Jim Souhan is a f*ing idiot

All right never mind the fact that Souhan hates bloggers. He obviously feels threatened, because he is bad at his job and so many other talented writers are coming up, sapping away his readership that he needed to lash out, apparently on the radio earlier, and now with this Tweet, the real problem I have is that he is so talentless, and so unoriginal, that he couldn't think of a joke that stopped being funny, even to the stupid old hacks in the newspaper industry, about 3 years ago.

Links of the Day 2/29/11

Hey, today is leap day! I bet nobody else points that out today!

A record paper airplane throw is not to be taken lightly.

Nationals manager Davey Johnson is bold.

Here is, unquestionably, the best part of the NFL Combine every year.

SCOREBOARD
NHL
Los Angeles 4, Minnesota 0 - The Wild added no forwards at the trade deadline. Subtle reminder
Wisconsin 52, Minnesota 45 - Just an ugly season for the Fophers. It would almost be better if they would just get blown out.

Best Daytona 500 ever?

Lets see, it had the allure of Danica Patrick, a nail biting finish, prime time television on a national network, lots of wrecks, and of course A GIANT FIREBALL. If you didn't know, Juan Pablo Montoya found his way into the back of a jet engine, which is used to dry the track. Again, he found his way into a JET ENGINE. Thankfully, everyone was OK, as were the ratings for the race. Nice work, NASCAR, you have a little bit of attention from people who other wise wouldn't give it to you.

Links of the Day 2/28/12

Day after the NHL trade deadline, and I am totally stunned by the amount of Wild activity.

Like I said, the Wild were active at the deadline, making three moves in the past few days. 

Niles Paul is athletic, has good hands.

Riley Reiff has tiny arms.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Kansas 70, Oklahoma State 58 - Call me crazy, but I think the Jayhawks are going to make the tournament.

A pillar of Minnesota sports traded

Nick Schultz was the longest tenured Minnesota athlete saw his title taken away from him today. He was shipped to the conference rival Oilers for Minnesota native Tom Gilbert. Schultz has been with the team since they came to be in 1999. It's an offensive defenseman for a defensive defenseman.
Now with Schultz gone, the longest tenured member of the Minnesota Sports Scene is former teammate Pierre-Marc Bouchard, then Justin Morneau and Kevin Williams.

Links of the Day 2/27/12

Remember, everyone, there are TWO more days left in the month this year. Also, today is NHL trade deadline day!

Vick Ballard's draft stock is falling.

The Wild won last night, and they made sure to whack the opposing coach in the head to get there.

Following the trade deadline? Take a drink!

SCOREBOARD
Nothing in the past 10 hours since I posted yesterday's links

Could I be a GM?

Um, no. But after Joel Zumaya was deemed out for the season, many were quick to jump on the Twins and Terry Ryan for even signing him. A rightfully exasperated Phil Mackey from ESPN1500 here in the Twin Cities said that it seemed that many fans and bloggers seemed to genuinely believe that they would be better General Managers than Ryan.
My immediate thought was.. how zany an idea is that, really? Naturally, I asked Mackey that via Twitter as clumsily as possible, so I came across as doubting Terry Ryan was a good GM (definitely good, grew a little stale late in his career, and I like what he has done since he has been back. The time off has him quite refreshed, and me quite positive) or stating that the Zumaya deal was a bad one (I liked it, even now, and the army of pitchers in camp is bound to produce a couple of pleasant surprises). Naturally, and again rightfully, Mackey essentially gave me a WTF? and sent me to his followers to be picked apart.
What I was really driving at wasn't a take down of TR, but rather in support of fans (albeit a specific subset of fans). Aren't there a lot of fans that really could be General Managers? Successful general managers? Think about what it takes to be a good GM. First off, there is the business sense, running a profitable team based on revenue and salary, something that isn't too different from a typical business type, right? I think this, the business end, has always been the "easy" part for finding general managers. The problem is finding a businessman who knows more about baseball than "Take me out to the Ballgame".
Nowadays, in a land of Fangraphs and Sabrmetrics, the average fan has access to a wealth of information that we never used to. And with the internet, there is a constant stream of information, so the average Joe should know what a teams financial limitations are. Adding that, a General Manager doesn't work in a vacuum, but with a staff of advisers and scouts.
The real issue is that baseball, as with all sports, is generally insular. If you want to reach the top in baseball, you have to get there by paying your dues and working your way up the chain, something that a lot of capable people wouldn't be comfortable doing.
So, do I believe that, of all the people in the state, Terry Ryan is the best GM? Statistically improbable. But he is the only one who has set his mind to taking that role. And for the record, those fans that stated that the Twins erred in signing Joel Zumaya? Those aren't among the fans that would be better at the job than Terry Ryan.

Links of the Day 2/26/12

I slept right up until it was time for work today. Oops!

Feel terrible for Joel Zumaya, also upset that the Twins didn't add another bullpen arm.

Kid pokes himself in the eye. This is the entire point of the internet.

Nice shot, Lee Westwood.

SCOREBOARD
2/25
NCAAB
Kansas 87, Missouri 86 (OT) - The Jayhawks came back from 19 down to win the final conference game between the two rivals. Incredible comeback
Belmont 62, Mercer 61 - Tough loss for the Bears, but I bet they will have another crack at them in the conference tournament.
Purdue 75, Michigan 61 - First loss at home for Michigan this season. HUGE win for Purdue down the stretch.
Western Illinois 77, North Dakota State 64 - The Bison are fading down the stretch. So stressful with all of Fargo watching.
2/26
NCAAB
Indiana 69, Minnesota 50 - Yeah, the Gophers are out of the tournament
NHL
Minnesota 4, San Jose 3 - The Wild win this one and get prepared for the deadline tomorrow in an ominously similar fashion to the Twins in the summer. Terrifying.

Cooking with Ryan: potato and broccoli casserole

This was supposed to be potato and mushroom casserole with broccoli, but mushrooms are disgusting, so I opted against that. Thank goodness, because mushrooms would have completely ruined it. The binder, the creamy whatever was a mix of cream of broccoli soup and cottage cheese. As someone who was also wary of cottage cheese, I have to admit, it was creamy and delicious. (Cottage cheese looks absolutely foul and I still don't think I could eat it otherwise). It was a really simple little dish, and while it was a little bit runny in the end, I think that's not a huge deal. Nobody is making you drink the liquid at the end.

Links of the Day 2/25/12

Hello, everyone. I have some bad news. I will not be playing professional sports this season. Dang.

Here's a shot off of a player's face.

The slowest pitchers in the last several years for the Twins. (I think that may have been the most poorly written sentence in a long time)

I work out with Laron Landry.

