12/30/2004 10:21:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Earlier this week, the Star-Tribune named Lindsey Whalen the Minnesota Sportsperson of the year. This is a decision that the Stick and Ball Guy endorses enthusiastically. Yes, Our Guy was fabulous and won the Cy Young Award (and with a unanimous vote). Yes, Daunte Culpepper may have had the best season by a Vikings quarterback, ever. But, neither of these guys took a team that was nowhere and dragged them into the public consciousness. And that only partially describes what Whalen has done. To say that Minnesota Gopher Women's basketball (pre Whalen) wasn't exactly on the front burner of the local sports scene is an understatement of the highest order. When Whalen was a freshman, the Gophers went 8-20 (actually, they had worse seasons than that). By the time she left as a senior, the Gophers made the Final Four and gave perennial power Connecticut a run in the national semifinal. Along the way, Minnesota fans fell in love with a team that averaged just 1,000 fans a game in Whalen's freshman season. The Whalen phenomenon reminded me of my days in North Dakota. I remember distinctly the first time I saw a girl play basketball, I mean really play. In the fall of 1982, I saw Pat Smykowski, then 15, play a high school game in which she destroyed the SBG's hometown team. Wow, could Smykowski play. She could shoot, run the floor, handle the ball, and pass. I had never seen anything like her. She went on to play at North Dakota State after winning Miss Basketball North Dakota. She brought her game of athleticism, grace and talent to NDSU. I was always amazed at her play. The women's program at NDSU was very good and entertaining for a very long time. And people noticed. The men and women played on the same nights -- and people came to watch both games. Eventually, the rivalry games between NDSU and UND were played on separate nights -- and the women's game often outdrew the men's game. SBG recognizes that women's college basketball can be quite entertaining and fun to watch. I actually had a chance to play a pickup game against Smykowski at NDSU. She was already done as a varsity player, and she brought a bunch of younger women's players to take on a group of college guys to get some competition. SBG played against varsity men players at NDSU as well in pickup games, as well as numerous varsity athletes. But, for one day, I played against a group of women's players. When I was on the court with Smykowski, I gained more respect for her game. She was more than capable of playing with us. I was very impressed with her quickness. I'm sure that Whalen is a far superior player to Pat Smykowski. But, it was Smykowski who first showed me that women's basketball is actually a pretty good game and that the players are much better than most men would realize. What Whalen showed Minnesotans this year, SBG saw over twenty years ago in a small high school gym in North Dakota. |W|P|110446892775356531|W|P|Pioneer|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/28/2004 07:09:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Stick and Ball Guy has a lot to write about -- the Twins, the ViQueens not yet in the playoffs (could it be that they'll miss out??), Shaq-Fu (and the unstoppable Miami Heat), and the T-Wolves (hey Troy Hudson, keep it real). Also there is the big Twins bloggers (and fans) get together on January 2nd. Plenty of things. However, SBG has been celebrating the holidays and last night he went to see the Aviator. So, no new column this morning other than this short ramble. Tonight, however, SBG will (hopefully) return with a story about college pickup basketball games. |W|P|110423997162190287|W|P|Christmas Hangover|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/24/2004 01:18:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Stick and Ball Guy wishes you a Merry Christmas and/or a Happy New Year. I hope 2005 brings all of you many good experiences.|W|P|110391237437788255|W|P|Merry Christmas|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/24/2004 01:19:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|I am further refining the look of my website. You might notice that it now has 3 columns and occupies your entire screen. The center column has a dynamic width. If you are seeing any problems, drop me a line. When I am done, I will be able to have more content more easily visible right on top of the page. Right now, it may look like a mess. |W|P|110386933983227334|W|P|Another New Look|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/28/2004 07:50:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Butch|W|P|Not bad! Like the new look, but there was nothing wrong with the last one either!Hopwe you had a good Christmas, and did you hear that the "Stones" are recording a new album for 2005???Can't get any better then that!12/23/2004 09:26:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
Happy Festivus, one and all.

