This is what the Twins were saying after last night's game in Boston. Torii Hunter is down, and that's not good. Just my opinion, but with this setback the Twins are toast. It doesn't matter how long he's out...not a chance of making the playoffs. Hate to say it, but facts are facts.
But this also hurts for me on a personal level. He's a great centerfielder, and he's the Twins undisputed leader. But he's a great person too. Back in my college days, when I did production work with Fox Sports Net, I worked quite a few Twins games and helped bring the TV telecasts to the visiting team's markets. In my down time before the games, I did what any baseball lover with an all-access media credential would do: I hit the field. I leaned on the batting cages and watched the bombs fly. I stood with the players as they loosened up and played catch. I sat in the dugout and spat sunflower seeds. I got to know some players, and I had a truly wonderful summer.
And when I was doing all this, one Twins player was always there with a smile and a handshake for me: Torii Hunter. He always wanted my latest news. He was there to offer congratulations when things were going well, and a word of encouragement when they weren't. I was for the most part a complete stranger with a press credential - but I showed interest, and he took it from there.
I miss those days. And ever since, I've rooted a little harder for Torii than the others. So it follows naturally that I feel a bit worse now that he's out of the lineup. Torii, to give you some advice that you always gave me, keep after it, and don't lose sight of your goal, man. You'll get it done.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
High School Sports Season...
Well, we're nearing the end of July, and that means a couple of things:
- two months to go in the MLB season
- a few short weeks until football starts
- and of course, a few short weeks until high school sports begin again
Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to see the NFL, NHL and NBA start and the MLB playoffs begin. But the fall is also a wonderful time of year because...there's high school sports to follow. Here are a couple subplots I'll be following this fall:
1. A New Era for Lakeville Schools
Beginning this fall, Lakeville will have two high schools, North and South. The Panthers and the Cougars. Red and black, and red and gold. Of course, the school will provide many more opportunities for kids to participate in sports and should help improve academics in the district, and that's what it's really all about. But, if anyone can be critical of the decision, they'll likely cite the fact that Lakeville is the two-time defending Challenge Cup champion. The Cup is given to the high school with the best overall athletics and activities program each year, based on performance, and being as involved as I was during my years there I'm proud of what my alma mater became.
But it's a new day. I was raised in South's new territory, and so I'm particularly interested to see how the athletic programs fare this fall. Granted, who expects much out of a new athletics department? Not me. Eastview is the next-newest Lake Conference school, and it took them a few years to build a strong program. And I would expect that Lakeville South will be much the same on the playing field. But where does a pure bred Panther stake his allegiance when it comes time for the inaugural North/South gridiron war? As the saying goes, it might be a game-time decision.
2. More of the Same?
This will be my second fall announcing high school football games, and as a long-time fan, I've noticed a few trends that I'm sorry to say I'm getting tired of. First, the Eden Prairie football program continues to dominate. Take nothing away from the kids, who come out in droves every year and work very hard to be the best. An Eden Prairie football roster takes three pages of paper, and depth charts go five to ten deep depending on position. Wow.
So maybe it would follow that their coach should be demanding. Well, Mike Grant is definitely that. And quite honestly, I wouldn't be unhappy to see him endure two or more losses this year. When my Panthers ended EP's mammoth winning streak in Eden Prairie two seasons ago, Grant gave no credit at all to a #1-ranked and future state championship team that ended his record streak on his home field - and then beat them soundly in the state playoffs that year. He gave the Jefferson Jaguars no credit at all when they took the Eagles to the brink before losing in last year's regular season finale in a matchup of undefeated, top-ten ranked teams. As the son of a former Vikings legendary coach, he knows more about the game of football than I ever will, and he is undoubtedly a leading high school coach that could likely move up the ladder if he wanted. But will Eden Prairie continue its domination, and if not, will Coach Grant remember his manners?
From one Lake Conference football streak to another, I'm sick of Bloomington Kennedy going winless. Die-hard Eagle fans have waited a LONG time now for a victory, and will this be the year the streak ends? They return a good core from last year's team, but will it be enough? You heard it here first - there will be a post-game party on Bloomington's East Side some time this fall.
Across the metro, will Cretin Derham-Hall continue its football prowess now that it's a member of a real conference? I'm sorry, but all games in the old St. Paul City conference should be struck from the record books because they simply weren't fair. Last year was better, as Cretin teams played an independent schedule of top teams in the area. So how will they fare in a decent football conference, featuring the likes of Hastings, Woodbury and White Bear Lake on a regular basis? Time will tell.
And outside of football, can the Lake continue its absolute dominance of volleyball? Take a look in the rankings at any time this season and I'll bet there will be at least 5 conference teams among the top ten. Eagan and Chaska have been great lately, with Eden Prairie, Lakeville and Jefferson challenging. If you're into every single contest having an impact on a conference title race, look no further than Lake Conference volleyball.
Lots of great stuff to watch. And I'll do my best to stay on top of it for you.
Monday, July 18, 2005
The NHL is Back!