SCOREBOARD
NHL
Dallas 4, Minnesota 1 - The Wild came out flat. Just really, really flat. Not much more to say than that.
EPL
Manchester City 3, Blackburn 0 - The Rovers, quite frankly, are not even close to the skill level of City. This was the expected result.

The New Jersey Devils are like this dog

Fleeced.

The Wild sent Marek Zidlicky to the Devils for three players (including former Wild players Kurtis Foster and Stephane Veilleux, noted pong pong enthusiast) AND two draft picks, a 2nd rounder and a conditional third rounder. Zidlicky had asked out, and the Wild weren't using him much. They turned a lump of garbage into 3 usable components and two draft picks. I'm stunned. I'm not used to being on this end of a lopsided trade. Not since Pierzynski, really.

Links of the Day 2/24/12

The NHL trade deadline is coming up on Monday. That should be pretty fun, right?

Lance Berkman is ready for the baseball season to begin.

The Canucks upended Detroit, ending the Red Wings record home winning streak.

To be fair, I bought a shirt when I was in Macon.

SCOREBOARD
NHL
Minnesota 3, Florida 2 (SO) - Are things finally turning Minnesota's way? Maybe.
NCAAB
Mercer 63, Lipscomb 54 - Is a lips comb like, for mustaches?
IUPUI 74, North Dakota State 68 - On the plus side for me, the "P" stands for Purdue!

Color me surprised

Just like, right now, Ryan Braun was exonerated of his doping allegations. Part of me never imagined he would be suspended, but then another part of me never imagined a way for anyone to prove that they weren't actually on steroids. 

Braun apparently found a glitch in the testing system was able to convince arbiter Shyam Das of his innocence. Rather than take the high road, MLB has stated that they are quite upset with the way things worked out, and that they essentially feel very strongly about their case. 

Of course, the problem for baseball is that the test results got out before the appeal was complete, which is the only way that this turned into an embarrassment. If you hadn't known that Braun had tested positive initially, you wouldn't have known that MLB lost their appeal. Rather than ensuring that the test is foolproof, I suspect that MLB will instead seek to shore up their front office to make sure leaks don't happen again.

Links of the Day 2/23/12

We're a day into Lent. How does that make you feel?

Roy Oswalt is making everyone wait.

This reminds me of volleyball. I noticed that I only link to NBA stuff when people do embarrassing things.

Danica Patrick will not be shilling for Lamborghini any time soon.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Purdue 83, Nebraska 65 - I am embarrassed for ever being worried about this game
Michigan State 66, Minnesota 61 - Minnesota played Michigan State close, much better than expected, thus, Tubby Smith is a bad coach.
Kansas 66, Texas A&M 58 - So sad that the Aggies are leaving the Big 12, am I right?

Who needs it more tonight?

Tonight, both the Gophers and Boilermakers play vital games on their Big Ten schedule. Both teams have slid a bit lately and both surely need a win tonight as they enter the home stretch of the regular season. Which team needs a win more tonight?  Neither team is very good, and at this point, the only thing I can think that separates the two teams is that Purdue beat Minnesota. But which team needs to win more tonight? I argue that it's Purdue.
Despite the fact that ESPN's Bracketology has Purdue in and Minnesota out currently, I would say that the truly "must win" game belongs to Purdue. It has more to do with the opponent each team is facing, rather than the situation for the team. Surely, Minnesota needs to win a couple of more games, but it would be hard to say that a loss to the #6 team in the country, Michigan State, would make things much worse for them.
On the other hand, Purdue is playing Nebraska. If the Boilermakers start losing to teams like Nebraska or Penn State down the stretch, they are in a much less enviable situation. The Gophers likely need to beat Michigan State, Indiana or Wisconsin (as well as their season finale against Nebraska) to remain in contention, but losing in any of those three games specifically doesn't make things worse for them. Purdue, on the other hand, would play themselves out of the tournament, perhaps, if they lose to Nebraska today.
I would say that would mean Purdue needs a win more this evening, right? Of course, I would prefer both teams win this evening. Let's hope both squads can make it happen.

Links of the Day 2/22/12

Look at all the 2's in today's date. That's really something, huh?

Oh, look. More conference movement in the NCAA.

The mask that Mike Smith of Phoenix wears is exquisite. 

You would think that the furniture used by announcers would be double checked before going to air.

SCOREBOARD
Nada

This is what we have become

If you wonder why I don't have much to say in February, this might help answer some questions. One of ESPNs top headlines today (as it has been all day) was that Jeremy Lin had a conversation with Kris Humphries. Lin has become a sensation because of his high level of play, his ethnicity, his out of nowhere ascent and the fact that he plays for the Knicks. Kris Humphries married the star of a sex tape for about 2 months. Their conversation is a major headline.
Now that I think about it, the presence of this headline does carry with a more foreboding story that doesn't make the headlines: American civilization is collapsing faster than any of us imagine.
April 6th can't come soon enough

Links of the Day 2/21/12

One more month til spring, then just a couple of more days after that until baseball. RRRGGGH I WANT BASEBALL

Cristian Guzman is still in baseball.

If you didn't know, today is Mardi Gras, and oh my is this terrifying.

A comprehensive look at all of the college QBs from the 2011 year. Purdue and Minnesota did not fare well.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
North Florida 75, Mercer 66 - The wheels are coming off for the Mercer Bears.

Thoughts on Manny Ramirez

I am completely fascinated by the Oakland Athletics this year. After signing Yoenis Cespedes earlier in the offseason, they have now signed Manny Ramirez. That Manny Ramirez. I love it. The A's will be a thrill to follow all year long. Some other thoughts on Manny going to the A's.

- I love that Manny will be labeled a mentor for this young A's team. Manny Ramirez! A MENTOR! Uproarious! Manny Ramirez would have a tough time tying his shoes without help!

- There has never been a problem with performance enhancing drugs in the San Francisco Bay area, so why should we worry about Manny being tempted? Oh, yeah.

- I can't wait to hear people call him "Man-Ram". So terrible.

- I love that this will be Yoenis Cespedes impression of America. Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp, Oakland. I am going to love the A's this year.

Links of the Day 2/20/12

Snows a'comin'. About time. I don't even like snow, and this winter is irritating me.

For the new season, some of the best Twins bloggers in the game have collaborated on a new site.  Great stuff, really.

Here is a look at the All-Presidents Day team. There are a lot of dudes named "Johnson".

The Big Ten Tournament bracket, if the season ended today (it does not). 

