Vikes Happenings

Lest they get lost in the Spring Training/Gopher Hoops Collapse/New Gopher Football Stadium hubbub, a couple bits o' Viking news today:

1. Rosenfels all but official. http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/40399552.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUo8cyaiUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUr Me likey. If he doesn't start, he'll definitely push Jackson to be better.

2. From same article, Kleinsasser, Sharper, Birk likely gone. Too bad about losing Birk, he's very solid and a good citizen to have on your team. Probably replaceable. Not worried about losing either of the other two. A pair of stone hands and a pair of rapidly aging legs.

3. Apparently, Housh has indicated he'd love for the Vikes to pick him up. I don't think this means we could afford him, of course, but man, he'd be a nice compliment to Berrian and a great receiver for an offense run by a possession passer like Tarvaris. Plus, it would be "TJ to TJ...TD!!!" which would be cool.

4. Assuming we don't pick up a guy like Houshmandzadeh, is it a receiver-deep draft this year? How about a QB in the 2nd-3rd round or so? What are our other glaring needs on the horizon? O-line, I think, could use some new talent. Thoughts?

Gopher Hoops - Feel the Momentum?

Gopher Hoops travels to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Lost some steam there with, um, inconsistency? Anyway, after the beating of Nerd U last Sunday night, maybe we've turned the corner. Beating Illinois twice in the same season was unthinkable before we ended that 20 game losing streak to them - shock the Hennepin County area with a win tonight?

Quick recap of the Gopher v. Nerd U game this past Sunday -
Ran into BG's parents up in the Williams Arena Club.* Chatted up Mrs. G for a bit talking about babies and such then on the way out found Mr. G who ranted about the Gopher's wearing white jersey's tonight since we haven't won in our home whites in two years and that he ran into Kevin Coble's parents before the game and wondered why we don't get more kids like that at the U. He is the tree to BG's apple.

* From the U's website: "the Club overlooks the floor and can hold parties of up to 200 fans, adding another touch of class to an already classy arena." Stay classy, Williams areana. I would have added this: "However, the club also overlooks the end zone at 'the bank' which is under construction but is looking fucking sweet." What are we calling this new stadium anyway? 'Potential Government Bailout Receipent Stadium'?

Spring Training Part Dos

Items:

1. Starting rotation named already - Baker, Liriano, Slowey, Perkins, Blackburn. This is reportedly to go RLRLR, which is fine, but you get the same lack of RRR bulge if you go Blackburn Perkins at 4 and 5, and I think Blackburn's likely to be the better of the two. For one thing, Game 163 performance. For another, Buescher made over 50% of his errors at 3B with Blackburn on the mound last year - I'm sure Nick hired the limo to pick up Crede at the Fort Myers airport. For a third, Perkins has two problems to overcome - he's only got two pitches and he's got an obvious fatigue issue after the fifth inning. I don't know if you can solve both of those in one offseason.

2. Isn't it nice that we've got 4 solid or brimming with potential guys for 3 spots in the outfield?

3. Apparently, Gardy's made noises about wanting an 11-man pitching roster, leaving the extra bench spot for a bat. If we don't get a Cruz deal done, I don't know if this is seriously possible. Although,

4. Boof needs surgery, so temporarily it certainly looks to be. That leaves us with a somewhat unimpressive bullpen without Cruz, though (beyond Nathan, of course). Getting another flamethrower would help. What would help more, though, would be to have the starters each go an extra 2 outs a game to save Guerrier and Crain from getting as fried as they got last year.

Spring Training

Now that the Twins actually went and did something halfway exciting, I thought we could start talking about the upcoming season. We have to be a fairly solid favorite to contend for the division at this point, given that we return the exact same that lost a one game playoff for the division to the White Sox last year except that we added the White Sox's third baseman.

While we're talking about it, I thought I'd pass along this post highlighting Aaron Gleeman's ranking of our top prospects. http://www.aarongleeman.com/2009_02_15_baseballblog_archive.html#826707874657922259
Couple things of note here: 1. That guy we were deriding a couple years ago, Ben Revere (you know, the light-hitting centerfielder out of Kentucky?) appears to be developing pretty well and could become a serviceable prototype leadoff guy who fields well in center someday. And 2. One of our top pitching prospects is named Shooter Hunt. That's just outstanding. I can't wait to hear Dick Bremer say "And Shooter gives way to Boof for the sixth inning."

