I'm writing before the T-Wolves game against the Lakers tonight. Yes, they have to win this game, especially with Superboy out. (Are they better with him or without him? A couple more wins and we're talking Ewing theory.) Today, ESPN.COM had an article about KG written by Eric Neel. Neel is an admitted Laker fan, so it's no coincidence that he's writing about KG on the same day as the T-Wolves take on the Lakes. I'm sure the fact that the game is on ESPN has something to do with it as well. I mentioned about a week or so ago how I felt that KG was treated unfairly by the media, especially in light of that article by Marc Stein suggesting that we "lay off" on Kobe. (An aside on Marc Stein. He writes in his power poll today about the Lakers: "If it's going to take a long-term injury to Kobe to convince Rudy T. to run more of the offense through Odom in the post, then it will be worth whatever suffering awaits LA in the short-term." That's right! It's the coach's fault that Kobe's taking all the shots! Good God, how about some reality here!)

Today's article identified exactly how I feel about the treatment KG has gotten. A very nice piece by Neel.

In '04, Garnett won his MVP trophy and finally put an end to the absurd but virulent talk that he couldn't bring home a winner, and that he didn't make his teammates better, blah blah blah. Now was the time to build on that new foundation. Now he was ready to make the move to perennial. And maybe he didn't have to win the ring this year, but he had to contend for it, he had to be in the mix. Instead, he and the boys are hovering around .500, trying to bum a ticket to the show, and losing home games to the Raptors. The hell of it is, KG's been KG: Dominant, multi-faceted, consistent, energetic, and intimidating. He's been a champion. And it just hasn't been enough. Sprewell's been moody (shocking as that seems), Cassell's looked slow and ineffective against other top-flight points, and as a group they've stumbled and bumbled their way to 10 losses in their last 14 games. And the window is closing. Spree's contract is up after this year. So are Hudson's and Eddie Griffin's. Cassell isn't likely to go Ponce de Leon on us any time soon, and strange as this is to say, Garnett's not getting any younger, either (he'll be 29 this spring, with 10 years of wear and tear on his wiry frame). They'd best right the ship, all of them, and in a hurry. They'd better start tonight with a thumping of the Kobe-less Lakers. If they get back into this thing and make a run, Garnett is a young champ, an ascending superstar in a thriving hoops town, and a permanent member of the pantheon. But if they don't, Garnett is Barkley, or not even, and Minneapolis is Palookaville. He's a tragic tale, a guy history remembers for what he didn't do, for the breaks and beats that went against him. All the nagging and naysaying comes back. All the groundless attacks return. The work of the last several years is blown away. The future that lay ahead recedes out of sight. It's not fair what I'm saying. It shouldn't be this way (the man is one fierce, brilliant player, team record and expectations be damned), but it is. That's what makes the Kevin Garnett story the most compelling of the season so far. The other elite players with legit aspirations and serious stakes are intriguing and entertaining. You can imagine following them with interest, and rooting for or against them. But KG's different; he's involved in something epic, fighting the good fight against the past and the future and against the failings of his mates, trying to seize that ring before it's too late. Is he doomed like Ulysses (whose men angered the gods and brought suffering down upon them all)? Will he somehow, improbably, impossibly, make up for the deficiencies of his team, and drive his club from this point straight through to the late rounds of the playoffs the way John Henry drove his hammer and spike through that legendary mountain?

The score was tied in the last of the 12th inning at Yankee Stadium in Game 2 of the 2004 American League Division Series. Derek Jeter was at third base with one out. Hideki Matsui hit a bullet line drive directly at Twins right fielder Jacque Jones. Maybe Jones didn't think Jeter would tag up -- a poor assumption -- or, more likely, Jones didn't have a chance to get his feet set and get behind the ball because it was hit so hard. Flat-footed, leaning backward, he made a weak throw to the plate. Jeter tagged up and scored the winning run. "You made your decision to go as soon as the ball was hit?'' Jeter was asked. "I made my decision to go before the ball was hit,'' Jeter said. That's why Jeter is such a great baserunner, that's why he's our pick for the best baserunner in the game.

Jeter made one as a rookie in 1996. He was caught stealing, the dreaded third out at third base. Manager Joe Torre was livid about such a rookie mistake. A half inning later, after playing in the field, Jeter came in the dugout and sat right next to Torre on the bench. Without saying a word, Jeter was telling his manager "here I am, I screwed up, let me have it, I'm accountable.'' Torre looked at him, laughed and said "get the hell out of here.'' It was probably the last big mistake Jeter made on the bases.

This is what Kurkjian would like you to believe. Now, SBG doesn't see the Yankees enough to big an accurate judge of Jeter's baserunning prowess. Perhaps Jeter is a great baserunner. He steals a lot of bases (the article differentiates between basestealing and baserunning). Maybe he is the best. But, given the adulation Jeter receives on a regular basis, SBG is skeptical. Never makes a big mistake... SBG in his mind flashes back to opening day, 2003. Opening Day! Jeter is on first with one out and Giambi hits a grounder to the first baseman. Giambi is out first base to pitcher. Jeter takes a stupid chance and tries to go to third. He's thrown out, making the third out at third base, a cardinal error in baserunning. (We know that, Timmy's told us so in his article!) Not only that, but Jeter slides in head first, which many baseball people will tell you is a mistake. But wait! Jeter slides into the catcher's shinguard and separates his shoulder! He misses six weeks of action! This is one of the worst baserunning decisions of the year! What is he thinking? It's opening day! The ball is on the infield! There are two outs! Stay at second! What a BIG mistake.

