There Can Only Be One "See you tomorrow night!"

Baseball is a great sport for many reasons. One of them is that there are so many words that you can use to describe it. To hear a good announcer, like Vin Scully or Jack Buck, call a baseball game is like listening to someone reading poetry.

Scully and Jack Buck have several memorable quotes just stick into your brain. They were almost always during big moments of a game that when you saw the replay, it wouldn't be complete without the broadcasting call. Can you see Kirk Gibson's walk off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series without hearing some of these quotes?

"Here comes Kurt Gibson...with TWO bad legs..." - Scully

"Gibson hits it to right and she is...GONE!" - Scully

"I don't believe what I just saw!" - Jack Buck

Jack Buck had several more memorable quotes, but there is one that holds near and dear to Minnesotans.

Twenty years ago, the Minnesota Twins were down 3-2 in the 1991 World Series. Staring elimination in the face, Kirby Puckett stepped into the batters box with the game tied at 3. After taking one circle change from Atlanta Braves reliever Charlie Leibrandt, he lined the second one over the left-center fence. Jack Buck screamed from the broadcast booth...

"And we'll see you tomorrow night!"

I don't remember the '91 World Series because I was too young, but I've seen the clip played over and over throughout my childhood. That quote belongs with that moment even if it wasn't Kirby Puckett blasting one over the fence. It was creative, resourceful, and well-timed. All three things Jack Buck seemed to master.

Fast forward twenty years later. The Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals are in a slugfest in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. The Rangers have already gotten the Cardinals down to their last strike twice, but St. Louis keeps battling back. Finally, Cardinal 3rd baseman David Freese steps into the batters box and belts a home run to center. As the ball is in flight, Joe Buck, the son of Jack, says...

"And we'll see you tomorrow night."

I may never call a World Series game, but there is one thing I know about broadcasting in that situation: you make a unique call.

This has been Joe Buck's problem throughout his career. He isn't creative enough to capture the magic that his dad had. This morning I typed into Google "Joe Buck quotes" and I got this. I don't know about you guys, but I think this one is my favorite...

"I think the two best teams are meeting. I don't know that every year you can say that."

Classic! So original! So creative! I remember the moment he uttered those words! It was when...um...uh...actually I have no idea. Well, I did Google "Jack Buck quotes" this morning too, and this is what came up. See the difference?

What really strikes me is what other people had to say about Jack Buck. I could never see other people saying that about Joe.

I realize Buck was trying to pay tribute to his dad, but the fact is, he came off just like he always does: flat and uninteresting.

The "We'll see you tomorrow night" call should stay with the '91 series. Perhaps next time, Buck might go with what he knows best, "the no-call."*

* The Joe Buck no-call is where the action gets so intense, he says nothing. This has been a technique Buck has mastered in multiple Yankee-Red Sox games and NFC East matchups.

Frazier Makes His Mark On Vikings

Coaching changes happen all the time in the National Football League. This year, there are seven new head coaches foraying into new jobs. Some of them are learning on the job. Leslie Frazier falls into this category, but he also falls into another familiar demographic of first time head coaches. He's cleaning house.

This is a common trend in the NFL. When new regimes start, changes are made. Take a look at the Detroit Lions.

When Jim Schwartz was hired for Detroit, he did everything to change the culture. The Lions were coming off the ugly Matt Millen era. Schwartz did everything down to changing the color of the locker rooms to try and erase Detroit's past. Schwartz also did another thing: He took out the trash to bring in some of his own guys via the draft (Matthew Stafford, Ndamukong Suh) and through free agency (Kyle Van Den Bosch).

The same thing is going on at Winter Park. Much like when Brad Childress was cutting people left and right when he took over in 2006, Frazier is doing the same to send a message.

At the beginning of training camp, a 400 pound Bryant McKinnie showed up out of shape and lethargic. Frazier didn't want that to represent his team, so he cut him. Many Viking fans will point to the job that McKinnie is doing with Baltimore and say that it was a mistake. However, Frazier had to send a message. Even at the expense of starting...ewww...Charlie Johnson...

The message has been delivered loud and clear to some players in the locker room, and the ones who aren't getting it are getting pink slips. Bernard Berrian is the latest casualty of the Frazier era.

Berrian was shockingly overpaid after the 2007 season when the Vikings were desperate for receiving help. While Berrian had a good first season with 964 yards and 7 touchdowns, his production had dropped off since. As Berrian's stats went down, his moodiness went up.

The last straw might have been the Twitter war with State Rep. John Kriesel, who made fun of Berrian's inflated ego. Berrian defended himself saying that he had been open "the past four years" and that Kriesel, a supporter of the Viking stadium bill, should "sit down and shut up."

Two gameday deactivations later, Berrian is looking for work.

It's hard to praise a coach that is 1-6, but Frazier is simply in the first step of rebuilding. No NFL coach will ever tell the media that because there is no time to rebuild in the league. Yet, with a couple of solid drafts and personnel decisions, Frazier could be making the first step for setting the Vikings up with success.

A Step In The Right Direction

On Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings lost to the Green Bay Packers 33-27. While the Packer fans will rejoice in beating a team with a rookie QB, a depleted secondary, a junk offensive line, and no receiving corps to speak of by six, the loss for Viking fans seems different than the other ones in 2011.

First of all, the Vikings began a new era by making Christian Ponder their new quarterback. It wasn't a Cam Newton type debut, but Ponder threw for 219 yards and two touchdowns. On the negative side, he also completed just 13 of his 32 passes and threw two interceptions, but these things are to be expected from a rookie quarterback.

Ponder set some milestones along the way, as well. Ponder is the first rookie quarterback to throw for two touchdowns in his debut since Tommy Kramer in 1977. More importantly, he's the first quarterback to throw two touchdowns for the Vikings in any game since last December's win over the Buffalo Bills.

The bottom line is that Ponder made some plays for a stagnant offense. It may take some time for Ponder to develop into a legit starting quarterback, but he has some promise.

Second, the Vikings receiving corps showed some signs of life. Michael Jenkins had a solid game with three catches for 111 yards. Jenkins also had a 73 yard catch that started the festivities at the Metrodome. The play was easily the longest pass play of the season for the Vikings, and it got the crowd into the game.

The receivers thrived despite Benard Berrian being deactivated for the second time this season. The first time Berrian was deactivated, October 9th against Arizona, Viking head coach Leslie Frasier said it was due to "disciplinary actions." You have to assume that this was not a "disciplinary action." The guy who's been open for the past four years simply isn't good enough to be on the field as a starter anymore. It was time to give other options a try. That's what happened Sunday.

Finally, the Viking offense decided to use their best offensive weapon repeatedly: Adrian Peterson. In the past, we've seen teams with rookie quarterbacks lean on their running back to ease the load off the rookie. On Sunday, Peterson had his best game of the season, picking up 175 yards on the ground.

With McNabb at quarterback, the Vikings may have leaned to heavily on a depleted pass game. Don't get me wrong, McNabb is insanely inaccurate and unable of running a NFL offense at this point of his career, but if the Vikings used Peterson the way they did Sunday, would they still be 1-6?

The development of Ponder, the re-emergence of the receiving corps, and the use of Adrian Peterson, made Sunday's loss a little more tolerable. With all the obstacles the Vikings faced, to lose by six to the best team in the NFL is nothing to be ashamed of in this chapter in Viking history.

Will the Big Ten Stop the Wisconsin Badgers?

An argument could be made that the Wisconsin Badgers are the best team in college football right now. With an electrifying offense lead by quarterback Russell Wilson, the Badgers are trying to capture their first national championship.

What they have done so far is pretty impressive. As of today, the Badgers lone test was a visit from the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The result was Wisconsin torching a defense so traditionally tough that they're called the Blackshirts en route to a 48-17 win.

In all likelihood, the Badgers have just two more challenges left in their schedule. The first comes Saturday night when the Badgers travel to East Lansing to take on the Michigan State Spartans. The second will be the first ever Big Ten Championship game on December 3rd in Indianapolis. With two wins in these games, the Badgers could be on their way to the Bowl Championship Series championship game...

Or could they?

While the leaders of the Big Ten have looked stellar, the rest of the conference has not. The Minnesota Golden Gophers are abysmal. The Indiana Hoosiers are pretty bad too. Every conference has their cellar dwellers, but it's the other teams at the top that have weakened the Big Ten.

While the teams at the top of the conference have pretty good records, it's the way they've won games that could keep the Badgers out of the BCS championship game if there more than two undefeated teams.

For example, Ohio State completed just one pass in their 17-7 victory over Illinois last Saturday. That's not a ringing endorsement for Big Ten football right now.

The cellar dwellar teams are also getting destroyed. Looking at the Gophers in particular, there was a stretch where Jerry Kill's team had given up 94 unanswered points. Again, this is not something that will help voters put an undefeated Badger team into the BCS championship game.

