Week 1 : Vikings fall to Lions

Vikings fall to Lions 34-24

The Vikings dropped their first game of the season to the Detroit Lions 34-24 at the Metrodome on Sunday.   Minnesota started the day with an awesome Adrian Peterson 78-yard touchdown run as the Norsemen jumped out to a 14-6 in the second quarter but struggled to keep pace with the Lions offense as Detroit rolled up 469 yards to the Vikings’ 330.  They particularly struggled to corral the newest Lion, running back Reggie Bush who had a career day.  The former Heisman Trophy winner rushed for 90 yards and caught four passes for 101 yards and a touchdown.

Much has been made about the progress (or lack thereof) of Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder.  He did not impress against the Lions, throwing 3 interceptions and losing a fumble, which overshadowed his 18 for 28 for 236 yards.   Also lost in the shuffle was a career day by Jerome Simpson who caught 7 passes for 140 yards.  Besides Simpson and Peterson, who only gained 16 yards on his next 17 carries, there wasn’t much on offense to be happy about.   The Vikings defense clearly missed Kevin Williams, surrendering 201 yards in the first half, with missed tackles galore.   The Lions offensive line stonewalled the Vikings front four, with Jared Allen notching a solo sack. 

The rookie impact that was predicted to be felt didn’t amount to much in Week 1.  Patterson was targeted once catching a ball for ten yards but didn’t play many snaps. Patterson seemed to be in the flow of the game due to his play in special teams but didn’t get in.  His one pass, a screen, was exciting as he made several defenders miss.  Fellow first rounder Xavier Rhodes added three tackles but no pass breakups and Sheriff Floyd notched one pass breakup.  Even newcomer Greg Jennings did not get in sync with Ponder catching 3 for 33 on seven targets. 

Detroit still made several boneheaded plays that the Vikings couldn’t capitalize on; the Lions Brandon Pettigrew fumbled the ball away with about 1:19 in the second quarter, trailing 14-6.   Free safety Harrison Smith recovers the fumble, forced by corner Josh Robinson.  The Vikings then go to the air on back-to-back plays getting Lions penalties on each and before you know it they are at the Lions 30.  A perfect opportunity to go up at least two scores before the half—nope—Ponder tried to hit Jennings and got picked off. Drive over.  Detroit then march down the field in the two minute drill and scores, even though Robinson almost recovered a fumble on our goalline.

That series seemed to take the momentum away from the Norsemen and the halftime speech didn’t help.  The Vikes get the ball to start the third quarter and Ponder takes two sacks on a three and out.  The Lions immediate go the air and score again in seven plays.  By that point the Vikings have to abandon the gameplan, but Peterson was seeing eight and nine men in the box anyway.

The Vikings will need to call less predictable plays against the Chicago Bears in Week 2.   The play calling in short yardage situations failed in key situations.   The formations should probably be spread out more to create easier looks for the running game and give Ponder multiple easy reads.  Also, Ponder will have to work harder at not staring down receivers, turning the ball over and going through his progressions.  It just doesn’t seem to be in his toolbox to process information quickly enough to get to his third and fourth looks.  The great quarterbacks, and we’ve seen some in the purple and goal all have this ability—especially if they lack the arm strength to force the ball in anyway.

Their were positives in this game besides Peterson and Jerome Simpson; kicker Blair Walsh banged a 52-yarder quite easily and certainly looks to have plenty of opportunities to kick long ones—and plenty of extra points as well.  We’re optimistic the secondary is better because Megatron had a quiet 4 catches on 9 targets.  Add Kevin Williams back in there and the Vikings will be better balanced.  Onward to Chicago; the boys will have plenty to fight for next week. 

The 2013 Minnesota Vikings: Preseason Wrap-Up and the Road Ahead

The 2013 Minnesota Vikings: Preseason Wrap-Up and the Road Ahead

The Minnesota Vikings wrapped up their preseason this weekend beating the Tennessee Titans 24-24 in the Metrodome Thursday night.  They finally eclipsed 300 yards on offense with 342 against the Titans.   It’s worth mentioning that most of the guys who excelled on Thursday weren’t on the active roster by Sunday as the last cuts to get to 53 were due in Saturday night.  

The preseason wasn’t exactly kind to the Norsemen (1-3) in terms of wins and losses but the coaches feel that they got an extended look at their depth and avoided major injury to key players- which is really the point.   Roster fluidity is the name of the game before Week 1, as the Vikings recently signed J’Marcus Webb freshly cut from the rival Chicago Bears.   He will add some needed depth behind Phil Loadholt at right tackle.  Added to the Vikings practice squad are RB Joe Banyard, G Travis Bond, DT Everett Dawkins, TE Chase Ford, OT Kevin Murphy, WR Rodney Smith and WR Adam Thielen.  Banyard has shown flashes throughout the preseason and looks more than capable of adding to the second best rushing attack in the league.  He’ll be joined by Zach Fine, who as predicted last article, made the team as the Viking fullback in the wake of the Jerome Felton suspension. 

While the team’s official depth chart has some younger veterans starting over new additions (CB Josh Robinson over Xavier Rhodes, for example) guys like Rhodes and Patterson figure heavily into the team’s plans early on.  It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Xavier Rhodes get a few snaps against Calvin Johnson on Sunday or see Cordarrelle Patterson get some touches in a shootout with the Lions, if explosive plays are needed.  Linebacker Marvin Mitchell is a starting weak side linebacker but a 100% healthy Desmond Bishop figures to be starting when he has a full grasp of the playbook.   The weak side backer and the nickel back are pretty important on Minnesota when you play teams that feature three-receiver sets as much as division foes Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago. 

On offense, we’re looking for Jerome Simpson to be the guy at the number two position for Minnesota.  He has pressure to outperform not only speedy WR Jarius Wright who is more of a natural slot receiver anyway, but Cordarrelle Patterson who has great yards-after-the-catch ability.  Quarterback Christian Ponder will probably throw more passes to tight end Kyle Randolph if defenses try to take away the deeper threats.  With Ponder throwing the rock he attempted the second most play action passes (165) in the NFL.  So in 2013, with him at the helm foes are sure to be fed a heavy diet of play action to crossing receivers and tight ends, which makes perfect sense with Adrian Peterson toting the heavy load.   But they need guys to bail Ponder out which was the beauty of a healthy Percy Harvin.  We believe with Simpson and Greg Jennings combined they will have the great route running possession receiver (Jennings- who also excels against zone defenses) and the deep threat who is simply more athletically gifted then most human beings in Simpson. 

Opening with two division rivals, the Vikings have a tough row to hoe early on.  Lions, Bears, Browns, Steelers before the Week 5 will be great tests of offensive balance and our defensive scheme since all these teams have elements of great defense and besides the Lions, aren’t exactly unstoppable offensive juggernauts. Opening in Detroit in Week 1 they face Calvin Johnson who has tortured the Vikings secondary for years now, but the Vikings did sweep them last year.  Look for our boys to take away new Lions running back Reggie Bush and force the sometimes mechanically sloppy Matthew Stafford into a shootout.  Detroit will air it out, no question and the Vikings are going to need the horses to match as Detroit is going to come in mad about going 4-12 last year. 

Will the new look Vikings offense be able to survive a terrorizing Lions pass rush?  Can the defense force mistakes from Stafford? I think both of these are a “yes”.    The Vikings will then have to go to Soldier Field to do battle with the Bears in Week 2.  They then face Chicago, who they don’t match up extremely well with.  Let’s say they go 1-1 against two road division—most Minnesota fans will take that.  A mini-home stand with Cleveland and Pittsburgh, both AFC teams seemingly headed in opposite directions, are both winnable games. 

Our boys, with some tough defense and opportunistic offense, could easily find themselves 3-1 in the division before October rolls around.  They could also find themselves 0-4 if the offense can’t match and the defense takes longer to gel.  Such is the NFL—but we’ll put it on the line right now and say the Vikings we’ll need to go at least 2-2 to make the playoffs this year.  