Bottom line. When guys like Captain October have guys like Kurkjian falling all over themselves to proclaim to the world how great he is, it infuriates SBG when a guy like KG takes all the crap he does. I think it is this piece of drivel that makes me appreciate an article written favorably about KG all the more.

Here's one more article or rather a poll, that I wanted to comment on. ESPN did a poll and 40% of the respondents said that they think the NHL will cease to exist after the lockout! Obviously, this poll is not scientific, but think about it! How many people ever thought that major league baseball would cease to exist after its multiple strikes? Or for those of you old enough to remember, the NFL after its two strikes? Or probably a little closer in analogy, the NBA after its lockout? Fact is, 2 of 5 here think that the league will fold up its tent and go home! I doubt that will happen, but I would not be surprised if significant contraction occurs. The NHL has serious problems, both real and in perception. That's all folks! Come back tomorrow for a second installment of 10 topics, fifty words. Hopefully, it will be entertaining!

Update: T-Wolves fall to the Lakers 93-90. KG gets 27 points on 19 shots and just 4 free throws. Sprewell gets 23 but is just 9-28. The Wolves are 1-14 from three, making them 2-30 from three over the last two games. Last game THud set a Timberwolves team record for most 3 point attempts in a game with out a make with 8. Sprewell ties this record tonight. 30 threes in two games. And Wally Szczerbiak is 1-2 in those two games from three. Meanwhile, Chucky Atkins goes nuts with 25 points. The Wolves get beat off the dribble continuously and give up open shots on the perimeter. No perimeter defense. It's flat out disheartening.

1/20/2005 01:04:00 PM|W|P| Anonymous|W|P|Great Job today pointing out the crap that 'professional' journalists churn out. If Yankees sell ratings, then at least have the good sense to talk about how Hideki Matsui has gotten better each year, or how is Sheffield's thumb?, or what has Giambi's offseason workout regimine been like?

These are all much more interesting, but if you're trying to get the female appeal I suppose you could throw in a picture of Jeter, but just in passing!

Anyhow, I enjoyed your contrast of two players who receive very different treatment from the media. Somewhere Billy Beane is smiling, 'keep it up boys.'1/20/2005 01:04:00 PM|W|P| Anonymous|W|P|Great Job today pointing out the crap that 'professional' journalists churn out. If Yankees sell ratings, then at least have the good sense to talk about how Hideki Matsui has gotten better each year, or how is Sheffield's thumb?, or what has Giambi's offseason workout regimine been like?

These are all much more interesting, but if you're trying to get the female appeal I suppose you could throw in a picture of Jeter, but just in passing!

Anyhow, I enjoyed your contrast of two players who receive very different treatment from the media. Somewhere Billy Beane is smiling, 'keep it up boys.' From Andy1/18/2005 07:58:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Well, the Twins had until 11AM today to get deals done with Carlos Silva, Kyle Lohse, and Johan Santana. Not surprisingly, they did not get a deal done with any of these guys. Today wasn't a big deal, except that if the deals weren't done, each side had to give out their numbers for the future arbitration. The two sides can strike deals right up until the arbitration hearing. The big deal about today is the number. If the numbers are far apart, it can cause hard feelings. Below are the numbers in the Twins cases.

Player	Twins Number	Player's Number	Difference
Carlos Silva	$1.625 million	$2.225 million	$600K
Kyle Lohse	$2.15 million	$2.4 million	$225K
Johan Santana	$5 million	$ 6.8 million	$1.8 million

I'm pretty sure that Lohse and the Twins will settle. No sense in going to a hearing over $225,000. Split the difference. The same with Silva. Of course, the Twins went to arbitration, and won, with Santana last year over a similar difference. I'm thinking that the Twins would lose an arbitration case with the reigning Cy Young Award winner this year.

Speaking of arbitration, Roger Clemens, the 7-time and reigning Cy Young Award winner is asking for $22 million in arbitration. He's 42 years old. The Astros have offered $13.5 million. The Astros have to be sick to their collective stomach. I think that they could win this arbitration. The two sides are $8.5 million apart, twice the previous record. The midpoint between these two numbers is $17.75 million, higher than any salary ever for a pitcher in a single year. And, he's going to be 43 years old. I don't think there's any way Clemens could actually win this arbitration hearing. Here's the twist. If Clemens loses, he can just retire. Now, SBG can't imagine walking away from $1.35 million, much less $13.5 million. But, Clemens has enough to do it. The only real option for the Astros is to negotiate a number close to the $17 million and pray that he doesn't get hurt. Or, they could roll the dice on arbitration and see what happens. Goddamn, they are in a tight spot, especially considering that they lost Carlos Beltran. It's good to be the king, that's for sure.

Wolves

SBG was listening to KFAN tonight and Barreiro had the Strib's beat writer, Steve Aschburner on the show. SBG didn't hear the whole interview, but the gist of it was: the Wolves need to let KG, Spree, and Cassell attempt to carry the team for the next couple of weeks. If they can rekindle the magic of last year, great. If not, it's time to break up this group, most probably by trading Spree. SBG has been saying pretty much the same thing. It all begins with getting the ball to The Ticket. KG makes the other guys better, because he draws the defense and gets the ball moving, freeing up Spree and Cassell for open shots. Implicit in this is the idea that Clueless cannot take so goddamned many shots. SBG also thinks that Eddie Griffin might think about passing up a few, too.

