The CW Report: March 31

It's time once again for us to take a closer look at the conventional wisdom...

March 31, 2009
The CW Report is all set to go out like a lion. Come to think of it, that's more or less its M.O. at all times, isn't it?
	Kevin Slowey - Forget Scott Baker - Slowey's looking like the ace of the staff right now. Put together a 2.21 ERA in the spring, struck out a batter per inning, and walked one guy the whole month - just two words for that: We. Like. (Plus, struck out Albert Pujols with the bases loaded the other day!)
	Minnesota Wild - It's not looking good for the hometown icers - unless you run a local golf course. The CW is curious, though, to see how Doug Risebrough tries to deflect all of the blame again this year.
	State tourney blizzards - I gave them lots of respect earlier in the month, but momentum petered out during the basketball tournaments - and all the newest snowstorms are going to do is delay golf and baseball seasons. CW: Not cool, Mother Nature.
	Tiger Woods - Eases back into golf... by coming from five shots back on Sunday to win Arnie's Invite. Even sinks a birdie putt on hole 72 to win it. Golfers are not awe-worthy people, as a rule, but CW is in awe of Tiger.
	Timberwolves marketing - Cheap(er) season ticket packages next year are a good thing, to be sure. But right now they're giving away tickets for this year, as long as you'll sit through a sales pitch for next year. It's worrisome when a pro team has to resort to sketchy condo sales tactics, isn't it?
	Randy Foye - Sometimes looks like a franchise cornerstone, more often looks like a poor man's Rashad McCants. (An aside: don't look up Brandon Roy's stats. You really, really don't want to know.)

Tuesday: The Roundup

My hometown, out on the edge smack dab in the middle of the prairie, may get as much of 20 inches of snow by the end of today. I suppose there will be people still living in town at the end of April, but I'll be darned if I can figure out why.

Spring Training: Twins 3, Rays 2 - In case you've not been paying much attention, Opening Day was exactly one week from yesterday. Most starters are going to be making one of their last real tune-up starts before the season begins, and if that's true for Glen Perkins, then the former Gopher will be roaring his way into the year. Perkins threw six shutout innings against the American League champions, who were playing more or less their Opening Day lineup. The Twins lefty allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out four, an impressive performance. In injury news, Joe Crede took a Matt Garza fastball off the hand and will miss a couple of days. Given the Twins' luck, they'll be finding out tomorrow that he's got Tom and Jerry Syndrome, wherein blunt-force trauma causes Crede's hand to swell up to be three times the size of the rest of his body, and the third baseman will miss two months. Also, Delmon Young has a sore shoulder and is now not allowed to throw. It's good news for all of us who don't want to watch him run, though.

NHL: "Burnsie" and "Butch" to miss tonight's game vs. Vancouver - I'm glad that the Wild take concussions seriously; we are not too long removed from an era where a player would be skating around the next day with his bell still ringing and brain matter leaking out his ears and onto his sweater. Still, it's unfortunate that the Wild have lost Brent Burns for this critical drive; he hasn't played since March 5, and won't tonight against the Canucks, reports Brian Stensaas in the Star Tribune. Similarly, Pierre-Marc Bouchard will miss the game after suffering a concussion against the Islanders last week. It's been a tough year for injuries for Minnesota; not only did they lose Marian Gaborik all year, but Andrew Brunette and Mikko Koivu are playing with knee injuries, Owen Nolan missed a third of the year with various broken bones and severed limbs, Kurtis Foster only recently returned from a broken femur, Derek Boogaard has been banged up all year, Craig Weller had a long-term concussion, and the entire team had the super-flu at one point or another.

Monday: The Roundup

The weather says that we may get six inches of snow tonight and tomorrow. I would like to state publicly that I am filing a protest, just as soon as I figure out how.

NHL: Wild 3, Edmonton 2 - They may need every one of these now. The Wild are in eleventh with six games to go, they're four points out of seventh and three out of eighth, and with the teams in those spots (Nashville and St. Louis) red hot, it might - scratch that, probably will - take six more wins to get into a playoff spot. Goals from Andrew Brunette and Martin Skoula less than two minutes apart in the first period got the Wild going, and Marian Gaborik's laser in the third period doubled Minnesota's advantage and allowed them to escape The Never-Ending Road Trip with a win. But it's impossible not to look forward now: Vancouver, Calgary, @Detroit, Dallas, Nashville, @Columbus. That's four playoff locks, plus the Predators and the Stars. This could be easier...

NBA: Timberwolves 108, New Jersey 99 - Mike Miller (22 points) and Ryan Gomes (21) combined to go 5/8 from downtown, five of Minnesota's ten threes in the game, and the Wolves snapped a seven-game losing streak by beating the Nets at home. Rodney Carney added 19 and shot over 50% from the floor. Kevin Love had yet another double-double down low, scoring 16 points and adding 11 rebounds. A cynic would point out that winning is the last thing the Wolves need to do right now, what with there being only eight games left to establish draft lottery position.

Spring Training: Twins 5, Cardinals 3 - Typical Kevin Slowey line in this one - no walks and five strikeouts in six innings, but eight hits and two runs as well. Do not misunderstand me - the Twins will take that particular performance every day of the week, including on this Sunday. Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young slapped RBI doubles in a three-run second inning for Minnesota. Jose Mijares struggled again, giving up three hits and a run in just one inning and falling behind almost every hitter. He's almost a lock to start this season at Triple-A at this point.

Formula One: Jenson Button wins Australian Grand Prix - Here's what Formula 1 novices like me just don't get about this sport: Last year, Honda drivers Button and Rubens Barrichello regularly dueled it out - for 17th and 18th place. They were barely a step above the Force India team, which was basically driving Pinewood Derby cars. Over the winter, the Honda team folded, and was reborn under the Brawn GP name (named after the Honda engineer who took things over)... and now, in the first race of the 2009 season, Button and Barrichello finished first and second. They were helped by Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica, who got into a duel over second place with three laps to go, then crashed into each other, destroyed their cars, and ended up missing out on the points entirely. And last year's champion, Lewis Hamilton, eventually moved from sixth to third following that accident and a penalty assessed to Jarno Trulli, who passed Hamilton while the caution flag was out. I think it's safe to say that I still don't quite get auto racing.

RandBall: Weekend Links

Weekend links! Hiiiii-yo!

Friday: The Roundup

Round 'em up... that gate's closing pretty soon.

