Twins Spring Training - Filling out the Roster

We are less than 3 weeks away from the sights and sounds of spring training and you can start to feel the buzz in the air. College Football is done and there's just 1 football game left, a little thing known as the Super Bowl. But after that, its basketball, hockey, and very soon baseball. It's fun to start thinking about baseball because the sport has to be played in decent weather, which means there's an end to winter in sight!



As a die-hard Twins fan, I take any opportunity to review the latest info on the Twins and articulate our chances for ultimate glory and or just for another exciting baseball season. The Twins have unveiled their spring training roster and the Courtesy Wave has broken it down for your convenience. Enjoy!

STARTERS
Catcher - JOE MAUER
Duh. The best catcher on the planet returns for his 8th big league and Twins season. A standout from every angle, the Twins are one lucky team to have this guy and of course, the hometown boy angle plays into the hearts of every Twins fan. People think Mauer had a down year last year, well if you consider .327, a gold glove, all-star, and silver slugger award winning season down, then you're standards are pretty high. Mauer's 2009 performance may not be repeated, but I'll take .327 and 75 RBI's every year from the catcher spot. His numbers would almost certainly be higher with Morneau behind him.

First Base - JUSTIN MORNEAU
Next to Joe Nathan, this is the biggest question for Twins fans. Can Morneau return back to the form that has made him a perennial all-star and MVP candidate? Morneau was well on his way to hitting over 30 home runs and bringing in over 100 RBI's. The Twins were able to adjust after his departure thanks to super position player Michael Cuddyer, but there's no way you can justify having Morneau out of the lineup that makes the team better. Over a full season, the Twins will need Morneau, if not for any other reason than he's making way too much money to sit on the bench. However, the brain is fragile and I'm sure the Twins are putting his health before the team's health first, which is important to remember.

Second Base - TSUYOSHI NISHIOKA
Before this season, Nishioka was in the Marines. Not those Marines, the Chiba Lotte Marines of the Japanese Pacific League. He's a slick fielding speedy youngster with some pop in his bat, not too mention also the ability to switch hit. A career .293 hitter in Japan, he also won 3 gold gloves and a gold medal for Japan in the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Shortstop - ALEXI CASILLA
It's hard to believe, but this will be Casilla's 6th season in the bigs with Minnesota. Every time we think Casilla has been given his last shot, he gets another. Thus is the case again with Alexi as the Twins surprised a few people and brought back Casilla after arbitration for another year.

Third Base - DANNY VALENCIA
There were many fans who thought Valencia's call up in June was a little premature. Well he quickly put to rest any notions that he wasn't ready. By season's end, and with 2 months less than most players, Valencia wound up 3rd in the Rookie of the Year Voting. He also posted these impressive rookie numbers: .311 batting average, .448 slugging percentage, and .799 OPS, which were the highest among AL rookies with 300 or more plate appearances. He came in 3rd among AL rookies in hits (93) and total bases (134). In 65 games after the All Star break, he led AL rookies in batting (.311), RBIs (37) and doubles (16). Oh and he can play the outfield too; Valencia had the 5th-best fielding percentage among AL third basemen (.973). These numbers aren't all worldly, but for a rookie, there good and we should see more of this in 2011.

Left Field - DELMON YOUNG
The 2010 season ended up being Young's best offensive season to date by any measure. Young hit .298 with 21 home runs and 112 RBI, finished tenth in the voting for AL MVP, and was a finalist for a spot on the American League All-Star roster through the online All-Star Final Vote. Young, who was a #1 overall draft pick, continues to have high expectations, but his 2010 season did assure the Twins that the Garza/Bartlett for Young trade may eventually pan out. It's interesting to note that neither Matt Garza or Jason Bartlett play for the Rays anymore. If he posts numbers like he did last year, the Twins may get the last laugh on what was thought to be one of the worst trades in team history.

Center Field - DENARD SPAN
There was no reason to suspect a down year for Span in 2010. His progression from 2008 to 2009 showed an increase in nearly every statistical category, mainly because he was playing more, but he showed that '08 wasn't a fluke with a consistent '09. Now fans are left to wonder if 2010 was more of a fluke year or something to be expected? Span's average dropped from .311 to .264 and his slugging went down to .348 from .415. However, if there's one trait that defines Span, than its speed. He gives the Twins their best base-runner and the best ability to stretch a single into a double and double into a triple. He reminds me of a Christian Guzman type player, good fielder, great speed, with occasional power. His 24 doubles, 10 triples, and 26 stolen bases in 2010 are nothing to be ashamed about.

RIGHT FIELD - MICHAEL CUDDYER (we think)
It is widely known that Cuddyer is the team magician, and in 2010 he had to be a magician in order to play all the positions he was asked to do. Cuddyer spent time in Right Field, Center Field, 1st Base, 2nd Base, and 3rd Base. He actually played more games at 1st than right field, 84 to 66. Cuddyer's numbers from 2009 to 2010 are almost identical with one glaring omission, his power. Cuddy had a team high 32 homers in 2009, but just 14 last year. Yet his batting average took just a slight tumble to .271 (he's a career .270 hitter) and his hits and doubles were slightly up. This will be Cuddyer's 11th season with Minnesota and he's quietly become one of the most versatile and well liked players in the team's history. He's just 4 hits shy of 1,000 and will likely join the Twins top 10 list in Career Home Runs this year.

4TH OUTFIELDER/DH - JASON KUBEL
Another year will begin and Kubel will find he doesn't have a permanent spot, again. With Morneau's injury last year, Kubel slid into right field when Cuddyer moved to first. It worked out perfectly for the Twins last year, but with Morneau expected back, it begs the question where to put Kubel. Kubel needs to play everyday or near that, he's had 3 straight seasons of 20 plus home runs and 75 or more RBI's. However, his .249 batting average was a big red flag last year along with his 116 strikeouts. It's a good problem to have when you've got a guy like Kubel who can step in and replace any of the other outfielders with his bat. His DH time will depend on how much the Twins want to utilize their Hall of Fame-in-waiting Designated Hitter.

DESIGNATED HITTER - JIM THOME
Jim Thome made a lot of Minnesotans happy last year with his bat and his charm. He certainly fit the mold of what the Twins have come to represent. His 25 home runs was more than anyone would have guessed, especially since he did so in just 276 at-bats, a blistering 11.04 AB/HR ratio, which was 2.5 AB's better than his career ratio of 13.6, of which he's 5th all time. Even at age 40, Thome is one of the most revered power hitters in the game today. He's been making pitchers sweat and continues to do so. Thome currently sits at 8th on the all-time home run list, and he's likely to only jump 1 more spot this year, but along the way he'll pass 600 home runs, just 11 short right now. If he does that, he'll join an elite club that includes Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Ken Griffey Jr., Alex Rodriguez, and Sammy Sosa. Not too shabby.

Starting Pitcher 1 - FRANCISCO LIRIANO - LHP
Liriano is coming off his best post-surgery season after posting career highs in Wins (14), IP (191.2), and strikeouts (201). Liriano's 2006 season remains his most dominant so far. There are many who say Liriano was as good or better than Johan Santana was that season. That may be a stretch, but it begs the question will we ever see that Liriano again? We can table that question for now and watch Liriano impose his will against hitters.

Starting Pitcher 2 - CARL PAVANO - RHP
Pavano tested the market after 2010 and found that teams weren't ready to shell out the big dollars that his recent play has earned. The biggest reason is health, at 35, Pavano is entering the twilight of his career. Even if it's his best years, most teams couldn't pull off a 3 plus year deal. But the Twins were willing to give Pavano 2 years and $16 million, which isn't too shabby either. So the Stache is coming back to the Twins for a 3rd year and his 13th major league season. Pavano is the workhorse of the Twins staff. A guy you can count on to give you 7 plus innings each start. He threw 221 innings last year while leading the league in complete games (7) and shutouts (2), going 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA. It was his best season since going 18-8 with a 3.00 ERA for the Marlins in 2004, the year that earned him the huge Yankee contract that was plagued with injuries. If he stays healthy, he'll likely put up similar numbers, which the Twins will be very happy with.

Starting Pitcher 3 - BRIAN DUENSING - LHP
Duensing has had a lot of luck on his side when it comes to roster moves and has taken advantage of every opportunity given to him. In 2009 and 2010, Duensing started the year in the bullpen, only to finish in the starting rotation due to injuries or lack of production ahead of him. In just 2 short years, Deunsing has gone 15-5 with a 3.02 ERA in 214.2 innings. Last year's 10-3, 2.62 ERA was just the spark the Twins needed with the Slow-Bake-Burn combo struggling mightily. It's looking like Duensing will have the job from the get-go and as far as I'm concerned should be locked into the #3 spot, unless Baker outperforms in Spring Training.

