Random Thoughts

• Ramon Ortiz is the only player not to have reported to Twins training camp on time, but this is fairly common for players traveling from Latin America. Personally, I think it would be best for the team if he didn't show up at all. I still think J.D. Durbin will be a good #3 starter for a major league team - but it is unlikely the Twins will have room for him, as the starting rotation is likely to be Santana-Bonser-Silva-Ortiz-Garza (I figure the Twins have conceded the first four spots already, and only the fifth is up for grabs). Durbin could still make the team out of the bullpen, and I'd like to see it if only to keep him in the organization. Many forget (or didn't know) that he likely would have been called up instead of Garza last August had he not gone down with nerve damage in his elbow.


• The Twins appear to have re-entered negotiations with Justin Morneau. I'd love to see them come to an agreement soon, but I can't see Morneau's value being much higher a year from now than it currently is. In short, I'd love to see them lock him up long-term, but I won't lose any sleep over it if a deal doesn't happen this summer.


• Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves continue to be consistently mediocre. A loss at Washington tonight dropped them to 25-28, though they still hold the 8th seed in the Western Conference. It is nice to see Randy Foye starting, but still frustrating to see the other rookie, Craig Smith, continue to get declining minutes in favor of Mark Madsen and Marko Jaric. I'd love to see the team cut some of the dead weight by Thursday's trade deadline, but it seems incredibly unlikely to me that any team would be willing to take it on.


• The Wild, on the other hand, continue to impress me. I caught most of the game versus Dallas tonight, and once I started watching I couldn't look away. The Wild play an exciting brand of hockey. I'm definitely not a hockey expert, but it is the most exciting game out there when the games are close. The Wild lead the league with 20 overtime games (in which they are 15-5), so they are a lot of fun to watch. The team has been on a roll since star winger Marian Gaborik's return in January, and goalie Niklas Backstrom has been filling in admirably for the injured Manny Fernandez. In fact, I think Backstrom has played better than Fernandez. Tonight, Mikko Koivu provided the game-winner in the third frame of a shootout as Backstrom stopped all three Dallas attempts - moving the Wild into 7th in the Western Conference and just one point behind Vancouver for the division lead. As long as Gaborik stays healthy, this team can hang with anyone, and can potentially make a run deep into the playoffs.

Garnett Snaps Suns' Streak

The Phoenix Suns are one of the most fun-to-watch basketball teams I can remember. And the team that has frustrated me like no other defeated them last night, thanks to a monstrous 44-point showing by Kevin Garnett.

I hope this serves as a wake-up call to the coaching staff, as well as Garnett. When the offense runs thrugh KG, and he allows himself to be more selfish, the Wolves can hang with anybody. With "pass-first KG", the Wolves are a mediocre team. However, if "shoot-first KG" sticks around, we may actually (amazingly) have a contender on our hands.

If yesterday was the start of a trend, that wait for baseball season might not be as bad as I thought.

I Even Miss Silva...

Twins pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers for spring training in 20 days. Not soon enough.

Things have been incredibly slow around the Minnesota sports scene these days, as the only major recent events I can think to make note of are Kevin Garnett's All-Star selection, TwinsFest and Brian Rolston's two-goal, two-assist performance in the NHL All-Star game. While I love watching good pro hockey, the All-Star Game - with no hitting or any real strategy - bores me. Plus, like many others, I had no idea it was on television.

In other news, the Wolves got their first win under "interim" head coach Randy Wittman on Saturday, defeating the Los Angeles Clippers, 101-87. More impressive to me was the way Craig Smith dominated the Sonics on Friday night, scoring 15 first-half points... and then not playing at all in the third quarter. After re-entering the game in the fourth, Smith added 11 more. And of course, the next day, he was rewarded with a whopping 18 minutes.

Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale (I'll put money on that duo as the Strib's next Co-Turkeys of the Year without even knowing what is to come in the next ten months - any takers?) think this team is more talented than they are perceived to be. I agree - but I don't see that talent in Blount, Davis, James, and Hassell like McHale and Taylor do. The talent is buried on the bench - Randy Foye, Craig Smith, and even Bracey Wright deserve more playing time than their veteran counterparts. Add Rashad McCants to that list when he comes back.

The Wolves are too guard heavy, they trust their young talent even less than the Twins, and the front office is delusional. As much as I try, it's tough to see any hope for the near future.

The Wild are exciting but inconsistent. Plus, they only play 2-3 games a week and most of them are at 9 pm. And I don't know enough about hockey. When its playoff time, I'll be tuned in - provided the Twins aren't on.

Super Bowl XLI will be a nice diversion - but there isn't anything there to excite me in the week leading up to the game. Manning and Dungy might choke, Grossman isn't very good - same things I've heard the last three weeks. Some hype...

I NEED the Twins. I wish FSN would cover all of spring training - everything - I'd (seriously) sit and watch some long-toss between Chris Heintz and Scott Baker ahead of watching the mess that is the Wolves. Anything Twins-related except for Mike Redmond's naked batting practice. I could go for a spring training, Twins-Devil Rays, Silva vs. Jae Seo matchup right now.

They say that hope springs eternal. Sadly, spring is still a few weeks away.

They Fired the Wrong Guy

The Minnesota Timberwolves fired Dwane Casey today, and have appointed Randy Wittman as the new head coach. I've never been much of a Casey fan, but with the talent Kevin McHale has given him, I don't think 20-20 this year is bad at all. I don't remember seeing anybody picking the Timberwolves to make the playoffs before the season began, and Casey has them in a playoff spot. I've disagreed with some of Casey's in-game decisions and would like to see Randy Foye and Craig Smith get some more minutes, but I don't think there's any question the team has played better than the talent they have. I have hope for Wittman, but Casey was fired without much reason.

The wrong guy was fired today. Casey had very little chance to do better, as McHale has assembled a pitiful team for him to work with.

Check out this poll on startribune.com. At the time of this writing, 69% of Minnesota fans think McHale should be gone.

UPDATE: I just heard this on the Sludge & Lake show on KFAN and I agree wholeheartedly: If McHale hadn't blown two first-round picks in the Cassell and Szczerbiak deals, Allen Iverson would be a Timberwolf and Casey would still have a job.