As you probably know, Michael Vick has been known to use the alias "Ron Mexico" when he um, gets treatment for his, um, affliction.
How anyone could not laugh at that name is beyond me. I crack up just thinking about it. Ron Mexico. Puuuh-leeze.
Turns out that you, too, can get a "Ron Mexico" name, [...]

The NFL is seemingly made of teflon -- nothing sticks to it. While sportswriters will pile on the NBA and MLB with reckless abandon, the NFL is nearly sacrosanct.
Of course, I have a personal bias like everyone else. But, for my money, the NFL has steadily become less interesting to me over the years, even [...]

Thanks to Seth Stohs, who sent me this information. Ruben Sierra, 40, has signed a minor league deal with the Twins. Also, Tim Raines! Jr., that is.

SBGville native Chuck Klosterman is blogging the Super Bowl for ESPN.COM. So far, we've found out that Chuck's GPS "inexplicitly" quit working in Detroit. For more malapropisms and half baked thoughts (something must have been in the water back in SBGville, along with the arsenic), check him out this week.

Reaction from the "Greatest City in the World" after last night's clubbing by the Wolves.
Five rows back, around midcourt, a fan raised a sign that read: ''Blount for MVP." Nobody at the Target Center found the message ridiculous, not after what Mark Blount showed his new hometown crowd.
He was engaged in every play, passionate, aggressive. [...]

Back in mid-October 1989, I was up in Fargo watching the Vikings play Cheesehead Craig's Green Bay Packers. In one of the most memorable games in Vikings history, newly acquired Herschel Walker literally ran out of his shoes in a 26-14 victory for the purple. I had been concerned about how much the Vikings had [...]

BEMIDJI, MINN. -- As many as 39 people may have heard about Jeff Weise's plans to take guns into Red Lake High School last spring, federal authorities told victims and families of the shooting victims today, some family members said.

Boston... Boston... Let's see. Who do they have on that team? Paul Pierce, yeah. Brian Scalabrine, mm-hmm. Antoine Walker? Nah, he's down in Miami. We all know that Larry Bird isn't going to be "walking through that door."
They do have a G-F from Miami of Ohio by the name of Wally Szczerbiak, who actually may [...]

I mentioned earlier that twenty years have passed since the Challenger explosion. It was certainly one of the biggest "I'll never forget it" moments of my life. As a follow up, I guess I thought it would be interesting to hear about the top "I'll never forget it" moments of your lives. I'm going to [...]

Wally Szczerbiak leads the Celtics in minutes (41) and points (20) as the C's lose to Milwaukee 83-79. Wally shot 8-15. Olowokandi got his second DNP-CD in as many games.
If you are looking for criticism of Wally's game, you are not getting it here. He has limitations, that's for sure. But, [...]

I have continued to have problems with my Comcast high speed Internet access. I finally called Comcast on Saturday and they verified that I've had long stretches with no access. So, today, I had the technician out for the second time in six weeks. This time, I got a new modem. [...]

Last weekend, I discussed Lucy and my disgust with our evening out at Ruby Tuesday and I vowed to cook this weekend and report on my results.
You may be asking, SBG what the hell do you know about cooking? Well, I know a little bit about it, having worked as a fry cook for four [...]

Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News captures the Kevin Garnett situation like few have. For all the abuse that KG has taken over the years for not winnning, the immutable truth is that it is not KG's fault. It is the fault of the Minnesota Timberwolves front office. Good article.

No one was more critical of "Smilin' Carl" Pohlad in the 80s and 90s than PR. Today, he writes that Pohlad has been "overfunding" the team.
I'm not sure what Reusse's motivation is here, other than to take a shot at the Vikings, but it's an interesting read.
Personally, I'm not all that upset by the [...]

Wally Scxczberiak in the Boston Globe:
Obviously, the calls are a lot different. The sets are very similar, because every team runs the same sets, but the options are just much more abundant on this team. We make a lot more reads and play a lot more freely.
I've been in a system where we were running [...]

I'm watching the game and checking the site. Drop a comment on the game if you have one.

From the NY Post.
Then again, that was before Sunday afternoon's postgame tongue-lashing by Kevin McHale. According to a source who got it straight from a Minnesota player, the Celtics' Hall of Famer and T'wolves VP of basketball operations barged into rookie coach Dwane Casey's locker room and barbecued the whole bunch for Heimliching a 19-point, [...]

