I thought we’d take a short break from my Top 5 lists this week. I do appreciate some of the feedback and discussions I’ve had with readers about those lists - keep the comments coming!
I’ve been musing about sports a lot lately. After a long spring and part of the summer without one of my favorite escapes from everyday life, I’ve welcomed sports back with arms wide open. I know some people have issues with some of the professional leagues because of their stances and discussions about some of the upheaval from this summer, but I’m not much of one to boycott something I love because some group takes a stance I may not agree with, like standing for the National Anthem.
As you read this, there is a new World Series champion in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers. They have gotten close so many times in recent history, but this was finally their year. Should there be an asterisk because of the shortened season? I don’t think so. Everyone had the same chance, and some might argue that this was a tougher season than others because of all the guidelines and a more compact schedule. Plus, there was an extra round of playoffs to navigate, so well done, Dodgers!
The other team in the finale was the Tampa Bay Rays. Here is a small-market team with one of the lowest payrolls, and they found a way to win a lot of ballgames. It’s something the Twins might emulate if they don’t want to spend money to get some needed pitching.
I’ve really enjoyed watching the Twins the last couple of years, during the regular season at least. Here’s where I think manager Rocco Baldelli needs to improve, though. A good coach only looks at the numbers so far; a good coach will go with his gut more often.
This nonsense of pulling your best pitchers during the playoffs when they reach a certain pitch count has to stop. The Twins have an average bullpen, and I’d rather lose because my best starter suddenly falters than count on four innings of perfect relief. But Baldelli always goes by his data, and it bit the team this year in getting upset by the Houston Astros.
This is all you need to know that going with your gut is a good idea: Tom Kelly let Jack Morris go back out for the tenth inning of Game 7 of the World Series in 1991. In today’s game, Morris wouldn’t have made it past the fifth inning.
But at least the Twins can be considered contenders. Across town, the Vikings have faltered in a big way. The fact that they traded a good defensive lineman for whom they traded to get in August tells you that they’ve packed it in at Winter Park. This might get as bad as the 3-13 Les Steckel year in the 80s.
I’ve been a Mike Zimmer apologist for a long time. I think he’s overall done a fine job, but sometimes he gets so focused on his defense that he doesn’t think about the entire game plan. We go through offensive coordinators like teenagers burn through the batteries on their cell phones.
I might be willing to keep Zimmer around if he gave up calling the defense. But the first one to get fired should be Rick Spielman, the general manager. He’s got about a 50% success rate on first-round draft picks. He has failed to address the offensive line adequately for years. Kirk Cousins can be a fine quarterback if he's not running for his life on every play. The fact that Dalvin Cook has been as successful as he has at running back (when he’s not injured) tells you just how good he is behind this woeful group.
I’ll keep watching because I’m a glutton for punishment and also a purple zealot. But even though I can remember some tough seasons, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a tank job like we’re about to witness. Chances are, a good draft pick will get screwed up too.
The Timberwolves… oh, never mind. Does anybody give this team a chance of ever being successful?
COVID has disrupted so much with sports. However, the NBA figured out a way to finish their season without any problems. That’s not doable in the long-term, but kudos to them for working out a plan that was solid. MLB had some big bumps early, but those seemed to wake up the players to follow the rules. And because of that, they also made it through the season. Will the NFL make it as well? That seems iffy at times, but we’ll see. At this point, I would wager a large sum of money that the season will be extended to fit in make-up games that will be needed.
And that can be a lesson for us all. While there are exceptions, masks and distancing can work if we all work together. Remember, we’re now trying to slow the spread for our kids and what they can do in school and in their extracurriculars. I think that, in some cases, you can do everything right, short of staying in your bunker, and still catch the virus; if we all do what we’re supposed to, those would be rare exceptions. This will not just magically disappear until we have a vaccine.
And finally, rest in peace, Sid Hartman. I remember many Sunday mornings listening to his radio show on WCCO with my dad. When Mr. Cyr once accused me of being as big a homer when I announced as Sid was in the Star-Tribune, I took that as a compliment.
All right, next week we’ll head back to another Top 5 list. Until then, go Loons!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is caballine, which means giving inspiration, as in, “The caballine team helped the spirits of those who were downtrodden during the pandemic.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!