«  
  »

Cup of Coffee: March 17, 2010

Wolves give up 79 points in the first half on Tuesday night (a club record), but they tightened the screws in the second half and only gave up 73. I expect another Korean recipe over at Canis Hoopus.

This entry was posted by SBG on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 10:27 pm and is filed under Cup of Coffee categories and tags. It is one of 3334 entries by the author. We are no longer accepting Letters to the Editor on this post.

79 LTEs in response to Cup of Coffee: March 17, 2010

  • bjhess
    March 16, 2010 at 11:03 pm

    Hoping for some help here.

    I've recently been inspired to try a business venture that will allow me to focus on one of my great passions in life, baseball. I'm hoping to spread the word by getting involved in more baseball discussions with a general audience. Ironically, I have a passion for baseball but mostly restrict myself to reading and commenting at The WGOM (with an occasional Gleeman thrown in) and therefor I don't have my finger on the pulse of the online baseball community.

    I can find the great MN Baseball blogs pretty quickly. However, this is an online venture and sticking with a particular geography would be silly. I'm curious: what are your must read baseball blogs? Now consider that list in the context of my target market: softball rubes or parents coaching youth softball/baseball teams. I hope that last qualification doesn't lead to "you wouldn't want to hang out there" answers! Actually, I wonder if fantasy sports blogs would be a better place to get involved?

    Any ideas are welcomed.

    (Oh, I suppose I should share the thrown-together beta signup page: http://scorebooker.com/. Will be sharing snips on a Tumblr blog. And if I decide to really go for this, I'll probably start a baseball/softball blog on the site. We'll see. If beta signup goes poorly, then I just won't develop the software!)

  • SBG
    March 17, 2010 at 7:04 am

    Hollinger now projecting the Wolves to get to 65 losses. The hallowed 67 loss record may be out of reach (we'll see!), but I think 65 is easily obtainable.

    That game last night was one of the worst showings by a Wolves club, ever. Friends, that's saying something. They gave up the most points in franchise history and were within 3 points of the worst margin of defeat. Now, Phoenix is a pretty good team, but their starters only played half the game. The Phoenix bench scored 62 points. Shot after shot was totally uncontested. It was horrific.

    The Wolves are 29th in Offensive Efficiency and 28 in Defensive Efficiency. They are 28th in true shooting percentage, 27th in effective field goal percentage, 27th in turnover rate, and tied for last in assist rate. So, they can't shoot, they can't handle the ball, they don't share it, and they can't play defense. The one thing they can do is rebound (about the middle of the pack) a little.

    It's ugly. New Jersey has an historically bad record, but there's a pretty strong argument that right now, this is the worst team in basketball and it's quite possibly the worst Timberwolves team, ever. Just think about that. The worst T-Wolves team, ever. That's REALLY saying something.

    • freealonzo
      March 17, 2010 at 7:12 am

      Thanks Wolves. I have Steve Nash on my fantasy basketball team and he ends up only playing 24 minutes.

    • Whiffers
      March 17, 2010 at 8:17 am

      I liked S-n-P's take at Canis Hoopus today. Just a dreadful end to the season--it looks like Love's checked out, Flynn looks like one of the worst PGs taken in the first round, Big Al can't play defense, and an appalling lack of effort by the entire team.

      I would not want to be a salesman for the Wolves, you can offer all the sweetheart deals you want on season tickets, but you're still asking people to spend over $400/year on what appears to be one of the crappiest products in all of sports. No thank you.

      The sad thing is that they haven't hit rock bottom yet--rock bottom is getting pick 3-5 in this year's draft. They HAVE to get Wall or Turner out of this.

      • cheaptoy
        March 17, 2010 at 8:22 am

        And that's why I think it's fairly obvious that they're getting the 3-5 pick. Maybe that's just a lifetime of Minnesota sports fandom (Twins, for the most part, excluded) talking.

      • brianS
        March 17, 2010 at 8:23 am

        I predict they draft Turner and trade him for a cr@ppy combo guard and a million dollars.

