TCW - Weekend Sports Guide October 1st-3rd

Billie Joe Armstrong, from Green Day fame, wrote a song called Wake Me Up When September Ends. Well It's time to wake up Billie Joe and you to America, for September is over and October has begun. The 10th month of the year is an exciting one for all sports fans. Major League Baseball finishes up the regular season this weekend and heads for postseason play. The NFL experiences weeks 4 through 8. College Football starts conference play. The NHL begins its regular season on the 7th, followed by the NBA on the 27th. If the world series ends in a sweep its the only month where all 4 major sports are playing. But without further ado, the TCW presents the weekend previews and predictions in the world of sports.

MLB
It the final weekend in baseball and there is little left to be decided. In the American League, all 4 teams have already clinched. Minnesota won the AL central, Texas won the AL West, and New York and Tampa Bay clinched playoff spots but are still battling for the AL East crown. Minnesota can do no worse than the #2 seed and Texas is locked into the #4 seed. After last night's games, Tampa Bay and New York are in a dead heat at 94-65. The Twins are a game back for the overall best record, but since both Tampa Bay and New York hold the tiebreaker, the Twins are essentially 2 games back of the best record with 3 to play. Therefore, let's look at the remaining games this weekend for New York and Tampa Bay in our pivotal AL Series.

Rays at Royals
The Royals already won game 1 and have won 3 of their last 4 and have a shot to catch Cleveland to stay out of the cellar in the AL Central. The Rays have the pitching though and a favorable offense versus the Royals. SERIES PREDICTION Rays 3-1

Yankees at Red Sox
The Yankees play their rivals again for the 2nd time in a week with home-field advantage in the first 2 rounds on the line. Boston has little to play for other than keeping the Yankees from hoisting a division title and avoiding watching a celebration occur on their home-field. Which would rub even more salt in their wounds. SERIES PREDICTION - Yankees 2-1

Over in the NL, 2 of the 4 teams (Philadelphia & Cincinnati) have punched their tickets with the last 2, San Francisco & Atlanta holding all the cards over the Padres. The Phillies have already secured the best record and number 1 seed in the National League. Cincinnati will likely be the 3rd seed but has a chance to overtake San Francisco for the 2nd seed. If you're going to watch baseball this weekend, stick to the National League where 2 pivotal series are taking place.

Phillies at Braves
First the Braves host Philadelphia in a possible NLCS preview series. The Braves have a 2 game lead on San Diego for the Wild card lead, 1 win in this series will probably be enough, but they'll want to take 2 of 3 to be sure and control their own destiny. The Phillies are in rest mode and will not be playing a full "A" squad. Look for the Braves to take advantage and send Bobby Cox to the postseason again in his last year as manager. SERIES PREDICTION Braves 2-1

San Diego at San Francisco
This is what October baseball is all about. In what will essentially be a playoff like series for the 2 Sans baseball teams, the Giants have a 3 game lead on the Padres with 3 games to go all against each other. You do the math, all the Giants need to do is avoid a sweep and they'll be poppin champagne in the NL West. The Padres are playing for a sweep and a chance at a 1 game playoff or even the wild card spot if the Braves slip at home. No rest for the weary here, the Padres will throw everything they got at the Giants. A win in game 1 will make things interesting, but the Giants have too much of an edge. For the sake of interesting baseball I hope the Padres win the first game and make it a series, a loss would make the final 2 games utterly meaningless. SERIES PREDICTION Giants 2-1

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
What a start to week 5 in college football last night as the Cowboys of Oklahoma State won a thriller against Texas A&M in Stillwater 38-35 to maintain their undefeated season. Dan Bailey's 40 yard field goal as time expired marked the first loss for the Aggies and an almost certain Top 25 ranking for the Cowboys next week.

TOP 25 KEY MATCHUPS
#7 Florida at #1 Alabama
The marquee matchup of the weekend. The Crimson Tide have already defeated 2 top 25 teams in their 4 games. Whereas the Gators have faced decent competition and won easily each time. But Alabama in Huntsville will be nothing like they've seen yet this year and for a Gators team that is 90th in passing yards and 48th in Rushing, they'll need a near perfect performance to beat the best, yep, I said the number 1 defense in the country. Alabama is allowing an FBS low 9.8 points per game. PREDICTION Alabama 24-10

#9 Stanford at #4 Oregon
1 word: Offense. You want to see fireworks this weekend, you might want to head over to Eugene, Oregon. That's where you'll find the #1 (Oregon) and #4 (Stanford) scoring teams in the country at 57.8 and 48 points per game respectively. Part of that has to be the competition these 2 teams have faced. The two teams have combined to beat New Mexico State, Portland State (Oregon) and San Jose State (Stanford) 193-17. Although, Stanford did shut out UCLA 35-0, a team that has upset to Top 25 teams in Houston and Texas the following weeks. Oregon's LaMichael James will take his 7.8 yards per rush and be a huge factor in this game, coupled with the 4th best defense in the FBS, Oregon should have the edge to take this game, but it should be an entertaining one non-the-less. PREDICTION Oregon 38-31

#21 Texas at #8 Oklahoma
One of the greatest rivalries in all of sports, the Red River rivalry game (formerly Red River Shootout). This game is always huge from a rivalry standpoint, but also from a national ranking and BCS positioning stance. Since 1945 one or both of the two teams has been ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation coming into the game 60 out of 65 times. Texas leads the all-time series 59–40–5. The game is played in Dallas, which isn't to give Texas an edge, its because Dallas is about halfway between Austin and Norman. The Longhorns are coming off a shocking loss at home vs UCLA. Not a good tune-up against an Oklahoma team that runs the ball very well behind DeMarco Murray, who leads the country in rushing attempts, not too mention passes very well and has the 3rd best receiver in the country in Ryan Broyles. PREDICTION Oklahoma 28-21

#11 Wisconsin at #24 Michigan State
A great test for both teams that check in undefeated after playing mostly inferior competition. A common occurrence with most Big Ten teams who schedule cupcakes to build confidence towards the conference season as the Badgers and Spartans have done with the likes of San Jose State, Austin Peay (WISC), Western Michigan, Florida Atlantic, and Northern Colorado (MSU). Both teams boast top 25 offenses and top 30 defenses, so this should be a typical hard nose fought Big Ten game. Michigan State's head coach Mark D'antonio returns after suffering a mild heart attack earlier in the year, will the Spartans use this game as inspiration and possibly a catapult into the top 20 or 15 in the nation? We will see. PREDICTION Michigan State 24-17

#22 Penn State at #17 Iowa
Although both teams are 3-1 and in the top 25 starting week 5, each team is still looking for that signature win. Of the 6 combined wins between the two, the highest profile win for either team would be Penn State's 22-13 win over Temple last week. Needless to say, whoever wins this game, gets their first signature win, and the other one drops out of the top 25. Both teams sport top 10 defenses, but its Iowa who has the edge on offense behind quarterback Ricky Stanzi's 3rd best passer rating in the country. Look for Iowa to make a statement and show people why they we're right to give this team a top 10 pre-season ranking. PREDICTION Iowa 28-20

OTHER UNDEFEATED GAME
#19 Michigan at Indiana
Yes, that's right, Indiana a) has a football team, and b) is undefeated. However, they probably aren't to keen on letting you know who they've beaten. The Hoosiers are happy at 3-0 after beating heavy hitters (sarcasm) Towson, Western Kentucky, and Akron. Towson is 1-3 in the FCS, Western Kentucky has the longest FBS losing streak, currently at 24 straight losses, and Akron is also winless, narrowly losing to Bowling Green in overtime. So of their 3 victories, the only team their victim's have beaten is Towson's upset of Coastal Carolina 47-45 in 5 OT's. Michigan hasn't faced a top 25 team, but they've at least gone against D1 talent. Add on the fact that they have the best Rusher in the country in Denard Robinson, Michigan walks into this game heavily favored. PREDICTION Michigan 41-24

UPSET SPECIAL
#16 Miami at Clemson
The best chance for an unranked team to upset a top 25 team may be in Clemson, SC, where the Tigers of Clemson host the Tigers of Auburn. Clemson doesn't have a lot to stand on in their 2 wins over North Texas and Presbyterian, but their loss against Auburn is actually the highlight of their season so far. They nearly pulled off the upset on the road last week versus Auburn's Tigers, eventually losing 27-24 in OT. That game should give Clemson the confidence going into this weekend's game versus Miami who coincidentally is also ranked 16th this week. PREDICTION Clemson 27-24 in OT (flip the switch!)