2013's MLB Rookies: A Crop for the Ages ( 8-16-2013)

The rookie crop of 2013, while perhaps not as exciting as in years past in terms of twitter-ready star power (Bryce Harper, etc.) has a bevy of talent that should not be overlooked.  This year’s class features some great pitching (Jose Fernandez, Shelby Miller among others) as well as some .300 hitters (Wil Myers, Jose Iglesias) and some middle infielders (Nick Franklin, Andrelton Simmons) who are going to be fixtures at the top of their respective teams lineups for years to come.  Let’s handicap the rookies chances of winning ROY trophies in their respective leagues. You’ll notice this year’s biggest challengers to bring home the ROY hardware tend to come from contending teams.

American League

Wil Myers, OF, Tampa Bay- Odds 4:1. The Tampa Bay Rays always seem to have a rookie in the discussion, which is the by-product of their constant youth-enization of their roster.  The Rays are constantly trading guys in their primes for other teams top prospects.  Last year they traded away starter James Shields for Myers and some others.  Myers has been a godsend to the Rays; skipper Joe Maddon has batted him everywhere from second to sixth Myers has responded hitting .326 with nine homers and 37 RBI in 47 games.  He’s stolen five bases and has a .904 OPS.   He strikes out probably too much (46 whiffs) but has hit .367 with runners in scoring position.  The big lights don’t faze him and he doesn’t wear batting gloves.  A good postseason performance will have Myers running away with the AL ROY.

Jose Iglesias, 3B-SS, Detroit – Odds 7:1. Rarely does a ROY challenger get traded mid-season but that’s exactly the story with Jose Iglesias, going from the Red Sox to the Tigers midseason.  Iglesias was called up and came out of the gate smoking hitting like Ted Williams in his first 40 games. The Tigers pounced on the chance to acquire Iglesias as the PED suspensions claimed Jhonny Peralta.  Iglesias is Omar Vizuel-lian in his fielding prowess, exhibiting good range and offensively he’s cooled down (.313 -2-22) and he’s hitting ninth in the lineup but he’s still plans on figuring in a postseason march; which could help him overtake Myers.

Honorable Mentions: 2B/SS Nick Franklin (.242-10-35), Mariners; SP Chris Archer (6-5,3.10 ERA) , Rays; C/1B Yan Gomes (.313-8-28), Indians; SP Dan Straily (6-6,4.19 ERA), Athletics

National League

The National League has clearly got a handful of exciting players that can/will be on All-Star rosters for years to come.  These contenders for NL ROY include Jose Fernandez, Yasiel Puig, Julio Teheran, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Shelby Miller just to name a few.

Yasiel Puig, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers –Odds 3:1.  The pomp and circumstance created by Yasiel Puig notwithstanding, the Dodgers who were listless busts before he was called up June 3^rd, are now 45-18 with him on the roster.  They have been darn near unbeatable in July and August (40-8 since June 22^nd) and are running away with the NL West.  Puig, who’s hitting .368, has the highest batting average of anyone in the sport this year with over 250 plate appearances.  He’s bashed 11 homers, stolen seven bases , hit seemingly twenty walkoffs this year and threw out bumbling base runners flatfooted from the wall.  It’s all true, and he’s got Dodgerland amped up.  The tools he possesses have made the injury issues of Matt Kemp an afterthought in Tinsel Town.

Jose Fernandez, SP, Miami – Odds 8:1.  The Marlins (46-73) for all their faults continue to find talented youngsters right in their backyards. Of course Miami’s “backyard” also includes major talent hotbeds without US zip codes.  They picked a winner in Jose Fernandez a top of the rotation type guy who right now at age 21, is one of the most unhittable pitchers in baseball.  He sports a 1.02 WHIP to go with a tidy 2.45 ERA and an 8-5 record with 149 strikouts in 139.2 innings.  He loses the award to Yasiel Puig because while Fernandez has played more games, Puig has made a greater and more relevant impact in a bigger market.   Also Fernandez’s innings will be capped, he plays for the worst team in the NL, and Puig looks to make more folks into Dodger fans in the postseason.

Shelby Miller, SP, St. Louis Cardinals – Odds 20:1.  Of course had the award been handed out in late May this would be the guy.  He’s part of a never ended stream of talent in St. Louis and  the big right-hander might be the best player out of this class when all said and done.  He’s gone 11-8, with a sparkling 2.97 ERA and 136 K’s in 127 innings of work.

Julio Teheran, SP, Atlanta Braves – Odds 25:1.  The most second popular Julio in Atlanta struggled mightily to go deep in games but he’s evened up the score by tallying ERA’s of 1.95, 2.93, and 3.18 in June, July and August, respectively.  Teheran has been under the radar with his (9-6, 3.08 ERA, 127 K’s) because the other rookies have been so dominant.

Honorable Mention: SP Hyun-Jin Ryu (12-3, 2.91 ERA), SS Andrelton Simmons( .240-11-40), 

MLB Trade Deadline: Winners and Losers (8-8-2013)

Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox (70-43) weren’t feeling the love in a recent series against the pesky Rays and jumped at the chance to add an arm, trading none of their big prospects and landing Jake Peavy in return.  This was the most impactful move at the deadline.  The Red Sox deserve a ton of credit for leaving the joke of a season in 2012 in the rear view.  Shortstop Jose Iglesias was a nice Red Sox story and the Tigers probably overpaid for him. 

Chicago Cubs-   The Cubs (50-63) are an irregular Cubs bunch; they’ve played better on the road and have struggled to score runs in such a hitter friendly environment. They wanted quantity arms to add for a quietly decent staff (3^rd in QS in the MLB). They traded the he-is-what-he-is Matt Garza to the Rangers for a pitcher C.J Edwards, another workhorse pitcher in Justin Grimm and got rid of Alfonso Soriano for righthander Corey Black.   If Jake Arrieta can get his act together they could be looking at a Samardzija – Wood- Jackson – Edwards – Arrieta rotation in 2014.  That’s a lot of missed bats.

Houston Astros- At 37-76 anything is probably an upgrade but we may remember this time as Houston rebuilt smartly instead of clinging on to a 70-wins-at-best roster. Addition by subtraction remains the H-Town plan for the future and they continued to burn old wood for fresh saplings.  Bud Norris, easily the most identifiable Astro pitcher (at least) was shipped to Baltimore for L.J Hoes, Josh Hader and a draft pick.  They traded average guys like Jose Veras, Justin Maxwell for more draft picks and prospects.   They need as many prospects as they can get—it now looks like their farm system is among the league’s deepest.  Now the kids need to pan out.

Losers

Texas Rangers –  These aren’t the same Rangers of the earlier part of the decade.  At 65-50 they’ll have to continue to play small ball with the likes of Leonys Martin to keep pace in a very good American League. They bagged pitcher Matt Garza from the Cubs which was a minor win but did nothing in the face of losing a major part of an already questionable offense when the MLB suspended outfielder Nelson Cruz.  They’ll sorely miss his 27 homers and 76 RBI; they inquired about Blue Jay sluggers Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista as well as perused the availability of Carlos Gonzalez and Matt Kemp.  In the end they are hoping that their bats can still match up well against an Oakland or Tampa Bay in the playoffs—they’ll have issues against Detroit or Boston.

Philadelphia Phillies – The aging-est team in baseball (51-62) seems to be in serious denial. They’re in serious rebuilding mode with a beyond-aging core.  Teams kicked the tires on Cliff Lee, Michael Young and Chase Utley and nothing ended up happening.  They thought they could be competitive this year and apparently Michael Young still thinks so (invoking a no-trade clause pretty late in the process).  Maybe someone should tell Young that the Phillies have a worse run differential than the Marlins and could feasibly be caught by them.  Sad.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Are those green, efficient Pirates (69-44) going to sustainable down the stretch?  They own one of the best records in baseball but they still needed a gas-guzzling bat or two in the worse way and were unable to get any offensive help.  Only the Giants, Nationals, Phillies have scored fewer in the NL and they will be hard pressed to match Cadillac offenses (and division foes) Cincinnati and St. Louis in those inevitable summer slugouts in Busch and Great American.  Their fans were screaming for an upgrade; guys like Justin Morneau, Alex Rios or heck even Nate Schierholtz would have made sense.   A backend starter like Bud Norris could’ve made sense for a team that seems destined to play in October.  It seems the Pirates were content keep relying on their efficient, run preventing style (381 runs allowed – 1^st in MLB) hopefully they don’t run out of hybrid electricity like in 2011.