      • SBG
        March 17, 2010 at 8:24 am

        No, rock bottom will be when they have to forfeit their 1st round pick to the Clips and it's unprotected. That one is going to hit the lottery.

    • E-6
      March 17, 2010 at 2:40 pm

      Rambis said he wanted the team to embrace adversity. No, seriously.

  • davidwatts
    March 17, 2010 at 7:26 am

    if you are going to lose big, mind as well do it in record breaking fashion

  • Milt on Tilt
    March 17, 2010 at 8:47 am

    I didn't get to watch all of Idol last night, but I did see all of the performances except for Aaron Kelly, who I despise and don't want to watch anyway.

    1: Crystal Bowersox

    Large Gap

    2: Michael Lynche
    3: Siobhan Magnus
    4: Casey James
    5: Didi Benami
    6: Lee Dwyze

    Large Gap

    7: Katie Stevens
    8: Paige Miles
    9: Andrew Garcia
    10: Lacey Brown
    11: Aaron Kelly
    12: Tim Urban

    Observations from last night:
    -For the first time, I actually liked Katie Stevens.
    -Siobhan had an Adam Lambert moment; unnecessarily reaching for the glory note, which while shaky made everyone forget that her actual vocals were merely good and cause people to fall head over heels in love with her.
    -Crystal for the first time wasn't the best of the night. Even so, her B performance was more more enjoyable than any of the bottom six's have ever been.
    -Lee gave what was his most on pitch performance of the season, but was still off.
    -Tim Urban is still bad.
    -I don't remember Big Mike, but I remember that he was good so I'll keep him at 2.
    -Casey James is now my favorite guy of the season. He pulled out the electric guitar again, but this time sounded good on vocals. I really don't get Simon's criticism of using the whole stage. I don't know how that would work short of a headset.
    -Lastly, Didi is more attractive than Katie.

    • AMR
      March 17, 2010 at 9:08 am

      I agree on Siobhan, although I didn't make the Lambert connection until you said it. I still like my analogy of a figure skater that lands a quad or two but otherwise is only so-so. Like Plushenko. Next week she should start with a scream and go from there.

      • Milt on Tilt
        March 17, 2010 at 9:27 am

        She'd probably advance if she just screamed for 2 minutes.

        • twayn
          March 17, 2010 at 11:54 am

          I think you guys underrate Siobhan. She has one of the better voices among the female contestants in terms of tonal quality, and she has pretty good control of it. Sure, the big notes are grandstanding a bit, but have you heard any of the others hit notes like that? If you got it, flaunt it. But it should end up being a moot point because Crystal slays.

          • Milt on Tilt
            March 17, 2010 at 11:58 am

            Don't let my annoyance at the over reliance on the glory note let you think I dislike her. I was told I had her too high for three weeks.

            • AMR
              March 17, 2010 at 12:08 pm

              Now that the large gap is there, things look okay.
              Bowersox knows what she's doing already, everybody else is just figuring it out.

    • brianS
      March 17, 2010 at 10:06 am

      I think Aaron Kelly should win, for no other reason than his mom's name is Kelly Kelly.

    • nibbish
      March 17, 2010 at 10:32 am

      You're forgetting the "Large Gap" in between Garcia and Lacey, and a "Massive Gap" in between Aaron and Urban.

      Also... Kelly Kelly.... heh.

    • Milt on Tilt
      March 17, 2010 at 12:19 pm

      It's sad, but all of Katelyn, Lilly, and Alex would have settled in somewhere between Siobhan and Lee. I want a damned mulligan.

  • freealonzo
    March 17, 2010 at 8:57 am

    Here's a nice little article about Summit Brewery. Aimed toward a reading audience that may not know what a "craft" beer is but still has some interesting info for the citizen beer brewers

    • cheaptoy
      March 17, 2010 at 9:09 am

      That reminds me that I saw a sixer of their 90/- on the shelf at the local liquor store the other day. I was there for a specific something else, so I didn't pick it up, but I think I will if its still there.