Spring Training: Reds 6, Twins 4 - This one was on TV, for all of the Twins viewing area to see... which is probably not something that Jesse Crain would have wanted. The reliever got absolutely bombed, giving up four runs on four hits and a walk while getting just two outs in the fifth. I don't know if FSN North has the capability to track viewers by the minute, but if they're anything like me, surely viewers were working the remote with aplomb during that stretch, like bystanders fleeing the scene of a disaster at a fireworks plant. Anyway, Nick Blackburn was okay, giving up two runs in four innings, and Denard Span reached base three times, once walking in a run. Except for Crain - could have been worse, you know?

NFL: Vikings offseason still boring - Judd Zulgad of the Star Tribune actually wrote the following today: The Vikings are going to prolong the suspense of the Naufahu Tahi situation until the last possible minute. The Vikings have until today to decide whether to match a $1.4million offer from Cincinnati. Is there anyone, with the possible exception of Zulgad, who's feeling any kind of suspense about this? Even Naufahu Tahi can't be that excited about this. Anyway, there's nothing more pointless than breathless coverage of the Vikings offseason. I mostly wrote this so I could learn how to spell "Naufahu"; I spent most of last year forgetting how to pronounce his first name and then having to call him "Nosferatu."

Thursday: The Roundup

Limping towards the finish line here...

NHL: Wild 6, New York Islanders 2 - Well, that was easy. And a good thing, too - the Wild was behind 1-0 in this one, and if they'd lost, we could most assuredly have started looking towards 2009-2010. The Wild scored three times on the power play, once in each period, and Marian Gaborik scored the team's first and last goals and added two assists. Gaborik now has three goals in three games since his return, and it's hard not to wonder how much different this season would have been if he'd been in the lineup. The team has played 16 overtime games; how many might not even have gone to OT if he'd been around? The Wild is 8-8 in those games - might they have turned a couple if Gaborik was around? And they're 10-11 in one-goal games that didn't make it to overtime - could they have picked up a few extra points there as well? Standings update: the Wild remain in tenth, one point behind eighth-place Edmonton (the Oilers also have a game in hand.) If Minnesota's going to win the right to get waxed by Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, much work yet remains.

NBA: Philadelphia 96, Timberwolves 88 - Kevin McHale started a lineup of Kevin Ollie, Bobby Brown, Brian Cardinal, Craig Smith, and Rodney Carney, apparently out to prove that tanking for draft picks is alive and well. (By the way, if you're keeping track, that's two point guards, a small forward, and two undersized power forwards in that starting lineup.) Anyway, it didn't really help - the Wolves actually led at halftime but forgot to play defense at the end of the third quarter and in the fourth quarter, so the Sixers roared back and then pulled away. Standings check: Minnesota (20 wins) is still behind Sacramento (15), Washington (17), Memphis (17) and the Clippers (18) in the race for ping-pong balls. The shocking realization: apart from a 10-2 stretch in January, the Wolves are 10-50 this year. Two words - epic fail.

Wednesday: The Roundup

Let us all be honest with ourselves: it is time to move the Phoenix Coyotes north.

NHL: New York Rangers 2, Wild 1 - Is it over yet? The waiting is almost too much. At least with the Timberwolves, we can just stop paying attention in February, confident that we won't miss anything. With the Wild, on the other hand, the "loser point" guarantees that Minnesota - losers of seven of ten, but having picked up nine points in that stretch - are still theoretically in the playoff race. That said, with nine games to go, they're in eleventh place with 76 points. They're behind Nashville and St. Louis, with Edmonton and Anaheim (79 and 78 points, respectively) in the last two spots. And they're missing their best player (Mikko Koivu). Realistically, they'll likely have to win seven of their final nine games to make the playoffs - and that's highly unlikely. Marian Gaborik scored last night, I guess; I suppose it's nothing that 35 goals from Gaby can't cure.

Spring Training: Twins 8, Marlins 1 - Days like this, I wish I still put together the three stars every day. Kevin Slowey could have been all three, and then I could punch out early, you know? Deep breath here: Slowey threw five innings, giving up just two hits and one run while walking nobody and striking out five; at the plate, he singled, doubled, and drove in three runs. He won the game on the mound, he drove in the game-winning run at the plate, he drove the bus to the ballpark, he cooked the post-game meal (a tender yet striking pork chop, stuffed with caviar and Stove Top, plus buffalo chicken fajitas on the side)... I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see his byline appear on the game stories in both the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press this morning, either.

Tuesday: The Roundup

Turns out that the pink ice may not have been a good idea, eh?

Spring Training: Twins 8, Orioles 7 - The Twins brought their boomsticks on Monday, blasting four home runs - one each from Justin Morneau, Matt Tolbert, Delmon Young, and Brendan Harris, the last three in the same inning - to take down Baltimore by a run. Francisco Liriano was on the mound for Minnesota; "Franchise" is starting to stretch out for the season, and he gave up three runs on four hits in five innings, walking two and striking out five along the way. Matt Guerrier also pitched a scoreless and hitless inning, his first in recorded memory. It was also a day for some cuts; Matt Macri, Luke Hughes, and Luis Matos all headed back to minor-league camp. Not than any of the three was ever going to make the roster, but still - the cuts march inexorably towards the Opening Day 25-man roster...

NBA: Atlanta 109, Timberwolves 97 - The Wolves trailed by 22 at halftime and by 26 partway through the third quarter, and though they'd later get within ten points, this was another of your basic blowouts-that-look-better-than-they-were. 11 games to go. They can't be over soon enough.

Minnesota Thunder: A way to actually follow the team?

For years, the Minnesota Thunder have been the area's best option for live soccer. That said, if you weren't willing to go up to Blaine or St. Paul 15-20 times a year, the team is often hard to follow regularly; with a few rare exceptions, their games aren't on local TV or radio, and the major media outlets in town do not devote much coverage to the team (and absolutely none when they're on the road).

Devotees were then reduced to regularly planning summer nights around trips to the stadium when the team was at home, and relying on spotty internet radio streams and poorly-written, team-produced game reports when the Thunder were on the road. The last few years saw the debut of USL Live, which purported to give fans broadband video access for games for about $50 a year. (In my experience, the video wasn't great - about what you'd expect from a minor soccer league, although not from one charging money for the service.)