Seattle Mariners- The Mariners (53-61) have tinkered with their ballpark and offensively have some pieces but big, about-to-be-free-agent-bats (Michael Morse, Raul Ibanez and Kendrys Morales) weren’t moved.   They’re 11.5 out of first and their pitching has let them down strangely (only the Angels, Blue Jays and lowly Astros have surrendered more runs).  They wanted top prospects and commanded a premium for those expiring bats.  In the end, no one was willing to pay price for their middling veterans. 

Baseball and PED's : A Lose-Lose (8-6-2013)

Major League Baseball took what it hopes to be a deciding step in the war against PED’s handing out suspensions to nine players including Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, Rangers outfielder and Nelson Cruz, Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta among others.  Every player connected to the Biogenesis report got 50 games with the exception of repeat offenders (in the public’s mind) Ryan Braun and Rodgriguez.  Braun chose not to appeal and received a season-long ban.

However the Biogenesis suspension of 211 games was handed down yesterday to Alex Rodriguez a player who like many, took illegal substances.  His bigger suspension comes from his attempts to intimidate witnesses, obstruct justice in a diligent attempt to cover his PED use up.  On the surface a 211 game suspension smells of impunity, that’s the longest time handed out since Pete Rose got caught betting on baseball.  MLB Commissioner Bud Selig is trying to do a lot with this suspension; first he’s trying to erase the steroid era from our memories by making an example of a really big star.  By doing that, he’s trying to atone for indirectly encouraging the use in the McGwire-Sosa days which resuscitated the sport.   He’s also putting the other major sports (NFL, NBA) on notice.  These sports may start to look at lot closer at PED’s now that baseball has tried to set this tone.

What about the New York Yankees?  They wanted a ban, but not this long.  This wipes any hope that he would retire as anything but a Yankee.  Leading up to this, you got the feeling they were weary of A-Rod. Of course, the suspension will be appealed by A-Rod putting everyone in an awkward position for awhile.   For now the Yankees will likely put on the corporate face and probably refrain from making the types of comments they were back in June, etc.   Fact is, Alex Rodriguez is 99% guilty of doing what he is accused of and the Yankees wish he would go away.  But he isn’t going to go away, instead the circus is coming to town.

But then the Yankees are in a tough position with Alex Rodriguez he has an untradeable contract, aging with talent, but overall declining skills.  But more importantly he’s imminently unlikable; he’s comes off as disingenuous, spoiled and honestly kind of a diva.  None of these things are what being a true Yankee is about, if you had to ask a Yankee fan.  But so was Barry Bonds, who was spared the same type of vitriol since San Francisco isn’t the media market New York is.  Case in point; Alex Rodriguez has been “hurt” all season, but for some reason can play now that he is suspended.  He wants to show the world he can still play and the Yankees needing his bat are going to let him until the legal process runs its course.   There’s some fan sympathy with A-Rod that could grow if he were to bring New York back out of its offensive doldrums; he’s being made the steroid pariah at a time when the Yankees have been an afterthought.  The conventional wisdom says The Evil Empire has turned their backs on him but secretly is probably curious if he can aid them in their quest for a slipping away division crown. 

Then the actual act of hitting a baseball weighs in.  Alex Rodriguez could do it better than only a handful of players before or now.  His numbers are Ruthian, plain and simple.  And when it comes to hitting the Yankees need him right now whether they want to admit it or not.   The Yankees haven’t had this woeful of an offense in generations; not since the Kevin Maas-Yanks of 1990 featured an offense this inept.  They’re 25^th in major league baseball in runs scored.  Their third baseman have collectively hit (.194 -6-54) and their other signings (Ichiro Suzuki, Vernon Wells, Kevin Youkilis) have all battled injuries and ineffectiveness. 

 Alex Rodriguez is better right now than any of the guys they have playing third (Brent Lillibridge? C’mon). 

But when all that factors in it the Yankees brand, or baseball’s brand is a more important than its most unlikeable, controversial, overpaid player.  As all of us have done in relationships or jobs gone bad, the MLBl is trying to run from its past.  We omit bad experiences off of our resumes or LinkedIn profiles, baseball wanted to hand him a lifetime ban.   The Yankees probably didn’t want A-Rod suspended that long, since some in the organization feel he could still be traded for some semblance of value, and would gladly eat large amounts of his $105 million contract just to trade him to someone, anyone.   

But that isn’t going to happen.  Alex Rodriguez will be made the poster child of the steroid era, not Bonds or Clemens because they didn’t lie and try to cover it up to the extent that Alex Rodriguez did, and they weren’t imminently unlikable for a decade prior to being exposed.  Rodriguez will probably wind up being suspended for some games in 2013, and probably 60-70 games for 2014.  The Yankees, depending on what happens in the offseason may very well continue their commitment to small ball and homegrown talent and just cut him.  They in effect would be daring any team to sign MLB’s marked man and like a late-era Terrell Owens or Barry Bonds he will sit.  And wait.  And wait some more.

Minnesota Wild Update: Realigned and Reloading (7-19-2013)

Minnesota Wild Update: Realigned and Reloading (7-19-2013)

While our Minnesota Wild have been busy making offseason changes, the National Hockey League just recently announced realignment for the 2013-14 season.  Going to two divisions in each conference for 2014 the Pacific and Central Division will be in the Western Conference and the newly named Metropolitan and Atlantic will make up the Eastern Conference.   The Metropolitan Division will be made up of former Atlantic division teams (New York teams, the Pens, Devils, plus Carolina, Columbus and the Washington Capitals).   Minnesota’s division foes are as follows as part of the newly formed Central Division.   With only the Colorado Avalanche staying put, gone is Northwest Division and our Canadian division foes Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames.  Enter in the world champion Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Winnipeg Jets.   Of those six teams I mentioned only Nashville had a losing record last year.  So division games just got a lot tougher as only one of the departing teams broke .500 and we’re adding a bunch of tough teams on the rotation. 

Are the Wild ready for the quest to win the Stanley Cup in 2014?  The theme this offseason seems to be out with the old, in with the new.  They had some cap issues but the front office probably wants to retain the playoff-reaching younger core and have them hit the ice skating, as it were.

On July 24^th, the Wild resigned G Niklas Backstrom (24-15, 2.48 GAA) to a three-year contract.  At the end of June, the Wild’s favorite mustached goon Cal Clutterbuck was traded to the New York Islanders for former top-five pick in RW Nino Niederreiter.   The team also traded Devin Setoguchi to Winnipeg (another division foe) for a second-round pick opening up playing time for Benny Ferriero and Neiderreiter.   Neiderreiter was popular on the Island, and he better be to replace Clutterbuck.  Some more "goon" was added with the decidedly unpopular Matt Cooke who has ties to Mike Yeo, back in their old Pittsburgh days.  The toothless Cooke is probably deserved of his “dirty” label but will try to add some grit and grind and play hard but clean.  The Wild also decided not to re-sign popular center Matt Cullen (+ 9 on the 2012-13 season), as he signed a two-year deal with new division foe Nashville.   Defenseman Tom Gilbert was waived.  The rest of the Wild’s moves were aimed at provide quality depth (especially on defense) as they signed guys like Carson McMillan, Jonathon Blum, Jon Landry and forward Justin Fontaine.  Justin Fontaine could provide some spark on offense. 

