Wild 2014-15: The Half-Season of Devan Dubnyk

Devan Dubnyk, Springfield Falcon, Canadian ice hockey goaltender (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Wild ended their improbable run in the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, after having dismantled the St. Louis Blues in six games, by getting swept in four games by the Chicago Blackhawks.

We say "improbable" because before the middle of January, the Wild were so bad that they were one of the worst teams in hockey.  No direction.  Lousy goaltending.  Miles from a playoff spot.  Even coach Mike Yeo's YouTube-worthy meltdown couldn't move the needle.

Everything changed the moment Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher swung a trade with the Arizona Coyotes for Devan Dubnyk, a heretofore unheralded goaltender who had been bouncing around pro hockey until now.  Dubnyk started nearly every game since then, and did so well that few seem to remember the problem-filled tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Niklas Backstrom from earlier in the season. 

The rest of the Wild soon picked up on the newfound stability in goal and started winning games, making a dramatic run past other borderline Western Conference teams to get into the playoffs as a wild card.  For three and a half months, the Wild and Dubnyk were the talk of the NHL.  There was even speculation that they could be Stanley Cup contenders. Seriously.

After taking care of the Blues in the first round, everything fell apart when the Wild faced the Blackhawks in the second.  Not only were the Wild eliminated by the team from Chicago for the third consecutive year, but it was done in four games.  They were shut out in eight of 12 periods.  A reminder that for all the strides the Wild had made during the season, they never really were Stanley Cup material.

Wild owner Craig Leipold had built this team on high-priced free agent signings--Zach Parise, Thomas Vanek, Ryan Suter and anyone else who had anything to do with Minnesota hockey.  None of them made a dent in the Chicago series.  And Dubnyk was exposed for what he really was, a journeyman goalie who happened to peak at the right time.

The Blackhawks, meanwhile, have Patrick Kane, Johnathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp--NHL All Stars who have plenty of experience in winning playoff rounds and Stanley Cups.  And the way the conferences and playoffs are now set up, they could be dominant for years to come.  So no matter how much money Leipold spends on free agents (Minnesota connection or not), the Wild will still be looking up at the Blackhawks.

Before next season, the Wild need to reassess their issues involving scoring and goaltending.  Dubnyk was a great short-term solution, but that doesn't mean the Wild can't go after some more experienced netminder who doesn't need seasoning in Des Moines.

Maybe by then, the Wild will have figured out a way to be more competitive in the playoffs against the Blackhawks.  But don't hold your breath.  The Twins are still trying to figure out how to get past the New York Yankees in the baseball playoffs.

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Our projected Stanley Cup Final matchup:  Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals.

Wolves 2014-15: Youth Must Be Served

Second alternate logo (2008-present) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Timberwolves ended another misbegotten season Wednesday, losing 138-113 to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Target Center.  The Wolves finished with the NBA's worst record at 16-66, lost 12 consecutive games to end the season, and missed the playoffs for the 11th straight year.  Quite an accomplishment, no?

You can excuse young players such as Andrew Wiggins (who's on his way to Rookie of the Year.  Truthfully, he'd be better off in his native Canada playing for the playoff-bound Toronto Raptors.) and Zach LaVine for finding their way in the NBA.  They've had to play more than most rookies because of injuries to Ricky Rubio, Kevin Martin and Nikola Pekovic, as well as the departures through trades of Corey Brewer, Mo Williams and Thaddeus Young.

Kevin Garnett?  He was brought here from the Brooklyn Nets on a wave of optimism and nostalgia as the Wolves' past, present and future, even though he's 39 and nearing the end of his playing career.  Since coming back, Garnett's mostly sat on the bench.  Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune called the whole thing a scam to goose sales of tickets and jerseys (we should add that Wolves owner Glen Taylor is also Reusse's boss).  Not necessarily.  The team knew exactly what it was doing, putting KG in the role of mentoring younger players while preparing for his possible career in management.

Now it comes down to the ping pong balls, which will determine where the Wolves will pick in the 2015 NBA Draft.  They can't finish any lower than fourth in the lottery.  Taking into consideration that the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers also had lousy seasons, and the fact that the Wolves have never had much luck in the lottery to begin with, one should not be too confident.  Since the NBA considers the Knicks, Lakers and Sixers to be more important to the future of the league than the Wolves, a third or fourth place finish sounds more realistic.

But hey, the future looks bright for the Timberwolves.  With all the young talent and the trades made by defacto general manager and coach Flip Saunders, and with Garnett lending his insight and occasional court presence, the team should be worth watching again.  Or not.

