Trade Frenzy

Yesterday was the NHL trading deadline and there was a flurry of activity between the GM's. Several big names were traded including Todd Bertuzzi to the Red Wings, Ryan Smith to the New York Islanders and Bill Guerin to the sharks. Not to mention Keith Tkachuk to the Atlanta Thrashers and Peter Forsberg to the Predators before yesterday's deadline.

The Wild also got into the mix picking up Dominic Moore for a third round pick. Moore only has 15 points on the season but the Wild are hoping he will complement their system nicely.

I am glad to see the Wild not do anything too drastic at the deadline because we have great chemistry and are playing our best hockey of the year. So, hopefully the two trades we did make for Hall and Moore will only make this run we are on last longer.

Going, going, gone
DeLa

It's Tourney Time!

It's almost March and teams are gearing up for the big dance, a one weekend tournament were the players leave it all on the ice.

Oh, I am sorry did you think I meant March Madness? Well I don't mean to be misleading. However, this is Minnesota, the land of 10000 lakes, and when it comes to sports, hockey is our passion (especially when our "beloved" Gophers don't even have an outside shot of making NCAA Tourney).

In Minnesota, hockey players are bred young, starting at the ripe age of 4. All of the blood, sweat, and tears have been in preparation of this one moment, this one shot for glory. This may sound a little dramatic but the truth is, for the select number of players, fans, and schools that get to participate in this tournament each year, it is the bigger than the Superbowl.

Students, parents, extended family, and just plain old hockey fans pack the Excel Energy Center for some of the best competition around. During these games the Excel is turned into one of the most electrifying arenas I have ever been a part of. The place is more energized than it is for the Wild. Not one pair of eyes will be distracted from the non-stop action taking place on the ice. For the players it is the culmination of their dreams since they were little playing on the backyard pond.

So in Minnesota it is tourney time. Not the tournament you might have expected but, nevertheless, it comes jam packed with all the thrills, chills, and sometimes spills that a fan could ever want. Let's play hockey!

Going, going, gone
DeLa

Are records meant to be broken?

Without question, the biggest story of the 2007 Major League season is going to be Barry Bonds' quest for 756. Currently sitting precariously between The Colossus of Clout and Hammerin' Hank atop the career homers list, Bonds only needs 22 dingers this season to surpass Henry Aaron as the new Home Run Champion of all time.

But how many of us are really cheering for him to break the most hallowed record in all of sports? Is Bonds, who is currently on trial for steroid use, is notorious for being a jerk to all around him( player, fan, and coach alike), and is being paid $15.8 million this season, really the man we want to break our beloved Aaron's 33 year old record? I, for one, will be rooting openly against him.

I do wonder, though, if it's Bonds that I will be cheering against or am I simply opposed to the principle itself. In the recent history of Major League Baseball, there had been only ONE person to hit more Home Runs than the Babe, only ONE person hit in 56 straight games, only ONE person has hit over .400 in the last 65 years. I bet in looking at this list, every one of you readers can name all three record holders without even blinking. These are some of the greatest players to ever pick up a shaved piece of ash, but why does my 10 year old brother know all three of these men and even what team they played for?

It's because of their records, and that's what I'm afraid to lose.

After the Big Mac/Sosa race in 1998, how many times have you heard Roger Maris' name? Can you even tell me how many home runs he hit in '61 anymore? Maris' name and glory has passed on along with his record. 61 Home Runs in a season is suddenly almost obsolete for a bonified clean up hitter in the Majors. Fathers are having to teach their sons that the men they see on TV hit so many home runs because they used drugs that made them play better. "BUT YOU SHOULDN'T USE THEM!" they say. I was lucky enough to have my father teach me about Roger Maris, a slugger with passion and integrity coursing through his veins, not ephedrine.

So going into the start of this new season, think about what we as a nation of baseball fans lose each time the record book is rewritten but, more importantly, think about what kind of person is rewriting it.

See you on the field,
NAG

A Wild Surge

The Minnesota Wild have been on one of the hottest steaks in the NHL over the last few weeks. The last ten games the Wild are a sizzling 7-2-1. After a key overtime win Monday night over the rival Dallas Stars at home, the Wild are positioning themselves for a big playoff push. With 21 games left in the season it seems the Wild are making their move at the right time.

