The underachieving Minnesota Timberwolves have struggled all season to figure out what they're doing differently from last year. Just last spring the Wolves overcame the absence of Troy Hudson and a hobbling Sam Cassell to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. With almost exactly the same team--all healthy this year--Minnesota is barely holding their heads above the .500 waters. And they're only doing that because of a win last night in Denver.
It's possible that last night's win could provide the spark the Wolves have been looking for. Instead of dealing with Latrel Sprewell worrying more about how he's going to feed his family than how he's going to beat his defender baseline, the Wolves received a jolt of motivation. All it took was a little scuffle.
After being stepped on for the majority of the season, the jolt of inspiration came not from Kevin Garnett or Wally Szczerbiak, but from Michael Olowokandi. The Candy Man didn't know what he was doing. His frustration just boiled over and he began fighting with Nene of Denver. But his testosterone-laced outbreak served more of a purpose than he realized.
The fight came at the end of the third quarter of a tight game in Denver. A little pushing and shoving turned into the flurry of wildly inaccurate hay-makers that typlifies every NBA fight. As usual, no one landed a solid blow, no one was hurt and both players were ejected. But it also did something else. It pissed the Wolves off.
They realize it was the first time this season anyone had stood their ground against an opponent. They realized they were no longer the scrappy underdog with something to prove. Now they were the complacent favorite on Laker-like cruise control. Only they might not have the ability to shift into another gear as seamlessly as L.A. has become famous for. They realized they had to start playing for real.
Late in the third quarter, the Timberwolves realized they had wasted enough time. It was time to throw down and see what happened. The result was a Michael Olowokandi ejection and--finally--a Timberwolves win on the road.
For years, he hated them. And the feeling was mutual. It was arguably the most heated relationship in all of professional baseball. But now, A.J Peirzynski, the former spark-plug catcher for the Minnesota Twins, will be playing with the ultimate enemy: the Chicago White Sox.
For the past four seasons, ever since the Twins returned to American League Central Division prominence, the Twins and Sox haven't been on the best of terms. In fact, the threat of a bench-clearing brawl looms over each game they play. A major reason for that tension was A.J. Peirzynski. The Twins catcher would chirp at hitters while they stood in the batter's box, chirp at the position players when he was on base and chirp at the entire White Sox team through both city's media outlets.
When A.J. was shipped off to San Francisco to make room for up-and-coming Joe Mauer, controversy followed him. Immediately Peirzynski became the subject of criticism from teammates, fans and the media. They said he was selfish and arrogant. But as the season continued, they realized he was also a solid backstop and an asset to the line-up.
You can expect the same thing to happen in Chicago. At the beginning, there may be some hard feelings between the enemies-turned-teammates. Don't be surprised to see the Chicago media make a big deal of it at the beginning of the season. But in the end, Peirzynski and the Sox will be fine.
I know this because I have played with a lot of guys like A.J. They are the sworn enemy of every team they play. They annoy and berate everyone on the opposing team, no matter who it is. Their teammates are even annoyed by their tactics but, in the name of solidarity, ignore it or at least put up with it. Don't expect A.J. to make a lot of close friends in Chicago, but that doesn't mean he won't be successful.
Losing A.J. Peirzynski before last season didn't seem like a bad deal for the Twins at the time. After all, they had Mauer waiting in the wings. But now that Mauer has suffered a knee injury that is much more serious than the Twins have been willing to let on, A.J's presence behind the plate will be sorely missed. Even more now that he is based in the enemy camp.
Yesterday afternoon I stepped off a plane in Boise, Idaho to be greeted by the clean air, mountain foothills and the youth and vitality of a college town. Shortly after that, I was greeted by a rude awakening about the state of sports. At 37-years old, former NBA All-Star Jayson Williams is making a comeback, starting with the CBA team here in Boise. It all sounds warm and fuzzy until you get the rest of the story.
Jayson Williams killed a man. With a blood-alcohol level of at least .18, Williams played to the crowd in his mansion by pulling a rifle out and pointing it at his limo driver. He then shouted an expletive at the man and snapped the gun shut. Needless to say, it discharged and killed the man on the spot.
Williams proceeded to take his clothes off and tell a friend to get rid of them while he went for a swim in his pool before the police came. He was somehow acquitted of reckless manslaughter, pleading guilty only to covering up a crime. But the story doesn't end there. Williams will be re-tried. While he waits, he's decided to play a little hoops.
On the local Boise news, as well as an ESPN article, the reason given for Williams getting out of the NBA was "knee problems." Knee problems? Are you serious? How about "legal problems?" That seems to fit a little better here.
The kicker came when a high ranking official with the Boise CBA team was interviewed live on the local news. The reporter did an admirable job in asking the tough but necessary questions. The exchange went something like this...
