The Washington __________________

Redskins primary logo 1965-1969 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the weeks since we did a post called "Changing Nicknames, Changing Attitudes" (Really.  You can look it up.), a few things have happened in efforts to get the Washington NFL franchise to change its name from Redskins to, well, anything but that.

• Protests by Native American groups have either gone on or are being planned in every NFL city the Washington team plays in.  In Minneapolis, one of those groups tried to get the Minnesota Vikings and the stadium commission to discontinue use of the nickname and its logos without success.
• Prominent sportswriters and broadcasters have stopped using the Redskins name.  Even President Barack Obama has called for a name change.  However, those who depend on the NFL and the Washington franchise for their livelihoods will continue to use the R-word, if they know what's good for them.
• NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington owner Dan Snyder have already met to discuss changing the nickname.  Nothing came of it, so far as we know.

And that's where we are today, with no plans in place to change Washington's name to something that would appease both fans and the Native American community.  Remember, change is slow.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  The Washington Redskins have only been in business since Franklin Roosevelt was President, and the country was recovering from the Great Depression.

To all those in sports media who are refraining from using the R-word, we say:  That's nice, but we've been here before.  The same protests and calls for nickname change happened 20 years ago.  Only at that time, the names these groups wanted to get rid of besides the Redskins were the Braves, Indians, Chiefs and Warriors.  And they also wanted to get rid of Cleveland's Chief Wahoo.

A few newspapers, among them the Minneapolis Star Tribune, decided to take a stand by not publishing the offending nicknames in question in its game stories, making an exception for direct quotes.  The Strib tried it for a few years, but has since gone back to including the names because of stories that end up sounding like this:

The Washington NFL football team defeated Kansas City 27-24 in a game played at Landover, MD Sunday.  Washington quarterback Biff Hurdle threw for two touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than a minute to play.  Running back Andarelle Cooper ran for 150 yards, catching a pass from Hurdle in the end zone for a second-quarter score.  Kansas City responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Angus McCutcheon to wide receiver MarKwad Stephens-Dalton, an 80-yard punt return by Demetrius Jefferson, a sneak from the one-yard line by McCutcheon, and a 35-yard field goal by Ian Boise.  Washington is now 5-2, and will face the Dallas Cowboys next week.  Kansas City, dropping to 3-4, goes home to face the Oakland Raiders.

Until Snyder and the NFL decide that ditching the Redskins name makes sense morally and financially, it seems ridiculous to force sports fans to fill in the blanks.

Vikings 2013: Purple Meltdown

For only the second time this season (and the first time in North America), the Minnesota Vikings won an NFL football game.  They defeated Washington 34-27 at the Metrodome/Mall of America Field in the NFL Network's Thursday night game of the week, but only after surviving a last-minute charge by opposing quarterback Robert Griffin III.

This game the Vikings got right, having previously suffered last-second losses to Chicago and Dallas, and just plain sucking against everybody else--especially on national TV.  Their only victory was over an equally bad Pittsburgh Steelers team in London, England.  Their record at the halfway point is 2-7, good for last place in the NFC North division, but just behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the race for the top pick in the 2014 Draft.

All the ingredients for a bottom-feeding club are there:  Lack of a dependable quarterback.  Leaky defense.  Injuries.  Dissension in the ranks.  Coach's job on the line.  Need more?

Start with the quarterback.  Christian Ponder began the season with question marks about his ability and his leadership.  He's turned out to be a mediocre quarterback who couldn't lead the Vikings over the hump without getting injured, which included having to leave last night's game in the third quarter because of a shoulder injury.  Which led to Matt Cassel, a journeyman QB who led the Vikings to their win over Pittsburgh.  He played poorly in the following game, which led to Josh Freeman, who was just picked up from Tampa Bay.  Freeman was rushed into the starting job in the Monday night game against the Giants, played poorly and suffered a concussion.  Re-enter Ponder . . .