But is that all about to change? According to Brian Quarstad at Inside Minnesota Soccer, USL Live may be about to undergo a makeover. In this week's USL Roundup, he had this tidbit:

I’m hearing that not only will USL Live be back this season, but it will be free and sponsored by USL league owners Umbro with improved quality. I hope this is true. It is pretty much a no-brainer for the league and Umbro. You need to build support around the league and this is a great way to get folks to tune in to games and create greater team and league awareness. It can also be great publicity for Umbro.

We'll see what actually happens - we've been promised great things before - but this would be a major step forward for the league. Broadband internet access is still increasing across the area, and fans - especially younger fans, which the Thunder want to attract - are becoming more and more accustomed to watching videos, TV, and live events on their computers rather than on TV.

Ultimately, there could be no better marketing move for the team. Die-hard fans will be able to spend even more time following the team. Semi-diehards will tune in more often than the two or three live matches they might make it to every year. And - perhaps most importantly - the guy who goes to his first-ever Thunder match this year will have a way to tune in the following week when the team is in Vancouver or Puerto Rico or Miami, and follow the players he just saw for the first time.

Again, we'll see what actually comes to pass. The league kicks off on April 11 (Thunder at Carolina), so there's less than three weeks for this to be confirmed - but we shall see.

Monday: The Roundup

What a gorgeous weekend, eh? Hope your brackets are all still in shape.

NHL: Wild 3, Edmonton 0 - First, the SUPER HUGE NEWS: Mikko Koivu left the game with a knee injury. He'll be evaluated today, but it seems possible that he'll be missing significant time. It's just the Wild's luck - they get Marian Gaborik back and lose their best player. Here's something I didn't fully appreciate: Owen Nolan, despite missing significant time with various injuries, leads the Wild in goals. And after two more on Sunday - a power-play tally off a rebound, and a chipper off a nice feed from James Sheppard - he's got four more than any other teammate, with 22. The Wild played a horrid first period, followed by a wild second; after getting just two shots on goal in the first, they put a franchise-record 23 on net in the second. It's like the 1984 Oilers out there! Curiously, the third Minnesota goal didn't even result from a shot on net - an Edmonton defenseman's pass went off a teammate's skate and into the net. It was credited to Stephane Veilleux, who made it happen by, uh, dumping the puck in eight seconds before the goal. Nice one, Steph! Niklas Backstrom had 31 saves for the shutout, and saved the team's bacon in the first period. The win moves the Wild from 12th place to ninth... for now.

NBA: Oklahoma City 97, Timberwolves 90 - The Wolves got killed, at home, and were described as "listless" or "lethargic" by just about every report. This is probably not a game we should waste time thinking about. Instead, we'll post this: 1. Sacramento 15-55 2. Washington 16-55 3. LA Clippers 17-53 4. Memphis 17-52 5. Oklahoma City 20-50 Minnesota 20-50 Seems impossible that the Wolves could be in line for the sixth pick, doesn't it?

RandBall: Weekend Links

The headline of this post really says all that there is to say.

Friday: The Un-Roundup

No roundup this morning; the Twins, Wild, and Wolves were off, and I spent the entire day watching college basketball anyway. There are sixteen more games today. What could be more fun?

Thursday: The Roundup

Apparently I'm the most predictable person in the world. (The sad thing: Rand nailed it.)

NBA: New Orleans 94, Timberwolves 93 - I suppose we should be impressed that the Wolves even had a chance to win it. Randy Foye's open jumper at the buzzer rattled out, once again showing why "Fourth Quarter Foye" is such a ridiculous nickname. Really, the game was lost on two possessions with less than two minutes to go, both of which ended with Brian Cardinal taking jump shots - a three-pointer and a 20-footer. Needless to say, both were complete bricks. There are so many questions: Why did he shoot? Why was he even out there? What was anybody thinking? WAS anybody thinking? Then again: the more losses, the more ping-pong balls. I try to remember this.

Spring Training: Pirates 4, Twins 3, 10 innings - Not really a lot to like in this one. First of all, the game went to extra innings, something that absolutely nobody wants in spring training. (If there was a "Simulate Game" button for spring training like there is in some video games, both managers would be pounding that thing repeatedly after about the seventh inning.) Beyond that: Delmon Young hit a home run... but bounced into an incredible FOUR double plays. Francisco Liriano allowed just one hit in four innings... but walked four and gave up two runs. The Twins out-hit the Bucs 10-6... but Young erased that advantage all by himself. Honestly, the season just can't start soon enough.

The CW Report: March 18

It's time once again for us to take a closer look at the conventional wisdom...

March 18, 2009
The sun is shining and spring would appear to be here. And yet, with both state basketball tournaments left to go, I can't shake the horrible expectation that we're just about due for a gigantic blizzard.
	Scott Baker - Signs giant deal, then goes out twice in a row and gets bombed (five home runs in his last two appearances). Maybe he's just the latest victim of the Bill Smith touch (everyone he signs goes to crap.)
	Matt Guerrier - After posting a 10+ ERA at the end of last year, has a 9.45 mark this spring. Yeah, it's probably time to find another right-handed bullpen option.
	State boys hockey tournament - Still fun, but attendance is down - and worst, a private school wins the Class A crown yet again. Really makes you wish that the MSHSL had any kind of guts to change the rules, doesn't it?
	Minnesota Wild - We can all agree that they're not very good. Wouldn't it be just like them to eke into the playoffs, then make a long run? (Please?)
	Vikings brain trust - They pull the trigger on Sage Rosenfels... then are stuck when Pro Bowler Jay Cutler comes on the market. Must be following the old wisdom: when a career backup comes on the market, you just gotta lock that guy up.
	Outdoor baseball - For those of you around Minnesota - wouldn't you have loved to head outside for a noon baseball game this week, really any of the last three days? (We reserve the right to revoke this arrow when it snows in April again.)

Wednesday: The Roundup

If you're on spring break right now - realize how much the rest of us actually envy you.