Starting Pitcher 4 - SCOTT BAKER
It's hard to believe, but Baker will be starting his 8th season with the Twins. I was there the day he was called up, as an Intern working for the Twins, I remember seeing Baker outside of the clubhouse and wondering how this kid got a uniform. He seriously looked like he was 15 and was quite shy at the time. Baker has always been a good pitcher, but he's never been great. His fastball is about average and he's got a slightly above average curve, change and slider. He's won 11 or more games in 3 straight years, going 12-9 last year with a 4.49 ERA. Consistency will be the key for Baker this year, as the Twins have started to put Baker on a shorter leash as far as productivity goes. Last year he was the opening day starter. This year, he'll likely be 4th in the rotation. In which case 12 to 15 wins is acceptable.

Starting Pitcher 5 - KEVIN SLOWEY
I had slated this spot for Blackburn until the Twins announced they had signed Slowey through arbitration to $2.7 million, making me believe they want Slowey in the rotation instead of the bullpen. Although, that's where he finished last year. Slowey has often been compared to long time Twins great Brad Radke because he's a control type pitcher with a low 90's fastball considered to be his best pitch, a good changeup, a good slow curveball, and a tight slider. His 13-6 record last year is a little misleading as he did get a lot of run support, but still he has a 39-21 career record and when healthy has been a fairly consistent pitcher.

Long Reliever - NICK BLACKBURN
Blackburn will be a big mystery for the Twins on what they should do with him. He signed a 4 year contract that's good until 2013, yet he hasn't shown anything more than just average stuff. In his last 3 years, he's gone 32-34, with a 4.44 ERA, an averaged 187 IP. Numbers that are good for a 5th spot in the rotation at best. He'll compete with Slowey and Baker for the back end of the rotation.

Left Hand specialist - GLEN PERKINS
A left handed reliever is not a commodity in this league and because Perkins is a lefty, he's got a lot going for him. Despite his conflicts with upper management, Perkins held the cards after the bullpen departures and the Twins decided they needed to keep him and signed Perkins for the 2011 season. Perkins actually has a decent fastball and an above average curveball. Originally brought up as a starter, he's transitioned to the bullpen as the need for starting dissipated. He missed nearly all of 2010, being held in the minors until a September call-up. He still has a lot to prove and should consider himself lucky to still be with the Twins after a couple tumultuous years on and off the field.

Right Hand specialist - PAT NESHEK
Neshek has a lot in common with Perkins. There both Minnesota natives, both considered bullpen specialists, and both have had their discontents with upper management of the Twins. Last year, Neshek made the team out of Spring Training, but an inflammation to his middle finger placed Neshek on the DL which irritated him and in turn he made a public outcry about how the Twins managed the situation. He then spent almost the entire season at Triple A Rochester, and like Perkins, was called up in September at which point both players said their situations were resolved. Neshek is trying to return to his pre-surgery form where he went 11-4 with a 2.68 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 107 innings. He's only pitched 9 innings in the majors since and has struggled to find the magic that made him a fan favorite. He's definitely a unique character with a funky rotation who chronicles his life through blogging. He'll have to fight to earn this spot for 2011.

Left Hand Set-up - JOSE MIJARES
Mijares returns to the Twins for his 4th season. In 2008 and 2009, Mijares was pretty dominant, going 2-3 with a 2.13 ERA, with 60 strikeouts in 72 innings. He took a little step backwards in 2010, going 1-1 with a 3.31 ERA and pitching just 32.2 innings in an injury riddled season. Since Mijares is a lefty, he holds a lot of power to stay in the bullpen, with the limited options the Twins have, but if his numbers continue their upward trek, the Twins might look to the minors to see what else they have, same goes for Perkins.

Right Hand Set-up - ALEX BURNETT
Burnett made it on the squad last year after spring training, a surprising move by many who thought it was just a short term thing. Burnett, just 22, actually made it all the way until July 19th, when he was sent back down to Triple A, but was recalled in September. His numbers were less than impressive, but he gained valuable experience in throwing 47 innings, going 2-2 with a 5.29 ERA with 37 strikeouts. He'll fight with Manship, Neshek, and Anthony Slama for a righty spot out of the bullpen.

8th inning Set-up - MATT CAPPS
The Mad Capper was an all-star in 2010, just not for the Twins. He came over in a trade right before the deadline when the Twins decided to swap their highly touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos for Capps in a questionable move by many who thought the Twins could get much more in return for Ramos. Capps took over the closer role which had been filled adequately by Jon Rauch, but not well enough that the Twins could trust Rauch in late season and playoff games. Capps played very well but with high expectations, he couldn't please everybody. Still, he went 2-0 with 16 saves and a 2.00 ERA. He possesses a noteworthy slider and a mid nineties fastball, with excellent command of both. Provided Nathan returns to form, they'll be a formidable 1-2 punch, and if Nathan can't return, he's a great insurance option as closer.

Closer - JOE NATHAN
Nathan enters his 11th big league season and 7th with the Twins (not counting last year). Along with Morneau, he's one of the biggest question marks for 2011. What will Joe Nathan be post Tommy John surgery? Will he still be the dominant closer that led the majors in saves for a 6 year period from 2004-2009 with 246 saves, an average of 41 per year? Or will we see the results that so many have suffered post TJ surgery, ala Liriano, Neshek, Joe Mays, etc. There's no one that doubts Nathan can do it, although at 36, there's more restraint from his backers than normal. As an optimist, I'd like to think the 4 time all-star still has a lot left in the tank. We'll see what happens come spring training when he sees live action for the first time. (If the Twins think he's ready).

Utility Infielder - MATT TOLBERT
Goodbye Nick Punto, hello Matt Tolbert. Punto held this title for 7 years with the Twins and despite a lot of flaws at the bat, he'll be hard to replace on the diamond. Tolbert is no stranger to playing multiple positions. In 2010 he spent time at 2nd, 3rd, SS, LF, and RF. A career .986 fielding percentage should calm some fans nerves, but a career .246 batting average wont. Tolbert doesn't have this spot locked up, but the Twins have always had high hopes for Tolbert and its likely he'll start the season with the big league club.

5th Outfielder - JASON REPKO
The Twins are bringing back Repko after he filled in as the back-up outfielder from June on last year. Repko is actually a veteran, at age 30, he was a first round draft pick of the Dodgers and spent 4 years in the big leagues with them before being released and picked up by the Twins in a minor league deal last year. Repko hit .228 in 58 games for the Twins last year, but was mainly used a valuable defensive replacement as he holds a career .979 fielding percentage.

Back-up Catcher - DREW BUTERA
As part of the only father-son combination in Twins history, Butera played the entire 2010 season in the big leagues, surprising many who thought he would never make it the entire year. But for the Twins, he's the perfect back-up solution to Joe Mauer, because they don't see Butera as an every day starting catcher for the future, meaning that they don't need him to play every day like other catching prospects. Butera has enough of a bat to keep him up as the back-up, hitting .197 in 49 games with 6 doubles, 2 home runs and 13 RBI. He's an excellent defensive catcher though, which is really what kept him on the team. A .985 fielding percentage last year, Butera threw out 42% of base runners, which if he qualified, would have been good for 2nd in the AL.

Others who will contend for the 25 Man Big League Roster

Up-the-middle Back-up - TREVOR PLOUFFE
Plouffe will compete with Casilla for extended time at shortstop and will spell any relief for Nishioka at 2nd base. Plouffe is a former 1st round draft pick in 2004 and still has high expectations with the Twins. He made his major league debut last year, playing in 22 games and mustering just a .146 batting average. But Plouffe has proven himself in the minors and the Twins like that he's got some pop in his bat too. He'll have his chance to prove himself a big league starter and should get time behind a the mystery combination of Nishioka/Casilla.

Back-up Outfielder - BEN REVERE
A late first rounder in the 2007 draft, Revere is likable to a Denard Span type player. A 5 tool athlete, he got a cup of coffee with the Twins during last year's September call-ups batting .179 in 13 games. He'll get his chances again this year, just not likely right out of the gate.

Back-up Infielder - LUKE HUGHES
Hughes will always be an answer to a trivia question for as long as he lives when last year he became the 5th Twin ever to homer in his first major league at-bat, and 106th overall. Hughes played in just 2 games in the majors last year, but he made it count with that one swing. The sweet swinging Aussie is just 26 and has time to develop into a contributor and will likely see time again in September this year.

Right Hand Reliever - ANTHONY SLAMA
Slama was highly hyped when he received his call-up in late July last year, but the mustached reliever didn't fare too well, offering up 4 runs and 5 walks in just 4.2 innings, posting a 7.71 ERA. Slama has blazed through the minors as a closer and will need another year of seasoning, but should get a call sometime this year again.

Right Hand Reliever - JEFF MANSHIP
Manship has certainly logged some frequent flyer miles in the past couple years, having multiple short-term call-ups as an injury replacement spot starter and bullpen reliever. His 5.49 ERA over 60.2 innings pitched is a concern, but to be fair, Manship has never had the time to get comfortable when he's called up. He'll be seriously considered for a spot in the bullpen at the start of the season.

Right Hand Starter - KYLE GIBSON
Gibson is one of the top ranked prospects in baseball right now. Just 23, Gibson has flown through each level of the minors with impressive stuff. In 26 minor league games he's 11-6 with a 2.96 ERA including a no-hitter. He could challenge for the 5th spot in the rotation. But not the bullpen, the Twins want him a starter and will keep him in Triple A if needed. If he's called up, he might be the most hyped pitcher since Matt Garza.