Change is the one constant.   The front office has gone all-in on the youngsters, particularly Charlie Coyle, Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund.  It would appear that the Wild are content with young goalies Harding and Kuemper since they haven’t signed a big free agent goaltender.   There are some higher priced veterans out there that may make sense splitting time with the veteran Backstrom.   If Mikko Koivu can from some better chemistry with Zach Parise and the young guys fall into shape this team should have no problem continuing to skate into the league’s elite.

Underrated Vikings: Reed, Griff, and Lance Johnstone?

Whereas a previous post recounted the glory days of the Vikings past in the 1970s and 1980s, in the last twenty years the Minnesota Vikings have been won five division titles with the last one coming in 2009.  That five is more than many franchises, but the Vikings have set the standard so high for years that only championships and maybe Super Bowl appearances will suffice. 

There were some exciting and underrate football players to play for the purple in the last twenty years.  We’ll recount some Viking greats that are criminally underrated.

 1993 is a pivotal year for the Vikings.   They finished 9-7 that year with key offensive positions using the committee approach.  I mean, the Vikings teams in the last twenty years have been known for great and exciting offenses and here in 1993 running back Scottie Graham led the team with 488 rushing yards! Jim McMahon couldn’t muster 2,000 yards passing in twelve starts (although he did go 8-4).   However in 1993, future HOF Cris Carter collected his first 1,000 yard season and youngsters Jake Reed and Robert Smith were getting their first bit of playing time.

“Three Deep” - Wide receiver Jake Reed was a big 6’3” 220 pound physical wideout from Grambling State who actually had been drafted back in 1991.  In 1994 he exploded onto the scene as a super number two receiver behind Cris Carter, catching 85 balls for 1,175 yards and four scores, Pro Bowl worthy numbers, even by today’s standards.  Of course Reed was overshadowed by Cris Carter and eventually replaced by Randy Moss, two of the most elite talents ever to play at the position.  You’ll notice the theme here, when Reed broke out in 1994 with 85-1175-4, Cris Carter went completely haywire catching 122 passes for 1,256 yards and seven scores.   In the four year span of 1994-1997, Reed averaged exactly 1,200 yards and 74 receptions and scored 26 times during that span.   He never made the Pro Bowl which is pretty criminal considering.  By the time the Vikings were on everyone’s radar in 1998 he was the third receiver and Randy Moss was seen as the explosive playmaker.   He’s still probably considered a top five Viking receiver of all time – he just happened to play with the top two names on that list.

“Griff” - Robert Griffith was also a rookie on that 1994 team as a defensive back from tiny San Diego State.   He worked hard to make plays in the first two years but started to make an impact as a starter in 1996.  That season he collected two sacks, four interceptions for 67 return yards, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.   Pairing with free safety Orlando Thomas, they made one of the great safety tandems in the late 1990s.  Griffith was blessed with great coverage skills, sure hands but was eminently known for his run-stopping ability.  He made tackles all over the field for Minnesota, racking up 837 in his Viking career.  Underrated by many, he was a two-time All Pro and made the Pro Bowl in 2000.   He had already been the leader in the Vikings defensive backfield since he was a starter and is still quite underrated.  

Another underrated Viking on the defensive side of the ball from the last twenty years is defensive end Lance Johnstone.  This slightly undersized 6’4”, 250-pound defensive came over from the Raiders in 2001 and went about harassing quarterbacks immediately in the NFC.   During the early 2000s era when the Vikings defense was middling and the team finished right around .500 every year, Johnstone was the main pass rush at defensive end, and benefited when the team added defensive tackle Kevin Williams in 2003 and 2004.  Both seasons saw both players collect double digit sacks, and Johnstone collected 41 sacks in five years as a Viking.  It is important to note that Johnstone was a pass rushing specialist who only started 23 out of the 80 Viking games he played in.  Minnesota rotated him in and out on obvious passing downs, although he was never used that sparingly in Oakland.  Makes one wonder what Johnstone’s numbers would have been like if he had played more that 50 percent of defensive snaps.   I suppose he wasn’t a phenomenal run stopper during those years but neither were contemporaries Simeon Rice or Dwight Freeney.  Seems like the Vikings played enough passing threats to leave Johnstone in more.  We’ll never know.

Minnesota Twins Baseball : A Look at June and July

The Twins, when we last checked, were 26-29; as of June 24^th Minnesota is 34-38, good enough for 4^th in the AL Central.   Cleveland went through a dismal stretch and are now trailing the Tigers by four games with the Royals (6.5 GB) and our Twins (7 GB) still angling for a wildcard spot.  The aging White Sox are 10.5 GB.

The Twins pitching staff has been more down than up this year but there have been signs of progress.  The Twins offense has had its share of growing pains but they’ve actually been pretty good lately putting up five or more runs in five out of the last six (3-3).  When we last checked in, our boys were going on an interleague road trip—they ended up dropping two out of three to the Nationals but winning two out of three against Philadelphia.  After that a nice homestand saw the Twins drop two out of three to the Tigers, but sweep the Pale Hose and scuffle a bit against the Indians in Cleveland.

So far in June the statistics bear out an improvement for the Twins in both pitching and hitting; the team’s ERA has been a sparkling 3.63 with 124 strikeouts in 176 innings.  The staff has only given up 12 long balls.  Young pitchers Samuel Deduno, Pedro Hernandez have combined to go 3-1 in June, and closer Glen Perkins hasn’t given up a run and opponents are only batting .103 against him.

On the offensive side, the Twins have gotten more of the 2012 version of 3B Trevor Plouffe, who has hit .344 for the month, joining Joe Mauer and rookie Oswaldo Arcia as Twins hitting over the .300 mark in the month.  The real surprise may be 2B/SS Brian Dozier pacing the club in homers with 5 to go with a team-leading 12 RBI.  The team has inched up the major league rankings in runs scored (17^th – 304) and on-base percentage (.321 – good enough for 13^th in baseball).

The Twins have some guys that should be All-Stars.  Since we’re prattling off statistics here are some individual stats that are encouraging as we get into the heat of summer and a hopeful playoff chase for our Twins.  Joe Mauer, a shoo-in to start at catcher (again) for the American League, is hitting .330 (3^rd in the AL) and is eight in the league in hits (91), tied for tenth in runs scored (46) and tied with Baltimore’s Chris Davis for second in doubles (24) and on-base percentage (.413)

Other Twins offensive leaders include OF Josh Willingham is tenth in the AL in walks (37).  While he’s not leading the team in strikeouts anymore, closer Glen Perkins should definitely be considered for the midsummer classic given his 19 saves (fifth in the league), 0.80 ERA.

Can the Twins get back to over .500?  The last time they were was May 11^th when they were 17-16 after an 8-5 pasting of the Orioles.   By the time the calendar hits July, the Twins will have played a two-game set in Miami and an eight game slate at home against the Royals and Yankees.  If they can sweep the lowly-but-playing-better recently Marlins, split four with the Yankees and take three out of four from Kansas City – they’d be looking at 40-41.  These Twins can do it – the hitting needs to stay productive in scoring situations and the pitching is improving every day.   They just called up Kyle Gibson, their top pitching prospect and he’ll pitch June 29^th against the Royals.  Gibson overcame elbow surgery and his promotion to the big club has been long coming.

Draft Wrap-Up Part 1: SKOL! Vikings Seize Some Top College Talent

The Vikings wrapped up the NFL Draft last Sunday and now that the dust has had a chance to settle, the Vikings clearly plundered the college ranks grabbing three top talents at key positions of need. The Norsemen had treasure fall into their laps on April 25^th, grabbing Florida defensive tackle Shariff Floyd (who inexplicably fell to them) at pick 23, Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes at pick 25, and then traded with New England to get back in the first round to address the wide receiver corps with Tennessee wideout Cordarrelle Patterson at pick 29.  Rarely does a team have three picks in the first round and what makes every Viking fan excited is that on paper, Minnesota vastly improved three team needs in one night.  This is a playoff team that just got a lot better—and that was just Thursday. 