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Our NBA Finals matchup:  Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Golden State Warriors.  Don't take it to the bank.

Two Coaching Legends. Two Titles.

Mike Krzyzewski, head basketball coach of Duke University, presenting a vanity basketball jersey to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: University of Connecticut head women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma during a game against the University of Texas on March 23, 2008. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University and Geno Auriemma of the University of Connecticut.  Two college basketball coaches with legacies as long as their last names, leading athletes of different genders to championship after championship, whether it's for an NCAA title or an Olympic gold medal. 

Both have coached many great players over the years.  For Coach K it was Grant Hill, Shane Battier and Christian Laettner.  For Auriemma it was Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Maya Moore and Diana Taurasi.

This week both coaches added to their respective legacies.  Krzyzewski won his fifth national men's championship Monday night at Indianapolis, as Duke defeated Wisconsin 68-63.  Freshman Tyus Jones led the Blue Devils with 23 points, while fellow teammate Grayson Allen scored 16.

Auriemma's Huskies won their third consecutive women's championship Tuesday night in Tampa, Florida, defeating Notre Dame 63-53.  Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Moriah Jefferson both scored 15 points.  Junior Breanna Stewart, who has never known anything but championships since the moment she set foot on the UConn campus, had eight points and 15 rebounds.

Auriemma now has as many national championships as John Wooden of UCLA had, which is ten.
Even though Auriemma achieved his over a 20-year period, and Wooden took 11 years between 1964 and 1975 to get his.

Both Krzyzewski and Auriemma have had their critics:  Coach K for the way he operates on the basketball court, and for recruiting players like Tyus Jones, who would be in the NBA now if they didn't have an age and eligibility rule.  Auriemma for his abrasiveness, and for his team's dominance being partly responsible for the lack of parity in women's college basketball.

For as long as they choose to be around, Mike Krzyzewski's and Geno Auriemma's teams will continue to dominate their fiefdoms of college basketball.  Why?  Because the best players, no matter where they come from, will always gravitate to them.  Donors and university presidents will always support them, unless they do something horrible.  The media and fans will always fawn over them.  The world is their oyster, as long as they keep winning.

Twins 2015: The More Things Change . . .

Torii Hunter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Spring.  The birds fly north.  The trees bud.  Rain fills our lakes and rivers (unless you live in California).  The snow melts (unless you live in Boston).  A young person's fancy turns to thoughts of love (or something like it)--and baseball.  Or is it the playoffs and the NFL Draft?

The Minnesota Twins, for whom spring represents hope for a team that's been near the bottom of Major League Baseball since 2011, have made some changes.  Paul Molitor has replaced Ron Gardenhire as manager, along with most of the rest of his coaching staff.  The team dug deep into the free agent market and came up with pitcher Ervin Santana, who last played with the Atlanta Braves.  They have also brought back fan favorite Torii Hunter, who's about to close out his career after stints with the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels.

For all the changes the Twins have made on and off the field, there always seems to be something holding them back.  Santana has been suspended by MLB for 80 games through July, having been found using the anabolic steroid Stanozolol.  With or without him, the pitching staff has improved somewhat with Phil Hughes, Glen Perkins, and Mike Pelfry (who replaces Santana).  But they still have to face Major League hitting, which could be a problem.  Same goes for the outfield, which is also suspect.

The fortunes of Kennys Vargas, Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Joe Mauer and others depend on how well they can (A) hit against Major League pitching, (B) avoid hitting into too many double plays, and (C) avoid making stupid mistakes on the basepaths.  If they know how to do all that, the rest takes care of itself.

The Twins' MVRs (most valuable rookies), Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, are still biding their time in the minors.  Before they're called up (most likely by September), they should consider the cautionary tale of another highly-anticipated prospect named Aaron Hicks.  He has been floundering around so much on the field and at the plate that the Twins are about ready to pull the plug.  It's one thing to be a "phenom".  It's quite another to be a "has-been" before your time.

Indeed, for all the changes and the promise of better days ahead, the Twins are still on track to lose more than 90 games for the fifth consecutive season.  So go ahead and enjoy the spring.  Just skip the ballpark until the Twins provide a reason to watch.

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Elsewhere in Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred has replaced Bud Selig as the game's commissioner.  Alex Rodriguez has served his sentence for using performance-enhancing drugs, and has returned to the New York Yankees--whether they like it or not.  And baseball's version of "This Old House"--the renovation of Chicago's Wrigley Field--is still under construction as delays have forced the project to be extended into mid-season.  Well, what else is new for the Cubs?