Right Hand Reliever - ANTHONY SWARZAK
Swarzak hasn't seen the big leagues since 2009, failing to get the call last year. t was a little surprising considering he got 12 starts in 2009. But after a few decent starts, he finished rocky, and collected a 3-7 record with a 6.25 ERA. He's pretty far down the list and will really have to impress just to get a call-up this year.

Back-up Catcher - DANNY LEHMANN
Lehmann will give Butera some competition at the back-up catcher spot. With New Britain, he batted .243 with three RBIs; with Fort Myers, Lehmann batted .286 and caught nine of twelve would-be base stealers to earn himself a Florida State League All-star selection.

Well I hope this gave you some food for thought to chew over for the next few weeks. We'll check back in when the players hit the field and see how the position battles start to play out. There could be competition from someone not named above too, you just never know what's going to happen with February/March baseball.

Until then, make sure you stock up on your seeds and chewing gum!

Brock from the Block
the Courtesy Wave

Fifteen & Counting - Breaking down College BB's 15 win teams

It's January 24th and the College Basketball season is over halfway done. I've analyzed a lot of College Football on here, but in all honesty, I like college basketball just as much, and there is no better postseason tournament in all of sports than the NCAA Tourney. After watching the Gophers beat Michigan, I realized Tubby's team has already gotten to 15 wins with 11 games left in the regular season, and then 1 to 4 more in the Big Ten Tourney. This could be a great season for the Maroon & Gold and it begs the question, how do they stand up against the rest of the nation at this point in the season. I checked in the standings and found that 42 teams have at least 15 wins right now. The Courtesy Wave breaks down the 42 teams into categories of contenders, pretenders, and other various random categories for your benefit.

Signature wins are against teams that were ranked at the time or are currently ranked or have at least 15 plus wins. All signature wins reflect rankings at the time of play, not current. All rankings reflect the Coaches Poll.
*at neutral location

UNDEFEATED(the Elitists)
There are only 2 teams left out of the 346 with flawless records. One of them isn't a surprise, the other, without a doubt, is.

#1 OHIO STATE 20-0
Signature Wins: at #10 Florida, #21 Minnesota, #22 Illinois
The Scoop: When you're 20-0 and ranked #1 in both major polls, it's tough to find something bad to say about the Buckeyes. But here's one major thing to take note, of the top 15 ranked teams, there is only 1 team that has a strength of schedule over 100...the Ohio State Buckeyes at 103. Indiana State is right ahead of OSU at #102.

#4 SAN DIEGO STATE 20-0
Signature wins: at #12 Gonzaga, St. Mary's, UNLV
The Scoop: Again, it's tough to point out fallacies with an unblemished team. The Aztecs have beaten teams with a balanced effort, but no team goes undefeated without a star, and SDSU has one in Kawhi Leonard. A triple threat, Leonard can score, rebound and pass with the best of them. His 16/10/3 nightly outputs speak for themselves. Come tournament time, you'll be hearing a lot about this 6-7 dynamic sophomore.


RANKED POWER PLAYERS - Final Four Contenders
These teams come from the Power 7 conferences (ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, MWC, Pac-10, & SEC). These teams are proven winners that contend every year with dominant recruiting classes and in most cases, big time coaches who've been here before.

#2 PITTSBURGH 19-1
Signature Wins: #3 Syracuse, #4 Connecticut, #19 Georgetown, #22 Texas
The Scoop: There is no better rebounding or passing team in the country, literally, the Panthers are #1 in rebounding with 43/game and #1 in assists with 20/game. But its truly a team effort here as they don't have a single player that averages 9 or more rebounds or 6 or more assists a game. Depth. That's the key to winning championships, 1 player rarely wins championships by themselves, look at Florida from a couple years ago, they're depth was so good they had bench players drafted in the NBA. Look out for Pitt, a serious contender, who's only blemish is a loss against then ranked Tennessee (before the Vols exploded).

#3 DUKE 18-1
Signature wins: #4 Kansas State, #6 Michigan State
The Scoop: Everyone's favorite team to hate. The Blue Devils are the New York Yankees of college basketball, you're either with them or against them and there's no in between. Like 'em or not, they have a sick 1-2 combo in Nolan Smith (20.1 ppg) & Kyle Singler (18.1 ppg). Their lone loss came against Florida State, who at the time was unranked, but has since proved to be a formidable opponent and has made the loss not as significant as before, especially since it was on the road at FSU.

#5 CONNECTICUT 16-2
Signature Wins: #2 Michigan State*, #7 Villanova, #9 Kentucky*, at #12 Texas
The Scoop: Unlike the Villanova and Pitt, UConn has that all-pro player in Kemba Walker, who averages 25 ppg, which is 2nd only to Jimmer Fredette from BYU. How to beat UConn? Take Walker out of his game and UConn's options get limited quickly. Their are solid players around Walker, he's just so far above the field, its hard to compare. Their 2 losses came against ranked teams, so UConn should definitely be feared.

#6 KANSAS 18-1
Signature wins: #14 Memphis, Arizona
The Scoop: Kansas was undefeated up until this weekend, when Texas came into Lawrence and did what the 69 previous teams couldn't do, beat Kansas. The Jayhawks long home winning streak came to an end to a very good Texas team. I'm not sure what happened at the half, but with Kansas up 12, they completely disappeared in the 2nd half, getting outscored 51-28. But since this is their only loss, its quite acceptable in an otherwise stellar season.

#7 VILLANOVA 17-2
Signature Wins: at #3 Syracuse, #17 Louisville, #25 Cincinatti
The Scoop: A lot like their Big East rival Pittsburgh, these Wildcats showcase depth in overpowering their opponents. With 3 capable scorers (Fisher, Stokes, & Wayns) and 2 powerful low post players (Yarou & Pena), the Wildcats keep defenses on edge with the ability to spread the ball around.


#8 TEXAS 16-3
Signature Wins: at #2 Kansas, #10 Texas A&m, at #12 Michigan State, #16 Illinois
The Scoop: Move over Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers, there's another J. Hamilton in Texas that's gathering the headlines. Jordan Hamilton is turning in a nice sophomore year with his 20 ppg and 7 rpg averages. He and his Longhorn teammates have already churned out 4 wins against teams currently in the top 25, tied for best in the country.

#9 BYU 19-1
Signature Wins: Utah State, St. Mary's, Arizona, at UNLV
The Scoop: See UConn. This team lives and dies off Jimmer Fredette, who leads the nation with 26.7 ppg, more than double the next best BYU scorer. You'll notice BYU doesn't own a signature win against a ranked team. That could all change come January 26th, when one of the best matchups of the year takes place in Provo vs #6 and undefeated San Diego State. Fredette might have to do what he did in 2 of the last 3 games, drop 40 plus on an opponent. This kid is remarkable, tune in just to watch one of the best pure shooters of this generation.

#10 SYRACUSE 18-2
Signature wins: Northern Iowa, #8 Michigan State, #15 Notre Dame, Cincinatti
The Scoop: It's Syracuse, so no one should be surprised that this Big East powerhouse is back again in the national title consideration. They were frontrunners until this past weekend when they faced two top 10 teams and lost both (at #4 Pitt, vs #7 Villanova, making everyone question the legitimacy of their early lofty ranking. There's no question on the legitimacy of Senior forward Rick Jackson, a rebounding machine, Jackson gives the Orange 13 & 12 every night.

RANKED POWER PLAYERS - Sweet 16 contenders

#11 TEXAS A&M 17-2
Signature Wins: #12 Missouri, #20 Temple, #22 Washington, #24 Kansas State
The Scoop: The number 3. That's how many road games the Aggies have had. Their record surely has some very impressive wins, but none of those came on the road. They do possess a road victory against Oklahoma, but the other one came against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, and they lost their first big test on the road against #11 Texas. They better get comfortable on the plane and bus rides because they finish with 6 of their last 11 games on the road.

#12 PURDUE 17-3
Signature Wins: #18 Michigan State
The Scoop: The loss of Robbie Hummel was not only a blow, but a heartbreaking story for a guy trying to finish out a stellar college career. Purdue was a different team after last year's injury, finishing the year a very average team. This year, they are a again a different team, but determined not to suffer the same fate as last year. Jajuan Johnson & E'twaun Moore are two of the best teammates in the country, combining for 39 ppg. They are in the middle of the biggest test of the season with their current 4 game streak against ranked opponents that started with their win over #18 Michigan State. Next up, on the road against #1 Ohio State. Hold onto your butts!

#13 MISSOURI 17-3
Signature Wins: #21 Illinois*, #24 Kansas State
The Scoop: You better have fresh legs to keep up with this Tigers bunch. With 85 points per game they run and score almost at will. Their 13th ranking won't go up unless they prove they can win on the road against quality teams. Their 138th strength of schedule and lone road win at sub .500 Oregon doesn't win a lot of
points.

