Twins 2015: Worst to Second Place

Former Minnesota Twins and Milwaukee Brewers baseball star Paul Molitor is introduced to the crowd Sunday, July 24, 2005, at a Tee Ball game on the South Lawn of the White House, where he participated as first base coach. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The bad old days of 90 losses per season for the Minnesota Twins are over, at least for now.  The team finished 83-79 under first-year manager Paul Molitor, just shy of making the playoffs as an American League Wild Card.

The Twins started the season getting hammered at Detroit, and ended it by getting swept at home by the Central Division-champ Kansas City Royals.  In between, the quality of play that had been eluding them for four seasons caused the Twins to leapfrog over three other teams to take second place in the division behind the Royals.  Never mind that they were a distant second, twelve games back.

In this era of extended playoffs, the Twins kept things interesting by competing with the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels for the final wild card spot.  The combination of having to outpace two teams in the final weeks, and the lack of timely hitting and pitching ultimately did in the Twins.  The Wild Card went to the Astros, who had been doormats themselves for the past few years.

So what happens in 2016?  Molitor, who did better than most of us expected with the hand that general manager Terry Ryan dealt him with, will try and do as much as he can with this collection of Twins.  But there are many things to answer for the team to move forward:

• Will Torii Hunter be back?
• What are you going to do about Joe Mauer, who has become an albatross with his contract and declining play?
• Are Byron Buxton, Aaron Hicks and Miguel Sano living up to the hype?
• Can the bullpen survive another meltdown like the one Glen Perkins had in the second half of the season, forcing the Twins to make Kevin Jepsen--who they had just gotten from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade--their new starter?
• Will Phil Hughes, Trevor May, Tommy Milone and Ervin Santana improve as starting pitchers?
• Can anyone other than Sano and Trevor Plouffe hit?  Out of the infield?

The Twins did have their best season in five years, no question about it.  The next season will tell us whether they can improve on it, or to go back where they came from.

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Our World Series pick:  Toronto Blue Jays vs. St. Louis Cardinals.

NHL 2015-16: Slap Shots

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane in a game against the Vancouver Canucks at GM Place on November 22, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Chicago Blackhawks are the defending Stanley Cup champions, which usually means that they've got a big target on their backs.  But not this kind of target.  Patrick Kane is currently embroiled in an alleged rape scandal that's under investigation, even though he has yet to be charged.  The NHL and the Blackhawks are standing by Kane.  But with all the bad publicity other leagues have gotten about players who may or may not have committed acts of domestic violence, shouldn't Kane be kept off the ice unless and until this is cleared up?

The New York Islanders have moved to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.  Apparently, Brooklyn's considered part of Long Island.  Or are they using the same logic the New York Giants and Jets do for playing in New Jersey?

Las Vegas and Quebec City are the frontrunners for NHL expansion within the next couple of years.  Seattle's still in the mix, but they might be better off waiting for the NBA to return.  So what is the NHL going to do with the struggling franchises they already have?

The two biggest-deal rookies--Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres--take the ice this season.  If McDavid and Eichel lift their teams beyond sub-mediocre status and into Stanley Cup contention within five years, then mission accomplished.  If not, it's just further proof that tanking games for the chance to land a top draft pick isn't always a good idea.

Canada is the cradle of hockey.  It is in their life, their heart and soul.  It is their greatest contribution to Western civilization.  So how could they stand the Toronto Maple Leafs?

The three-on-three overtime period is the NHL's latest gimmick to avoid ties and reduce the number of shootouts during the regular season..  It won't do that, because exhausted teams will still be going through the motions for five minutes.  But it's a start.

The Minnesota Wild didn't do all that much to improve themselves over the summer, except to sign goaltender Devan Dubnyk to a new contract.  They have to hope he's more than a half-season wonder who got them into the playoffs.  Otherwise, it shouldn't surprise anyone if the Wild struggles through the season in a tough Western Conference, only to find they still couldn't compete with the Blackhawks or some other elite team.  Or make the playoffs at all.

Our choices for who will be in the playoffs come April:

EASTERN CONFERENCE  Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Briuns, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals.

WESTERN CONFERENCE  Colorado Avalanche, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators, Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars.

And The Emmy For Making History Goes To . . .

English: Viola Davis at the film premiere of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows in Alice Tully Center, New York City in November 2010. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For all the talk from the Television Academy and others about how this year's Emmy Awards nominations would be more diverse than last year's, not everyone believed it would actually happen until it did.  That moment came when Viola Davis became the first African-American woman to win Best Actress in a Dramatic Series, for her role as a crime-fighting college professor in the ABC series "How to Get Away With Murder".