|W|P|110377259987500562|W|P|Happy Festivus|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/21/2004 10:00:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|The Twins either signed contracts or offered arbitration to all seven players who were eligible for arbitration (but not free agency). Thus, all seven players will be back with the Twins (barring future trades). Obviously, some of these moves are good moves (for instance, the Twins decided to bring back Johan Santana). Some of them, however, leave SBG scratching his head. I'm sure you've probably heard that the Twins have signed both Jacque Jones and Luis Rivas(!) to one-year deals. Imagine it. The Twins have given Rivas $1.625 million to play second base next year. I can barely tolerate that. Some people are all excited about the Jones signing. They like his smile. Whoop-de-damn-doo. It's not that Jones is a bad player. On the contrary, Jones has some real skills. He had a pretty crappy year last year, but he can hit for power (24 home runs last year), even though he is pathetic against left handed pitching and has no plate discipline. He can cover some ground in the outfield. He has a decent arm, even though he often sabotoges his arm strength with a poor release point that results in three hop throws to the infield. Jones is a good player. However, the Twins are chock full of good outfielders. They have Shannon Stewart under contract through 2006. They have Torii Hunter (who whined in the Strib for a second consecutive off-season about roster changes, uh Torii, did you miss Eric Milton last year?). Hunter is also under contract through 2006. They also have Lew Ford. Remember him? And now they have Jones again, this time for $5 million. Four starters, three positions. Meanwhile they have unproven players at shortstop and third base. And now, they have retained Luis Rivas, who has proven he can't play, at second base. Let's try a thought experiment. Suppose the Twins decided that Ford could hold down the right field job. Suppose further that the Twins decided to put Michael Cuddyer at second base. They could have gone after Joe Randa to play third (he's now signed with Cincinnati) or maybe they could have given Corey Koskie a little more money to play third. The Twins would have a more balanced team and would be spreading their resources out to cover as much of the lineup and field as possible. Instead, it's Jones for a crowded outfield (thereby ensuring that Ford will be the odd man out) and Rivas. How bad is Rivas? Well, he had an execrable .715 OPS, 11th out of 15 second baseman with at least 350 plate appearances in the American League. His OBP (.283) was 116th out of 120 players in the AL with at least 350 plate appearances (former Twin Henry Blanco was dead last, Henry, we won't miss you). How about his defense? He didn't qualify for statistical leads in 2004 (so I don't know his position), nor did he qualify in 2002. He did in 2003 and 2001. In those years, he had the worst range factor and zone rating among second basemen in the American League. So, we've established that he can't hit a lick and he can't play defense. And, he hasn't shown much improvement. His .715 OPS is a career high but just .020 above his career OPS, and his .283 OPS is a career low (he did hit 10 home runs to amass a semi-respectable .432 slugging percentage). Instead of parting ways, the Twins have signalled that they will run him out there at 2B again. I can't believe it. In short, I am very disappointed with these developments. I am still hopeful that the Twins will trade Jones for a decent infielder. I am at a loss to explain the Rivas signing. And one more thing. Stick and Ball Guy does not care if the Twins have 20 new players on the roster next year. I just want to see a good competitive team. Most of the players on this team are expendable (Santana, Radke, Li'l Harmon and Mauer being exceptions). I am more interested in seeing winning baseball than seeing Jones or Eddie Guardado wearing a Twins uniform. Think about this. Oakland lost Jason Giambi. Yes, he's turned out to be a steroid user as well as a major disappointment in New York (yes!). Think about when he left the A's. He was an MVP and one of the most feared hitters in the league. The A's shrugged that loss off, went out and won over 100 games and made the playoffs. Then, they lost Miguel Tejada a league MVP. They responded by remaining competitive right down to the end of the season. This off season, they have lost Mark Mulder and Tim Hudson. I wouldn't bet against them next year. Even if they lose next year, they will be back again soon. The A's have lost more talent in those four players than the Twins have lost in free agency in, well, forever (Hudson and Mulder were traded). And they still win. And if I was an A's fan (and I hate the A's, thank you very much), I'd be placing all my trust in Billy Beane, and I wouldn't bemoan the loss of these guys. Yet, Twins fans were gnashing their teeth over the prospect of losing Jacque Jones. I don't get it. Incidentally, there is another column in there about Oakland. I won't be writing that tonight, but hopefully I will soon. And SBG will be playing close attention to the A's in 2005. Other Thoughts
  • I don't know if a playoff berth or lack thereof will impact Mike Tice's position as head coach of the Vikings. I believe it when I hear that Tice will be back next year at his miniscule salary.
  • The Wolves got clobbered again tonight. I, for one, think that the NBA should institute a minimum age of 21 for the league. That way they wouldn't have had to face LeBron James who was singularly brilliant again tonight. (I think an age minimum is a ridiculous idea. What the NBA needs to do is establish their minor league.)
  • I saw about 2 minutes of college basketball tonight. At one time, SBG was a big college basketball fan. No more. But, what I did see brought back old memories, when college teams actually had future NBA players on them. Iowa was playing Texas Tech, pitting Iowa coach Steve Alford against Bobby Knight. Those guys are a link back to the time when college basketball was exciting to SBG.
  • It was damned cold in Minnesota today. I miss summer, especially since hasn't been here in a year and a half.
  • I was glad to see that the Yankees didn't get Randy Johnson (at least not yet). Think about how different being a Yankee fan is from being a Twins fan. We are speculating about Koskie and Jones. They have added Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright (!?), are lusting after Randy Johnson and are willing to pay Carlos Beltran whatever he wants. They are going to have a payroll over $200 million. I'm sorry, but that's so much that it isn't even fun anymore.
  • The AP has pulled its poll from the BCS next year. Yep, that college football bowl system is a great idea. No need for a playoff.
Note: I see that I have a few adjustments to make to my template. Will try to iron those out. |W|P|110369183923666818|W|P|Twins Keep Everyone|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/20/2004 08:57:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|With two weeks to go in the regular season, the Vikings are 8-6 and tied with the Green Bay Packers. If you read my column last week, you already knew what everyone is now telling you, namely, that because the Vikings beat Detroit and Green Bay lost to Jacksonville, the winner of this Friday�s game will be champions of the NFC North. Now, it�s time to assess the Vikings� chance of winning a wild card berth. First, some preliminary matters. If the Vikings beat the Packers and Washington or if they lose to Washington and Seattle loses to either Arizona or Atlanta (both games will be played in Seattle), they will win the NFC North and be the number three seed in the NFC. This means that they will host a first round game against the number six seed. Any second round game would be against Atlanta. If the Vikings should beat the Packers but lose to Washington and Seattle won both of their games, they would be the fourth seed, host a first round playoff game and would play either the Eagles if Seattle won their playoff game or Atlanta if Seattle lost their playoff game. Should the Vikings lose to the Packers and beat Washington, they would be the fifth seed and would travel to the winner of the NFC West, either St. Louis or Seattle. The big question is what would the Vikings do if they lose their two remaining games? Currently, there are four teams (besides Philly, Atlanta and Green Bay) who could end up 8-8 or better and need to be considered besides the Vikings to determine whether the Vikings could make the playoffs with two losses. These teams are Carolina, New Orleans, Seattle, and St. Louis. Seattle is 7-7, the other three are 6-8. Seattle and St. Louis are in the same division, so at least one of these team will be in the playoffs. Carolina and New Orleans play each other, so one of these teams will be no better than 7-9. Thus, there are only six scenarios to consider. Scenario #1: Seattle, St. Louis, and Carolina win out. Seattle would be 9-7 and would win the West. The Rams, Carolina, and the Vikings would be 8-8. Two of these three teams would be in the playoffs. The first relevant tie breaker is conference record. The Vikings, with their 5-7 conference record, would be out. Scenario #2: Seattle, St. Louis and New Orleans win out. Seattle would be 9-7 and would win the West. The Rams, New Orleans, and the Vikings would be 8-8. Again, the Vikings would be out with their 5-7 conference record. Scenario #3: Seattle splits their games, and St. Louis and Carolina win out. St. Louis would win the West, and Seattle would get the fifth seed by virtue of their sweep of Minnesota and Carolina. Minnesota would be out, based on their 5-7 conference record. Scenario #4: Seattle splits their games, and St. Louis and New Orleans win out. St. Louis would win the West, and Minnesota would be out, based on their 5-7 conference record. Scenario #5: Seattle and St. Louis win out, but neither New Orleans nor Carolina win out. Seattle wins the West, St. Louis wins the fifth seed based on their better conference record, and the Vikings are the sixth seed and would play at Green Bay. Scenario #6: Seattle splits and St. Louis win out, but neither New Orleans nor Carolina win out. St. Louis wins the West and Seattle wins the fifth seed based on their defeat of the Vikings, and the Vikings are the sixth seed and would play at Green Bay. There you have it. You may have heard that the Vikings don�t win all of the tiebreakers. The fact is, they don�t win any tie breakers. In summary, here is a rundown of all the scenarios that keep the Vikings out of the playoffs. The Vikings must lose both games, AND Seattle must win at least one game, AND St. Louis must win both of their games AND either New Orleans or Carolina must win both of their games. The Vikings play Green Bay and Washington. Seattle plays Arizona and Atlanta. St. Louis plays Philadelphia and the NY Jets. Carolina plays at Tampa Bay and New Orleans. New Orleans plays Atlanta and at Carolina. Because Philly and Atlanta have nothing to play for, they might not be all that motivated to play in the last two weeks. The Jets might not have anything to play for the last week of the season, either. I think it�s quite possible that the Vikings could miss the playoffs, especially since they have not been playing well by any stretch of the imagination. However, if the Vikings should happen to get hot, the NFC is wide open, especially with the injury to Terrell Owens. Being a longtime Vikings fan, however, I know that the Vikings will, at some point, choke.
God and the NFL
A number of local churches have complained about the timing of the December 24th game between the Vikings and Green Bay. The game is scheduled for 2:00PM and some ministers have complained that it will interfere with their church services. Oh, please. First of all, almost every church in the country has more than one Christmas service. If the game is on during one service, people will go to another. I will either be watching the game or travelling. I will not be going to church at that time. I will, however, be going later. Second, if churches are actually worried that people will skip Christmas services all together, it is unlikely that the reason is not because of a stupid football game. It will be because they choose not to go. Period. I personally think that this is all part of a frightening trend in this country. For example, some "religious" groups are talking about boycotting businesses that say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." How ridiculous! Apparently, these type of people believe that people are allowed to practice religion freely, unless of course, it differs with their own. Most Jews and Muslims do not celebrate Christmas. Jews, for one, (I don't know about Muslims) celebrate a different holiday. I guess we can't wish them a "Happy Holiday," only "Merry Christmas." This is pretty outrageous. I don't see much of a difference between this and complaining about the time of a football game (I admit that there is some difference). My advice to these people is to find something else to complain about. |W|P|110359861142030768|W|P|Vikings Playoff Scenarios|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/21/2004 06:09:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Hey SBG... you haven't added me to your links yet, what gives??

'Twins Killings'

http://twins.mostvaluablenetwork.com

Andy W.12/21/2004 06:35:00 PM|W|P|Blogger SBG|W|P|Dude, you haven't been stopping by lately. Look at my links. You are there. I added you a while ago and gave you a shout out on my page. I also specifically asked my readers to check out your site.