GOPHER WATCH
Northwestern at Minnesota
It's homecoming in Minneapolis for the boys in Maroon and Gold. So people will be smiling and happy right up until the 2nd quarter, when Northwestern and the best passer rating quarterback in the country, Dan Persa, should start to slip away from a team that has loss 3 straight at home, 2 of which to South Dakota and Northern Illinois. Even putrid offenses have walked all over the Gophers this year, who are allowing 31 points per game. The Wildcats haven't beaten anyone impressive, their signature win to date is against Central Michigan, but even a win at Minnesota shouldn't be considered a signature win this year. Northwestern will have to look for that key victory some other week. PREDICTION Northwestern 35-24

NFL
I know its early, but its week 4 in the NFL and only 2 games feature teams that have both have winning record. Also week 4 marks the first BYE week of the year for teams, which means fantasy football owners have to start making tough decisions about who to start. Plus its time for the Griswolds (my fantasy team) at 1-2 to make a move to contenders instead of pretenders.

Ravens at Steelers
The best Sunday matchup pits the 2-1 Ravens and the surprisingly undefeated Steelers. I say surprisingly because Pittsburgh has been without their Pro Bowl Quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger for the start of the year, suspended from assault allegations for which he was eventually cleared. The Ravens are often associated with great defenses, however in this game, the role's are reversed. The Steelers the 3rd best defense against the run to Baltimore's 22nd. The keys to winning for the Steelers lie in their defense and their running game which also ranks 3rd in the NFL. If Baltimore can shut down or slow the Steelers run, they'll be forced to pass, which will favor the Ravens because the Steelers are dead last in the league in the passing game and the Ravens sport the league's best pass defense. PREDICTION Ravens 21-17

Patriots at Dolphins (Monday Night)
If you can't get enough sports this weekend, consider Monday night your bonus match-up where the Dolphins and Patriots hook up in a battle of 2-1 teams that will battle for the AFC East crown. The Patriots will bring the offense (top 10 in both passing and rushing), and the Dolphins will provide the defense (Top 10 pass defense). The difference might take place on the ground, where New England's running back by committee (Green-Ellis, Taylor, and Faulk) offers a lot of options and keeps defenses on their toes, and could wreak havoc on a defense that's only 19th against the run. However the Dolphins can look to the passing game, which has talented wideout Brandon Marshall to throw to. If Henne and Marshall get in sync, they can do damage against a Patriots defense that's 7th worst against the pass. PREDICTION Dolphins 28-24

GOLF
Lastly, the Ryder Cup has just started and if you want to whet your fancy watching some golf this is a great opportunity to see the best before the season comes to a close. The Ryder Cup stages the best Americans versus the best European Players in the world every 2 years, alternating "home" courses. This year, the Europeans are at home in Wales and will try to take down the defending champion Americans. The Ryder cup is a 3 day event that uses the following format:
Day 1 (Friday) — 4 four-ball (better ball) matches in a morning session and 4 foursome (alternate shot) matches in an afternoon session
Day 2 (Saturday) — 4 four-ball matches in a morning session and 4 foursome matches in an afternoon session
Day 3 (Sunday) — 12 singles matches.

Tiger Woods is obviously the biggest name and still the best player in the world, however if you really follow golf, every matchup is considered all-star worthy and should provide for some entertainment on the links and your tube this weekend.

Well that's the long of it I guess. I hope you enjoyed the read and enjoy watching some exciting matchups this weekend.

Until then, remember to always signal your lane change.

bsv
the courtesy wave

Sporcling for Size

Its been 10 months since I was fortunate enough to stumble across this site from a random work email forward. You see I'm a trivia and useless facts nut. If I could have majored in Trivia in college, I would have. I'd have studied statistics from the Schwab, Geography from Carmen Sandiego, history from Alex Trebec, and English from Pat Sajack. If there is a job out there that pays to know this stuff, sign me up, I can be a trivia consultant. Anyways, on to Sporcle and what its all about.

I have to take a break from the schedule and inform everyone who is not aware of quite possibly my favorite website of the decade, aka 2010, sporcle.com.
Sporcle was created by Matt Ramme, who must be a genius. The website provides quizzes that range from trivial diversions to educational study guides. They can be very practical, from naming the U.S. States and Presidents, to very bizzarre and challenging, such as naming Thingamabobs, or random country exports. The site's mission is to provide their users brain-engaging fun everyday. Everyday indeed, I must average 4 to 5 sporcle quizzes a day.

How it works
Each quiz has a topic, lets use U.S. States, the most popular quiz with over 4.6 million plays (or about the population of Costa Rica). The quiz will give you a brief description or hint on how to play or what to enter. Each quiz is timed so as to provide an urgency to answer the questions and to promote brain usage (rather than google). The times vary on size and difficulty of the quiz. The U.S. States quiz is a beginner level and allows 10 minutes to answer. Anyone with a 6th grade education should have no problem. One of the best features of this site is the automatic answering feature. As soon as you type the correct word, name or phrase, the answer automatically fills into the appropriate blank space below. You will never have to hit enter while playing sporcle, a common mistake by first time users. If you have exhausted your brain and can't think of anymore answers, you have 2 options, you can wait until the time runs out or hit the give up option that ends the game abruptly. At this point the remaining answers are revealed to show how well or not well you did. You can hide these answers if you want to try it again at a later time, but that's silly.

Each game is user contributed. Some are published by the editors onto the main home page, others can just be searched for. At the time of this post, there are 3,873 published games and 117,793 user created games which have been played 343,096,687 times. Therefore, even though I've played hundreds of Sporcle quizzes, I still can be satisfied knowing that there a new games being created daily. So I can find out what MLB players hit 20 or more homeruns from 1980 to the present and what capitals lie on a river. Endless opportunities for knowledge.

So I want to extend a courtesy wave to Sporcle and thank them for helping me learn every capital of every country in the world, not to mention every flag. And for letting me know every division 1 basketball mascot in the United States. And correctly identifying every 1990's television intro theme song. In return, I'll pass on the good word and even incorporate sporcle into everyday usage as the term googling is often used, you can find me sporcling for more knowledge.

thanks for stopping by and happy sporcling!

bsv
the courtesy wave

Monday Sports Recap - The thrills & ills of predicting outcomes

Well I learned at least one thing over this past weekend, predicting winners and losers is about as easy as throwing bullseyes in darts, in other words, its a big crapshoot. I went 7 for 15 this weekend, but 4-3 in College Football.

MLB
What went right:
The Padres took the series against the Reds 2-1, taking advantage of a Cincinnati team that had playoffs on their minds instead of winning meaningless games. Where as the Padres are right in the middle of a Giants/Braves sandwich and need all the wins they can get.

The Giants also took my advice and won 2 of the 3 against the Rockies. Essentially ending Colorado's playoff hopes. The Rockies can only blame themselves for not getting up to play the Giants at home. The NL West is now a 2 team race.

What went almost right:
The Rays did win the series as predicted, but could not come away with a sweep, instead taking the 2-1 advantage after letting the Mariners take game 3 in a boorish 6-2 outcome.

What went partially wrong:
The Yankees, fighting for the AL East and best record, hosted their heated Rivals, the Red Sox and almost walked away with nothing. Actually walking is exactly what propelled New York to its only win of the series, walking in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. The AL East now shifts in favor of the Rays but only by 1/2 game.