Two other women of color took home trophies in supporting roles:  Regina King for the limited ABC drama "American Crime", and Uzo Aduba for the comedy-turned-drama (for Emmy purposes) "Orange Is The New Black" on Netflix.

Then there was Jeffrey Tambor, a white heterosexual male who played a transgender woman on the Amazon sitcom "Transparent", winning a Best Actor in a Comedy Emmy.

And that was the diversity part of our program.  The rest of the three-hour telecast of the 67th Emmys on Fox, hosted by Andy Samberg (the first one in years not to come from a late night talk show, since Fox doesn't have one of those) of the sitcom "Brooklyn Nine-Nine", was your typical mix of lame jokes and skits, Donald Trump-bashing, acceptance speeches that ran too long, a not-so-awkward "In Memoriam" segment (this time), a salute to departing series that should have read "spoiler alert", Amy Poehler mugging it up as compensation for not winning a trophy once again, and awards presenters used as product placement for the network's shows.  Or was it Samsung, for all the Hollywood types in the audience taking selfies?

Here are the other Emmy winners, by category:

Comedy  HBO's "Veep" ended "Modern Family"'s long run as an Emmy winner for Best Comedy Series.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Tony Hale both took home awards for female lead actor and male supporting actor, respectively.  Allison Janney won her seventh Emmy, tying her with Ed Asner and Mary Tyler Moore, with a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role on the CBS sitcom "Mom".

Limited Series or Movie  With the exception of Regina King, HBO's "Olive Kitteridge" dominated this category:  Best Show and acting awards for Frances McDormand (actress), Richard Jenkins (actor) and Bill Murray (supporting actor).

Reality Competition went to NBC's "The Voice".  If only they had this much luck in finding talent that's more memorable than celebrity judges in swinging chairs.

Variety  After saying goodbye to David Letterman and Jon Stewart plus a change of network for Stephen Colbert, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" was sent on its way with an 11th Best Talk Show Emmy.  Amy Schumer's big year continued when her "Inside Amy Schumer" won a newly-created award for Best Sketch Series.

Drama  In "Mad Men"'s final season, Jon Hamm gets a long-overdue Best Actor Emmy for playing the iconic Don Draper all these years.  HBO's "Game of Thrones" took home the most trophies, including Best Drama and Best Supporting Actor for Peter Dinklage.

These Emmys also made history of another sort.  According to Nielsen, 11.9 million were tuned into the telecast, making it the lowest-rated in the awards show's history.  With most of the nominated shows seen on either cable or streaming services and the withering competition from NBC's "Sunday Night Football", how long can the folks who run the Television Academy convince all those cord-cutters out there that the kind of TV they hand out Emmys for is not only relevant, but worth paying for?  That's a hard sell to those who've decided they'll make do with "The Big Bang Theory" than shell out for "Game of Thrones" or "Orange Is The New Black". 

The NFL 2015: Less Than Golden

Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots during warmups in a preseason game against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on August 28, 2009 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The National Football League's 2015 season will conclude with the 50th anniversary Super Bowl next February, which is why you saw those 50-yard line numbers painted gold during the preseason games.  Why, they've even asked Bruno Mars to headline their halftime show for the second time in three years, according to media reports.  The game may be more popular than ever, but everything else seems to be tarnished.

(1) A federal judge lets the air out of the NFL's case against the New England Patriots and their quarterback Tom Brady for allegedly deflating footballs during the AFC championship game.  The league-imposed four-game suspension against Brady has been rescinded, pending an NFL appeal.  Nobody looks good here.  Not commissioner Roger Goodell, which for him is par for the course.  Nor for the Patriots and Brady, who now look like the type of people who think they could get away with just about anything.  And they have all those Vince Lombardi trophies as proof.

(2) The usual assortment of players who were fined and/or suspended for drug and/or domestic abuse.

(3) Players who retire prematurely when they realize that all the safety measures in the world didn't prevent them from getting concussions, or they just didn't want to wait until it happened to them.

(4) The San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams--three franchises that once called Los Angeles home--are battling to see which one (or two) of them is going to ditch their current stadium situations for the City of Angels.  LA hasn't seen NFL football since the Raiders and Rams left in 1995, and there's some question as to whether they'd be interested even now.  But there are owners and developers with dollar signs in their eyes who are willing to find out.

All of this should matter to the millions who fill the stadiums, watch on TV and participate in fantasy leagues.  Right now it just doesn't, because it's time for kickoff.  American sports fans certainly don't demand much, do they?