Here's our projections for who will be playing in October:

AMERICAN LEAGUE

East:  Baltimore Orioles

Central:  Cleveland Indians

West:  Los Angeles Angels

Wild Card:  Seattle Mariners and Kansas City Royals

NATIONAL LEAGUE

East:  Washington Nationals

Central:  St. Louis Cardinals

West:  Los Angeles Dodgers

Wild Card:  Pittsburgh Pirates and Miami Marlins

Another Stadium to Kick Around

Soccerball with USA flag (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you believe the media reports, Major League Soccer is close to deciding whether to put a new franchise in the Twin Cities come 2018.  Once that's done, all they have to do is to find a place to play, and who's going to pay for it.

According to those same reports, the front-runner appears to be Bill McGuire, a former executive at United Health Care who currently runs Minnesota United FC, a pro team based in the lower-level North American Soccer League which would transfer to MLS as an expansion squad.  In McGuire's corner are Timberwolves and Star Tribune owner Glen Taylor and Twins owner Bill Pohlad.  The plan, though McGuire hasn't said anything publicly, is for a new team to play in an outdoor stadium next to Target Field and Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.

That would rule out the Minnesota Vikings, who had promoted their under-construction indoor stadium as a future MLS home.  However, the league seems to prefer smaller outdoor venues that seat at least 20,000.  Only two of their franchises--Seattle and New England--currently play in NFL-sized stadiums.

This is not a done deal, of course.  Minnesota is in competition with Sacramento, San Antonio and St. Louis for the next available franchises.  MLS currently has 20 teams across North America, having welcomed Orlando and New York City this season.  In the next couple of years Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami are scheduled to join the league.

What this means is that there's going to be another push to build yet another sports stadium in Minneapolis, with the proceeds most likely coming from taxpayers' pockets.  Only this time, there's no hysterical threats to move out of state if a team didn't get what it wanted.

Governor Mark Dayton, the Minnesota Legislature and the city of Minneapolis don't seem to be too thrilled at the prospect of lining the pockets of another billionaire owner who could easily have funded his own stadium, but chose not to.  And why Minneapolis, again?  How has United FC survived all these years at its current home, the National Sports Center in Blaine?  Wouldn't St. Paul or any other suburb have been a better--and less expensive--alternative?

Unlike other pro sports leagues, having MLS in the Twin Cities would be a nice thing for Minnesota's quality of life, but not really necessary.  If, as soccer enthusiasts predict, their sport becomes more than just a short-term obsession in which casual fans only pay attention during World Cup and the Olympics, then great.  If not, an abandoned soccer park would make a really nice parking ramp.

UPDATE (3/25/15):  MLS announced with great fanfare that Minnesota United FC will indeed become an expansion franchise come 2018, which would become the league's 23rd.  They should have said it was granted on the contingency that the new stadium should be ready by then, but they didn't.  Is MLS about to repeat the mistake they made in awarding a franchise to Miami (in which one of the owners is soccer legend David Beckham), only to watch it sink because of resistance to funding for a new stadium?

Also, the Minnesota franchise may have to have a new name.  MLS already has a team in Washington called DC United.  Would FC Minnesota do?

Wolves 2014-15: Leader of the Pack Returns

English: Kevin Garnett playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Minnesota Timberwolves have joined the trend of local pro sports teams bringing back star players and fan favorites on their way to retirement, mostly to shore up the remaining goodwill they have left and to perhaps sell a few tickets and jerseys.  The Vikings brought back Randy Moss for what turned out to be a brief second act, and are now working on Adrian Peterson (though he's reportedly having misgivings about coming back here).  Torii Hunter returned to the Twins after several years away, spending time with the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers.

Now the Wolves are the latest to spin the "Welcome Back Kotter"  theme in reclaiming Kevin Garnett, for whom they traded Thaddeus Young to the Brooklyn Nets.  Previously, they also put out the "re-welcome" mat for Flip Saunders, who last coached the team in 2005.

Garnett played his first 12 NBA seasons in Minnesota starting in 1995, having been signed right out of high school.  He led the Wolves to eight consecutive playoff appearances, culminating in the 2004 Western Conference finals that they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.  Two unhappy years later, KG was sent packing to the Boston Celtics.