SCOREBOARD: 

NCAAB

Michigan State 76, Purdue 62 - Purdue, when I stopped watching to go to work, went 1-21 shooting to start the 2nd half. Ugh.

NHL

Minnesota 2, Boston 0 - Yeah, this is about what everyone expected, right?

Day one, and already bashing Mauer!

Ah yes, pitchers and catchers just reported, and already it's going downhill. Before I get into this piece, let me just state for the record that, yes Joe Mauer needs to be a leader this year. He is a veteran now, and he needs to take control of the clubhouse as the team leader, especially since he will be here longer than anyone else.
That said, Jim Souhan went about presenting his points in about the worst possible manner. I mean, I actually agree with his basic premise, but I can't get behind the way he got there. The entire point of the column, it seemed, instead of saying "the Twins need leadership" was to say that there were a lot of people that were talking behind Joe Mauer's back. What does that do? Essentially, Souhan is attempting to sow mistrust in Mauer. Who wants to lead an organization that isn't behind him?
Other parts of the debate, however, show just what kind of a writer Souhan is. To wit:

Whether Mauer had anything to do with their mindsets or not is difficult to ascertain, but Joe Nathan and Michael Cuddyer, two long-term Twins who had spoken of wanting to end their careers in Minnesota, left in free agency, and a group of young players the veterans nicknamed "The Fun Bunch'' seemed pleased to draw a big-league paycheck regardless whether the Twins won or lost.

So, Joe Mauer got hurt, and that's why Joe Nathan and Michael Cuddyer left? OK, maybe it wasn't the injury, but their departure was definitely his fault. Is that what I gather? And the younger players are happy to make a few hundred thousand dollars, and that's also bad, and it's also Joe Mauer's fault? Right?
And Souhan continues.

Members of the organization have pushed him to be more available for interviews, so he can present his side of every story. In sports journalism, access often blunts criticism.

If I am to extrapolate this fully, Souhan has overplayed his hand. Joe Mauer doesn't give interviews, and that means the media (of which Souhan is a member) doesn't care for him. So, basically, if Mauer was more garrulous, this article may have never happened.
Souhan turns something that is generally viewed as a positive trait, Joe Mauer's humility, into a damning character flaw. While I agree that Mauer needs to step into a leader ship role (assuming the training staff actually figures it out this year and he stays healthy) I hope he does it his way. The first thing I would do is recommend the team not give Souhan any interviews.

Links of the Day 2/19/12

I have had very little time at home this weekend. Many apologies.

Oh good, Terry Ryan is back. Also, this means that Ron Gardenhire is manager for life!

Oh, English soccer players. You so crazy!

Who are the worst teams in baseball at building through the draft?

SCOREBOARD
NHL
Saint Louis 4, Minnesota 0 - The time honored tradition of Minnesota teams completely collapsing continues.
NCAAB
Jacksonville 81, Mercer 75 - The Dolphins upend the Bears, sending the Atlantic Sun to disarray.
Northwestern 64, Minnesota 53 - Things are not going well for the state right now.
Kansas 83, Texas Tech 50 - Looking a little better in Kansas, at least.
North Dakota State 86, Western Michigan 73 - The teams played in Bracketbusters. Are your brackets busted?

Pitchers and Catchers report today

Baseball.

Links of the Day 2/18/12

Good morning. It's 1130, still counts.

Derek Holland did the weather. Everyone thinks they can, you know what I mean?

I like baseball, but not this much.

Now you will be able to watch all the Drexel you want on NBC Sports

SCOREBOARD
Zilch!

Why nobody respects Bleacher Report

People nowadays send me anything to do with uniforms, what with the various bones I've picked over my 37 years on the internet. The truth is, the Oregon Ducks won. It turns out a wildly changing uniform and stupid looking epaulets are what it takes to attract short sighted college bound athletes. Some schools, like, say, Alabama and Purdue thrive on tradition, and believe that uniforms should be, you know, uniform. Now that you've gotten off my lawn, let's talk about this.

This is a couple months old, but a writer and Bleacher Report ran some fan created, hypothetical Nike Pro combat uniforms for the NFL. They were.... well... For example, here is the Vikings look:

So yeah, they're pretty awful. I could have linked to a number of different places with these monstrosities, but instead I wanted to point you to Bleacher Report because of the unabashed support for almost all of the new looks. Below are all the comments for these jerseys, with comments from me, where I feel they are warranted.

Dolphins - This design keeps the flamboyant colors that Miami is often associated with, but at the same time is able to make it somewhat fearsome.
 Patriots - A nice job of incorporating the patriotic theme into the jersey. The American flag on the sides is an insane touch that makes this jersey pop out. (Maybe the most offensive of the bunch, tearing up the American flag like that. It looks like an AFL team)
 Jets - It's amazing how adding black to a jersey can make it so much more intimidating. (One of the few looks I personally like)
Broncos - Using their throwback logo, this Broncos uniform changes things up tremendously. Tim Tebow will rep it well. (Nice work, fitting in a Tebow reference)
Chiefs - Not much to do to make the McDonald's-like color scheme of the Chiefs look appealing, but this design does indeed make it somewhat better. The choice of a more vibrant yellow adds a little more zing. (Dude loves yellow. Stay tuned for more)
 Raiders - The color scheme chosen by Al Davis is always one which provokes fear. With this new design it looks even more scary than it does today.
 Chargers - Like the Chiefs, this design uses a more vibrant yellow, allowing for a much more amazing design. (Vibrant yellow)
 Ravens - The black shoulders combined with the purple makes this one of the most intimidating jerseys of the potential release.
Bengals - Dang. The tiger design is absolutely, positively, undeniably incredible. (The pants look like Zubaz. I deny the tiger design is incredible)
 Browns - Poor Cleveland Browns can't catch a break anywhere. (Actually, the Browns caught a lucky break, because they had no changes to their uniforms) 
Steelers - What's impressive about this design is how the red and blue from the old helmet is incorporated into the sleeve. (So impressive) 
Texans - With such an extravagant jersey today, there is surprisingly nothing too impressive about this one. (When I think Houston Texans, I think extravagence, but that's mostly because Houston is such a cosmopolitan city) 
Colts - Not too much of a change for the Colts' uniform. Hopefully their record will have a bigger change. (Zing!) 
Jaguars - I don't know how I feel about the leopard design. (The first of the truly modified jerseys he didn't like. And also, I assume that is a Jaguar design, what with the team being the Jacksonville Jaguars and all) 
Titans - In my opinion, the Titans currently have one of the worst uniforms in the NFL, but this new design does everything to incredibly upgrade the Titans' uniform. (The helmet was cool. What? I can't be negative all the time)
 Cowboys - Its amazing just how turning the white into dark grey can make a uniform look so much better. (There was no change to the uniform. He is just color blind, or doesn't understand shadows, or that the Cowboys wear gray already.) 
Giants - The additions of the black and red add to a pretty boring design.
 Eagles - Similar to the feathers on the Oregon Ducks' uniform, the addition of the Eagle feathers on the shoulder makes this jersey look unbelievable. (I agree with unbelievable, but I assume he means something different) 
Redskins - That helmet is such an increase from the current one. The additions of feathers on uniforms make them seem so much more realistic. (No opinion on the uniform itself, but I do have to question who taught this guy English. It reads like spam from Hong Kong)
Bears - The blue and black background makes the orange pop out, adding a little more fire than what we see today. (Chicago Bears, historic, venerated uniforms. Need more pop) 
Vikings - I am simply loving the bright yellows that are being used. Also look at the horns on the sleeves. (Bright yellows)
Saints - Similar look, but the addition of the gold on the shoulders makes this design even more amazing. 49ers - Similar look, still impressive. (Actually, completely different look, looks terrible) 
Falcons - Again, the darkness adds intimidation. (Agreed. Intimidating) 
Panthers - Personally, I like the current ones better, but these are still pretty amazing. (He likes TEAL better than black. I actually think these Panthers mockups are pretty sweet.) 
Rams - Not extremely different, but the uniform still keeps the intimidation factor. Now, if only the Rams were actually intimidating...(zing!)
Seahawks - Loving the neon green as the secondary color. I hope there will be an even cooler alternate jersey with the neon green as the base.(This is exactly the same, which leads me to believe that the Seahawks are already using Pro Combat. And the Seahaks DID use a neon green alternate. It made a nation weep tears of blood) 
Bills - Very similar—nothing much to say.
Cardinals - This one can go either way; a handful of people will love this, while others will vomit from it. Lions - I would think Nike would try to incorporate the mane of a lion into this design somehow—guess not.(I would love to see the Lions wearing fur coats. Also, I am sure it is just an artistic error, but the Lion mascot on the helmet is pointed in the wrong direction, so the Lion can poop in the eyes of the wearer.) 
Buccaneers - I love the use of the throwback logo; a good look for Tampa. (Hey, one last one we agree on)  