The Wild are currently 7Th in the Western Conference with 71 points. However, they are only three points behind the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Northwest division and a secured 3rd seed in the play-offs.

So why is there such a buzz over the Wild right now. Well, first of all we have gotten over the injury bug (knock on wood) which crippled some of are best players for a good portion of the early to middle part of the season. We also have a great mix of Veteran experience blended well with great young talent. From the great poise on the blue line with seasoned Defensemen Keith Carney and Kim Johnsson, to the Minnesota Native Mark Parrish battling in the crease, to the talented Marian Gaborik and to new up and comers Mikko Koivu and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. These players and many more backed by the solid goal-tending from Manny Fernandez and the surprising rookie Niklas Backstrom have left Wild fans not saying will we make the play-offs but how far can we go.

So here stand the Wild 7Th place in the conference and one final push for the play-offs. To the Wild's advantage they have 8 of the last 9 games at home and are looking primed for an extended season. All that we can do now is to believe that with Jacques Lemaire at the helm we will succeed.

Going, going, gone
DeLa

March Bitterness

With three Big Ten wins over perennial-powerhouses Northwestern, Purdue, and Penn State and solid wins over the likes of Central Florida and South Dakota State, and a strong overall record of 9-17, the future is looking bright for Gopher men's basketball.

Despite the recent success, the squad trying their best to keep their heads out of the clouds and not get too cocky. "Of course we're thrilled with how things are going this year. Who wouldn't be? But our goal at this point is to just keep playing good ball and keep on winning," said Gopher fan, Tom Sanderson, 73, of Albert Lea, "We don't want to get big heads."

With March Madness quickly approaching, it seems, however, that the name on the lips of all the ESPN analysts is the Golden Gophers. A possible number two or three seed in the NCAA tournament, the Maroon and Gold will doubtlessly be holding some starring roles in your coworkers' brackets. "I think the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee is sick of seeing the likes of Duke and North Carolina in the top spots every year," said Bob Govey of St. Paul, "I think they're going to see the up-and-coming Gophers as a welcome relief to those of us college basketball fans who are sick of seeing the same-old tournament every year."

I agree, Bob. I agree

See you on the court,
NAG

McHale more like McFAIL!!!

The struggling Timberwolves could point the finger of blame in many directions but one place it needs to be placed is on Kevin McHale. The VP of basketball operations has led the Timberwolves to two less than perfect seasons in a row. An average record of 44-38 in 04-05 and a dismal record of 33-49 in 05-06. As well as a rough first half of the year this season. At the all-star break the Wolves stand with a 25-27 record. With a below .500 record the Wolves are currently in 8th place in the western conference and ten games back in the Northwest Division.

Granted if the play-offs would start today we would be in. The fact of the matter is we are struggling. Since the Flip Saunders firing in Febuary, 2005 and most currently the Dwane Casey axing it seems to me, the Timberwolves and Kevin McHale are just looking for scapegoats.

Let's look at Kevin McHale's career and, no, not his playing career, but his "descision making" if you can even call it that. Kevin has surrounded one of the most elite players in the league (KG) with not a lot of talent. Especially in the middle. Our starting center is Mark Blount, an inconsistent shooter who seems to prefer the outside jumper rather than playing the low block. Blount can also be a liability on defense. Blount's backup is Mark Madsen. Now as much as I love "Mad Dog" and his hustle, he is not exactly the most skilled or for that matter graceful player on the team. This is not all however.

Over the years the Timberwolves have had some extremely poor first round draft picks. Including Ndudi Ebi out of Westbury Christian HS in 2003, William Avery of Duke in 1999 and Paul Grant out of Wisconsin in 1997. All three players had no contribution to the team and all of them are now out of the NBA. We also drafted Wally Szczerbiak over two standout superstars Richard Hamilton and Shawn Marion in 1999. Not to mention the whole Joe Smith scandal which lead to losing five first round draft picks and $3.5 million.