One good thing SBG heard is that the T-Wolves apparently have no interest in Eddie Jones. Good. It's got to be Kidd or Shareef Abdur-Rahim. I've also heard some rumors that the Wovles are interested in Donyell Marshall. Hoo boy, does that name bring back some bad memories. SBG saw the final game of the DM era in Minnesota. He was sitting about 20 rows behind the Wolves bench and he loudly heckled Marshall's lackluster effort on defense, not knowing that Mr. Marshall would be taking his hopelessly inflated contract out to Golden State that very night. In his place came Tom Gugliotta and the beginning of good times in Minnesota. The very next game, the Wolves beat Shaq and the Magic, with Gugliotta in attendance, but not playing. As SBG listened to the game on his way back to North Dakota, he cursed his bad luck for having to watch a pathetic 30-point loss to Indiana.

Aschburner also said that the Wolves have not taken enough heat for this season. No arguments here. They are clearly the most disappointing team in the league. If the playoffs started today, they would not be in. No way did that seem even remotely possible before the season started. Right now, SBG isn't sure that they will make it.

Sealy's Game Winner

The Star Tribune reported today that it was five years ago Monday that Malik Sealy hit a game winning three to beat the Indiana Pacers on MLK day. SBG remembers that game and the excitement he felt when they won that game. Of course, Sealy would die in a tragic car accident just months later, and that incident has put a lot more emphasis on what was already one of the team's most exciting wins. Upon hearing of the anniversary, SBG reflected and thought -- I loved that team a lot more than this team. That team was young and hungry and trying and failing but never not trying. This team is none of that and that sucks.

SBG's allegiance to the Wolves is passed only by his allegiance to the Twins. In a lot of ways, there is a close parallel between the obsession a lot of people have with the Vikings and SBG's affection for the Wolves. Why? Why be a fan? What have they ever done but disappoint? Ah, they are SBG's team. He struggled with the team through the Jimmy Rodgers disaster, through the Sidney Lowe era, and through the depression of the Bill Blair regime. He was energized by the early play of KG and endured the seven straight first round playoff exits. They weren't all painful, but by the end, it got very frustrating. But, this year is the biggest disappointment in SBG's sixteen years as a fan, if for no other reason than this was the first time that SBG thought at the beginning of the season that the Wolves would win the NBA title. Instead it's been a reversion to the Christian Laettner/J.R. Rider era, with whiny underachieving players. Hopefully, KG can pull this team out of their current funk.

Shout Outs A special shout out to the following people today.

GH from the blog KG4MVP, aka GH and Petey's Timberwolves blog. These guys are writing about the Wolves on a regular basis, when it's not much fun to do so. Hang in there guys, it will get better. I mentioned these guys before, but GH deserves repeat mention because he alerted SBG and helped him overcome a problem with this website when viewed using FireFox browser. I intended to add their blog to my list of blogs anyway, but I do it with special thanks.

Shout out loud so that Jeff from Germany can hear me. I got a birthday greeting from reader Jeff from Germany on Monday. Jeff is an old colleague of mine working on assignment across the pond. Jeff's a very good guy. I'm sure Jeff remembers an undeserved butt chewing I took down in Phoenix, Arizona a few years back. I say as long as you put in 13 hours in a day, Jeff, you don't have to come in until 10AM.

A shout out to SBG's cousin and his wife, who had their first baby on Tuesday morning at 2AM. Just think, if that kid was two hours older, she could have shared her big day with SBG. That would have been cool.

A shout to the 7th Angel, who sent me a very cool picture related to the Twins and his European trip. Boy, you better blog that picture soon, or I'm going to!

A loud, forceful shout out to Terry Ryan. Do not let Johan Santana get to arbitration. You are $1.8 million apart, and frankly, I think Johan sold himself a little short. Take that $6.8, multiply by 3 and add $6 million for raises. You have three years, $26.4 million. Add a fourth option year at $10 million, with a $2 million buyout. Get it done.

A shout out to Bubba and family. Miss those birthday dinners!

A shout to my old friend, Nick. Thanks for remembering my birthday. I haven't seen Nick in a while. We should plan to get together one of these days.

A shout out to the Mayor's son. Thanks for the e-mail, buddy!

|W|P|110610023933796850|W|P|Arbitration|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com1/19/2005 05:04:00 PM|W|P| Greek House|W|P|Thanks for the shout out SBG. :)

I too remember that Sealy shot quite vividly. It was right about the same time I really got hardcore into watching the NBA.

Being a Wolves fan this year is a bit like being a Yankees fan any year. When they win, it's routine and expected. When they lose, it's a huge disappointment. Unfortunately, the Wolves have two big things against them that the Yankees never have. 1) They've never actually won a championship and 2) They're losing a ton right now.

