The Sporting Word

It was almost too perfect when I read the MLB.com report that Corey Hart would be wearing prescription glasses, or “Eric Gagne”-like shades this year.  In case you are the last person not to know this: the song “I wear my sunglasses at night” was performed by a musician also named Corey Hart.

With that twist of irony out of the way, I hope this isn’t another in the long line of Brewers coming up with corny excuses for a season’s worth of struggles.  I grew tired of hearing J.J. Hardy talk about how moving around in the batting order was negatively affecting his production last year.  I realize sometimes those comments are about a player answering the questions he is asked, but most players just own it and don’t spew excuses.

Of course, we have heard the “I corrected my vision in the off-season” stuff before.  Remember when Brewers third baseman Bill Hall had Lasik laser eye surgery in the Winter 2008?  Coming off a year when he hit .174 against righties, he “bounced back” by hitting .186 the next season versus right-handed pitchers.  Hall was aptly traded to Seattle later in the season.

Don’t get me wrong, Corey Hart was not nearly as bad last season as Bill Hall had been the previous two.  But If the guy really did have visions problems, don’t you think he would have done everything he could to improve it sooner and protect his livelihood as a professional ball player?  We can all hope this change helps, although Hart has hit two dingers this spring without the glasses so far.

Hopefully Milwaukee’s right fielder can turn it around this season, and we can all take in the lyrics of another Corey Hart:

“You got it made with the guy in shades

oh no.

And I wear my sunglasses at night.”

In case you want to re-live the 80’s goodness, follow the link…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLEuWEvH5GI

I read an interesting article from SI.com’s NFL insider Don Banks tonight which talked about where some key NFL free agents could end up on the open market.  Since I always find predictions like this fascinating to think about, I have to believe there are a few of you out there that may as well.

In the article which you can read here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/don_banks/03/03/free.agents/1.html

Banks predicts which player will sign where, and which team he believes the player should sign with.  He predicts LaDainian Tomlinson will sign with the Houston Texans because they have a cloudy backfield, and Texas is his home.  Banks believes the former MVP should head north to Green Bay.

“If finally getting a Super Bowl ring is the only reason LT’s still playing these days, why not roll the dice with the on-the-rise Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers? Tomlinson could be Green Bay’s second rushing option behind starter Ryan Grant for a year or two, and there are play-makers galore in that Packers passing game. Unless LT has zero interest in playing in cold weather, Green Bay is a team that nicely fits his dwindling timetable.”

That all sounds well and good, but I don’t see LT and Green Bay coming together on a contract that makes sense for both sides.  I think LT could probably get more playing time and money in Houston.  For what it’s worth I actually predicted that Tomlinson would land in Minnesota if Chester Taylor finds greener pastures.

Also, in the article Banks says Taylor should forgo his chances of a starting gig somewhere else (San Diego?), and re-sign with Minnesota.  I guess you could make the argument that the Vikings may feel insurance is necessary behind Adrian Peterson because of his running style and fumbling issues.  But will they pony up the kind of dough to keep him there?  I personally don’t think so.  I think Brian Westbrook could be an option for the Vikings, and he would reunite with Head Coach Brad Childress.  I thought this was an interesting point about Taylor from Banks that the average fan may not think about…

“Staying put in Minnesota and playing behind Peterson might add another three or four years to his career.”

I guess in the end it all comes down to what the player wants.

Banks also goes on to discuss Aaron Kampman who may find interest in 4-3 teams like Chicago, Detroit, and Seattle.  He could be a relative bargain for a team (Chicago?) that doesn’t have the ammo to go after Julius Peppers.  The only problem is, how long do you have to wait for him to be productive again coming off an ACL tear?

We always encourage your thoughts here.  Leave a comment!  Where do you see these guys going when the smoke clears?  Maybe more importantly, who do you want your team to sign/stay away from?

I know there is quite a bit of Tim Tebow over-saturation out there, but I think it’s always fun to discuss how this story may relate to our local teams.

The two-time national champion and Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback has become perhaps the most hotly debated NFL draft prospect in recent memory.  Nobody can deny the success Tebow has had at the University of Florida, and most consider him one of the best college football players of all-time.

