand economics and popularity, but working around the man's schedule and not the woman's still smacks of sexism.
This week the club's at home -- Seattle tonight (Sunday night), the Dream again Thursday.
#-2: United FC (Last Week: -3). Ah, that's better. Last (Saturday) night the side broke their five-game winless streak with an emphatic 4-0 ass-kicking of fellow United D.C. in a battle of the two last-place teams in the two conferences that comprise Major League Soccer. I understand that in soccer, home-field advantage is an outsized factor. But I still didn't believe they would shut out United while breaking out of a scoreless drought that spanned three whole matches and about 350 minutes. But they did. (Aside: A loss this embarrassing gets coaches fired. D.C. United have now lost seven in a row; Manager Ben Olsen has to be in trouble.) This doesn't change anything; I think they're still dead last in the Western Conference. But at least they won. They complete their five-game, 32-day homestand Saturday vs. Seattle.
#-3: Twins (Last Week: -2). Wow, what a difference a week makes. OK, I've been bitching about "OK, this is the screening week where the Twins' fortunes go from good to bad." But I'm telling you, this is the screening week where the Twins' fortunes went from good to bad." They finished 1-5 for the week. That includes getting swept in L.A. to the Dodgers, The Best Team In The National League. On Sunday they lost the home series against Detroit. And they choked on three games in which they were leading this week, capped off by a two-run, game-ending Home Run by Rajai Davis, courtesy of Taylor Rogers. They have slipped below .500 for the first time since April. And this cold streak happened at the same time that both Cleveland and Kansas City both got hot. They were contending for the American League Central crown at the beginning of the week; as of press time now, they are seven games behind Cleveland for first and four games behind the Royals for second place as well as American League Wild Card 2.
I think the Dodgers series proved that, no matter how better they are than last year, they weren't going anywhere this year. On the other hand, if Cleveland and K.C. weren't going to get hot and break away, why not make at least some moves to try and win the division? My thinking that the Twinks should buy has changed a bit now that they've started to nosedive. But it puts a new spin on the moves they do make, such as trading for Jaime Garcia from The Bastard Boston-By-Way-Of Milwaukee Braves. This was a move to, along with the acquisition of Bartolo Colon, to give the team a semblance of a competent back end of the rotation. He did pretty good Friday, striking out seven in giving the nine its only win of the week, 6-3. But now that their chances of making the postseason went from puncher's to no chance, there is talk that Garcia might be moved again, and that after sending away a prospect, they will flip Garcia for a different prospect. I can totally understand that, especially if there is a team that now wants him and might pay a little more for what the Twins got him for. But geez, he just got here. He's a free agent after this year; why not just let him stay here for two months so he can catch his breath? This reminds me of Mike Piazza, who was traded from the Dodgers to Miami, where he stayed only a week before he was flipped to the Mets. He was a Marlin for a week. Imagine that happening to Garcia. Weird.
They finish their West Coast swing with Sunday's finale in Oakland and a weirdo mid-week two-game series in San Diego. They then begin a four-game series vs. Texas starting on Thursday. I presume that Target Field will be in pristine shape after back-to-back stadium concerts this weekend by Billy Joel (Friday) and the weirdo combination of Florida Georgia Line, Backstreet Boys and Nelly (Saturday).
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