I too miss the good old days of youthful energetic basketball from my team. The Wolves could really use an injection of useful athleticism. At the beginning of the season, Spree complained about not getting an extension, but I think we all see now why he didn't get one. He's old, and not worth nearly what we're paying him (He's making more than KG this year). It might do the Wolves good to trade him now and get a young guy who can bring that energy to the table.1/17/2005 09:52:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Tonight SBG's sister and her family took Lucy and SBG out for dinner in honor of SBG's big 40th birthday. SBG is a professional uncle and enjoys his little nieces tremendously. SBG certainly appreciates that sis and family drove the 150 miles to see him. Thanks for making my day enjoyable.

The Dogs

It's a good thing that no one bought SBG tickets to the T-Wolves game as a birthday present. The T-Wolves had won two in a row prior to tonight's game (albeit against a pretty crummy Denver team and a depleted Portland team). SBG was convinced that the T-Wolves absolutely could not beat anyone right now, so two wins -- even against poor teams -- was cause for optimism. So were two consecutive quality performances by Latrell Sprewell. Then the T-Wolves hosted the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors were 15-23 coming into tonight's game. They traded away their best player earlier this season and were 2-18 on the road coming into tonight's game. Make it 3-18. The Raptors beat the Wolves by a score of 100-91. Thankfully, SBG was playing with two of his nieces and visiting with his sister and brother-in-law and did not have to watch the carnage. But, any good feeling has been washed away. First, Sprewell was 1-6 for 4 points. Fresh off of two games in which he got a total of 54 points, he explodes for 4 lousy points. Second, the Raptors were 10-20 from three. Another team exploits the T-Wolves' perimeter defense. Against the Lakers, it was evident that the Wolves cannot guard the perimeter and the Lakers took 35 three point shots. Again tonight, another team exploited the T-Wolves' outside D. Third, the Wolves were 1-16 from three, with Clueless (Troy Hudson) going 0-8. That's right, Clueless, keep shooting. Fourth, KG got just 15 shots and just four free throws (he netted 20 points). Apparently, KG was shouting to the bench that the plays should go through him. He also had foul trouble, with 5 fouls in just 33 minutes. Honest to God, the Wolves should run the ball through KG 85% of their set plays, at least. When KG gets the ball, the defense gets distorted as players get out of position to provide help. And KG always finds the open man. The ball should be given to him in the low post. Period. Guys guilty of not throwing him the ball should be castrated. Well, that's a litte extreme, but if you don't throw the ball to KG you should not be playing. Fifth, John Thomas is the starting center. Last week he was toiling away in anonymity in Sioux Falls, SD. For Christ's sake, the guy is playing on a ten-day contract, and he is the starting center on this team. I realize that Olowokandi is suspended, but Jesus. The Wolves need the Mexican Girl Hunter, and they need him bad. Start KG at the 5, MGH at the 4, Spree at the three... Of course, bringing in MGH only makes the team older, but it's a quick fix. Of course, the way this team is playing, old MGH can't possibly be interested any more. So, when old Taser Breath comes off of his suspension, he'll have to step in and provide some energy. Yeah right. I'm convinced that the Wolves have to make a trade. They need to deal Sprewell and his expiring contract for a power forward who has a low post game or a serviceable center. Or, they need to trade him for a point guard who will make damn sure that the ball goes to KG every time down the court. The sickening part of all of this is that the Wolves are wasting the talents of one of the most versatile, energetic, and talented players the game has ever known. KG is a unique superstar in the modern NBA in that scoring isn't his biggest contribution. Sure, he gets 23 points a game, but it is the rebounds, passing, defense and unselfishness that define his value. The rest of this team is not worthy of his prodigious talent. Because he's not a guard, he cannot control the ball and the offense the way I'd like to see him do it. He needs someone else to do that and play perimeter, and seemingly, he'll take care of the rest. But, the Wolves are horribly deficient in perimeter defense and playmaking, and that's what is killing the Wolves.

Make Me Smile

I read this and smiled. Apparently, Li'l Harmon was not going to take the loudmouthed exploits of Doug Msdlfqaweoinasd;lfjiz lying down. Li'l Harmon weighed in on the Dougie M./Red Sox baseball controversy, saying that if it were him, he'd give the ball back. The beauty of this is that Dougie shot his mouth off after he got traded, saying that the trade would "come back to bite the Twins." Apparently, Dougie didn't think that Li'l Harmon could play first base well enough to make people forget about the Mientkiewicz era. Funny thing. Li'l Harmon showed that playing first base isn't all that hard. You just have to scoop up a few throws, and you will be fine. No one was talking about Li'l Harmon's glove after the trade. That's because everyone was talking about his prodigious home runs. And now, Li'l Harmon has said his piece. And he got a little revenge for Doug's mouthing off. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Twins Stockpile Marginal Infield Talent

What the hell is going on? The Twins signed Eric Munson to a minor league deal this week. Seth thinks it's a good idea. I'm not inclined to disagree with him as Munson has to make the team in order to get paid. Seth does point out the following, which is what bothers me.

However, my question has to do with how many infielders the Twins now have for just three positions (as we know that Justin Morneau will be rooted at 1B). Here are the team�s options: 3B - Michael Cuddyer, Eric Munson, Terry Tiffee SS - Juan Castro, Jason Bartlett, Augie Ojeda 2B - Luis Rivas, Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto Again, it just makes me completely clueless as to why they signed Juan Castro and re-signed Luis Rivas. Of course, they may not have assumed Munson would be available for a minor league contract. Had they known that, they could have made Munson the 3B, kept Cuddyer at 2B and Rivas could have been dropped. There�s $1.6 million wasted on Rivas, to go along with the $2.05 million wasted on Juan Castro.

