Troy and Chuck combined Mock Draft

#1: Carolina Panthers select: CAM NEWTON-QB-AUBURN

#2: Denver Broncos select: VON MILLER-LB-TEXAS A&M

#3: Buffalo Bills select: MARCELL DAREUS-DT-ALABAMA

#4: Cincinnati Bengals select: A.J. GREEN-WR-GEORGIA

#5: Arizona Cardinals select: PATRICK PETERSON-CB-LSU

#6: Cleveland Browns select: JULIO JONES-WR-ALABAMA

#7: San Francisco 49ers select: PRINCE AMUKAMARA-CB-NEBRASKA

#8: Tennessee Titans select: BLAINE GABBERT-QB-MISSOURI

#9: Dallas Cowboys select: TYRON SMITH-OT-USC

#10: Washington Redskins select: JAKE LOCKER-QB-WASHINGTON

#11: Houston Texans select: ROBERT QUINN-DE-NORTH CAROLINA

#12: Minnesota Vikings select: ANDY DALTON-QB-TCU

#13: Detroit Lions select: ALDON SMITH-DE-MISSOURI

#14: St. Louis Rams select: NICK FAIRLEY-DT-ALABAMA

#15: Miami Dolphins select: J.J. WATT-DE-WISCONSIN

#16: Jacksonville Jaguars select: RYAN KERRIGAN-DE-PURDUE

#17: New England Patriots select: MARK INGRAM-RB-ALABAMA

#18: San Diego Chargers select: CAMERON JORDAN-DE-CAL

#19: New York Giants select: ANTHONY CASTONZO-OT-BOSTON COLLEGE

#20: Tampa Bay Buccaneers select: DA’QUAN BOWERS-DE-CLEMSON

#21: Kansas City Chiefs select: NATE SOLDER-OT-COLORADO

#22: Indianapolis Colts select: GABE CARIMI-OT-WISCONSIN

#23: Philadelphia Eagles select: JIMMY SMITH-CB-COLORADO

#24: New Orleans Saints select: ADRIAN CLAYBORN-DE-IOWA

#25: Seattle Seahawks select: COREY LIUGET-DT-ILLINOIS

#26: Baltimore Ravens select: AARON WILLIAMS-FS-TEXAS

#27: Atlanta Falcons select: MUHAMMAD WILKERSON-DE-TEMPLE

#28: New England Patriots select: AKEEM AYERS-DE/OLB-UCLA

#29: Chicago Bears select: DEREK SHERROD-OT-MISSISSIPPI STATE

#30: New York Jets select: MARVIN AUSTIN-DT-NORTH CAROLINA

#31: Pittsburgh Steelers select: MIKE POUNCEY-OG-FLORIDA

#32: Green Bay Packers select:***TRADE***CHRISTIAN PONDER-QB-FLORIDA ST.

Minnesota Misery

In a world where life is surrounded by sports entertainment, any person with true fan hood understands the feeling of let down and disappointment. Ask Boston fans before 2004, Blackhawks fans before last year, New Orleans fans, and any basketball fan that doesn’t cheer for the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, or Spurs. They all would say the years (or continuing years) before they won were terrible, nauseating, and sometimes unbearable to even watch. With teams in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Boston not only winning, but also winning championships over and over again there are obvious cities left out of the enjoyment of sports. Recently there was a post about the top ten most miserable sports cities with the rankings as follows:

 

1: Seattle

2: Atlanta

3: Phoenix

4: Buffalo

5: San Diego

6: Houston

7: Kansas City

8: Cleveland

9: Denver

10: Cincinnati

 This list was calculated based on a point system comprising stats of consecutive season’s without a championship title, championship losses, playoff losses, and loss of a team to a different location. Although the list was limited to cities/areas with 75 years of cumulative seasons in the four major sports leagues, there is one omission and a glaring loser of a city/state that sadly needs to be recognized…Minnesota.