World Baseball Classic: USA 6, Puerto Rico 5 - Don't tell me this meant nothing. Going into the bottom of the ninth, Team USA appeared to be headed for the same fate as befell them in 2006 - a second-round exit. Puerto Rico had just five hits, but all five had driven in runs, and PR led 5-3 with just three outs to go to eliminate the USA. Happily for the home team, PR decided to stick with JC Romero in the ninth inning. Twins fans knew what might happen... and then it did. Shane Victorino singled; so did Brian Roberts. Derek Jeter made an out (so much for clutch, he was the only one to make an out), but Jimmy Rollins worked one heck of a walk, and suddenly the winning run was on first. PR brought in Fernando Cabrera, their closer - who immediately walked Kevin Youkilis, forcing in a run. And then came David Wright, who worked the count, then sliced one down the right-field line, a 175-foot bloop that may not have been powerful, but got the job done. Two runs scored. USA 6, Puerto Rico 5. USA moving on; Puerto Rico heading back to spring training. Next thing you knew, the entire American team was chasing down Wright behind second base - he tried to run, and even broke a couple of tackles, but eventually the celebration and the pile of Americans engulfed him in the dirt. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, who cares who won this game - but you can't tell me that a game like this wasn't far more fun to watch than 95% of the regular-season baseball games that will be played this year. Don't tell me it doesn't matter. This was just plain fun.

NHL: Wild 3, Colorado 2, SO - If Minnesota hadn't won this one, you might as well have written them off. And let's be real - they didn't exactly convince anyone that they're ready to challenge for a playoff berth. It took a last-two-minutes goal from Nick Schultz (after some great work and a nice feed from Dan Fritsche), and a pair of shootout tallies from Mikko Koivu and Marek Zidlicky to get by Colorado. Let's not forget that the Avs have given up nearly four goals per game over their last ten games against teams other than Minnesota, yet the Wild have managed just three goals in 130 minutes of hockey in the last week against Colorado. Still, though, the Wild are now up to 74 points, tied with Dallas for the final playoff spot (the Stars have played one fewer game). With a dozen games to go, Minnesota is still in the race. Now they just have to start stringing together more than overtime losses.

Tuesday: The Roundup

It's too nice out for you to be reading blog posts. Forget reading this; there's nothing good anyway. Go outside.

Spring Training: Twins 5, Orioles 3 - Joe Crede has got us all hot and bothered, or at least his performance at the plate on Monday has. The third baseman was 3-for-3 with a homer and a double. And even Denard Span had a hit - two, in fact, which should bring his spring average up to .00035 or so. Phillip Humber, who should really start going by "Phil" or possibly "Killer," started for the first time this spring and pitched two hitless innings. Humber's among the group trying to avoid being sent to minor-league camp, and with cuts coming soon, this performance might help.

NFL: Jay Cutler still not coming here - Yes, the guy's asking to be traded and is throwing a hissy fit about new team management, but let's be realistic here. Denver is not going to trade Cutler unless some team blows their orange-and-blue socks off with an offer. The Vikings have already given something up to get Sage Rosenfels, they still have Tarvaris Jackson and John David Booty on the roster, and they're simply not going to deal two first-round picks or whatever it would take to get Cutler. If they hadn't already pulled the trigger on Rosenfels, I'd be more intrigued, but we all know that Brad Childress is perfectly willing to stick with mediocrity rather than admit he made a mistake, so Sage it is. (Ironic that "sage" can be defined as "a profoundly wise person," isn't it?)

Monday: The Roundup

I wonder if there is a place on earth that regularly has weather like we had Sunday - mid-fifties, sunny, completely wonderful. If so I will move there tomorrow. Sunday was glorious.

NHL: St. Louis 5, Wild 3 - Make that four losses in a row for the Wild - and this one didn't even come with the gift of the "loser point." The first of the four was an OT loss to giant San Jose, which can be construed as a moral victory, but since then Minnesota has lost to the worst team in the NHL (Colorado) and now to a pair of teams it's battling for one of the last Western playoff spots. The Blues jumped out front 3-0 by scoring three times on the power play - twice 5-on-3 and once 4-on-3 - and held on through a Wild comeback for a win. The loss moved the Wild down to 11th place in the standings, and while it's true that they're only two points back of seventh place, there's four teams in the way and only 13 games left to leapfrog all of them. Things aren't looking good for the hometown skaters. They get Colorado next, in St. Paul on Tuesday night; if they lose that one, that may be just about all she wrote.

Spring Training: Yankees 5, Twins 1 - Glen Perkins gave up three runs on five hits in three innings of work, and the Twins mustered just eight baserunners and went down quietly to New York. Nick Blackburn also pitched two innings, holding the Yanks scoreless and giving up just one hit. More importantly: no word yet on the second opinion on Joe Mauer's back problems. It seems more and more likely that the Twins will start the year with some combination of Mike Redmond (who's too old to catch more than about three games a week), Jose Morales (who can't field), Drew Butera (who can't hit), and Wilson Ramos (who looks good now, but played last year in Single-A, and is in no way ready for the jump to the bigs.) Knowing Gardy, he'll start the year with three catchers for absolutely no good reason. He used to keep three around on the excuse that he wanted an extra for when Redmond caught while Mauer DH'ed, but there's no possible way he'll run out a lineup with two of the three non-Mauer catchers, so having three is just overkill.

RandBall: Weekend Links

Again with the weekend links?

Twinkie Town: Welcome Back, Justin

Justin Morneau returns to Twins camp today, after Canada was drummed out of the World Baseball Classic. Over at Twinkie Town, we imagine how the scene of Morneau's return might look.

Friday: The Roundup

I'd like to start out today by giving a huge shout-out to a regular TNABACG reader (who shall remain nameless), who found out yesterday that he got something like 102% on an Organic Chemistry II test. I never took O-Chem myself, but my understanding is that to get any better than 60% is virtually impossible, and so I'd just like to say how proud I am to know the smartest person alive.

NHL: Colorado 2, Wild 1, SO - If you are like me, one of the great joys of your college days was keeping alive running jokes. One of my personal favorites involved seizing upon some poor unfortunate friend who had just dropped something in a store, or otherwise clumsily distinguished themselves in public. The running joke in this situation: the rest of us would run up to the butterfingers and mock-yell, "WE CAN'T TAKE YOU ANYWHERE! THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!" in the manner of a overwrought parent chewing out a child. And so, with the Wild: "WE CAN'T FOLLOW YOU ANYWHERE! THIS IS WHY YOU WON'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS!" The Wild managed just one goal against the Avalanche, the worst team in the West and very possibly the worst team in the league right now, and a team that's struggled mightily between the pipes as of late. They got the loser point for getting to the shootout, but ultimately, one point gained against Colorado is basically one point lost. Hence the mock-yelling.