I know every conference has these types of performances, but the overall strength of conferences is what concerns me. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion will get into the national championship game because it's the strongest conference in the nation. This spot will be occupied by either LSU or Alabama (the two teams play each other next Saturday).

The #2 team in the country is Oklahoma. The rest of the Sooners schedule features a game in Manhattan against #11 Kansas State, a home game against #17 Texas A&M, and Bedlam (@ #4 Oklahoma State).

By looking at the two conferences Wisconsin is up against, it could be a very great possibility that the Badgers would get the same treatment as the 2003 Auburn Tigers. Auburn was the last undefeated team in the nation that season, but were not put into the BCS championship game. LSU was the national champion that year with a 12-1 record and a win over Oklahoma. Auburn wasn't even a split champion in the AP poll as USC shared that honor with the Tigers.

Adding into the uphill climb for the Badgers (as ridiculous of a thought that seems to be), Boise State is also reeling off a undefeated season in the weak Mountain West Conference. If the Broncos can knock off TCU later this year, that's a fourth undefeated team to be worried about.

The Badgers are a championship caliber team. Whether the BCS lets them showcase that is, sadly, up in the air.

Rodgers Is In A Class Of His Own

As we look at a beginning of a new era on the Minnesota side of the Packer/Viking rivalry, one might have to go back and look at the beginning of the last era over in Green Bay.

It was 2008, and Brett Favre had just retired. A young quarterback named Aaron Rodgers was about to be the starter in Green Bay. Then Brett Favre, to quote John Madden, was Brett Favre.

The story has been mentioned several times on this website, so I think it's safe to say that you all know what happened. Favre was traded to the Jets. Rodgers led the Pack to a 6-10 record. Favre played for the Vikings, lost in the NFC Championship game. Rodgers won the Super Bowl the following year as Favre failed to get his John Elway ending to his career.

As a Viking fan, I may be annoyed of the John Deere Cult's worship of Rodgers, but there is one thing that I may agree with them on...

A couple of weeks ago, on Sunday Night Football, NBC showed a graphic. Aaron Rodgers had just thrown his 100th touchdown and had the fewest amount of interceptions at the time of that milestone. Then, NBC showed another graphic comparing Rodgers' numbers to Favre's numbers at the time of touchdown #100. The comparison graphic showed one thing: It's time to stop comparing Rodgers to Favre.

Rodgers is simply on a different level than Favre ever was. They're different quarterbacks. To suggest that Rodgers success is based on the fact that he learned behind Favre is laughable. If anything, when Favre saw quadruple coverage on Antonio Freeman and threw it anyway. At this time, Mike McCarthy's staff turned to Rodgers and said "Don't ever @#$%ing do THAT!"

What Rodgers is to quarterbacking is a symbol of excellence. Rodgers greatness is comparable to that of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady at this point. These are guys who sit down, watch film, and figure out how to pick your favorite team apart. All three of these guys have the potential to win multiple Super Bowls compared to Favre, who won just one. (I say that mainly of Manning and Rodgers as both have just one Super Bowl right now.)

The other thing is that if Rodgers is not better than Favre, he is just as good. This shadow should have been wiped away after Rodgers won the Super Bowl last year, but for whatever reason it's still there. While you could make an argument that Rodgers may still be on Favre's level, can you make an argument that he's worse? Didn't think so.

Don't get me wrong, both Favre and Rodgers* should be hall of fame quarterbacks someday, but the fact is their paths to the NFL, and their successess are completely unrelated. It's time that people start seeing that.

* Rodgers should be a hall of fame quarterback barring injury or depletion of his elite receiving corps. Don't think it's elite? Why did the Vikings go after James Jones to be their #1 receiver last season? An elite group of pass catchers can't hurt.

Let The Ponder Era Begin

Yesterday was a seemingly harmless Sunday. I went out and about in Western Wisconsin, made one of the worst fantasy moves in the history of fantasy football (benching Rashard Mendenhall for Darrius Heyward-Bey), and then watched the Vikings get crushed beyond belief.

At this point, I had decided that I had enough of the Vikings struggles for one Sunday evening, and then something interesting happened. The Vikings let their "quarterback of the future" Christian Ponder enter the game.

I watched the end of the game, and the kid did pretty well for the circumstances. He ran around in the pocket trying to buy time against the ungodly amount of pressure that the Viking offensive line was giving up. He kept his eyes downfield. He was aggressive and went for a couple of deep balls and quick passes. All these were things Donovan McNabb hasn't done this season.

So that begs the question. Do the Vikings have a quarterback controversy? I would say not, because Christian Ponder should have been starting all along.

Christian Ponder, as you may know, was the 12th pick of the 2011 NFL draft out of Florida State. At the time many of the draft "experts" declared Ponder the most NFL ready quarterback in the draft. It was said that guys like Cam Newton (of Carolina) and Blaine Gabbert (of Jacksonville) would need more time to develop and it would benefit them to sit on the bench for a while.

Things have played out a little bit differently since then. Carolina bucked the conventional wisdom of having a quarterback sit and watch for a couple of seasons by throwing Newton into the fire. Turns out Newton was ready to be a complete and dominant force in the NFL.

Gabbert also was thrown into the fire recently, and although he has struggled a bit, the future still looks bright for the kid because he has exactly zero offensive weapons in Jacksonville.

So you look at the Vikings situation and wonder why Ponder wasn't starting in the first place. The Vikings decided to gamble on McNabb instead of using an unproven rookie quarterback.

It may be that the vetrans convinced first-year head coach Leslie Frasier that they were better than they really were. There is talent on the Viking roster, but there are also way too many holes to have that make up for anything. For example, without a legitimate offensive line, the running game anchored by Adrian Peterson is significantly watered down.

The veterans may also have their pride, but they also have to realize that they won't be winning any Super Bowls with Donovan McNabb at quarterback. It's time to let Ponder play.

With a start next week against the Green Bay Packers, Ponder has a chance to re-energize the jaded fan base. If Ponder could knock off the mighty Packers, Ponder could become a cult hero in Minnesota, and it might be the key to getting what the Viking ownership really wants: a new stadium.

Keeping the focus on the field, Ponder is the best way for this team to go as the season becomes a lost cause. At 1-5, the Vikings are not going to make the playoffs. It makes more sense to have the future of your franchise get his feet wet, and then go from there.

The Ponder era needs to begin Sunday, and if it fails...well, the Vikings could always get "lucky"...if you know what I mean.

Sorry, I Gotta Sit This One Out

They say beggars can't be choosers. They haven't met me.

For years I've been praying to God that he would allow a Minnesota team to win a championship. It's now clear to me he has a sense of humor because he sent me...the Lynx.

The Lynx are one win away from the first professional championship in Minnesota since the Twins won the World Series in 1991. They would be the second pro team in Minnesota history to win a championship as well. (Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve incorrectly stated to her team that they would be the third, but the North Stars didn't win the Stanley Cup until moving to Dallas.)

I don't remember the 1991 championship, as I was five years old, but when I had thought of a Minnesota team winning a championship, I thought I would be really excited. For example, the Vikings, who have been the team closest to grabbing the brass ring during my lifetime, winning the Superbowl would have resulted in me balling my eyes out and saying to my wife, "This is the happiest day of my life. That includes our wedding day, and the birth of our son." But, there's just not the same level of excitement there. Well, why is that?

The Lynx have some very good players. Lindsay Whalen is the best product to come from the U of M since Bobby Jackson. Maya Moore is going to be the face of the WNBA over the next decade. They've worked hard for this, but I can't get excited.

This is the WNBA, and it's not a matter of me being sexist. It's me not liking the product. I can stand passing and fundamentals. I love college basketball more than the NBA, but when you compare college basketball and the WNBA, there's just things that are missing such as the crazy crowd atmosphere seen at most of those games and...yeah, I'll go here...dunking. I like dunking in my basketball.

Also consider that the Lynx have only played a little over 30 games to win their championship and the WNBA is like the second season to them compared to the teams that they play for overseas during the winter. A championship here would be like if the Vikings won the Super Bowl in the 8 game season that was proposed in case the NFL lockout got really ugly last offseason.
However, the biggest thing is that I didn't grow up with this team and have never really followed them. If one of the other "Core Four" sports in town won a championship (Vikings, Wild, Timberwolves, Twins), it would be a "I was there for the whole ride!" experience. With the Lynx, I'd feel cheated...bandwagon. I wasn't there at the beginning of the year when expectations were high. I haven't watched a game all year. Why should I get to cheer? The people who have loyally packed...well, filled the lower bowl of the Target Center all season should be rewarded, not the slew of bandwagon fans packing the upper rafters now.

Again, beggars can't be choosers, but I'm letting the people who have endured this team's ups and downs enjoy this championship. They've earned it. And it begs the question, when will I see one of my favorite teams win it all? I don't know, but I'll enjoy the ride.

Week 1 Preview

In roughly 24 hours from now, most of you reading this blog are going to plop down in your chair with a beer and a big plate of meat and watch some football that actually means something for the first time in about a year. In that year, many things have changed on the field and off of it.