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Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, the Vikings and coach Mike Zimmer think they have all the tools necessary to make a run at a playoff spot.  Teddy Bridgewater is the undisputed starting quarterback, which is something you couldn't say for years unless your name was Brett Favre.  Mike Wallace (brought in from the Miami Dolphins) and Cordarrelle Patterson are here to enhance the offense.

Adrian Peterson returns from NFL-imposed exile and a brief hankering to try his luck with another team (only to be told he couldn't), to see if he has anything in the tank left at age 30 after such a long absence.  Peterson might also be wondering if everyone would forgive him, but not forget, the reason why he was suspended in the first place.  Having a good season has a way of inducing collective amnesia among Vikings fans.

This is indeed a team that could make the Wild Card round of the playoffs if it weren't for one big fat question mark:  How will the offensive line be as effective in protecting Bridgewater, now that Phil Loadholt is out for the season after getting injured in a preseason game?  If the Vikings can't find the answer to that question, they'll spend their last season at TCF Bank Stadium out in the cold.

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For those who care what we think, here's our picks for who will be in the Super Bowl tournament come January.

NFC North  Green Bay Packers
NFC South  Carolina Panthers
NFC East     Dallas Cowboys
NFC West    Seattle Seahawks
Wild Card    Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions

AFC North   Baltimore Ravens
AFC South   Indianapolis Colts
AFC East     New England Patriots
AFC West    Denver Broncos
Wild Card   Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals

Frank Gifford (1930-2015), All-American

President Reagan talking with Christopher Reeve and Frank Gifford during a reception and picnic in honor of the 15th Anniversary of the Special Olympics program in the Diplomatic Reception room. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We've all heard the myth of the All-American athlete.  The kind of man (and they're usually men) who looked like he stepped out of a Hollywood movie to score the winning touchdown, marries the head cheerleader, then goes on to a great career in the big city before living happily ever after.  Not many of them ever got to do that in real life.

Frank Gifford came close.  He was the Golden Boy from the first time he stepped onto a football field to the last time he hung up his microphone.  He died Sunday at 84.

After a stellar career at the University of Southern California, Gifford played twelve seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants in the 1950s and 60s.  Playing both offense and defense, Gifford still holds the record for most touchdowns by a Giant with 78.  His teams played five times for the NFL championship (no Super Bowl then), winning only once in 1956 when the Giants defeated the Chicago Bears 47-7.  Gifford participated in the first overtime championship game in 1958, when the Giants lost to the Baltimore Colts at the first Yankee Stadium.

Sometimes All-Americans take their lumps on the field.  Chuck Bednarik of the Philadelphia Eagles laid out Gifford in a 1960 game in what was considered one of the most violent hits ever, back when this type of thing was celebrated.  We know this because of newsreel footage and a widely-seen sports photograph, with TV not having been properly utilized in football coverage yet.  Because of that hit, Gifford had to quit playing the sport for a season before going back in.

Unlike most All-American athletes who disappeared after their playing days were over, Gifford had a second career ready and waiting--television.  He had joined CBS in New York while he was still playing for the Giants, moving up the ranks before becoming an analyst on the network's NFL coverage.

Then Gifford moved to the big time in 1971, calling play by play on "Monday Night Football" for ABC.  He had to put up with the antics of Howard Cosell and Don Meredith in the booth while trying to call a football game.  But he held on to the job for more than a decade before becoming host and analyst beside Al Michaels, leaving in 1997.

Gifford did other things at ABC Sports, including covering a few Olympics and events for "Wide World of Sports".  There, he was mostly known for covering some of Evel Knievel's motorcycle jumps.

As time went along, Gifford ceded the spotlight to his wife Kathie Lee, who became a successful daytime TV personality.  First with Regis Philbin on "Live", then with Hoda Kotb on the fourth hour of "Today", Kathie Lee regaled her audience with little tidbits about life with Frank and the kids--some of it embarrassing.

For Frank Gifford, it's time for this All-American to ride off into the sunset, just like the others before him.  He may not have always been faultless, but what a legacy he left behind on the field and off.

Twins 2015: Improved Work In Progress

Gulf Coast League Twins (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For the first time in five years, we have reasonable expectations that the Minnesota Twins will not be one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball this season.   Which is surprising to those of us who had given the team up for dead after four awful seasons, and the Target Field 'new car smell' had just about given way to something worse.

The Twins have the second-best record in the American League this season at 49-40, good enough for second place in the Central division headed out of the All Star break.  Ahead of them is the Kansas City Royals, another team that came from the gutter back to prosperity as the defending AL champions.

