Twins 2011: Reversal of Fortune

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The Minnesota Twins finished with a 61-99 record this season, the second-worst in Major League Baseball behind the Houston Astros (which crash-landed with a 56-106 mark). 

How on earth did this team, which won the American League Central Division title last year, fall so far and so fast this year?  Oh sure, the Twins were briefly in the pennant race before the Detroit Tigers pulled away from the rest of the division.  Francisco Liriano pitched an unexpected no-hitter at Chicago against the White Sox,  Jim Thome hit his 600th career homer at Detroit, and Bert Blyleven entered baseball's Hall of Fame.  But then again, Harmon Killebrew passed away, and there were reminders of him all over Target Field.

Where to begin?  Nearly every regular on the roster spent time on the disabled list, whether it's for injury or illness.  Take Joe Mauer, whose hometown halo got tarnished this season by charges that he wasn't tough enough to withstand "bilateral leg weakness" or pneumonia, and that he's starting to believe his own press clippings.  Because it's physically hard to be a full-time catcher, Mauer went a few games substituting for Justin Morneau at first base while he worked out his own health issues.  But the questions linger with several years to go on Mauer's new contract.

The offense?  Barely there.  The Twins found more ways NOT to score than any other team.  Many is the time that they loaded up the bases with nobody out, and they don't score.  Or they get caught in baserunning mistakes.  Thome and Michael Cuddyer aside, the Twins' bats give credence to the notion that Target Field  is not a home run park, though there are other teams that might dispute that.

Pitching has been a hit-or-miss proposition.  Liriano hasn't really proven himself beyond the no-hitter.  Kevin Slowey and Carl Pavano, among other starters, do well for several innings until the bullpen takes over.  Matt Capps gave away so many games in the late innings that Joe Nathan, returning from Tommy John surgery, was given back his closer role.

Because of all those injuries and illnesses, the Twins tended to resemble a minor league team for much of the season, while depleting the real ones in the process.  Guys like Trevor Plouffe, Alexi Casilla and Ben Revere--whether they're ready for the majors or not-- have been pressured into service with mixed results.  And you really needed a scorecard to tell which players were which.

All of which made manager Ron Gardenhire's job a lot tougher this year.  Throughout his tenure, Gardenhire has been one of those managers who have excelled at doing the most with the least.  This was not one of those years, and if the Twins tank again next season, then it may be time to change managers.

Speaking of change, there will undoubtedly be some this off-season.  Thome, shortly after hitting number 600, was shipped off to Cleveland.  Cuddyer, Nathan and Liriano could follow him out the door.  And Morneau will have to make a decision about his future. 

This is only the beginning, folks.  The days of division championships and other feel-good moments are over for now.  Soon the novelty of Target Field will wear off, and crowds of around 10-15,000 will become common.  Good free agent players will not want to come here, no matter how much cash the Pohlads have stashed away.  So be prepared for a long, cold winter of baseball..
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A word about John Gordon, who just did his last game as the radio voice of the Twins.  He may have been the epitome of the minor league-quality announcer who was fortunate enough to land a job with the Yankees before starting a nice, long career in Minnesota.  Gordon will not be mentioned in the same breath as Herb Carneal (even though he worked with him) and Ray Scott in the annals of Twins broadcasting legends.  But he will be remembered for his home run call in the course of describing division pennants and world championships:  "Touch 'em all, (fill in the blank)!".   Have a nice retirement, Gordo.
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One more thing.  Yankees versus Phillies in the World Series.

Do The Conference Shuffle

Image via WikipediaIf you follow college athletics, reading the sports section or websites these days has become a bit like reading a supermarket tabloid or TMZ.  Who's breaking up, who's staying together, and who's getting hitched.

No, we're not talking about Brad and Angelina, or "Dancing With The Stars".  We're referring to the shuffling of the deck--rumored or confirmed--between big name universities and their athletic conferences, all in the pursuit of more money and prestige, at least as far as football is concerned.

The catalyst for all this is the apparent demise of the Big 12 and Big East conferences, for whatever the reason.  In the Big 12, Colorado and Nebraska have already left for other conferences, Texas A&M is leaving for the Southeast Conference (pending legal appeals), and four other schools--Oklahoma, Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State--were all set to bolt to the Pac 12 until that conference decided not to take in any more teams.  As it currently stands, the Big 12 doesn't have enough schools to equal 12.

In the Big East, which began as a basketball-only league in 1979 before adding football, Syracuse (a charter member) and Pittsburgh have said they are leaving to join the Atlantic Coast Conference.  Which leaves the rest of the Big East in a bind because half of its members don't have football programs.

Even Notre Dame, which is a Big East member in nearly every sport but football, is thinking about jumping ship.  As long as it's not the Big Ten.  The Fighting Irish already has its own TV network, better known as NBC.

More rumor has it that the Big East and Big 12 are talking merger.  Others report that both conferences would stay put and try to add more schools.  Hard to keep up, isn't it?

All of this realignment is being driven by football, and the profits, prestige and exposure it brings to a university.  But what about the rest of the athletic program?  How will they be affected by the shuffling in terms of costs, student participation and fan support?

Let's talk about academics for a minute.  You know, grades and degrees, which is the reason you go to college in the first place.  There are no majors in football, and you can't earn a Masters in basketball.  If university presidents believe changing conferences will solve their problems while it is getting next to impossible for real students to pay off their tuition in their lifetimes, then they're sadly mistaken.

Come to think of it, maybe those university presidents aren't the ones running the show.  It's the athletic directors, coaches and boosters who are driving this rush to realign.