The Braves also only managed 1 win in their weekend series at the listless Nationals. Unlike the Yankees, however, the Braves aren't guaranteed a post-season spot. They had a chance to turn things in their favor but when you walk 7 batters in a game, a few of them are bound to score and that's what happened in yesterday's rubber game. Now the Braves find themselves 1/2 game out of the wild card with 6 games left.

What went mostly wrong:
My beloved Twins took an eye off the Tigers and towards October in completely forgetting to finish off the Tigers this year. Detroit took advantage of off starts by the Big 3, Liriano, Pavano, and Duensing to sweep the Twins out of town. The Twins don't seem to be as concerned with losing the 3 ballgames as they are with some nagging injuries to Mauer, Thome, Span, and Hardy to name a few. Nothing of major concern, but enough to likely see most of the starters rest heavily this week. The Twins are still only a game back of the best record in the AL. But priority wise, the health of the team will take precedent to home field in the ALCS at this point.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
6 for 9 last weekend doesn't nearly sound as bad. And my upset special of the week nearly pulled it off.

Here's what went right:
#3 Boise State took care of #24 Oregon State 37-24, a little closer than I had predicted, but in the end, BSU's rising Heisman worthy Quarterback Kellen Moore outperformed the Beavers and secured another victory for the Broncos in a high profile game. Critics are trying to find reasons why the Broncos don't belong with the big boys of the SEC and Big Ten, but are finding it harder and harder to prove their point.

#9 Florida took down Kentucky in a 48-14 laugher. TCW had predicted a high scoring game, but by both teams. Nonetheless, Trey Burton rushed for only 40 yards and caught 5 balls for 37 yards, seems pointless to mention until you note that Burton had 6, yes 6 touchdowns.

#17 Auburn claimed victory and a mild upset over #12 South Carolina 35-27. The Tigers actually were losing at the half, but Auburn got behind the strength of their 250 pound quarterback who rushed for 176 yards and 3 scores to catapult them to a big victory at home.

#15 LSU squeaked out a victory against Big East foe #22 West Virginia. A close game predicted as such by the TCW. The game came down to special teams, where Patrick Peterson put on a highlight show for the fans with a 60 yard punt return for a touchdown and a blocked field goal.

What almost went right:
Alabama drove north to Arkansas to face a wild Hogs team ready to take down the number 1 team in the land...and they almost did. Arkansas held a 20-14 lead after 3 quarters and just needed to hold onto the ball not give up a touchdown. Unfortunately both of those failed to happen. Arkansas's star Quarterback Ryan Mallet threw a late interception and the reigning Heisman, Mark Ingram punched it in from 1 yard out with 3 minutes left in the game to pull ahead and stay there till the end.

Penn State should have read my post and taken Temple a little more seriously on Saturday. The Owls held a 13-9 halftime lead and were only down 15-13 after 3 quarters. The difference came down to feet in this game, and those feet belonged to Collin Wagner, who kicked a school tying record 5 field goals to avoid what would have been a historic upset. (And would have made me extremely overconfident)


What went completely and disastrously wrong:
Finally, the Golden Gophers from Minnesota were anything but Golden. Poised with an opportunity to get a momentum win heading into the brutal Big Ten schedule against a bottom half college football team at home, the Gophers came out on the wrong side of the score once again. Maybe we should have seen this, I was weary about giving the Gophers a 14 point victory prediction. It can be said with almost certainty that the Gophers will not be favored the rest of the way. The Tim Brewster era should be coming to a close, which will give Gophers fans a slight hope. But even without a coach, Minnesota should have had enough talent to beat UNI and South Dakota. Bring on Northwestern in next week's homecoming game, I'm sure the fans will be as excited as plywood.

NFL
1 for 2, 50/50, batting .500, thats not so bad. In a rush last week, the TCW only previewed 2 NFL games, 1 of local interest and 1 of national interest.

What went right:
The Minnesota Vikings squashed their goose egg and etched the number 1 on the win column for 2010. Facing another winless team, the hapless Detroit Lions, the Vikings fell behind early but used their best weapon under the age of 40, Adrian Peterson, in leading the team to victory after posting 160 yards, 80 of which came on 1 outstanding run. The win wasn't pretty, with Favre tossing 2 interceptions, the wide receivers and o-line still not in sync, but the Vikings will take what they can get for now. And they'll also take some time off as they enjoy the Bye week next weekend.

What went wrong:
The Cowboys went down south to Houston and showed everyone who was still the boss in the state of Texas. The Texans, who garner a significantly less media share in the state than the Cowboys, really had an edge to beat the big boys from up-state. However Dallas had a huge following travel with them and utilized their home state mojo to dominate the previously unbeaten Texans. Like the Vikings, the Cowboys are heading into a bye and badly needed a confidence win to cherish for a couple weeks.

Looking at the week ahead in sports, a big Monday night football match up tonight vs 2 undefeated teams that happen to be very big rivals in the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. No predictions on Mondays, a TCW rule. The MLB races over the next few days will decide how important the weekend match ups are and who will start or rest. And college football gets going again on Thursday night with a big game vs undefeated rivals Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

Until then, remember to floss daily and always respect your elders.

bsv
the courtesy wave

Fall Sitcom Previews

The autumnal equinox occurred on Wednesday, officially ushering in Fall and all the glory that comes with it. It's a bitter sweet time in Minnesota. The end of summer and beginning of fall can be a smooth transition with temperatures gradually falling and leaves changing color. Or it can be sharp and harsh like this year where we somehow skipped the 70's temps and went right to the 50's and 60's with rain and clouds that would make a Seattle citizen feel right at home. Either way, its here and we must deal with it. Its also that time of year to get back into or sometimes start up the new sitcom seasons.

The fall sitcom lineup will have you laughing at The Office and telling stories about How I Met Your Mother. You'll be talking to Chuck at The Office and discussing your Glee over the Big Bang Theory. From Modern Family's to Family Guy's, the Courtesy Wave presents the 2010 Fall Sitcom lineup. I've also provided a rating of 1 to 4 stars. 4 stars is a must watch, find time to DVR or adjust your schedule. 3 stars is a pretty good show, worth watching most episodes. 2 stars is a hit or miss, not a necessary DVR, but if on and convenient, worth a shot. 1 star is something you want to miss, read a book, go for a walk, pull out a coloring book, anything but watch this show.

Family Guy - 8th season
The most politically incorrect TV show ever made. Family Guy pushes the boundaries on each episode of current events and its hilarious. If a non-animated show tried to do this, they will be cancelled immediately. However, if you put aside your own PC morals, this show is a guarantee laugh. TCW Rating - ****

Two and a Half Men - 8th
8th season? That's what I thought when I read the show is still going on. I was never thrilled by Charlie Sheen the movie actor, and nor am I and many others by the the TV version. Maybe its just too cute for this guy, but I'm not buying it, the jokes are too predictable and the boy is annoying, there I said it. Actually the best Jon Cryer and Charlie Sheen same screen presence can be found in the parody movie Hot Shots, which is not sayin a lot. TCW Rating - *



The Office - 7th
A powerhouse sitcom already up there with the ranks of Seinfeld, Mash, and Friends, the U.S. version, adapted from the original British has been wildly successful and funny. This will be Steve Carell's last season however and question marks remain on how the show will continue if at all after this season. But the story lines remain funny and creative and boast an ensemble cast all worthy of their own story lines. Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam, Andy, etc, etc, the Office is already a classic and despite some people's thoughts that the show has lost its edge, the writing and acting is far superior to the alternatives. TCW Rating - ****

How I Met Your Mother - 6th
My girlfriend recently got me hooked on this show after 2 weeks of no cable forced us into a Netflix membership. I know admitting your girlfriend is right is hard at times, but this was an easy acceptance. The show's cast is young and refreshing compared to other similar shows such as the Big Bang Theory. Jason Segal (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Alyson Hannigan (American Pie), and Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, MD), provide veteran names and deliver on those too. Josh Radnor is the series protagonist of which the show's premise is based around. A relative unknown, his character is easily relate-able and one you find yourself pulling for. TCW Rating ****