SBG12/18/2004 04:09:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Like so many others, this offseason hasn't provided a lot of reasons to cheer. With the exception of the arbitration deadline signing of Brad Radke, not a lot of good has happened. The Twins have lost Corey Koskie, Cristian Guzman, and Henry Blanco to free agency. They have signed a back up catcher in Mike Redmond, but have not been even remotely interested in any free agents of value. The Twins remain committed to a payroll of around $55 million, which will likely mean that they will non-tender Jacque Jones, losing him as well. While teams like Seattle are out spending big dollars for players ($65 million to Adrian Beltre, $50 million to Richie Sexson), the Twins can't come up with more than $8.5 million for Koskie. The question is, then, as Big Henk put it to me, why should a Twins fan be excited about 2005? I can think of a number of reasons. 1. The Twins are in the AL Central. They don't have to be better than the Yankees or the Red Sox or the Angels, or the A's. To make the playoffs, the Twins just need to be better than the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Indians, and Chicago White Sox. While Detroit signed Twins killer Troy Percival, no other team has done a damned thing. The bar is not too high. Of course, I have argued in the past that this is not "exciting". I'd rather be competitive in a good division rather than beat up the dregs, even if it means not winning every year. Put the Twins in the NL Central and I'd be a lot happier. Nevertheless, the Twins are the favorites to win the AL Central in 2005. 2. The Twins signed Brad Radke. When it happened, I was ecstatic, and I am still very happy about it, even though they've lost some other players. He was absolutely the number one priority. No question. Let's face it. Who would you rather have, Radke or Koskie? I'm taking Radke, and it's not close. Here's another question. Who would you rather have, Radke or Koskie and Guzman. Again, for me it's Radke. Jones and Koskie would together make more than Radke (about $12 million to $9 million). Jones is imminently replaceable (HELLO, LEW FORD). And Koskie can be replaced, too (HELLO, MICHAEL CUDDYER). In my opinion, if the Twins were going to raise their payroll to $70 million, I'd still jettison Koskie and Jones and I'd make a run at a big time player, like say, Beltre. I see no reason to pay replaceable players a lot of money. The Twins might as well stay at $55 million as opposed to paying Jones and Koskie more. Another nice thing about the Radke contract is that it is just for two years. A lot of inferior pitchers to Radke have gotten 3 year deals in the $24 million range. Excuse me for laughing about that Kris Benson deal the Mets signed. Kris Benson, $22.5 million? In that environment, Radke at 2 years and $18 million is a steal! I ran into Stan the Man about a week ago and he asked me why I was so excited about the Radke deal (naturally, he was focused on the Cardinals' signing of Matt Morris at $2.5 million -- plus up to $4.5 million more in bonuses). Yes, that Matt Morris contract is a good one, but Radke is far more important to the Twins than Matt Morris is to the Cardinals. The Cardinals are probably glad to have Morris back. The Twins needed Radke. 3. I trust Terry Ryan. A lot of Twins fans were wringing their hands last off season, when the Twins parted ways with Eric Milton, LaTroy Hawkins, Eddie Guardado, and A.J. Pierzynski. One year later, how do you feel about these moves? I'll tell you how I feel. Terry Ryan had the best off season last year of any general manager. Guardado got hurt, Hawkins exploded in Chicago, and Pierzynski got non-tendered in San Francisco after a disastrous season, in which he had his worst season at the plate, was roundly criticized for his work ethic, and pissed off just about everybody on the team. Milton won a lot of games, but was lucky, because he got great run support. The Phillies did not offer him arbitration, letting him go. The Twins plugged in Joe Nathan, Carlos Silva, and Juan Rincon and never missed a beat. And had Joe Mauer not had an injury plagued season, the loss of Pierzynski (who was converted into Nathan and two very good prospects) wouldn't have been a loss at all. Since, A.J. has now been outed as a lazy pain in the ass, it was clearly addition by subtraction. It's easy to say that the Twins have lost their starting catcher, third baseman, shortstop, and probably their left fielder (and maybe -- hopefully -- their starting second baseman) and say that they won't be as good as last year. I'm not buying it, because I believe that Terry Ryan will plug in the holes. 4. The Twins have a very good pitching staff. The Twins had the lowest ERA in the AL last year, and everyone of those pitchers will be back. More importantly, they have excellent talent at key positions on the staff. They have a bona fide ace in unanimous Cy Young Award winner, Our Guy Johan Santana. While he may not ever again pitch like he did in the second half of 2004, he could have a similar year overall. Remember, on June 1, 2004, Santana was 2-3 with a 5.61 ERA. If he has a decent first half, he most certainly can approximate his 20-6, 2.61 season. They've got a bona fide number two in Radke. Stan the Man was busting my chops, but he settled down when I reminded him that Radke was in the top five in ERA in the American League last year. Here's some other numbers on Radke. Surprisingly, he was 19th in the league in K/9 innings. He was fourth in OPS against. He was third in OBP and WHIP against (behind Santana and Schilling). He was third in K/BB. Santana has electric stuff, but Radke can pitch. And those two guys will be toeing the rubber over 40% of the time for the Twins in 2005. That, my friends, is something to be excited about. In addition, they have a serviceable starter in Silva, who outpitched Milton, the guy he was traded for, in just about every way imaginable. If Kyle Lohse or Joe Mays can pitch like they have in the past, well, watch out. No matter what, Radke and Santana not only give the Twins an excellent chance 40% of the time, they give them an excellent chance in the post season. The Twins have very good talent in the bullpen. Nathan was just about unhittable last year. Rincon was routinely excellent. In addition, they have Grant Balfour, who pitched well, and J.C. Romero, who's not that exciting, actually. Or too exciting. Yes, the Twins have very good pitching and that should remain unchanged in 2005. 5. The Twins have a plethora of young talent that could blossom in 2005. J.D. Durbin, the "Real Deal," and Jesse Crain are two young pitchers that showed positive things in 2004 and could help improve an already good pitching staff. Li'l Harmon had a nice start before getting hit by a C.C. Sabathia bean ball. I think Li'l Harmon will be the first Twins player to hit 30 home runs in 18 years and possibly could be the only Twins player not named Killebrew to hit 40. That would be pretty exciting. And the Twins have a young catcher named Mauer who could make some noise if he's healthy. 6. No more Cristian Guzman. That should make things more exciting. No longer will Twins fans have to watch a supremely talented player underachieve. No longer will Twins fans have to endure countless at bats given away with his weak swing. Good bye, Guzman. You will not be missed. 7. Barry Bonds is coming to town. Love him or hate him, he's the biggest attraction in the sport. He'll be in Minneapolis, God willing, for a three game series. SBG will be there. It will be nothing, if not exciting. 8. The Twins offense will be better. While the Twins were first in pitching (ERA), they were 10th in the AL in runs scored. Despite their personnel losses, they will be better. Li'l Harmon will play a full season at first, and will almost certainly be a major upgrade over What's his Face, who is about the worst hitting first baseman you will ever see. Mauer is a slight improvement over Blanco. Slight. If Cuddyer plays second, he's a huge upgrade over Luis Rivas. Losing Jones means giving Ford an everyday job. Guzman was one of the worst shortstops in baseball offensively, a fact documented here before. Losing Koskie probably means a downgrade offensively at third (will Joe Randa be there?), but on the balance, the Twins should score more runs. They hit a large number of home runs (at least for the Twins) last year, 191, the most in 17 years. SBG expects that number to increase. The Twins could hit 200 home runs for the first time in over 40 years. 9. SBG believes that Torii Hunter is going to have a better year. With a better lineup around him, SBG thinks Hunter will relax, see more pitches and he too will hit 30 home runs. And he'll play Gold Glove Center Field again. 10. Mike Tice will not be managing the Twins. So there you have it. 10 good reasons to be excited about the Twins in 2005. If you want to be a pessimist and complain about the players that we lost, go here. If you think the Twins front office have done a good job managing their resources, come on back here. SBG thinks the Twins will be better and not worse in 2005. The first spring training game is in 75 days. I can hardly wait. |W|P|110341316286636671|W|P|Why Be Excited About the Twins in 2005?|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/17/2004 07:20:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|I had pretty long day, yesterday, and I was too tired to write last night. However, I promise to put together a weekend edition, entitled "Why Should a Twins Fan be Excited for 2005." Look for it on your virtual newstand this weekend. Blech. That's a wretching sound after the T-Wolves' loss in Toronto on Wednesday night. Blech. KG had a tough night, shooting 9-27. I didn't get a chance to watch, but I did have the radio on a little bit, and I kept hearing that the Wolves were taking just jump shots. Man, that bugs me. This is why I wish the T-Wolves would sign the "Mexican Girl Huntin' Cowboy" Karl Malone. MGHC isn't afraid to take the ball to the basket. Eddie Griffin is nice. He's long and athletic. He rebounds and block shots. But he shoots 3s almost exclusively. I know that MGHC is pretty much a liability on defense and he's carrying around some interesting personality baggage, but he's just the type of guy who can go in there, run a pick and roll, get the pass, and dunk the basketball when the team is dying on the vine with their tendency to shoot one jumper after another. |W|P|110329022634143539|W|P|Weekend Edition Coming|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/15/2004 11:52:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
From ABC News:
Scientists who have been studying the effects of restoring the wolf population in areas like Yellowstone National Park have found a surprising twist in this often emotional story. While the return of these fierce hunters has been tough on their prey, it apparently has made it possible for many other creatures to survive and flourish because of changing eating habits of large herbivores, including elk. Now that the wolves are back, elk are less likely to feed in areas where they might be at risk, and that has facilitated the natural recovery of riverbanks and other areas that are so critical to beavers, birds, insects and other animals. So while many researchers have been focusing on the lethal impact of the restoration of wolves, the fear of wolves by some animals has possibly had an even more dramatic impact on the entire region. ... The areas where the elk had ceased to dine tended to be in gullies or along riverbanks or near a steep cliff. That would be a tough area to escape from a pack of wolves, and the elk apparently had figured out that they needed to stay in areas here they could see the wolves long before they became a threat, and then retreat to safer ground if it became necessary. And the result of that was fairly dramatic. The researchers found that areas abandoned by elk were filled with new growth, not just of willows and aspen that elk normally feed on, but bushes and grasses and smaller plants that protect stream banks. Once browsing decreases, the plants are free to grow, and a number of different ecosystem functions can be restored.
I just thought this was interesting.
|W|P|110313361444330598|W|P|Cause and Effect|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/15/2004 01:02:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Tonight, I agreed to work late to help out a fellow attorney on a rush project. It was no big deal, I didn't mind doing it. I ride the light rail train to work and it runs regularly until 1 AM, so I wasn't worried about getting home. I got done with the project that I was working on about 10 PM and headed to my train stop. I got on, and we got about 1/4 of the way when the train stopped at a station and the driver came on the intercom and said that there was a vehicle stalled on the tracks and that everyone had to get off the train. In situations such as this, Metro Transit here in MPLS is supposed to provide a "bus bridge" to cover the service. In fact, that's the message that was relayed to us -- go to the bus stop and there will be a bus coming to cover the train route. So a bunch of people walked over to Cedar Avenue (not the nicest neighborhood in the city), and waited. And waited. No bus came. About a half hour later, here comes a local route. We asked the bus driver to call his dispatch (I tried to call the Metro Transit service center on my phone -- they were closed) and he did only to find that the train was running. So, he gave us a ride to the next station and we got on and rode home. Now, I am a BIG advocate of light rail. I absolutely love it. But, if you tell a bunch of people to go to a bus stop late at night when it is pretty darn cold out, you had damn well better send a bus to pick them up. I understand that things happen (I still don't know if was a car or a train car that was stalled on the tracks), however, you have to take care of people who have placed their trust in you. Shout Out Here's to Andy at Twins Killing. I've been promising to add his blog to my links, but I've been remiss. That's been rectified, my good man. Dear readers, do me a favor and head on over to see Andy's site today. T-Wolves The Wolves got a win tonight over Portland. As I said above, I was working until about 10PM, so I have no idea what happened. I do know that Wally got 28 and KG had 19/19/5. Isn't it fun to see KG's line every single night? The guy is flat out the best athlete in the history of Minnesota pro sports. Here's a couple of fun facts: KG is 7th in the league in STEALS. He's also 15th in assists. Think of that. There are 60 starting guards in the NBA, and KG gets more assists per game than 46 of them. Of the top fifteen, his assist/turnover ratio is 10th. However, KG has been called for travelling an incredible number of times, which really should be eliminated from that stat. Nevertheless, KG's assist numbers are fabulous. Guess who has the worst TO/A ratio among the top 15 assist men in the league. That's right. Superboy. In fact, among guards in the NBA who qualify (what ever that means, ask ESPN) Superboy is 53rd out of 59 in assists/turnover ratio. Did I mention he's shooting under 40% for the year? One thing he is leading the league in is feuds. He's also feuding with Ray Allen. Kobe hasn't yet called out the Stick and Ball Guy, but at the rate he's going, it's only a matter of time. Yay-Hoo Alert I'm at lunch with some friends. One of them tells us a story about one of his friends who is a lawyer in one of them there RED STATES. Client comes in with a present in appreciation for the fine legal services. The lawyer opens the box -- it's a pistol, and a powerful one at that. Later he goes out in the parking lot -- presumably for lunch -- and the client is in the lot. And he asks the lawyer where his gun is. The lawyer says, "I don't have any ammo, so I left it in the office." The guy whips out his gun, takes a few bullets out of it and hands them to the lawyer and says, "That'll hold you until you get home." No word as to whether the lawyer is a criminal defense attorney. The Suspense is Killing Me No word yet as to whether the Twins have signed Terry Mulholland. |W|P|110309161453710962|W|P|Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Except that Plane Part|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/14/2004 09:38:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|This is good stuff.