    • AMR
      March 17, 2010 at 12:11 pm

      Brau Brothers was missing from their list.
      Also, I liked Summit's 90/-, but not the India Rye Ale.

    • brianS
      March 17, 2010 at 6:14 pm

      Several factors caused Summit’s growth to slow over the last five years from its healthy double-digit growth to under 10 percent: Minnesota lowered the legal blood alcohol limit from 0.1 percent to 0.08 percent in 2005, and the public smoking ban was signed into law in 2007, both affecting sales, he said.

      I'm calling bullsh!t on this. Everything (credible) I've read on smoking bans says there is no empirical evidence that they cause declines in bar sales of alcohol. (for example, see this 2005 study of California data) Now, mayyyyyyyyybe things are different in the Great Northwest. But I doubt it. (see this study of Minnesota)

      • cheaptoy
        March 17, 2010 at 7:28 pm

        We haven't gotten to the full state smoking ban yet, so for now its just in Madison. But there does seem to still be a rather large number of bars in the area that are doing just fine.

        My theory is that if your bar closes because people can no longer smoke there, your business plan may not have been all that strong to begin with.

  • janus
    March 17, 2010 at 9:05 am

    The Empire's mouth is officially watering.

    "But in my opinion," said one scout, "the next catcher for the Yankees will be Joe Mauer.

    I'll know baseball's economic structure is fixed when the Yankees and their fans stop eying other teams' players like pieces of meat.

    • SBG
      March 17, 2010 at 9:38 am

      Nice article. In it, the author asserts that a roof on Target Field would have cost $10 million(!) and that there is an opening day deadline on Mauer negotiations. Ah hell, it's just Minnesota, so facts aren't that important.

      • DK
        March 17, 2010 at 12:26 pm

        Looks like they've fixed that error, it reads as a $150 million cost now.

        • freealonzo
          March 17, 2010 at 12:42 pm

          Yea, I e-mailed the writer and said "Hands off Yank" and pointed out that his $10M figure was off by at least a factor of 15. He actually replied and said it was an editing error and the 5 was dropped and would have it fixed.

    • UncleWalt
      March 17, 2010 at 10:08 am

      Money quote: "And then he hugged me."

      "Austin's got real soft hands," Peña said.

    • CarterHayes
      March 17, 2010 at 10:54 am

      There was another article of similar premise this week in the Boston media. I won't link to it, but to give you an idea of the level of entitlement-driven schadenfreude involved, the title was "Mauer scenario puts a twinkle in your eye." The author referenced Kirby's talks with Boston in '92 (I think I remembered reading that Kirby wasn't sold on Boston because he didn't feel comfortable with the race situation there, but I might be misremembering that), and referred to Mauer leaving the Twins as "Minnesota’s worst nightmare, and perhaps Boston’s impossible dream come true."

      At this point, I'm not sure which team's fans are more insufferable.

    • Jeff A
      March 17, 2010 at 12:09 pm

      Not a good news day for ex-Twins, is it?

    • SBG
      March 17, 2010 at 1:22 pm

      He only did it once!

    • Moss
      March 17, 2010 at 1:56 pm

      You've got to give the guy some credit for coming clean and taking accountability, though. Everyone slips up...he at least manned up about it.

      • FirstTimeLongTime
        March 17, 2010 at 2:30 pm

        Do you?

        Is it fair to give credit to a drunk driver who, after having a breathalyzer test, says they are drunk? Or what about a robber who in the midst of stealing from a home has the home owners walk in on him and says "Whoops, you got me!"

        Admitting to a crime after getting caught does not make one deserve special treatment.

        • brianS
          March 17, 2010 at 6:00 pm

          "I did make a mistake and I regret that I did it,"

          Yah. Losing your composure in a game, that's "a mistake." Having Joe Mauer bunt a guy over in the third inning, that's "a mistake."

          Snorting a line of coke is not "a mistake." It's a willful commission of a felony.

          This puts a very different spin on Billy Beane's decision not to hire Washington as his manager.

          But I will agree with Moss to an extent. He didn't blame anyone else and he proactively talked about it with his employer and sought a way to keep his job.