But no position is more highly critiqued then the NFL Quarterback, and Tebow is finding that out.  The criticisms are aplenty: He has a long, looping throwing motion.  He relied on his legs too much, and some believe he didn’t read defenses well enough.  Some have pointed out that he has had his worst college games against teams with NFL talent on defense (Alabama and Tennessee in ‘09).  Another mark “against” him is he took all of his snaps out of the shotgun (isn’t this happening in the pros a lot now?), in a non-NFL style offense.

With all that being said, everyone loves the intangibles that the left-handed quarterback possess.  He has been described as an incredible leader and hard-worker by coaches and teammates, and he is about as clean of an NFL prospect (no character issues) that has ever come out.  At the NFL Combine he solidified his “elite athlete” label when he produced a 38.5-inch vertical leap, which tied a combine record for quarterbacks. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.72 seconds, pretty good for 6′3″ 245.

So how does this all relate to Minnesota and Green Bay you ask?  Well, in reality I believe Tebow could end up just about anywhere (in rounds 1-3) as a number of personnel people probably believe they can guide him to NFL success.  That or they could devlope him and hold him as a trade chip down the road.  Here is a breakdown of why I believe the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings make an interesting fit…

Minnesota: His old go-to buddy Percy Harvin is already in town, and likely has nothing but praise for his former signal-caller.  Imagine running the “Wildcat” with Tebow and Harvin.  Head Coach Brad Childress has shown he is attracted to “great athlete” quarterbacks who have had questions thrown at them about their overall game (Donovan McNabb in Philly, Tarvaris Jackson in Minnesota).  Brett Favre may have one more year in him, and after that the team doesn’t have a quarterback they consider to be “the future.”  Plus Childress has talked about picking out Tebow and breaking him down as a player even before the draft workouts:

—  “I just think he’s been, taking everything else aside, as good a competitor as I’ve seen,” Childress told the media at the Combine.  “I’ve heard about his leadership skills and abilities. But he’s as good a competitor as I’ve seen on the football field, and he competes in a different way and plays a physically-natured game.”

Green Bay: See: 2005 NFL Draft. When the Packers decided to take a slipping, top-level quarterback in Aaron Rodgers in the Draft 5 years ago it showed a lot of guts and confidence in the teams ability to work with a flawed QB and make him a success.  Remember all the talk about the mechanical flaws, lack of competition, and athleticism regarding Rodgers that had teams running the other way?  Well QB Coach Tom Clements and Head Coach Mike McCarthy worked on his setup and look what happened.  Turns out he’s one heck of an athlete too.  General Manager Ted Thompson, usually quiet on his analysis of players, added this at the combine:

—”"Based on his history, I think that would be a little bit premature to start criticizing him and doubting his ability to play.” Thompson told the media.  “He’s been playing at a pretty high level for quite some time. Has to go down as one of the great college football players of all time, so let’s don’t sell him short just yet.”

McCarthy added to it saying “he would love the opportunity to work with Tim Tebow.”  McCarthy also mentioned not being opposed to running the “Wildcat” formation, but doesn’t believe he has the right type of player (Tebow?) to run it.  Now at this time of the year you can disregard anything a GM or coach says for the most part, but you have to believe there is some truth there.

So what I am saying is I think just about any team could go after Tim Tebow.  I am not saying he would come in and start for the Packers or Vikings.  He would be a project, and one that could pay off in a big way.  Remember when Utah QB Alex Smith was drafted first overall in 2005 by a then-Mike McCarthy coached 49ers team?  Smith took almost every college snap out of the shotgun and played in the very same offense Tebow played in, under the very same coach in Urban Meyer!  It took a few years, but Smith will be the starting QB for San Francisco this year and has put it all together now it seems.

It should make for a great storyline when the NFL Draft begins on April 22nd!  Would you like to see Green Bay or Minnesota go after Tebow?  Let the debate begin..

One week after most Minnesota sports fans experienced what is sure to be their worst feeling of 2010, some good news arrives.  And by good news, I mean REALLY, REALLY good news.