People get new jobs, they have new places to live, and on the field new faces are in different places. No, don't worry, I'm not about to write a song for Pink here, but I'm just saying that this year has that same new car smell, but it feels a little more special. Just think of how we got to this point.

After the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl, the NFL went into a mode of secrecy. The typical scenes of a new quarterback working with his new receivers at Organized Team Activities (aka OTAs) were replaced with big, hulking men in suits ready to engage in a verbal fist fight with their owner counterparts.

When the collective bargaining agreement was finally ratified, the NFL decided to give fans a "Merry Christmas on steroids" aproach to free agency. Where normally, teams would wine and dine players to convince them to sign with their teams, the coaches threw the prospective player a playbook, quickly ran them through McDonalds and then begged them to consider.

It was for fans too. Most offseasons it was "Oh, what's this??? A TERRELL OWENS! I ALWAYS WANTED ONE OF THOSE!!!" But this year it was, "Oh..it's...oh another....what the...STOP THROWING PRESENTS AT ME!!!"

After all the talk and preseason games, we finally have football that counts on Thursday night. It will be a bit of a different experience for yours truly, as I won't have the aid known as NFL Sunday Ticket to give a complete list of happenings around the league, but I'll try my best to preview each week in the NFL.

FIVE STAR GAMES:
New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers Thursday 7:30 pm NBC
A couple weeks ago when I was watching professional wrestling, John Cena came out and beat the tar out of new WWE champion Alberto Del Rio. What does this have to do with football? Well, it was what Cena said to the new champion: "You are NOT a champion! YOU'RE A TARGET!"

This is what the Green Bay Packers will put up with the rest of the season. Defending your championship is one of the hardest things in sports. You could say that with all the guys on injured reserve, the Packers may have snuck up on teams last season. Not this year. The Packers will get everyones best performance all year long and it starts with a test against the high powered New Orleans Saints.

History is on the Packers side here, as the Super Bowl champion is 11-0 in their opener during the past 11 seasons. However, early in that streak teams A) didn't play on Thursday night in front of a national TV audience and B) may have gotten cupcakes to open their season. That is not the case now.

I don't think the Packers will be affected by the pressure, I mean, they just won a Super Bowl! But, the Saints are not slouches. I'm sure that Saints coach Sean Payton has shown the Marshawn Lynch "Beast Mode" run over and over again this offseason, and they will be hungry to get back to the Super Bowl.
PREDICTION: Packers

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens Sunday 12:00 pm CBS
Do you like violence with your football? Well, do we have a game for you!

The Steelers and Ravens will meet in their bi-annual steel cage match on Sunday, a rematch of the divisional playoff matchup from last season. Both teams hit hard. Both teams love to run the football. Both teams have coaches who are pretty good at what they do, but there is one difference between the two teams.

There's a question that's starting to spring up when the Steelers are getting mentioned these days. "Is their defense getting too old?"

There are great players on the Steeler defense, but some of them are getting up in age. Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, Casey Hampton, etc. all have been around for a while, and in the NFL it is the survival of the fittest. It makes you wonder if they can keep up...especially after their dismal Super Bowl performance.

For the Ravens, they'll want to see improvement from Joe Flacco. This will be his fourth year at the helm of the Ravens, and they're hoping that he improves with the addition of burner Lee Evans to compliment Anquan Boldin's possession skills. Ray Rice will also be a valuable target to aid Mr. Flacco.

This is a hurdle the Ravens must clear to win the AFC North and advance further into the playoffs. With them being at home, I think they're up to the challenge.
PREDICITON: Ravens

FOUR STAR GAMES

Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears 1:00 Sunday FOX
I would really wish that FOX would give us the Detroit game, but anyway...

Jay Cutler will appear in a meaningful game for the first time since channeling his inner Joe Mauer in the NFC Championship Game. The Bears will need Good Cutler instead of Bad Cutler to show up this season, or else the addition of Roy Williams to the passing game will be irrelevant.

The Bears also added FS Brandon Merriweather from the Patriots last week. This move should add a little bit of youth into the Bears secondary and could be a good move down the road if Merriweather re-ups after this season.

The Falcons were supposed to be the class of the NFC last season, but we already know what happened there. They will look to rebound and they added Julio Jones to an already potent offense. Their defense got stronger too with the addition of Ray Edwards, and the Falcons look stacked to repeat their 14-2 season from '10.

This will be a test for the Falcons as they go into the ripped up turf of Soldier Field. The Falcons were able to handle most of their challenges last season, and should be able to handle this one.
PREDICTION: Falcons

Philadelphia Eagles at St. Louis Rams 1:00 Sunday
So you want to be a contender, St. Louis? The "Dream Team" will make their debut Sunday and they added a ton of talent...but you already knew that.

The biggest storyline here is not only how the Dream Team looks in regular game action, but if Sam Bradford and his up-and-coming Rams can knock off one of the top teams in the NFL at home. This should be a fun game to watch.
PREDICTION: Eagles

Dallas Cowboys at New York Jets 7:30 Sunday NBC
The Foot Fetish Bowl! Brothers Rex and Rob Ryan square off in New York on Sunday Night. Emotions will be flying high due to the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

On the field, the Cowboys will bring a high-powered offense to go up against one of the best defenses in the league. To be honest, these are two teams that I can't stand. However, there must be a winner. Actually, there could be a tie, but that's boring to predict and Donovan McNabb wouldn't think I'm right.
PREDICTION: Jets

THREE STAR GAMES

Minnesota Vikings at San Diego Chargers 3:15 FOX
This game may have been moved up a star for homerism, but there are a lot of interesting elements that will be on display for the Vikings.

They have a new quarterback, new coaching staff, new offensive playbook, and a new defense that vows to be more aggressive than it was in the preseason. Their first test? Go to San Diego and upset the Chargers.

It may look like a mismatch on paper, but the Vikings may have a chance in this one. The Chargers always seem to start the season slow, and if the Vikings are prepared enough, they could score the first "official" victory in Leslie Frasier's coaching career.
PREDICTION: Chargers

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans 12:00
This matchup opened the season last year. If you don't remember last years opening matchup, it's the one where Texans running back Arian Foster said to the Colts, "HELLO, SIR! HOW DO YOU DO???"

The Colts got their butts kicked by the Texans new found running attack, and this year they'll have to stop it AND win offensively with a quarterback who was sitting on his couch retired a couple weeks ago...I know what you're thinking...stop...it's Kerry Collins...

The Colts defense has looked attrocious, and I think this will mark the beginning of the end of the Jim Caldwell era in Indianapolis...I'll get to it later this season.
PREDICTION: Texans

Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12:00 Sunday
Two teams that believe that the best way to win in the NFL is to have a bad ass defensive line. Also, these are two of the most promising teams in the NFL.

The Lions have added Nick Fairley to their already potent line, and he might not even play. If he doesn't the Lions still have Corey Williams to plug in as a stop gap. If you don't believe the Lions are a contender, watch the third preseason game where they repeatedly knocked Tom Brady senseless. I'm telling you, this team is for real.

The Bucs are a solid team on the line too, as they added DeQuan Bowers and Adrian Clayborne to go along with Gerald McCoy and Brian Pryce. Yikes.

If the Lions protect Matt Stafford from getting slammed to the turf again, it'll be a great season for the Lions, but short-term, it'll mean an opening week win.
PREDICTION: Lions

New York Giants at Washington Redskins 3:15 Sunday
Why do I love the fact the Vikings are on the West Coast this week? NO JOE BUCK WILL BE ON MY TELEVISION!

Another 9/11 ceremony will take place in Washington on Sunday, and on the field will be a matchup of two of the most overrated teams in the NFL.

Maybe the Redskins aren't overrated, but they're not the typical NFC East super team that Troy Aikman and Buck will try and make the nation believe Sunday afternoon. However, this game to me screams upset special.

Most people would pick the Giants here, but they're a very depleted group after losing Terell Thomas and Prince Amukamara in the secondary. It will be a long season for Big Blue.
PREDICTION: Redskins

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins 6:00 Monday ESPN
I don't think this game will be very good, but all the new parts in the rivalry make me interested. Plus, it's Monday Night Football! What's not to love?

The Dolphins will unveil Reggie Bush as their feature back on Monday night. This is something that Sean Payton never did in New Orleans. I think in this situation, we will really be able to see if Bush can be an every down feature back in the NFL. I don't think we're looking at the second coming of Barry Sanders with Bush, but I think that in this situation, Bush could end up as a LeSean McCoy type back who can get the job done on the ground or in the receiving game.

