Twins Contract Ron Gardenhire

English: Minneapolis, Minn. (July 17, 2006) - Minnesota Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire the Minnesota Twins vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays game. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When Ron Gardenhire became Minnesota Twins manager in 2002, the team's lousy record and inability to acquire a new ballpark made them a candidate for contraction by Major League Baseball.

Thirteen years and a change of residence from the Metrodome to Target Field, the Twins are still members in good standing with MLB.  Gardenhire managed the Twins to six American League Central division titles, one League Championship appearance, and consistent playoff futility against the New York Yankees.  His overall record was 1068-1039, which may or may not take into account the 72 times he was thrown out of games for arguing with the umpire.  He was also named American League Manager of the Year in 2010.

Gardenhire was let go Monday as Twins manager, when the team finally realized that four consecutive seasons of losing more than 90 games wasn't cutting it any more.  It wasn't all Gardenhire's doing, of course.  Management should share the blame for the injuries, steady stream of callups from the minors and the overall lack of talent caused by their unwillingness to spend any more than the bare minimum despite the revenues coming from the new ballpark.

There was also a long list of former Twins players--Joe Nathan, Justin Morneau and Francisco Liriano, just to name a few--who did much better with other teams than they ever did in Minnesota, and that's also a knock on Gardenhire's managerial style and The Twins Way.

Since the Pohlad family bought the Twins from Calvin Griffith in 1984, they have had four managers--Billy Gardner, Ray Miller, Tom Kelly and Gardenhire.  The last manager they had to fire was Miller, and that was in 1986.  Kelly lasted 15 seasons with two World Series championships before resigning in 2001.

So who's next?  General Manager Terry Ryan--who's been under fire himself, but says he's staying on--has indicated that he will look far and wide for Gardenhire's successor.  But most believe the next manager will come from within the ranks, just like the other ones.  Paul Molitor and Terry Steinbach are two of the most often mentioned candidates.

Whoever the Twins end up hiring as manager had best prepare for a long stay.  The Pohlads are not in the habit of disposing their personnel like tissues, no matter how much grief they get from critics and fans.  It would also help the new manager if the Twins started winning 90 games on a consistent basis instead of losing 90 games.  Then that really would be the Twins Way.

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Our projected World Series matchup:  Baltimore Orioles vs. Los Angeles Dodgers.

Burning Questions

English: Hope Solo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

How can we miss Derek Jeter when he won't go away?

Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson aren't playing football because of allegations of domestic abuse.  What about Hope Solo?  Why is she still playing soccer when she's charged with doing the same thing?

When is Jameis Winston going to grow up?  And when is Florida State going to stop enabling him?

Is the Big Ten a bigger conference or a bigger mediocrity?

If Major League Baseball is serious about shortening games, why put those with connections to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox (the game's version of "War and Peace") on a committee to study it?

Is Bud Selig really going to retire as commissioner of baseball?

Where has Roger Goodell been hiding?

How long will it be before it becomes less fashionable for commentators to refer to the Washington Redskins as "the Washington NFL team"?

How can the 49ers claim to be San Francisco's team when their new stadium is closer to San Jose?  Shouldn't they be called the Golden State 49ers?  And why don't we ever hear about the New Jersey Giants and Jets, or the Fort Worth Cowboys?

So when are London and Los Angeles going to join the NFL?

After Donald Sterling, is there any NBA owner who doesn't have a racist bone in his body?

Has a certain brand of toilet bowl manufacturer bought the naming rights to the proposed Golden State Warriors arena in San Francisco?  Will the name still be "Golden State"?

When is the NBA returning to Seattle?  And when is it leaving Minnesota?  Or has that already happened?

Why would the NHL want to expand when there are a number of teams on thin ice?  If there's a second Toronto franchise, what happens to the Buffalo Sabres?

Shouldn't Major League Soccer and its teams forge their own identities instead of copying the European leagues?  Or don't they have one?

With TV rights for major sports events locked up for the next decade or so, how can networks like Fox Sports 1 and NBCSN expect to survive?

Should commercial broadcast TV bow at the feet of the NFL for keeping them in business?

Should Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers be credited or blamed for bringing back every third-rate "Saturday Night Live" character in those State Farm insurance commercials?

Is "All Day" All Done in Minnesota?