Shaquille O'Neal kept his word to injured teammate Dwyane Wade on Monday night.

O'Neal scored a season-high 40 points after Wade left in the first half with a sprained left ankle, helping the Heat win their season-high fifth straight, a 106-83 victory over the Washington Wizards.

Wade badly wanted to keep playing , but O'Neal wouldn't let him.

"He was limping real bad," O'Neal said. "I told him, 'Flash, take the game off. I'll go out and do the work.'

"He said, 'If I'm going to take it easy, you have to get 40 or 50.' I told him, 'I've got your back."

I think I like Miami's chances out East. Oh, by the way, I like the Diesel.|W|P|110303893951908269|W|P|Shaq Daddy|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/18/2005 10:20:00 AM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Hello, I am interested in hearing from others12/13/2004 07:52:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Apparently, Corey Koskie has made his last trip to the disabled list as a member of the Minnesota Twins, signing a three year, $17 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. This news leaves me with a decidedly mixed feeling. Some people think the world is ending, but I think that this isn't that bad of a deal. I wrote last week that I hoped that the Twins could sign Koskie, but I should have qualified that. I hoped they could sign him at $4 million per. I think $6 million a year for Koskie is too much. Sure he's a good fielder and maybe the Twins best hitter over the age of 25, but he's been hurt so much, I just don't see him staying healthy. And that's the bottom line: at over 10% of the payroll, he's just not worth the health risk. One of the things that I think is hilarious about people who cry about Koskie's departure point to his clubhouse leadership as being so important. Yeah, how does someone who has never been in the clubhouse know whether Corey Koskie is worth as much as one victory a year by his clubhouse presence? Are you going to believe what the Twins say about it? Just remember that at one time Doug Mientkiewicz was a leader on the team and so forth. Turns out he was probably just a pain in the ass. And everyone talked about how everybody got along with A.J. Pierzynski. Funny, no one could stand him in San Francisco. No, Corey Koskie will be missed between the lines, where he was a pretty darned good major league baseball player when he was healthy. Let's look at both sides of this transaction. Good Michael Cuddyer is almost certainly going to play every day. The Twins saved money that they can give to a couple of other players. SBG only assigned 4 points to Koskie as is now leading the SBG Contest. Bat-Girl readers have something else to cry about. The Twins picked up two draft picks because they offered Koskie arbitration. Bad The Twins might sign Jacque Jones to a multi-year deal. Heaven forbid! Luis Rivas might end up back on the team. Feces. SBG didn't give Tiffee enough points in the contest. Corey was a pretty good player. As a side note, I went to law school with Eric Hinske's sister. When I started, he was rookie of the year and he was rewarded with a nice fat contract. Now he's being replaced by Koskie. Too bad. The Blue Jays never should have signed Hinske when they did. They could have paid him a lot less than they did and gotten away with it. In fact, they overpaid him significantly and not just because he was a young player. I thought it was funny that when Toronto came to town, Hinske's sister complained because she had to go to the games and watch her brother play in the major leagues. Tough duty. I love listening to Dan Barreiro on Mondays after a Vikings loss. He is such a cheap shot artist -- constantly taking shots at the Vikings, just to rile up his audience. I don't know why, but the absurdity of it all amuses me. Incidently, I think Barreiro might read this page. Today he talked about the Vikings playoff chances and the latest development in the Kobe/Karl feud -- my two posts from yesterday. If you're reading, Dan, here's some topics to discuss: -- SBG was amazed by the Wolves this weekend. In the presence of SBG, the Wolves played great on Friday night and beat the Sacramento Kings. Amazing game, especially by KG: 35,18,9. Ho hum. Then, they laid a huge smelly egg on Saturday night, losing by 11 to the Chicago Bulls. In that game, you could see how the Wolves can be beat. Here's how. If morons like Troy Hudson insist on jacking up countless shots without getting the ball to KG, the Wolves can be beat my just about anybody. The ball should go through KG on every set play that the Wolves run. -- Troy Aikman was completely ok with that ridiculous call by the Vikings when they had Randy Moss throwing the ball so late in the game. Perhaps he wanted to criticize Moss. I agree -- Moss should have eaten the ball or thrown it into the 3rd Row. However, I think that the Vikings have another guy, number 11, who I prefer to have the ball in crunch time. I was beside myself on that play. And Aikman thought it was an okay call. -- After watching to the Vikings the last two weeks with Fox's first and second broadcast teams, I have come to one conclusion. Joe Buck can't hold a candle to Dick Stockton. That's SBG's opinion. I love listening to Stockton. -- I was listening to a body builder on the radio who said that Barry Bonds were on human growth hormone, he'd be 280, not 230. Hmmm. What sport has players that big? -- Who actually thought that Bernard Kerik was qualified to hold a cabinet level position in the United States Government? -- How many people who call themselves pro-life are happy to hear that Scott Peterson got the death penalty? -- Are you surprised that the Pentagon is asking for another $100 billion for Iraq? I'm dead tired. I'm going to turn on the TV and fall asleep. Have a good day everyone. |W|P|110299161772907002|W|P|Twins Bid Corey Adieu|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/14/2004 02:48:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|SBG- Andy from Twins Killings here...

Bush is asking for another $100B for Iraq!!

I remember when they were first pitching the idea of 'liberation' to Congress. The rebuilding figure was $800 or $900M. That day I was riding the 'EL' in Chicago home and I looked up and saw this ad about the City renovating 4 of the EL stops. The project was going to cost $450M. I thought, and they think they will rebuild a war torn country the size of California for only twice the cost of renovating four train stops?? And somehow Congress bought it. Say it with me people... fiscal responsibility. Oh well, American's on average spend more than they make anyway, so I guess it really is representative of the majority. Man, I can't wait to pay that back with interest. Yeah, I really don't need that $100 back that comes out of my check every 2 weeks for Social security. End Rant.

Oh and SBG... you still don't have my link up... what gives??12/14/2004 03:16:00 PM|W|P|Blogger SBG|W|P|Sorry, Andy. I blame it on my own sloth.

I'll get on the case tonight.

SBG10/03/2005 06:37:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|home electronics san jose california
Information => home electronics san jose california
12/12/2004 10:05:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|If you want to know the truth, today's Vikings game was the least important of the last four to the Vikings' playoff chances at least with respect to winning the NFC North. That's because the NFL uses the following records in order to break ties for divisional opponents: head-to-head, division, common opponents and conference record. In the last four games, the Vikings have a head-to-head game (Green Bay), a divisional game (Detroit), a common opponent (Washington) and a conference game (Seattle). Had they won today, the Vikings would have just needed to beat Green Bay and Detroit to win the NFC North. Since they lost, the same combination will win their division, provided Green Bay loses one more game. The fact is, however, if the Vikings win their last three games, they will win the NFC North because the Vikings will have a tie in head-to-head with Green Bay, at least a tie in divisional play, and a better record among common opponents.
Team Record Head to Head Divisonal Common Conf.
Green Bay 8-5 1-0 3-1 5-5 7-3
Minnesota 7-6 0-1 2-2 6-4 4-5
Since Seattle is not a common opponent, beating them would have improved the Vikings over all and conference records, but the Vikings would still be behind the Packers in more important divisional and head to head records. To win the NFC North, the Vikings now have to beat Green Bay. Had the Vikings won today, the Vikings could have lost to Green Bay and won the division if the Packers lost both of their other games and the Vikings won their other two. That possibility was eliminated because the teams would now end up tied and the Packers would win on head-to-head. However, the Vikings will win the division if they beat the Pack and: -- Win their other two games. Vikes have Detroit and at Washington. If the Vikings tied the Packers (meaning that Packers would have to win their last two, the Vikings would have an identical head-to-head and divisional record. They would win based on a better common opponent record.