The Challenger explosion happened twenty years ago today. I was at the Bison Sports Arena in Fargo in my basketball class (three phy ed classes were required for graduation) when word trickled in that there had been an explosion. At first, it wasn't clear what had happened, but after I got home, it [...]

Let's just say that Ricky Davis is no Tommy Herr:
"It's a great place where I wanted to be from a couple years back," said Davis, who signed a free-agent offer sheet with Minnesota in August 2002 but was blocked when his team at the time, Cleveland, exercised its right to match. During the 2002-03 season, [...]

At least last night, I did. Starting in his first game as a Wolf, Davis made an immediate impression. He exploded for 10 points in the first quarter and kept the Wolves in the game. He kept things going with a 26-point effort, matching his new best buddy, KG and the Wolves win on the [...]

"I think [Kobe's] going to get 100, and I think he's going to get it in the next month."

Taylor on K-Mac:
McHale can keep this job as long as he wants it. He is my man. He is the guy who is running the team. I don't have any problem with the way he is running it.
Sid on K-Mac:
After making one of the worst trades in franchise history Thursday -- acquiring Ricky Davis, Mark [...]

I am cautiously optimistic about the deal. I realize that the Wolves have pushed themselves further into salary cap Hell and have traded for a problem at center who is under contract for four more years. Plus, I don't like giving up the #1 pick again.
If this were the Twins, I'd probably be [...]

So much for Standing Pat.
The Wolves have traded Wally, Olowokandi, and Dwayne Jones to Boston for Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, and Justin Reed.
The Wolves are also getting two conditional second round picks (and we know how good we do with those). Meanwhile, the Wolves give a first round pick to the Celtics [...]

I'm feeling a little under the weather tonight. I'm not sure, but I don't think that it is a direct result of the Wolves recent play.

From the ESPN "Rumor Central":
Jan 26 - Whether it's a psychological ploy or a statement of the rganization's thought process, Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey said Wednesday night the team isn't making any trades, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press. After losing to Memphis, Casey told the newspaper he thinks trade rumors are hurting the team. [...]

Last night's game with the Memphis Grizzlies goes down into the books as another terrible loss 107-87. With the upcoming road swing, I see the Wolves falling about 5 games under .500 and heading to a protected number one pick.
A while back, I wrote about the Wolves' need to lean on their top two scorers [...]

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Free agent slugger Frank Thomas agreed to a one-year, $500,000 contract with Oakland on Wednesday, giving the Athletics the big bat they've been searching for in the middle of their lineup.
Thomas, a two-time American League MVP who has been slowed by injuries in recent years, can make an additional $2.6 million in [...]

I scanned the local links around the league to get reaction on the KB81 game.
Denver: David Thompson recalls his 73 point game, accomplished with only 38 shots and no three point line. "With the 3s, I could have easily been in the 80s." His TS% was 78.0%.
Golden State: The Warriors (Wilt's old team) are Kobe's [...]

They say that the best revenge is living well.
I suppose that's true. I don't think that I'm really into revenge at this point in my life. I have a very good wife and that's really what is important to me. I don't really know anyone against whom I hold a grudge (the faux grudges on [...]

Nick Punto has signed a one-year deal with the Twins. Terms were not disclosed, but I would imagine that it would be around $750,000.

Dan Barreiro just informed me that Ron Artest has said he doesn't want to play in Sacto, and the trade is off -- Sacto has backed out. That sound you hear is his trade value falling. That other sound you hear is Peja swearing a blue streak.

According to ESPN, Ron Artest has been dealt to the Kings, pending league approval. Sacramento is 17-23, three games behind both Utah and Minnesota for the eighth spot in the West. Assuming that Artest (and this is a big assumption) holds it together, the Kings could get back in the hunt.

Flip Saunders.
Mr. Saunders returns to Target Center tonight with his rag tag team, the Detroit Pistons. Mr. Saunders, you may remember, was the coach of your Minnesota Timberwolves, until he was fired after 51 games last season. Flip had to settle for a job coaching the Pistons, while the Wolves have skyrocketed in his absence. [...]

Sport Utility Vehicles Do!
From the front page of the Strib website:
Police are looking for an SUV today in a fatal shooting that apparently occurred after the victim surprised burglars at his townhouse in south Minneapolis.
And here I thought that a Pepsi Machine playing in the NFL was a joke.
(Note: this is not to make light [...]