30 Rock - 5th
Tina Fey is brilliant. Arguably the funniest woman on television. Her work on SNL is memorable and she was and is a exceptional writer. The show also stars SNL alum Tracy Morgan and SNL host veteran Alec Baldwin. The acting is very good, although the scripts are off the wall sometimes, its not a show you need to put a lot of thought into. TCW Rating - ****

Big Bang Theory - 4th
The show is about two fictional Caltech geniuses, who live across the hall from an attractive blonde waitress and aspiring actress. The gist of it surrounds comedic geeks bumbling over a woman way out of their league. TCW confession, never seen it. Apparently its up for syndication already, and is probably very popular with the geek crowd, who run this world and are probably keeping it from failing. TCW Rating - **


Chuck - 4th
Am I the only one who thinks 4 seasons is already enough? There are some shows that would be decent 1 time rent comedies and I think Chuck falls under this category. As soon as everyone realized that Chuck is not the average computer guy after he received some weird email from a friend, the show has tried to keep everyone in tuned to the same shock value that we saw from the 1st season. Blah, this will be the last season...I think. TCW Rating - *

Community - 2nd
Joel McHale is hilarious....on the Soup over on that E Network. Maybe I haven't joined the "Community" yet in following this show that centers on McHale, a suspended lawyer who was forced back into school after his college degree is deemed invalid by the state bar association. The series focuses on Jeff's experiences while attending the Greendale Community College in Greendale, Colorado, and the people he meets there. Unfortunately Community also stars Chevy Chase and its not the 1980's. Anything Chase has been in since 1992 has failed. Don't get me wrong, I love Chevy Chase...in the 80's, the 90's and 00's have not been as kind. TCW Rating - **

Glee - 2nd
The wildly popular teens from William McKinley High School have captivated America with their catchy show tunes and melodramatic teenage hormones. Again, I have to thank my girlfriend for dragging me into this one. I can't believe I actually really like this show. The actors are real singers and the series antagonist, Sue Sylvester (Jane Seymour) is spot on hilarious. Don't be afraid or embarrassed to check this one out. TCW Rating ****

Modern Family - 2nd
Well I missed the boat on this one, opting to pass on it last year after an unknown cast and little advertised storyline. Well I watched the premiere this past week and I'm hooked. I'll have to get a better report after a few more shows, but the Gay couple building the princess castle was flat out hilarious. TCW Rating - ***

Mike & Molly - 1st
The series, set in Chicago, follows two overweight people, Mike Biggs, a police officer who wants to shed some pounds, and Molly Flynn, a fourth-grade teacher wanting to embrace her curves, who meet at an Over eaters Anonymous group and become an unlikely pair. Didn't see it, not giving it much to stand on. You can waste your time on this CBS comedy...a network where sitcoms go to die. TCW Rating - *



Outsourced - 1st
Set in a Mumbai, India, call center, where an American novelties company has recently outsourced its order processing, a lone American manages the call center and must explain American popular culture to his employees as he comes to understand Indian culture. As a friend of mine who recently saw it calls it the funniest racist show on television. On right after the Office, the show is looking to capture the same audience on a near same premise. Let's see how this one plays out, will the American audience have its fill with the Office or have enough room to be Outsourced as well? TCW Rating - **

Raising Hope - 1st
A 23-year-old must raise his infant daughter, conceived by a one-night stand, with the help of his flawed family after the baby's mother is given the death sentence and executed. The only thing sadder will be the actors out of work after this 1 and done season. TCW Rating *


Running Wilde - 1st
Will Arnett returns to bring back a little magic from his Arrested Development days. Arnett has a unique comic sense and is an underrated actor. This is his first lead role in a TV series or movie, often providing hilarious supporting roles. Running Wilde is hoping to gain Arnett's loyal following and attract new viewers in the process. It'll also benefit by immediately following the popular Glee series. TCW Rating ***



Shit My Dad Says - 1st
William Shatner is not dead yet! The iconic Star Trek actor keeps finding work the older he gets, in this new series, Shatner is a very opinionated 72-year-old who has been divorced three times. His two adult sons, Henry and Vince, are accustomed to his unsolicited and often politically incorrect rants. When Henry, a struggling writer and blogger (hey that's me!), can no longer afford his rent, he is forced to move back in with Ed, which creates new issues in their tricky father-son relationship. I want to give this one a try, I think it could strike a note with people who love politically incorrectness and can relate to a struggling out of work person. TCW Rating **

There you have it, the Courtesy Wave hopes you get a laugh or two out of a few of these. Remember these are opinions, feel free to form your own and prove me wrong! Happy Fall and Happy Viewing!

bsv
The Courtesy Wave

Weekend Sports Couch Guide

Welcome to Friday's sports previews & predictions edition. The Courtesy Wave takes a look at the upcoming weekend sports games, the must-see match ups, and the Minnesota sports landscape.



MLB
The regular season is winding down and we are entering the next to last weekend of the season before the Playoffs begin. It could be the dullest 2 weeks of baseball in the American league, since all 4 spots are basically claimed save for an apocalyptic collapse. In fact only 2 teams outside of Minnesota, New York, Tampa Bay, and Texas are not mathematically eliminated, the A's and Angels, but each of those teams have a less than 1% chance of making the postseason. There are 2 races left to be decided in the AL although. New York and Tampa Bay are battling it out for the AL East division, with the loser still going to the playoffs where anything can happen. And home-field advantage throughout the ALCS is still up for grabs between Minnesota and the 2 AL East teams. Important yes, but you have to get there first to have home field advantage in the ALCS.

So we look to the National League to provide some do or die games the rest of the way to keep things exciting. The NL east race is over, Philadelphia has that in the bag, damn. The NL Central race is over, Cincinnati, a perennial loser has outdistanced themselves from St. Louis, damn. But alas, we finally have a race or 2 and it involves the NL West and subsequent Wild Card race between the loser of the NL West & the Atlanta Braves. San Diego, at one point in August was on cruise control and punching their ticket into postseason seemed a foregone conclusion. One 10 game losing streak poured water on the flames of that dream. Now the Padres are actually a half game behind the San Francisco Giants AND the Atlanta Braves for the final 2 playoff positions. There is one more team fighting for a playoff spot and they come out of the West too, the Colorado Rockies. At 3.5 back of each the division and wild card, the Rockies still have a chance, but a lot of factors need to come into play and their recent 4 game losing streak certainly hasn't helped.

Key MLB weekend match ups:
Twins at Tigers - As the newest best team in Baseball, the Twins will try to keep the peddle down and hold on to that top spot, securing home field throughout the AL playoffs. SERIES PREDICTION Twins 2-1
Yankees at Red Sox - At this time of the year, these 2 teams would normally garner national headlines and prime time TV spots, however with the Red Sox all but out, their story line turns to spoilers, an unfamiliar and unfavorable role. And with a division title and best record on the line, you can best bet that the Yankees want these game more. SERIES PREDICTION - Yankees 2-1
Seattle at Tampa Bay - Tampa Bay gets the best match up scenario of the weekend, hosting a futile Mariners team that is playing triple A players and evaluating talent. The Rays, still a half game back of the AL East and dying to play the first round at home, will be heavily favored, and should sweep the Mariners out of town. SERIES PREDICTION - Rays 3-0

Giants at Rockies - Easily the biggest match up of the weekend between two teams that are in a dog race for the playoffs. The Rockies have the edge at home in front of their fans, coming off a 2-4 road trip, a little Coors Field action might be just what they need. A sweep puts Colorado in the thick of it, 2 out of three keeps them alive, a Giants sweep would end the Rockies hopes. SERIES PREDICTION - Giants 2-1

Reds at Padres - San Diego gets to play at home this weekend, but against the surprisingly good Cincinnati Reds. They might be catching them at a good time though, the Reds have the Central all but locked up save for a miracle by St. Louis, and at 6 games behind the Phillies, the best record in the NL is out of reach. Look for the Reds to rest a lot of their starters and for the Padres to pounce. SERIES PREDICTION - Padres 2-1

Braves at Nationals - Lastly the Braves are holding down the wild card trying to fight off the NL West. They take on a Nationals team that has the 3rd worst record in the NL. The Nationals (unfortunately) and Braves are in familiar spots. However, the Braves have lost their last 3, where the Nationals have won their last 3. Despite that, the honus is on Atlanta and Washington will try to spoil their dreams. SERIES PREDICTION - Braves 2-1

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
It's week 4 of the college football season, which means its generally the last non-conference weekend of football. This is the time for the big programs to get their last shot at crushing inferior competition and on the flip side, giving lower D-1 programs a shot at proving their worth against perceived superior talent. It's also a time for the super powers to get their cracks at other elite programs and provide fodder for which teams and conferences are more superior.