            Since 1954 when the Minneapolis Lakers last won a championship in Minnesota there has only been 2 championships won between four sports franchises in Minnesota (Twins ’87 ’91). These two give Minnesota 7 total championships (5 being the Minneapolis Lakers’ before 1955 which shouldn’t even count towards Minnesota’s total) with a total of 8 championship appearances lost, and 73 playoff appearances.  Even excluding the years where teams didn’t even make the playoffs, it is clear Minnesota has a history of losing.

           

To add to the never-ending sorrow Minnesota not only lost on an extreme occasion, but also lost two important franchises. If someone doesn’t believe Minnesotan’s don’t have anything to complain about compared to Seattle or Atlanta, you must remember Kobe Bryant should be playing basketball in Minnesota and Mike Modano should be ending his career as a Northstar. Minnesotans have missed out on a total of 11 NBA championships including the great rivalries of Magic and Bird, and the duo of Kobe and Shaq and Kobe and Pau. We have also missed out on watching all-time greats like Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor (played 2 seasons in Minneapolis), Jerry West, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to name a few. Instead of this basketball fan’s dream of a team to cheer for, we Minnesotans have the Timberwolves (enough said), but yet we probably have the same amount of true fans the Lakers do now. For example the last time I saw a picture of the courtside seats at a Lakers game they showed a row of celebrities including Rihanna and Justin Bieber, who were all on their cell phones, talking, or looking more intrigued with their nachos…Instead of watching the Black Mamba work his magic. That’s fan hood right there. It’s bad enough Minnesotans don’t get to have season tickets to this or have a few Minneapolis Lakers championship posters, but Los Angeles the city has 5 lakes or reservoirs within the city, compared to the 12 lakes in Minneapolis and the 10,000 plus lakes in Minnesota.

If that isn’t bad enough we now must talk about hockey. Minnesota is not only known for its abundances of lakes but is also known as the state of hockey, this is nothing new to Minnesotans. Therefore one would think it is a guarantee the state always has a professional hockey team. But like our loss of the Lakers we also lost the coveted Minnesota Northstars in 1993 to Dallas, Texas. Then 5 years later with Minnesota favorites Mike Modano, Brett Hull, Jamie Langenbrunner, and Ed Belfour they won arguably the most prestigious trophy in sports: Lord Stanley’s cup. This in some eyes could be an atrocity to the sport; a city with no winter including snow won an ice hockey championship, while a state with a passion to hockey comparable to Canada sat without a professional hockey team.

With losses of potential happiness and glory, upsets after upsets in the playoffs, Brett Favre playing good but not good enough, the Yankees stomping our dreams, the unacquired lottery picks, and the lack of hockey superstars on a team with fans that actually do care, we Minnesotans have grown accustom to misery. Most likely it is because we are indeed Minnesota nice, and just hope for better the next year. Most likely thinking, “it’s ok M&M boys some athletes get injured a lot”, “My palms get sweaty when I work hard too, Adrian”, “Hey Timberwolves maybe we both can win the lottery for once,” or “Hey at least we still have the state hockey tournament to look forward too every year”. As fans of sport, this is the best we can and should do and like my dear friend Bobo said recently, “this is the year” should be thought year after year just to make the seasons that much better. Because sooner or later something great will happen and like the fortunate undeserving fans of Boston, New York, or Los Angeles we too will be able to say where we were when the Timberwolves and their roster of up and comers won their first championship, the Stanley Cup finally reached its real home (not Canada), the best running back in the game carried the Vikings on his back to a Lombardi trophy, and hometown hero Joe Mauer helped win us the World Series. So maybe this is the year something awesome happens, so don’t fret or whine keep watching and cheering, because you don’t want to miss out when something glorious occurs. 