What changed?  Manager Paul Molitor is credited with turning this sorry bunch of Twins around, but a few other things came together.  The starting pitching has improved with Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson and Mike Pelfrey turning in some more-than-decent performances.  Fielding mistakes are fewer.  Brian Dozier and Trevor Plouffe have been contributing plenty to the Twins' offense.  And veterans Joe Mauer and Torii Hunter are hitting the ball like they used to, though not as much.

What still needs work are the middle relievers who give up so many runs that closer Glen Perkins seldom has a chance to save games.  The jury's still out on those much-publicized rookies the Twins brought up from the minors.  Byron Buxton is injury-prone.  Aaron Hicks is hot and cold in the outfield.  Miguel Sano has a hot bat, but has yet to prove he can cut it in the outfield.

If the Twins want to compete with the Royals the rest of the season, they will need to play above-.500 ball.  The way to do that is to keep leaning on the pitching staff, which includes the just-back-from-drug-suspension Ervin Santana.   The offense can't just be a few runs in the early innings, then taking the rest of the game off.  And those rookies need to justify the hype.

With the new MLB playoff system, the Twins don't need to win the division title to make the post-season.  They could be one of two wild-card teams that will face long-shot odds to make it to the World Series, just like the Royals did last year.  The American League will have home-field advantage for the Series, having won the All Star game in Cincinnati on Tuesday.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we?  Nobody expected the Twins to be this good this fast, and we will soon see whether they can handle the pressure.

Women's World Cup: U.S. Claims Another Title

English: Carli Lloyd of the United States Women's National Soccer team warming up prior to a friendly match against Canada on September 17th, 2011. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The United States won the FIFA Women's World cup for the third time Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The last one was in 1999, back when Hillary Clinton's husband was President, and Brandi Chastain flashed her sports bra in celebration after she scored the winning penalty kick against China at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

No such histrionics this time at B.C. Place Stadium, as the U.S. coasted to a 5-2 win over Japan--who they had lost the World Cup to in 2011.  The Americans scored four goals in the first half--three of them by Carli Lloyd, who was rewarded with the most outstanding player trophy--before the Japanese team knew what hit them.  Tobin Heath and Lauren Holiday also scored for the U.S.

This was clearly the Americans' best performance in a tournament where they had been criticized for their sluggish offensive play, which was the game plan of coach Jill Ellis.  It must have worked because it got the U.S. team to the final.

This World Cup had its problems before the opening kickoff, indicating that FIFA hasn't quite put the women's tournament on a par with the men's.

• Matches were played across Canada from Vancouver to Moncton, New Brunswick.  But where was Toronto, the most populous Canadian city?  That's like holding the World Cup in the United States, but New York and Los Angeles aren't involved.
• There were complaints that some of the Canadian Football League venues being used had artificial turf instead of a natural surface.
• Hotel accommodations were less than ideal, with some teams lodging in the same building.
• The apparent sexism of FIFA's worldwide TV feed, which included shots of Hope Solo looking like she's suggestively hydrating herself.  And why were women crossing their arms during the player introductions?
• FIFA president Sepp Blattner is reportedly having second thoughts about his decision to resign.  Considering the mess the organization's in right now, Blattner should stick to his first thought.

Fox's TV coverage was a relief to those who had feared the worst when they took over the World Cup broadcasting rights from ESPN.  The best you could say about it is that it wasn't terrible, unlike the U.S. Open golf coverage.  Having been on a steady diet of British soccer voices the past few years, it was quite a jolt to hear Americans call the tournament for a change.  Other than J.P. Dellacamera, who has been doing this for decades, the rest of the Fox announcing crew sounded like refugees from a college sports channel.

The U.S. team has its share of stars that will carry them into future competitions:  Lloyd, Heath, Holiday, Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.  Abby Wambach is leaving the game a winner.  Hope Solo?  Once the afterglow of this championship has dimmed, Solo will be back fighting the domestic abuse charges that made people wonder whether she should have played in this World Cup in the first place.  Her performance in goal should have settled that question.

This was the most watched soccer event in American TV history, with Fox claiming 25 million viewers for the final match.  That's more than for the NBA and NHL finals.  Which is easy to do on the Fourth of July weekend against summer reruns and a rain-delayed NASCAR race.

The jury is still out on whether Americans will watch women in sports beyond the Olympics and the World Cup.  It's hard enough to take female athletes seriously, given that pro leagues in soccer and basketball are struggling to find an audience, without having to sex them up.  They deserve better than that, and not just every four years.