So of a total of 31 teams (the Packers weren't included) he was positive about 25 of them. In fact, he said 4 of them were "intimidating" and 5 of them to be "amazing" This is what we are fighting against in trying to prevent eyesores from becoming prevalent in the NFL. And it lurks at Bleacher Report

Links of the Day 2/17/12

Who's ready for the weekend? This guy! 

Has the Big East really been all that dominant? No.

A couple of Purdue players were arrested the other night, and Kelsey Barlow was kicked off the team. Seriously guys, you were at Where Else? At least got to a respectable bar.

A prediction for the Twins roster this season.

SCOREBOARD

NHL

Winnipeg 4, Minnesota 3 (SO) - The Wild actually scored multiple goals, and the series with Winnipeg looks like it will become an incredible rivalry. Other than that, the Wild suck.

Links of the Day 2/16/12

40 degrees out! Opening day must be around the corner. Right?

An update on the nefarious Piggyback Bandit.

A trip to Murray State, now that they lost out on their undefeated season.

Might the NHL move to Seattle?

SCOREBOARD

NCAAB

South Dakota State 80, North Dakota State 57 - Yeesh

Purdue 67, Illinois 62- HUGE road win. Massive. Just like Meyers Leonard.

NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Final

The 9-7 Giants are your Super Bowl Champions in a season where mediocrity ruled and the only theoretically good team, the Packers, showed their flawed defense was flawed enough to not win it all. Just think, the Super Bowl loser, the 13-3 Patriots, only beat ONE team with a winning record all season, the Ravens, in the AFC Championship game, thanks to a missed field goal.

So yes, the Giants are the champions, but who do the power ranks say the best team is?

drum roll....

It's the San Francisco 49ers. As a fan, it both hurts to see them end up as #1 without a Super Bowl title but also makes me feel good about their chances in the coming years. The Patriots loss in the Super Bowl knocked them out of the top spot, moving up the Niners. The Giants passed the Ravens for #3, but their 9-7 record made it basically impossible to catch either of the 13-3 teams that at least made it to their conference championship games.

The power ranks did pretty poorly predicting playoff game results this year, going only 6-5. In contrast, my randomly picking dog also went 6-5 and my 4 month old son went 7-4 by correctly picking the Giants in the Super Bowl. If nothing else, the playoffs were fun for watching his motor skills develop as he tried to pick up the helmets with his hands.

Here are the final ranks:

The Vikings are Staying!

All right, so here's the deal. For the Vikings to be successful, they need to increase revenue. In order to increase revenue, they need a new stadium. The real question is, does Minnesota need a new stadium? Decidedly not. There are many studies out that professional sports are a mere pimple on the buttcheek that is a local economy, so I won't get into that.
That said, professional sports do add to a certain unity in a city that adds to an overall sense of pride and increases the civic well being and quality of life for a community, so I think it's not an altogether bad thing for municipalities to help with the construction of stadiums or arenas. For a team's ownership to actively shun the infrastructure that has already been established in a city for the purpose of  bleeding your fans dry is not cool in any way, which is what Zygi Wilf wanted to do, and why I oppose his efforts.
Make no mistake about it. The Vikings need a stadium to be successful. What Zygi Wilf was asking for was a a license to develop property around the facility (he is a real estate developer by trade, after all) and make millions by charging for parking. None of this is to the benefit of the state as a whole or for the collective good of the city. At least by building in Minneapolis, where the Governor would like the stadium built, the infrastructure is uncompromised and an expensive extension isn't needed.  It would be a central gathering point, ultimately for the state and the city, rather than a moneymaker for one asshole from New Jersey.
These are all facts that have been rehashed before. The fact that the state and the Vikings are still talking should show that they have some leverage on the matter. If the Vikings (and probably more realistically the NFL) wanted to leave the Twin Cities, they would be gone by now. Why would you put up with the same crap for a decade, only to not get what you truly want in the end? The Vikings will stay in Minnesota for a very long time, because there are teams that don't want to lose the rivalry. The NFL's TV partners don't want to lose a large, isolated market like the Twin Cities, especially when smaller markets, like Jacksonville, or less isolated markets, like San Diego could leave. And the NFL doesn't want to lose the elephant in the room, always having Los Angeles as a threat for obstinate cities who don't want to build new stadiums.
What I'm trying to get at s, the NFL and the Vikings need the Twin Cties, and the state should recognize that.  There's a reason that the Vikings told the NFL they aren't leaving.