Hey, what's up...
A few people have asked me what I think of the NHL coming back. I love hockey, and the NHL's return is cause for great celebration. I look forward to watching games again...that is, if someone with a national television station wants to put up any money to broadcast the games. Sheesh.
The rule changes seem okay, for the most part. Fans of the game in the Carolinas, Texass, Florida and Arizona (all two of them) and television executives are begging for more scoring. And granted, I wouldn't mind seeing Sakic, Jagr, Gaborik and company scoring 60-plus goals a year with regularity. Who doesn't love offense in hockey? Taking out the red line might be a good idea, because it could speed up the game. Shrinking goalie pads? Okay, I suppose. Calling obstruction? A worthy effort.
But shootouts??? Give me a break. When entire seasons can be won or lost on a single wrist shot, the game of hockey breaks down. For all time, hockey has been a team game. Did Howe and Gretzky do all that scoring by themselves? How do you think the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s won all those Cups? Shootouts would produce some immediate, cheap thrills, and may give home crowds more to cheer about a few nights a year. But it could have as much of a damaging effect on the game long-term as any major rule change in history. And seriously - do you think the 2003 Wild, a team that went to the Western Conference finals, would have even made the playoffs if they were facing penalty shots against the likes of Tkachuk, Modano, Forsberg and the great shooters of the West one out of every three or four games? I doubt it.
Also, offense is made to be defended, and defense wins championships. Do you honestly think that hockey coaches will turn a blind eye and allow their defense to give up more goals per game? The truly bright coaching minds in the league will continue to earn their salaries and devise schemes to counteract the rule changes. Who knows what they'll come up with, but like the advent of the Jacques Lemaire neutral zone trap (that won the 1995 Cup for the Devils), something's bound to change.
Bring on the NHL - I've missed it. Just don't make it so those wonderful hockey-playing Canadians don't recognize their national sport anymore.
A few people have asked me what I think of the NHL coming back. I love hockey, and the NHL's return is cause for great celebration. I look forward to watching games again...that is, if someone with a national television station wants to put up any money to broadcast the games. Sheesh.
The rule changes seem okay, for the most part. Fans of the game in the Carolinas, Texass, Florida and Arizona (all two of them) and television executives are begging for more scoring. And granted, I wouldn't mind seeing Sakic, Jagr, Gaborik and company scoring 60-plus goals a year with regularity. Who doesn't love offense in hockey? Taking out the red line might be a good idea, because it could speed up the game. Shrinking goalie pads? Okay, I suppose. Calling obstruction? A worthy effort.
But shootouts??? Give me a break. When entire seasons can be won or lost on a single wrist shot, the game of hockey breaks down. For all time, hockey has been a team game. Did Howe and Gretzky do all that scoring by themselves? How do you think the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s won all those Cups? Shootouts would produce some immediate, cheap thrills, and may give home crowds more to cheer about a few nights a year. But it could have as much of a damaging effect on the game long-term as any major rule change in history. And seriously - do you think the 2003 Wild, a team that went to the Western Conference finals, would have even made the playoffs if they were facing penalty shots against the likes of Tkachuk, Modano, Forsberg and the great shooters of the West one out of every three or four games? I doubt it.
Also, offense is made to be defended, and defense wins championships. Do you honestly think that hockey coaches will turn a blind eye and allow their defense to give up more goals per game? The truly bright coaching minds in the league will continue to earn their salaries and devise schemes to counteract the rule changes. Who knows what they'll come up with, but like the advent of the Jacques Lemaire neutral zone trap (that won the 1995 Cup for the Devils), something's bound to change.
Bring on the NHL - I've missed it. Just don't make it so those wonderful hockey-playing Canadians don't recognize their national sport anymore.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
A Gopher Football Stadium?
Of course, one of the great debates in the Twin Cities today is whether the Gophers should get a new outdoor football stadium. And how does this stadium fit in with the proposed Twins and Vikings stadiums? Which comes first? Who pays for it?
First off, I see no reason at all why the Gophers shouldn't have their own stadium. Memorial Stadium was leveled before my time at the U, but I grieve anyway when I hear teary-eyed accounts of Gameday in the old Memorial Stadium on campus, with the tailgating and the marching band coming down University Avenue and the weather. As a former marching band member and passionate Gopher alumnus myself, I would LOVE to see this come back to campus.
Who should pay for it? There are obviously several options out there. But one item not getting much discussion: alumni fundraising. I know lots of fellow Gophers that would join me in spending some money so that a stadium could be built. Maybe we each give $100, and we get our name etched into a brick or something. Maybe $1,000 donors get their name on the back of a seat. I don't care how you do it - the team belongs to the University, the state and the alumni that have suffered through several fall seasons inside the Dome. There are lots of us out there - we don't always pack the Dome, but then again, sometimes there are reasons for that. And there are several of us that would do our part to help the stadium effort.
I also believe that the Gophers stadium issue is independent of the Twins and Vikings. The University of Minnesota is a public institution - it is owned by all Minnesotans. If there is demand with the masses, as has been the case, then there should be something done about it. I'm not saying the Twins and Vikings can't get a new stadium, or that I'm not for both of them. I believe they both would be wonderful additions to the community. But why can't our legislators and University leadership work together to do something that's so obviously good for the fabric of the school? This to me has no bearing at all on the other stadiums, especially when the infrastructure (land, parking, etc) is already in place.
In short, in the absense of University and corporate funding and leadership, give passionate Gopher fans the opportunity to put their money where their mouths are. Get the leaders involved past the bureaucratic and political red tape, and get it done. The economic impact around campus would be huge - but more importantly, it would be a huge boost to Gopher pride everywhere. Build it and the true fans, the tens of thousands of die-hard maroon and gold bleeders, will come.
First off, I see no reason at all why the Gophers shouldn't have their own stadium. Memorial Stadium was leveled before my time at the U, but I grieve anyway when I hear teary-eyed accounts of Gameday in the old Memorial Stadium on campus, with the tailgating and the marching band coming down University Avenue and the weather. As a former marching band member and passionate Gopher alumnus myself, I would LOVE to see this come back to campus.
Who should pay for it? There are obviously several options out there. But one item not getting much discussion: alumni fundraising. I know lots of fellow Gophers that would join me in spending some money so that a stadium could be built. Maybe we each give $100, and we get our name etched into a brick or something. Maybe $1,000 donors get their name on the back of a seat. I don't care how you do it - the team belongs to the University, the state and the alumni that have suffered through several fall seasons inside the Dome. There are lots of us out there - we don't always pack the Dome, but then again, sometimes there are reasons for that. And there are several of us that would do our part to help the stadium effort.
I also believe that the Gophers stadium issue is independent of the Twins and Vikings. The University of Minnesota is a public institution - it is owned by all Minnesotans. If there is demand with the masses, as has been the case, then there should be something done about it. I'm not saying the Twins and Vikings can't get a new stadium, or that I'm not for both of them. I believe they both would be wonderful additions to the community. But why can't our legislators and University leadership work together to do something that's so obviously good for the fabric of the school? This to me has no bearing at all on the other stadiums, especially when the infrastructure (land, parking, etc) is already in place.
In short, in the absense of University and corporate funding and leadership, give passionate Gopher fans the opportunity to put their money where their mouths are. Get the leaders involved past the bureaucratic and political red tape, and get it done. The economic impact around campus would be huge - but more importantly, it would be a huge boost to Gopher pride everywhere. Build it and the true fans, the tens of thousands of die-hard maroon and gold bleeders, will come.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
The Sports Ace Kicks Off!
HELLO!! Thank you for checking out The Sports Ace! I hope you enjoy this blog, and that you all check it out regularly.
As a pseudo-journalist with his own blog, I feel compelled to disclose my biases, so when I get going on something you all can see where I'm coming from. So here we go:
As a pseudo-journalist with his own blog, I feel compelled to disclose my biases, so when I get going on something you all can see where I'm coming from. So here we go:
- I was born and raised in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, went to college at the University of Minnesota and currently live in a Twin Cities suburb. I respect a great many teams and individuals around the world, but I am first and foremost a Gophers, Twins, Vikings, Wild and Timberwolves fan. It is these teams that make me laugh, cry, celebrate, jeer, yell and scowl. And in prep sports, I was raised in the Lake Conference. I have announced games for five years in the Lake Conference. And I live near a Lake Conference school. I know as much about the Lake as anyone, and I am a true believer that it is the best collection of high schools in the state in terms of overall excellence in athletics, arts and academics.
- I believe sports are all about testing yourself, and the emotion and the feelings that come with victory, defeat and the pursuit of excellence. How does Tiger Woods feel when he's standing over a 20-footer for the Masters title? A high-school sophomore on the free throw line with no time on the clock, his team losing by one and two shots coming? A high school football team embarking on its first day of practice in the fall? Every sports story in the world is a function of the basic question: what do you have, and how do you use it? And it is this emotion that I try to convey somehow in every game I call.
- I am a passionate high school sports fan. I believe that you can find more of this raw emotion I speak of in high school sports than at any other level. For five years I have been a play-by-play and color announcer for high school football, basketball and hockey games in Bloomington, Minnesota. I have seen truly great kids win state championships and others suffer through winless seasons, but it takes the same commitment to play sports whether you win two or 20 games in a season. And that effort and drive to excel never fails to impress me.
- I am an athlete myself. I don't come from an athletic family, and I was never all-state by any means, but I did play high school tennis and normally hold my own when on the field of battle. There are lots of things I don't know, but I consider myself to be a sort of expert in the field and an acute observer and consumer of all types of sport. Hopefully I get you to think of things a bit differently once in a while...
- I hate the Yankees. They are the epitome of everything that is wrong with the game of baseball, and they truly do play on a different field than my beloved Twins. Plus, of course, they've eliminated the Twins from the playoffs the past two years.
That ought to get us started. See you around!
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