The Patriots will also be throwing out Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth. Ochocinco intrigues me more than Haynesworth because he could turn out to be the Randy Moss that the Patriots have needed. Since being dealt to "heaven" (as he puts it on his Twitter account), Ochocinco has struggled picking up the offense, but I'm sure with Tom Brady throwing you the football, you're going to do OK.
PREDICTION: Patriots

TWO STAR GAMES
Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals 3:15
Two new quarterbacks debut here. Cam Newton, the number one pick in the 2011 draft, will start for the Panthers, and Kevin Kolb start for Arizona.
PREDICTION: Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers 3:15
The Seahawks may be the better team here, but I really can't bet on Tarvaris Jackson in any situation. This game will be very important in the NFC West race too, as the team that gets off to the fastest start may be able to coast to the finish.
PREDICTION: 49ers

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos 9:15 Monday ESPN
Holy late games! This game should probably be classified as a one star game, but it's the fantasy football implications that I'm watching. The last time Darren McFadden faced the Broncos, he ran all over the place. It may be a new regime in Denver, but I don't think the Broncos have the talent to stop a run oriented team like the Raiders.
PREDICTION: Raiders

ONE STAR GAMES
Cincinatti Bengals at Cleveland Browns 12:00
Ugh...I wouldn't recommend watching this game, let alone analyzing it...
PREDICTION: Browns

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars 12:00
Luke McCown, huh? No wonder nobody ever goes to Jaguar games...
PREDICTION: Titans

Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs 12:00
I like the Chiefs, but with the way they looked in the preseason it's hard to get excited for THAT...
PREDICTION: Chiefs (Hey, the Bills are still worse!)

Green Bay Packer Fans: The Most Arrogant Fan Base In Sports

It was a cool, crisp Sunday afternoon and the sun was shining in Western Wisconsin. I was sitting at a bar enjoying a couple of drinks when the chill atmosphere was suddenly cut in with the loud switchblade of a motorcycle.

"VROOOOOOOOOMMMMM BAARRRRRRHHHHHH!!!" The big bad biker unleashed the fury of his motorcycle to let the patrons of the establishment know that "The Champ Is Here!" He walked in and ordered his boilermaker and immediately turned to my friends wife and looked at her Viking shirt. Suddenly, he turned to my friend, who was also wearing a Jared Allen shirt and said "Tell your wife not to come in here wearing purple again."

At this moment, my friend was fabricating how the Packers were actually his favorite team and were going to go 16-0 and win the Super Bowl. Big Bad Biker Man started to become annoyed and before the situation could get any worse, we left the bar with our moral victory.

Moral victory, you ask? Yup. Anything to piss off the most arrogant fan base in all of sports.

Oh, there are some bad ones. The Chicago Cubs fans believe that they are entitled to win the World Series every year even though their players are God awful. (No, Tyler Colvin is not the second coming of Mickey Mantle. Sorry, bro.) The Vancouver Canucks fans sure showed their whiny side after losing game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year, and there are Yankee and Red Sox fans too. But I'm here to say that the John Deere Cult is worse.

Since last February, I have heard about the Packers non-stop. It's legit because they did win their fourth Super Bowl, congrats to them. They're a good football team. But their fans use it as the killshot counterpoint to win any argument.

"Adrian Peterson is a better running back than Ryan Grant." "Well, the Packers have four Super Bowls."

"The Saints have an offense that is capable of beating the Packers." Well, we'll win because we have four Super Bowls."

"Chunky peanut butter is better on a PB and J than creamy peanut butter." "But the Packers have four Super Bowls."

See my point?

Packer fans also think that their players possess super powers that make them better than any other player in the NFL. The third string running back for the Packers could start for your team and do an exponentially greater job than your current running back. Hell, James Starks and Ryan Grant are going to rush for 2,000 yards...each. Even the undrafted cornerback they pull off the street will be a Pro Bowler within two years. (Actually, this one is true. Makes you wonder if Marcus Sherels should have joined the Packers...hmmm...)

The other thing about Packer fans is that they are frontrunners. They'll never admit it, though. They will tell you until they are blue in the face about how their Great Grandfather was a Packer fan and they're on the waiting list to get season tickets to Lambeau Field (Maybe they'll get them in 2030), but I have an argument that proves my point, and it's not the Packer/Twins fans I've mentioned before.

In 2004, the Packers drafted a certain quarterback to replace an aging Brett Favre. The quarterback could have been the #1 overall pick in the draft, but fell all the way to 24 and seemed like a steal, but Packer fans were still skeptical that this man could not follow up "God."

That preseason, he was thrown behind the worst offensive line in football history. Seriously, the guy took two steps back and had four defensive linemen in his face. Because of this, he didn't look good and Packer fans had their torches and pitch forks ready. The second game he performed admirably, but in the third game he broke his foot and judgement was passed.

I know of MANY Packer fans who said they would never watch another Packer game if Aaron Rodgers was the starting quarterback. This was to the point that when Brett Favre wanted to come back for one more season, Packer fans wanted him to come back and have Rodgers, who had paid his dues, to take a step aside at least for one more year.

Then, a funny thing happened. The Packers started winning with Rodgers at quarterback. These same Packer fans who said Rodgers would never pan out were running out to Fleet Farm to get truckloads worth of Rodgers jerseys. Then, he won a Super Bowl and he suddenly was Jesus Christ.

Finally, Packer fans act like it's a sin to cheer for anyone but the Packers. Like Big Bad Biker Man, wearing a purple Viking shirt means that you're going straight to hell. Yes, the Packers may be "God's Team", but I can cheer for whomever the hell I want without having to deal with people wanting to convert me to "save my soul."

There is a bit by Houston Aeros enforcer Matt Kassian called the Shins List. This is a list of people who deserve a good, hard kick in the shins for whatever reason. I believe that Packer fans should be included to this list.

Hey, don't get me wrong. The Packers are seriously one of the greatest franchises in sports. They have an awesome stadium, the best QB/WR combo in Jesus Christ and Greg Jennings, and their front office staff is one of the best in football. However, the arrogance of their fans makes me want to see that team fail miserably to the point where if Ndamukong Suh snapped Aaron Rodgers like a twig, I would laugh sadistically.

A Typical Day In The Twins Clubhouse

(It's early Sunday morning in Los Angeles as the Minnesota Twins, who are now 18 games out of first place, get ready to take on the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Twins have already split the series and are looking for their first series win since...God knows how long. Let's take a look at what exactly goes on behind the scenes of the Minnesota Cute and Cuddlies.)

[Ron Gardenhire is sitting in his office] Gardy (Singing): Oh it's a great day to be manager of the year! I'm so smart. I know people are mad, but I know what I'm doing. I have that trophy up there and it was a long time coming. Now to make my lineup. [Gardy writes down his lineup, and posts it on the wall on the clubhouse. Joe Mauer sees that he is playing designated hitter today and approaches Gardy.]

Mauer: Hey, Gardy...can we talk?

Gardy: What's the matter, Joe? Are you sore? Let me guess it's the neck this time? Or are your legs sore?

Mauer: Even worse, Gardy.[Sniffles] I have the worst cold ever. [Sniff, sniff] I mean, I've battled my tail off all year and now I have this. I don't get it, I just don't feel like playing today.

[Gardy looks concerned and then gives Mauer a condolescing look]

Gardy: My little Josie Wosie has the flu? Oh, you just take the day off and let me know when my little Joe is feeling better. Go have some ice cream.

Mauer: Thank you so much for understanding, Gardy. You know how tough I am. As does everyone else in this locker room, [turns to rest of clubhouse] RIGHT???

[Everyone except for Danny Valencia agrees with Mauer]

Gardy: Danny! What the hell is your problem???

[Valencia is listening to Drake in his headphones and not paying attention. Gardy walks up and rips his earbuds out of his ear and hits him with them]

Gardy: This is what I'm talking about Danny. You're a bad example for the rest of this clubhouse, and your on-field performance is not up to speed!

Valencia: Seriously, what do you want me to do? I lead the frickin team in RBI and it's not my fault Jim Hoey can't throw in the strike zone.

Gardy: Well, maybe if you didn't have that throwing error in the 1st, he would have been fine. I mean, how can you pitch to contact when your defense is doing that? And don't get me started about your baserunning. I've told you a million times. When you go to first you have to dive head first into the bag so it looks like you're hustling! We never should have gotten rid of Nick Punto.

[Justin Morneau approaches Gardy]

Gardy: What's up, Justin? Morneau: I'm dizzy...and I can't see straight...

Gardy: GOD DAMMIT, VALENCIA! YOU JUST GAVE MORNEAU ANOTHER CONCUSSION!

Valencia (Sarcastically): Yeah, if only I had dove into first base, then Morneausy wouldn't have gotten one when I was on the other end of the diamond watching him dive for a ball...what's next? Did I not get the right Jimmy John's for today's game?

Gardy: Damn right you didn't! I told you to get the hot peppers on my Vito, and you got me a Turkey F'ing Tom? You think I want to fall asleep during the game? You're putting our team in jeopardy, Valencia.

Valencia: Well, it's not like we could play any worse.

Gardy: THAT'S IT! REMEMBER WHAT THE TWINS OATH SAYS DANNY! RECITE IT...NOW!!!