On Saturday, day three of the draft, the Vikings added Penn State linebacker Gerald Hodges in the fourth round, UCLA punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round, offensive lineman Jeff Baca in the sixth round as well as three picks in the seventh round.  Those picks included a second Penn State linebacker, Michael Mauti, with pick number 213, offensive guard Travis Bond with pick 214 and then their last pick on Florida State defensive tackle Everett Dawkins with pick number 229.

But clearly the highlights were in Day 1 on Thursday night with the entire world watching.  Most prior drafts had Floyd, Rhodes, and even Patterson not even being available to Minnesota.  Some assumed the Vikings would use their second pick to trade up for Notre Dame linebacker Manti Teo, but that never materialized, as the controversial linebacker fell all the way to San Diego in the second round.  Shariff Floyd, in particular, could be the steal of the draft at pick 23.  Some had him going as early as number three to the Oakland Raiders, who had a laughable defense for most of last year.  Instead, Floyd brings his Warren Sapp-like skills to a Cover 2 defense that badly needed pass rush up the middle to make life easier on sack lords Jared Allen and Kevin Williams.  Floyd is a disruptive, quick off the ball, 6’3 297 pound strong lineman who is the rare three-technique, like Sapp who shoots gaps and can stop the run on the way to the quarterback. 

Xavier Rhodes, the Vikings second pick in the draft, is a long 6’2 210 pound corner who excels at press man and also can play zone.  He is incredibly long and has great speed (4.43) for a man his size.  Confident with great change of direction ability, Rhodes can leap and find the ball on deep routes with a great plant-and-go burst.  Clearly the Vikings were analyzing the 100-receptions –per-year mammoth receivers  (Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall) they play four times a year when they made this pick  He was thought to be a mid-first round pick and again, and fell to the Vikings at 25.  Rhodes was a shut-down corner at Florida State and a ball hawk to boot and compares favorably to the Patriots Aqib Talib, hopefully minus the headaches. 

As if that haul wasn’t enough, Rick Spielman and the Vikings most surprising move was likely swapping with New England back into the first round, address the offense, picking Cordarelle Patterson with the 29.  There is no denying Patterson’s talent with the ball in his hands and will make an immediate impact on the return game.  Although we are slightly concerned with the learning curve he may need to adjust to the NFL game there is no denying Patterson represents great value at 29.  He was no worse than the third best receiver available according to draft experts and projects to be a faster Dwayne Bowe, with matching physicality. 

In the future, both Floyd and Patterson will command double-teams, creating mismatches for the other Vikings All-Pros.  This draft was monumental in turning the Vikings into a more balanced attack on both sides of the ball and the future looks extremely bright for the 10-6 club.  No NFC North team has improved as much as Minnesota at this point in the offseason, and with just a little more consistency on offense and continued development on defense this team is ready to make some noise in 2013. We’ll dig in the trenches next week to discuss the later picks since the first round was such a major steal. 

April 18, 2013: Minnesota Twins (6-7) In the Thick of Things

The Minnesota Twins have played thirteen or so games this season and have probably exceeded expectations at this point.  They’ve hung tough against some pretty good teams and some inclement North Land weather.  They’ve yet to play any division rivals except for the Royals so again, it’s early!  Two themes so far—they’ve got to get the staff to miss more bats, and there are some impact bats down on the farm.

At 6-7 and a minus 10 in run differential many teams would be ambivalent but the 2012 Twins were a disaster with injuries taking a major toll.  So far, there have been a lot more positives then negatives thirteen games in.  Even though the Twins pitching is the major concern (4.38 ERA-- 23^rd in MLB, tied for last with four quality starts) they’ve been able to avoid homeruns and limiting runs in general.  They can’t expect to win many games while not striking guys out- as they’ve only retired 64 batters via the “K”-30^th in the MLB.   The Twins are middle of the pack in terms of staff ERA, although the relief has been solid and they’ve given up only eight or nine long balls.

 The offense hasn’t dominated, but has gotten on base consistently and Joe Mauer seems like he’s going to have another run at the batting title with a sparkling .386 batting average through 13 games.  Even though it’s early, Kansas City and Cleveland, both looked improved so there don’t seem to be any “gimmes” for the Twins.  As of Wednesday evening, the Twins were on the verse of sweeping the big spending yet struggling Los Angeles Angels.  This came on the heels of an ugly five game losing streak at the hands of the rival Royals and New York Mets.  The offense was only able to scrap together 12 runs in that stretch but have rebounded nicely, putting up eight runs on back-to-back nights.

In Tuesday’s 8-6 win over the Angels, the Twins jumped out on starter Jason Vargas early, taking a 3-0 lead.  Joe Mauer was beastly in this game going 4 for 5 with three RBI and starting the scoring by singling in Wilkin Ramirez and rookie Aaron Hicks.  The Twins free agent starter Mike Pelfrey was again able to skirt out of trouble with the dangerous Angels lineup, scattering seven hits and two strikeouts over five innings of work.  Anthony Swarzak went three innings in long relief and the Twins were able to get to closer Glen Perkins with a two-run lead.  Pelfrey was probably excited to get the win, going to 2-1 with a better-than-it-looks 7.36 ERA.  Gardenhire’s club looks like they are going to roll with the punches in 2013, as they bounced back in a big way the last couple of games. 

In the short term the Twins have probably realized that rookie centerfielder Aaron Hicks isn’t quite ready for prime-time yet, batting .044 (2-for-45).  He has drawn six walks, but has no extra base knocks; the team dropped him to eighth in the batting order for the time being.  As the team looks for answers at leadoff, which is so integral to the Twins philosophy, Minnesota called up and then sent down and then called up again highly regarded rookie outfielder Oswaldo Arcia because the youngster can hit (got a hit in his first plate appearance as a Twin).  Arcia was called back up from Triple-A Rochester (Darin Mastroianni was sent to the DL) and has hit everywhere he’s been down on the farm.  Arcia is primarily going to play in rightfield and could cut into Chris Parmalee and/or Ryan Doumit’s at bats—his bat is that good.

The Twins can hope of their rookies can impact the lineup as the pitching will continue to put them in must-score mode more often than we’ve seen around here in a long time.

Archived: New Additions Loney, Escobar, and Johnson Will Make Rays Better Simply By Default

Published 4-5-2013.

New Additions Loney, Escobar, and Johnson Will Make Rays Better Simply By Default

The Tampa Bay Rays come into 2013 with pretty much the same questions about the offense as they have in the last few off seasons.   While their pitching, defense and coaching are top-shelf, Rays since 2010 have ranked 27^th, 25^th, and 27^th in Major League Baseball in batting average.   The offense has struggled to make contact and avoid strikeouts, putting a lot of pressure on the pitching staff.   This offseason the Rays offense got better by removing guys who strike out too much and adding James Loney, Yunel Escobar, and Kelly Johnson, three veterans who are more consistent offensive threats.  Loney, Escobar, and Johnson’s career on base percentages are .339, .353, and .338 respectively, compared to Upton’s .298, Pena’s .330 and Elliot Johnson’s .304 in 2012.   Overall the team’s ability to get on base has suffered in recent years, ranking a middling 16^th in MLB (.317). Other offensive production stats such as batting average, runs, and slugging percentage were also declining, particularly in the infield, with culprits like Sean Rodriguez (.213-6-32), Carlos Pena (.197-19-61) Elliot Johnson (.242-6-33) logging significant at-bats.   These guys struck out way, way too much. If the Rays give the new additions comparable at-bats in ’13, those offensive numbers will trend positively and equate to more wins.

With a combined 2,651 games under the collective belts, these new players are solid, if unspectacular, and represent upgrades to a Ray lineup that has had three perfect games thrown against since 2009.  The Rays will still play National League-style small ball but will be better at it with these three getting plate appearances.  When star third baseman Evan Longoria got hurt last year the offense struggled and the Rays fell behind in the standings hitting only.240 as a team, striking out the second most in the American League (1,323- only the Oakland A’s were more worse). 