For this, the Vikings gave up McLeod Bethel-Thompson?

It also does no good for your offense if your marquee player is otherwise distracted.  Adrian Peterson went on record as saying he wanted to set the league rushing record this season.  Instead, he's nursing a hamstring injury while mourning the death of a child he just found out was his.

The defense has been marked by injuries and the seeming inability to keep the other team's offense from getting out of hand.  It has gotten so bad that Jared Allen was briefly the subject of trade rumors, because he's a free agent at the end of the season.  Allen is still a Viking, but for how long?

Finally, there is Leslie Frazier, who will be the head coach for the rest of the season.  His assistants are failing him, which is resulting in players taking potshots at them in the media.  Frazier does not have a contract extension, so who knows?

So, yes, the Vikings are starting to look ahead to 2014 and see an uncertain future as a team in transition.  They'll be between quarterbacks, coaches, defensive players, and stadiums on their way to a brighter future in the edifice that replaces the Metrodome.  All we have to do is to be patient.

Red Sox Strong

In 1918, World War I shortened the baseball season to the point where the final World Series game was played on September 11.  On that day, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs to win the world championship at Fenway Park, with a guy named Babe Ruth on the roster.  They would not win another Series for 86 years.

Nearly a century later, months removed from the bombing at the Boston Marathon, the Red Sox have won their third Series in a decade.  This time they did it at Fenway, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6.  John Lackey pitched nearly seven innings, and Koji Uehara closed out the game.

This World Series was notable for the weird finishes:  An obstruction call in the bottom of the ninth gave the Cardinals a Game 3 victory.  A pickoff play at first base the following night in the ninth ended the game in Boston's favor.

The Red Sox won 97 games during the regular season, winning the American League East division.  Most of the players, including David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, starred wearing beards that reached "Duck Dynasty" proportions, "borrowing" the idea from hockey.

This was a good World Series, with plenty of close games and fine performances between two of the most storied franchises baseball had to offer.  It may not take another century for the Red Sox to win another title at Fenway Park, but future fans might be wondering about the fascination over the song "Sweet Caroline".

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We should mention the fact that Tim McCarver has analyzed his last baseball game for Fox Sports.  He holds the distinction of having called games for local teams and four broadcast networks for a quarter century, and had no problem saying what he thought about the action down there.  Now who will be sitting next to Joe Buck next season?  Will he have as much impact on the sport as McCarver did?

Wolves 2013-14: 25 Years of Ineptitude, and Counting

The Minnesota Timberwolves, now in their 25th NBA season, have been picked by most reputable basketball pundits as the team most likely to squeeze into the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.  Then they would have the honor of having been sent packing by whoever is the Number One seed.

Since the Wolves have disappointed their fans so often over the past quarter century, there is reason for skepticism over whether it's necessary to start printing playoff tickets.  The Wolves haven't had to do that since 2004, when Kevin Garnett (now with the Brooklyn Nets) once roamed Target Center.

There are already too many question marks concerning the Wolves to make anyone think they deserve a place at the playoff table.  For starters:

• Can Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love stay healthy?  If one or both go down, any interest in the Wolves quickly dries up.
• Will Chase Budinger be as effective on the court after knee surgery?
• Can Love go through an entire season without whining and demanding a trade?  Isn't this also the last season before he can legitimately make noises about becoming a free agent?
• Is recently-acquired Kevin Martin an answer or just another question mark?
• How committed is Rick Adelman to his job as Wolves coach?  He had to take time off last season because of his wife's health, and never really said when he'd return.  So Jerry Kill, the University of Minnesota football coach, isn't the only local sports coach with health issues.
• Does Flip Saunders really know what he's doing as the Wolves' president of basketball operations, or is he just marking time until Adelman steps aside?