Valencia [sighs]: I pledge allegiance to the Twins Way. I will look at the first two pitches down the middle of the strike zone, and complain to the umpire when the third one grazes the plate. I will do the little things right, which include bunting in random situations. I will pitch to contact and I will never, EVER criticize the manager. If I violate the Twins Way, I will be shipped awa...Hey, Gardy? Why the hell did we trade JJ Hardy?

Nishioka: [Something in Japaneese]

Morneau: Seriously, I just saw Jesus' eyes, but don't take me out of the lineup. I'm fine.

Gardy: No! You're coming out of the lineup, Justin. We don't want anyone to get seriously hurt.

[Michael Cuddyer walks into the clubhouse missing an arm]

Gardy: What the hell?

Cuddy: Well, I was mauled by a bear on the way to the ballpark. You know, like that scene in Anchorman? It's OK though. Just keep me in the lineup, sometimes you have to play through things...RIGHT JOE?

[Mauer is nestled up in a blanket eating some Kemps ice cream and watching some Lifetime movie]

Mauer: You don't even know what it's like to be me, Cuddy.

Cuddy: You're right. I'm not a p**** like you.

[Mauer climbs out of the chair and starts trying to slap Cuddyer, who is laughing hysterically]

Mauer: OWWWWW!!! MY HAMSTRING!!!

Gardy: DANNY, LOOK WHAT YOU DID!!!

Mauer: I need to go to the disabled list...oh, I just got stung by a bee.

Gardy: It's OK, Joe. We'll put you on the 60 day DL for this one. Then you can spend the next two weeks down in Fort Myers.

Valencia and Cuddyer: OH, COME ON!!!

Gardy: VALENCIA, YOU'RE BENCHED!!!

Valencia: Good, I was hoping to watch Matt Tolbert flop around like a fish today and try and play third.

Gardy: Ok, boys...we're without half our starting lineup, but that's OK. Cause we're going to battle our tails off. I wasn't the manager of the year for nothing! With my excellent managing skills, we can still win the Central! Everybody in here!

[Nobody comes in to huddle with him.]

Gardy: Well, that's fine. I'm going to go shine my MOY trophy and I'll see you on the field!

[After this debacle, the Twins get shelled 15-2 and Gardenhire criticizes Valencia again for not sitting in the appropriate area on the bench.]

NFC North Predictions - 4th Place: The Minnesota Vikings

Over the next couple of posts, I will be previewing the NFC North division for this season. It's great to have football back, and this will be the only division I'll look into in-depth. I will release my full NFL predicitions on September 6th, two days before the New Orleans Saints travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers!

We'll start at the bottom of the division and work our way up. Today's team will be the 4th place Minnesota Vikings:

Minnesota Vikings:
2010 Record: 6-10
2011 Record: 7-9

Key Departures: QB Brett Favre, WR Sidney Rice, LT Bryant McKinnie, DT Pat Williams, LB Ben Leber, S Madieu Williams, DE Ray Edwards

Key Additions: QB Donovan McNabb, DT Remi Adoyle, LT Charlie Johnson

The Minnesota Vikings 2010 season was...uh...a disaster.

Coming off of a dominating season at 11-5 and coming one 3 yard Brett Favre scramble from the Super Bowl, the wheels fell off. The Vikings endured a season full of sex scandals, a moody wide receiver, and it got so bad that their stadium broke! Ouch.

Good news is the toilet has been re-inflated and will be ready to go when the Vikings take on the Dallas Cowboys Saturday night. The only problem is that the product on the field won't be much improved from the one seen at the last Vikings home game.

The Vikings have lost a lot, but some of them are viewed as interchangable pieces. Brett Favre was awful last year, and some people think that it was because Favre had his mind on the Jenn Sterger thing. The Vikings lost their coach, but he was replaced by one of the most highly regarded assistants in the NFL. They also lost Ben Leber and Madieu Williams, who will most likely be replaced at a lower cost.

However, the one move that may have giant reprocussions is the release of Bryant McKinnnie. I've given McKinnie his fair share of verbal abuse, but it doesn't hide the fact that he could block a body if he really wanted to. McKinnie was a starter at left tackle for almost every game he played as a Viking, and on his good days the quarterback wouldn't get touched. On his bad days, uh oh...

This wouldn't be too bad of a move if the Vikings had a normal offseason, but Charlie Johnson has to learn the offense within a month as opposed to three. The Vikings seem confident that he can do it, but Johnson has given up some nasty blindside sacks in the preseason. Hopefully, Johnson can improve as the season comes along and keep Donovan McNabb from taking some nasty hits.

Speaking of McNabb, he is the new Viking quarterback. The Vikings selected QB Christian Ponder out of Florida State with the 12th pick in the NFL Draft. At the time, the Vikings said they viewed him as their version of Matt Ryan or Mark Sanchez (Quarterbacks who started right out of college and had immediate success.), but then came the lockout. The Vikings will play it safe and give McNabb the starting job and Ponder will sit and wait at least one season.

The receiving corps also took a big blow when Sidney Rice decided to join Tarvaris Jackson in Seattle. Rice claims the Vikings didn't call him to negotiate after the lockout, but he was offered a lucrative contract before the lockout began, which Rice rejected. This leaves Percy Harvin as the only reliable target in the receiving game. The Vikings signed Michael Jenkins to try and give the outside receiver spot some credibility, but he projects to be a possession receiver. The Viking offense will need Bernard Berrian to revert back to his days of being a downfield threat to be successful.

The defense may need some help. The Vikings let Pat Williams go, and Kevin Williams is now dealing with a foot injury plus a two game suspension for his 2008 Drug Test. The defensive line also lost Ray Edwards, and the Vikings hope that Brian Robison and Everson Griffen can fill that void.

At linebacker, the only loss was Ben Leber, who may be considered expendible because of the rise of Erin Henderson. Henderson was scarcely used by Brad Childress, but played a lot once Leslie Frasier took over. The tryout impressed Frasier enough to let Leber walk so it will be interesting to see how Henderson does. If Henderson starts in the regular season, he will do so next to his brother EJ. That would mark the first time two brothers have started in the same linebacking corps in NFL history.

The secondary continues to be a mess, as the Vikings released Madieu Williams and did nothing to adress their aging cornerbacks. Antoine Winfield isn't getting any younger and Cedric Griffin is coming off of two torn knee ligaments. Chris Cook and Asher Allen haven't looked impressive in preseason and it's opened the door for a guy like ROCHESTER JOHN MARSHALL ALUM MARCUS SHERELS (cheap pop), to compete for a spot on the roster.

(507 Note: If Sherels makes the team, he will be the first JM alum to play in the NFL since Darrel Thompson did it for the Green Bay Packers in the early 90's.)

So with all of this, where will the Vikings wind up in the 2011 season? The same place they were last season: last place.

It seems like the other teams in the division have passed the Vikings by. Even the Detroit Lions are on the up and coming, but the Vikings should be a somewhat better team this year despite this prediciton.

The Vikings will hover around the .500 mark for most of the season, and finish with a 7-9 record. This may even be a high mark considering for what the Vikings lack on offense and defense. The Vikings also lack true depth which would prevent them from making any sort of Packer-like run late in the season.

Although Frasier will never admit it, the Vikings are in a rebuilding stage. For the Vikings to have any success in the future, they will need to develop Christian Ponder as an effective quarterback and surround him with talent offensively and defensively to make any sort of run.

Officially...R.I.P. for the Minnesota Twins

This will be the third-ever R.I.P. for the Minnesota Twins post that I've done since this blog existed. Let's look at the previous two, shall we?

September 2009 - Justin Morneau suffers a stress fracture in his lower back and can't play the rest of the season. The Twins get red-hot and force a game 163 against the Detroit Tigers. They get swept by the Yankees in an unexpected playoff appearance.

May 2011 - With the Twins 20 games under .500, another one is written. The Twins get red-hot again and feed off their starting pitching which was constantly turning in eight inning efforts, masking the deficiencies of their bullpen...

Which leads us to August 25th, 2011. This time I mean it, the Twins are dead. (I would have said this earlier, but without a computer...yeah.)

You could say it was a fun ride for those couple weeks in June, but the reality was, this team was going anywhere without leadership in the clubhouse, a staff ace, and a bullpen.

All three are major issues, but looking inside the clubhouse it's clear to me that there is no vocal leader capable of pushing players to perform at an elite level. Back in 2005, a struggling Justin Morneau was confronted by Torii Hunter. Hunter, sick of Morneau's lack of effort and complaining, took a swing at the future MVP. The light bulb went on, and Morneau realized his potential.

Yes, there's Michael Cuddyer, but he's more likely to pull a rabbit out of his cap than take a swing at someone. Then there's Mauer and Morneau. Personally, I still have no problems with Morneau, as he has been the one player on this team that has been trying to get back to his pre-concussion form, but he has ran into multiple injuries. He's not a leader that will get in someone's face, although it seems like he has it in him.

