All that said, you should still get up and go to work, school, dance, fishing, hunting, or whatever it is you do on a Monday. Why? Because maybe it's not THAT bad. There has been a lot of negative lately, but that loop needs to change, even if we don't see it in the newspaper.
Let's work backwards. Yeah the Gophers big 3 revenue sports were dreadful, but the Gophers Football team beat Iowa at the end of last year. Iowa had 6 players drafted in last week's NFL draft. The Gophers had none, and while you can get down on the team for the latter, you can point out that the team finished with heart. And with a new coach and new QB, how can you not be at least a little optimistic about the Gophers. Plus they have beautiful TCF Bank Stadium, a fan treat. I'm not a huge hockey mind, but the fellas at the Daily Gopher do a great job and have provided some reason for optimism next year. Read about it here. The basketball team had an epic collapse after a brilliant start. The Gophers will lose most of the starting line-up, but the one man they needed to come back, Trevor Mbakwe recently stated he'll be back for his senior season. Mbakwe has NBA talent, no doubt, but you gotta think he doesn't want to end his collegiate career that way. And with Tubby Smith still able to reel in high-grade talent, don't count out the Gophers b-ball team as competitive again next year.
The Wild, in the self proclaimed, "state of hockey" left Minnesotans out of the playoffs for the 3rd straight year. Because of this, the Wild fired head coach Todd Richards. Like the Vikings and Gophers Football, Wild fans can find optimism in a new coach and a fresh start. They recently sent 7 players to the World Championships, so this team definitely has a lot of talent. Also, like Gophers football, the Wild has one of the best home arenas in the nation. The Excel is truly a treasure.
Ah the Timberwolves. I know what you're thinking, this is going to be tough. I could take the easy way out and highlight Kevin Love's amazing season and Most Improved Player Award. Yes, that is remarkable. But then again, the Timberwolves had more rebounds then they should have because they missed A LOT of shots. The reason for optimism lies in the Timberwolves having the best shot at the #1 overrall pick. While this has never happened, you can't deny the fact that this is the best chance they'll have. While there's no LeBron James or Kobe Bryant in this draft, that's unrealistic to think about anyways. The Wolves can support their Love-Beasley combo with playmakers like Derrick Williams, Kemba Walker, and Kyrie Irving. Look at the Memphis Grizzlies, they were just like the 2007-2011 Timberwolves not too long ago. How did they go from laughing stock to beating the Spurs in round 1 this year? Part of the reason is they stockpiled first round picks from years of futility. Mike Conley, OJ Mayo, Marc Gasol, and Rudy Gay. All top 10 picks, a pretty nucleus there.
The Vikings have now wiped themselves clean of the Brett Favre experiment. An endeavour that we all know should have ended with only 1 year. The Vikes finished 6-10 and tied for last in the NFC North. Because a ton of other teams were just as bad, the Vikings only got the 12th pick for their miserable season. With that 12th pick they got a QB ranked around 45th overrall in a lot of expert minds. Kevin Seifert, a blogger for ESPN, and former beat writer for the Vikings wrote a great article the other day on why the Vikings had no choice but to choose Ponder because, among other things, he was the best quarterback available. He argues that they only had one choice. Check it out here. The last time the Vikings put the faith of a 1st round QB to lead the team to glory, was 1999 when they chose Daunte Culpepper at #11. A pick that despite the decline in later years, actually proved pretty worthwile in the end.
The Twins are the worst team in Major League Baseball. Give that a moment to sink in. You can slap or pinch yourself all you want, but the fact is its May 1st, and the only team in baseball that has yet to reach double digits in wins is the Minnesota Twins. The Twins have the 9th highest payroll, a future hall of famer (Thome), 2 MVPs (Mauer & Morneau), two 15 game winners (Pavano & Baker), and 2 closers in the top 105 of all time (Nathan & Capps). Yet with all this talent, the team has collectively failed. There are the obvious injury reasons. The DL has been visited by Mauer, Nishioka, Young, and Slowey. Nathan & Morneau have played but are still coming back from devastating injuries. But when the team is healthy, there isn't much left for excuses. Here's why you shouldn't give up on this team yet. Jason Kubel. If All-stars were picked today, Kubel would be the lone Twins rep. He's batting .351 with 9 doubles, 2 home runs, 10 RBI and a .511 SLG %. Yeah that doesn't set the world on fire, but last year he hit .249 and had 116 strikeouts. This could be a bounce back career year for #16. Jim Thome. Ok if all else fails and this turns out to be a "rebuilding year" (I just can't believe I wrote that). Then we still have Thome's pursuit of history to join the 600 home run club. Only 7 players have done it, it's about as elite as it gets. If you catch yourself at the game when he cracks #600, consider it one of the highlights of your life. Target Field. C'mon Twins fans and Minnesotans, do you understand how lucky we are to have Target Field? Going from the Metrodome to Target Field is like replacing your 13" black & white TV with a 62" 3D/HD TV. The Twins have always had great fan support, consider Target Field as the gift that'll keep on giving for generations to come. The teams will change, some will win and some will lose, but Target Field is here to stay and we are so lucky to have it. Finally, the Twins may be 9-18, but that doesn't mean the season is over. The 1914 Boston Braves were 9-22 to start the season. How did they end up? They won the World Series. It can happen, keep the faith.
Oh and as for the weather, I'll take rain and cold over earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes ANY day. Maybe we are more lucky than you thought.
Until next time, remember you've got 1 week 'till Mother's Day.
Brock
TCW
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