           

-Chuck Pillsbury

This is the Year

It is baseball’s most common phrase, a piece of lingering optimism. For the Chicago Cubs, it has become a part of their spring training routines. Wrigley Field’s ivy has grown sick of hearing it. For years, the fans packing the seats at Fenway Park were heard uttering the same words. Magically, the words held truth in 2004. For Indians fans, they haven’t had their year since 1948. They’ve had close calls, good seasons, winning seasons and great players, but not their year. In Pittsburgh, the Pirates have had successful triumphs, but baseball fans my age haven’t even seen the Pirates post a winning season (well 1992, but at age 2 I’m not remembering that). To be the bearer of bad news for Pirates fans, this year isn’t the year either. Yankees fans are never heard saying, “This is the year.” It’s a sense of confidence that New York fans have in their ball club and their inevitable conquests. As a Twins fan, it’s a natural reaction to let that sad phrase eek from my mouth. “This is the year” has a hopeful, wishing tone to it. It doesn’t represent confidence, but it represents hope and the notion that “we have a chance…” Yankees fans don’t have hope; they have assurance. ESPN First Take’s Skip Bayless said he liked the Twins to win it all, that it was their year. But I won’t. I will not let myself succumb to the weakness. I will not be fooled by what these words mean. I will possess the confidence of a Yankees fan (dear god…). I don’t need to tell my friends, “This is the year.” It just hurts too much.

Let us observe what the Twins have this season.

Joe Mauer is safely secure for the better part of the next decade. Twins fans throughout the tightly-knit Twins territory can all exhale in relief to hear that Joe Mauer will never (ever, ever) leave Minnesota. Former MVP and early 2010 MVP candidate Justin Morneau is fighting back strong from his concussion. Remember Morneau is a former hockey player from Canada; he has obtained toughness hard to rival in all of sports. Liriano is well removed from the Tommy John surgery that stole his entire 2007 season. In fact, I believe I heard Tim Kurkjian say that Liriano is a Cy Young candidate this year. It’s great to have star players. Few teams in the league have a cornerstone of players quite like the Twins.

If I remember correctly, the last time the Twins had an import from Japan it was 3B Tony Batista, goofy batting stance and all. The Twins are giving it another try with infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka, a 26 year old with great potential for a Gold Glove in the field. Nishioka also has the potential to be a .300 hitter and help the Twins fill the vacancy of Nick Punto (in some opinion’s, Punto is no loss whatsoever). To add to the short list of newcomers, this newcomer is actually no newcomer at all - former closer Joe Nathan is back, fresh off surgery and ready to reassume the role of the shutdown man in Minneapolis. Here lie two impact players new (and returning once again) to the Twin Cities.

As for returning role players, Danny Valencia is poising himself for a great sophomore season at the hot corner. Left fielder Delmon Young had an excellent season last year and he is still considered one of the most talented players in baseball. People within the baseball world are buzzing about this finally being Delmon’s breakout year. Prior to the summer of 2010, the Twins organization took a chance on an aging left-handed slugger, Jim Thome. Now prior to the summer of 2011, the Twins find themselves seeing how much more Thome has left in his tank. Jim gave his praises for Minnesota after last year’s experience as he loved his teammates, the fans and the Twin Cities area. Jim’s noted as being one of the nicest guys in baseball, so he fits the mold here in Minnesota. Jim isn’t the only veteran on this ballclub. Michael Cuddyer again returns to the Twins as a key outfielder and clubhouse leader. Add in outfielders Denard Span and Jason Kubel and starters Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker, the Twins have a team full of chemistry returning to Target Field; a returning team that makes many teams in baseball envious.

In baseball (fantasy at least), much has been said of the 27 year-olds. Players in the season’s in which they turn 27 are considered in the midst of their primes. The idea is that 27 year-old ball player’s still present youthful exuberance while also being veterans in the league; more good news for the Twins. They have 4 key players who will be of the age of 27 at the start of the season (Matt Capps, Liriano, Mauer, Denard Span) with another 4 turning 27 during the course of the season (Kevin Slowey, Alexi Casilla, Nishioka, Valencia). The Twins have a strong core of players all perched on the edge of career seasons, another area of optimism…

Finally, I’ll observe a little history (albeit, recent history). The Twins have won the AL Central for the past two seasons and made the post season 6 times in the 2000s. Ron Gardenhire has only one losing season with the Twins (2007, where he was 4 games under .500) and won the AL Manager of the Year in 2010. Even with the success his teams have had, this could be the strongest roster he’s had thus far. The Twins may have the formula.

Maybe this is the year.

 

-Troy Klongerbo