          The real kudos should go to the Rangers' organization, however. If I had a drug problem, I would want my employer to see my value as an employee and take steps to help me overcome my problem.

          • frightwig
            March 17, 2010 at 11:50 pm

            Well, the possession of steroids is also a felony, but a lot of sports fans are willing to excuse steroid use as an understandable mistake or minor sin, merely a common practice of the era, particularly when a favored player is suspected or busted. To the extent that fans or reporters get upset about it, they seem to care only about how steroids have affected the integrity of the sport.

            So when news breaks about a manager failing a test for cocaine, why the focus on how the government classifies that drug and its possession? Has he done something worse than, say, what McGwire or A-Rod did?

            And do you think that Billy Beane knew that his 3B coach had a drug problem, but kept it secret and didn't fire him?

          • Moss
            March 18, 2010 at 7:50 am

            It's a willful commission of a felony.

            Actually, that may not be accurate. Generally it is possession or dealing that is a crime, not use.

        • Moss
          March 18, 2010 at 7:52 am

          The drunk-driving comparison is hardly on point. RW doing coke in the privacy of his hotel room, home, or office isn't likely to put anyone else in danger by itself. Likewise, the commission of a robbery obviously affects others.

          Moss isn't too high on the "victimless crime" argument, but here, no harm was done to others (AFAIK) and why should the rest of us be concerned about how the team, the league, or RW handle the matter?

    • frightwig
      March 17, 2010 at 5:59 pm

      I'm more appalled to learn that Jon Heyman has another byline and source of income for his reporting. For shame, SI. For shame!

      Also, I see that their March 15 cover features Orioles Catcher Matt Wieters posing behind the headline: THE PERFECT CATCH. "Joe Who?"

      Well, maybe that will throw New Yorkers off the scent for awhile. Methinks the kid would look great in pinstripes....

    • Jeff A
      March 18, 2010 at 4:59 am

      In my previous life, I was a deputy state's attorney. Every once in a while, someone would get into trouble whom we felt had simply "made a mistake", and either we or the judge would decide to give the person a break. Inevitably, the person would get into trouble again, usually with something worse. When we gave the person a break, we were hoping they would think, "Boy, I got lucky there. I'm never going to do anything like that again." Instead, what they apparently thought was, "Well, I did that and nothing really happened to me. I wonder what else I could get away with."

      Obviously, I don't know Ron Washington at all. The Rangers do, and they decided this was the proper course of action. I can't say they're wrong, and in fact I very much hope they're right. However, with Washington apparently getting no penalty whatsoever, my experience makes me skeptical of what the result will be.

      • Moss
        March 18, 2010 at 7:54 am

        The difference is that, unlike the perps you may have dealt with, he came forward and sought help. He didn't try to deny or place blame somewhere else. Reportedly he's been passing three tests a week since.

        • Jeff A
          March 18, 2010 at 8:21 am

          The people we tried to give a break to came forward and sought help, too--after they got caught. They also didn't try to deny or place blame somewhere else--that's partly why we were inclined to give them a break. And they would stay clean, for a while--as long as someone was constantly checking on them.

          Again, I don't know Ron Washington at all. I always kind of liked him when he played for the Twins, and I hope the Rangers made the right call on this. However, I'm skeptical about the final result.

  • twayn
    March 17, 2010 at 12:48 pm

    I was reading a review of The Big Short by Michael Lewis and this was the last line:

    "Lewis said his next project is writing a sequel to 2003's Moneyball, his book about baseball."

  • brianS
    March 17, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    Winnie is preggers. Reportedly, Kevin had nothing to do with it.

    • sean
      March 17, 2010 at 8:13 pm

      she was in the middle of "a really intense deadline" for her new book, Hot X: Algebra Exposed, which hits shelves in August.

      That would have made math class a whole lot better.

    • CarterHayes
      March 17, 2010 at 10:43 pm

      Danica McKellar is 35 years old?! Jeez, I guess that explains those grey hairs in my beard.