Since 1989, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been around twice as long as the Minneapolis Lakers, who lasted 13 years here before moving to Los Angeles in 1960.  But they've never achieved anywhere near the success the Lakers have had.  Over 25 years, the Wolves have had Metrodome sellouts, Kevin Garnett, Kevin McHale, Bill Musselman, Joe Smith, botched lottery picks, a near-move to New Orleans, Stephon Marbury, Sam Cassell, Christian Laettner, Latrell Sprewell, Harv and Marv, Glen Taylor and so much more.

Why should this year be any different?

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In the rest of the NBA, David Stern is retiring as commissioner, the New Orleans Hornets are now the Pelicans, the Kings are still in Sacramento, and Dwight Howard is a Houston Rocket.  Otherwise, it's all about LeBron James.  Will he win a third consecutive NBA title with the Miami Heat?  Where does he go after that, when he becomes a free agent?  Boston?  New York?  Philadelphia?  Does LeBron stay in South Beach?  Or will he come home to Cleveland?  It's time for another Decision.

It's also time to drag out our picks for who will make the playoffs.

Eastern Conference:  Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards.

Western Conference:  San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers, Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks.

Lynx 2013: Two Titles Out of Three Ain't Bad

In a season where the WNBA promoted shiny new objects such as Brittney Griner and Elena Delle Donne, the comparatively unheralded Minnesota Lynx swept their way to a second league title in three years.

The Lynx crushed Atlanta's Dream 86-77 to take the WNBA championship series 3-0 in Duluth, GA (the Dream's temporary home, since their real one was booked for "Disney on Ice") Thursday night.  The two previous games, held on the Lynx' Target Center home court, were 25-point blowouts.

The Lynx dominated during the regular season, too, by amassing the best record in the WNBA.  That enabled them to have home court advantage during the playoffs, a factor in defeating the Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury in straight sets.

It has been a dominant performance all season long for Seimoine Augustus, Maya Moore (who was named playoff MVP) and Lindsay Whalen, reflecting the experience and professionalism that comes through winning championships and Olympic gold medals.  And help from Rebekkah Brunson, Monica Wright and Janel McCarville didn't hurt either.

So what about the future?  Augustus and Whalen both signed contract extensions with the Lynx and Moore has one year left on hers, so the window for coach Cheryl Reeve's team to claim another championship has been extended a little more.  But all good things must end someday, and that's when the Griners and the Delle Donnes of the world start asserting themselves and get their hands on the same trophy Augustus, Moore and Whalen possess today.

Until then, the trophy stays in Minnesota.

Twins 2013: It's Not What You Know . . .

Under normal circumstances, if a baseball team loses more than 90 games in a season, it's usually an opportunity to clean house.  Players are traded or let go, the manager and/or the general manager gets replaced, and fans are given at least a slight risk of hope for the future.

Not the Minnesota Twins.  Despite its third consecutive season of losing more than 90 games, they have rehired manager Ron Gardenhire and his staff through 2015.

What did Gardenhire do to deserve this?  On the surface, not much.  On a team full of rookies, fading veterans and failed draft picks, these guys couldn't hit, field or pitch.  They struck out 1430 times, a new team record.  They fall behind too often.  They play worse at Target Field than they do on the road.

Joe Mauer continued to have problems getting knocked around a lot behind the plate, to the point where he had to be shut down for the rest of the season due to a concussion.  If you want the face of the franchise to justify his huge contract and keep him intact for the rest of his career, Mauer needs to be moved to first base.  No questions asked.

The number of former Twins starring elsewhere keeps growing:  Joe Nathan in Texas.  Michael Cuddyer in Colorado.  Francisco Liriano in Pittsburgh.  And now Justin Morneau is on the playoff-bound Pirates.

The one saving grace is the bullpen, particulary Glen Perkins, who is turning into one of baseball's best closers.  Unfortunately, the chance to save a game doesn't come around often on a team like this.