-- Beat Detroit, lose to Washington, and Packers lose to Chicago or Jacksonville. The Vikings would win based on a better divisional record or better common opponents (all remaining games are common opponent games, except of course, Packers v. Vikes).

-- Beat Washington, lose to Detroit and Packers lose to Chicago. If the Packers would beat Jacksonville, the Vikings win the tiebreaker based on a better common opponent record.

-- Packers lose to Chicago and Jacksonville. If the Vikings lose to Detroit and Washington, the Vikings win on better common opponent record.

Had the Vikings won today, they could have won the division by losing to the Pack and winning their other two games and having the Pack lose their other two games or beating the Pack and: -- Win their other two games (same as above)

-- Beat Detroit, lose to Washington, and Packers lose to either Chicago or Jacksonville (same as above)

-- Beat Washington, lose to Detroit and Packers lose to Chicago. (same as above)

--The Packers lose both games (same as above).

The only thing they lost relative to the Packers was that they can't lose to the Packers and win the North. And that was an unlikely scenario anyway.

On the other hand, had the Vikings won today but lost to Detroit, they could win the North only if they beat the Packers and Washington, and Green Bay lost all three remaining games. Similarly, if they won today, but lost to Washington, they would have to beat Detroit and Green Bay and have the Packers lose to Chicago. So, losing to Seattle was the right move, if you were going to lose one of the last four games. And that's about all the positive I can get out of today.

|W|P|110291316150535763|W|P|Trying to Make a Silk Purse from a Sow's Ear|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/12/2004 08:45:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Kobe Bryant claims that Karl Malone made a pass at his wife a couple of weeks ago! It's quite a soap opera in LA. I'm sure there's more to come on this story. If what Kobe is saying is true, well... I'd have to back Kobe in the old Kobe/Karl feud. If it's not true, I think it's proof that Kobe is some kind of psychopath. This is bizarre behavior by one of them. I don't know who. By the way, Kobe was 20-55 (36.3%) from the field over the weekend in two LA wins. |W|P|110291743902973235|W|P|Bizarre Behavior|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/11/2004 05:08:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|SBG is changing the look of the site. If you see this site on Saturday and it looks like it is in disarray, fear not! It should be done soon. |W|P|110280674141976469|W|P|Changing the Look|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/10/2004 06:39:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|ESPN's Sports Guy, who is a Clippers season ticket holder, gives his take on Sprewell's comments to a fan that earned him a one game suspension. Perhaps SBG's take -- that the female fan likely had it coming -- was a little off. Maybe. If you read the story carefully, you'll note that there is a (gender anonymous) fan who heckles Spree, to which Spree responds with an invitation to engage in X-Rated activity. Then, a second(?) fan, identified as a woman (Sports Guy even supplies a first name), tells Spree to watch the language, to which Spree responds "No" in about the rudest way possible. This exchange is actually the more offensive to me, if the story is to be taken on its face. Sports Guy then jokes about the number of children Spree has, finally indicating that he has three. Uh, no. Spree has at least six children. Check out his bio on NBA.com. So, we know that Sports Guy doesn't check facts all that well. We also know that his account of the story is unclear -- was the first fan a woman? The major wire story on this incdient said that Spree made his comment, which was picked up over the air, to a woman. That comment was supposedly the first comment -- the "invitation". Was he responding to more than one woman? Or was the woman who told him to watch his language the same person who heckled him earlier? The world may never know. Let's be clear. SBG is not condoning Spree's behavior. I just found this story to be just a little fishy and potentially slanted to achieve the desired effect, namely, to tell everyone who reads it that Latrell Sprewell is pretty much insane. A little clarification would be nice. One other thought on this article. Sports Guy is falling all over himself in his praise of KG and KG's intensity ("I mean, it's almost like watching a UFC fighter.") Funny. This is the same guy who repeatedly ripped KG for not punching Anthony Peeler in Game 6 of the playoffs against Sacramento last year. If you remember, Peeler delivered a cheap shot on KG and was suspended for game 7. It was chickensh*t move by Peeler, no doubt intended to bait KG into his own suspension. KG wisely didn't take that bait and then lit up the Kings in game 7. And Sports Guy ripped KG for controlling himself, insinuating that he was passive. Now, he's intense. Whatever. |W|P|110268350290188525|W|P|Post Mortem on Sprewell's Comments|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/10/2004 04:44:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|But Karl Malone is. Should the T-Wolves pick up the Mailman for this season? Let me know what you think. I had to laugh when I saw KG, who is obviously in full recruit mode, call Malone the "ultimate winner". Uh, KG, I'm not sure that's exactly how I'd put it. |W|P|110267560661019069|W|P|Ndudi Ebi might not be available...|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/10/2004 04:17:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Here is a play-by-play rundown of the last 44 seconds of the Rockets/Spurs game last night. Tracy McGrady scored 13 points in 44 seconds to erase an 8 point lead. Note that the Spurs scored 6 more points themselves and it wasn't enough. The footage is absolutely incredible. What a display by McGrady. He had guys hanging on him and he stilled drilled 4 consecutive long 3s. The only way it's better is if Spike Lee were sitting courtside taunting him the whole way. 
0:44                            74-68 Tracy McGrady Personal Foul.
0:44 Devin Brown made Free      75-68
     Throw 1 of 2.
0:44 Devin Brown made Free      76-68
     Throw 2 of 2.
0:35                            76-71 Tracy McGrady made 26 ft
                                      three point jumper.
0:31                            76-71 Bob Sura 6th Personal Foul.
0:31 Devin Brown made Free      77-71
     Throw 1 of 2.
0:31 Devin Brown made Free      78-71
     Throw 2 of 2.
0:24                            78-74 Tracy McGrady made 26 ft
                                      three point jumper.
0:24 Tim Duncan Shooting Foul.  78-74
0:24                            78-75 Tracy McGrady made
                                      Free Throw 1 of 1.
0:24 San Antonio Full Timeout.
0:16                            78-75 Scott Padgett Personal Foul.
0:16 Tim Duncan made Free       79-75
     Throw 1 of 2.
0:16 Tim Duncan made Free       80-75
     Throw 2 of 2.
0:16 Houston Full Timeout.
0:11                            80-78 Tracy McGrady made 26 ft
                                      three point jumper.
0:11 San Antonio Full Timeout.
0:07 Devin Brown Lost Ball.     80-78
     Stolen by Tracy McGrady.
0:01                            80-81 Tracy McGrady made 26 ft
                                      three point jumper.
0:00 Tony Parker missed 27 ft   80-81
     three pointer.
0:00 End of the 4th Quarter.
0:00 End Game
An interesting note. In the last 45 seconds of the game, these two teams combined for 19 points, an outstanding pace of 25 points per minute. In the previous 47:15, they companed for only 142 points, or 3 points per minute. Of course, as a T-Wolves fan, every San Antonio loss is a good game. This game could be a real difference maker -- it could possibly determine home court advantage in the Conference Finals. (I know, I'm getting ahead of myself.) Remember yesterday, I was talking about how hard the T-Wolves schedule is? Just a footnote. No team in the league has played fewer home games than the Timberwolves. The T-Wolves have played just 7 home games. Every other team in the Western Conference has played at least nine. Denver has played 13! The schedule is decidedly less rough for the hometown five in the second half. However, they are playing a home game tonight and SBG will be there. |W|P|110267455601342294|W|P|Paging Reggie Miller|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/09/2004 05:59:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
From the Star Tribune:

Forward Ndudi Ebi, on the injured list since the season began with what was classified as left knee tendinitis, managed to get hurt worse while rehabbing. He developed a stress fracture in his left foot and will be in a walking cast for four to six weeks.