Top 25 Match ups
Alabama (1) at Arkansas (10) - Both teams are from the SEC and undefeated at 3-0. Alabama hasn't had a problem yet and boasts last year's Heisman winner. The Hogs narrowly defeated Georgia last week and will be charged up at home to beat the #1 team in the land. PREDICTION - Arkansas 24-21
Oregon State (24) at Boise State (3) - America's favorite underdog team, playing their home games on that weird blue turf, Boise State may be the 3rd ranked team in the country, but their high ranking will only hold up in an undefeated season. Not only do they have to win every game to get into a BCS, they have to do so convincingly. The Broncos are America's hope to bust the BCS system this year and make way for a true national playoff that would determine a clear national champion. The Beavers may hold a top 25 ranking, but their numbers don't hold a candle to Boise State who despite playing in the WAC, plays superior talent and beats them too. PREDICTION - Boise State 45-21
South Carolina (12) at Auburn (17) - Another SEC game pitting undefeated teams at 3-0. The Tigers are an extremely tough team to beat at home, and despite the lower ranking by an upstart Gamecocks team, an Auburn loss would come as a surprise to many. PREDICTION - Auburn 28-21
West Virginia (22) at LSU (18) - SEC vs Big East powerhouses clash in the Bayou. It could be an offensive struggle on both sides of the ball as each team comes into this weekend with a top 10 ranked defense. Giving the home edge to LSU. PREDICTION - LSU 21-17

Other Undefeated Game
Kentucky at Florida (9) - The SEC is in full swing this week with several good match ups, another one to keep an eye on is this one where Kentucky has been beating up on inferior competition and Florida has toughed out 3 wins against fairly decent opponents. Gainesville is a wild place to go into and opposing teams usually head home disappointed. Kentucky has scored the 11th most points in college football so far this season and will have to continue that trend to pull off the upset. PREDICTION Florida 35-31

Upset Special
Temple at Penn State (23) - Keep an eye on this game as undefeated Temple goes into Happy Valley to take on a Penn State team still trying to find their identity. Temple sports 3 wins against quality competition and Penn State has 2 easy victories and a bad loss to Alabama (albeit the number 1 team in the country). Plus a chance to beat an in-state adds a little flavor and possible recruiting advantages for teams separated by a 3.5 hr drive. PREDICTION - Temple 38-35

GOPHERS WATCH
Northern Illinois at Minnesota - The Golden Gophers are coming off 2 tough home losses in a row. The first, an ugly and utterly embarrassing loss to FBS (formerly Division 1AA) South Dakota, and a tough gut check loss to USC after a brief 3rd quarter lead. To put it blatantly, a loss to UNI for the Gophers would decimate this team. It can be argued that South Dakota is a better football team than UNI, with the Huskies only win coming against North Dakota this year, combined with a horrid offense that isn't even in the top 100. The Gophers need to show why they belong in the Big Ten and use this game to get some confidence back before what will be a grueling Big Ten season, having 5 of their next 8 games against Top 25 teams. PREDICTION - Minnesota 35-21

NFL
It's week 3 for the NFL and already its panic time for a couple teams. Mainly the Cowboys and Vikings.
Cowboys at Texans - Dallas has been really flat in their first 2 losses to 2 teams that are playing better than expected, the Redskins and Bears. The Cowboys will stay in state this weekend, but not at home as they travel to Houston to face the suddenly best team in Texas, Houston. The two Texas teams have no problem tossing the ball, both teams are in the top 10 in passing yards, but its the rushing game that polarizes the two teams. The Texans have the top rushing offense in the league at 157.5 yards/game, whereas the Cowboys are 28th with just 69.5. PREDICTION - Texans 31-28

Lions at Vikings - Fresh off their devastating NFC Championship loss, the Vikings were primed to be one of the favorites this year, bringing back their elderly, but still Hall of Fame Quarterback, Brett Favre and having nearly everyone back from the squad last year that went 12-4 and who's offense was eclectic. The results so far have been complete opposite of any one's predictions. After a week 1 loss to the Super Bowl Champion Saints, a game many were not surprised or concerned by. A home loss to the Miami Dolphins, an underrated team, but a team that should have been beat at home by the Vikings, has created ulcers for many Vikings fans, players, and coaches. Minnesota gets Detroit at home in what should be a perfect remedy to turn the goose egg into 1 in the win column. The Lions are probably not a playoff ready team, but they should no longer be taken lightly with an emerging quarterback in Matthew Stafford, a budding star running back, Javid Best, and a defensive lineman that puts the fear of god into you in Ndamukong Suh. PREDICTION - Vikings 38-28


Hope you enjoyed Friday's read. Till next time...have a great weekend!

bsv
the courtesy wave

New TCW Format

Now that I've played around with some random posts and got the writing juices flowing, I'm ready for some consistency on this blog. I'm moving towards a Sports and Sports Business Blog focus since that's what I love to write about the most.

The Courtesy Wave Blog Schedule:
Monday - Sports Recap
Tuesday - Sports Business
Wednesday - off day
Thursday - Business News
Friday - Sports Previews/Predictions
Saturday - College Football Saturday
Sunday - Randoms

Schedule subject to change, follow me on Twitter as well to get short blips, interjections, and random thoughts. @thecourtesywave http://twitter.com/thecourtesywave

Twins Playoff Roster Predictions

Twins did it again last night, coming from behind to beat Cleveland 6-4 and watching the White Sox collapse and lose their 7th in a row, securing the AL Central Crown in Minnesota for the 6th time in the last 9 years. That's pretty amazing to have a team that consistent. The season has been a storybook year for the Twins, opening the new stadium and selling out all but 1 game so far. There is energy in the upper Midwest and a lot of momentum for October baseball. Still a lot of baseball left to play, including racing the Yankees and Rays for the best overall record and home field advantage in the first 2 rounds. But the Twins are in the playoffs and some tough decisions will have to be made regarding the roster.

The playoffs only allow for a 25 man roster. It can be altered after each series to allow for injured players. But if an injured player is added, another must be dropped. Here are the CW's prediction for the Twins playoff roster. More previews regarding the postseason will come in October in my Playoff Preview post.

First, the STARTERS:

EDITORS NOTE: According to ESPN, Liriano will start game 1, Pavano 2, Duensing 3, Blackburn 4. Almost got it!

Starting Pitcher 1 - Carl Pavano
Leads the team in Wins (17, 3rd in AL), Games Started (30, 12th in AL) IP (210, 5th in AL), Complete Games (7, Leads AL), Shutouts (2, Leads AL) and facial hair (leads the world). The guy has been fantastic with a capital Carl.

Starting Pitcher 2 - Francisco Liriano
Leads the team in Strikeouts (191, 5th in AL) and ERA (3.44, 11th in AL). Liriano is 8-1, with a 2.84 ERA since the All-Star break and has only allowed 5 homeruns all year. Is the Twins potential lights out pitcher with dominating stuff.



Starting Pitcher 3 - Brian Duensing
10-2 with a 2.48 ERA as a starter after pitching in the bullpen during the 1st half. The best non-trade move of the year, Duensing was stellar last year after his move to the starting rotation and the same continues this year. He locked up the 3rd spot almost immediately after joining the rotation.

Starting Pitcher 4 - Nick Blackburn
Demoted in July after going 7-7 with a 6.66 ERA. Since coming back from the minors in August, Blackburn has gone 2-3 but has an impressive 2.12 ERA.