What are the Twins thinking? Apparently, no one has locked down a third base spot. Could it possibly be that Eric Munson will be the starting 3B next year, with Luis Rivas playing 2B? Could Mike Cuddyer end up as a utility guy again, wasting away while inferior bats are in the lineup every day? SBG sure hopes not. And if Mike Cuddyer plays third, what is Munson's role? He's a left-handed stick, so maybe he's just slated to be Jose Offerman's replacement. Let's hope that's the case. With 14 position players (and 11 pitchers) the Twins roster now looks like this Hunter Ford Stewart Jones (damn)

Ryan (I believe he's out of options)

Morneau Rivas Punto Castro Cuddyer Munson LeCroy Redmond Mauer With Ford at DH, you have LeCroy as a right handed pinch hitter (God knows you don't want him in the field), Punto as a utility guy, and Ryan and Munson as left handed replacements. Bartlett, Restovich, and Tiffee are in the minors. Look at that list of infielders. Who do you like? Li'l Harmon, yes. Then, who? Cuddyer. Then who? Take your pick. The Twins have at least two huge holes in their infield, and they've got no real answers. And Eric Munson doesn't clear up the picture any. Along with leaving some money for Santana, another reason not to sign Jones (and Rivas) was to save that money to shore up the infield. If the Twins lose Jones, they have Stewart, Hunter, and Ford in the outfield, along with Ryan and Restovich, and whoever else. But, no, they signed these two guys, and now the Twins are screwing around with Santana, their number one asset, and they are sitting with a pile of utility infielders. As good as last winter's moves were, it is the SBG's opinion that the Twins (outside of retaining Radke and offering Blanco arbitration) have had a miserable off-season. |W|P|110602418027250117|W|P|Monday Night Thoughts|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com1/18/2005 07:33:00 AM|W|P| Greek House|W|P|I'd like to see an infield of Morneau/Anybody but Rivas/Punto/Cuddy Bear. Even though Punto's undersized and isn't the most talented player ever, he makes up for it with his hustle. He's like the Twins version of Mark Madson. He's obviously not a permanent solution, but at least he's fun to watch and he brings it every night, which is more than I can say for certain current Twins second basemen.1/18/2005 09:19:00 AM|W|P| SBG|W|P|I was thinking this morning that if Terry Tiffee came to spring training and tore it up, the opening day infield could be Morneau, Cuddyer, Punto and Tiffee. I will be totally pissed, but NOT surprised, if somehow Cuddyer is the odd man out.

Thanks, GH, for your help on the site. I'll be sure to properly credit you tonight.1/19/2005 11:03:00 AM|W|P| Anonymous|W|P|Restovich is out of options, and I think he'll be more of a priority than Michael Ryan.1/19/2005 12:13:00 PM|W|P| SBG|W|P|My bad.1/17/2005 07:47:00 AM|W|P|SBG|W|P|SBG had intended to write a special post today, on this momentous (at least for him) occasion. However, he was overcome by events, and so you get an executive summary. Today is SBG's 40th birthday. It's also a national holiday. Fitting, he thinks. It's hard to believe that 40 years have passed since Butch drove Mrs. Butch to the hospital on an icy Sunday morning. But, they have. Thankfully, Butch is headed towards retirement now -- damn he's worked hard. He's made an honest living. He worked when he was so sick that he could barely get out of bed. Butch didn't have sick leave, so he gutted it out. I remember him weak with the flu, but still going to work. I don't know how he did it. Mrs. Butch taught SBG a lot of practical skills, and they have come in handy. Forty years as a bachelor, you need to know a few things beside how to change the oil in the car. They never had a lot, but Mr. and Mrs. Butch have given an incredible amount of love and support for 40 years. Thanks, Mom and Dad. The last several years when Jan. 17 rolls around SBG has looked back at his life, specifically focusing on what his life was like half a lifetime ago. Life was so profoundly different back then for SBG. He could never have guessed what was in store for him. Neither could he have imagined what his 30s would be like. The last ten years have brought profound disappointments and incredible happiness, none of it expected on Jan. 17, 1995. One last thought. Today is MLK day. What an important holiday this is. SBG remembers back 20 years ago to when he first met and knew people who weren't Caucasian. SBG is especially reminded of Steve, a high school friend, and the only black man at a Catholic boarding school. Steve was so incredibly gifted. He was smart, funny, and an incredible musician. He could play piano and guitar in a way that just made you smile. Steve won 8 first place trophies at the State Speech tournament. Not bad, especially when you consider that a person was limited to two events per year. That's right, Steve won the maximum amount in four years. Steve was a good athlete. He was strong and tall, he could play basketball and run. He had a natural charm -- he was easy going and he inspired confidence in others. He was a leader. SBG was on the debate team as a freshman and Steve was his partner. Steve was sharp. Those two were quite a team that hardly ever lost (undefeated at the state meet). SBG remembers just thinking, this guy is a great guy. It simply did not matter to me that he was a black man. It did not. It did, however, matter to others. Some students at the school called him names (always behind his back, I think) like "Jungle Bunny" or "Woogie". It sickened me. To them the color of his skin did matter. The accident of birth, that his parents were black was enough for them to hold him in contempt. And the thing was, Steve had so much more going for him that any of those idiots. It taught SBG an important lesson about bigotry and hatred -- that it is alive and well in the United States of America, even in a Christian school. So today I think back on my life. I am thankful for a lot of things. And on MLK day I think about Steve. I haven't seen him in over 20 years. I wonder what he's doing these days. I'm sure he's up to some good. And I think of the message of MLK.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