U.S. Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, left, commander, U.S. Pacific Command, poses for a picture with Adrian L. Peterson, a professional football player with the Minnesota Vikings, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, Feb. 10, 2008, during the pre-game ceremonies for the National Football League's 2008 Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl brings together the top players in the National and American Football Conferences. VIRIN: 080210-N-8623G-008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

To date, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings has rushed for more than 10,000 yards and scored 91 touchdowns as a running back, setting many team and NFL records.  From the moment he was taken in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma, Peterson has been the man people thought of when they thought of the Vikings.  His image hung on giant-sized posters, cereal boxes, tickets, and an artist's rendering of what the new football stadium in Minneapolis would look like.

Peterson's football career right now is suddenly in jeopardy.  A grand jury in Montgomery County, Texas has indicted him with the accusation of physically abusing his four-year old son with a tree branch, also known as a switch.  Peterson faces up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine if he's convicted.

The Vikings responded by leaving Peterson out of their game Sunday against the New England Patriots, which they promptly lost 30-7.  Some of the fans at the University of Minnesota's stadium were wearing Peterson jerseys in support.  One woman thought it would be hilarious to come to the game wearing Number 28 while holding a wooden stick.  One wonders if she regrets it today.

On Monday, it was announced that the Vikings have reinstated Peterson, who will be in the lineup for Sunday's game at New Orleans.  The NFL has yet to weigh in on this matter.

What were the Vikings thinking, you ask?  In a week that saw Ray Rice lose his job with the Baltimore Ravens over a video that showed him knocking his wife unconscious, the Vikings blew an opportunity to send the message that child abusers will not be tolerated.  Just like they've been slow to support gay rights or get drunk players off the road.

The Vikings and others may believe that Peterson is innocent until proven guilty, and that's certainly true.  In this climate, however, the charge of child abuse might be too much to overcome.  Peterson has said that he never intended to hurt his son, but the pictures purporting to show the child's injuries are nothing to gloss over.  Can you imagine what would have happened to Peterson if this were child sexual abuse?

Corporal punishment is legal in Texas, but it is no longer considered an appropriate form of punishment by most parents due to its bordering on child abuse.  Throughout history, whippings have been used as a way to keep certain people in line.  We would like to think that the human species have evolved from such barbarism.  But three beheadings by members of the Islamic State have proved us wrong.

Adrian Peterson should consider himself fortunate that the Vikings have chosen to take him back, at least temporarily.  Until a Texas jury renders a verdict, it will be impossible for him to go anywhere without the media following his every move and fans reminding him of what he's accused of.  It will also be difficult for us to see Peterson on the football field without thinking of the Pat Benatar song "Hell Is For Children".  All day and every day.

UPDATE (9/17):  The Vikings have just placed Peterson on the "Exempt/Commissioner's Permission" list, meaning he is no longer welcome to participate in team activities until his legal issues are settled. (But Peterson would still get paid, according to the team.)  In politics, this would be known as a "flip flop".  It seems the team was more motivated by companies who have either pulled their sponsorships, or were threatening to, than they were to the torrent of criticism laid down by commentators, politicians and ordinary fans alike.  Whatever the case, the Vikings hope this lessens the chances of this season being turned into All Drama, if it hasn't already.  And the players on the field can do a pretty good job of turning people's stomachs without Peterson in the lineup.

Football, Lies and Videotape

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander, U.S. Central Command, poses for a photo with NFL Hall of Famers Lynn Swann, Roger Craig, John Elway, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The world has now seen the video of Janay Palmer Rice assaulted in an Atlantic City casino elevator by her significant other, NFL star Ray Rice, courtesy of TMZ.  No need to go into the details, except to say that it makes Rice look like he should have picked on someone his own gender.

At first, Rice was suspended by the NFL for two games.  Then the more graphic video came out, prompting the Baltimore Ravens to cut him loose.  The league, after much public pressure, revised Rice's punishment to an indefinite suspension.  Define "indefinite".

As bad as the video was, this situation has turned into a sports version of Watergate.  You know, what did the NFL know and when did they know it?   Commissioner Roger Goodell, who seems to be channeling President Richard Nixon, claims not to have seen the full video before everybody else did.  But there was one report that the tape had been made available to the league office for months, and whoever was in charge must've sat on it.

The NFL should have had all the evidence at their disposal before making their judgment on Rice.  The fact that they did not, and that they chose to look away, makes the league and Goodell look like incompetent fools.  To save face, they've asked former FBI director Robert Mueller III to launch an independent investigation into the matter.  How "independent" the investigation will actually be is anyone's guess.

Some wonder why Goodell hasn't already resigned or been fired for his negligence in this and so many other matters.  Because the NFL owners who employ him are happy with the way he has kept the league rolling in the dough, they see no reason to unload him.  Yet.