If only Ndudi were available. Imagine the possiblities... |W|P|110263688367198190|W|P|Can the T-Wolves Soldier On?|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/08/2004 09:23:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
The T-Wolves absolutely pasted the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, winning 119-84 on the back end of a back to backer. Remember last night? The Wolves suffered their 2nd double digit home loss last night, after not suffering a single double digit home loss all of last season and just three the year before. They not only had their largest margin of victory of the year, it was the T-Wolves largest margin of victory since they beat the Chicago Bulls (MJ play in that one? think not) 127-74 on November 8, 2001. From what I can see it is also the largest road margin of victory in Franchise History. Sprewell went ballistic -- on the 76ers that is. He was 9-14 from the field, including 5-8 from outside the 3-point line and poured in 24 points. For the season, Mr. Sprewell is shooting a career-high 46.8%, including a sterling 45.8% from three. Last year 'Trell shot just 40.9%. Eddie Griffin (!) scored 27 including 7-15 threes. He also added 11 boards. Cassell was again relatively quiet, scoring 8 on 4-5 from the field, but he dished out 8 assists. KG was "quiet" with 19-8-7 in 31 minutes, his second lowest number of minutes this year. The Wolves outscored the 76ers in every quarter, and they increased that margin in every quarter. A complete and total dominating performance.
And boy, is that 76er team bad.
Moral of the story: It's a long season. Tomorrow night is a night off, then another back-to-back set home against the Kings and at Chicago. The Timberwolves travel schedule has been horrific. Because of their geographic location and the fact that they are in the Western Conference, the T-Wolves travel more miles than any other team in the league (think about it... their closest conference rival is Denver! Their other in division teams are Utah! and Portland! and Seattle!
To make matters worse, their home games have been like road games. So far this season, they have played back to back home games only once this season -- and they won't do so again until January 1 and 4. January 1 is the 28th game of the season. They will have played in a different city than their previous game 27 times at that point. Consider the Lakers. Already tonight is the fifth time they've played a home game following a home game. The T-Wolves have done it once. After a "road game" Saturday at the Clippers, they play home against Orlando. In fact, by January 4, the Lakers will have played in Los Angeles following a game in Los Angeles 12 times. The Wolves will not have enjoyed a similar situation more than once by then. Down the stretch, the Wolves have several extended home stands, so look for the Wolves to make hay in March and April. And don't worry about a home loss here and there. It's almost like they are on the road all the time anyway right now.
|W|P|110256638596336986|W|P|And Now, for Something Completely Different|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/08/2004 08:01:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|As of 11 PM, here are the cumulative records of the six divisions Atlantic: 34-58, 24 games under .500 Central: 40-47, 7 games under .500 Southeast: 42-46, 4 games under .500 Northwest: 55-35, 20 games over .500 Pacific: 54-35, 19 games over .500 Southwest: 46-50, 4 games under .500 If you take the Hornets out of the West (they were in the East last year), the West would be 50 games over .500 already. Three of the 15 Eastern teams (Detroit, Orlando, and Cleveland) have winning records against the West. |W|P|110256929597296742|W|P|NBA Divisional Power Update|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/08/2004 07:18:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Don't look now, but SBG is tracking KG's place on the career rebound list. Here's the relevant portion of the list at the beginning of the year.
No.PlayerRebounds
50Dale Davis8040
51Happy Hairston8019
52John Havlicek8007
53Oscar Robertson7804
54Caldwell Jones7663
55Sam Perkins7661
56Clyde Lee7626
57Wayne Embry7544
58Maurice Lucas7520
59Scottie Pippen7494
60Kevin Garnett7493
61James Donaldson7492
62Larry Nance7352
63Chet Walker7314
64Anthony Mason7279
65Truck Robinson7267
After the Philly game it looks like this:
No.PlayerRebounds
50Dale Davis8040
51Happy Hairston8019
52John Havlicek8007
53Oscar Robertson7804
54Kevin Garnett7757
55Caldwell Jones7663
56Sam Perkins7661
57Clyde Lee7626
58Wayne Embry7544
59Maurice Lucas7520
60Scottie Pippen7494
61James Donaldson7492
62Larry Nance7352
63Chet Walker7314
64Anthony Mason7279
65Truck Robinson7267
Next up: the Big O. If you remember, Oscar Robertson was one of ten guys with more points, rebounds, and assists than KG (so was Havlicek). KG has them in his sights. |W|P|110257031631743803|W|P|Career Rebounds|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/08/2004 07:16:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Check Patrick Reusse's column on Sprewell's suspenson. Reusse hit the nail on the head. This suspension was a joke. Worse, than that, it was totally unwarranted and unfair to both Sprewell and the Timberwolves. Sprewell lost $162,000 for his little verbal exchange. That's not chump change, especially when you are trying to feed your family. Like the league, the media has become hysterical and riduculously sanctimonious on this kind of crap. Don't agree? Last night on I-Max, the show on Fox Sports Net featuring Max Kellerman, one of his guests said that Sprewell's use of a vulgarity on the court was a more egregious act than what Denny Neagle recently did. Let's see. Some "fan" was yelling at Sprewell and he used a vulgarity to get her to shut up. Horrors! Awful! How dare he! And all Neagle did was get arrested for soliciting a prostitute. Neagle's married. The mo-ron on FSN said that this was between Neagle and his wife. Yeah, and the law, you idiot. So, according to this logic, it's better to break the law, not to mention marital vows, than it is to curse someone out who probably deserved it. I wish Sprewell would ignore the slobs in the crowd that think they have the right to say what ever they want. But, I can't blame him for taking the approach that he does. |W|P|110251236906755016|W|P|Sprewell Suspension|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/07/2004 11:48:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
The Twins have done it! They have signed Brad Radke to a two-year deal, reportedly for $18 million. I am very surprised that he took this deal. I guess he must have really wanted to stay here (actually $9 million a year is a lot more than where they were, but it's a paycut, nonetheless). Wow! The Twins have their one-two punch intact! If Silva can build on last year and Durbin steps up, what a formidable rotation. (And since I'm dreaming of a big season, how about Kyle Lohse pulling his head out of his anal cavity next year and start changing speeds.) This is fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They also offered arbitration to Corey Koskie, Terry Mulholland, and Henry Blanco. This is fabulous, as well! Blanco signed with the Cubs for $2.5 million over two years. I think this means that the Twins will get a draft pick as compensation. Fabulous! (That may or may not be true.) If Koskie accepts the arbitration, they will keep him and likely will trade Jacque Jones or just non-tender him! Fabulous! If Koskie doesn't accept and signs elsewhere, they get the pick. The Twins likely won't get dinged too much in an arbitration case because of Koskie's injuries. This is great! Plus, they can sign him to a multi-year deal, like say two plus a team option for the third. Go the distance, Terry! I'm a little perplexed by the Mulholland decision. I had pretty much seen all I needed to see of Mulholland last year. I don't think I can possibly stand watching Mulholland pitch one more inning than he should all year long in violation of my Mulholland Theory. No matter. He's gonna be 42 and not likely to make more than a few hundred thousand in arbitration. ROCK ON! WE'RE COOKING WITH GAS!
|W|P|110248560158970493|W|P|RADKE SIGNS!!!!!!!!!!|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/08/2004 07:52:00 AM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|You (intentionally or unintentionally) forgot about Mays in the rotation...

Moss12/08/2004 08:06:00 AM|W|P|Blogger SBG|W|P|Correctamundo, Moss. I forgot about old Joe "Willie" Mays. I said I was dreaming. It wasn't a drug induced stupor!

Seriously, If Mays gives them anything, I see the Twins pitching staff as being improved. That's assuming that Radke and Santana have 2005 seasons that are somewhat close to 2004. Mays had a very nice season that one year, when was it? Let's see if he's a major league pitcher. I hope he is.12/08/2004 02:21:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Heavy Critters|W|P|Hey S&B,

Check out Twins Geek for a really good take on the Mulholland arbitration (I'm sure you have already). It's cheap-rubber-arm guy to the clean up!

I'm excited by this too. Let's hope that Joe Mays comes back with more power due to his Tommy John surgery.

Eric
http://www.thebaseballboys.com
http://bloodyp.blogdrive.com12/08/2004 02:49:00 PM|W|P|Blogger SBG|W|P|Eric

Yes, I read the Geek's take. I just hope he doesn't end up in the starting rotation again, with Gardy always leaving him in too long.

I have to believe that Mulholland will accept arbitration. I mean really, could he possibly hope to get a multiyear deal? This way, he can get some very good money for a 42-year old soft-tosser.

It's pretty hard to get excited about him. He is marginal at best and could be replaced by someone else at similar money I would think. It's the Twins' maneuvers with the other three players that is great.

Have a good winter, Eric.