In the aftermath of Eighty-one!, Mark Stein of ESPN stated that Kobe's performance was the best, ever. Said Stein:
[It was] simply the greatest individual performance ever recorded: Bryant's 81 points in a 122-104 come-from-behind victory over the Toronto Raptors.
John Hollinger concurs and lays out his case. My question is: if an 81 point game is [...]

Got a chance to meet with Will Young, Twins Junkie, Twins Geek and a few others tonight to talk Twins baseball. Will brought along his S.O., who is a law student at SBG School of Law. We talked a little about school (gack!). Mostly, the conversation was about baseball, the Twins, and [...]

Nobody rides that thing.

Waiting for the train to go to Bloomington.

Come on out for a meeting of the Twins bloggers and enjoy some food if you want, some refreshments of your choosing and a little Twins conversation! Joe Sensor's in Bloomington, tonight at 6:30 to whenever.
SBG

It's really hard to believe that Kobe got to 81 points on just 46 shots. That's jaw dropping.
On Wilt's 100 point night, he took 63 shots and 32 free throw attempts (making 28). Kobe had the benefit of seven extra points on threes (as if Wilt would be shooting a 3), but Good [...]

Michael Cuddyer avoids hearing, signs for $1.3 million. That's a lot of money for a guy that the Twins have "NO CONFIDENCE" in. He'll be making more than the starting shortstop, third baseman, and catcher. I'd think he'd better play or that is a waste of money. Actually, as a Cuddyer backer, I'm glad he's [...]

Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto Sunday night, the second highest total (behind Wilt's 100) in NBA history.
That's a lot of points.

This morning, I was pretty excited about the NDSU win over the Wisconsin Badgers. Butch and I chatted about the situation and it was pretty enjoyable. We enjoyed our discussion about my non-believing, traiterous brother, who decided to forsake his alma mater. Yes, life was good.
Then, I watched the Timberwolves game this [...]

From the Wisconsin State Journal:
"Sitting in the locker room, you still see we're on top of the Big Ten, but we don't live in the past. We live in the present," said [Wisconsin] freshman swingman Joe Krabbenhoft, who had a career-high 11 points. "We can't be satisfied with 4-1 in the Big Ten. So what? [...]

I don't know if you caught this score from Saturday from Madison, Wisconsin:
North Dakota State 62, #13 Wisconsin 55.

As a two-time graduate of NDSU, I have this to say. Fucking A! (Sorry, Cheesehead! You have been trampled under the Thundering Herd!) For those of you that don't know, this is NDSU's first year playing a [...]

Lately, I've been suffering from insomnia.
It's not that I can't fall asleep... I'm usually out about 10 minutes after hitting the pillow. I try to get to bed around 10:30 or so. What's happening is that I'm waking up at 3:00 and 4:00 AM wide awake and unable to sleep. Right now, [...]

"Lamar Odom is the most talented big man in the league."

Chicago's Michael Sweetney admits to having the dubious distinction of never having taken a charging foul. Not in the NBA, not in college and not in high school.
"I just never put myself in position," he said. "I'm always late."
Bulls coach Scott Skiles, naturally, was unimpressed. "We're waiting to award him the game ball when [...]

Joe Sheehan of BP on Jacque Jones:
Jones is an inadequate corner outfielder for any team, but a particularly bad choice for the Cubs.
If you are a long time reader, you know I was apoplectic about the Twins signing Jones for the 2005 season, because it was pretty clear that he was not worth the $5 [...]

From the Strib:
In Wednesday's loss in Boston the Wolves took a six-point lead into the final quarter before losing 103-96.
The biggest problems? To coach Dwane Casey there are two: spacing on the floor, especially when Kevin Garnett has the ball, and the speed with which the Wolves guards get the half-court offense set up.
Facing constant [...]

I have long been a supporter of Daunte Culpepper. I also believe that players in the NFL, as compared to every other major league sport, are underpaid and have an extremely poor CBA. Considering the health risk involved with playing football in the NFL and the obscene amount of money made by the [...]

That's right fans, you can get a shovel full of half baked crap in person!
I'll be meeting up with other Twins Bloggers on Monday Night! I'll be spewing out stuff that just popped into my head, but I guarantee the food will be fully cooked!
What: An evening of Twins talk the week before Twins [...]

From ESPN.COM:
Bryant played the entire first quarter and demanded the ball on almost every possession. He finished the first half with 26 points, but grew visibly frustrated with his teammates -- particularly Odom -- when they didn't pass to him every time down the court.
Luke Walton got an earful from Bryant after the third quarter [...]