#14 NOTRE DAME 16-4
Signature Wins: #9 Georgetown, #9 UCONN, Wisconsin*
The Scoop: Ordinarily being 7th in a conference's standings is nothing to be proud about, but in the Big East, it usually means you're doing pretty well in the best and crowded elite conference. The Fighting Irish haven't put up as good a fight on the road as home, a trait similar in this category. Notre Dame has 0 wins on the road (not including neutral games) and all could be forgotten if they win their next one, at Pitt.

#15 WISCONSIN 15-4
Signature Wins: #13 Minnesota, #16 Illinois,
The Scoop: The Badgers have slowly crept up the rankings, going largely unnoticed, outside of the Big Ten. Jon Leuer & Jordan Taylor have led the assault, combining for 37 ppg. They'll need to continue to produce with a tough schedule to finish out including 2 games apiece versus Ohio State & Purdue.

#16 KENTUCKY 15-4
Signature Wins: #11 Washington*, at #20 Louisville, #23 Notre Dame*
The Scoop: Calipari is known for churning out impressive Freshman, then losing them to the NBA. He doesn't have 1 this year....he has 2. Terrence Jones & Brandon Knight form the best freshmen tandem in the country. Combining for 36 points/game, these kids have brought Kentucky into the fold again for this storied program. A less than dominant SEC should see this team easily surpass 20 wins and gain a top 5 NCAA seed.

#17 WASHINGTON 15-4
Signature Wins: #25 Arizona
The Scoop: The Huskies may be one of the most consistent scoring teams in the country. They average 87 points/game and dish out 18 assists/game too. With a .488 field goal percentage, Washington has topped the century mark 5 times already this season. They better get comfortable on the road as 5 of their next 7 are away from Seattle.

#18 MINNESOTA 15-4
Signature Wins: #8 North Carolina, #8 Purdue
The Scoop: The Golden Gophers got a lot of people in the frozen north worried after their 1-3 start to the Big Ten season and after starter Devoe Joseph said he had enough and left the team for Oregon. The Gophers have since gone 3-0 and own a big victory against a very hot Purdue team. Their 3 conference losses all come on the road against ranked teams, Ohio State, Wisconsin, & Michigan State, so those losses aren't necessarily a big hit against this team. However, they'll need to have wins like the one against Purdue to stake their claim on a top 6 NCAA seed. The Trevor Mbakwe incident could have killed this team and season, but despite coming off the bench, Mbakwe's 13pp and 10 rpg have been a big reason why the Gophers have been in the top 25 this year.

#19 LOUISVILLE 15-4
Signature Wins: #18 Butler, #19 UNLV
The Scoop: Their only victories against ranked teams don't look as good as they did in the first half of the year. Pitino is also 0 for 2 against his former teams, losing to Kentucky and a bad loss to Providence, school's he has led to the final four. Pitino will get his shot at those signature ranked wins though, the Cardinals face 6 ranked teams in the next 8 games.

#23 FLORIDA 15-4
Signature Wins: #6 Kansas State
The Scoop: Another no surprise from reputation that Florida is in the top 25, although they haven't been blazing through the most impressive of competition, they haven't faced a ton of duds either with the 53rd toughest schedule. With 2 games apiece left against top 25 teams Kentucky & Vanderbilt, they'll have some opportunities to add to their resume.

RANKED MID-MAJORS

#24 SAINT MARY'S 17-3
Signature Wins: None
The Scoop: The Gaels are likely still a top 25 team on past reputation, because they don't hold 1 signature victory this year. Their best win came against St. John's at home, and it was close. St. John's is currently 11-7. The WCC is usually dominated by Gonzaga, but the Gaels have crept up on top in the last couple years. This is a down year for the WCC by recent standards and its quite possible that only 1 team will make the tournament. With 2 games apiece left against Gonzaga and 14-6 Portland, St. Mary's needs to capitalize on what their week schedule (227th) gives them.

#25 UTAH STATE
Signature Wins: None
The Scoop: Like St. Mary's the Aggies of Utah State can't claim a signature victory that the NCAA selection committee craves. Their biggest win came against Hawaii at home, the Warriors are now 12-8. The entrance into the top 25 is likely from their gaudy record. It's definitely not from their cream puff schedule (296th). The WAC is not good this year, not enough for more than 1 team. The Aggies would be best to win their conference tournament, and if not, just keep padding that record and hope for the best.

NON-RANKED POWER PLAYERS

FLORIDA STATE* 15-5
Signature Wins: #1 Duke, #15 Baylor
*FSU is ranked 22nd in the AP poll.

CINCINNATI 17-3
Best Win: Xavier (13-5)

ARIZONA 16-4
Best Win: at Washington State (14-6)


MAJOR MID-MAJORS - LEGIT DIVISION
The term mid-major is supposed to belong to the teams who's conferences lie in the middle of the pack of 32, however, the water is pretty muddy around the 16th and beyond and therefore the term mid-major should really belong to the 8th to 14th best conferences. In my opinion, they are A-10, Conference USA, Horizon, Missouri Valley, Colonial, West Coast, & WAC. These conferences have more than 1 star team that can compete with the big schools.

UNLV 15-5
Signature Wins: #11 Kansas State*, #25 Wisconsin

RICHMOND 15-5
Signature Wins: #8 Purdue, VCU

MISSOURI STATE 16-4
Signature Wins: at Wichita State, at Northern Iowa

NORTHERN IOWA 15-6
Signature Wins: at Wichita State

VALPARAISO 15-6
Signature Wins: Cleveland State

MID-MAJORS WITH A LOT TO PROVE
VCU 15-5
Best Win: at Old Dominion (14-5)

DAYTON 15-5
Best Win: George Mason (14-5)

JAMES MADISON 15-5
Best Win: Bucknell (14-7)

MEMPHIS 15-4
Best Win: at UAB (13-5)

CLEVELAND STATE 18-3
Best Win: vs Iona (13-7)

WICHITA STATE 16-4
Best Win: at Creighton (13-8)

UTEP 16-4
Best Win: at Tulane (12-6)

LOW MAJOR LOW CHANCES
These teams lie in conferences where traditionally only 1 team gets into the NCAA tournament by way of the automatic conference champion. However, these teams have demonstrated that they can beat the mid-majors and compete with teams from the Power 7 conferences. These teams have decided to pick on the weaklings of college basketball and in many cases have multiple wins against non-division 1 teams.

COASTAL CAROLINA 18-2
Best Win: at Liberty (14-7)

HAMPTON 15-4
Best Win: Liberty (14-7)

MONTANA 15-5
Best Win: at UCLA (13-6)

FLORIDA ATLANTIC 15-6
Best Win: at Hofstra (13-6)

FAIRFIELD 15-4
Best Win: at Rider (13-7)

NORTH TEXAS 16-4
Best Win: at LSU (10-9)

That's it for now, my fingers need a break. We'll see how these teams finish the season. Some have a lot to prove, some already have impressive resumes. One thing's for sure, none of these teams are guaranteed a trip to the NCAA tournament at this point, 15 wins won't get you in. But these teams have given us a preview of what lies ahead and the possibilities of who we might see come March Madness time.

until next time, keep that pivot foot on the ground.

brock from the block
the courtesy wave

Minnesota Sports Misery Rankings - January edition

Like weather like sports. Cold and miserable. There are just a few bright spots in the land of 10,000 frozen lakes. This month's edition of the Minnesota Sports Misery Rankings takes on a weather format. Look outside folks, its cold, snowy and there's more than 6 weeks left of winter, so hunker down, this could get depressing. But don't fret, it takes tough skin to live here year-round and don't forget the winter will eventually end, even though it's not always easy to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So here we go, with January's edition, enjoy!

GOPHERS BASKETBALL - Mostly Sunny with periods of freezing rain
Records: 14-4 (3-3), 6th in Big Ten
Rankings: 15th AP, 19th Coaches
The Gophers were flying on cloud 9 heading into the Big Ten season with just one blemish on their record, a home loss to Virginia. However, everyone knew that the opening of the Big Ten schedule lied ahead and would be a true indicator of where the program was. The Gophers may have had the toughest start to a conference season for any team in the country, having to face 4 top 25 teams in the first 5 games, with 3 of those games on the road. The Gophers lost all three on the road to #2 Ohio State, #19 Michigan State, and #24 Wisconsin (ranking at the time). A home win versus #8 Purdue might have saved the season for the Gophers and given them the boost they need to compete with a strong Big Ten conference, likely the 2nd best conference behind the Big East this year. If I had written this column before the Purdue game, the Gophers forecast would have been much worse, especially with the loss of Devoe Joseph, who's transferring to Oregon and the arrest of Trevor Mbakwe, which at the time seemed like the knife in the Gophers back. A 3-3 Big Ten record isn't ideal, but the national media has taken notice of how difficult that record was to obtain and have given the Gophers top 20 rankings in each major poll. Three of the next four games should give the Gophers more notches in the Win column as they'll be favored against Michigan, Northwestern, and Indiana, with #13 Purdue in between. I say favorite lightly though, especially on the road, where anything can happen, but also where road teams rarely come out alive.