WCCO-TV in Minneapolis is reporting that the Minnesota Twins and catcher Joe Mauer have agreed in principle to a 10-year contract extension.  That would technically keep Mauer in a Twins uniform up until he’s 37-years old, meaning in essence this is a lifetime contract.  Now there are a few reports out there that are denying that the framework for a contract extension is done, but keep in mind that WCCO’s Mark Rosen (who is reporting this news) was also the very first to report Brett Favre’s signing with the Vikings.  Rosen would not risk his credibility if he didn’t feel his sources were correct on this one.

WCCO’s Rosen reaffirmed that the framework of a 10-year agreement had been reached. He also noted that deals like this can fall apart late in the process and that the two sides were still working out final details on incentives.

I have to say though that not only is this good news for Twins fans, it’s good news for all fans of small market teams in baseball.  With Mauer set to be a free agent at the end of the 2010 season, it was only assumed that the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees would sign one of the best players in baseball.  This proves that maybe, just maybe, a Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun could end up playing their entire career in a Brewers uniform.

Congrats to Mauer for doing the right thing and staying in Minnesota, even though he could of made maybe a few more million dollars playing somewhere else.  And all of you Minnesota Twins fans, go out and purchase that Joe Mauer jersey you’ve always wanted to buy but feared it would be out-dated sooner than later.  You now get to wear it proud for the next decade.

I know most Vikings fans are going to see this title and not click on this story since the last thing they want to do today is think about what happened last night in New Orleans.  But there is plenty to be said about an entertaining game that ended up being the most-watched conference championship game since 1981, drawing in 57.9 million viewers.

My first point is “The Power Of Brett Favre”.  As I just said about those high viewership numbers, the NFL is right behind Vikings head coach Brad Childress for those who want to see Favre return for the 2010 season.  Of course no surprise as Favre was vague and did not hint one way or another in his postgame press conference about his future plans.  Now can we please just let him be these next few months and not worry about his status for the upcoming season?  Reports were already out today on what Favre says/is thinking/wants for breakfast tomorrow.  Please stop the annual “Favre Watch”.  It’s not like what he says now is what will be the case come August anyway.

Their might not be anything worse than losing a football game when you are the better team, and I believe that was the case last night for the Vikings.  Look at every statistical category from the game, Minnesota just dominated most of them.  Examples are total yards 475-257, first downs 31-15, rushing yards 165-68, and time of possession 36:49-27:56.  But this is why you always hear coaches say “turnovers” whenever you ask about what the key to their football game is.  The Vikings fumbled the ball 6 times, losing 3 of them and ended up with 5 turnovers.  The Saints had only 1 turnover.  Just shows you can’t play sloppy football in big games and expect to win.

Also head coaching plays a big role in big games.  The edge here goes to Sean Payton over Childress.  First of all kudos to Childress for finally making Adrian Peterson a point of focus in their game plan.  For the first time since Week 10, A-P finished with over 100-yards rushing even though that came with a price tag of 2 fumbles.  But horrible management for Childress at the end of the 4th quarter.  First of all, when you get the football in a tied game, on the road, with 2:37 left, and 3 timeouts you do NOT play for overtime.  Lets see how that drive started: Play 1 - handoff for no gain, clock down to 2:00; Play 2 - handoff for 2 yards, Saints call timeout as they begin to think they’ll get the football back.  Finally on 3rd and 8 he calls to throw the football which resulted in a 1st down.  Then his team gets to the New Orleans 33 yard line and he’s completely content, running the football 2 times followed by the infamous “12 men in the huddle” penalty.  Favre probably doesn’t force what ended up being an interception if the team picked up some yardage on first and second down on a couple of short passes, let alone if a coach can have the correct number of players on the field after a timeout.  And maybe the team is a bit more calm and composed with an extra minute on the clock.

Lots of what-ifs and many more to come as the Vikings now begin their offseason.  Minnesota fans can at least take comfort that Favre, or no-Favre that the Vikings still have a playoff caliber team for the 2010 season.  But right now, it’s all about getting over another tough loss for a fan base that has experienced plenty of these letdowns.