By the way, is there any talk about the fact that the Twins now have a higher guys named Joe : guys not named Joe ratio than any team post 1975? Is this some weird conspiracy or something? What is it with the Joes? No one named their kids Joe in the early '80s. I assume there's a promo in the works somewhere with Gardy ordering a cup of coffee at Perkins and a miniature Mauer, Nathan and Crede come tumbling out of his mug.

Twins sign Crede

I think we finally got lucky, lots of upside and it's not the "Mike Lamb signing part Deux", right? Downside: the Twins front office will now have an example of a 'free agent signing' they got for their Monty Burns-type offers without acknowledging they pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

Fans up here are kinda salivating, talking ourselves into this one without regard for his injuries? LaVelle's blog gushes "this-man-fills-a-doorway big" & while it might be true it should be reserved for the Texerias and Berkmans of the world not the Credes.

Overall, I love the deal. Anyone want to take a stab at his 2009 numbers? Assume he stays healthy and plays around 130ish games.

The Dose: A return?

It's been a while since this column, now that I am Mr. Mom I will try to keep it up (maybe a Friday thing?) Anyway, just some links:

1. This is terrible and sad.
   
2. On a lighter note - what is up with your Gophers? "Struggling"? Tourney in doubt? I say, 'run in the Big Ten Tourney." I'm going to on Sunday when BG's f'ing Wilcats come to Seis Uno Dos; I'll be the guy cheering for the Gophers. BG, can you say the same thing?
3. This says it all. Speaks directly to how when things are communicated within a vaccuum people can say easy things hard.
4. I took my dog for a walk today. While it was 16 degrees, there was a bright blue sky and the hint, ever so slight, of Spring. Yes, Spring. The sun is a little higher now, we had a stretch of upper 30's last week so you can see the grass in some spots, song birds were out singing and I got excited about this.
5. When do you think the NFL gets a ruling on the Williams Wall?
   
6. Great movie, timeless and underrated. By the way, I haven't shaved in a good 5 weeks.
   

Blake Bulletin Winter 2009

There were only 2 submissions from the class of 1992 this go around, Mayank K and Lindsey M. If there are two people I don't need an update on it is these two. The reason is because both submitted something last year and were in my first write up. Submitting twice within a year period has to break some unwritten rule. The same sort of rule like you don't wear a Mall of America shirt while shopping at the Mall of America.

Here is a sample submission of what I would like to see:

Al Franken class of 1974- Al and his family recently moved back to Minnesota from New York. He is currently embattled in a nasty legal dispute over who won last falls election for Senate, but hopes that the courts rule in his favor soon. His stresses that he wants every one's vote to count. Al also wrote it was good to see so many possible donors at the last Blake Hockey game and he hopes to catch up with more alumni soon.

On a positive and completely unrelated note- Way to go Jane H class of 93. You are now hot.

Hey, Gopher's Hoops, WTF?!?!

Seriously, Penn State? C'mon, beat someone already. 10th in the Big Twelven in scoring says it all. Tubby can beat into the ground in practice but he can't force the biscuit in the basket.

It's official. . .

I am out of work.

So...if I get the chance to meet him, what do I say?

Gents,

I am volunteering tonight at a sports auction that is being hosted by a group I'm involved with. As luck would have it, one of the "celebrity" guests is this guy.

Question is: what do I say/do when I see him?

Options:

1) "Hey man, I heard you're a d-bag" (he actually put a buddy of mine in a headlock for talking to his girlfriend at a bar after a Cal game

2) "Tough season, huh? At least the women are attractive up in Green Bay"

3) "Is A.J. Hawk still dating Brady Quinn's sister?"

4) "Fudge-packer. Go Vikes"

5) "Hey, did you hear Favre retired? Be honest, you're pumped."

Do you care that players use steriods?

Once again, baseball is in the midst of a steriods crisis. This time it's MLB's golden boy, who carried with him (on his artificially broad shoulders) all the hopes of home run redemption, who has faltered having tested positive in 2003. Obviously not a good thing for baseball- and is expected to get much worse with a growing cry for having more names released.. with that said, here is my question for this esteemed panel.... Do you care?

Are steriods just other evolution of the game? Like an improved, more consistently manufactured baseball, a lightweight high-density maple bat, indoor stadiums, black back-drops, better nutrition, better fitness habits, less smoking/drinking/eating of hot dogs, nutritional supplements.

or, are steriods somehow different? Are they different than protein drinks or creatine, or other quasi-nutritional supplements? If so, where do we draw the line- Andro ok, then it's not ok... etc, etc.

What, we don't want to talk about the loss at MSU?

It's been a full day since that debacle at East Lansing for the Gopher hoops. Are we over it? I am.