One major factor in Gardenhire keeping his job, in spite of the 66-96 record, is that he kept the Twins out of last place in the American League Central division.  Only the Chicago White Sox and Cubs, Miami Marlins and Houston Astros finished with worse records than the Twins did.  That's an accomplishment.  Right?

The Pohlad family, which has owned the Twins for nearly 30 years, have shown incredible patience and loyalty to their staff.  They stuck with Tom Kelly as manager through the good times and the bad.  And they're doing the same thing with Gardenhire (who just finished his 12th season) and general manager Terry Ryan.  You do not see much of that any more with any employer.

The Pohlads and the Twins want you to know that better days are ahead.  Really.  They do.  But they're not going to get there if they continue to rely more on players who need more time to develop than those who have already proved themselves.  And if they continue to reward those on the basis of past accomplishments rather than those who think outside the box, the Twins risk getting left behind by the rest of Major League Baseball.  If they aren't already.

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Our projected matchup for the World Series?  Oakland Athletics vs. Atlanta Braves.

Wild 2013-14: Not Ready for Prime Time

The National Hockey League recently awarded the 2015 Winter Classic, the one that's played outdoors on New Year's Day, to Washington, D.C.

This season's game (held over from last year's lockout) will be at the University of Michigan, when the Detroit Red Wings will host the Toronto Maple Leafs.  There will be other outdoor games taking place this season at New York's Yankee Stadium, Chicago's Soldier Field, Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, and B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver.

The Minnesota Wild have been trying for years to host the Winter Classic, but they keep getting passed over.  They have the venues--Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium at the University of Minnesota have been mentioned.  They certainly have the weather (it gets cold in January, you know).  So what more do they need?  Well, there's a few important factors:

History  The Maple Leafs and Red Wings are two of the Original Six franchises that have been in the NHL since the early days of the league nearly a century ago.  The Wild have only been in business since 2000.  Minnesota's previous NHL franchise, the North Stars, would have had a better shot at the Winter Classic had they not left for Dallas two decades ago.

Competitiveness  Teams like the Red Wings and Washington Capitals have become consistent regulars in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  The Wild made their first appearance in a few years last spring, dropping four out of five to the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round.  This year is going to be a lot harder for the Wild to get into the playoffs, as realignment puts them in a tougher division (Blackhawks, St. Louis, Dallas, Nashville, Colorado and Winnipeg) than their previous one.  Having a leaky defense and low scoring doesn't help.

Marquee Players  The Wild broke the bank last year in signing free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to long-term deals, but they have yet to reach the pantheon of NHL players people would pay good money to see.  The Capitals have Alexander Ovechkin.  The Pittsburgh Penguins have Sidney Crosby.  Enough said.

Marketability  How many times have the Wild been on national TV?  On NBC, that is.  Not the NBC Sports Network.  Hint:  not as much as the Red Wings or Blackhawks.  How many times have the Wild appeared on "Hockey Night In Canada"?  Another hint:  not as much as Montreal or Toronto.  Or even the Winnipeg Jets.  What we're saying is that you have to be consistent winners and have big-name players to interest network executives on both sides of the border (or maybe even Don Cherry) before you get to play outdoors.

For now though, the Wild and their fans will just snuggle up inside the Xcel Energy Center and build their resume.  And hope for 2016.

P.S. We should mention that the University of Minnesota will be hosting an outdoor hockey game at TCF Bank Stadium in January, as the Gophers take on Ohio State in the Hockey City Classic.

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Amid the ruins of last year's lockout, the NHL has had an extreme makeover.  There are now four divisions instead of six:  Atlantic, Central, Metropolitan and Pacific.  New owners are in place in Phoenix, New Jersey and Florida.  And there will be a full season, with a one-month break for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  Which means that the Stanley Cup champion will once again be crowned after the summer solstice.

Here's who we think will make the playoffs in these new divisions:

Central:  Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators.
Pacific:  Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks.
Metropolitan:  Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Rangers.
Atlantic:  Boston Briuns, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings.