The Twins are the Timberwolves of old, making the playoffs only to dash my hopes and dreams in the first round without so much as a wimper. The Timberwolves are the Twins of old, a lovable band of misfits who are as adept at losing as a Bernie Madoff investor. (I'm voting for Sebastian Telfair as Rich Becker, mediocre and annoying and we just can't get rid of this guy...) I really also like Mauer/Garnett parallels.... think about it.
The Vikings are...well the Vikings, and I'm told by people who care about hockey that the Wild (still the most ridiculous nickname in all of professional sports, it's an adjective people) are mediocre, and that Gopher Hockey in this the state of Hockey are more on par with Ferris State. (alleged Hockey burn.) The Gopher's basketball team are proving they still can't win on the road, and I'm not going to acknowledge the Gopher Football team.
All Metrodome roof collapse references/metaphors aside, Minneota sports are a mess right now, and the colder a state is, the more they care about their teams, because if Moorhead is any example, I'd sure as sh** rather stay inside with a brew and watch the game than weather the elements to do...well anything that requires me to weather the elements.
There is hope, but like all things Minnesota sports, this brand of hope is more along the lines of Ellis Boyd Redding's view of hope:
The 1:35-1:50ish part is where I feel Red could be directly talking to Minnesota Sports diehards: (Is Shawshank Redemption not flawless? Really wanted to work it into this one in some way...count it!)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWUfFwoe8ko&feature=related
This dangerous hope of mine lies in dangerous hands. I am blindly optimistic about a team that had 10,000 to 1 odds in Vegas to win the NBA champtionship, the worst by far of any NBA team. Their most recent 3 point loss the Spurs had me not thinking of another wasted road opprotunity for a signtature win, but rather how Love threw up yet another 15-15, how we rallied after Beasley went down, and (gulp) how hard Anthony Tolliver played? I'm fantasizing about a starting lineup next year of Rubio, Wesley who has been a pleasant surprise, Love, Beasley and Insert Center X here. With Martell off the Bench, 2 Utah 1st rounders in our pocket, maybe we can be a playoff team with this very young and very talented Nucleus??
To those who say that our 2012 first round pick is unprotected and Clipper bound after the Marko Jaric incident, that Love and Beasley are going to have to get PAID when their contracts are up, and that Rubio is lukewarm at best to ever come to Minnesota leaving you with the worst draft pick in recent memory, Thabeet aside, in Jonny Flynn-- I respond with (covering ears and closing eyes really hard) Can't hear you!! lalalalalala can't hear you!! Essentially being a Wolves fan requires one to regress to being a preschooler, simply appreciating them for how tall they are for Crunch's antics. (Not too much of a challenge for me thankfully!)
(Picture above is Webster's definition of "Pasty White Hope")
I'll save some of the Twins talk for a later date, but the fact of the matter is that the land of the Randy Ratio, Gary Anderson missing 1 field goal, the Daunte Roll, J.R Rider, Denny Hocking, Torii Hunter relinquishing inside-the-park home runs, begging 41 year old quarterbacks to come back for one more go around, Gugliotta tribal tattoos, Tony Fiore's palmball, Tony Fiore references, Final four's taken away, Courtney James being cuffed and taken away, 12 men on the field penalties followed by interceptions, Rick Rickert, and of course, Jesse Crain, Bennie Sapp and Nick Punto is in dire need of something to truly go its way.
Here's to a genuine hope.