Watching the Detroit Pistons/NY Knicks game tonight. The Pistons are so much better than the Knicks, it's not funny. Yes, Marbury isn't playing due to the hit that he took against Wally and Antonio Davis is suspended, but man, the Knicks are putrid.
The best thing about this game, besides of course the ass-kicking [...]

That someone would be Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.COM.
Why? Because he has nothing to write about. In the off-season, I write about the Wolves, my wife, my birthday, my birthday cake, Ralph Sampson, whatever I feel like. But, poor Gene. He has to write about baseball (actually he doesn't, he writes about all kinds of stuff). [...]

I used to be a huge college BB fan, back in the day. Ralph Sampson was the guy when I was in high school. I still remember that Sampson/Ewing matchup. Pat Ewing wore the t-shirt under his uniform, which became all the rage. Considering that Sampson never made the Final Four, but Virginia did immediately [...]

Former NBA player Ralph Sampson has been indicted on charges of lying about his finances to obtain court-appointed counsel in a federal child support case.
Sampson, 45, was indicted on one count each of perjury and making a false claim, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday. The charges are related to an affidavit Sampson submitted to [...]

I was going to write about the Wild tonight and how bad they'd be if it weren't for their goal tenders.
Then I watched the Wolves game tonight.
Aw, Christ.
The Wolves started the game with a bang, bolting out to a big lead on the strength of a 32 point first quarter. Then, they slowly pissed [...]

Guess who said the following:
You've got to keep shooting. Pretty soon they're going to fall. If you stop shooting, you're not going to do your team any justice.

To this point, I've really enjoyed John Hollinger's writing. But, he's written something that give me pause.
In choosing his selections for the All-Star game, he leaves KG off the starting five in the West. I don't agree with that, but that isn't my beef. It's that he's left KG off for Tracy McGrady. That's right. [...]

Lucy comes through with a baseball b-day cake!
Yummy!

In addition to Shane over at the Greet Machine, here are some of my birthday buddies:
1706 - Benjamin Franklin American writer, inventor, publisher, and ambassador (d. 1790)
1763 - John Jacob Astor, American entrepreneur (d. 1848)
1820 - Anne Bront�, British author (d. 1849)
1899 - Al Capone, American gangster (d. 1947)
1922 - Betty White, American actress
1927 - [...]

And my number just incremented. It's my birthday today. I'm 41 years old.

A few days ago, I posted a sarcastic comment about how the Knicks had played like crap for two months and then won three ina rowM prompting praise from ESPN.COM.
The virtual ink had barely dried on that post when the Knicks beat the Mavs and the Cavs,prompting me to think: more half baked crap.
Luckily for [...]

But when?
There was a time when it seemed that Elway would never win the Super Bowl. But, at least he'd gotten there. Now, he has two rings and the record for most QB starts in the Big One (five).
What about Peyton? Will he ever even get there? Given all the questions about Daunte, when do [...]

Sid reported on Sunday that the Wolves may have completed a deal shipping Michael Olowokandi out of Minnesota. That would leave the Wolves without a true center. I'm not too upset with that. The Wolves are at their best offensively when KG is on the block, so offensively, they don't really need [...]

I didn't get a chance to watch or listen to the nice win over Denver last night, as Lucy and I were headed to the crime capital of North America last night. A small note from last night's game. KG passed Larry Bird on the career rebound list.
You may wonder why I have the "KG [...]

I was reading the Winona Daily News this morning and I was shocked by the criminal activity. Here, in its entirety is the police report as published in the Saturday, January 14, 2005 paper.
City of Winona
Jan. 5
3:31 p.m. -- A woman reported three shirts stolen out of an apartment laundry room near Homer Road and [...]

The Timberwolves have publicly stated that Trenton Hassell is playing well enough to justify not taking a risk on Ron Artest.
Trenton Hassell, a poor man's Ron Artest?
Or better yet, a calm, stable, nonthreatening man's Ron Artest?
Don't scoff. The allure of Artest as a trade target for the Timberwolves and a handful of other teams in [...]

As you can probably tell, I wasn't too thrilled with the Bruce Sutter HOF election. I mean really, a comparison with Jesse Orosco? I don't know how I can be any clearer in my disapproval.
One of the arguments for Sutter is his Cy Young award, an award I believe he did not deserve. Joe Sheehan [...]