It seems that Dr. King's message can and should be extended beyond issues of race. For example, we would be a lot more harmonious if the religions of all, and not just those of the majority, were properly respected. Dr. King preached a message of acceptance of one another and of non-violence. These are ideals that people of all races, cultures, and religions should aspire to. And so today, on his 40th birthday, that is the small wish that SBG has for this country. |W|P|110597132704570027|W|P|Executive Summary|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com1/17/2005 09:49:00 AM|W|P| Cheesehead Craig|W|P|Happy Birthday SBG! All the best to you.1/17/2005 12:04:00 PM|W|P| Anonymous|W|P|Holy cow! It's your birthday too? That is awesome! Happy birthday SBG! It is obvious that not only do great minds think alike, they also have the same birthday! Everyone should bow before our magnificence!

You say it's your birthday
It's my birthday too--yeah
They say it's your birthday
We're gonna have a good time
I'm glad it's your birthday
Happy birthday to you!!!!

Great song!

Shane1/13/2005 08:05:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|Tonight I am going to try something a little different. I am going to tackle ten topics, giving no one topic more than 50 words. Let�s see how it goes. Topic 1: The Timberwolves Should the Timberwolves stay pat or make changes? They could fire Flip or make a trade. Moss (not Randy) thinks McHale should go. I say trade Sprewell if they can get a point guard. Keep McFlip until off-season at least. Karl Malone, we need you! Damn that Hudson contract! Topic 2: Randy Moss The NFL fined Randy $10,000. Ridiculous. Plummer got $5000 for giving fans the finger. Whatever. Moss� predictable reaction: �what�s ten grand to me�? Phil Simms denied knowing about Lambeau mooning tradition, implicitly questioning Moss� story. However, Simms lost just once at Green Bay in 1985. Details! Tice: entire families moon. Topic 3: Johan Santana The Twins original offer is ridiculously low. If they aren�t willing to pay him long term, they should offer him a good one year deal. Yankee fans are drooling about prospect of plucking him away later. The Yankees are like a bully who steals the smart kid�s lunch money. Topic 4: Cold Weather Cold weather is really not that bad. The roads are generally good because it�s too cold for snow to stick. It�s often sunny and quite clear. And, when it�s really, really cold that usually means there�s usually not much wind. Who am I kidding? Minus 20 sucks. Topic 5: Law School I really do not miss law school. The surprising thing was that the first year was just like junior high. Lockers, cliques, attendance sheets, getting called on in class, the whole nine yards. I half-expected Mr. Welder to throw Matt Laddusaw against the lockers. If you get that, e-mail me. Topic 6: The Vikings Crazily enough, I am optimistic about this weekend�s game. They sucker me every goddamned time. They can�t play defense, Moss is limping and their running game has been very spotty. Chavious? No. Can they pick up the blitz? Unlikely. Actually, I foresee the annual meltdown next weekend in St. Louis. Topic 7: Shout Outs I did shout outs yesterday, and I plan to do them just once a week. But, what the hell. Shout outs to Miller Man, the Mayor, Butch, Drew � let�s get that idea put together, Gundy$, you know who you are, and Moss. I think you owe me a free sandwich! Topic 8: Hockey ESPN did a white paper on professional hockey, proposing a brand new league. Their ideas made sense to me. 20 teams, 60 games, graduated luxury tax, bigger nets, smaller goalie pads, shoot outs. I�m not a hockey guy, but I liked it. But, no fighting? I�m not sure that flies. Topic 9: Ice Fishing

Drew�s going ice fishing this weekend. The houses and gear people have now! It�s just not right. Big Henk and I went three years ago and took an axe to cut our holes and lugged out a heavy homemade canvas shelter using candles for heat. That�s right. We�re tough.

Topic 10: Blog Traffic My site traffic has increased lately. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you like what you see; if so, tell your friends! My site�s modest (Aaron�s had twice the hits since Monday that I�ve had total), but I�m trying to put out a good product. Remember, the price is right! There you go. Fifty words on ten topics. Have a good weekend! Go Vikes! |W|P|110567988452764466|W|P|Shorts|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com1/14/2005 06:01:00 AM|W|P| Anonymous|W|P|Moss too thought the first weeks of law school were like junior high...lockers, bells, gossip, etc.

Of course, some of the people had the maturity of junior-high students too. Typically the ones that went straight from undergrad. But not always.

I remember one guy who wore a sleeveless muscle shirt to class every day. On day one, when he got his schedule, he rants loudly: "This is the worst schedule of all time...EVER!" Let's not blow things out of proportion, shall we?

Another classmate came to class late everyday, looking either like a) she rolled out of bed and put on sweatshirt and hat (a la Ashley Judd) or b) she never went to bed, and was still dressed for clubbing.

Another student just turned 21 after the year started, and went on a serious drinking binge...he thought he was the stuff, since he had finished college so young, but was quickly swatted at law school. I enjoyed that...