Spring Training: Pittsburgh 6, Twins 4 - One of the great Twins arguments for signing Craig Monroe was, "Hey, at least he won't be able to hit against us any more." Monroe's now with the Pirates, and he picked up where he left off before joining the Twins for one year. The outfielder went deep in his first three at-bats, and ended the day with four RBIs. You might remember that Scott Baker had some trouble keeping the ball in the park at one point in his career; if you didn't, you'd be reminded of it with this start, as the Twins "ace" gave up four solo home runs, three in the third inning. Lest you think it was a fluke, Baker got eight other outs via fly ball; basically, guys were teeing it up against the righty.

World Baseball Classic: Is This Actually Fun?

Am I way off base, or is the World Baseball Classic actually fun and exciting this time around?

I don't remember a lot about the 2006 edition of the glorified exhibition tournament, other than that it proved a couple of things:

1. China is terrible at baseball.
2. Having Cuba in the tournament is not as big of a deal as we all imagined.
3. Such is Canada's inferiority complex that they will glom on to any success over their neighbors to the south, pointless or not (Justin Morneau was fond of reminding American teammates of Canada's win over the USA, even though the Canucks gave up eight runs to the miserable South Africans and didn't even qualify for the second round).

So this time around, I expected more of the same. The setup was just as pointless; they moved the tournament to an idiotic double-elimination-but-not-really format that still confuses me. (For example, the USA beat Venezuela 15-6, lost 5-3, and somehow the Venezuelans thus won the pool and the USA was the runner-up, and both teams qualify for the next round anyway. Why even play the second game, then?)

And not only that, in the weeks leading up to the tournament, players were pulling out left and right. Just on the Twins, both Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan gave the whole thing a miss, and they were by no means the only major leaguers who were saying thanks, but no thanks to the chance to play for their countries.

So if this tournament is so meaningless - why does every game feel like Game 7 of a championship series?

Check out the emotion, really from both sides, from the Dutch upset of the Dominican Republic the other night:



Every game has been like that - full of major leaguers, ostensibly playing meaningless exhibitions, going nuts like 20-year-olds at the College World Series. I've seen more fist-pumping histrionics in just a couple of WBC games than you'll see this entire MLB season.

And so somehow, a tournament that's being played basically for bragging rights, by players that were in many cases third- or fourth-choice to play for their countries, in which pitchers can't pitch entire games because their arms aren't in shape yet...

... is this time around an early-spring version of the CWS, with an international scope, with just a whiff of March Madness thrown in.

It's a long way of saying this: Team USA takes on Puerto Rico at 7:00pm on Saturday night. You may want to watch. You may actually enjoy it.

Thursday: The Roundup

Ah, one of the great rites of spring in Minnesota: the annual mid-March spike in Google searches for "houses in Arizona."

NBA: Timberwolves 104, Memphis 79 - When I suggested that the Wolves might be able to lose every one of their remaining games, I plumb forgot that they still had Memphis on the schedule. The Grizzlies are epically bad - bad enough to have an effective FG % below 50% (the only team to pull that off against Minnesota since Al Jefferson got hurt), bad enough to get outrebounded an astonishing 48-28 despite that only two of the Wolves' rebounds were by a guy over 6'9", and bad enough that the Big Al and Foye-less Wolves won in an absolute blowout. Ryan Gomes led Minnesota with 25 points, his eighth 20-point game since Jefferson was injured. Gomes has been a rare bright spot for the Wolves, and even better - unlike Foye and Sebastian Telfair - he can actually shoot near 50% for long stretches of time. And we'd be remiss if we didn't discuss Kevin Love, who had 19 points and 11 boards - as opposed to OJ Mayo, who took more shots, scored fewer points (18), and also was on the team that lost by 25 points to one of the worst teams in the league. So for one day, we can feel good about the Timberwolves. Even Mike Miller took 12 shots. Be still our beating hearts.

Spring Training: Twins 4, Orioles 3; Joe Mauer has, well, a sore back - Important things first: the Twins catcher had another back exam, and the team has determined that he has an inflamed sacroiliac joint in his lower back. In layman's terms: dude has a sore back, and they're going to take their sweet time figuring out how to treat it, because as every back pain sufferer in the world knows, there's really no good way to deal with these things. In actual game action, the team put together one of those argument-against-smallball type games, as they pounded out 17 hits but managed to score just four (!) runs. Given that they also had two walks, and four of those 17 hits were doubles, there almost weren't enough bases available in just nine innings to strand all of those runners. (Indeed, they made a couple of outs on the bases and left 13 guys on.) Glen Perkins, who started, gave up five hits and two runs in three innings, but had to leave the bases full in the third. Nick Blackburn made his return from a long rest (for his ailing knee), and worked a scoreless fourth.

The CW Report: March 11, 2009

It's been an awfully long time since we did one of these, but it's time for a resurrection. And so without further ado: it's time once again for us to take a closer look at the conventional wisdom...

March 11, 2009
Feels good to break the blue arrows out of storage again, I'll say that. Those things were awfully dusty, but we have polished them up and they shine like new. (As usual, the down arrow may get the most work.)
	Minnesota Wild - Impossible to figure... because they have an impossible time stringing together two decent performances. See you on the golf course.
	Minnesota Timberwolves - The down arrow is blue for a reason. That said, they could really use a decent lottery pick - how nice would a shot-blocking center look in that lineup?
	State boys hockey tournament - Said this before, but anyone who doubts the "State of Hockey" moniker needs to watch the scalpers in action - for the high school hockey tournament.
	Minnesota Thunder - Rumors: they haven't paid players their playoff bonuses from last year, nor have they made any progress on promised stadium construction. Maybe having real-estate moguls as owners isn't the best thing right now.
	Minnesota Vikings - Are they do-nothings - or is there nothing to be done?
	State tournament blizzards - Seriously, the weather is two for two this year, with blizzards during both hockey tournament weeks. Four for four remains a possibility. The legend grows...

Wednesday: The Roundup

The snowstorm, at least here in the Cities, turned out to be a little less exciting than advertised. Still, given that the average temperature for this time of year is in the 40s, the whole windchills-below-twenty-below thing seems highly unfair.