SBG12/07/2004 11:13:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|It's 11:15 PM, past the arbitration deadline and no word yet if the Twins made a deal with Koskie and/or Radke or offered them arbitration. Here's what the Pioneer Press had to say today about the situation:
"It's frustrating it's come down to the final day," said Koskie, who wouldn't say whether he's been told the Twins' latest offer is their last, adding only, "if it is I'm not here."
And here's some language regarding Radke's situation:
Radke has a three-year, $21 million offer from the Twins; Koskie has a two-year, $7.5 million offer. Both are believed to be take-it-or-leave-it offers, although Radke's offer might have room to grow slightly, perhaps into the neighborhood of the three-year, $22.5 million contract the New York Mets gave Kris Benson, the highest-paid free agent signed so far this offseason. That still is not expected to be enough to reach agreement with Radke, who made $10 million in 2004. Koskie made $4.5 million. "I hope we can get something done," said Radke's agent, Ron Simon, who added that Benson's signing doesn't set the free-agent market in his mind, especially for his client, whom he considers a more elite pitcher. "We need a few more signings to have a complete market... . It might not get done."
And here's Terry Ryan, hoping against hope:
"We're talking, which is good," Ryan said. "These two guys are important to us, and I'd like to have them both back. We've got a lot to offer, I think, and that's the one good thing, as far as familiarity, the recent success, the comfort level. Both of them know as much as there is to know about the organization. We have that going for us. "If we wind up getting into a situation where it's dollars � which I don't believe it ever would be with these two guys � it's just a matter of how much they want to play here and how much they want to leave on the table as opposed to going elsewhere. That's about what it comes down to."
Personally, if I were Radke or Koskie, I'd be out of here. That's what I would do if I were in their situation. This is the frustation of being a Twins fan. We are just hoping that guys will somehow make decisions that are fundamentally against their own economic interests. But hey, it's possible. Just think back about a month ago when millions of people acted in precisely the same way. |W|P|110248323629502182|W|P|Past the Deadline|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/07/2004 09:42:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|1. No Latrell Sprewell. He was suspended for his vulgar comments to a heckler in LA. Why the T-Wolves didn't protest this suspension so that he could serve it against a lesser team is beyond me. Smells like David Stern. I was watching the LA game but I didn't hear the epithet. That's because I watch the T-Wolves with the TV sound off and the radio on. Seriously, is there a less competent play-by-play guy than Tom Hanneman? I don't mind him as a sideline reporter, but calling the game? No way can I listen to that. 2. Almost no Sam Cassell. He was 3-13 from the field and did nothing after the first two minutes of the game (six of his eight points were the first six of the night for the Wolves). Sammy's been great lately, but he stunk out the joint tonight. 3. Dallas completely dominated the boards, grabbing 24 offensive rebounds and outrebounding the T-Wolves 54-35. The Mavericks seemingly got every important rebound. They completely outhustled the Wolves. Eddie Griffin apparently has not found out that you can block out in the NBA. 4. Dirk Nowitski is a huge stud. He hit a ton of shots. It bears repeating that Milwaukee traded Dirk to Dallas for Robert "Tractor" Traylor. Things haven't been the same in Milwaukee since Lew Alcindor went to L.A. 5. Josh Howard dominated the game. He shut down Cassell and he grabbed 12 rebounds. The guy was everywhere. Dallas picked him in the draft after the Wolves spent their only first round pick of the last 5 years on Ndudi Ebi. Apparently the Wolves, not used to picking in the first round, thought they had to take second round talent. Oh yeah, KG had 32 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and one block, despite picking up his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. KG never gave up, scoring 15 points in the fourth. |W|P|110247799898147237|W|P|5 Reasons the T-Wolves Lost Against Dallas|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/08/2004 08:02:00 AM|W|P|Blogger SBG|W|P|That's the same thing that Denny Neagle said -- only he was putting money where his mouth was.12/07/2004 09:14:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|I have tried to find a career scoring list that extends beyond the top 100 of all time, because Garnett is not yet in the top 100. I have not been able to find such a list. Here is the tail end of the career scoring list before the season began: 93 James Edwards 14862 94 Richie Guerin 14676 95 Dan Issel 14659 96 Jamaal Wilkes 14644 97 Purvis Short 14607 98 Spencer Haywood 14592 99 Bill Russell 14522 100 Hersey Hawkins 14468 --- Allen Iverson* 14436 --- Rod Strickland* 14435 --- Allan Houston* 14314 --- Glenn Robinson* 14144 --- Kevin Garnett* 13864 * Active As of tonight, this portion of the list looks like this. 93 James Edwards 14862 94 Allen Iverson* 14849 95 Richie Guerin 14676 96 Dan Issel 14659 97 Jamaal Wilkes 14644 98 Purvis Short 14607 99 Spencer Haywood 14592 100 Bill Russell 14522 101 Hersey Hawkins 14468 --- Rod Strickland* 14435 --- Allan Houston* 14314 --- Kevin Garnett* 14265 --- Glenn Robinson* 14144 I admit it. I love to watch career lists. |W|P|110248049050172761|W|P|Garnett Career Point Totals|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/07/2004 05:02:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Moss tipped me off on this nugget from CBS.
It wasn't known whether Minnesota would offer arbitration to Eric Milton, who has been talking with the New York Yankees.
That's good stuff. |W|P|110246069036323006|W|P|More Crack Reporting from CBS Sportsline|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/07/2004 01:58:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Beavis will have Vince Neil to kick around. Motley Crue to Reunite. Rock on! |W|P|110244976810806403|W|P|But What about Poison?|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/07/2004 09:43:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Not with my new computer, it's running well. Rather, with BLOGGER. I wrote lengthy post last night about Koskie and Radke. Then, I went to post it and BLOGGER crashed. Done, gone. One sentence summary (maybe two). Today's the day that the Twins need to put up or shut up. Last year they signed Stewart at the last second and offered Eddie G. arbitration. Let's see what happens today. I'm thinking they'll sign Radke but not Koskie. They may offer Koskie arbitration. |W|P|110243440386781238|W|P|Computer Issues|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/06/2004 01:38:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
STICK AND BALL GUY'S 2004 TWINS ANALYZER

Corey Koskie 6'3" 219 Lbs. Age: 31 L/R 3B

AVE: .251OBP: .342SLG: .495GPA: .278
G: 118AB: 422HR: 25RBI: 71

Offense

No question about it. 2004 was a down year for Corey Koskie offensively. Or was it? Koskie's batting average plunged to .251, his lowest since he got a regular job in the majors. Correspondingly, his on base percentage was his lowest. However, Koskie's .495 slugging percentage was his career high and his 25 home runs were one short of his career high (in 140 less at bats). Koskie's .837 OPS was one point higher than his career average.

Koskie has been a very good offensive player, probably moreso than most people realize. As I alluded to above, Koskie has a career OPS of .836 -- that's just .001 lower than Kirby Puckett's career OPS. (Koskie's OPS+ isn't as close to Puckett's 115 to 124, OPS is a measure comparing a player to the league average and is park adjusted. 100 is average.) Among AL third basemen with at least 250 plate appearances, Koskie was 7th in OPS. He was 6th in 2003, 4th in 2002, and 3rd in 2001. Relative to his peers, he's been good, although he used to be better. Actually, I was a little surprised that Koskie rates as low as he does. I thought he was much higher.

Unlike a lot of Twins players who swing the bat at just about any pitch, Koskie is selective and patient. He is usually among the team leaders in walks and walks per plate appearance. However, he may be too selective. I heard somewhere that he lead the AL in called third strikes in 2003 with over 50 strike outs looking! Bottom line -- Koskie is a nice offensive player, even when his batting average has slipped. He draws walks and hits the ball over the fence. He's not the best player in the league, but he's been one of the best Twins offensively for the last several years.

Defense

Twins fans have gotten used to the idea that Koskie is an excellent defensive player. I believe that this perception is true. In 2004, Koskie trailed only Eric Chavez, Joe Randa, and Alex Rodriguez among AL third basemen in Range Factor, which is the percentage of balls hit in his area of the field that he fielded. In 2003, he was first, in 2002 he was third and in 2001 he was second. This data supports what Twins have seen. Koskie gets to balls. He jumps, he dives, he moves. He throws well. He comes in well. He's a very good defensive player.

Salary

Is this a consideration? Just kidding. If you don't know that Koskie is a free agent, then you aren't much of a Twins fan. He made $4,500,000 in 2004. The Twins have offered him, I believe, a 2 year, $8 million contract. In the world of major league baseball outside of the Metrodome, he's worth more than $4 million a year. Easy. Except...

Durability

Koskie has been hurt a lot. He played just 118 games in 2004. He's played more than 140 games just twice in his six years as a regular. This is the biggest problem with Koskie. He's had a bad back, he's had a back ankle, strained sternum, and a bad wrist all in the past two years. It's hard to say it, because I like Koskie, but he appears to be injury prone. Perhaps his willingness to play hurt has lead to more injury. Whatever the situation, his durability, or lack thereof, should give anyone pause who is considering signing him to a long term deal.

Intangibles

Koskie got probably the most important hit of the season for the Twins in 2004 when he homered to beat the Cleveland Indians on a Sunday in August when it looked for all the world that the Indians would pull even with the Twins in the AL Central. He got very hot right at the best possible time and was a major spark plug for the Twins when they pulled away from the competition (until he got hurt). Koskie has been a big part of the Twins success over the last four years.

In the long run, he's probably going to be remembered only as a good major league player. He's not an elite player in the league. He's not going to ever get a $10 million a year contract. But, he's a very good player, who plays very hard. If he can stay healthy, he should have a couple of good years left in him. At 31, he's certainly headed on the downward slide, especially considering his history of injuries. I'd be surprised if he hit more homeruns in 2005 than he did in 2004. I would not be surprised if he battled injuries the rest of his career.