In light of the recent canning of Casey, the question must be posed "are all the team's problems really the coaches' fault?" Surely it is not. Only so much can be put on the coach. These issues stretch far beyond the X's and O's of the game. This is an internal problem and, from what I can see, we need some spring cleaning.

Now here we sit 25-27, struggling to make the play-offs again. So what does this mean for Randy Whittman? Is he going to be out of a job the middle of next season when the Wolves are hovering around .500 again, or will Glen Taylor take this long weekend to contemplate his front office problems and really think about who he has running his team?

Going, going, gone
DeLa

Pohlad Opening Up the Pockets?

After much ado (20-some odd years worth) is Carl Pohlad finally seeing the personal benefit in spending money on his best players?

The Twins and AL Batting Champ, Joe Mauer, agreed to a four-year, $33 million contract on Saturday while Mauer was on his way to Arizona for his arbitration hearing scheduled for today. Mauer hit .347 last year with 84 RBI and became the first AL catcher to win the Batting Crown as well as the first catcher to lead the Majors in Batting Average. He earned a trip to the All-Star game and was being talked about in many MVP discussions at the ripe old age of 23. I can see why the Twins wanted to get this wrapped up before arbitration.

ALSO! On February 2, the Twins reached a one year deal with raining AL MVP, Justin Morneau, worth $4.5 million. Morneau hit a healthy .321 last year with 34 Home Runs (first Twin to eclipse 30 in more than a decade) and 130 RBI, a pretty good year I'd say.

It's good to see Carl finally spending his money on the players who deserve it. After many years of cheap-skating and letting quality talent leave, the Twins' front office is apparently recognizing that the Cy Young, MVP, and batting champs are deserving of his "hard-earned" millions.

I like it.

See you on the field,
NAG

A sports calling

Hey this is DeLa here. The other soon to be illustrious sports writer along with NAG. I have always had a great thirst for sports. Ever since I was a little kid I was introduced to many Minnesota sports. From Vikings and Gopher games with my grandpa to T-wolves games with my dad I fell into the world of sports hard and fast.

Sportscenter soon became my favorite show and I sucked up all the information they gave out like a sponge. Now at my "older" age as a high school senior I still get a thrill out of watching, debating and playing sports. Baseball would probably be my greatest passion but I really do enjoy everything. It really depends on the season.

I am really excited to share my ideas and opinions with all of you out in the blogging world. I hope to use this experience as a stepping stone perhaps to a possible career. I even might pursue this aspiration next year at college as a major. I will be attending University of Colorado at Boulder and am very excited to be a Buffalo. Now that you know some about me let's talk some sports.

Going, going, gone,
DeLa

The Grand Debut

Ahh, blogging. How long I have delayed my inevitable emergence into the world of ranting on cyberspace. But now I'm here and ready to write feverishly until I have perhaps talked my way out of any interest in sports (God forbid).

Allow myself to introduce...myself...my name is Steve ("Not Aaron Gleeman" to those of you Twinsjunkie.com fans). I am a senior at Jefferson High School in Bloomington, Minnesota and am well on my way to Bethel University in St. Paul next year. My partner in crime whom you will hear from later is also a senior at Jefferson named Anthony, or Hony as I so affectionately call him. We are both part of a course called "Senior Project" which allows seniors to choose a project in order explore areas of their own interest as a culmination of their high school career. Seeing as both of us are borderline-obsessive sports fans, this was an easy choice of activity.

I have lived in Bloomington all my life and have lived and died with Minnesota teams just as long. As a wee lad, my father would take me down to the desolate Metrodome to fellowship with some 4,000 other resilient Twins fans and watch Ron Coomer and Scott Stahoviak practice their craft. But, despite the rough beginnings to my life as a sports fan, my passion for gaming grew as fast as I did.

At the age of 13 years old, Twinsjunkie and I began neglecting potentially productive studying in favor of spur of the moment bus rides down to The Barn to see Gopher Women's Basketball take on the mighty Northwestern Wildcats. We had little interest in the game itself aside from the fact that it was sport. What else would we rather do on a Wednesday night?

The fact of the matter is, sports are my passion and I'm really excited to discuss the issues with all of you out there in the blogging world.

See you on the field,
NAG