NHL: San Jose 5, Wild 4, OT - Well, maybe if the Wild get into the playoffs as the eighth seed, they have a chance. After all, somehow the conference-leading Sharks can't hold a three-goal lead against Minnesota. For the second time in six days, the Wild fell behind 3-0 to San Jose. But once again, the team that can't score fought back. Peter Olvecky got a garbage goal. Pierre-Marc Bouchard picked a corner. And then Owen Nolan got his 400th and 401st NHL goals, both in the last 6:06, to - incredibly - tie the game at 4. Sure, the Wild lost in overtime. Christian Ehrhoff scored with 90 seconds to go in the extra frame to give the Sharks a win. But the Wild got the loser point, more than they could have expected down 3-0 midway through the game, and that's a bit of a help for a Minnesota team that's still on the outside looking in.

NFL: Vikings re-sign Benny Sapp - Well, I guess the division's locked up for next year, isn't it? The Vikings have not done much to improve upon their 2008 team, apart from trading for Sage "Young(er) Gus Frerotte" Rosenfels, and they haven't signed a single free agent. Which is good to see. After all, how many times did we all say to ourselves last year, "Man, this team is just a Rosenfels away from being a Super Bowl contender?" I'm kidding, of course. It's not like there is really anyone on the free-agent market that the Vikings could sign to vastly improve the team; their biggest need remains at quarterback, a position where almost no one worthwhile ever hits the market, and so there's not much to be done. Still, you do start to get the feeling that Doug Risebrough is running the Purple, as well - and that's not a good feeling.

Tuesday: The Roundup

We're supposed to get 6-12 inches of snow today? Man, I cannot WAIT for state tournaments to be over.

NBA: Washington 110, Timberwolves 99 - In a season full of candidates, this may end up being the Wolves' low point. All of the losses tend to run together a bit, so let's recap: Washington was the league's worst team coming into the game. The Wizards were 4-27 on the road this year. And yet they outscored Minnesota in every quarter, out-shot and out-rebounded the home team, and won comfortably. But that's not all! Randy Foye came down awkwardly after a bad pass from (who else) Mike Miller, and had to be dragged off the floor. And Rodney Carney went down in the first half, as well. (In the post-game press conference, Kevin McHale looked like he was a real candidate to hang himself from the shower rod with his shoelaces. An understandable reaction, perhaps.) The lede of the AP game report: "Somebody had to win." Given that it was Minnesota that came out with their tenth straight loss (and eleventh straight at home), it seems like that somebody will - barring a miracle - not be the Wolves any time soon.

Spring Training: Twins 4, Devil Rays 3 - This just in: Twins pitchers are fallible. Kevin Slowey gave up two runs in 3.1 innings on four hits, including a double and a triple by Ben Zobrist. Nevertheless, Delmon Young homered, singled, and drove in three runs to lead Minnesota over the defending AL champions. Brendan Harris (playing first base) also got two hits.

Monday: The Roundup

If they ever figure out how to make the World Baseball Classic more than an ESPN-glorified exhibition series, it'll be fun to watch. Even these games are tense, and nobody cares about these games.

NHL: Wild 3, Anaheim 2 - Ah, the Wild. Who could be more maddening? They beat the top team in the West last week, beat the Ducks - a competitor for a playoff spot - on Sunday... and sandwiched the two around a loss to the Kings, third-last in the conference. Stephane Veilleux was the goal-scoring star for the Wild, getting a gritty marker just 1:08 into the game and then drilling a slapshot on a breakaway in the second period. Andrew Brunette added the game-winner, off a nice feed from James Sheppard, and Minnesota hung on for a rare regulation road win. The bottom of the West remains tight, as the Wild is now in tenth - but are just one point behind Edmonton, which is in seventh. This seems exciting until you remember that it's all a competition to get waxed by Detroit or San Jose in the first round of the playoffs. Ah well.

Spring Training: Twins 2, Orioles 0 - If the Twins can play the season the way they've played spring training so far, they will absolutely pitch the seams off the ball this year. Francisco Liriano was the latest to impress, throwing four perfect innings and striking out five. Joe Nathan also pitched a perfect frame, and it wasn't until the ninth that the Twins staff even gave up a hit, never mind a run. At the plate, things have been a little slower for the Twins; they again barely hit the ball, getting only four hits. Carlos Gomez hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and that was it for the scoring. It's like 1969 in Twins camp right now; pitchers are dominating, no matter who's at the plate.

RandBall: Weekend Links

The series of tubes got cut off somewhere short of my house yesterday, so there was no posting this link until now: weekend links - now with MORE cricket content!

World Baseball Classic: USA vs. Canada

Tomorrow, Team USA takes on Canada at the World Baseball Classic, and will be out for some revenge after losing to our neighbors to the north in 2006. (Well, not really - nobody's ever out for revenge in the World Baseball Classic. Most guys don't even play, for reasons up to and including "sore eyelids.")

But never mind that; it's the USA vs. Canada, and any time that happens, I'm going to make sure to wave the flag as much as possible.

With this in mind, it's time to take a look at the tale of the tape between the good guys and our commie pinko hippie godless baby-eating neighbors to the north.

Data source: The CIA World Factbook

	USA	CANADA	Advantage
Population	303,824,640	33,212,696	USA
Quebec?	No	Yes	USA
Per-capita GDP	$48,000	$40,200	USA
Military	Scary	Gord L. and Milt J. (Milt off Wed.)	USA
NHL Teams	24	6	USA
Fought for own independence?	Yes	Wussed out	USA
Was actually a country during War of 1812	Yes	Despite what they want you to believe, no	USA
World status	Last superpower	"We're real nice, eh"	USA
Adjective to describe flag?	Symbolic	Floral	USA
Currency?	Important enough that weakness helped bring world market to its knees	Has funny pictures	USA
Complex	Egotism	Inferiority	USA
Number of soldiers fighting for world freedom, current	100,000+	2,964	USA
French-fry based awesomeness	Chili cheese fries	Poutine	USA
Thanksgiving in...	November	October	USA

These things are so much easier when you break them down scientifically*.

Let's go, USA. Make us proud, boys.

* (If by scientifically you mean "tongue-in-cheekily.")

(NOTE: Longtime readers will remember that this list was originally published during the 2008 World Junior Championships. I had to change a few of the jokes, since the American economy is so far in the tank.)

Minnesota Wild: More reaction

I'm not proud of yesterday's Wild post; as somebody pointed out, it sounded like I was accusing Doug Risebrough of actively trying not to win, which is of course stupid. I'm just frustrated, and having trouble expressing my frustration accurately.