Addressing that problem directly, they chose not to re-sign centerfielder B.J Upton (signed with Atlanta) or first baseman Carlos Pena (singed with Houston) and lost super-utilityman Jeff Keppinger to the White Sox.  While Upton, Pena, and Keppinger produced at times for the Rays offense in 2012, only Jeff Keppinger (.325 BA in 2012) will truly be missed.  In 2012, Pena hit less than his weight and Upton only walked 45 times and struck out a mind-boggling-for-a-centerfielder 169 times, which likely negated any positive impact his 28 homers and 31 steals had.  

So, as they have in the past, the Tampa Bay front office dug deep into baseball sabermetrics and looked for more efficient, albeit cost-friendly, hitters on offense.   These new additions will be great pieces to a title run in 2013 remember this is a team that has coaxed decent performances out of the Casey Kotchmans and Jason Bartletts of the world.   Their tight-knit unique clubhouse culture can withstand other teams’ castoffs—think Luke Scott and the former Fausto Carmona among others.  Loney, particularly, was regarded by the Dodgers as a stand-up clubhouse guy, which GM Andrew Friedman probably valued as well.

The Rays have hit in the .250 for years yet have still won plenty of games.  If these vets, can provide an uptick in batting average and get more men on base the Rays will be tough to beat.  One of the reasons the Rays play small ball and focus on getting on base by any method is that speaking from a park’s perspective, Tropicana Field statistically ranks as one of the most-pitching friendly parks in baseball.  A study was done by ScoutingBook.com ranking ballparks and found that between 2010-2012, for every 100 runs scored in an MLB average park, only 83 runs were scored in Tropicana Field.  The domed stadium features a quick turf that favors a line-drive, spray hitting approach, like Carl Crawford in his prime.  The Rays brass is betting that the new Rays can take advantage of the quick surfaces in the dome.

As a first baseman, the enigmatic Loney doesn’t hit home runs nearly as much as most 1B--he’s only gone deep 73 times in 3,177 at bats.   Despite the lack of power, the lefthanded Loney plays good defense and has a line-drive type approach at the plate.  He’s had back-to-back 90 RBI seasons with the Dodgers in 2008 and 2009, so he can produce in the middle of the lineup. Over his 929-game career, he has hit his fair share of doubles (176) and triples (20) and has never struck out more than 95 times in a season.  Loney makes contact--his walk/whiff ratio is a tidy 273/425 over his career despite having four seasons in which he recorded 500+ at-bats.  Carlos Pena, by contrast, struck out 503 times in his last 439 games as a Ray.  Much like the departed Keppinger, Johnson will actually play a lot of positions for the Rays including right field, designated hitter and first base. 

While no one will confuse him with Roberto Alomar in the field, Kelly Johnson offers a needed power/speed combo, averaging 20 homers and 14.3 steals the last three seasons.  He’ll need to work with Rays hitting coach Derek Shelton to make more contact as his batting average has declined somewhat in the last three seasons.  Like Loney, Johnson has a knack for triples, with five seasons of five or more.  Johnson strikes out more than the Rays would like (a career 405/829 strikeout-to-walk ratio) but does a great job avoiding grounding into double plays only 49 in 935 career games.  

His former batterymate in Toronto, shortstop Yunel Escobar, may turn out to have the most impact of any of the three Rays additions.  He has power (career .282 batting average) and can get on base (career .353 OBP) and make all the plays from short.  His walk-to-strikeout ratio is 298/366 is outstanding, considering he’s played in 787 games.   Escobar has to make Rays fans excited considering the man he is replacing as every shortstop Elliot Johnson hit .242-6-33 in 2012 in 123 games and walked a paltry 24 times.

The Rays will be better on offense in 2013 than they have in years past.  They have added established major league hitters that could hit a collective .275 which would excite any Rays fan.  While the transition into the Rays way will take some time for these veterans, they will prevent opposing pitchers by going through the Rays lineup as easily, as they all put the bat on the ball.  On the quick turf of Tropicana, they’re just what the Rays need –less strikeouts, more hits.

http://www.parkfactors.com/TB

http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/TBR/2012.shtml

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/team/_/stat/batting/year/2012/sort/strikeouts/type/expanded/order/true

The Minnesota Wild (20-10-2): Relentless, Resilient and on a Roll

Published 3-20-2013.

What a difference two weeks make! Since we last gathered the Minnesota Wild (20-10-2) were fighting to separate themselves from the pack and aim for a nice six seed in the playoffs.  The grinders of the north land, the Minnesota Wild are the hottest team in the Western conference, winners of seven straight thanks to a surging offense, staunch defense, and the increased physicality we saw peaks of in early March.   The Wild, as you may recall, were dead last in goals for in the National Hockey League as late as February 26^th. With serious concerns about making the playoffs after big splashes in free agency.  Now, as of, March 28^th, the Wild are 14^th in the league in goals per game (2.7) and have gotten even better on preventing goals, ranking 5^th.  

The offense has been on fire as of late, averaging 3.64 goals since February 26^th, outscoring opposing teams 31-17 in the last seven contests.  Whereas the Wild were aiming for three goals a night with their solid goaltending, Minnesota has now scored four goals in five of their last seven and eight of their last fourteen.  What’s different?  In one word, resilient; while the Wild have jumped out to 1-0 leads in ten of their last twelve contests, they’ve persevered through deficits, actually overcoming three one-goal deficits in a 7-4 win against Dallas (first time winning in that city in a decade) and handling business down 3-2 versus Phoenix in the third stanza to prevail against the Coyotes 4-3 in overtime.   They aren’t beating cellar dwellers either; the last five games (Phoenix, Dallas. San Jose, Detroit, Vancouver) are all teams with winning records.  The two games that got this hot streak going were back-to-back triumphs against the Avalanche, where the goals kept snowballing for Minnesota, scoring eleven in two games.  Not to be overlooked in the Wild ascension in the Western Conference rankings is the stellar goaltending of Niklas Backstrom who is 15-3-1 in his last 19.  He has shown no signs of losing any grip on playing time in the crease, recently saving 33 in a 2-0 blanking of San Jose last Saturday.   He now is tied for first in the NHL in wins (18) with Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pens and is near or in the top ten in saves, save percentage and goals against average.

Of course the offense is the major story with Minnesota after being such a concern early on.  Mikko Koivu has come around in a big way with 12 points in his last ten games, and Ryan Suter has put his sluggish start in the rear view as well and has his sights on scoring from the blue line and Norris Trophies, as we all hoped he would.  Devin Setoguchi has eight goals and seven assists in his last fifteen, a production rate the Wild will gladly take.

We would be remiss if we didn’t discuss the Wild’s penalty killing percentage (85.9) which puts them fourth in the league.  It illuminates the resiliency and pressure the team is able to apply on opponents, even when short-handed.   The team’s gelling and great coaching has created an overall team awareness throughout the roster and the resulting patience has them like wolves knowing exactly when to strike.  This hasn’t gone unnoticed througoht the league and teams power play units can’t get comfortable when the man advantage is negated like that. 

This is a different team; a gritty team.  This version of the Minnesota Wild is playing with an intensity and purpose not seen around here in long time.  This version won’t be repeated whatever happened in 2012. You can book it.

Minnesota Vikings Mock Draft. 7-Rounds

Vikings: Don't Want Greatness to go to Waste

The Minnesota Vikings have a few holes to fill going into 2013.  As any pundit or front office type in the NFL will tell you, the best teams are always built through the draft.  The Vikings are around 13-15 million under the salary cap which will allow them to address needs as well.  But you want to bake the cake in-house and then perhaps shop outside for the fancy frosting; The Vikings could look at various free agents to address glaring needs. A combination of both will work best.  Let’s look at some of those glaring needs.

Secondary - The Vikings have a traditionally been vulnerable in the secondary and 2012 was no exception.  Harrison Smith made some big plays and free safety looks to be set a long time.  However, the secondary as a whole gave up 28 touchdowns and picked off only 10 passes; both near the bottom of the NFL team rankings in those categories.  Cornerbacks and strong safety, in particular are needing upgrades.