Both Lucy and I had trouble sleeping last night, and as a result, we are both worn out today.
Poor Lucy. She has a kid at her daycare that cries constantly ALL DAY LONG. His grandparents stayed with him for months and held him constantly. As a result, if he isn't being held, [...]

Sid:
[Kevin Garnett] and Kirby Puckett will go down as two of the greatest athletes who ever competed here.
Well, duh. Two of the greatest? For sure. But who is the absolute greatest?
In my mind, KG has surpassed Kirby in terms of achievement on the playing field. Yes, Kirby was on two World [...]

Had a thought at lunch today about the Sutter HOF election. Thought I'd compare Sutter to Pitcher A.

Player
W
L
GS
GF
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
SO
ERA

A
63
58
4
358
122
876
718
315
276
69
362
759
2.83

Sutter
68
71
0
512
300
1042
879
370
328
77
309
861
2.83

Pitcher A is pretty comparable. Not so many saves, but he wasn't really used in the "stopper" role. The ERA is identical, the walks are a little high. Pitcher A had a WHIP of 1.23 [...]

It's funny how a nice day can put a guy in a good mood. It's a warm January day, and that's enough to make me happy.
Our friend Aaron is trying to lose weight. I can sympathize, as I would like to drop the spare tire I picked up in law school. Good [...]

The Wolves get a win tonight against the Bulls at home. It wasn't pretty but it's a win. The Wolves let the Bulls stick around right until the end, but at the end, it was KG and Wally leading the way.
KG finished the game with 28 points, 14 rebounds and 9 assists.
Wally finished [...]

Koren Robinson and Fred Smoot were not present when the Vikings did their 11 p.m. room checks at Minneapolis Hilton on New Year's Eve, the night before the season finale against Chicago. Staff members never did find Smoot until the next morning. He was fined $9,000 and Mike Tice had him stand on the sidelines, [...]

An election year stadium bill? Boy, I don't see that happening.
Be sure to read Greet Machine today. Shane has some interesting information about the Hennepin County proposal that died without a vote last year. I'm not sure why the revenue stuff that Shane is talking about, if true, wasn't made public.

The Wolves lost again Tuesday night, falling to the Bucks in Milwaukee, 95-92. My favorite Wisconsin blogging buddy, Cheesehead Craig, sent me an e-mail on Tuesday, trash talking and predicting a Bucks win. I figured he was right about that, and here, CC, is my depressing Wolves post.
It should come as no surprise that the [...]

Ridiculous.
Here's what Rob Neyer has to say about relief pitchers and the Hall.
Rule 1: Relief pitchers, because they throw a relatively small number of innings, don't have the same impact on winning and losing that starting pitchers (let alone hitters) have.
Rule 2: Nearly every great relief pitcher was a failed starting pitcher.
Rule 3: Most good [...]

The Twins are poor mouthing their financial status again.
I'm one who wants a stadium and I liked the Hennepin County plan. But that deal is dead. It is incumbent upon the Twins to find a plan that works. Crying to the public, even if what they are saying is true, will NOT [...]

When I was back in ND this weekend, I got a copy of a book that I had been longing to get for a while. It was a book written by my mother and her siblings about my grandfather. He was killed in a car accident 25 years ago, and my uncle, Big [...]

Imagine you have a favorite basketball team. Let's say that your team staggered through the month of December, going 2 and 12. Now, let's suppose they win three home games in a row, but still your team has the 27th best record in a 30 team league. You might be a little encouraged, but I'm [...]

There have been a rash of articles and a website supporting Bert Blyleven's candidacy for the Hall of Fame. Has it made a difference, especially in this year of a weak first time class?
Maybe not.
Baseball Think Factory has been polling voters and is reporting that of those voters who have responded, only 41.9% have [...]

The Twins are trying to get their lease with the Metrodome killed. They contend that their lease is a year-to-year lease. The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission contends that the lease is a long term lease. They were in front of a judge today, arguing that point.
The dispute centers on whether the Twins have [...]

At this time last year, I was referring to Culpepper as a mature team leader. At the end of the preseason, I was calling him a potential NFL MVP.
Back then, Culpepper said the game had "slowed down" for him, as if he were a Jedi Knight. I was wrong. He was wrong. The Vikings were [...]

Lucy and I went to ND over the wwekend and visited with Butch and Mrs. Butch. I saw my old house that had the fire. The fire rolled through the attic and burned through on each end of the house. But, it appparently was confined pretty much to the attic and the garage. The attic [...]