Links of the Day 2/15/12

And a good Wednesday afternoon to you. I hope you are still with your loved one after Valentine's Day.

Who had the best fastballs on the season? (Nobody on the Twins)

Lacrosse players are hooligans.

This is what I have been trying to tell you people.

SCOREBOARD
NHL
Anaheim 2, Minnesota 1 - What, the Wild didn't score and lost again? Oh. OK.
NCAAB
Ohio State 78, Minnesota 68 - Tough game against a better team. The Gophers need a few wins against middle of the road teams.

Just what needed to happen

One of my fears with the conference realignment fiasco is that the smaller teams of the world would be forever lost. The only way to continue to make those schools relevant was to hope they all got really good, really quickly. Or so it seemed.
Yesterday it was announced that Conference USA and the Mountain West will merge as one, and will probably expand from the 15 they presently have. With this many teams all in one conference, they can't be ignored. And make no mistake, these are the teams that would have a real chance to make waves at the top. Sorry, MAC. It will keep rampant expansion in check (since teams may not be compelled to leave a team with as large a footprint, and perhaps a BCS autobid), and likely will be a home for any teams left out of continued realignment (Kansas State, I'm looking at you).
I am intrigued by this new conference for basketball reasons. Well, I was until I remembered that Memphis was leaving the conference. Yahoo already covered the topic. From the outset, this conference looks like it will be dominated by the remnants of the MWC. Remember, San Diego State is not going to be there, but UNLV still will be. New Mexico, Fresno State and Nevada will be strong contenders as well. From the form C-USA, schools like Tulsa, UAB and UTEP have a recent history of success, while Southern Miss is actually on top of the conference this year.
I think this is going to turn into a very enjoyable conference. There will be traction for the football teams to make waves in the BCS (or whatever happens in the next several years) and people will love that they intend to have a conference playoff. They will also be like the Conference USA of old, when it had Memphis and Louisville, mid major powerhouse that showcases good basketball, and is a threat in the tournament. Come to think of it, the new Big East is exactly like the old Conference USA, right down to Memphis and Louisville. The thing is, the new version just might be better at football, where it matters most.

Links of the Day 2/14/12

He, happy Valentine's day! Why we named a holiday after the Red Sox manager, I have no idea.

This is sort of an ominous thing to have attached to your name.

Nerdiest handshake ever.

Hey, Reggie Wayne? Screw you, buddy.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Kansas 59, Kansas State 53 - Is this a really big deal game? I have no idea. They are in the same state and all, but so are Purdue and IUPUI.

Thoughts on Yoenis Cespedes

According to Tim Brown at Yahoo!, the Oakland A's have surprised everyone and signed Cuban defector and future star Yoenis Cespedes. The Miami Marlins were supposed to be the frontrunners for the 5 tool player who now has Dominican citizenship. This raises great many questions.

- Is smuggling Cuban outfielders the new market inefficiency?

- Will there be a rash of Yoenises being born in the Bay Area?

- Do the Marlins feel especially hurt by California this offseason, having lost Pujols to the Angels and now Cespedes to the A's? What's next? IS Jeff Conine going to the Giants? Greg Colbrunn to the Dodgers?

-Where does the rest of the A's payroll go? They have a payroll of 15 million a year, right? That's 6 million to spend on 24 other players!

- He was reportedly close to signing with Miami after touring the new stadium. Does he prefer empty soulless venues, like the one in Oakland? Maybe that's why he was even considering Miami. Probably didn't realize they were building a new stadium.

- Unless... Oakland is building a new stadium for suresies, and Yoenis just..... knows. Maybe?

- It's said that Cespedes signed with the A's because Oakland wanted him most. I think we should go ahead and call Yoenis Cespedes Whistle Tip in honor of the last thing Oakland really wanted.

Links of the Day 2/13/12

It's the day before Valentine's Day. I'm more a President's Day fan myself.

I find many of these points to be relevant... and also, I find that some of them are good pointers for me that I haven't quite yet taken.

I am thoroughly stunned that the Twins aren't on this list of top 10 rotations.

Jordan Jefferson might be the worst 4 year college starter in.... ever.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Purdue 87, Northwestern 77 - A vital win for Purdue. They might make this tournament after all.

Now that I think about it...

Why not keep Peyton Manning? Rumors of his health, or even retirement have surely sabotaged his value. And then, there is that number one draft pick for a "surefire" prospect in Andrew Luck. That's a pick that, no matter what, still has value. The Colts are quite obviously more than a quarterback short. The idea of getting rid of Manning, in my book, isn't all that palatable if the Colts get nothing in return.
So, again, if the Colts can, perhaps, grab multiple first round picks, grab a player like Justin Blackmon to replace the likely to depart Dallas Clark and Reggie Wayne, and a linebacker like Dont'a Hightower, because the defense sucks, and take your chances with Manning's health next year, while drafting a quarterback in the later rounds and adding, say, Colt McCoy from the Browns with the same trade of the #1 pick.
Sure, it's a risk. Of course it's a risk, but so is letting a hall of fame quarterback walk for absolutely nothing.

Links of the Day 2/12/12

Good afternoon. How are you doing without football?

Update on Luis Suarez being a dick. He apologized!

This is just weird. Carlos Boozer has fake hair?

I guess this is cool, speaking of drawing hair on something.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Kansas 81, Oklahoma State 66 - The Jayhawks are going to be well seasoned for the NCAA tournament with such a difficult conference. Oklahoma State doesn't qualify as "difficult" however.
North Dakota State 82, South Dakota 71 - North Dakota is on top of South Dakota in basketball and geography!
NHL
Columbus 3, Minnesota 1 - MAKE IT STOP! MAKE THE SUCKING STOP!!!

Apropos of nothing, here is Kobe Bryant on Nickelodeon

Teen Nick (I think... it's channel 133 to me) airs "The 90s are All That" every night, and it's what occupies my time between the late shows and bed. I was raised on Nickelodeon. Sue me, it's nostalgic. Anyways, the other night, an episode of All That aired and featured this moderately annoying skit featuring a young Kobe Bryant and an even younger Amanda Bynes. Also, some other girl. Enjoy. Or don't. You probably won't.

Links of the Day 2/11/12

I don't know that you understand quite how little I enjoy the cold.

Peyton Manning incorporated into every single NFL logo.

It's that time of year when long time members of various teams get released. First up, Hines Ward is getting dumped by the Steelers.

Luis Suarez of Liverpool is sort of a dick.