Garnett is still the greatest and most popular Timberwolf in the franchise's history.  But he's 38 now, and in his 20th NBA season.  He's already won an NBA title with the Celtics in 2008, which continued another trend of Minnesota-based players who achieved their championships somewhere else.  He's nearing the end of his career, and has mentioned at least once that he'd like to own the Wolves someday.  So presumably Garnett will just play a little, mentor the younger players and cash a few checks before calling it a career.

Garnett returns to a franchise that hasn't been relevant since he left town, save for Kevin Love.  The Wolves are 11-42 at the All Star break, thanks mainly to veterans like Ricky Rubio getting hurt and rookies Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine being thrust into service.  The Wolves aren't the worst team in the NBA (that dishonor goes to the New York Knicks), but most basketball pundits believe they have the brightest future IF ONLY the Knicks or Lakers don't get there first.  And the Wolves' management doesn't screw it up like they usually do.

The Timberwolves will not make the playoffs this season, but you already knew that.  They will, however, be competitive in jersey sales as fans will queue up to purchase the new version of Kevin Garnett's old #21 uniform (or some officially-licensed knockoff of it).  Back on the court, the returning leader of the pack is expected to teach his new teammates something Wolves fans have been waiting to see since he left--how to win.  If Kevin Garnett succeeds in doing that, his work is done.

A Super Bowl Respite From Reality

New England Patriots logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After two weeks of talk about deflated footballs, a player who spoke to the media only because he had to, and an NFL commissioner whose horrible year exposed him as an empty suit, it was time to kick off the 49th Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.  A record TV audience (according to NBC) of 114 million witnessed quite a spectacle.

The Game

The New England Patriots claimed their fourth Vince Lombardi trophy since the tandem of quarterback Tom Brady and coach Bill Belichick started winning them in 2002, defeating the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 28-24.  Brady, who threw for four touchdown passes, won the game's Most Valuable Player award and the keys to a new pickup truck.

But the Patriots would have lost this game had it not been for one of the dumbest calls in football history.  With seconds to go and the ball near New England's goal line, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted in the end zone by Patriots rookie Malcolm Butler.  Wilson talks a lot about dreams in his insurance commercials, but this one was a nightmare he may never live down.  And his coach Pete Carroll can explain all he wants about why he called the play the way he did.  Well, it didn't work and the Seahawks have to live with it until next season.

No matter what you think about the way the Patriots do business, whether it's allegedly spying on other teams, allegedly deflating footballs during a conference championship game, Brady gets away with too much, or Belichick is really Beli-cheat, you can't argue with the results.  Seven Super Bowl appearances in 15 years.  Four championships.  Not many others can say that.

The Halftime Show

Katy Perry isn't the greatest singer in the world, but she does know how to put on a show.  A mechanical lion during "Roar" that puts "The Lion King" to shame.  Dancing sharks.  Reviving the careers of Missy Elliot and Lenny Kravitz.  Kids knowing the meaning of "I Kissed a Girl" before parents did.  And a fireworks display during Perry's performance of --what else?--"Firework".  Only one question:  Where was Snoop Dogg?

The Commercials

Companies poured tons of money into this year's Super Bowl ads, hoping to make an impact on the biggest TV audience of the year.  So how come most of them were pointless and depressing?

• Budweiser once again topped the charts with another puppies-and-Clydesdales  ad, which makes it official:  America loves cute puppies.  So what does that have to do with selling beer?
• McDonalds is offering hugs and fist bumps in exchange for burgers in a limited-time promotion.  Considering how much trouble the Golden Arches has been having lately, this can't end well.
• Someone spills a bottle of Coke on Internet wires, leading to a takeover of communications with positive messages.  Now that's creepy.
• Nationwide insurance sees dead children.   Haley Joel Osment, call your agent.
• Why is Nissan using "Cat's In The Cradle", a song made famous by Harry Chapin, to promote safety in its cars?  Chapin died in a car accident in 1981.
• The ad about refuting stereotypes concerning running or throwing like a girl would have been a lot more effective if it came from a more mainstream product than feminine pads.
• The NFL-approved domestic violence ad looked more like it belonged on an episode of "Law & Order:  Special Victims Unit".
• Were the so-called "dad ads" really intended to shame fatherless children and those who choose not to be parents?

There it is, your brief respite from the real world.  Because soon enough, the NFL will be back in the news as controversies over concussions, domestic violence, racist team nicknames, deflated footballs and whatever else happens to come up dominate before next season begins.  That's why football is America's Game.