But then there's Mauer. Mauer has played the role of 2005 Morneau on this team. I'm not calling him lazy, but the whole 2 month vacation in Fort Myers in the middle of baseball season might rub people the wrong way. As will the supposed reluctance to play another position (I actually liken the first base move to the old Life cereal commercial. Can you see Gardy jumping up and down screaming "Joey likes it!"?). I would like to see someone take a swing at Mauer, the 23 million dollar athlete with 1 bomb and plenty of general soreness, but that guy is not in the clubhouse.

Second, there's the lack of a staff ace. Remember when we heard that Carl Pavano was going to be our ace and we loved the idea? Pavano has rewarded our trust with a 6-10 record and a 4.54 ERA. Not exactly what the Twins were thinking.

Joe Nelson of KFAN put this perfectly. The Twins need a TRUE ace, and not one of these bargain basement aces. C.J. Wilson (13-5 3.08 ERA with Texas) will be available this offseason, and the Twins need to spend some of this new-found revenue on a guy like this.

If you don't believe ace is a problem, read Tiny Joe's blog. Then take a look across the river. The Milwaukee Brewers looked at their mess of a rotation at the end of last season, and went and did something about it. They acquired two potential aces in Zack Grienke and Shawn Marcum. (Marcum was a bit underrated, but had good stats in the hitter friendly AL East before coming to the NL.) There's a reason for this! Pitching wins championships. Remember the San Francisco Giants from last year?

The Twins need to upgrade their rag-tag, "pitch-to-contact", batting practice machines and get a proven streak stopper like every team in the AL Central has (with the exception of Kansas City, but with that farm system he may be coming.)

Then there's the bullpen. Oh, the bullpen. The Twins tried to convince themselves that they would be fine after letting half their bullpen walk away last January. WRONG! They tried to plug holes by trading J.J. Hardy for two minor league relievers. Then, they tried to use Alex Burnett as a capable reliever, Joe Nathan and Matt Capps as closers, and...you get the idea.

This bullpen continues to be such a disaster that Joe Christiansen of the Star Tribune went nuts over Lester Olivesteros getting a couple of outs the other night. Really? REALLY? Ugh, come on. The Twins may need to get creative to fill these holes, but it will take more cash to do so.

This leads me to a fourth problem: Twins GM Bill Smith. Smith is spending the money to get these guys and if Smith has another failure of an offseason, he may be getting a pink slip. The moves of the Bill Smith have included:

- Trading Johan Santana and J.J. Hardy for nothing.

- Trading away a potential ace (Matt Garza) for a bi-polar hitter (Delmon Young).

- Signing a Japaneese version of Nick Punto.

- Signing Joe Mauer to a shockingly overpaid contract (still could turn around.)

- Letting half of an effective bullpen walk away in free agency.

The truth is this will be the biggest off-season in the Bill Smith era. What he will do with it remains to be seen.

Derek Jeter: Good Player...but Enough Already!

If you've been living under a rock during the past weekend (and it was River Falls Days so there's a pretty big possibility), New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter recorded his 3,000th career hit.

He did it the only way Jeter could, slamming himself into the spotlight by becoming only the second player to record his 3,000th hit via home run. (Wade Boggs was the other.)

Later that afternoon, distinguished baseball writer Peter Gammons tweeted this:

"MLB should fly Jeter into Phoenix on Tuesday to allow the baseball nation to celebrate Jeter's accomplishment and what he's meant to the sport."

Me being a twitterholic myself, I had this to reply...

"I'm surprised @pgammo can tweet with Jeter's @#$% so far down his throat. #impressive"

Maybe I need to tone down on the vulgarity on my tweets, but the fact of the matter is this. While Jeter is one of the greatest players in baseball history, he is incredibly unlikeable outside of the Yankee fan base.

Jeter is one of the main reasons that the majority of America hates the New York Yankees. Yes, there are a TON of Yankee fans, but can you think of any player in baseball that gets booed loudly at visiting stadiums on a regular basis?

People always say that if Jeter was in, say...a Twins uniform, that he would be more accepted. Just like Cal Ripken Jr. was because he played for the Orioles. That might be true, but I have a feeling that Jeter would still be the arrogant prick most people see today.

Everything has to be big and flashy with Jeter. He loves the spotlight. He dated Mariah Carey. He's currently married to Minka Kelly. That's enough jealousy alone for most sports fans, but there's more. Jeter has won more World Series championships, five, by himself than 22 franchises in Major League Baseball.

Again, I get it...he's good. But he has to flash that in every single occasion. Watch the next routine ground ball in the hole that Jeter gets. The average major league player could pick the ball up, gun it to first, and nail the guy by 20 feet. But this is Derek Jeter.

Jeter will take the ball, jump 20 feet in the air, and then make the wildest throw possible to nail the guy by inches. Somehow, by not making the fundamental play, Jeter gets on Sportscenter nightly. Little Leaguers see this, and baseball is borderline ruined by kids trying to make a "web gem" like Jeter.

It also doesn't help that Jeter has the annoying little fist pump like he accomplished something after every freaking play. Fly out to left? FIST PUMP! Grounder to third? FIST PUMP! Probable strike called a ball? FIST PUMP! One of these days, I would like to fist pump Jeter's face.

And after all of this, Jeter is worshipped like a freakin' God. Tripping Olney (which is supposed to be Buster Olney on a really bad acid trip) tweeted that in the past week alone, ESPN has ran 3,000 stories on Derek Jeter's chase for 3,000 hits.

Whew, 3,000 hits. You must be tired Derek Jeter, just go ahead and take the all-star break off it's not like your legion of moronic fans stuffed the ballot box so their adorable mascot could play shortstop. Oh wait, they did. And baseball is pissed because 84 players were recognized as all-stars this season cause people like Jeter had a case of the Mauers.

It's actually surprising that Jeter would allow someone else to take his place at shortstop. Remember, Jeter forced the greatest shortstop ever to play the game (steroids or not) in Alex Rodriguez to move to third base upon his arrival to the Big Apple. Food for thought.

The bottom line is this. While Jeter deserves a ton of credit for his accomplishment, don't expect me or the majority of the baseball universe to worship him like a Greek God. Most human beings cheer for good things to happen to good people. Like...Jim Thome? Yeah, ESPN he's on the brink of 600 career home runs, but you wouldn't know that with your head so far up Jeter's ass.

Minnesota Twins Midseason Review

The Minnesota Twins were expected to contend for the American League Central division championship this season. Things were a bit rocky from the get go, but believe it or not, the Twins were the last team to put someone on the disabled list this season when Tsuyoshi Nishioka broke his leg at Yankee Stadium on April 7th.

Since then, the Twins have lost significant time to injuries throughout the season, and it hasn't been role players. Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jim Thome, Denard Span, Jason Kubel, Joe Nathan were all key cogs in the Twins 2010 championship drive, and all have spent time on the disabled list in 2011. Losing players like that would cripple any team, but still...after the Twins found themselves 16.5 games back on June 2nd, they've climbed within 6.5 at the all-star break.

So, the question is how can the Twins get over that final hurdle and become the 2011 American League Central Division Champions of the world?

1) TWINS NEED MAUER AND MORNEAU TO BOUNCE BACK TO SOMEWHAT OLD FORM
As I've mentioned before, the Twins aren't going to get Joe Mauer's 2009 numbers ever again, but it's reasonable to expect Mauer to knock one out of the park now and then and do something other than ground to second with runners on base.

Morneau's situation is a little bit trickier. The more I hear people talk, the more people think that Morneau will never be the same player again with all the pinched nerves and broken bones Morneau has suffered over the past couple of years.

With that said, they need production out of their superstars. If Mauer and Morneau can become productive players in the second half, the Twins offense will become revived and maybe get to a guy like a Justin Verlander. (But probably not Verlander, more like Carlos Carrasco or Luke Hocheaver?)

2) BILL SMITH NEEDS TO GET A QUALITY BULLPEN GUY
The relief pitcher market may get pretty deep leading up to July 31st, and the Twins need to tap into it. The Twins really need a lefty other than Glen Perkins that can get people out.

Jose "3 and 0" Mijares has been awful, and Phil Dumatrait and Alex Burnett aren't answers either. They may have solved the 8th inning log jam by a returning Joe Nathan, but it might be unwise to lean on him just yet.

Plus, who knows how long Matt Capps will be the closer. As a sign in Stillwater said the other day, "Jesus Saves and Matt Capps Doesn't"

3) TWINS NEED TO GET HEALTHY
The most obvious one of the group. The Twins have been slaughtered by injury after injury and one will wonder if the Twins can ever get fully healthy by the end of the season.

It's looking more and more like Jason Kubel won't be returning anytime soon, and who knows who might go down in the second half.

Yet, the Twins will be getting Denard Span and Delmon Young back after the all-star break, and if those two can play well, it might be enough to get the Twins over the hump.