The ageless wonder, Antoine Winfield will be 36 before the season commences; Chris Cook has played 22 games in three seasons and A.J. Jefferson defended five passes all year and picked none off.  Josh Robinson played well so there may be enough there to only need to pick one corner and one safety.  As far as safeties, Jamarca Sanford gots lots of tackling practice but no picks.

On offense the passing game was in a 1980s time warp with only the hapless Chiefs totally fewer yards through the air (2,713) as the Vikings.  Giving Christian Ponder as many weapons as possible will be the order of the day.  At this point, it’s entirely within the realm of possibility  that Percy Harvin is gone and that leaves Jarius Wright, Jerome Simpson, Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu as your top aerial threats.  That simply won’t get it done in a division that features Megatron, Brandon Marshall, and the Packers never-ending supply of receiving minions.  If Wright can work the slot then the draft does features the types of 6’3-6’4 with speed type playmakers that can aid this offense.

So onto the picks..

Cordarelle is Not So Cordial to Opposing Defenses

1^st Round, Pick 23. Cordarelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee.  Patterson is one of two or three receivers this year that will grade in the first round.  A beast in the open field; Patterson is smooth, explosive and is a natural deep threat that has the type of instincts with the ball in his hands you can’t really teach.  Has a really high ceiling; Mel Kiper thinks he is the best receiver in the draft.  Think of a thinner Demaryius Thomas, but more polished.  

2^nd Round, Pick 52. David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State.  As mentioned ealier, in a division with several All-Pro wideouts of the 6’4 and up variety the Vikings need to be able to matchup with these guys.  Amerson is 6’2 and 193 and and has good speed and backpedal and rarely bites on double moves.  He is a physical tackler and is a natural fit in the Tampa 2 the Vikings play.

3^rd Round, Pick 83. Khaseem Greene, OLB, Rutgers.  A former safety who has great speed to cover tight ends and running backs on deeper routes; excellent wrap up tackler.  Good coverage skills in zone and good motor.

4^th Round, Pick 99, Jonathan Bostic, ILB, Florida. Bostic replaced Brandon Spikes as the interior linebacker for the Gators in 2010 and has much improved over his senior season at Florida.  Plays much bigger than his size; run defense is his specialty but can also rush the passer.

4^th Round, Pick 117, E.J Manuel, QB, Florida State. The Vikings know that Ponder needs a backup who can move the chains throwing and running.  E.J Manuel has big-time arm and athletic ability in the pocket.

5^th Round, Pick 117, Menelik Watson, RT, Florida St. 6’6” – 320 pound Watson who is extremely athletic for a man his size.  He may not be available this late.

6^th Round Pick 197, J.J Wilcox, SS, Georgia Southern – Physical, tough sleeper who is ranked as a top five safety on some sites. 4.55 speed in a 6’0” 215 frame and a great value pick here at a need position.

7^th Round Pick 213, Josh Boyd, Mississippi State – At 6’3” 300 pounds, Boyd is a huge bulking run defender who will stuff the gaps and is quick off the snap.  He won’t get many sacks, however.

Minnesota Twins Season Preview 2013

The Minnesota Twins head into the 2013 season with admittedly more questions than answers after a 66-96 finish in 2012, good for last in the American League Central.   Good news about 2012: The team scored 80 more runs than it did in 2011, with outstanding offensive seasons from free agent left fielder Josh Willingham (.260 – 35 HR – 110 RBI) and Joe Mauer (.319 – 85 RBI, 90 Walks) plus an encouraging return to action from 2010 MVP  Justin Morneau (.267- 19 HR – 77 RBI).   The offense also got surprise contributions from C/IB/DH Ryan Doumit  (.275 -18 HR- 75 RBI) and Trevor Plouffe (24 HRs).  The table was set by speedsters Ben Revere and Denard Span (57 stolen bases combined).  

Diamond In the Front

Unfortunately, a pretty good offensive season by the Twins hitters was for naught as the pitching couldn’t miss bats (.274 batting average against – 29^th in the MLB) and couldn’t strike guys out (943 strikeouts as a staff – 30^th in the MLB).  One pitcher struck out more than 100 batters, presumptive ace Scott Diamond, with 109.  So when aggrandizing the Twins chances in 2013, let’s take a glass half-full approach and consider the starting pitching staff as addition by subtraction.  Gone are Francisco Liriano (traded to Pirates), Nick Blackburn (moved to the pen) and Carl Pavano (released); these four all had ERAs over 5.3. 

Since the success of the Twins is predicated upon pitching let’s look at the potential five-man rotation as things have taken shape during the offseason. Scott Diamond- The staff ace from last year, Diamond went 12-9 with a sparkling 3.54 ERA despite overpowering stuff.  Logged 173 innings and looks to be a workhorse and innings-eater. Look for 200 innings, 13-15 wins and a sub 4.00 ERA.Vance Worley- The former Phillies fourth starter comes over in the Ben Revere trade.  Was very good in 2011, then fell off a bit in 2012 with a troublesome elbow.  He can strike guys out but needs his command.  If he’s healthy he’s in the running for the “staff ace” title.Kevin Correia – A back end rotation guy who had quietly decent years with the Padres and Pirates (46-43 win/ loss in four years), he was owner Terry Ryan’s free agent snare in the offseason, signing a two-year deal.  His game is command; doesn’t strike guys out but doesn’t walk them either (46 passes in 171 innings in 2012).  Mike Pelfrey – Another back end guy for the Mets who was two years removed from 15-9 and 3.66 with New York in 2010; coming off Tommy John surgery May 1, 2012.

The fifth starter will be among a group of guys, namely Brian Duensing, Cole DeVries, Rich Harden, Liam Hendricks and others.  As far as power pitchers, Hendricks and newly acquired Trevor May may provide some strikeouts to the more finesse-sided group.

Twins Need More of Old Morneau

The starting lineup is projected to look like this:

1. Darin Mastroianni, OF  -  Speedy guy  (30 swipes, easy) with some power
2. Jamey Carroll, 2B           -  No power, but will hit for average
3. Joe Mauer, C                  -  Expect usual 300-10-80 season from him
4. Josh Willingham         -  Usual .260-25-90 from him
5. Justin Morenau           - Could bounce back in a big way
6. Ryan Doumit                   - Could continue to progress
7. Chris Parmalee               -  Relatively unknown
8. Trevor Plouffe                 - Pressed to hit 20 HR’s again
9. Pedro Florimon               - Speedy guy who will surprise

In summation, the Twins can play and be competitive in a relatively wide-open AL Central (with the exception of Detroit) with the aging White Sox, an enigmatic Royals squad and a Cleveland team with its own pitching problems.  Their offense could be aided tremendously with a healthy Justin Morneau, and surprises from their unknowns Mastrioanni, Parmalee and Florimon.  If they can get decent pitching from Liam Hendricks and/or Rich Harden, the Twins could be sneaky good in 2013.

No Mercy for Percy..What's Wrong With Percy Harvin?

Trade For Harvin: Those With  No Kid Gloves Need Not Apply

It appears Percy Harvin may have worn out his welcome in Viking-land.  There were whispers that his ankle wasn’t the only reason that sidelined Harvin in December when Minnesota was pushing hard, ultimately successfully, for a playoff spot.  While not officially being benched for “contract detrimental” it seems that Harvin has repeatedly had heated exchanges withcoach Leslie Frazier over various topics.  Harvin is as a dynamic of an offensive talent as there could possibly be in a 5’10” 190 pound receiver.  He is blessed with exceptional agility, speed and toughness that makes him a threat to score from anywhere on the field.  The Vikings have lined him up at both wideout positions, in the slot, in the backfield and has made gamebreaking plays at special teams.  Opposing defenses first focus on Adrian and then spend any additional energy and time making sure they account for number 12. 