Catcher - Joe Mauer
Last year's MVP has seen his power drop. But the average is still there, at a 2nd best AL mark of .331, also leads the team in hits (165, 13th in AL) and doubles (42, 5th in AL). And he's just a really likable guy.

First Base - Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer has filled in nicely at first in the stead of Justin Morneau's concussion injury that has kept him out of the 2nd half. His power numbers have dipped from last year, but still leads the team in runs (91). A career .270 batting average, at .272, the Twins are getting about what they expected from Michael, including being the only Twin to play in every game so far this season.

2nd Base - Orlando Hudson
An all-star in '07 & '09, O-Dog has slipped this year. Some of it can be blamed on injuries, the rest just getting older and some unfortunate slumps. Regardless, he finds a way to get on base and is a gold glove caliber 2nd basemen with a .987 fielding percentage this year.

Shortstop - J.J. Hardy
Like Hudson, was an all-star in 2007 trying to find his swing again with the Twins this year. Also like Hudson, had multiple stints on the DL that kept an inconsistent hitter from really gaining momentum....until now. In September, Hardy has busted out of his season long mediocrity, sporting a .345 batting average with 12 RBI to up his season average to .274, 9 points above his career average.

Third Base - Danny Valencia
If it weren't for the fact that Valencia wasn't called up until June 3rd, he'd be in serious discussion for the AL Rookie of the Year. He has been everything the Twins wanted in him and more. On the season, Valencia is hitting .337, leading the team. He's actually getting hotter down the stretch, batting .373 with 3 homers and 12 RBI in September.

Left Field - Delmon Young
Has to be in the consideration for team MVP, which is flat out amazing after his paltry start and underachieving career up to this year. Delmon is the team leader in RBI's (105) and Doubles (42 along with Mauer), holding the 5th spot in the AL in each category. All from a guy that usually bats 5th or 6th in the lineup. His .299 average and 18 homeruns haven't hurt either. He has slipped slightly in the last 2 months, but his overall body of work is more than solid.

Center Field - Denard Span
After an impressive first full season last year in the majors, Denard has regressed from a hitting standpoint, his .267 average is well below expected output, however he still leads the team in At-Bats and has posted career highs in doubles (23), triples (10, 2nd in AL), and stolen bases (23, 15th in AL).

DH - Jim Thome
I don't know where to start with this guy, I think you can sum his season up in 1 word. Incredible. Despite the fact that he's the 8th most prolific home run hitter of all time, no one predicted he could contribute this much at this late age without even being a full time starter for most of the season. His 25 home runs lead the Twins and are good for 14th in the AL. The amazing thing is he's done this in 271 at-bats. By comparison, Alex Rodriguez, who sits at 7th on the all time list also has 25 home runs this year....in 480 at-bats. If Thome had enough at-bats he would lead the league in slugging percentage at .631. His biggest impact could come by just being in the lineup and having the fear of god put into every opposing pitcher.

BULLPEN
Right Handers - Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Jon Rauch
Guerrier and Crain are the 2 most experienced relievers in the Bullpen, logging the 4th (69) and 5th (68) most games, respectively, in the AL this season, and each pitching exactly 65 innings. On the season, Guerrier and Crain are holding ERA's of 3.46 & 2.49. In a tale of 2 half's for these 2 pitchers, Guerrier had a 1.74 ERA the first 3 months, and Crain has had a staggering 0.82 ERA over the last 3 months.

Rauch was the Twins closer until August and did an admiral job saving 21 games. As the right handed set-up man, he's continued to impress and holds a very solid 3.20 ERA.

Left Handers - Kevin Slowey, Jose Mijares, Brian Fuentes
Suprised to see Slowey here? Maybe, but he's one of 2 odd men out in a 4 man playoff rotation. He actually has pitched pretty well this year and has a nice 13-6 record and decent 4.16 ERA, including going 3-1 with a 3.26 ERA the last 2 months. However, Blackburn has been on fire and has the postseason experience edge over Slowey. Who will step up and be the next in line if anything happens to the starters.

Mijares gets the nod for the default spot of left non-set up reliever role. Every team has one and Mijares, who's only pitched 28 innings this year is the guy for this role. A 3.21 ERA on the season is good, but his 6.59 ERA the last 2 months is cause for concern. Don't expect Mijares to pitch a full inning in the postseason. Spot only for the big chunk.

Fuentes came over to the Twins late in the season after a waiver wire trade in late August from the LA Angels. Fuentes is a career closer and has been asked to fill in as the left hand set up man. He's only pitched 4.1 innings for the Twins, but has yet to give up a run. He's one of 3 guys in the bullpen with 20 plus saves this year.

Closer - Matt Capps
The all-star closer from Washington was traded to the Twins just before the deadline in late July. In 24 games with the Twins he has 15 saves and a 2.25 ERA. Questioned early on in the trade by allowing runners on before closing out the game, he undeniably capps off (pardon the pun) and impressive bullpen that has very few weaknesses.

BENCH
Backup Catcher - Drew Butera
Butera gets the nod over Jose Morales. Drew has been with the team the entire year and has been the personal catcher for ace Carl Pavano. If Morales would have shown more promise this fall, maybe the nod would have swung that way. But the main point is this position will hopefully be rarely used as the team wants Mauer to have every at-bat as possible and putting Mauer in the DH would leave out Thome and the Twins don't want that hot bat out of the lineup.

Back-up 1st Base/DH - Justin Morneau
It's hard to imagine having Morneau on a roster and NOT have him starting, but the reality is he's likely not to even play, let alone make the roster. If he is re instituted into the line-up, the best place for him would be to come off the bench and/or maybe start a game or two. Having not played since July 2nd, its hard to expect that he'll be sharp and ready to pick up where he left off, which at the time was an MVP like season. The Twins can't afford to DH him much either, that takes their best power hitter, Thome out of the lineup. Morneau's roster spot also means someone with relative regular playing time must be cut off the post-season roster.

Back-up 2nd Base - Alexi Casilla
Tough call to make here. I have to go with Alexi Casilla. Although Tolbert has gotten the nod in September more, Casilla's numbers are slightly better and his .265 average overcomes Tolbert's .235. However this decision weighs heavily on if Justin Morneau makes the roster or not. If not, I'd say both Casilla and Tolbert are on.

Back-up Shortstop & 3rd Base - Nick Punto
Punto is the quintessential utility player and after trying his luck in a starting role earlier this year, he has found his rightful place again as the jack of all positions for the Twins. His .249 average is just a tick above his career (.248) and his stats are meager as well. Punto's real value lies in his defense. A career .980 field percentage and game saving plays are often forgotten in the statistics column. Punto is a real asset when utilized the right way.

Backup Outfielder - Jason Repko
Called up in the middle of the season, Repko, who had spent a few years muddling with the Dodgers, has been a nice addition to the Twins when a regular starter has needed rest or has had an injury. Repko can play all three outfield positions and is a defensive replacement or pinch-hitter runner specialist. His average is nothing to write home about and I almost want to give the nod or roster spot to Tolbert here who also can play outfield...however it seems Gardenhire likes Repko in that 4th outfielder spot. Another toss up.

Notables left off the playoff Roster
Matt Tolbert - Really 50/50 on Tolbert, could go either way. Solid back-up player with multiple position experience. If Morneau is out, Tolbert is in.

Scott Baker - The defacto Ace of a year ago has fallen hard. Has shown very little consistency and is behind Slowey who's behind Blackburn for the final spot in the rotation. This will be a tough, very tough decision to leave a guy making $3 million and was supposed to be a top 3 starter off the playoff roster.

Pat Neshek - The wonder boy from Brooklyn Park with the crazy side arm delivery. 1st year back from Tommy John surgery just wasn't the same pitcher, couldn't find that magic again, spent most of the year in the minors and follows the trend of many pitchers post TJ surgery...a long road back.

Glen Perkins - Has a shot at making the playoff roster due to the fact that he's a lefty and the other lefty in the bullpen is Mijares, who has struggled lately, whereas Perkins has not allowed a run since August in 6 innings pitched. However, Perkins is mostly disliked in the organization despite being a Minnesota native because of his notable grumpiness with the organization's front office.