MINNESOTA TWINS - Mostly Sunny with a possible stray snow shower or two.
Record: Offseason, 94-68, AL Central Champions 2010
Rankings: 6th Fox Sports (updated December 21st)
The brightest sports story in Minnesota this winter didn't even come from a team in season. In fact, it came from a guy last seen in a Minnesota uniform 23 years ago. Bert Blyleven's long awaited trip to Cooperstown finally was realized after he gained 79% of the vote, just enough to get him in on his 14th try. However, the current Twins have a lot of questions and haven't made a lot of news this offseason, which can be a good thing. We're only 4 weeks away from Pitchers & Catchers reporting to Spring Training and the Twins will have to solve some big questions including: Can Morneau & Nathan return back to form? Will Nishioka's game transition well to MLB? Are the Twins good enough with last year's squad while Detroit and Chicago beefed up theirs? The signings of Carl Pavano & Jim Thome, 2 veterans that were huge keys to the AL Central Champion Twins last year, we're a huge boost to the team in an otherwise quiet and offseason that has seen the bullpen explode with the departures of Guerrier, Crain, Fuentes, and Rauch. But somehow the Twins get it done every year and stay competitive. Don't forget they won the Central last year with a hodge podge banged up roster. The Twins still give Minnesota their best Title shot right now.

MINNESOTA WILD - Lukewarm (not good if you play on ice)
Record: 24-18-5, 9th in Western Conference
Rankings: 17th ESPN, 18th SI
Minnesota is affectionately and proudly called the state of Hockey by its fans. Here is where the puck stops, unfortunately for the Wild, they'd rather play on the road than at home, where the fans actually have their # retired (1). The Wild are a surprising 13-7-3 on the road, compared to 11-11-2 at home. Not a huge difference, but good teams will almost always have a better home record. If the season only counted on the road, the Wild would be in 5th instead of 9th in the Western conference. Their home record is only 13th best in the Western. They got booed off the ice recently, but came back to beat the Canucks, 4-0. The Wild's Andrew Burnette probably said it best, ""We're a strange team, there's no doubt about it. You never know what's going to show up." For now the Wild will hold on to their playoff chances, which is more than the Timberwolves or Vikings could say this winter.

GOPHERS HOCKEY - Sleet with Pellets of Sunshine
Record: 10-9-3 (7-7-2) 5th in WCHA
Rankings: 21st USCHO
The Gophers can take a page from their professional geographic partners, the Minnesota Wild, in maintaining a mediocre status. They can't seem to get on any long term winning streaks, but haven't had any bad losing streaks either, they're pretty much even steven in the middle of the WCHA. Their start to 2011 is anything but easy and has forced the team to really bare down and save whatever playoff possibilities the Gophers have left. A split against the #1 WCHA team North Dakota is not a bad start. The Gophers better take advantage in their home series versus Alaska Anchorage, as the next two series come against the #2 and #3 teams in the WCHA in Minnesota Duluth and Denver respectively. We'll see how those series play out and if the Gophers will be suiting up in the Final 5 or not.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS - Cold, Snowy, & Gray
Record: 6-10, last in NFC North, tied for 7th worst league record
Rankings: 23rd ESPN, 20th SI
Congratulations to Leslie Frazier you get to coach an NFL team. Where was the ticker tape parade for Leslie? Nowhere, in fact it was hardly big news when the team lifted his interim tag. It would have been bigger news if the team decided to part ways and find a new coach outside the organization. The fans are subdued at this point because most like Frazier, but like the Gophers situation earlier, anyone would be better liked than Childress. No two head coaches were hated more this past year than Childress and Brewster and both got shown the door before the season ended. The Vikings had a chance to make up for the season after the firing, but finished 1-3 with a win over Philadelphia that doesn't look as impressive now. The fact of the matter is the team knew the playoffs and this season was gone with a month to go and they played the lame duck part of the season with not much energy. The team is on the verge of blowing up. Many have said this team is a Quarterback shy of greatness. However, they are closer to rebuilding mode than playoff contender.

GOPHERS FOOTBALL - Blizzard, limited visibility
Record: 3-9, (2-6) 10th in Big Ten
Rankings: 85th Sagarin USA Today
It's tough to think about Gophers Football right now when there's still 3 months left of winter, not too mention 7 months left till college football. Last month the Gophers made the headlines with the signing of new Head Coach, Jerry Kill. Those headlines are gone and the Gophers are back page material. Of the recent developments, the Gophers lost a top recruit, defensive back Tamani Carter, who committed to new Michigan coach Brady Hoke instead. The Gophers also made the news when former all-star running back Laurence Maroney was arrested in St. Louis on drugs and weapon charges. All is not lost, however, as Chris Hawthorne, the back-up kicker at NC State, has transferred to the U and will be eligible to play since he wasn't on a scholarship. This story isn't a surprise, it's more surprising that the Pioneer Press wrote an article on a back-up kicker joining the Gophers, I guess you have to scrub for any type of positive news when your a Gophers fan.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES - Dangerous Windchill
Record: 10-32, Last in Western Conference, 2nd worst overall
Rankings: 25th ESPN, 28th SI
Gregg Popovich, the great Spurs head coach was quoted as saying this Timberwolves squad isn't that far off. You have to ask yourself, that far off from what? Completely disappointing or just completely embarrassing. TheTimberwolves have two of the most talented young players in the NBA in Kevin Love and Michael Beasley. But in this league, where all-stars are joining forces, theTimberwolves are going to need more than just promising young talent to actually win games. They are 3-13 since last month's ranking and the Wolves have now gone a whole calender year, 2010, without beating a division opponent, 0 for 15 vs the Northwest. There's no doubt the Timberwolves are trying and at least they have the right character guys there, we haven't heard anything really negative regarding off-court or clubhouse news. The question will be how does this team stay positive until April 13th, the end of the season. For the fans, the question will be is this team a player or two away from being competitive again?

Well, that's it for now. It's January, so what can I say to make you feel better. It's not December and we're one month closer to spring and temperatures back to bearable. For now, hunker down and don't lose the faith. There's a silver lining in every one of these rankings and one day I hope we can turn the misery into magical.

until next time, keep the windshield washer fluid handy.

Brock from the block (new call sign)
the courtesy wave

Bowling for the BCS Title

It's taken 24 days, but we're finally here. The BCS National Championship plays out tonight after weeks of anticipation and many good and not so good bowl games. Tonight's game features two teams with a combined record of 25-0. The winner will join TCU as the only undefeated college football teams in the country. Unfortunately for TCU, they'll be left off the trophy, but could be named as co-champions in other end of season awards (not likely though). Either way, the debate will rage on at the conclusion of the game. But for now, we'll concentrate on the Ducks and Tigers. If this game were played with actual animals, it would be no contest. But luckily for Oregon it's not. Without further ado here's the Courtesy Wave's preview and prediction of the title game.

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP - #1 AUBURN (13-0) vs. #2 Oregon (12-0)
7p in Glendale, AZ
Tune in for: It's the National Championship. Do you need more fodder? Unlike the past decade, this championship features 2 teams that haven't won a National Championship since 1957 (Auburn). Oregon has never won one in their entire existence which dates back to 1893. It's very similar to the situation we had with the World Series last year where the Giants hadn't won since 1954 and the Rangers never. On the field tune in to see all-world and Heisman winning Quarterback Cam Newton. A controversial player because of his connection to his father's bribery case where he offered Newton's signing in exchange for cash (allegedly). Newton is a rare once in a awhile talent who's legs are just as good as his arm. Newton has the best quarterback rating in the country at 188.2 and would be the best rushing Quarterback if not for the freak out of Michigan, Denard Robinson (who also leads the country). Still Newton's 1,409 yard is good for 13th and he doesn't have to look far to find the guy who will pass Robinson and lead college football in rushing by the end of the game. In fact, they've already met this year, at the Heisman unveiling where Newton beat out 3 other, one of them was Oregon's running back LaMichael James. At 1,682 yards, James needs only 21 yards to pass Robinson for the nation's rushing title, a nice consolation prize to the Heisman. James also needs only 1 rushing TD to tie (2 to pass) Chad Spann from Northern Illinois for the nation's rushing TD leader.
Shortest Drive: Oregon - But really, who's driving to this game? I suppose a few faithful fans that want to either avoid a hefty plane ticket or just experience a country road trip with college buddies will make the trek. It's still a 20 hour drive for Duck fans, as opposed to a 27 hour jaunt from Auburn, Alabama.
Local Connections: None. Although Auburn would have had Roszell Gayden OL, Jr. New Hope. Gayden, who was part of the All-State First team in 2007, had originally committed to play for the Gophers under Brewster. He headed to Auburn as a JUCO transfer. But is once again transferring from Auburn.
Courtesy Pick: For all that's wrong with the BCS, they did get one thing right, this will be a helluva matchup. Both teams are strong on both sides of the ball and each have their strengths. Oregon is an elite rushing team and Auburn relies heavily on Newton's arm and legs. Oregon's defense is a top 15 unit and has killer DBs in John Boyett and Cliff Harris who between the 2 of them have 10 INT's. While Auburn is strong up front led by one of the top DT's in the country in Nick Fairley, who's 10.5 sacks put him in the top 10 and 2nd among DT's. Fairley will have to play better than fairly good though against Oregon's 300 yards/game rushing offense. Oregon's WR Jeff Maehl knows how to score too, with 12 receiving TD's (11th nationally). It could come down to the special teams game too. Auburn gets the edge here with their dynamic CB and KR Demond Washington who's 5th in the country with 1,025 kick return yards. Both teams, on average, score more than 42 points per game, with Oregon #1 overall in scoring at 49.3 points, so the name of the game might be to "contain" not "stop" each others superstar offenses. They both played top 20 schedules, with Auburn's slightly more difficult at 15th (Oregon 19th). The big difference between the two schedules is the lack of a conference title game. The PAC10 doesn't have one, which gives Auburn a position of already being in a Championship game atmosphere. Since someone has to win, I'll give an edge to the boys in green. Their uniforms may be ugly, but there game is far from it. 1st national title in Eugene? We'll see.
OREGON 38-35