4) THE RED WINGS NEED TO CONTRIBUTE
An interesting move that the Twins made today was calling up Trevor Plouffe from Rochester. Plouffe was up for a cup of coffee when Alexi Casilla was struggling earlier in the season, but Plouffe couldn't throw the ball to first, and Casilla got his job back.

Now, Plouffe has learned how to play first base in Rochester, and he's finally showing the power that some people expected. Plouffe has 15 HR in Rochester this season, and 3...here we go...at the major league level. With Plouffe on the other end of these throws and Morneau on the DL, could Plouffe finally break through? The Twins will have to hope so.

Also, others will have to continue to perform well. Ben Revere has been the sparkplug for the Twins, and it'll be interesting to see how much playing time he gets when the outfield gets healthy. Conventional wisdom says that Revere won't be going back to Rochester any time soon.

Finally, the one dark horse who might get called up is Kyle Gibson. His numbers haven't been great this year, but the Twins might use him as a spot starter OR the bullpen ala David Price in 2008. Gibson is a staple in the Twins future, but is the future now? If it is, he must contribute.

5) TWINS NEED A WINNING HOMESTAND COMING UP
In essence, the playoffs for the Twins are going to start right after the All-Star break. The Twins will have home field advantage as they will play 12 games at home and of those 12, 8 will be against the Cleveland Indians and the Detroit Tigers.

This homestand will carry them up until July 24th. If the Twins do well on the homestand, say 8-4 or something, the Twins will be buyers at the trade deadline. If the Twins fall on their face, the 2011 season will probably be over.

Now is the time for the Twins to make a move. They've been preaching the tortoise and the hare theory for a long time now, it's time to put up or shut up.

The Fall Of The M&M Boys

Five years ago, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire called slumping first baseman Justin Morneau into his office at Safeco Field. The Twins "slugger" was having an off season yet again, and Gardenhire's patience was running thin. The message in the meeting was simple: we need you to pull your head out of your #$% if we're going to contend. (NOTE: This was the last time Gardy has called out a player...interesting...)

Morneau got the message and a couple of months later, the Twins completed a historic comeback by winning the Central division on the last day of the regular season. Another month later, Justin Morneau won the 2006 MVP award over Derek Jeter.

Three years later, catcher Joe Mauer was returning from a back injury that sidelined him for all of April 2009. The knock on Mauer was that while he was a great contact hitter, he never seemed to hit for any power and couldn't drive in runs. Then, Mauer went nuts. Already the owner of two batting titles, Mauer won a third (no other catcher had won ONE in the American League) and hit 29 home runs to boot.

Just two years ago, life was great for the M&M boys as the Minnesota media has dubbed them. Now, it seems like their legacy, which once looked like the sky was the limit, has come to a screeching halt.

It's intriguing how two players still in their prime of their careers (Morneau is 30, Mauer is 28), could take such a downturn not only on the field, but off it as well.

Let's first take a look at Morneau. Between the two players, I think that a lot of people are very sympathetic with Morneau's downturn rather than Mauer. Last May, Morneau was the best hitter in baseball. While most players on the Twins roster were complaining about the trees in center at Target Field. Morneau, calmly and quietly, had the line of .345, 18 HR, and 56 RBI going into a July 7th game at Toronto. Uh oh...

Morneau got smoked in the head trying to break up a double play, and it was almost like our Canadian Cinderella suddenly had his awesome carriage turned into a pumpkin. Yes, people were furious when update after update had Morneau still feeling the effects of the concussion several months later. Morneau eventually was shut down for the season, but came back to spring training and was pretty much banging on the door for more playing time, but the Twins, as always, were cautious about letting Morneau return.

Compared to the other player in this piece, it hasn't been about a perceived lack of desire to play. It's just been the severity of his injuries. Since winning his MVP in 2006, Morneau has endured season-ending injuries three times. Even crazier, the Twins have been to the playoffs four years during Morneau's career. He has played in seven out of 13 possible postseason games. He has suffered a broken back, a pinched nerve in his neck, a nasty wrist injury, and, as we know, multiple concussions.

I'm not writing this like a eulogy for Morneau, but you have to wonder if all these injuries have taken their toll at once, and is it to blame for his worst statistical season since 2005? You have to wonder if he can ever bounce back to his 2010 pre-concussion form again.

The other member of the downfall is much more maligned. After his 2009 season, Joe Mauer signed the richest contract in the history of the Twins. Many...no...EVERYONE celebrated like the Twins had just won the World Series. There would be no need to throw out that Mauer jersey in the closet like our Johan Santana and Torii Hunter. Nope, Joe was going to be a huge part of the Minnesota Twins for the next 9 seasons! And since then...he has done nothing but disappoint, and even anger Twins fans.

The Mauer situation could be precedent with the signing of Kevin Garnett during the 1996-97 NBA season. The Timberwolves paid Garnett with a 6 year, 126 million dollar contract. At the time, it was the largest in NBA history and eventually lead to the NBA lockout in 1998.

Garnett, like Mauer, ruled the state of Minnesota as he lead the Timberwolves to their first winning season in franchise history. He even won a MVP award during the 2003-04 season. But Garnett was almost never fully accepted because he couldn't live up to the demands people place on a player with such a contract.

With KG, everyone wanted him to take the last second shot. It's what he was paid for in their minds. Even if Garnett was passing to a wide open Wally Sczerbiak, people got mad if KG didn't take that last shot. It was always thought the Garnett didn't have the killer instinct necessary to put the dagger into someone.

There are more differences with Mauer, but people are using the same concept. Garnett never had an off year once he signed his big contracts, and Garnett virtually played every game with the Timberwolves, before finally demanding a trade.

With Mauer, it's not the fact that he's been injured. (Look at the Morneau situation.) It's been the nature in which his injuries have come. The Twins have bent over backwards to make sure this guy is the king of Target Field. They routinely have given Mauer a ridiculous number of days off, using the backdrop of "he's a catcher." It's a legit excuse, but that's what he's paid to do.

Over the past couple of years, I've seen catchers go completely "four-on-the-floor" to help their team. Jim Souhan had an article in the Star Tribune about how catchers on other teams, like the Tigers' Alex Avila who is moving to third during interleague play, will do anything to help the team.

It almost makes me throw up in my mouth to see the other teams catchers make an incredibly physical play, and then have to think as KFAN's Dan Barriero coined it, "How long would Mauer milk it?"

Many people have even speculated that Mauer's two week rehab assignment in Fort Myers was spent on the beach. It's almost gotten to the point that if they had actually built the Mauer statue before last year at Target Field, people would be trying to run up to Target Plaza and tear the thing down.

To make things worse, Mauer has looked stunningly mediocre upon his return. We hear the rhetoric that Mauer needs to get his timing back, but other great hitters who have returned from injuries, like Rangers OF Josh Hamilton (broken arm), have picked up right where they left off with ease. It's also possible that Mauer is having a bad week (He was also called out by the Gordito Burrito Jose Mijares for his pitch selection), but with the path his first season of his extension has looked like, it's possible that Mauer...dare I say it? May never return to the form that we're accustomed to as Twins fans.

There's still plenty of time for both Mauer and Morneau to return to their past successes, baseball is a funny game where some people could find themselves horrid one year, and amazing the next. But it's pretty sad to see two players who were once so great, take such a fall from glory.

Interleague Play: Good or Bad for Baseball?

Back when I was about 9 years old, I really wanted to see my two favorite teams show up on the field and see who was the ultimate Crishad favorite team. I wanted to see the Atlanta Braves with their talented pitching staff of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, and John Smoltz take on my Minnesota Twins with...um...hang on...Marty Cordova...and Ron Coomer?

OK, maybe it wouldn't have been the best idea to see a Braves/Twins game in the mid 1990's, but seeing the Twins take on a National League team would be pretty cool I thought, and then Bud Selig pulled the trigger in 1997 introducing interleague play to the baseball world.

The idea was pretty good at first, but now it's come under fire for many reasons. There are good things and bad things when it comes to interleague play, so what's the right answer? I'm here to find out!

THE GOOD
1) Interleague Play gives opposing cities a chance to see players they normally wouldn't see.
We always see it advertised on TV that one day we'll tell our kids that we got to see ______ ______ play. What interleague play does is that it gives fans in random cities a chance to see some of the superstars of the opposite league. Without interleague play, fans wouldn't get to see Ryan Braun or Prince Fielder play. Back in 1998, the Twins were able to host Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa at the Metrodome, and if you weren't excited about that, you don't have a pulse (even knowing what we know now).

2) Interleague Road Trips
I've made the trek to Milwaukee to see the Twins play the Brewers, and I'll say that it's a pretty surreal sight to see Scott Baker grab a baseball bat and ground out to first. Fans in American League cities get to see some places they normally wouldn't see. For example, the Twins are in San Francisco tonight. A pretty cool stadium that some people wouldn't want to see if their team wasn't playing in it. It's pretty cool to see a stadium you normally don't have the opportunity to see.