Luckily, somebody else did it for me. It was ESPN writers Pierre LeBrun and Scott Burnside on the ESPN Hockey Today podcast, and in terms of what I'm feeling, they hit the nail on the head. The quotes:

At some point, when does the rubber hit the road for the Minnesota Wild? This is a team that's had one playoff year, 2003. They haven't won a playoff round other than that. I think the pressure's on Doug Risebrough even though it's a good solid hockey market.

...I always love Minnesota, they're like this model franchise, they sell out every single game - but they have won squat. And they're on the verge of winning squat again. This is a team that, maybe they make the playoffs, maybe they don't, [if they do] they're going to get waxed in the first round because they can't score. I think it's interesting, it's a team that does a lot of things right, it's "Moneyball"-type hockey, but they have virtually nothing to show for it. And that's the problem.

And that's my problem, too. Risebrough likes to believe that he's doing things the right way, holding on to young players and draft picks and refusing to pay for goal scoring and all that kind of thing. This is fine, but there are no NHL fans more loyal than Wild fans, and we have nothing to show for that loyalty.

And we won't be getting anything this year, and next year's not looking much different, either. Squat again. And so what's the point?

Minnesota: The Friday Roundup

Every once in awhile, I hear somebody say that the whole "State of Hockey" slogan created by the Wild is nothing but a marketing myth. To them, I'd like to say this: more than 10,000 people showed up to Mariucci Arena last night to watch the high school section finals. Think about how absurd that is; high school hockey outdraws the Timberwolves!

NHL: Wild 4, San Jose 3, OT - I was all set to make fun of the Wild after another loss, but then - somehow - this happened. The Sharks came at the Wild in swarms, and Minnesota fell behind 3-0, and it looked like it was to be another blowout. But then Marc-Andre Bergeron rang home a slapper, and Pierre-Marc Bouchard wristed home another just moments later, and it was suddenly 3-2 at the second intermission. In the third, it looked like the Wild wouldn't find a way, but eventually the horrible ice at the HP Pavilion found one for them. Marek Zidlicky, about to go off for a line change, dumped the puck into the San Jose zone - backhanded, no less - from the red line. The puck bounced once, squirted twice, and may have actually teleported itself at some point, but somehow the 100-foot bouncer found its way through the goaltender's legs and into the back of the net. And in overtime, with just seconds remaining, Brent Burns drove to the net, the puck bounced out front - and Mikko Koivu swatted home the winner. I doubt any two points have ever been appreciated so much as the two the Wild earned against the Sharks. You could tell how much it meant to them, too - Koivu's celebrations aren't always particularly demonstrative (even when he falls down), but after this one, he jumped up and down like a madman, and the rest of the team piled on like they'd just won a playoff series. You had to know after four straight losses they'd be pressing, and it all - somehow - paid off. Want to talk inconsistency? The Wild bracketed four losses with wins over Detroit (second in the west), Chicago (fourth) and San Jose (first). There's just no telling with this bunch.

Spring Training: Twins 4, Netherlands 2 - Bert Blyleven is the Dutch pitching coach, but even Bert's fart-tinged teaching methods can't inspire Holland to get a hit. The Twins held the exhibition squad without a hit until two were out in the eighth, nearly throwing a combined no-hitter that started with Kevin Slowey setting down the first nine hitters of the game. That said, the Twins weren't much better at the plate, getting eight hits, every one of them a single. Ron Gardenhire bemoaned the team's lack of offense, saying, "It seems like the wind is blowing in our face every day right now." Nobody pointed out how many years the Twins tried to use that particular excuse for their lack of power, even when they played in the Metrodome.

Minnesota Wild: Trade deadline reaction

Last year, following the NHL trade deadline, I was up in arms. The Wild front office had to create a form letter to deal with all of the irate people contacting the office after Doug Risebrough inexplicably traded for über-goon Chris Simon - and nobody else. I was not only realizing that Risebrough had more or less given up on his team, I was openly comparing him to other fictional schmucks.

One year on, Risebrough failed to make a single move.. and it really doesn't matter. The team will lose Marian Gaborik for nothing, failed to trade any of its other unrestricted free agents, failed to do anything at all...

I mean, isn't that what we've come to expect from Risebrough?

We should know by now that Dougley Lamarr is nothing beyond a lover of the status quo. He's happy with mediocrity, happy with doing just enough. Other teams may aim for the Stanley Cup; Risebrough is content to aim for a playoff berth. The 2009 Wild aren't good enough to beat any of the top teams in the Western Conference; if they do by some miracle sneak into the playoffs, they'll play about an extra week before hitting the golf course.

And not only are they bad now, with his contract moves, Risebrough has guaranteed that the same mediocre players will be around next year and beyond. He's set his team up to be fighting for that eighth playoff seed for years to come!

Right at the deadline, the crew on TSN took the Wild management to task. Said Pierre McGuire, "Right now, does anybody even know the Minnesota Wild exist? That's an important franchise, and they did nothing." Added Darren Pang, "19,000 [fans] a night? That bill is coming due if they miss the playoffs."

By the sound of things, it is all - finally - crashing down on Dougley Lamarr's head. For eight years, he's tried to convince us that he has the team on the right track, that despite the criticism he's smarter than everyone else, that he knows and we don't and that's all there is to that.

As the team he so carefully built heads for tenth place, now and in perpetuity, and the die-hard fan base grows antsier (and more tight-fisted) by the day, let's be honest: he has failed.

Minnesota: The Thursday Roundup

SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP

NFL: Matt Birk no longer "one of us" - He went to high school at Cretin-Derham Hall, he played 11 years for the Vikings - the only thing he didn't do was play for the Gophers, and considering how his career turned out, that may have been a good thing. He was every Minnesotan's favorite type of athlete: local boy made good. And had he stuck around, he might have had his chance to vault into that rarefied Kent Hrbek/Neal Broten/Paul Molitor type group. Instead, he's headed to Baltimore, signing a three-year, $12 million ($6 million guaranteed) contract with the Ravens. No doubt it's more money than he could have got here in Minnesota. And Birk was not happy with team management; despite his status as one of the most community-involved Vikings, a certified Good Guy, the team didn't exactly try to bar the door to keep him from leaving. Still, the guy owns restaurants here, he has hamburgers named after him... and now he'll be in Baltimore wearing the wrong color purple. Obviously we're thankful for his 11 years of excellence here in town, and he owes us nothing. Still, I don't think it's wrong that a lot of the fondness that I felt for him is now gone.