Could Be a Boon For the Right Team

Unfortunately, Harvin is basically a pain the-you-know-what to deal with combined with a pretty lengthy injury history.  He legitimately suffers from debilitating migraines and has recurring ankle and knee issues that accompany a guy of his stature that goes ham every play and doesn’t run out of bounds ala Ted Ginn, Jr.  No one questions whether Harvin gives 100%.  The problem is he has a Steve Smith-type mean streak that he actually acts upon, reportedly hurling weights at ex-coach Brad Childress at one point in 2010.  Harvin had a history of problems in high school, allegedly inciting a riot at one point.  In college, a lot has been made of the type of program ex-Gator coach Urban Meyer ran, and Harvin being in the “Circle of Trust” thought the rules applied differently to him even allegedly throwing wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales to the ground by his neck.   These are all alleged incidents; Percy Harvin, as far as we know has never gotten into serious or documented trouble.  He even won the Korey Stringer Good Guy award in 2010, given to a Vikings player who exemplifies professionalism when dealing with the media.

But consider the Minnesota organization once-bitten and twice-shy.  Diva players who think the rules don’t apply was the rule in previous regimes and the front office has made complete progress in drafting guys who won’t end up on the police blotter.  Vikings coach Leslie Frazier is as even-keeled as they come but make no mistake; he has full confidence of the front office and won’t stand for insubordination, manipulation or faking injuries.   Frzaier went 3-13 in 2011 and may be talking contract after going a sparkling 10-6 in 2012.  They’ve drafted solidly and he doesn’t owe particular allegiance to Harvin as he was a leftover from a previous era. 

Maybe Harvin, temperamental as he is talented, doesn’t want to play for the Vikings.  He was thought to have a trade request in June 2012 before Minnesota went 10-6.   If the Vikings want to trade him, there are numerous franchises who would entertain offers.  The Vikings should play coy and send mixed messages to opposing franchises so they don’t get low-balled on a problem child, like when they traded Randy Moss to Oakland for a fourth-round pick.  

Fantasy Hockey Week 4: The Fasth and the Furious

I hope each of you fantasy hockey owners know that there is still draft-worthy talent and guys that are ready to help right now on the waiver wires.   This week we have a really hotly added goalie, one that's not so hot, and some worthy defensemen from some of hockey's smaller markets.

Pick Him Up Fasth

Another goalie has heat up the waiver wire uncontrollably in NHL Fantasy Week 4 and his name is Viktor Fasth (G, Ducks)   a 30-year old rookie from the Swedish Elite League.  He’s been on fire in his last four games, including his last outing, a 3-0 win over the Avalanche, in which he stopped all 31 shots in his first career shutout.  He has now a .962 save percentage and an unbelievable 0.98 GAA, which are sensational numbers.  He poses a threat to incumbent Jonas Hiller and is now owned in 50% of ESPN leagues and 32% of Yahoo leagues.  Given that his play is top five so far in fantasy goaltending, you should grab him immediately if he’s still available or suffer the consequences.  He has made a seamless transition to the NHL and should be transitioned over to your fantasy squad with all deliberate speed.

Fedor Tyutin (D, Blue Jackets) is only owned in 1/3 of most standard leagues and the reliable Russian has played well on the Blue Jackets blue line.  He’s already got eight points in a season where most fantasy pundits thought his scoring would be down.  He’s getting plenty of minutes and has shaved his plus/minus down to minus-4.   He’s probably not going to score 38 points as is his current pace but scoop him up and benefit from the hot streak.

The Man is an Island(er)

A return to the states is in store for Lubomir Visnovsky (D, Islanders) who after a contentious dispute, will not be able to play for HC Slovan Bratislava, the KHL team he opted to play with rather than New York.  The Isles dug in on this one because their struggling line play, and they could use Visnovsky's services on either power-play unit.  Lubomir is only two years removed from being the top offensive-defenseman in all of hockey so their is fantasy value here.  Just monitor the situation to see if is willing to play at all.  He'll get some playing time but how motivated will he be to produce?

Leland: Wheelin and Dealin?

Also keep in mind that Miikka Kiprusoff is out with an injury which means Leland Irving (G, Flames) is the main guy in the crease for Calgary.  Danny Taylor was called up from AHL Abbotsford to back Irving up.  This is a deep waiver wire acquisition until Irving shows us a little more minding the net but is worth a flyer in any case.  Since Kiprusoff is out indefinitely and may be playing down the injury, Irving will have a chance to show he is the Flames ‘tender of the future.

Ales Hemsky (RW, Oilers) has also gone under the radar in fantasy (in the 10% ownership range) but just had his first multi-point game of the season (a goal and an assist) in a 3-2 loss to Dallas Wednesday night.  Hemsky was fantasy-relevant three years ago and was thought to be a fading star in the Edmonton offensive galaxy.  He’s at a 19-goal pace and if he can continue to work on his plus/minus (-4 on the year) or your league’s settings don’t factor that then he’s a good value because he’s done it before and has talent around him.

Some other news on the wire:

• Veteran Bruin goalie Tim Thomas, expected to be out for the year, was traded to the Islanders for a draft pick in a cap-related move'; probably something that keeper owners should pay attention to.

Fantasy NBA Week 15: Quick Adds With Long Term Potential

Last week’s hot adds included Nate Robinson and Eric Bledsoe, point guards who have been lighting it up in the last few games.  There are so recent injuries that have given some young blood more grind and may make a fantasy impact on your team.  Bledsoe and Robinson are both now owned in more than 2/3 of ESPN fantasy leagues so they still may be on the wire, but if they aren’t take a look at…

Time to Check Out "Taj" 2.0?

Not a point guard, but big man Taj Gibson (PF/C, Bulls) has logged significant minutes with both Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah not quite ready to return.  He has responded by posting nearly four straight double-doubles (just missing with nine rebounds on back to back nights of the first two).  In his last five, Gibson has averaged 13.2 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3 blocks while shooting a tidy .564 from the field.  He’s averaged 39.0 minutes in that stretch so monitor Boozer and Noah’s returns when deploying him. He put up 19 and 19 at the Hawks on February 2^nd; he will continue to provide double-doubles when given playing time.

Successful Free-Lance "ing"

Lance Stephenson  (SG, Pacers) has started a lot of games at the two for the Pacers but hadn’t really done anything fantasy-relevant until his last five games.  The Pacers have been insisting Stephenson get more aggressive and something clicked with him.  And clicked it has; in the last five games he’s been a consistent offensive threat for Indiana—15.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and a healthy 4.2 dimes.  This is a guy with some fantasy upside that is available on the wire now.  He’s up to 37% from downtown and shoots a high percentage from the field for a two (.487).  Only downside is that he doesn’t have multi-position eligibility like so many other swingmen and Danny Granger will eventually return.  It’s quite possible that he remains fantasy-relevant as the first guy off the bench when a deep Indiana team is all 100%.   Stephenson has interesting fantasy potential because of his ability like Eric Bledsoe, the week before him, to help you in mutliple categories.

Another “two” guard in the East is making all sorts of fantasy waves (on waivers); Nick Young (SG, Sixers) has put together some nice games in the absence of Jason Richardson.  In the last seven games, the big shooting guard has averaged 16.9 points, 3.7 boards, and nearly two threes per contest.  He’s gotten a major increase in playing time and Richardson could be out much longer than originally expected (knee).  The offensively-challenged Sixers will miss Richardson, but Young and possibly Damien Wilkens will be major benefactors of run.

Up All Night Playing Speights

Cleveland has been missing a big man presence to compliment their franchise point guard Kyrie Irving ever since Anderson Varejao went down over a month ago.  Enter in newly acquired Marreese Speights (PF/C, Cavaliers)  who has shown to be a pretty consistent source of scoring.  He doesn’t have Varejao’s rebounding prowess but with increased playing time his offensive skill set may be more diverse than the big Brazilian. In his last five, Speight has averaged 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds a game while shooting 87% from the line and 53% from the field.