Yet another classmate, who was a nontraditional student who had been a COLLEGE PROFESSOR was the nosiest person in the class and the most likely to cheat. Unbelievable.

So is the environment suited to the inhabitants, or do the inhabitants adapt to the environment??

There's more than 50 words to flesh out one of your topics...1/14/2005 07:41:00 AM|W|P| SBG|W|P|My favorite "you have got to be kidding me" moment was at the end of the first year of law school. My section (for those who haven't been there, you have a section in the first year or at least we did, just like junior high) and our professors went outside to have a group picture taken! And one of the professors didn't know the time of the picture and missed it. She started crying. So later, we were in class and had to have a picture taken with her in it, too. SBG was not thrilled about the first picture -- was it for the yearbook? -- and he did NOT participate in the second picture. Sheesh.1/12/2005 10:00:00 PM|W|P|SBG|W|P|The Wolves lost again tonight. They are now 17-17 and tied for the eighth seed in the West. This team cannot beat anyone right now. On December 10th, SBG saw the Wolves in person. They beat Sacramento in a fabulous game. KG was tremendous, with maybe his best all around game of the season. The Wolves were 13-6. The next night the Wolves got blown out by a (then) bad team in Chicago. And the slide was on. The Wolves are now 4-11 over the last fifteen. In their last seven, their only win was by five points. At home. Against the 76ers. Without Allen Iverson. Tonight they lost at home to Orlando. Orlando is the worst defensive team in the NBA. In their last 7 road games before tonight, they had given up an average of 109 points per game. Tonight, they gave up 80 to the Wolves, the lowest output by any team against the Magic all year. Make no mistake, the Magic did not play well. They shot 40% from the field. They have absolutely no inside game. Kelvin Cato is their starting center, for Christ's sake. And they were short a player, having traded away Cuttino Mobley, but not yet having Doug Christie. But they do have a healthy and effective Grant Hill. And they have Hedo Turkoglu, who took one wide open shot after another. And they beat the Wolves in Minneapolis. What can a guy say about this team? Flip Saunders called the Wolves first half "embarrassing". Only KG, with his 15 points and 11 rebounds kept them anywhere close -- and they trailed by 9 at halftime. The Wolves offense is absolutely stagnant. They have no movement. There are no open shots. If KG doesn't create a shot, it is not created. Period. KG is not the greatest inside player ever, but he's the only guy they have that can score inside. I thought Sprewell had a decent game. He had some energy, even though he wasn't making any shots. And Trenton Hassell had a nice shooting night, scoring 14 points. But, without Cassell, the Timberwolves have an absolute black hole at the point guard spot. If Troy Hudson's rap album is half as bad as his basketball game, it might be the worst non-Ashley Simpson album of the year. His line tonight? 20 minutes 1-9, 4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 3 turnovers. And Anthony Carter... I liked him a lot better when he played football. Tonight? 24 minutes, 1-3, 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 5 turnovers, 6 fouls. Hudson was b-a-d, bad. Carter was dreadful. KG spent a significant amount of time at the point guard spot. That's poison for this team. He needs to be posting up. He needs someone delivering him the ball. He doesn't need to be standing 25 feet from the basket. The only bright spot on this team this year is KG. He had a difficult night offensively. He was forced to take a lot of shots that I don't think he should ever take. He played the entire second half, but only scored 4 points after intermission and none in the fourth quarter. He shot just 7-20, finishing with 19 points, but he tied a career high with 25 rebounds and he dished out 8 assists. With his 25 rebounds, an NBA high this year, he passed John Havlicek on the all-time rebounding list. After passing Bill Russell on the scoring list with his career high 47 points last week, he clips Havlicek with his career high 25 rebounds, and both came in losing efforts. Two Celtic greats, one with 11 championships, the other with eight, both passed in losing efforts. To top off the terrible night, the T'Wolves radio broadcast was delayed by 5 seconds from the TV. So, SBG had a choice, listen to Tom Hanneman, or listen to the radio call the game 5 seconds after watching the action. Still, SBG cannot stomach the TV crew. It was really weird listening to plays being called after the action like that. Incidentally, I really like Billy McKinney as a color guy. He has such a nice, smooth delivery and excellent insight. Chad Hartman's call isn't bad, but he does tend to miss some action, as becomes evident when you watch it simultaneously on TV. McKinney is maybe the best color guy they've ever had from a pure analysis standpoint. He's not as funny as JB Bickerstaff, and he doesn't have schtick like Mychal Thompson's rhymes, but he talks like what he is, an excellent evaluator of the NBA game. It's too bad that he's got to tell me about this team.

Shout Outs

A shout out to Cheesehead Craig. CC is a reader and commenter on this site. He's also a friend of Shane at the Greet Machine, and he's recently started his own blog, Oracle of Cheese, where he professes his love for the Green Bay Packers. Apparently timing isn't one of CC's strengths (sorry about that loss last week), but he's off to a good start on his site. Go on and check it out.

Speaking of bad timing, GH and Petey recently started a blog about the Timberwolves. Check it out.