Everyone knows college sports is just a glorified feeder system for the NFL and NBA, at least for the major universities, conferences, TV networks and sponsors who support them.  It's a great deal for everyone except the piously named "student athlete", whose school gets punished by the NCAA for accepting so much as a dime.

Change is inevitable.  Summer turns into autumn.  People get older.  Nations topple dictators.  Colleges abandon longtime rivalries to start new ones.  It's the turning of the page, the flipping of the remote, and hitting F5 on your computer.  Nothing lasts forever.

And just so you know, Ron Artest (aka Metta World Peace) was the first celebrity voted off "Dancing With The Stars".

After 9/11/01: No More Fun and Games

Ten years ago, after a shocking lapse in security resulted in the World Trade Center in New York being destroyed, the NFL and Major League Baseball canceled their games for a week or two while the country mourned.

Ten years later, the events of September 11, 2001 are commemorated by both leagues in ceremonies across the country to honor those who died that day.  Because the attacks occured in New York City, the NFL games between the Giants and Redskins and Cowboys and Jets were marked by players and coaches who wore 'NYPD' or 'FDNY' caps, as if they're really police officers and firefighters (which they're not).  There were also American flags and ribbons dotting the stadiums.  On TV, advertisers such as Anheuser-Busch and State Farm used the anniversary to put love letters to New York in their messages.

How has 9/11 changed sports?  Stadiums and arenas now have security check points, searching paying customers for explosives or unapproved bottles of liquor.  Major League Baseball shoves the playing of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch down our throats, replacing the time-honored "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".

You may have also noticed that going to a ball game has become a lot more patriotic, even if it makes some fans uncomfortable.  There is no anti-war sentiment in the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  In fact, the sports leagues seem to be glorifying those wars.  Active-duty soldiers are rewarded with free passes and other perks not available to Joe Fan.  On TV, they're saluted in commercials and in live remotes from the war zones during the holidays.

Commentators who take time out from criticizing players and officials to salute "our troops" for all the "tremendous sacrifices" they do sound as if they're auditioning for Rush Limbaugh's, Bill O'Reilly's and Sean Hannity's jobs.  Is it any coincidence that Fox has TV contracts with the NFL and MLB?

Sports is certainly not going to glorify the case of Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinals football player who quit the game to join the army.  Most everyone admired him for his brave and patriotic decision, while others thought he was nuts.  But when Tillman was killed in Afghanistan under mysterious and less-than-heroic circumstances, it didn't fit the conservative narrative.

Sports used to be the place where you could get away from it all.  Since 9/11, not only has there been a climate of fear in the country, but the pro sports leagues and the TV networks that enable them have been pushing a political agenda that appeals mainly to Fox News-watching conservatives.  It is not a welcome sight to those of us who buy the tickets, or turn on the TV.  We just want to watch the game.

As the events of 9/11/01 recede farther into our history, so should the tendency of fans and commentators to shout 'USA!', 'USA!' after every score.  Remember, folks, it's only a game.

NFL '11: What Hath The Lockout Wrought?

Image via WikipediaThe National Football League's recent lockout of its players resulted in no regular-season games either canceled or rescheduled, but it did have its effects in other ways.  For instance, those pre-season games that everybody loathes except the owners and TV networks were really necessary this year, if only to make up for the lack of year-round training (particularly for rookies) coaches like to use to evaluate talent.  Also, some players used the lockout as an excuse to report to training camp out of shape.  Which is why all-pro Bryant McKinnie was cut by the Minnesota Vikings for being overweight, only to be picked up by the Baltimore Ravens.

Also of note are rule changes created in response to the alarming number of concussions in sports, especially football.  The most prominent of those is that kickoffs will now be from the 35-yard line, with a narrower margin for error on the kicking team.  Unfortunately, since most of today's kicking specialists seemed to have honed their craft in soccer, footballs tend to sail too far past the goal line to be returned.  So we offer this suggestion:  Limit kickoffs to the start of the first and second halves, just as basketball has done with its tipoffs (mainly because the players have gotten so big and the officials so small).  After each score, just hand the opposing team the ball at their 20-yard line.

As for who will be playing on the field, the fortunes vary.  Michael Vick signed a reported $100 million-dollar deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, proving there is life after a dog fighting conviction, even if not everyone is celebrating.  Donovan McNabb, who was Vick's predecessor at quarterback for the Eagles, has migrated to the Vikings after a disastrous year in Washington.  Rookie Terrelle Pryor will become an Oakland Raiders quarterback as soon as he serves a five game suspension, which was imposed by the league for his alleged misdeeds in college.  Chad Ochocinco and Albert Haynesworth are playing for, of all people, the Bill Belichick-coached New England Patriots.  Terrell Owens and Randy Moss aren't playing anywhere.

The Vikings are starting over after a disastrous 2010 season.  Brett Favre, Tarvaris Jackson, Sidney Rice and coach Brad Childress are gone.  In their places are McNabb and Christian Ponder at quarterback, and Leslie Frazier as the new coach.  But it will take a couple of seasons for the Vikings to get back to championship-level football, so a 6-10 record sounds realistic.  At least they're returning to the friendly confines of what is now Mall of America Field at the Metrodome, complete with a new roof and turf to replace the ones that were damaged by a snowstorm.  How long the Vikings continue to play in the Metrodome remains to be seen.

Our projected division champions and playoff participants on the road to Indianapolis . . .

NFC EAST  New York Giants
         NORTH  Green Bay Packers
         SOUTH  New Orleans Saints
         WEST  St. Louis Rams
         WILD CARDS  Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions

AFC EAST  New England Patriots
         NORTH  Pittsburgh Steelers
         SOUTH  Jacksonville Jaguars
         WEST  San Diego Chargers
         WILD CARDS  Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets