Goethe's sports blog

Pitchers and catchers report for spring training for the Seattle Mariners on Saturday. Can you believe it’s that time of year already?

The Minnesota Twins battery mates aren’t scheduled to arrive in Fort Myers, Fla., until a week from Saturday.

Associated Press photo

I figure the team is pretty much done making offseason moves, so I figured I’d post what players in camp should be frontrunners for jobs. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire also recently stated what he expects to be his starting lineup in 2012 (health permitting with this group, of course).

Projected lineup (via Gardy)
Denard Span, CF
Jamey Carroll, SS
Joe Mauer, C
Justin Morneau, 1B
Josh Willingham, RF
Ryan Doumit, DH
Danny Valencia, 3B
Alexi Casilla, 2B
Ben Revere, LF

Projected bench (only four since Gardy loves opening with a 12-man pitching staff)
C Drew Butera
IF Tsuyoshi Nishioka
1B Chris Parmelee
OF Rene Tosoni

Starting rotation
RH Carl Pavano
LH Francisco Liriano
RH Scott Baker
RH Nick Blackburn
RH Jason Marquis

Bullpen
RH Matt Capps (closer)
LH Glen Perkins
RH Joel Zumaya
LH Brian Duensing
RH Alex Burnett
RH Lester Oliveros
RH Anthony Swarzak

Anyone I missed? The bullpen jobs are largely up for grabs. Other notable relievers in camp are right-handers Kyle Waldrop, Jeff Gray, Jason Bulger, Jared Burton and Casey Fien and left-hander Matt Maloney.

The Minnesota Timberwolves will be suffering from a bit of “Love loss” the next couple of nights.

Star forward Kevin Love was suspended for Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games after stepping on the chest and face of Houston Rockets forward Luis Scola.

The incident was just the latest sign of chippy play between the two players. And Love in particular has been involved in a number of physical plays this year.

But after watching the video, I was surprised Love got two games. It didn’t appear to be blatantly intentional. Love proclaimed his innocence following the Saturday game, but wasn’t exactly doing so in today’s story about the incident, calling the suspension “warranted”.

Love is averaging 25 points and 13.7 rebounds (2nd in the NBA) per game this season. The Wolves are a surprising 12-12 this season.

I’m still riding a post-Super Bowl high today, even if my belly is telling me I downed too much nacho cheese last night.

I noticed this morning on social media that one of my friends thought last night’s Super Bowl was dull and that he went to bed before the game ended. I can’t help but feel sorry for him. Don’t worry, blog readers. I made sure to give him plenty of grief.

The game was close throughout and the finish was fantastic, with the New York Giants pulling out a four-point victory against the New England Patriots.

A few thoughts:

• While his catch will likely not live on the way that David Tyree‘s did, you could argue Mario Manningham‘s catch was more impressive. There was an element of luck to Tyree’s famous grab in the Super Bowl a few years ago. Manningham’s catch on the Giants’ winning drive was pure skill.
• People need to lighten up on Wes Welker for not making that catch that went off of his hands in the fourth quarter that could have helped the Patriots preserve a victory. That was a tough play. Could he have made the catch? Of course. He’s a Pro Bowl receiver. But that’s no gimme.
• The Super Bowl win does mean a lot for Eli Manning and his legacy. But two championships to older brother Peyton‘s one does not make Eli a better player over the course of their careers. When I hear people even suggest that, you realize how much this society can be a victim of the moment. Don’t forget how great of a player Peyton Manning was (and is, if he can come back healthy). When you stack up the numbers during their careers, it’s not even close. It’s just that the Colts haven’t had the playoff success that the Giants have had.
• Any Vikings fans thinking down the road to a Super Bowl in Minneapolis if a stadium deal can be approved? The thought crossed my mind. The Twin Cities hosted a Super Bowl two decades ago. Would be pretty cool if it returned.

“Super Bowl, homeboy!” Say what you want about Randy Moss, but he was always good for a quote, wasn’t he?

The Super Bowl kicks off in a few hours. Some watch the big game for commercials. Others for the halftime show. And there are actually some people watching just because they like football. Crazy, huh?

The Super Bowl marks, in my opinion, the end of a fun sports season too. When you think about it, we enter into a real sports lull until March Madness (although MLB pitchers and catchers report for spring training in a couple of weeks).

My prediction for the game? Patriots 31, Giants 27.

This is a great matchup of two teams with some big-time weapons on offense and questionable defenses. I’ve gone back and forth on what team I think will win. Ultimately, I just don’t want to pick against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.

Finally, I leave you with a halftime show from years past. In fact, it was 10 years ago that U2 played the Super Bowl, the first of which to occur after 9/11. Fantastic performance. When I see the names of the  victims scrolling behind the band, it still gives me chills.

Tom Kelly has never been one for the spotlight.

The former Minnesota Twins manager famously remained in the dugout and watched his players celebrated World Series titles in 1987 and 1991.

So when Kelly learned Thursday that his No. 10 would be retired by the organization, he was moved. And then he quickly moved … right off of the stage. Check it out here.

That is vintage Kelly. Not a word. And even on that tiny YouTube-sized video, you can tell from the expression on his face how much the news meant to him.

I’ll admit that my initial reaction upon reading about Kelly’s number being retired was, “Do the Twins retire TOO many numbers?” The Twins just recently retired Bert Blyleven’s number. Kelly marks the seventh member of the Twins to receive the honor.

I’ve long admired the Boston Red Sox’s firm policy on number retirement. While it’s loosened up some in recent years, they also have seven, yet the BoSox have been around for more than 100 years.

But when I saw Kelly motor off the stage like he did Thursday night, I started to get excited for Tom Kelly Day in September. Two World Series titles. Why not? Hang that No. 10 in Target Field.

Back by (my own) popular demand …

My annual Major League Baseball stadium tour is starting to get planned for the 2012 season, and I’m excited for this one.

A couple of friends and I have decided this summer to head out to big league parks in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Toronto. That marks the most parks reached on a single trip.

Fenway Park is where the ol' Ballpark Tour started.

These ballpark tours have taken on a variety of forms dating back to my first one in 2007. Appropriately, it all began that year with Fenway Park in Boston with my youngest brother. Other trips have landed me in major league stadiums in Seattle, Chicago (Wrigley and U.S. Cellular), Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver.

No doubt the stadium that I’m most looking forward to seeing in this summer’s trip is Pittsburgh’s. PNC Park has long been my favorite one to see on TV. I can’t wait to get a look at the Roberto Clemente Bridge and the Pittsburgh skyline from the seats behind the home plate area. Just an awesome park.

Pittsburgh may be the best stadium, but I think Toronto is the city that I’m most looking forward to. Seems to be no shortage of things to do there, and if you’re a sports buff like I am, there’s no shortage of iconic hockey stops to make.

Always nice to have something in the summer to look forward to. Helps you forget about winter, even a mild winter like this one.

Prior to the start of the season, I didn’t think Kevin Love would be willing to sign a contract extension with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That would have been a huge loss to a Twin Cities fan base, much of which is still bitter about the Kevin Garnett trade of a few years ago. Love is one of the best post players in the NBA, and the Wolves could ill afford to let the restricted-free-agent-to-be get away.

Turn the calendar back to August, and it just didn’t seem like he was staying. But after signing a four-year contract extension with the team on Wednesday, Love has agreed to stick around as the Wolves try to climb out of the rebuilding process.

Timberwolves forward Kevin Love scored 31 points on Wednesday. Associated Press

So what has changed in the last few months?

Well, the new collective bargaining agreement helps to a degree. Nobody knew what direction the CBA was headed in during the lockout. But there are still financial benefits to players who choose to re-sign with their teams.

What has also helped is the improvement on the court. The Wolves now have a proven head coach in Rick Adelman and a flashy point guard in Ricky Rubio. An 8-10 record may not sound impressive, but it’s a vast improvement from last year’s 17-65 showing. The team is not a playoff contender yet, but it does have a pulse again.

Fans have been patient with the organization for awhile, and that patience is starting to show signs of paying off. The Wolves are young, and thus, inconsistent. But they have some impressive wins under their belts, including two against the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. The Wolves beat the Mavs again on Wednesday, just hours after Love signed his new contract.

It’s worth noting that Love’s four-year deal does have an opt-out clause after three years. But that really doesn’t matter. He is giving the Wolves a chance to become playoff contenders and maybe more over the next few years, and considering where the organization has been, that’s all it can ask for.

Prince Fielder finally was given his big free-agent contract. And from the looks of it, the deal was well worth the wait.

Fielder and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a nine-year, $214 million deal on Tuesday, giving a boost to an offense that had recently lost the services of DH/catcher Victor Martinez for the season due to an ACL tear.

Even without Martinez, I figured the Tigers would remain favorites in an AL Central that has the Minnesota Twins down and the Chicago White Sox in rebuilding mode. But with Fielder on board, Detroit has a dynamic 1-2 lumber punch in Fielder and Miguel Cabrera to go with a solid pitching staff anchored by Justin Verlander.

Prince Fielder is going to Motown. Associated Press photo

So where does this leave the Twins?

I think they will be an improved team in 2012, assuming Minnesota isn’t snakebit with injuries the way they were last season. But I don’t see the Twins competing for the AL Central title in 2012. Unless they jump in and grab Roy Oswalt, I expect Minnesota to be a middle-of-the-road team this season.

I dug up a little lunch-hour reading for those of you out there working hard on your last day before the weekend.

Baseball America published Friday its list of the top 10 prospects in the Minnesota Twins system. The list is available here.

It’s only another month before pitchers and catchers report to big league spring training, and I’m starting to get ready for baseball season. The summer ballpark tour is in the works again, with myself and a couple of my friends already planning where to road trip to this season.

A few thoughts:

• Miguel Sano, not surprisingly, grabbed the No. 1 spot. He was recently named the second-best third base prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo.  Sano batted .292 with 20 homers in 66 games at Elizabethton last season at the age of 18. The Twins like to take it slow with prospects, but he could be a fast riser if he manhandles A-ball pitching this season.
• Beyond the top five or six, the list takes a drop, which really shows the Twins’ lack of depth in their farm system. No. 7 prospect Liam Hendriks got a taste of the big leagues last year, but most experts project him to be nothing more than a third or fourth starter in the majors.
• No. 2 prospect Joe Benson also played briefly in the majors last season. With the departures of Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer in free agency, Benson could have taken advantage of an opportunity with a better September last year, but he often looked overmatched at the plate. There’s no questioning that Benson has the tools, but they might need more refining. Remember, he did bypass Triple-A entirely after a strong Double-A showing last season.
• Former eighth-round pick Brian Dozier lands at No. 10. Along with Benson and Hendriks, he’s another guy that Twins fans could see in the big leagues sooner rather than later. The middle infielder hit .322 at advanced A-ball last year before batting .318 at Double-A New Britain in 78 games. Because the Twins lack depth at second base and shortstop, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Dozier get September at-bats with another strong year in the minors.

I did something on my night off Monday that I hadn’t done in what seemed like years: Watch a Minnesota Timberwolves game … front to back.

The Wolves pulled away late to beat the Sacramento Kings on Monday.

I was at work tonight when they picked up another victory, rallying to defeat the Detroit Pistons. I wouldn’t say basketball fans have visions of playoff berths dancing in their heads, but at least the team is fun to watch.

The Target Center crowd – after years of turning its collective back on the team – has returned. And the fans hang on every Ricky Rubio no-look pass. And I continue to marvel at the dominant post presence that Kevin Love has begun. This team has a couple of building blocks and just needs to build upon the foundation.

I’m heading down to the Twin Cities next month for the first Timberwolves game of my life, and I’m really looking forward to it. For whatever reason – is it Rubio alone that’s responsible? – the product on the court seems vastly improved from a year ago.