A shout out to my good friends, Bruce and Chuck. SBG was thinking about the old Moss mooning play and it reminded me of a game that he saw in Buffalo a number of years ago. The Bills were playing the Raiders and it was plenty cold outside. About midway through the first quarter, two young (attractive) female fans of the Raiders sitting about 15 rows down and a section over from SBG took off their outer garments -- leaving only skimpy black Raider bikinis, which SBG believes were made of leather. Not to be outdone, a guy on the other side of SBG dropped his pants and mooned them. Dropped his pants to his ankles. And left them there. Until he was kicked out of the game. For some reason, the two young ladies were kicked out, too. I knew that Bruce was at the game with me, but I didn't remember if Chuck was. So, SBG e-mailed those two old friends today and gave them a 30-second update on life. SBG remembered that Bruce was there, but couldn't remember if Chuck was. No Chuck wasn't, he was there with SBG when Buffalo won the AFC championship for the fourth consecutive time. This brings SBG to an article by Chris Mortenson on ESPN.COM today about the Moss incident. Mortenson said, in light of Tony Dungy's explanation that "[w]e don't want players lowering their standard to that of fans..." In other words, don't act like the idiots in the stands. That's a far cry from where we were a couple of days ago with this, isn't it. Here's the best part... Mortenson says that Moss should have explained it that way, then there wouldn't have been an overreaction. In other words, we don't get the joke, Randy, can you explain the punch line? In other news, Red McCombs asked FOX to remove Joe Buck from their crew for this weekend's Vikings game! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I wonder if Budweiser will run a LEON commercial during the Vikings game or that one where Buck uses his "shamalamadingdong" catch phrase to sell bobbleheads!!!! Make sure to sell that beer to minors, Buck! Seriously, SBG has a couple of times mentioned on this site how much he likes Dick Stockton as an announcer. He should be FOX's number one guy. He calls the game in front of him. He doesn't get caught up in the "Brett Favre is God" or similar crap. His calls are accurate, straightfoward, and on the mark. A pro's pro.

Back to the shout outs. SBG shouts out to Beaner, Bubba, and Erma. That's all one guy. And to Housewrecker, Beaner's brother (there's also Pickle, Bonehead, Moose, and... Rick). SBG doubts that Housewrecker is reading this site, but he knows that Beaner is. Housewrecker will be 41 on Monday. Someone else is celebrating a birthday on Monday, too. Stay tuned.

Shout out to Big Henk. Thanks for the e-mail. I appreciate it. I'd like to get a copy of your latest writing effort. Your sister told me it's very good. And also to Henk. Hey the Gophs might not be completely terrible after all. And Henk West. What's UP?

A shout out to Terry Ryan. Terry made an offer to Our Guy today. Three years, $19.5 million. Here's my shout. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Eric F'n Milton got three years, $25.5 million and Our Guy is the reigning unanimous Cy Young Award winner! Why get those numbers in print? That's embarrassing! The truly ridiculous part is that they offered him $4.5 million for 2005. Here's how they could have offered him more. CUT JACQUE JONES AND LUIS RIVAS LOOSE INSTEAD OF SIGNING THEM FOR ABOUT $6.5 MILLION COMBINED. SIGN JOE RANDA TO PLAY THIRD FOR $2 MILLION. PLAY CUDDYER AT SECOND. OFFER SANTANA $9.0 MILLION FOR 2005. You may be able to tell that SBG thought this was a stupid decision.

One more blog shout out... to the 7th Angel. A triple major in college, travelling around Europe, and a Twins fan. Check his site out. I believe that he's also entered in SBG's Twins Roster Contest.

Okay, one more. What's up Seth! That column tonight is only 706 words! Slacker!

|W|P|110559505921649991|W|P|Lottery Bound|W|P|sbg@stickandballguy.com1/13/2005 10:10:00 AM|W|P| Cheesehead Craig|W|P|Thanks for the plug SBG! Totally unexpected. Yeah, I should have started the blog sooner, but never got around to it. I'll do my best to be worthy of the shout out. I have a thought for your blog on the KG stuff, could you put his line from the previous game up by the career stats? Might be a nice reference. Laters and keep up the good work.1/13/2005 11:36:00 AM|W|P| Anonymous|W|P|Hey Stick and Ball Guy!

What do you think of the rumors of McHale trading for Kidd? The rumors were in the paper again today, and I am of the opinion where there is smoke, there is fire.

I laughed out loud when I read your thoughts on T-Hud's rapping. Atrocious! I downloaded some of his stuff off of the StarTrib and it made me long for "Welcome to the Jungle."1/13/2005 11:37:00 AM|W|P| Anonymous|W|P|That last comment was from me: Shane. I hate this anonymous commenting crap.1/13/2005 12:16:00 PM|W|P| Andrew|W|P|It's true. I am in the roster contest. Last update, I was winning. I don't know how I'm standing now though. I'm slowly but surely working on reviewing my trip to Europe right now. It may take awhile - there is a lot to say, I'm still a little screwed up timewise and to boot I'm sick. Thanks for the shout out.1/13/2005 12:28:00 PM|W|P| SBG|W|P|Shane -- I don't know about McHale for Kidd, I don't think the Nets would do that deal. :) Sprewell for Kidd, I'd do that deal. Actually, I think Spree's played all right, I'm not as down on him as a lot of other people. The black hole at PG must be rectified if there is any chance for a turnaround. Sprewell is a valuable chip -- he's not worth $14 million a year, but with an expiring contract he's great salary cap relief. If Kidd could get the Wolves to run the floor I think they'd be a lot better. I wasn't so sure on this deal before, but I'd welcome it now.

7th Angel -- I'll run an update on the contest in the next week.