Prediction

I'd love to see the Twins sign Koskie to a two-year deal with a team option for a third year. I don't believe that Koskie will take a lot less money to stay with the Twins. It seems that his status will be resolved soon. I will predict that Koskie will sign elsewhere. I hope I'm wrong.

|W|P|110202484823269647|W|P|2004 Twins -- Corey Koskie|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/05/2004 11:15:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|The Washington Post has a story on the death of Pat Tillman. I suggest you read it. |W|P|110231058949214316|W|P|Pat Tillman|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/05/2004 01:47:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
The T-Wolves won again on Saturday night, defeating the L.A. Clippers 107-100 in overtime. The T-Wolves completed their first 4-0 road trip in franchise history. Think of it, this is the T-wolves 16th season and never before had they ever swept a four game road trip. And what an impressive road trip it was. First, the T-Wolves knocked off the Sacramento Kings 121-110 on Sunday, ending the Kings' 7-game winning streak. Since then, the Kings have stayed hot, winning three more in a row. Then, on Wednesday, the Wolves took care of business, handing Golden State one of its likely 60+ losses on the season. But, it was Friday and Saturday where the T-Wolves really showed what kind of team they are. On Friday, they ended the Phoenix Suns' 9-game losing streak 97-93 in a hard fought game. KG was simply brilliant all around (even though he didn't shoot all that well), and Cassell and Sprewell both had monster games. Sammy C even showed that amazing knack for draining shot after shot in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of his 19 in the final period. Phoenix played hard, but they were ultimately unable to handle the big three, and they got badly outrebounded (KG tied a franchise record for more offensive rebounds in a game at 11). The Suns have a young stud in Amare Stoudemire, but as quick and as powerful as he is, the Timberwolves actually blocked several of Stoudemire's dunks (a couple by the 'Kandi man, no less). And poor Amare cannot shoot outside of 0.2 feet. Friday night, as good a game as it was, was merely a prelude to Saturday's tilt in the land of Superboy. The Clippers, long a butt of jokes around the league have actually played quite well to start the season. In fact, they carried a 5-game winning streak into Saturday's game. That streak, like all the other winning streaks that the T-Wolves encountered this week, ended. Again it was Sammy C leading the way, with 18 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. KG had 22 points and 15 rebounds, even though he struggled mightily from the floor, even missing an open, two-handed dunk. Spree was quiet for most of the game offensively, but he played shut down defense.
The Clips actually looked pretty good. Corey Maggette is maturing into a fine NBA player. Maggette threw in 34 points. I was amazed at how big he is in the upper body. He is flat out huge. I don't remember him being that big. The Clips never folded, overcoming several leads that the Wolves built. However, the Clips had chances down the stretch in regulation, and couldn't get the job done. And it was Sammy that closed the door.
The Timberwolves are now 11-5 after 16 games, on pace for about 56 wins. Remember that last year's team started 9-8 on their way to 58 wins. This team looks a lot better than last year's model. They are extremely deep, and they can win on the road, on the back end of games played on consecutive nights, and seem to be unflappable. Sammy looks as good as last year, Spree looks determined, and even Michael Olowokandi played well on Friday. And of course, there's always KG.
In the four games, Garnett averaged 22.5 points, 16.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.5 blocks, and 2.5 steals. As mind-numbingly good as those numbers are, KG can play better. These stats are just average. He struggled from the field, missing a surprising number of easy shots. But, even still it is a thrill to watch him. He never takes bad shots, he is a great passer, and is completely unselfish on the offensive end. He seems to get every rebound. He does a terrific job of playing help defense.
|W|P|110223591679587277|W|P|T-Wolves Rolling|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/04/2004 08:13:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|
At long last, I have my computer up and running and the cable modem is humming... I'm cooking with gas. I'm hoping that this will mean that I can do more regular posts. Yahoo!
T-Wolves
I watched the Timberwolves game on Friday night and they won a hard fought game, 97-93 over the Phoenix Suns. This was a big win for Minnesota. Phoenix has been off to a good start, but last night they got beat at home by a better team. KG was terrific as usual. He only scored 22 points, but that doesn't really tell the story with KG. He had the 19 rebounds (11 offensive!) and eight assists as well. He's just so great in all facets, that he doesn't have to score alot to be the best player on the floor. Sammy C and Spree were great and the T-Wolves put the hammer down in the fourth quarter.
Bonds and the Grand Jury Leak
In case you were under a rock, the San Francisco Chronicle revealed that Barry Bonds admitted last year in grand jury testimony that he had used "the clear" and "the cream" but that he did not know that the substances were steroids. I will admit that I am disappointed to hear this. I had hoped it wasn't true, but it is true and it certainly tarnishes a lot of what he has accomplished over the last several years. It really is hard to say how much it has helped him. I can't possibly quantify that. I also think that it is naive to think that Bonds and Giambi are the only users or that steroids is the only substance that is used. I have heard reports that most players use some sort of drugs when they play to get them "up".
I have to agree with Seth about one thing. I'd like to know how this "secret" testimony was revealed. I don't care what was said at that hearing, it should not have been made public. Of course, the leak will hide behind the cloak of the media's right to keep its sources private. This is a chickenshit deal, however. Don't think it's a big deal? Here's what the American Grand Jury Foundation has to say about Grand Juries.

The law requires grand jurors to conduct their deliberations in closed sessions. Grand jurors are also sworn to secrecy and must not reveal what occurs in their private sessions to persons other than fellow grand jurors seated as a body. The courts have consistently upheld the principle of grand jury secrecy. For one reason, grand jurors sometimes receive complaints from the community about public officials or other persons. Some complaints are made vindictively or are otherwise so outrageous that if they were made public, a reputation could be severely damaged. The secrecy of grand jury proceedings also allows grand jurors during their sessions to discuss all aspects of an issue without fear of it becoming a divisive issue in the community.

Whoever it was that leaked this information has broken their sworn oath of secrecy. That is despicable. Understand that Grand Juries are used to make the decision whether to indict the accused or not. If the charges are without merit or the prosecution has not provided enough evidence to indict, the proceedings should not see the light of day. Of course, the details in this case are juicy (pardon the pun). They show Bonds and Giambi in a negative and scandalous light. People are outraged by the testimony. A little of that outrage should be reserved for those who have violated the privacy afforded to those who testify at grand jury proceedings.

|W|P|110221532108220751|W|P|Cooking With Gas|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/03/2004 01:27:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|"Pitching is always the key," Jeter said. "That's what gets you the furthest, obviously, in the postseason." |W|P|110209852776078664|W|P|And Here I Thought the Key Was an Inspirational Leader who "Knows How to Win"|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/02/2004 08:40:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Note: SBG wrote this article before the Bulls crushed the Lakers on Wednesday night. Superboy Kobe Bryant was 9-21 in the game and is shooting 132-323 for the season, a blistering 40.9%. Just for reference, when Michael Jordan was 26, he shot 52.6% for the season. At the height of the Michael Jordan era, Bulls GM Jerry Krause reportedly said "Players don't win championships, organizations win championships." After "the organization" won its sixth NBA championship at the end of the 1997-98 season, Krause either directly or indirectly showed Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, Phil Jackson, Dennis Rodman, et al. the door. Since then, "the organization" has failed to win that elusive seventh title. So far, they have started the 2004-05 season 1-10, so it appears that the organization will likely go a seventh consecutive season without its seventh title. I started thinking about how crappy the Bulls have been since they completely dismantled the team and started one rebuilding campaign after another. Since the Jordan era ended, the Bulls have a record of 120-351 in 471 games for a winning percentage of .255. Not too good. By way of comparison, the Minnesota Timberwolves had a 126-366 record over their first 492 games (which was their first six seasons), a winning percentage of .256. That's right, the Bulls have actually been worse than the pre-KG T-Wolves, as KG showed up in season seven. You remember those teams -- you remember how Jimmy Rodgers brought that Celtic magic to Minnesota and went 15-67 in 1991-92. Or how about the memories of watching Gerald Glass, Isaiah "J.R." Rider, Felton Spenser and the crew? Wonderful times. It is practically unbelievable that an established franchise, playing in the third largest city in America and coming off six championships in eight seasons could completely disintegrate like the Chicago Bulls have. Since the 1999-2000 season, the Bull are easily the worst team in the league, with their .255 winning percentage much lower than those of the Warriors (.330), Clippers (.331), Grizzlies (.335), Cavs (.368), Hawks (.385) and Denver (.387). Among the other contenders, the Cavs, Denver (assuming 'Melo doesn't end up hanging with Rickey Williams), and the Grizzlies have bright futures. Even the Clips have a winning record so far this year. The Bulls, on the other hand have just one win in 11 games and seem to be without hope. Their draft of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler (remember, they traded Elton Brand for the rights to Chandler) hasn't worked out. Chandler is a marginal player and Curry looks like he needs a change of scenery. Maybe it is organizations that win championships, but it is also true that this organization, which was on the top of the basketball world, decided to blow the whole team up and start over. The results have been that the Chicago Bulls are the worst team in the NBA over the past seven seasons. The team's marketing slogan this year? "THROUGH THICK AND THIN." This isn't thin, this is anorexic. What's amazing is that this year, like last, the Bulls are 3rd in the league in attendance, trailing only Detroit and Dallas. |W|P|110177087416384481|W|P|Through Thick and Thin|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/01/2004 08:47:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Brett Favre has started 200 games in a row. That's a pretty incredible streak. Drew suggested to me with a teeny tiny bit of cynicism that he couldn't have done it without Vicodin. I'm pretty sure no one in the NFL can play that many games in a row without some chemical assistance. Some people in the media are comparing the streak to Cal Ripken's streak. For Stick and Ball Guy that's apples and oranges. However, before we get too carried away about Favre's tremendous streak, I'd like to point out one fact. Jim Marshall started as a defensive lineman in the NFL for 270 consecutive games. Where Favre gets hit at most 10 times in a game, Marshall was in the trenches having guys fall on him and getting pounded by offensive lineman on every play. Come back in 70 more games, Brett, and we'll start comparing your streak to Marshall's. |W|P|110191287711040998|W|P|Brett Favre and his Streak|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com12/01/2004 08:13:00 PM|W|P|Blogger Butch|W|P|Don't think that the media made as big a fuss when Jim played in 270 consecutive games, they really hyped Brett all week. But how else could they get people to watch, the Rams are only so so this year. Glad that your brought it up, but you know that Jim had some "help"