Spring Training: Pittsburgh 2, Twins 1 - The pitching was good - Francisco Liriano allowed just two singles and no runs in three innings, and only RA Dickey gave up any runs. The hitting, however, wasn't so hot. Catcher Wilson Ramos had an RBI double, but apart from that knock, the team had just three hits. The bigger news involves the injury report. Closer Joe Nathan threw a bullpen session without feeling shoulder pain, a good sign for all of us worried about his health, but Nick Blackburn was held out after feeling some pain in his surgically-repaired knee. The latter is likely one of those things that the Twins are just being over-careful with - after all, it's an awfully long season - but it's something to keep an eye on, at least.

Minnesota: The Wednesday Roundup

Tuesday: Much more enjoyable than Monday. 'Tis almost always true.

NHL: Vancouver 4, Wild 2 - On Tuesday, the Wild announced that they'd signed goaltender Niklas Backstrom to a four-year, $24 million contract. This means that they have most of the non-role players on the team locked up for next year and beyond. So take heart, Wild fans - we'll be seeing this same crappy team for years to come! The Wild led 2-0 in the first period, then pretty much quit playing, skating around amicably as the Canucks scored four unanswered goals. The loss puts Minnesota nine points behind Vancouver and three points out of a playoff spot, and things only seem to be getting worse. Of course, it's usually when the Wild seem to be getting worse that suddenly they go out and beat Detroit or San Jose. So who knows?

NBA: Golden State 118, Timberwolves 94 - We're pretty used to this whole script by now. With Al Jefferson out, the Wolves spend less time patiently working the ball inside, and more time flying around on offense randomly. It leads to lots more exciting offense, but also to more chances for the other team. It also hurts the Wolves' interior defense; they have to double down on just about anybody who gets the ball in the post, meaning that there are lots and lots of wide-open jumpers for the other team. It's no wonder that, since Big Al's injury, every team the Wolves have played has an effective FG% above 50% (and all put together, the Wolves' opponents would be the best-shooting team in the league.) In this one, the Warriors hit 50% of their three-pointers and 45.7% overall. The Wolves were at 36% and 24%, and Golden State also shot 46 free throws to Minnesota's 25. This should sound familiar. This is how the Wolves play now.

Minnesota: The Tuesday Roundup

Nothing like a Monday for lack of sports, is there?

Wild: Marian Gaborik is, frankly, a wanker - Check out these quotes from the guy. I mean, get a load of this one: "Quite frankly I haven’t really been watching games. I’ve been following the scores but I haven’t been watching games. From my perspective, I just really need to focus on how am I feeling, how everything goes with me and then if everything goes good I’m going to jump into play." Allow me to sum up: "ME ME ME ME ME me, me me, me ME me me! Me!" Never mind that the Wild are battling for a playoff spot. Never mind that Owen Nolan flew to Vancouver and demanded to be inserted into the lineup tomorrow night, despite having a broken toe. Never mind that Andrew Brunette is playing with a completely screwed-up knee. I guess I'd like to say that I can't quite believe this quote, but both papers reported it, and frankly it fits with everything else we know about "Gaby." He's a great hockey player, but he's for himself first and second and the hell with everybody else, and that includes all of us suckers who buy tickets and jerseys and help pay Gaborik $7.5 million this year to not watch games. There's no question that the Wild need Gaborik. They need his offensive spark, and this season would look a lot different if he had been in the lineup the entire year. (Which of course never happens because he refuses to play unless he feels 100%, and that playing will also help his future contract status.) Said Eric Belanger: "He didn't mean it the way it sounds -- I hope. I'm hoping because it's too hard for him to watch. I'm hoping." Read between the lines of that quote. Here's the real question: they might need him, but do they even want him?

Everywhere else: zzzzz - Everybody was idle on Monday. The biggest other news involved former Cincinnati wideout TJ Houshmanzadeh signing with Seattle rather than with the Vikings, and frankly, I still can't figure out why we Vikings fans are so broken up about missing out on one overpriced wideout when we still have to watch Bernard Berrian. Meanwhile, the Star Tribune is going after Hopkins basketball (gee, it's almost like they recruited those guys, or something), and former local radio talker and accused cokehead Jeff Dubay has apparently flunked a pre-trial diversion program. None of this is really news, but it's a slow day. Even the Twins had an off day, and they started practice about ten minutes ago.

Minnesota: The Monday Roundup

First of all: congratulations to Minnesota's Lindsey Vonn, who won her second consecutive World Cup downhill title over the weekend. She's only the second American woman to accomplish the feat, after Picabo Street, and I bet that's the first time that Picabo Street has crossed your mind in the better part of a decade, isn't it?

NBA: Houston 105, Timberwolves 94 - The Wolves are 18-41 now. They have lost six in a row and 11 of 12. And they could quite easily end this season 18-64. 24 in a row is the record; I'm not so sure they won't challenge that mark. We all know that Al Jefferson is not the best low-post defender in the league. Many were the nights that he got his 25 points - and so did the guy that he was guarding. But what that masked was this: despite his flaws, he's still Minnesota's best low-post guy. And without him, the Wolves are just lost. Watching Brian Cardinal or Craig Smith fight Yao Ming in the low post is really just sad. (They look like Rocky fighting the big Russian guy.) And though Yao had only 17 points, while the Wolves fought him in the low post, the rest of the Rockets spent the night running around or shooting over the Wolves. Given the number of layup attempts and open looks that Houston had, it's hardly surprising they shot 53% for the night. And so the march goes on. And it will get worse before it gets better.

Spring Training: Boston 2, Twins 1 - Sadly, the dream of the undefeated spring is over. On a "cold" and "blustery" day in Fort Myers, the Twins played like a team that was ready to get back to the clubhouse. Two starters got hits - Carlos Gomez beat out a chopper to the left side, and Justin Morneau singled, and that was it. That said, two Twins starters looked pretty good on the mound; Kevin Slowey retired all six batters he faced, and was off the mound in about fifteen minutes. Glen Perkins gave up three dinky singles in two innings of work as well. Matt Guerrier didn't look so hot, though. He gave up only one run, but he did it on two walks and three hard-hit balls that happened to go right at some defenders. Craig Breslow gave up a home run, but it was a fly to right that the wind got a hold of, so it may not be much to worry about.