That'll do it for the College Football Bowl picks. Regardless of tonight's outcome, I can sleep soundly tonight knowing I came out above .500 with my current 18-16 Bowl record, and a possible new motto for the Courtesy Wave: slightly better than a coin flip.

until next time,

bsv
the courtesy wave

Circle me into Cooperstown

It's about friggin' time. That was the sentiment around Minnesota early Tuesday afternoon after news that Bert Blyleven had finally been inducted into the Hall of Fame on his 14th try. Better late than never, Blyleven's hall eligibility was running out. If he didn't make it in this year, the next year was his last shot. Although the forgiving Veteran's Committee would have likely voted him in, that would have taken another 10 years or more. In fact most Veteran's Committee choices are posthumous, a bittersweet induction for the player's families. Fortunately, for Blyleven, he didn't have to wait until after the grave to get in, he even got to share it with his mother, who is still alive, and of whom brought him over to the states after Bert's birth in Holland.

Now that the debate of whether Bert is a hall of famer or not is over. I suppose there will be those naysayers that will still debate him, just now they'll change their discussion to whether he was deserving or not. Well he is deserving of this high honor and he shouldn't have waited this long to get in. It's funny how someone can only get 17% of the vote in his first year of eligibility, not throw a pitch in 14 years, and then somehow miraculously become a hall of famer. The question becomes what changed the minds of those voters?


Bert's biggest accomplishment's could not outweigh his negatives, or so it seemed. He had 287 wins, but also 250 losses, just a .534 win percentage. He had a career 3,701 strikeouts, but many we're quick to point out his 430 home runs allowed, both statistics are in the top 5. Let's compare another HOF's statistics as it relates to Blyleven's case. Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson hit 563 home runs, good for 13th. Jackson also finished with 2,597 strikeouts, of which places Jackson as the most prolific strikeout artist ever. However, most people wouldn't bring this up, or even know of it in the first place. Was it because Jackson played for the Yankees and predominantly winning ballclubs?

If Blyleven had won just 13 more games and got to that 300 mark, there's no doubt in my mind it would have taken Bert just 2 or 3 tries to get into Cooperstown, especially in the 90's voter's minds, before steroids ballooned and muddied statistics. After all, every member of the 300 win club is a hall of famer, except these 4: Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine, who have yet to claim eligibility but will all gain entrance upon eligibility (yes even steroid popper Clemens eventually). Yeah Bert had 250 losses, but you know who else had 250 or more. These guys, all Hall of Famers: Eppa Rixey (251), Don Sutton (256), Gaylord Perry (265), Phil Niekro (274), Walter Johnson (279), Nolan Ryan (292), Pud Galvin (310), Cy Young (316). These numbers essentially disappear from public knowledge after enshrinement.

Everyone remembers Bert's curveball and the ability to strikeout opponents. His 3,701 strikeouts are still good for 5th all time, only being passed up after retirement by Randy Johnson & Roger Clemens. This ultimately is the statistic that puts Bert in the hall and was the biggest headscratcher as to why he wasn't in. Of the 16 pitchers with 3,000 strikeouts or more, every Hall of Fame eligible player is in Cooperstown. The others will join them shortly: Johnson, Clemens, Maddux, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, and John Smoltz.


No one has benefited more by baseball's increasing scrutinized statistics than Bert Blyleven. In the 80's and 90's wins, losses, and ERA defined a pitchers greatness. Today, with the advent of sabermetrics, Blyleven's statistics kept looking better and better when compared among the greats. His win's above replacement (WAR), used to show how many more wins a player would give a team as opposed to a "replacement level" or minor league/bench player at that position, was a career 90.1, good for 13th all time among pitchers, that's better than the 2 strikeout kings ahead of Blyleven at his retirement Nolan Ryan (16th) and Steve Carlton (17th). And I bet it wouldn't surprise you that every pitcher above him that's eligible, is in the Hall of Fame, would it?

Yes, Bert gave up the long ball often, 430 times to be exact, 8th on the all time list. But did you know that Robin Roberts, Fergie Jenkins, Phil Niekro, Don Sutton, and Warren Spahn all gave up more? Oh and they're all hall of famers. Yeah, he gave up a lot of long balls, but he also shut down teams just as good. Blyleven's 60 shutouts are 9th all time. Blyleven had 3 or more shutouts in a season 10 times with as high as 9 in 1973, everyone above him, Hall of Famers, in fact the next 13 players below Blyleven in shutouts are also Hall of Famers. See a pattern here? In order to really appreciate this, I took a former team of Blyleven's the Texas Rangers, his shortest stint with any team, and found that from 2003 to 2010, the Rangers have 59 shutouts...as a team. That's 8 seasons, 1,296 games, and pitchers that get loads more rest than Blyleven ever did. Bert's 60 shutouts, took him 685 games.

I think there's no question that Blyleven was never a 1st ballot Hall of Famer. He didn't dominate his era like most HOF players did. His 2 all star nods, 250 losses via too many bad teams, 3 plus ERA and penchant for giving up the long ball definitely cost Blyleven. But to take 14 years to do so, had to be torture, especially when after his 9th try, Bert's Dad passed away. I may be a homer for this article, but the facts are laid out above and you can write your own arguments. But for now, Bert can forever live in peace, for he has officially been circled.

As far as the broadcaster hall of fame, I would say don't get your hopes up!

bsv
the courtesy wave

Going Bowling January 6th - 9th

The Courtesy Wave is down to the last 2 posts of previews and predictions. This one will cover the remaining games left except the final and most important game, the BCS National Championship which deserves to stand alone (despite my feelings on the BCS). The Orange and Sugar Bowls provided an offense blowout on one end and a close fought battle on the other. Leaving my predictions split down the middle as Ohio State bucked the Big Ten trend by actually winning a bowl game. So here we go again, at 16-14, the CW will try to stay above .500 on the college bowl season.

Thursday, January 6th

GODADDY.COM BOWL - Miami (OH) (9-4) vs. Middle Tennessee (6-6) 7p in Mobile
Tune in for: The commercials. You know what I'm talking about. Most people only know GoDaddy.com because they're commercials feature scantily clad women pitching...ok I already lost you. Check out Miami's WR Armand Robinson. His 90 receptions place him 10th in the nation and along with MTSU's QB Dwight Dasher (who's having a horrible senior season) are the 2 fringe NFL prospects in a meagerly talented game.
Shortest Drive: Middle Tennessee - An 8 hour drive separates Blue Raider fans from their bowl destination in Mobile. A doable and probably drive as flying probably isn't in the budget.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: On records and conference I suppose Miami stands out, but not by much. They're horrendous in the rush (96.8/game) and don't score enough points (20.5/game). They had the 107th toughest schedule in college football, but at least they have a conference championship game and ranked opponent win (same game) this year in their conquest over favored #25 Northern Illinois in the MAC title game. Middle Tennessee has to be thanking their lucky stars that they're even in a bowl game. At 6-6 and facing the 165th toughest schedule in the nation, there is no way they deserve a bowl game. 47 FCS teams finished with higher Sagarin rankings than MTSU. But the lack of other eligible teams and the Sun Belt's tie in to this game, gave the Blue Raiders an extra game. If you want to give any edge to MTSU, their biggest win came against Florida International, who did beat MAC's Toledo in the Little Caesar's Bowl. Not too mention the Sun Belt is undefeated in bowls this year with Troy beating another MAC team, Ohio, in the Little Caesar's bowl. Just can't see it happening here.
MIAMI (OH) 27-21