SCOREBOARD
 NCAAB
Mercer 61, Kennesaw State 57 - The Bears may end up being the #1 seed in a conference tournament that will be played at home.
EPL
Blackburn 3, Queens Park 2 - The Rovers went up 3-0 early, but almost blew it because they don't have a back 4, especially without Samba.

Other Viking's Stadium Sites

New Minnesota Vikings sites keep coming up, despite there being some sort of deadline for new contributions or the selection of a site. First it was Shakopee (though that came at the deadline) then it was right next to the Metrodome, and now, today a state senator proposed putting a stadium in Duluth.I sort of thought this was a joke at first, but apparently with the way some pundits are responding, maybe it was a legitimate proposal. After all, Green Bay is two hours away from Madison and Milwaukee. With that in mind, here are 5 sites that I think could work. And no, I will not say Los Angeles, because I am being totally serious.

- Saint Paul: There are so many proposals for Minneapolis and Ramsey County, why can't St. Paul get any traction? I mean, they have a lot of government owned land in St. Paul, with connecting freeways. Just move the capital to St. Peter, where it is supposed to be anyways. Lots of space, still in the Twin Cities. I see no problems, actually.

- Saint Peter: Just to mess with Saint Paul. But really, Saint Peter is right next to the training camp site of Mankato, and the city could really use a bump after a devastating tornado... 15 years ago.

- Baxter: Sure, it's the little twin to Brainerd, but Baxter is more of the developing community of the two. Putting a stadium in the Brainerd Lakes area would make an already enjoyable vacation destination THE place to go in the fall and winter, as well as in the summer.

- Litchfield: My grandparents used to live in Richmond, and driving north to visit them we would pass through places like Hutchinson and Litchfield, and driving through Litchfield, my prevailing thought was always "Why don't they put something here. It's so empty" Boom. Stadium.

- Hudson: Now, I know Hudson is in Wisconsin, but hear me out. The New York Giants, the last Super Bowl Champion, actually plays in New Jersey. Why couldn't the Minnesota Vikings play in Wisconsin? And hey, the Super Bowl Champion from the season before was also from Wisconsin. Those are some good vibes for the Vikings, right? And the best news is, it would be in Wisconsin, so no Minnesota taxpayer money!

Links of the Day 2/10/12

Honestly, I'm not interested in Spring Training, but the season begins in less than 2 months.

To me, for some reason, the strangest move in conference realignment is West Virginia to the Big 12.

The Piggy Back Bandit. A real thing.

Escaped rhino! (not really)

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Wisconsin 68, Minnesota 61 (OT) - The Gophers staged a valiant rally, only to run out of gas in overtime.
Missouri-Kansas City 72, North Dakota State 61 - The Kangaroos just jumped the Bison. Get it? Jumped?
NHL
Vancouver 5, Minnesota 2 - So, the Wild are going to get completely disassembled this month, right?

My personal top 5 rivalries

Last night, Dick Vitale spent much of the evening saying how there was no argument that Duke-UNC was the greatest rivalry in the world. Well, I think there is an argument. First off, it depends on your definition of what makes a rivalry great. Is it the number of people involved with a rooting interest? Well, then it's probably an international soccer rivalry, like China versus Japan. Lots of people in both countries, and historic animosity. And really, more people hate both teams than pick a side with Duke-UNC. Is it the level of animosity between the two sides and their fan bases? More than 70 people were killed after a match in Egypt this past week. When was the last time there was that kind of an incident at Duke-UNC? (This is a good thing that this hasn't happened, for the record).
No, the greatest rivalries are all personal. I couldn't care less about the Yankees and Red Sox or Duke and North Carolina. These are rivalries I actually care about. Matchups that, when they occur, really get my blood boiling, because of my own personal experience.

5) Purdue vs Wisconsin (college football): This is a matchup that will likely only ever appear on my own personal list, but since I grew up in Minnesota and learned to hate Wisconsin, and then had the team rip out my heart in 2004, thanks to a Kyle Orton fumble and subsequent Wisconsin touchdown return, they have always been a source of anxiety, every time I see them on the field.

4) Purdue vs Indiana (college basketball): Purdue is a basketball school, first and foremost, and their annual games against the Hoosiers are always a highlight. I learned early that the Hoosiers are not to be trusted.

3) Twins vs White Sox (Baseball): The Twins are my favorite team in all sports, and I have a high level of disdain for all American League Central teams (and the Yankees, but that's not really a rivalry, so much as a complete destruction), but having lived near Chicago for a few years, and having a team that more or less is on the same overall success arc as the Twins over the last decade pushes the Sox to the top of my "greatest rivalry" list. Well, in baseball, anyways.

2) Wild vs Canucks (Hockey): Ever since Matt Cooke, I just can't ever take it upon myself to wish anything but harm on the Canucks. I actually hate Vancouver so much, that I am glad the NHL is realigning, so I don't have to see their ugly faces as much.

1) Colts vs Patriots (Football): I am a pretty mellow sports fan, especially when it comes to the NFL. I am what you might call coldly analytical. I am OK with watching games in silence, because I usually do. That would be the reason for surprise when I yell at my TV whenever the Colts and Patriots play. While this Super Bowl proved to me that I don't unconditionally hate the Patriots, it did prove to me that I do feel that way about Indianapolis. Why else would I feel so passionately about the Colts beating New England? There is no greater feeling than the Colts beating the Patriots.

At least, not in my book. Like I said, this is all about your own perspective.

Links of the Day 2/9/12

All right, I'm ready for baseball. Is it baseball season yet?

As was initially expected, next years Winter Classic will be in Michigan, and feature Toronto and Detroit.

Keith Law's top 100 prospects are out. The Twins have 2 in the top 50, which is a pleasant turnaround for a farm system that has been lacking in recent years.

When selecting the bracketology post to link to this morning, I chose NBC, who had Minnesota seeded the best.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Kansas 68, Baylor 54 - Winning by double digits on the road against a highly ranked team... I would say this is Kansas' best win of the season.

Cooking with Ryan: Eclairs

Yeah, OK, a couple of things. First, I decided not to fill them, because filled pastry grosses me the hell out. Second, the original recipe was for "mini" eclairs. As with everything, I don't have the delicate touch to make anything mini. Thirdly, everything else went wrong too.
First, my milk and butter combo boiled over. Then, my homemade pastry bag, since it didn't do a good job regulating flow out of said bag, made for messy, pretty much full sized eclairs, rather than the mini ones I was shooting for (and a hell of a mess). Next, despite doing nothing wrong according to the directions, the eclairs started to burn a full 10 minutes before they were supposed to be done. Last and not least, when I made the chocolate sauce on top, I opened the cocoa powder, only to have it explode all over me. All in all, a disaster.
They ended up looking terrible, so I didn't take a picture, however they tasted... all right. Croissantlike, but not really like pastry. Oh well, I'll eat them all.