3) Helps Baseball Grow
American League fans get to learn the differences in National League baseball. I didn't even know what a double switch was until I was a junior in high school. Bench moves have to be made more carefully, and there's more strategy. It just gives fans a different taste of what's going on in the opposite league.

THE BAD
1) Pointless Matchups
There are plenty of good matchups in interleague baseball. The Mets-Yankees, Cubs-White Sox, Giants-Athletics...all are good rivalries. But for every good one, some other team plays an absolute clunker. Astros-Blue Jays, Twins-Padres, Brewers-Rays...get the picture?

2) Disadvantage For The National League
Don Mattingly made this point...and he may be right. Mattingly said that he doesn't like interleague play because of the designated hitter rule. In the American League, a team might have a 40 HR guy hitting as their DH because they need one all the time. In the National League, you might be using a utility player. Travis Hafner or Omar Infante? Hmm....

3) Less Matchups That Matter In The Standings
The Twins play the Yankees six times in a season (typically). They'll have one series at home, and then there's one on the road. But in the AL, people want to see the Yankees come to their town. Maybe this is one thing that ESPN has a death grip on is covering the Yankees so much that people want to get to the ballpark so they can scream how much they suck in person. More importantly, if the Twins are chasing the Yankees (or any team outside the division) for a Wild Card spot, they have less chances to catch up and the better team may not advance to the playoffs.

WHAT TO DO?
The reality is that interleague play is not going anywhere. Too many people come in from out of town, especially in the rivalry matchups, to just throw it down the clunker. Way too much money would be lost.

With realignment being kicked around, the current model would suggest that interleague play should be going all season long. I don't think that's the right answer either, especially when a team might be playing an interleague team in the middle of a pennant race. (Example: Imagine the Brewers playing their current stretch of baseball against the AL East in September. Yikes.)

I think interleague should be at least cut down to one "regional rivalry". Yes, you would still have some flaws in that because not every team has a regional rival that's not in the opposite league, but if you gave 6 games to these matchups, you could have more AL games that counted outside the divisions. A team playing 6 interleague games would keep the idea of the money and everything else, but wouldn't dilute baseball to it's current state.

Plus, isn't baseball supposed to be FUN? Fun is getting to play the Brewers six times a year. So what if it doesn't count in the standings? I find it fun to jump in a car 4 hours and go get drunk in a parking lot, then watch my Twins play. It's something I can't do in Minnesota.

So in essence, interleague play can be shortened, but the fact is it makes the game fun, and isn't what it's all about? (Well, unless you're a newspaper editor...)

CM Punk(ed) By The WWE

I remember a couple of years ago, more like four or five years, when I heard on the radio, when Usher was interviewed and said that he "didn't like the way music was sounding these days." Usher's response was a Ricky Rubio clone known as Justin Bieber. Sadly, this is how I feel with the WWE creative staff these days.

It is a bit odd to start off a wrestling column with an Usher reference, but that's how I'm feeling these days when it comes to the WWE. Everything has gotten stale and the WWE claims that there isn't enough talent to keep things interesting.

That's the word I would use to describe the current state of WWE programming: interesting. Not because I'm interested in what they're throwing out there, but interested in how bad they're screwing up. The latest example of the WWE screwups is in the handling of CM Punk.

Last night on Raw, Punk won a number one contenders match to fight John Cena for the WWE Championship at Money In The Bank. In my opinion, this is a great booking for several reasons, but the biggest reason is the PPV is being held in Chicago, hometown of CM Punk. This will make Cena the de facto heel come PPV time, and in my opinion is that Cena is at his best when he's hated by the majority of the crowd. (Look at his feud with The Rock from earlier this year and more specifically, his One Night Stand match with Rob Van Dam a couple years ago. It's a Cena you'll enjoy watching as he taunts the hell out of the crowd.)

I'm getting a bit off topic, but it's a great booking...if CM Punk wasn't leaving the company. About that...it's not a bit. CM Punk's contract actually ends on July 27th and he's actually leaving the WWE after that. It's possible that CM Punk just wants to take the route that Chris Jericho has taken (He's currently on a sabbatical touring with Fozzy and participating on Dancing With The Stars) by simply taking time off and re-signing with the WWE when he wants to come back. But is it that simple? Consider this...

- While younger stars have been getting pushed with little to none mic or wrestling skills, Punk, probably the best WRESTLER on the roster has been buried in pointless storylines, most recently taking over the Nexus, when they already had a very capable leader in Wade Barrett.

- To add to that point, Punk has gone a staggering 2-19 in his last 21 PPV matches (He beat Rey Mysterio at Capitol Punishment Saturday). Yes, the matches are rigged, but one of the most talented wrestlers in the company can't even get a title shot here and there? Punk hasn't had a World Title Opportunity since Hell In A Cell 2009.

- Punk also disagrees with the WWE's label of "superstars". He believes that wrestling is an artform rather than entertainment. You can hear it in his promotional interviews that he always says superstars in a mocking tone as if he doesn't agree. It's interesting because he may be the best wrestler in terms of working the mic as well, but still, disagreements with management may be enough to tell the WWE to screw off.

- Another sticking point has been Punk's name. This could be labeled as the "Dudley Boyz" clause. Vince McMahon wants to own the rights to superstars names so that they can't use them anywhere else. So that's why the Dudleys, after leaving the company, were called "Team 3D" in TNA and Mr. Kennedy is now Mr. Anderson. Punk saw this and basically said "I AM CM PUNK, DAMMIT!" This is another key reason why Punk wants to leave.

After all of this, Punk is still getting his long awaited championship match against John Cena. So that begs the question: Is the WWE trying to convince Punk to stay by giving him a championship match in his hometown? Or is the WWE going to make it tough for Punk to leave by booking him as the champion as his contract expires?

From a booking standpoint, the WWE can't lose CM Punk. If they do, who steps up and becomes their top heel in the company? The Miz? Mark Henry??? R-Truth??? Yikes.

I agree that the WWE needs to thrust some fresh faces into the spotlight, but cutting one of their best guys is not the way to make room for the younger up-and-comers.

Raining Rubio

The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. The most frequent speculation is that the creature represents a line of long-surviving plesiosaurs. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next.

While the Loch Ness won't be coming to a Minnesota lake near you, it's safe to say that the distant cousin of the Loch Ness, the Ricky Rubio Monster will be coming to Minnesota instead.

After two long years of negotiating and fear that Rubio might refuse to play in Minnesota, he agreed to a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves that will pay him around 3 million dollars next season (and I'm assuming grows for a 3-4 year contract).

Rubio will also have to pay his Spanish league club a buyout of about 1.5 million dollars. The Wolves will pitch in 500,000 dollars, while endorsements and Rubio's new salary should take care of the balance of the buyout.

Enough business talk though. Can the kid play in the NBA?

From what we know of Rubio, it's that he's an amazing passer. Fans saw that a little bit in the 2008 Olympics in Bejing when Rubio executed plenty of highlight reel passes that made people say "woah".

The Timberwolves, looking for a franchise player in the 2009 NBA Draft selected Rubio with the 5th pick in the draft even though there were concerns that Rubio would never play for the team. It's been hinted that's still the case, but it's also known that Rubio's only way into the NBA would be to go through the Wolves, hence him signing the contract.

Another concern about Rubio has been his Euroleague statistics. Rubio hasn't exactly been filling up the stat sheet in Barcelona, as he spent half the season on the bench because of a foot injury, and then the other half on the bench...well, nobody is sure why.

So it begs the question again. Can he play in the NBA?

Recent history might be in the Wolves favor. In the same draft, the Milwaukee Bucks took Brandon Jennings, who instead of going to Arizona decided to play in Rubio's Euroleague. Jennings' stats weren't eye-popping and he dipped in the draft because of it. He turned out alright, as Jennings averaged 15.5 points per game and is considered to be one of the best up-and-coming point guards in the league.

But there's still concerns about Rubio's game. Rubio has not gotten bigger in terms of his wiry frame and he still hasn't put up numbers as a scorer, but some say that Rubio is simply too unselfish to ever be a prime-time scorer ala Jennings.

This may be exactly what the Wolves need. While many are hoping that Rubio can be the savior, it may be more beneficial for the Wolves to have a guy who can simply get Michael Beasley and Kevin Love the basketball.

Kahn's other pick in the 2009 draft, Jonny Flynn has not worked out (some say it's because of coach Kurt Rambis' complex schemes, which Rubio might not have to deal with) and Luke Ridinour thinks he has the world's best jumpshot (not so much). If anything, the Wolves need a guy who will be unselfish to let two of the most selfish guys in the NBA take their scoring ability to a whole new level.

When you think of it, Rubio might not be like Brandon Jennings, but he might be someone like a John Stockton, who could make a shot if he needed to, but primarily used a pick-and-roll combination with Karl Malone that everyone knew was coming, but could not stop.

Either way, Rubio brings excitement and anticipation to a franchise that desperately needs it. Now, can Rubio bring some wins along with it?