Friday, January 7th

COTTON BOWL - #11 LSU (10-2) vs #17 Texas A&M (9-3) 7p in Arlington, TX
Tune in for: A good ole fashioned southern brawl versus 2 storied programs, 2 top 25 defenses, and a couple 1,000 yard rushers, Stevan Ridley 1,042 (LSU) and Cyrus Gray 1,033 (TX A&M).
Shortest Drive: Texas A&M - A nice little 3.5 hour drive north from College Station will give Aggies fans a local home state advantage. LSU is not far away, but 8 hours is still more than double the drive.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: Up until their last game, the Tigers were in the discussion for the National Championship. But ultimately their hopes were dashed in the last game versus Arkansas. If LSU wants to look for support from that loss, they just need to look on the other side of the field, as the Aggies too lost to Arkansas this season. That loss was sandwiched by losses to Oklahoma State and Missouri in a 3 game losing streak that kept A&M from being a top 10 team this year. A&M won their last 6 games though, righting the ship, and beating 2 top 10 teams Oklahoma and Nebraska along the way. How LSU will respond after the long break between the tough loss to Arkansas and this game is somewhat of a mystery and harder to predict a win for them.
TEXAS A&M 32-29

Saturday, January 8th

COMPASS BOWL - Pittsburgh (7-5) vs. Kentucky (6-6) 11a in Birmingham
Tune in for: The ultimate Catfight. We will finally find out who wins in a duel between the Panthers and the Wildcats. Although each mascot is quite ambiguous, as a wild cat could literally be a cat that just roams the streets. A Panther can be ambiguous but is likely more ferocious. As far as on the field, I suppose you should check out Kentucky's QB Mike Hartline. His 3,178 yards rank 22nd. He'll have to fend off Pitt's Brandon Lindsey, who's 10 sacks were 2nd best among Big East players and 12th in the country. Kentucky also has wild-man Randall Cobb, a 3 pronged threat. Cobb who has thrown for 3 TD's, rushed for 5 TD's, and caught 7 TD's this season.
Shortest Drive: Kentucky - A 7 hour trek awaits Wildcat fans....that are dying to see their .500 team in this most prestigious of bowls.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: Pitt faced 1 ranked team this year and lost badly, to Miami (FL) 31-3. Miami went to a bowl, but finished 7-6 and nowhere near the top 25. Pitt's record isn't astonishing, but that goes for most Big East teams in a down season for the conference. The Panthers did finish out 4-2 with both losses coming against Big East 1 & 2 teams Connecticut & West Virginia. Kentucky has just a few quality wins, but they can hold something against Pitt, a win against a ranked team, and a top 10 team at the time in South Carolina. Out of their 6 losses, 5 came against bowl teams and 3 against ranked teams. Pitt actually had a tougher schedule because of the consistency of teams they faced, whereas 4 of Kentucky's wins came against Western Kentucky, Akron, Vanderbilt, and Charleston Southern. However, when it comes to conference strength, the Big East cannot hold a candle (at least this year) to the SEC.
KENTUCKY 33-26

Sunday, January 9th

FIGHT HUNGER BOWL - #15 Nevada (12-1) vs Boston College (7-5) 8p San Francisco
Tune in for: The nation's 3rd best rushing (Nevada) versus the best rushing defense (BC).
Nevada's Vaia Taua and Colin Kaepernick not only have weird names, but are one of the best 1-2 rushing combos in the country. Taua's 1,534 places him 9th, while Kaepernick's 1,184 puts him 28th. But wait, Kaepernick is Nevada's QB, who astonishly has the same number of rushing TD's as passing, 20 each. Furthermore, the game is being played in a baseball stadium, AT&T park, where the World Champion Giants play (wow that sounds odd).
Shortest Drive: Nevada - Just a 4 hour drive for the Wolfpack. A walk in the park considering the drive is shorter than the Boston College's flight.
Local Connections: Boston College - Jordan McMichael TE, Sr. Eden Prairie.
Courtesy Pick: Boston College is here because of their defense, they don't win many games by their offense, despite a 1,000 yard rusher in Montel Harris (21st in nation). A streaky team, BC won the games they we're supposed to and lost against superior competition, including a 5 game losing streak in the middle of the season to Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, NC State, Florida State, and Maryland. The Eagles finished up 5 straight wins, but against bottom ACC teams Clemson, Wake Forest, Duke, Virginia, and Syracuse. Nevada's sole loss came on the road at a place that can be distracting, Hawaii. A 6 point loss to the Warriors separates Nevada from an undefeated season so far. The Wolfpack proved their legitimacy by beating WAC juggernaut Boise State on November 26th 34-31 in OT. This game and their win against Fresno State 35-34 proved that they could win close games too. Their other 10 wins came by an average margin of 27 points.
I don't think they'll need to draw from the Boise State game in this one. It's not going to be close.
NEVADA 42-17

Well we're almost done, only the big one left to decide. Check back Sunday for the BCS National Championship Preview as Oregon takes on Auburn. Until then, take care of yourself and watch those icy steps.

bsv
the courtesy wave

Going Bowling January 3rd - 4th

New Years Day was unkind to the Big Ten, but not to the Courtesy Wave! While the Big Ten went 0-5, my picks churned out a 5-1 record on the 1st day of the year. That brings my current Bowl Picks to 15-13, respectable compared to many experts at SI and ESPN. After 6 bowls on New Years Day, the next 6 bowls will be spread out over 6 days, starting tonight with another BCS Bowl. We'll slow things down too and pick apart the next 2 games here.

Monday, January 3rd

ORANGE BOWL - #4 Stanford (11-1) vs #13 Virginia Tech (11-2) 7:30p in Miami
Tune in for: An outgoing coach, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh and a lot of Luck, Andrew Luck, Stanford's QB that is. Two of the hottest names in football, Harbaugh and Luck are both likely to take their talents to the NFL, as several teams including the 49ers, Browns, and Broncos would love to have Harbaugh coach them. But so would his alma mater, Michigan. Either way, he's done at Stanford for the sole reason that he's going to earn a ton of Benjamins somewhere else next season. Andrew Luck was the runner up in the Heisman this year and is considered to be one of the 1st Quarterbacks taken in this years NFL draft. Luck has been considering staying though, and this game could have big implications on what Luck ultimately decides to do.
Shortest Drive: Virginia Tech. But the Hokies fans still have a 15 hour drive. However, with no major airports nearby, its a likely trek for many.
Local Connections: Virginia Tech - Collin Carroll LS, Jr. Hopkins. Stanford - AJ Tarpley LB, Fr. Plymouth; Conor McFadden OL, Fr. West St. Paul.
Courtesy Pick: Virginia Tech has 2 losses on the season, one to Boise State to start the year. Boise State went on to finish 12-1 and finish in the top 10. The other loss is the sour note for the Hokies, since it wasn't even to an FBS team. James Madison came into Blacksburg and shocked the world by winning. The Dukes went on to finish a measley 6-5, only making matters worse for Virginia Tech. However, the Hokies have rebounded from their opening losses, winning their remaining games and returning to a BCS bowl after nearly all hope was lost 2 weeks in. Stanford's lone loss came on the road against Oregon, who is undefeated and in the Championship game, so the Cardinal faithful can't be ashamed of really anything yet this year. With over 3,000 yards and a 70% completion percentage, Luck is as solid as they come and it'll take a solid effort to beat the resurgent Hokies.
STANFORD 30-26

Tuesday, January 4th

SUGAR BOWL - #6 Ohio State (11-1) vs. #8 Arkansas (11-2) 7:30p in New Orleans
Tune in for: Terrell Pryor (OSU) versus Ryan Mallet (ARK). These 2 gunslingers should provide enough entertainment, let alone the game itself and the fact that besides the Rose Bowl and Championship game, the Sugar Bowl is the only other bowl featuring two top 10 teams. Pryor isn't even in the top 50 in passing yards in the country, but he has 25 passing TD's (20th) and 636 yards rushing (12th among QB's). Mallett, however, has the stats to back up his prowess. His 3,592 yards are good for 11th and his 30 TD's are 7th in the country.
Shortest Drive: Arkansas. Hold on Hogs fans, just because their a border state, Arkansas' drive from Fayetteville is still 11 hours. Just 4 hours shorter than Ohio State. Not as close as one might think.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: Ohio State has to be feeling the pressure after the Big Ten collapse on New Years Day. The entire conference will be pulling for the Buckeyes to represent them with a win to save face, although the embarrassment is too large that a win won't do a whole lot. On the field, their lone loss came on the road against Rose Bowl loser Wisconsin. The Buckeyes don't have a big signature win though, holding their wins against Miami (7-6) and Iowa (8-5) as the biggest on the year. Arkansas, on the other hand, faced stiff competition all year with 8 games coming against eventual bowl teams. The Razorbacks two losses came against then #1 Alabama and Championship Game and undefeated Auburn. Gutty wins the last 2 games against ranked teams Mississippi State and LSU showed everyone that Arkansas can play with anyone. They have a tough task, going against a defense allowing the 3rd least points in the country at 13.3/game.
ARKANSAS 37-31

That's it for now. Good luck & happy viewing!

bsv
the courtesy wave

Going Bowling: New Years Day

Welcome to 2011! Happy New Year to you and congratulations on making it another year. If your a college football fan, today is the perfect day to sit back, eat, drink and be merry because some of the best football will be seen today. The Courtesy Wave has been providing you with what to tune in to and predicting along the way. Here's the New Year's Day Bowl lineup!

