So many blog topics, so little time. Early last week I had a few different topics rolling around, but not enough time to put anything up on the actual blog page. Bear with me if this entry is a little different than others. I'll try to hit all my points in an organized way, even though they're not exactly timely.
MVP
The big sports news in Minnesota, and on the national level too, was Twins catcher Joe Mauer winning the American League MVP award. He received 27 of the 28 first-place votes by the baseball writers.
As word quickly spread on Twitter, the focus then shifted to finding out who the writer was that didn't give him the first-place nod. It turned out it was a writer out in Seattle, Keizo Konishi of Kyodo News. His MVP pick? Detroit's Miguel Cabrera. The same guy who partied it up at the end of the season and got in a little trouble with the cops. Good choice.
No doubt Mauer deserved this award. And I have to admit, it was nice to see a piece of hardware go to someone in baseball other than the Yankee prodigy Derek Jeter. Now of course, it is a necessity for the Twins to sign Mauer to a multi-year deal this off season. OK, it's technically not a must, but letting him reach free agency would be one of the most colossal mistakes of the Twins organizaiton.
Poor Pouliot
On the very same day when the rest of the Twin Cities focused on the glory day for Mauer (as it should be), I became a very torn sports fan. My sentimental favorite on the Minnesota Wild, Benoit Pouliot, was traded to Montreal for a guy whose name I couldn't even attempt to pronounce (Guillaume Latendresse).
From the early reporting and thoughts from Michael Russo, the trade seemed pretty even. And at that point, the Wild had made two of the three trades in the NHL since the start of the season. That's a pretty good step in the right direction for the Wild's front office.
Even if it's a good trade, it still stings when you see your favorite player leave your home team. I guess that's why I don't generally have favorite players. But that's the business side of professional sports.
Tommie football makes a run
What can I say about St. Thomas football? Simply amazing. The team is headed out west to play in the third round of the NCAA playoffs. I could go on and on about all the records and statistics this team has compiled, but I don't have that much time.
They are in the playoffs for the first time in nearly two decades, and earned themselves a home playoff game last weekend (thanks to Coe College upsetting St. John's in the first round). I went to the game and it was great to see stands full of alumni, community members and students. It was a great game as the Tommies worked their way to a 34-7 victory.
Fritz Waldvogel was named the MIAC MVP. Just watch him run back a kickoff for a touchdown and you'll see why he earned this honor. It's not a good idea to kick the ball directly to him, just for future reference.
Best of luck to the Tommies this weekend!
A couple other things...
I was very disappointed to read in the newspaper that pitcher Glen Perkins will once again be with the Twins come next season. This is the same guy that had a horrible year pitching-wise, and also off the field. He wasn't very forthcoming when he had injuries, coming forward only after he had a sub-par pitching outing. Then he was upset when he was sent down to the minors, and nearly filed a grievance against the Twins.
It's a long saga that should have ended with the Twins showing Perk the door. But instead, they brought him back for at least another year. This is the same guy that also turned down an invitation to be with the team at a Metrodome celebration at the end of the season. What does that say about his team chemistry?
With Thanksgiving last week came the traditional Turkey of the Year award from Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune. It's always fun to read this column not only for the Turkey, but also for the great things Reusse has to say about the other candidates.
This year's pick was very obvious, and a good one: Golden Gopher football head coach Tim Brewster. The team finished 6-6, but don't worry, they'll still make a bowl appearance. For a team that couldn't score an offensive touchdown in two straight games, but is still able to limp into a bowl game, that tells me there must be too many bowls.