Jose Morales - The 3rd catcher for the Twins, known to carry 3 catchers often as to play Mauer in the DH role, however there is no room for a 3rd catcher in the playoffs and his bat is just not strong enough to carry over the full season experience of Drew Butera.

Randy Flores - Acquired from a trade with Colorado in late August, Flores was at the time expected to step into that left handed specialist role, that has dogged Mijares and Perkins from time to time. He just hasn't been used much and theres no indication that Flores is the guy. He's only pitched 2 innings and in 3 of his appearances, he failed to record 1 out.

Well there you have it, the Courtesy Wave's 2010 Twins Playoff Roster predictions. Let's see how accurate it really is when playoff rosters are announced in 10 days. Till then, ride the wave and respect your elders.

bsv
the Courtesy Wave

Minnesota Sports - a measure of thick skin...

The temperature has dropped into 50's and 60's, headlights dot the morning drive, kids are eagerly off to school, and shorts and tank tops are being put away, all signs that fall is arriving. Officially summer doesn't end until September 22nd, but it might as well end on Labor Day, especially in Minnesota where unlike other places, the temperature can fluctuate 40 degrees from one day to the next.

When you live in Minnesota, you must have things to look forward to other than the summer, because if that's all you like about Minnesota than you're miserable 3/4th's of the year. People say they like the change in seasons around here, a true 4 season state, the unfortunate part is that the breakdown is not even, about 2 months of spring, 3 months of summer, 2 months of fall, and 5 months of winter; it's the last one that makes it really tough to live in Minnesota year round. But I love this state and part of the reason why is I love, love, LOVE Minnesota sports. Plus when you border states like North & South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, you realize it could be worse.

Minnesota has a very unique sports scene, creating a following unlike anywhere else in the country. All of the professional teams are out of the Twin Cities, but none of them are named Minneapolis or St. Paul. Out of the 13 U.S. metropolitan areas that have all 4 major professional sports (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL), only Minnesota has all 4 represented by the state's name instead of the city they play in. (New York's teams are represented city wise and they're NFL teams actually play in New Jersey). The state also has only 1 full Division 1 college sports institution...aptly named the University of Minnesota. And when you include the U, the state has 6 major teams: Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Gophers Football, and Gophers Basketball. (Hockey is more of a regional sport and despite an intense following in Minnesota, is not a major national sport.)

It is very powerful to have an immediate identity with the entire state. Having grown up outside of the Twin Cities, never once had a I thought the teams only belonged to the urbanites, they are as much Minneapolis as they are Milaca. The fandom extends out past the state too, every team has fans from all over the country, but Minnesota has a unique geographic position on the U.S. sports landscape. Unlike many teams that lie on the coasts and have only a few hours between other metros, the closest city with another professional sports team is 278 miles to the east in Green Bay, Wisconsin; which happens to have only 1 team, the Packers, and is by far the most hated team in Minnesota. From a directional standpoint, the closest cities with professional sports teams are as follows:
East: Green Bay - 278 miles (Packers)
Southeast: Chicago - 410 miles (Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears, Cubs, & White Sox)
South: Kansas City - 436 miles(Royals & Chiefs)
Southwest: Denver - 870 miles (Nuggets, Broncos, Avalanche, & Rockies)
West: Seattle - 1,624 miles(Seahawks & Mariners)
Northwest: Calgary - 1,192 miles (Flames)
North: None
Northeast: None

The closest drive is 4 hours and anything to the west is a day trip or an expensive plane ride. Minnesota thus captures northern Iowa, most of the Dakotas and even as far as eastern Montana.

Aside from geographical and nomenclature, the teams are based in Minneapolis-St. Paul, which represents the 16th largest metropolitan area, meaning a few cities with larger populations actually have less professional sports teams. Most people associate the teams from Minnesota in the mid to small market when compared with teams from the giant metros of New York, LA, Phoenix, Atlanta, Chicago and the like. This is reflected on the team's payrolls and ability or lack thereof to bring in top level talent, also being a northern state, aside from the Twins who play mostly in the summer, selling the cold winter weather AND mid-market to a basketball or football player that could opt for the many warm weather cities of the south or the big exposure metros of the Chicago and New York ilk can be a tough sell. These factors all create an underdog mantra in the state of Minnesota. That the teams compete on an uneven playing field and if they win, its all the more sweeter because of the conditions, fiscally, geographically, and weather wise, that exist. And in the sports world when faced with an indifference in which team to root for, it almost always goes to the underdog, which makes the state's teams compelling to root for.

Much like the cold winter weather, being a Minnesota sports fan can be harsh and bitter. At the current time, there is no other metro area that has all 4 professional sports that has gone longer without a championship than Minnesota (Mpls-St. Paul). You have to go back to 1991 to find the last one, when the Minnesota Twins defeated the Atlanta Braves in what many sportswriters (in and out of the state) call one of the best world series ever played. The next closest is Washington D.C. where the Redskins hold the city's last championship, winning the Super Bowl, ironically here in Minnesota at the Metrodome. The Twins are actually the only Minnesota named team to win a championship and they've won 2, the other in 1987. The only other championships come from the Minneapolis Lakers of the 40's and 50's, last one in 1954. But that team shipped off to LA and went on to real stardom when the NBA became more popular and expanded in the 60's & 70's.

If you're looking to the college landscape to fetter you're national title appetite, than you'll only be more disappointed. Gophers Football last won the national championship in 1960 and Gophers Basketball in 1919. Actually and surprisingly most people don't know or remember that Gophers Football was one of the best teams in the country in the 30's and 40's. In fact, the Gophers are the last team to win 3 straight national championships (1934-36). Unfortunately since you had to be at least in your 80's by now to enjoy those, the Gophers are in desperate need of a return to Glory (a term not used often in conjunction with Gopher sports. The football team hasn't even been to a New Year's Day Bowl (considered a top 5 bowl game) since 1962. Despite they're lack of dominance, the U was able to secure and build a brand new stadium, bringing college football back to where it belongs, on campus. Here's hoping that changes their fortunes. (losing to South Dakota doesn't help though).

Over on the hardwood, the Gophers Basketball team competes at the Barn (Williams Arena) an old historic place that in 1919 must have been wonderful. It still holds its charm and is a great place to watch a game. The team had success in the late 90's and even had a run to the Final Four in 1997. But you won't find that team in the record books, they were vacated after a massive cheating scandal was discovered during those years. Fitting.

The Timberwolves have been around since 1989 and aside from the Kevin Garnett era have been largely pathetic. They are cellar dweller team that's never reached the NBA Finals, let alone win a championship. To pour salt into the wound, Garnett won an NBA championship with the Celtics the very next year after he left Minnesota. The current team's outlook is bleak and they have been lost in the shuffle of Minnesota sports and don't have a very loyal following. The only way to get butts in the seats is by winning and they do a horrible job of that.

The Wild are the only team that is housed in St. Paul, at the beautiful Xcel Energy Center. The team has only been here since 2000, introduced as an expansion team. The old NHL team, the Minnesota North Stars moved in 1993 to Dallas of all places and much like the Lakers, retained their mascot name, only dropping the North moniker. Being a young franchise, the Wild, have a ways to go to get to the level of title droughts the other teams in Minnesota currently have. However, after 10 seasons, there has yet to be a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, the closest being in 2003 when they were swept in the Conference finals by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

The Twins as mentioned before, are the only team in the modern era to win a championship, and they did so twice within a span of 4 years. The team is my personal favorite. I have been a die hard Twins fan my whole life and know the team's history back and forth. But I'll get into that with another post, including my prediction for this fall's postseason. From a fans standpoint, the Twins have brought championships and entertaining baseball to Minnesota for years and yet at one point we're almost eliminated from the MLB entirely. But since that time, 10 years ago, they have consistently been a competitive team that has won several Division Championships. And finally they were rewarded with a state of the art stadium, Target Field, that is an utterly amazing place to watch a ballgame. I highly recommend you do so. The Twins at this point arguably are the best chance to bring back another championship to the state.