TICKET CITY BOWL - Northwestern (7-5) vs Texas Tech (7-5) 11a in Dallas
Tune in for: Because it's the 1st game of 2011!
Shortest Drive: Texas Tech. A 6 hour drive through the plains of Texas. Not bad when you consider the 17 hour drive from Evanston.
Local Connections: Northwestern - Luke Reppe LB, Fr. from Northfield; Bryce McNaul LB, Jr. out of Eden Prairie; Brian Arnfeldt DT, Soph. from Lake Elmo.
Courtesy Pick: Northwestern started the season 5-0, but a quick look at their schedule shows why. Beating Vanderbilt, Illinois State, Rice, Central Michigan and Minnesota is not exactly amazing. Finishing the season 2-5 with squeaker wins against Indiana & Iowa, the Wildcats are a bowl team, but not impressive. The Red Raiders had a much tougher schedule, but with mixed results. Beating #12 Missouri, but losing badly to Iowa State (5-7). Texas Tech has super QB Taylor Potts, his 3,357 yards and 31 TD's are good for 10th and 6th in the nation respectively.
TEXAS TECH 42-25

OUTBACK BOWL - Florida (7-5) vs Penn State (7-5) Noon in Tampa
Tune in for: Two storied programs with historic coaches. It's Urban Meyer's swan song at 46, while Joe Paterno keeps chugging along at the rightful age of 84.
Shortest Drive: Florida - A 2 hour drive down I-75 is all that it takes for Florida, who will own a sudo-home advantage against far away Penn State.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: Penn State was the model of mediocrity this year. They started out with high hopes, but could not rise up and win the big one, settling for wins against middle of the road competition. Their biggest wins come against Temple (8-4) and Michigan (7-5). Florida, on the other hand, faced tough competition all year long and is likely more deserving of their 7 wins. 10 of their 12 games were against teams that went to bowl games this year. The Gators also lack that signature win against a ranked opponent, but they do hold slightly better wins against tougher competition.
FLORIDA 29-25

CAPITAL ONE BOWL - #9 Michigan State (11-1) vs #16 Alabama (9-3)Noon Orlando
Tune in for: The Saban Bowl. Former Michigan State head coach Nick Saban returns to face his old team as captain of Alabama. There is a ton of bitterness on the Spartans side for how Saban left and the subsequent fall of the program. Well now the Spartans are back and better than ever, while Alabama is coming into the game on more of a disappointing season.
Shortest Drive: Alabama - Neither team is really close, but a 10 hour drive is somewhat doable for Crimson Tide fans.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: Playing on New Years day was definitely a goal for Michigan State, but they would have rather been in Pasadena playing in the Rose Bowl, where Wisconsin is today. But they'll settle for the Capital One Bowl, despite finishing 9th in the BCS standings. The Spartans will look back to October 30th at Iowa for the reason why their not smelling roses today. A 37-6 trouncing at the hands of Iowa is all that the Spartans can hang their head on. Alabama was 5-0 and #1 in all of college football when they went to South Carolina on October 9th and got steamrolled 35-21. Not out of it, the Tide came back with consecutive wins against Ole Miss & Tennessee, but heartbreaking losses to #10 LSU (24-21) and #2 Auburn (28-27), pushed Alabama out of the BCS and into today's Capital One Bowl. Which team will have the motivation to finish the season strong and avenge their upsetting losses?
MICHIGAN STATE 35-31

GATOR BOWL - #21 Mississippi State (8-4) vs Michigan (7-5) 12:30p in Jacksonville
Tune in for: The freak show that is Michigan's QB Denard Robinson, who's rushed for over 100 yards in 8 games this season, while passing for over 200 in 6. He's got almost as many rushing TD's as passing TD's 16 to 14. But he'll be facing a top 20 defense in Mississippi State, so we'll get to see how good Robinson really is.
Shortest Drive: Mississippi State. The drive from tiny Starkville to metropolis Jacksonville is about 10 hours, a shorter but still wearing trip that Michigan fans, who aren't getting any home field advantages. (see above game) But then again, who wants to stay in Michigan in January?
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: Like their Big Ten counterpart Northwestern, Michigan started out 5-0 on the season too. But unlike Northwestern, the Wolverines faced decent competition, beating Connecticut and Notre Dame to start the season. In finishing the season 2-5, we all saw that Michigan was not as elite as their start would suggest. Losing every significant game there on out, and barely beating Illinois is triple OT. Their 4 losses to ranked teams this year were never closer than 10 points. Mississippi state also had 4 losses to ranked teams, however that was all of their losses. They won every game they were favored in and even tripped up #22 Florida in Gainesville on October 6th. A double OT loss to #13 Arkansas on November 20th was also a heartbreaker but a sign that the Bulldogs can hang with the best.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 34-27

ROSE BOWL - #3 Texas Christian (12-0) vs #5 Wisconsin (11-1) 3:30p in Pasadena
Tune in for: It's the Rose Bowl! There really shouldn't be much else to say, this is a game you watch regardless of who's in it. But if you need fodder, then you're in luck because the best team not in the championship game, TCU, is in this one. And likely the next best, Wisconsin. This could be a game not unlike the Fiesta Bowl a few years back where Boise State got their chance and cemented their legacy against power conference elite Oklahoma. This is TCU's golden opportunity to do the same and show everyone why they got burned for the championship because of conference status.
Shortest Drive: TCU. But let's be honest, you're flying to Pasadena from both locales, unless you're a die hard Horned Frogs fan and you want to take in the 22 hour trip through the dessert.
Local Connections: TCU - Justin Trejo G, Soph. Saint Paul. Wisconsin - Isaac Anderson WR, Sr. Minneapolis; Blake Sorensen LB, Sr. Eden Prairie; Nate Tice QB, Jr. Edina; James McGuire C, Fr. Saint Paul; Casey Dehn OL, Fr. Owatonna; David Gilreath WR, Sr. Minneapolis; Beau Allen DT, Fr. Minnetonka; Brendan Kelly DT, Soph. Eden Prairie; and you wonder why Minnesota has a tough time beating Wisconsin?!
Courtesy Pick: Despite the high rankings for each team, the reason why people will question the validity of either team's win against the winner of Auburn and Oregon will be their strength of schedule. At 71 (Wisconsin) and 80 (TCU), both teams have benefited from softer schedules. Whereas Auburn and Oregon have faced the 15th and 19th toughest schedules respectively. However, you can't always fault the team for that and in TCU's case, they have made it pretty clear who's the better team by utterly destroying their competition winning by a remarkable 31 points per game. Yes, I said winning, that's the margin of victory, again worth repeating, remarkable. They won't win by that much today if they do notch an undefeated season. Wisconsin on the other hand has to feel pretty lucky that their in Pasadena and not in Michigan State's shoes in the Capital Bowl. The Badgers and Spartans each only have 1 loss and the Wisconsin's loss comes at the hands of Michigan State in East Lansing on Oct. 2nd. Albeit not fair to many, that loss looks a lot better than the Spartans loss at Iowa (37-6). Like TCU, Wisconsin too scores at will, in fact, each team is tied for 4th in the country with 43.3 points per game. But the difference may come in the defense where TCU is just as good if not better. The Horned Frogs are #1 in points allowed at a measley 11.4, about half of what Wisconsin gives up (20.5). They'll have to slow down an offense that moves the ball on the ground an average of 247 yards/game. If they do that, the Badgers don't have the aerial weapons to overcome.
TCU 41-21

FIESTA BOWL - #7 Oklahoma (11-2) vs Connecticut (8-4) 7:30p in Glendale, AZ
Tune in for: The only unranked BCS team ever. Are you kidding me? You think fans at Michigan State or Boise State are fans of the BCS? It's an utter joke that UCONN is in this game, and that's not a stab at the Huskies, its a knife into the heart of the BCS. Controversy aside, this game features some highly talented individuals. Connecticut's Jordan Todman is 6th in the nation in rushing at 1,574 yards, while Oklahoma has DeMarco Murray and his 1,121 yards (33rd). This game will also feature one of the best QB/WR combos in the country in Landry Jones, 4,289 yards passing, 2nd best in nation, and Ryan Broyles 1,452 yards receiving, good for 4th.
Shortest Drive: Oklahoma - A 16 hour drive awaits the flight fearful Sooner fans. Anyone driving from Connecticut needs to stop in at the doctor's office and check their sanity.
Local Connections: None
Courtesy Pick: The contrast in styles on offense for these 2 teams is as far apart as the distance between Storrs, CT and Norman, OK. The Huskies will look to run and rely on Todman all day, because they are near last in passing at only 145 yards/game. Oklahoma will be airborn, but unlike Connecticut, they do have Murray as a weapon on the ground to keep Connecticut's defense puzzled. The Sooners had the 8th toughest schedule in the country, the Huskies had the 78th. There's never a good time to overlook a team, but the Sooners will need the motivation of avoiding an upset and looking bad, rather than winning against a good team. The Huskies will try to prove that they belong in this game by pulling off a monumental upset. It's hard to predict that though when Connecticut's only ranked opponent this season will be the Sooners today. However, they did win their last 5 against teams that all finished with winning records.
OKLAHOMA 36-27