Links of the Day 2/8/12

Good February morning. It appears we have located winter.

I am really looking forward to the Mexican team in Olympic qualification. For hockey.

The Twins are described as an "old school" organization. That's fair.

Maybe they are simply booing him because he went to Indiana? If that's the case, I endorse the boos.

SCOREBOARD
NHL
Columbus 3, Minnesota 1 - GILLIES! Actually, Colton had nothing to do with it, the Wild just have too many injuries.
NCAAB
Ohio State 87, Purdue 84 - I know the Boilers played this game close against an elite team, but I have to believe, they are now safely "out" of the tournament

A list of the Chopped stock characters

Other than the host, Ted Allen, Chopped on the Food Network has a stable of stock characters that I thought I might run through for you, in the event you are looking forward to a competitive cooking show to occupy your time now that the football season is over.
JUDGES
- Arrogant judge
- Female judge
- Ethnic judge
- Excessively snooty judge
(Sometimes these can be combined: Example, Alex Guarnaschelli is both female and excessively snooty)
COMPETITORS
- Tattoo guy
- Ethnic guy
- European ethnic guy
- Greasy hippie guy
- Vegan
- Person with allergies
- Matronly woman
- Petite girl with short hair and hipster glasses
- Ethnic girl
- Brassy girl
- Formerly impoverished person
- Formerly on drugs (Usually also tattoo guy, unless those drugs were for cancer treatment)
- Token normal dude.

This encompasses roughly 90% of the people you see on Chopped. The other 10% are always surprise guest stars, like "Overtly religious dude" and "Guy with a hat".

And now you can enjoy Chopped like I do.

Links of the Day 2/7/12

So. Now what?

Steve isn't a Twins fan, but even he might be interested in this.

A solid Super Bowl bet, winning someone 50k on a thousand dollar bet.

Knowshon Moreno is an idiot in pretty much every way.

SCOREBOARD
Copa Del Sol
Goteborg 1, Rosenborg - Sweden tops Norway in this one. If you were wondering, the championship game for the CDS will be Spartak Moscow versus Copenhagen. I knew you were wondering
NCAAB
Mercer 54, East Tennessee State 47 - A defensive struggle in Macon! ETSU is renowned for the offense, historically.

Way to go, Giants

As a writer of things sport related, I feel obligated to commend the New York Giants on their Super Bowl victory. So, congratulations on being tremendously lucky. Congratulations on having your mediocre season excused by playing in such a miserable division. Congratulations on catching Aaron Rodgers in the midst of his worst performance of the season. Congratulations on sneaking past the 49ers because of a couple of muffed punts. Congratulations on normally sure handed receivers dropping passes.
Congratulations on winning the Super Bowl. You really earned it.

Links of the Day 2/6/12

The Super Bowl was yesterday. I honestly believe it was one of the most forgettable games in some time.

The Pac 12 is not... good.

The Giants celebrating on the plane home from the Super Bowl (they won)

Have you ever been insulted by a Supermodel? I imagine it's a little tough.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Minnesota 69, Nebraska 61 - The Gophers handle one of the worst teams in the Big Ten quite easily.

Things to look forward to tonight

The Super Bowl, of course, is one of the biggest sporting events in the year, and everyone looks forward to watching it. Or that's the impression I get. Somehow it seems that every year, there are overwhelming complaints. Perhaps it's just the world we live in, but it's either "the pregame commentators are bad" or "The game sucked" or "the half time show was terrible" or "the commercials weren't funny".OK, you whiners, here are some things you can look forward to during the game.

- Kickoff. No matter how bad the game might be, or how the nerves might play a role in some terrible football, the opening kick off, with all the flashbulbs gives me chills every time.

- The lights and guest stars of half time. Oh, you thought the half time show was about music? No, it's about flashing lights and people that you recognize. Who cares if the music sucks, look at the stage and is that Usher?

- Commentators having fun. All the analysts are in their last job of the season. They aren't even there for half time. You had better believe they have a case of senioritis. And maybe a case of beer.

- The commercials are still good. They have good production value, and there isn't much time spent on 3 Menards ads every commercial break like there is during, say, a Twins game. These commercials are new and fresh and generally wonderful, even if they don't get a chuckle every time.

So, go out there and enjoy it. If't not going to be perfect, because nothing ever is. It's still going to be fun, and you are going to be able to eat a lot of gross food you otherwise wouldn't. 

Links of the Day 2/5/12

Today is the Super Bowl. I intend to, get this, watch the game.

The Patriots fans had some free time for arts and crafts.

Darren Rovell has made an ass out of himself with Playmates.

Valentines Day is in a little more than a week. Here are some ideas for you.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
Mercer 61, South Carolina Upstate 47 - Upstate goes down. Ha! Get it?!
Indiana 78, Purdue 61 - This one was ugly. This is a bad season for Robbie Hummel to go out on. At least he has his knees.
Oral Roberts 85, North Dakota State 76 - The Bison are going to finish third in the conference. South Dakota State already beat ORU and has the conference tourney at home...
Missouri 74, Kansas 71 - The Tigers came back to deliver a back breaker to the Jayhawks, and may end up with a 1 seed.
NHL
Dallas 2 (SO) Minnesota 1 - The Wild haven't won in Dallas since 1974. Or something.

How not to conduct yourself

Indianapolis is the host of the Super Bowl this year, and much like St. Paul when the Republican National Convention was in town, they are proud to have a national and narrow international spotlight aimed at their town. Fortunately, residents of St. Paul and the owners of the Xcel Energy Center didn't make the trip about themselves. In fact, I would say St. Paul came off looking well, with the anarchist protesters and the Republicans being the only ones that embarrassed themselves in any way (depending upon your political affiliation). The point is, St. Paul played the gracious hosts.
It's been slightly different in Indianapolis. The city is equally excited to represent itself to the world, and is generally a gracious host during other major events, like Big Ten Tournaments or Championships and the Indy 500, but that doesn't quite hold a candle to the Super Bowl, does it? From what I've heard, the city and the residents are having a great time, but the Colts and Peyton Manning are being selfish prigs.
First, there were sources saying that Manning had been cleared to play, perhaps in response to the reports earlier in the week that he was done for his career. Manning didn't come out and say anything, of course, but sources near him heard it, and I'm not foolish enough to think that he didn't have a hand in the process. Of course, doing this while the Super Bowl is in HIS town means that coverage will be on him. While it's a tactless move had this happened anywhere, in any Super Bowl, it's especially tacky in his home town with his brother playing in the game.
Compounding matters is owner Jim Irsay. He could have quickly come out with a statement to the press or on the Colts website. Instead he tweeted a denial at 130AM, local time. Super Bowl aside, that's just boorish behavior. Despite the game being in Indianapolis, and all the kudos before the game for the beautiful stadium and the team that got it built, Irsay and Manning are destroying any kind of good will.
It's to the point that I now believe that the winning years of the past decade were the exception. The Colts are a bad organization that got lucky when they picked Manning. They might get lucky with Andrew Luck as well, but it's increasingly clear it's not something the Irsays deserve.