Domestic violence isn't the only serious problem the NFL must address.  There's also drug use, driving under the influence, and illness caused by concussions.  With the Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson indicted by a grand jury in Texas for allegedly swatting his son with a switch, you can add child abuse to the list. 

Women make up nearly half of the NFL's fan base.  They should not be patronized by pretending to care about breast cancer awareness by donning pink every October, or giving light sentences to those players who mistreat their women and children, or paying less than minimum wage to cheerleaders. 

Obviously, the NFL and its fans want all of this negative stuff to go away and just play the games.  We are ready for some football, thank you very much.  Just don't forget that many of the players on the field have wives and girlfriends.  We have no idea how they're treated off the field, but chances are real good that there may not be video evidence the next time someone decides it's OK to hit a woman.

Lynx '14: One More Run?

Augustus in 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Lynx have been to the WNBA championship finals for three consecutive years, winning titles in 2011 and '13.  Not this year.

The Lynx dropped two out of three to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Western Conference finals.  Both of these teams had the best records in the league this past season, but the Mercury had a slightly better year.  They will now face the Chicago Sky for the WNBA championship.

With the relatively brief women's pro basketball season in North America, the key to success seems to be having your team play well and be as healthy as possible.  That's what happened with Phoenix and its stars Diana Taurasi and Britney Griner.  The Lynx did not have that luxury, with Seimone Augustus (among others) sitting out at various times during the season because of injuries.

It also helps if you play well enough to take care of your opponents early and often.  The Lynx were 25-9 during the regular season, but some of their wins and losses came after slow starts--something they couldn't have afforded to do if they wanted to win another trophy.

Maya Moore had another season worthy of being the WNBA's most valuable player, which is why she won that this year.  Moore will be a star in this league for years to come, but what about some of her Lynx teammates?  Mother Time is ticking for Augustus, Lindsay Whalen and Janel McCarville, who are nearing the end of their careers.

According to media reports, coach Cheryl Reeve's squad seems to believe they have at least one more shot at a WNBA title and do not need to make many changes to make it happen.

So 2015 will be a crucial year for the Lynx.  Not only will they once again be favored to contend again, but the competition will be a lot fresher and better.  In short, the window is closing and it's time to prove they've still got it.

Vikings '14: Out In The Cold

English: TCF Bank Stadium on September 12, 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This Minnesota Vikings season will be spent mostly outdoors for the first time since 1981.  For the next two years, they will be playing at the University of Minnesota's football stadium while their new home in downtown Minneapolis is under construction.

Do the Vikings have a team that can survive in all kinds of weather?  In their last Metrodome season, they were 5-10-1.  Leslie Frazier and most of his coaching staff have been replaced by Mike Zimmer and his new coaching staff, which includes former NFL head coach Norv Turner as offensive coordinator.

Nothing's wrong with the offense if you have Adrian Peterson and Cordarrelle Patterson in the backfield.  It's the quarterback position that needs work.  After a disastrous 2013 season in which three different signal callers were used, Matt Cassel has been named the starter for this season.  Rookie Teddy Bridgewater is apparently the Vikings' quarterback of the future, but right now he's an understudy.  Christian Ponder?  As of this writing, he's still a Viking.  What the team plans on doing with him, who knows?

It also appears as if Peterson is reaching the end of his effectiveness as a playmaker, having reached the advanced age of 30.  Oh, he could fool us all and his greatest seasons could be yet to come.  But when reports surface that Peterson has allegedly been calling Dallas owner Jerry Jones about possibly finishing his career as a Cowboy, it makes you wonder.  Didn't another superstar just leave the Twin Cities?

The defense will be even less capable of stopping the other team's offense, now that Jared Allen has taken his talents to Chicago.  Chad Greenway will have to take up the slack in leading a team of rookies and free agents in improving its numbers on turnovers, and that won't be easy.

A neck-and-neck battle for third place in the NFC North with the Detroit Lions, along with a 6-10 finish, may or may not be enough to warm the freezing hearts of Vikings fans.  But as we've said before, the team is in transition mode until 2016.  And Mike Zimmer is a transition coach.  Don't expect too much.

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Our picks for who will make it to the playoffs in January.

NFC EAST:  Philadelphia Eagles
NFC WEST:  Seattle Seahawks
NFC NORTH:  Green Bay Packers
NFC SOUTH:  New Orleans Saints
WILD CARDS:  Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers

AFC EAST:  New England Patriots
AFC WEST:  Denver Broncos
AFC NORTH:  Cincinnati Bengals
AFC SOUTH:  Indianapolis Colts
WILD CARDS:  Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans