The Timberwolves take a page from the Vikings

The Timberwolves would like some upgrades to the Target Center, but are meeting some resistance. The Vikings wanted a new stadium, and met resistance. The Vikings eventually got their stadium. The Timberwolves, ever vigilant, looked to what the Vikings did over the last year to get the stadium. First step, get a star player injured.
At least, that's the theory I have. The Twins and Wild already have their new stadiums and are experiencing their widespread injuries after the fact. The point I am trying to make is, if you want a new stadium in Minnesota, there will be blood.

A Minnesota team makes logical trades

Let's review.. in the past year, the Minnesota sports teams have made the following trades (in every case, the listed trade is their most recent notable trade)

Minnesota Vikings - Added Randy Moss for a third round pick. Moss was quickly dumped, the coach fired, the team moved to Los Angeles.

Minnesota Twins - JJ Hardy sent to Baltimore exchange for Jim Hoey and someone other pitcher. JJ Hardy is the best pitcher involved in this deal.

Minnesota Timberwolves - As someone on Twitter put it, the Wolves traded Jonny Flynn and the 20th pick for Brad Miller and nothing. Or as I put it... Here!

Well, fortunately, the state has 4 chances to make good trades. Last night at the NHL draft, the Wild did just that it appears. They had one solidly tradable asset in Brent Burns, the good two way defenseman who was the Wild's all star representative last year. He was in a contract year, and thanks to some large contracts, he may not have fit in the team's plans going forward.
Additionally, the Wild were egregiously overmatched on the offensive end last year. The team simply didn't score any goals, and don't have any young scorers coming any time soon.Taking these factors into account, Brent Burns was traded to San Jose in exchange for the guy pictured above, Devin Setoguchi, a college player from Boston College and another 1st round pick. They also gave up a second rounder in next years draft. That is a solid use of resources, frankly.
Later in the draft (today) they traded up to take Mario Lucia, son of Gophers' Coach Don and the best Minnesotan in the draft. The next pick they had was used on Eden Prarie's Nick Seeler. They have added talent and in the deeper portion of the draft are setting out to ad local players, which is good for PR. The Wild patched a glaring hole and added prospects in the process. It's nice to see a front offense do something that can be universally applauded for a change.

Doing my Minnesota dilligence

Apparently, as a Minnesotan, I am supposed to be super excited about Ricky Rubio coming to America. Everyone is saying it. Because of my internet reading, I can say that A) this is good, because people might go to Timberwolves game now and B) this is bad because he didn't develop much after getting drafted and probably won't be very good. Anyways, Woohoo, some Spanish guy!

(This is Portrait of a Spanish Gentleman by Velazquez. I assume this is what Ricky Rubio looks like)

The Timberwolves are great

The NBA Draft Lottery was on Tuesday evening, which really was a fantastic way to waste a half hour of your life. It's one of those things where you just have a stage full of dudes looking awkward and then some names of teams are read as cards are pulled from envelopes. It's a stupid process that, for some reason, is really clandestine. The Timberwolves had the best chance at finishing with the top pick, but instead they were bumped to #2. That... didn't sit well with Wolves GM David Kahn:

"This league has a habit, and I am just going to say habit, of producing some pretty incredible story lines," Kahn said. "Last year it was Abe Pollin's widow and this year it was a 14-year-old boy and the only thing we have in common is we have both been bar mitzvahed. We were done. I told Kevin: 'We're toast.' This is not happening for us and I was right."

That 14 year old boy was Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's son, who is ravaged by a chronic disease.  Kevin was the GM of the Utah Jazz, who ended up with the third pick. Awesome job, then, by David Kahn, saying that the NBA fixed the draft lottery so they wouldn't win. Equally awesome that he claimed it was fixed and the KID WITH CANCER didn't deserve to win.
Timberwolves basketball..... CATCH THE FEVER!

The final straw for the Vikings

I foresee the Timberwolves getting their 150 million dollar gift to refurbish the Target Center at some point, and I see it happening a lot sooner than I see the state footing the bill for a new Vikings stadium. Why? Here are a few salient points.
- At a maximum, the state will spend a LOT less, guaranteed, on the Target Center than the Vikings stadium.
- The Target Center would is used a lot more than a football stadium would be. And it would be used by the city of Minneapolis regularly, as it is the largest indoor facility in the city for concerts, conventions, etc. Saint Paul got the Republican convention with the X and Minneapolis didn't get the Democrats with the Target Center for a reason (this also goes to the state spending less, especially if the city chips in a massive amount)
- The Timberwolves are owned by Minnesota businesspeople, so the money isn't leaving the state, whereas almost none of the profit the Vikings makes stays in Minnesota

   Even without the Timberwolves, the Target Center is a viable venue. Hell, it could be used for Gopher games if The Barn needs to be renovated. I mentioned that I barely remember that the Timberwolves are still in town, but the Target Center is still going to be an important venue for the city. I guess that's what it comes down to. The Target Center will get renovated regardless. It helps that the state isn't being held hostage, but the Wolves are almost secondary to this. Don't be surprised if the Vikings see things differently.

Come on Twins, I need this

The Twins find themselves down 2-0 in their series against the Yankees. Nothing new. I have always been able to take solace in the fact that when their season ends, I will have something to look forward to. Let's break down the Minnesota rooting interests (and my own, for that matter) with the Twins, once again, on the brink of elimination.
Vikings - They started the season 1-2, just reacquired a wide receiver that everyone seems to forget was run out of town half a decade ago, and now their geriatric quarterback is involved in a sexting scandal. At the very least, they could go on a run and annoy the hell out of me before eventually breaking the hearts of Minnesotans.
Gophers - 1-4. Lost to South Dakota. Lost to Northern Illinois. Just an awful team.
Wild - The Wild started their season yesterday, and after today's game will be returning winless. It would be wone thing if they had lost to a good team, bu they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes, who were even worse than the Wild, not winning until February (if memory serves). And it wasn't even fun hockey. It was sloppy, miserable hockey that nobody in their right mind would want to watch.
Timberwolves - They hoped to cash in by putting a billboard up on the Target Center for the Twins postseason run. Oops. The team is entirely new once again. Corey Brewer is the longest tenured Wolf, and frankly the entire team is mostly forgotten.
Gophers basketball - The Gophers hoops team is pernnially frought with controversy. So that's fun. And they also tend to occupy the middle of the Big Ten standings. Only one more season until Nebraska joins! Easy wins!
And now, more personally...
Purdue football - Yes, they are 2-2, but they beat Western Illinois (narrowly) and Ball State (narrowly.. Ball State then lost to Iowa 45-0) but lost to Notre Dame and Toledo, worse than the Gophers have lost any of their games. Toledo also had the worst offense going into the game before scoring 31 points in West Lafayette. So the defense sucks. And the top two choices at QB are hurt, as is the top receiver. They play Northwestern this week, then a clash of the Titans with the Gophers the next. That's going to be a tough ticket.
Colts - Also 2-2. One thing about Indy is that, with their faulty defense, they have always needed the breaks to fall their way. Houston used to throw a late interception or miss a field goal, the Jaguars used to have late personal fouls on the secondary that would give Indy new life. This just hasn't happened this year. Without homefield advantage in the playoffs, I really don't think Indy is a legitimate threat in the postseason.
Purdue basketball - My only hope. The Boilers are returning almost every one of their key players from the past few years, except for Chris Kramer, who is surely hustling his way around the Brownsburg Staples. My entire winter will depend on the Boilers basketball team. No pressure. Unless, of course, the Twins can turn it around, in which case I'm in good shape!
Ugh

That's some turnover

Let's run down the Timberwolves roster again, after yesterday's trade of Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins, a couple players who I guess played last year.

Michael Beasley - Acquired from Miami earlier this month
Nemanja Bjelica - draft pick this year
Corey Brewer - Been around for 3 seasons
Wayne Ellington - Drafted last year
Jonny Flynn - Drafted last year
Lazar Hayward - Draft pick this year
Wesley Johnson - Draft pick this year
Kosta Koufos - Acquired from Utah earlier this month
Kevin Love - Been around for 2 seasons
Darko Milicic - Acquired from New York late last year
Luke Ridnour - Foolishly signed with Minnesota earlier this month
Greg Stiemsma - Signed late last year
Sebastian Telfair - Reaquired from Cleveland.. yesterday!
Martell Webster - Added in a draft day trade with Portland last month
Delonte West - Acquired from Cleveland.... yesterday!

The NBA goes, typically, with a 12 man roser, I beleve, so Koufos, Stiemsma and Telfair are almost certainly gone, but seriously, there are only TWO players who were here 2 seasons ago. And of those 15 players there, 9 were added since the end of last year. That's some good turnover right there. How do the T'wolves plan on getting that fan loyalty when the team is completely overhauled every season? KAHN!

Who are the sports friends in Minnesota?

I had about a bajillion ideas for a post today, but this is the one I settled on. I had all these ideas that were so negative, but one of those negative ideas leads back to the one I went with today. I had been noticing a trend among local teams that I will probably get into later, but I recognized that the teams probably aren't working in conjunction with each other But what teams DO get along? How do teams feel about the other home town teams? I'm going to go in descending order of how well the teams coexist.
Let's start with the obvious buddies. I think the Timberwolves and Twins are going to get along famously. Their arenas are right next door, so the success of one will likely call attention to the success of the other. I've already seen Crunch standing outside the Target Center after Twins games are over. Long the outcast of Minnesota sports, the Timberwolves will benefit from the success of the Twins. The Twins would be wise to return the adulation. Just look at Cleveland, where the Cavaliers and Indians play right next door. When the Indians were successful, they didn't do much for the Cavs, and now the Indians are in the tank and haven't been able to get any help from the Lebron James fueled popularity across the street.
The Wild and Twins are also buddies. Twins players and personnel have encouraged the team to drop the puck on multiple occasions at XCel. Heck, the Twins even borrowed the Wild's idea for logo design. These two teams definitely share a good deal of mutual respect, but I'm not sure coexisting is the right word. They enjoy each other, as is often the case with northern baseball teams and their hockey counterparts.
The Wild and Timberwolves are apples and oranges. They play at the same time of year, but they don't really share a similar fan base. The demographic is just completely different. If the Wild are going to help a fledgling Minnesota franchise, it will be lacrosse's Swarm, and if the Wolves will, it will be the WNBA Lynx. I think the Wild and Wolves share a mutual ambivalence.
The Vikings are a different story. They are all business, just like every other team in the NFL. This isn't about the Vikings, this is more about the NFL when I say, the Vikings don't like the Wolves, they don't like the Wild and the Wolves and Wild return the disdain. Oh, sure, you may see Crunch at a Vikings game or something, but truly, the Vikings see the Wolves as competition, just like the Wild. The Wolves need all the help they can get in terms of publicity though so they are more willing to suck up to the Vikes. If it were up to the NFL, however, the NBA and NHL would shrivel and die. Until February, at least.
The Twins and Vikings probably have the most contentious relationship. It all comes back to the stadium issue. The Twins were playing in a football stadium and are owned by Minnesota owners. The Minnesota Gophers were a state run institution that could use their football money to bolster their facilities and reduce the necessary taxpayer contributions to that school. The Vikings are owned by out of state owners and playing a in a stadium designed for football and doesn't cost a thing to the taxpayer. The Vikings have always been the lowest priority for a new stadium, and now we are in a recession. Somehow, this is the Twins' fault, and the Vikings organization openly resents the Twins. Remember last years game 163? The Vikings and Twins have long had an understanding that the Twins post season took precedence at the Dome, but this time, Zygi Wilf refused to move a game against the Pakcers, and forced the Twins into an awful situation that required them to win their game and play in New York early the next day. It's very possible that the Vikings cost the Twins their post season last year. How would things have been different if the Twins were refreshed and ready for game 1?
It's interesting to think about, especially since so many fans don't care about the upper level machinations of the teams. We all just want to pretend every team in our town gets along so well, but it's not always the case.

The NBA Draft is on Thursday

The NBA Draft is the first and last time I care about the NBA all season, because the NBA is fixed. Even so, I find the draft to be wildly entertaining. It's sort of like graduating high school for me. All my friends are off to exciting new schools and lives away from how I knew them in school. These college athletes are part f the most entertaining spectacle in sports, the NCAA Tournament, and they play a decidedly more strategic and watchable brand of basketball, and now they are moving on to their professional careers and the subsequent millions. The NBA is boring and I won't ever see them play again. In that same vein, I haven't had a meaningful conversation with anyone I went to high school with in probably 2 years. But I know that Jon went to Marquette!
I hope the Timberwolves get some good guys for the community, because they won't ever contend for an NBA crown (fixed, remember?) and might make it a little interesting in town, like when Garnett was with the T-Wolves. I'd like Evan Turner, because he seems like he would be fun to have in town, but I don't really know what the Wolves need or want. I do know they probably shouldn't get a point guard, but then, at least people would be talking about the team, right?

The Timberwolves luck continues

 

The Timberwolves once again moved down in the draft lottery to the 4th overall spot. Before the lottery, Wolves GM David Kahn said that, in fact, he thought that this was a three player draft, contrary to popular belief. Too bad they are, as I said, now picking 4th. Good luck with talentless locker room cancer and 15th power forward DeMarcus Cousins, guys.

Say, 4th place? Isn't that what you guys are in the hearts of Minnesota sports fans?

End of the Year

I have friends debating about whether this ends a decade or not. Since, by definition, a decade is simply a ten-year period, I have no qualms against anyone calling the years 2000-2009 a decade. It’s like calling June “Summer” or September “Fall”, even those their respective seasons don’t start until the ends of the months.

I actually have a couple of things I’d like to write about, but I think I’ll save them for the new year. (Sorry I didn’t write the last two weeks. I was sick, and then it was Christmas. I fully did intend to write Christmas morning, but nature gave those of us here in Minnesota a Christmas gift of six inches of snow, so instead I went out to shovel my driveway.)

Let’s review Minnesota sports.

The Swarm had a mediocre season, not even reaching the playoffs. Not much more can be said about their season, because, frankly, that was a long time ago, and I’ve forgotten it.

This year ended a disappointing season for the Wild, who missed the playoffs. They also lost, at various times, many members of their team were out with injury (which sounds familiar of the current season, actually, except with less concussions then). They got a new owner last year, and rid themselves of their previous general manager and head coach. They started out the year slowly, but in December have tied their franchise record of wins in a month (10, with one left to play), despite facing great adversity. Not only is the schedule tighter this year because of the Olympics, but the Wild had an equipment truck fire wherein half the team lost some to all of their gear.

The Timberwolves apparently played basketball. I say apparently, because their record seems to indicate that they didn’t, really. In their off-season, they unloaded their general manager (to be fair, they did that last December, when they made McHale their head coach), and their head coach. Their season this year started out marginally better than the past, but that’s really not much of a compliment.

The Vikings are playing in typical fashion, and choking as they get close to playoffs. They also traded for a new quarterback in the off-season, but the guy wasn’t that well known, and it didn’t make many headlines at all. In fact, I’m sure if pressed most people couldn’t even name the guy these days. No one really cared about it, and it certainly didn’t interrupt television scheduling to follow his plane as it landed in Minnesota. The guy’s name is Brent or Brett or Britt or something. Write in if you can tell us. We here at Victoria Times headquarters want to know!

The Twins, after everyone expected a mediocre year (again), and a very poor start, managed to have an amazing September. Down 7 games on September 7, and down 3 games with four left to play, they still managed to pull it out in the end, forcing Detroit to Game 163, which is considered quite the classic game—and, as should be expected when two teams play 162 games and come out tied, it was a tense game between two equal teams. For the second year in a row, Adam Everett was on the losing team of Game 163. And Bobby Keppel got his first major league win in that game.

Timberwolves update: They have a 4-7 record since I last reported. For the Timberwolves, that’s a winning record. They’re now at 7-26, or a 21.2% winning percentage—they’ve broke the 20% mark!. The have the worst record in the West, but New Jersey has the worst record, finally getting a couple of wins to compose three win in 32 games!

Wild Update: The Wild have won six games since we last checked in with them (and lost four) and have a 20-17-3 record, for a 50.0% winning percentage. Also, the Wild have three players out with concussions, but Petr Sykora is said to be close to returning; Brent Burns and Pierre-Marc Bouchard are further away from returning.

100%

Guess what started when we weren’t paying attention because it’s the World Series (I might have a little crush on Cliff Lee right now…the Phillies took the right pitcher from the Indians), the Minnesota Vikings are having a tremendous start, and NHL hockey has started (alas, Wild Hockey has not started, and you cannot convince me otherwise). The NBA season!

I’ve never been much of a professional basketball fan (high school basketball I liked; I never got into college basketball, but I went to a fairly unathletic college). In fact, my friends, brothers, and I decided that the game of basketball would be infinitely more exciting if all the fans got night vision goggles and the game was played in the dark—except the ball, which would either blink or glow in the dark (there was no final agreement). But I digress. We’re going to talk about winter sports, since baseball is waning. There are people who believe that if your team doesn’t make the playoffs, you should cheer for your division/league. I say this does not apply when it comes to the Yankees/Red Sox (they’re really the same team).

Last year, the Wild had a record of 40-33-9, giving them a 48.8% winning percentage. The Timberwolves, as we all fondly remember, had a record of 24-58, giving them a stellar 29.2% winning percentage. Shockingly, with records under .500, neither team made the playoffs.

That was then. This is now. The Wild now stand with a 3-9 record. This gives them an unimpressive 25% wining percentage. But the surprising news is…the Timberwolves have them beat by 75 percentage points—with a 100% winning percentage. Now, to be fair, the Timberwolves have played exactly one game this year—11 less than the Wild. (Things I learned this morning: NHL and NBA both have 82 games! This is a totally fair comparison of win percentages since neither team has more games.) In pre-season, the Timberwolves marked a 3-5 record (37.5% winning percentage, putting them on par with Kevin Hale’s winning percentage as head coach last year), whereas the Wild posted a 3-4 record (42.9% winning percentage). At least the Vikings are giving us a 6-1 record (85.7% winning percentage) with a 3-1 pre-season (75% winning percentage). So Minnesota fans have something to cheer about.

On the plus side for the Wild, I’ll be attending my first game Friday night. Naturally, I picked the game early in the year realizing that it would be the Marian Gaborik’s return to the Xcel Energy Center—playing against his first NHL team. However, in a very fitting tribute to the way he played for the Wild for the previous eight NHL seasons—injured (I’m being a little harsh; early in his career he played a lot, and in the ’07-’08 season he played in 77 games). As for the Timberwolves, I may actually make a game this year (a friend has season tickets, and said she’d invite me to a game—maybe then I can give an accurate report on the state of the Timberwolves!).

I really have nothing else to say, other than Mikko Koivu is the first permanent Captain of the Minnesota Wild, and I couldn’t be happier—I take that back. I could be happier if the entire Wild team actually learned how to play hockey again.

Who should the Timberwolves take?

I know Beth is our resident Timberwolves expert, but with the NBA Draft coming up on Thursday, and my interest in the NBA completely vanishing for the season on Friday, I thought I would figure out who the Wolves should pick. Not to make it a winning team, you see, but rather to gain my interest, if briefly.
Friends who follow the team are excited by the possibility of Memphis guard Tyreke Evans ending up with the team. I've never been a fan of Memphis, and while Evans might be a great player, the idea of having him on the team doesn't really blow my skirt up.
The idea I like, however, is the Wolves pursuing a different guard. How about Stephen Curry? Sure, he's almost certainly going to be a failure in the NBA. I just like the idea of such a media darling spending his winters in the tundra of the Twin Cities, because I may be a terrible person. Let's make it happen, Timberwolves.

Finally, a reason to be interested in the Timberwolves

For those who don't know, when I started writing sports (back then at a geocities site... those were the days), I was inspired by Bill Simmons. A whimsical, stat based approach to sports that still appreciates the fact that they are games, and it is fun? No way!
Anyways, I always like that he approached sports with common sense an bit of incredulity. That style of sportswriting found its way into sports blogs, Bill started writing way too much about the NBA, and I drifted.
Anyways, the word on the street is, Bill wants to be the Timberwolves' new GM! If the T-Wolves hire him, I promise to watch at least one full game next season. Make it happen.

And so it goes

As the lone Minnesota Timberwolves reporter for the Victoria Times, a blog based in Minnesota (but not limited to Minnesota sports), I take my job very seriously. For example, I think it’s my duty to report to you that the Timberwolves season has officially ended. I was surprised to find out. It’s not like I went to a single game this year, or know anything about the NBA, but apparently their season is 82 games. Hey, learn something new every day!

I also learned that their slogan for 2009-2010 season has been announced "Year of the Fan".



I have to say, it’s pretty nice of them to honor the fan who sat through the entire season. Or at least we assume it’s that person, and not just some random fan. Anyone who sits through an entire year of a bad team deserves to be honored for their dedication (I’ve sat through bad months of Twins baseball and will continue to do so; it’s miserable as a fan of the team. I’m a fan of the game, which is why I continue to attend). Based on the Timberwolves record, it was probably just the one fan that they're honoring. You know you're having a bad season when another local team (the Minnesota Wild) sarcastically feels better about their defeats because at least they're not as bad as you.

The Timberwolves ended their season with a 24-58 record, being 20-43 since Kevin McHale took over mid-year. That means Kevin McHale 31.7% win percentage. The Timberwolves in general had a 29.2% win percentage, and quick math will tell you that the previous coach had a 21.1% win percentage, but with the ever-important limited games statistic that needed accounting for.

What I found unique about this situation is that the head coach, for once, made the bed he had to lay in. Kevin McHale had been the general manager--the guy calling the shots about who played for his team, and who didn’t. If desired, Jacques Lemaire (of the Minnesota Wild) and Ron Gardenhire (of the Minnesota Twins) don’t get to pick the players (while Doug Reisbrough and Bill Smith don’t call the plays used by the manager/coaches during the game). Kevin McHale had no such excuses once he took over. He chose the players for his team when he was general manager, and he coached his team when he was coach. He can’t blame anyone else--other than the players--and those players were picked by him.

Timberwolves update: 24-58 (0-3 since last time, 20-43 since McHale).

Joe Mauer Injury Status: He might start a rehab assignment in the next couple of weeks. It all depends on how running goes.

Scott Baker Injury Status: They say he’s healthy, but after checking last night’s box score, I disagree.

It's all my fault

This post was written weeks ago, but due to the holidays and the death of Carl Pohlad, this kept getting pushed back. I hope the link still works and the information is still accurate.

There have been six coaching firings in the NBA so far this year, which seems an exorbitant amount. Head coach Kevin McHale blames bloggers:

"I think you're going to see more and more shorter term stuff in our league," he said. "Just because the access now, there's so much media availability and everything else. There's just so many bloggers; everybody's got an opinion. There's all kinds of stuff going on. Sometimes that starts forming the opinion of people in front offices, too, and owner. It's been kind of a crazy year so far."

As a blogger, and even one who does a weekly Timberwolves update on a sports-related blog, I guess I should apologize to all these head coaches.

Except McHale's ranting right there really reminds me of the drunk homeless guy. Rambling all over, and blaming problems on random things. I'd be willing to bet (if I had been invited to Vegas for the Winter Meetings) there are more baseball bloggers than bloggers for any other sport. I don't recall that many managers being fired. The most maligned Minnesota Twins player in 2007, without argument, was Nick Punto (and for good reason: he hit very poorly and injury wasn’t announced until too late for redemption), and the hatred carried through to 2008 (even though he played quite well). This didn’t stop him from getting an $8 million contract in the off-season, and multiple teams courting him (reportedly).

In short, I think that the problem isn’t the blogs in the NBA. If blogs truly are to blame, rather than, y’know, losing, then the problem is with peer pressure. If the general managers can be so influenced by blogs to not pay attention to what needs to be done, then they’re not really looking for what’s best for the team. On a certain level, the general managers (and owners) need to listen to the fans because fans are what the game is all about. On another level, fans shouldn’t make all the decisions. (For further argument on that, see the selections for the all-star games .) A general manager should be paying enough attention to know where the problems lie. If it’s with the head coach, then he needs a new head coach. (Incidentally, it doesn’t mean the head coach is bad. He may be very well, but he just might not be the best fit for his particular team.)

General managers should read blogs. They should pay attention to what the fans are saying. But they should only take that advice for what it’s worth: it’s free advice, and that’s cheap. They need to have the ability to analyze the information from all sources, including watching the games themselves.

Dear me, if the Twins were to suddenly start listening to my wild ranting about what should be done with the team, there would be something very wrong.

Timberwolves update: 11-26 (1-1 since last time, 7-11 since McHale). Their win percentage is nearly 30%, so it seems I can avoid a professional basketball game this year. There are five teams worse than the T-Wolves out there.

Marian Gaborik Injury Status: I don’t know who he is, so I’ll mention that Ron Gardenhire seems to believe that Scott Baker will be opening day starter. I sincerely hope so.

Gone!

The Timberwolves fired their former head coach, and replaced him with their general manager, who was apparently a basketball player back in the day. I wouldn’t know. I’d mention names, but I really don’t know the names, and don’t care enough to look them up. For my weekly Timberwolves report, I really don’t care about the team. I like sports in general, so I’m aware of their existence, and follow headlines (of sort).

Nonetheless, the head coach was fired. I don’t know if it was deserving or not. I don’t know if the players were better, and he was a poor coach, or if he was just doing what he could with what he had. We’ll have to see as Kevin McHale takes over the helm. Even then, if the new general manager makes a move on the team, it will be hard to tell who was to blame all along. I’m willing to give McHale a two-week grace period. He needs time to clear away the old regime’s ideas and start his own. (Thus, I can’t give any opinion on the team being 0-2 since getting the new coach.)

However, when a team is 22-60 one year, and manages to start the next year at 4-15, it’s clear something has to change if a team wants to keep fans. Poor records don’t create fans, and turn off casual fans--and that “turn-off” can last for years, pending a major title win. Just doing “really well” will still keep the casual fan away from the arenas/fields/courts/parks/stadiums in any sport, after years of very poor play. The fans don’t trust the team really has turned it around.

Anyway, it’s too early to judge whether it was a new head coach, general manager, or new players that the Timberwolves need. The one thing is clear: they need to find a way to make new fans (and keep the old), and their current model isn’t doing it. If they turn it around in the next month, they have a shot at keeping the current fan base, and gaining a few of the more loyal casual fans back (and losing the “train wreck” fans, like me, but that’s probably a good thing).

Nonetheless, we’ll be keeping track of Kevin McHale’s record as head coach for the rest of the year. Will these changes be enough? Keep watching!

Timberwolves update: 4-17 (0-4 since last week, 0-2 since McHale)

I still promise to attend a Timberwolves game if they’re under 20% in the win % category in January. There is currently one team with a worse record than them, and one team with an identical record.

Marian Gaborik Injury Status: Just because I said he wouldn’t play again in 2008, he suddenly decided to start practicing with the team, and is on the road trip with them. He seems to think he’ll play this road trip; Coach Jacques Lemaire isn’t quite so sure.

Corey Brewer out for the season

Timberwolves forward Corey Brewer will be placed on the DL and will be out for the remainder of the season. Of course, Corey took this news with a look of concerned confusion.

Revolutionizing sports in Minnestoa

Sports in Minnesota are getting an overhaul over the next couple of seasons. Two teams, the Minnesota Gophers football team and the Minnesota Twins will be getting new stadiums. The Gophers begin play in TCF Bank stadium next season. It will be the first stadium built for a Big Ten team since, well, the Metrodome. TCF will be the newest stadium in the conference by 49 years when it opens. It will also be the smallest stadium in the Big Ten, despite Minnesota being one of the largest schools in the country. They may actually have some sellouts, especially if the Gophers continue to improve.
In other news, the Twins have announced a name to their new stadium. Despite my wish that local cereal giant General Mills would get naming rights so we could call it Lucky Charms Field or at the very least the Cereal Bowl (along with the Trix Track. I had it all planned out), they went with one of the two major retailers in the city, Target. It's pretty underwhelming, having a Target Field when we already have a Target Center where the Timberwolves play. Better than having it named after a cell phone company, I suppose.
Speaking of the Timberwolves, they have made some changes as well. Deciding that their logo didn't look quite stupid enough, they went ahead and tweaked it. Going for the Phantom of the Opera look for the theater community, I suppose. Compounding the problem, they have also chosen to wear uniforms that appear to have pine trees stabbing them in the armpits. Ridiculous. Additionally, I like that one of the commenters appreciated that the Wolves were "repping their city" by putting Minnesota on the jersey. Right.
Even if I'm not a fan of all the teams in the area, I think it improves the quality of life for the area, having sports teams, and having those in charge investing so much time and effort into them, even if it results in some ugly uniforms and boring stadium names.

Timberwolves Draft Day

Over heard in the Timberwolves' war room...

Guy 1: We need to make this team popular again! How do we make Minnesotan's love it?

Guy 2: We could try.... winning?

[Everyone laughs]

Guy 3: Well, the Twins are probably the most popular team in town, what are they doing.

2: Winning?

1, 3: Shut up, dude.

1: Well, let's see. They have Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Nick Punto. They seem to be hits in the community and with the team.

3: Hmm... So, they have a big white guy, a smaller white guy who is a gifted offensive player born nearby, and another white guy who is mostly annoying to other teams but hustles real hard and makes people like him? How do we replicate that here?

1: Well, I have an idea, but, well, we would have to take on another player who doesn't fit our white guy mold.

3: Let me see..... Eh, his name is Jason and he went to Stanford. Nobody will notice.

2: You guys are assholes.