Links of the Day 2/4/12

Super Bowl Weekend! Indianapolis!

Look at what the Blue Jays did with their bullpen. Just look, Terry Ryan. LOOK.

A look at Purdue's recruiting class.

This... is a real insect.

SCOREBOARD
EPL
Arsenal 7, Blackburn 1 - Horrible game. Blackburn at several times has appeared unlucky, but this time, they were just really, really bad.

NFL Computerized Power Ranks: Conference Championships

The AFC and NFC Championship games seem like ancient history now don't they? I'm not even that mad at Kyle Williams anymore. As both a White Sox and 49ers fan, the Williams family is destroying my fun as a sports fan (Kyle is White Sox GM Kenny Williams son, if you didn't know). Kyle fumbles away a trip to a Super Bowl, Kenny signs Adam Dunn to a long term contract. Fun, huh?

Anyway, I couldn't hate this Super Bowl matchup more. New York vs. Boston? Great. Plus we are dealing with an unbelievable amount of hate-ability and arrogance here. I don't even need to talk about Brady and the Patriots, and the Giants have got to be the most overconfident 9-7 team of all time, don't they? Plus, Eli Manning is technically the good guy here, but let's not forget that he and his dad threw a tantrum when the Chargers drafted him #1 over all, and his dad specifically wanted him to play for the Gaaaaahhhnts (stretch it out with a Mississippi accent). So yeah, Eli Manning is a douche too. But you know what, I'll watch it, because it's the Super Bowl. I've avoided as much of the hype as possible on TV, and it's felt great.

So let's just do the Power Rank picks right now. Last week, the ranks got the Patriots right but missed the 49ers, making the ranks a very average 6-4 in the playoffs. My 4 month old son also went 1-1 in the conference championships, so he is 6-4, and my dog went 0-2, so he is also 6-4. This week, my son picked the Giants and my dog picked the Patriots. The ranks pick...

#1 Patriots over #4 Giants

Not much of a surprise right?

Here are the full ranks:

Links of the Day 2/3/12

February 3rd. Only a few more days to the Super Bowl. Then.... nothing.

The Wild have acquired a center from the Rangers, Erik Christensen.

Maybe the best signing day announcement?

Edwin Jackson's career has been... unstable.

SCOREBOARD
NCAAB
North Dakota State 85, Southern Utah 64 - Ah yes, an historic rivalry.
NHL
Minnesota 1, Colorado 0 - What a fantastic outing from Nicklas Backstrom. IT would be nice if the Wild could score, though.

A Super Bowl prediction

First off, I am never picking a game to be bad again. They never are, no matter how much it seems they should be. I think the Giants will win, because that is the most annoying result possible, but also because the Patriots haven’t played any tough teams on the road or at a neutral site this season. 
Their offense goes through tight ends and is easily disrupted by a good D-Line and coverage LBs and a well played zone. Oh right, that’s what the Giants have. There isn't really a thing the Patriots should do about it either. Keep an extra guy into to block the active Giants line? Well, then that's fewer people to cover for the Giants secondary, and more attention can be paid to Hernandez and Gronkowski. It's going to be a tough matchup for New England on the offensive side of the ball. Also, the Giants have been playing better through the postseason, and I am inclined to go with the hot hand.

Despite what I said about the offense struggling against New York, the Pats will put points up. I am expecting a score in the neighborhood of 38-35.

Links of the Day 2/2/12

Out with the dog last night, I encountered coyotes. FREAKING COYOTES. We went back inside.

Matt Garza has been robbed.

The Baltimore Orioles are pissing off Korea. Interesting read about the Korean Baseball League, and players coming to America.

There is no such thing as a pitching prospect.

SCOREBOARD
EPL
Newcastle 2, Blackburn 0 - After the transfer window, the Rovers aren't much better, and other bottom feeders are. Going to be trouble staying afloat this year.
NCAAB
Iowa 63, Minnesota 59 - The Gophers desperately need to beat Nebraska later this week.
Kansas 84, Oklahoma 62 - The Sooners would really like it if Blake Griffin were still there.

Today in Minnesota crime

This story fits every possible thing that I enjoy writing about here. Sports, crime, Minnesota... it has it all.
I'll cut to the chase. A guy was resurfacing an ice rink at an Apple Valley, Minnesota arena (not far from where I used to live, actually), and while on the Zamboni, he slammed hard into the boards, weaved erratically (I would like to see someone weave and not do so erratically)and generally did a poor job. No, he wasn't a transplant from the Florida Panthers arena crew. He was simply intoxicated.
Now, the story itself is funny. A guy drunk driving while on a Zamboni conjures up some sort of hilarious imagery, but the thing that blows my mind is that this hasn't happened before. I mean, the poor guy has to spend an entire day watching terrible little kids skate around trying to be the next Sidney Crosby, and succeeding only inasmuch as they leave the ice with a concussion after falling down a hundred times. And they don't even necessarily have to WATCH the game. They could, theoretically, spend the time in the garage with the Zamboni. If those are my two options, both would stand a good chance of being accompanied by a bottle of Captain Morgan. The question I have is how long was this guy on shift? How long had he been sitting around getting plowed at the ice arena? And also, I sincerely hope he carpooled to work. Driving while intoxicated on the ice of an arena is one thing, but driving while intoxicated on the ice of a Minnesota roadway is another entirely.

Zamboni has no comment.

Links of the Day 2/1/12

Good afternoon. Are you just about ready for the Super Bowl to be over? Then we can FINALLY start talking about the Kentucky Derby. Or something.

Several people were killed today in Egypt in soccer riots.

Kevin Love got hit in the junk.

I have this exact same problem.

SCOREBOARD

NHL

Nashville 5, Minnesota 4 - The Wild had an absolute meltdown, fiving up 4 in the 3rd to blow the game. Horrendous.

Copa Del Sol

Rosenborg 1 (11) Spartak Moscow 1 (10) - Rosenborg wins their second match after a prolonged penalty shootout.