The other team that at present state has a chance to bring glory back to Minnesota and the last on this list, for good reason, is the Minnesota Vikings, The team with the biggest following in Minnesota. The franchise has been to 4 Super Bowls and lost them all, the last of which came in 1977. The team has been fairly competitive throughout their history, gaining at least 4 trips to the playoffs in each decade since the 70's. Enough to keep the fan base satisfied, but extremely hungry for that 1 Super Bowl victory that seems to elude this team, year after year. The Vikings we're immortalized and in many ways summed up entirely in their 1998 season. They went 15-1 and utterly dominated the league that year with Cunningham and Moss lighting up opponents in record fashion. However, the NFC Championship game with Atlanta was closer than expected and with the Super Bowl in sight and a 7 point lead with less than 3 minutes to play, the Vikings sent out Gary Anderson to kick the insurance points to get them into the Super Bowl (where they would be heavily favored). Anderson was a perfect 35 for 35 on field goals for the year, including the playoffs, and at 38 yards, it was as close to a sure thing as you could get. So when he missed the kick, even though the Vikings still had the lead, most fans knew that the fate had been sealed...there would be no Super Bowl victory...let alone even getting there. Despite that season and all others, there is an intense Vikings following and they have been competitive for many years and have provided glimmers of hope recently that there may be light at the end of the tunnel coming very soon.

Well there you have it. Yes, there is a lot of misery accompanied with Minnesota, the winter weather and title droughts have become 2nd nature. However, there is a lot of good that comes from the sports, it gives the state identity, unites a fan base across several regions and demographics, gives each other hope (if only to deflate it, but hope nonetheless). The teams may not bring us championships every year or decade for that matter, but they do provide entertainment and an avenue to channel our inner kid hopes and dreams that sustain our abilities to stay sane and be positive about the future. And when those title days come, and come they will eventually, just imagine how sweet they will be.

hope you enjoyed the read, till next time,

bsv
the Courtesy Wave

The Future According to Schwarzenegger

I started writing a post on the Future according to Cinema and had to change in mid-posting to something more specific after I realized a central theme with just about every futuristic movie: They almost all contained one actor, the governor, aka Arnold Schwarzenegger. Of Arnold's 32 current movie credits, 8 are legitimate futuristic movies, that's 1/4 of his roles based in the future. If he only had a futuristic political movie, maybe we could have predicted and (stopped) his current role as Governor of California.

The Courtesy Wave takes a look the Future according to Arnold Schwarzenegger and discovers what predictions came true, have yet to pass, or were way off. We actually can't fault Arnold for any of these predictions, however we have to point the finger at someone, and who better than the former Mr. Universe. I'll start chronologically with the future predicted year, with the movie release year in parenthesis. I'll attempt to assess the accuracy of the movie's predictions on a grading scale of A to F. This grade is not to be taken as a review on the movie as a whole, a movie could theoretically get an A and still be an awful movie to watch.

THE PREDICTED PAST:


1995: Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) Judgement day came and past about 15 years ago. This movie is futuristic in that it features an entities (the Terminator and T-1000) from the future, however the movie is set in 1995 Los Angeles, which is 4 years from the release date of the movie. The movie doesn't do a lot to predict the world in 1995, however it failed to mentioned the LA Riots of 1992. CW Future grade B+


1999: End of Days (1999)
A near future movie of the past. Stay with me here, this movie was released on November 17th, 1999 and it played on the fear of the millennium change to the year 2000. Therefore it was only predicting a month ahead, however the filming did begin in 1998. This movie doesn't play along with the Y2K fears everyone had and the media whored out. It poured more into the religious sector for those who actually thought the world was going to end on December 31, 1999. I never saw it, but from synopsis and reviews I don't think I ever will. CW Future grade D


2004: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
In 2004, the Skynet system is activated, perceives humans as a threat to its own existence, and eradicates much of humanity in the event known as "Judgment Day". Wait we've heard this before, wasn't this supposed to happen in 1997. Yes, that was the plot for the first movie, but apparently James Cameron and the rest of the brass behind the Terminator movies decided we just needed more. No thanks. C-

THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO:


2015: The 6th Day (2000)
The movie's premise is about a man who's being cloned against his will in the year 2015 (less than 5 years from now). The movie's title is based around the so called "6th Day Laws", where on the sixth day, God created Man in the image of God, and are given dominion and care over all other created things. The cloning aspect of the film isn't that far fetched, in fact cloning of sheep began in 1997 and Human cloning is a very real and hypothetical concept that has created intense debate and ethical philosophy. In fact, in 2005, the United Nations adopted a declaration calling for the ban of all forms of Human Cloning contrary to human dignity. Since then US Congress has brought into debate several anti-cloning bills. CW Future Grade A-


2018: Terminator Salvation (2009)
Back to the Terminator series, a theme of this post. The most recent installment of the Terminator franchise in which Arnold doesn't play an active role. In fact, Arnold is only credited in this movie as having archived footage of him superimposed on actor Roland Kickinger's portrayal of the T-800 terminator that Arnold made so famous in the first 2 movies. In this movie, they have predicted that Los Angeles is in ruins, sorry LA folks, but you have 8 more years to live it up before your city crumbles to the tune of a nuclear explosion. CW Future grade: C


2019: Running Man (1987)
This movie has the potential to become frighteningly close to reality. Running man is about a television show called The Running Man, where convicted criminal "runners" must escape death at the hands of professional killers. In this era of reality TV where producers are clamoring for the latest and greatest to shock our viewing audiences into watching, this far fetched idea is closer to reality then you think. Think Survivor, Amazing Race, Fear Factor, Big Brother and crazy men with guns chasing you and that's Running Man. Furthermore, they have predicted a dystopia society in 2017 where By 2017, the global economy has collapsed and American society has become a totalitarian police state, censoring all cultural activity. The global economy has withered and recessed and in many countries has already collapsed and censorship is all over the place in our culture even and probably attributed to our increased social and media connectivity. CW Future Grade A-


2029: Terminator (1984)
I'll be back. Classic line, actually fitting that the last Terminator future predictions review comes from the movie that started it all. Anyone else remember those (perceived) high tech graphics and robotic imagery. Reminds me of the first Nintendo system, at the time, amazing, 20 years later, hilariously nostalgic, but still playable, and in this case very much still a treat to watch. In a post-apocalyptic 2029, artificially intelligent machines seek to exterminate what is left of the human race. In the near future an artificial intelligence network called Skynet will become self-aware and initiate a nuclear holocaust of mankind. (Kim Jong-Ill?) The Terminator is an emotionless and efficient killing machine with a powerful metal endoskeleton, but with an external layer of living tissue so that it resembles a human being. There's actually a lot of things going on in the world that somewhat can be related to the Terminator series. Honda, that car manufacturer, is also the world's largest Robot manufacturer, and the US Military has been using non-manned aircraft for years as seen in T1. CW Future grade B

2084: Total Recall (1990) - Get ready for the ride of your life. Well that's the tag line anyway. A decent Arnold flick about unsophisticated construction worker, who turns out to be a freedom fighter from Mars who has been relocated to Earth, and attempts to restore order, and reverse the corrupt influence of commercial powers. Sounds Arnoldy. One of the futuristic predictions in this movie has already become reality! The movie used whole body scanning to detect weapons. As of December 2009, there are 20 airports in the US that use whole body scanning. As far as jettisoning to Mars and woman with 3 knockers, its difficult to predict, but not impossible to dream, especially the latter. CW Future grade B+

Sadly, I don't think I'll make it the last futuristic movie year. I would be 102 years old and although its possible, I won't hold out my hopes. But who knows what the future holds, maybe by then we'll be living to 200 and I'll have just hit middle age and can look forward to pooping my pants for another 98 years!

I hope you enjoyed the read, I will have a Future according to Cinema edition later that touches base on popular movies such as Back to the Future.

Cheers,

bsv
the Courtesy Wave