Reporter: "Why have you signed Jayson Williams even though he is awaiting another trial for manslaughter?"
Boise Team Official: "Honestly, we need a rebounding presence in the paint. We think he can help us out. He might be getting a little old, but we think he can still play."
In review, the Boise team is admittedly willing to completely overlook the fact that Williams killed a man because....drum roll please...he can help them in the paint!
This shouldn't be surprising. It's nothing new. But that doesn't make it any less wrong.
On Randy Johnson's first day as a Yankee in New York, the red carpet wasn't exactly laid out for him. On his way to report for the final hurdle before making his change of uniform official--the physical--Johnson got into an altercation with a television news photographer. The national media jumped on it like Warren Sapp on a doughnut.
Put aside for a moment the absurdity of a team like the Yankees acquiring a guy like the big unit. Let's not focus on the fact that the Yankees starting rotation makes more money than the entire Minnesota Twins roster. Rather, let's turn our attention to what happened on the streets of New York between Johnson and the photographer.
Because of this incident, Johnson has been made out to be the bad guy and granted, he was obnoxious and completely out of line. But why isn't anyone talking about the other person who was completely out of line? The photographer had as much to do with this as Johnson. When Johnson told him to "get out of his face" the photographer didn't necessarily have to turn the camera off and leave (although it would seem like the obvious thing to do.) If he felt that he had a job to do and Johnson, as a professional athlete, had a responsibility to put up with it, I would agree that he had a valid point. But be cordial about it.
Rather than turning more aggressive and baiting Johnson into the outburst that occurred, he could have stood back and shot his footage from some place outside Johnson's personal space. He wasn't using a hand-held cam-corder, his footage would have looked fine.
Should Johnson be praised for his actions? No. But at least he publicly apologized for them. The photographer is just sitting around basking in the national notoriety of being the guy who got Randy Johnson all worked up. If you ask me, the whole episode was as much about the photographer as it was the unit.
While watching an Oklahoma Sooners basketball game with friends the other day, someone chimed in and said, "I know a guy who thinks Longar Longar is going to be a lottery pick in a couple years." As the rest of the room laughed, I sat quietly considering this prediction. After a minute or two, when the thought had cleared from everyone else's mind, I said, "I think I agree." No one had any idea what I was talking about because, to them, it was a one-time joke that had long since passed. But I think it could be much more than a joke.
Longar Longar is a graduate of John Marshall High School in Rochester, Minnesota. He came to the U.S. just a few years prior to that, having never played basketball. But Longar is a long, athletic 6'11'', so he started playing as a teenager. Just a few years later, Longar had made a believer out of me.
In his first varsity season, Longar displayed an amazing array of dunks and blocked shots that we hadn't seen around these parts since long before I was born. In fact, I would challenge anyone to find someone who has ever shown that type of athleticism coming out of Rochester. Half court ally-oops, throwing back shots from two feet above the rim, these things had never been seen in Rochester high school basketball before Longar.
Even then, Longar wasn't a great player. He was incredibly fun to watch, but a liability on the court much of the time. His coming out party was a process that took the majority of his senior season, but he saved the best for the last game of his high school career.
In the opening round of the state tournament, JM was given the unenviable fate of going to Minneapolis North. North had a point guard named Lawrence McKenzie who is now playing with Longar at OU, as well as a 7-footer to match up against Longar. But this 7-footer was more than just an inch or two taller, he was about 60-pounds heavier and a top prospect across the country.
In the single most impressive game by a high school basketball player I have ever witnessed, Longar destroyed the North center. By pulling out moves he had never shown before, Longar single-handedly kept his team in the hunt right up until the end. North narrowly won the game, but everyone in that gym would remember the name Longar Longar.
Now Longar is getting limited playing time for the Sooners, who recently upset 11th ranked U-Conn. Longar played seven minutes, didn't attempt a shot, hauled in a couple rebounds, chalked up an assist and was charged with three fouls. It was a pretty typical game for Longar, but it won't be for long. I don't even think it will take until next year for Longar to start contributing more to his Sooner squad. By March Madness, he will be known well beyond the campus in Norman, Oklahoma.
Will Longar be a lottery pick this spring? No. Next spring? I doubt it. But before he's finished with his career at Oklahoma, look for Longar Longar to be one of the most talked-about players in Dick Vitale's arsenal. Take it from me, "He's awesome, baby!"
Amazing. Immature. Idiotic. You can use whatever adjective you deem appropriate for Randy Moss making Packer fans the butt of his joke after his second touchdown catch against Green Bay on Sunday. One that certainly fits is unique.
For anyone who missed it, Moss caught a long touchdown pass, then pretended to drop his proverbial drawers and moon the Green Bay faithful. Then he rubbed his butt against the field goal posts in a manner that can only be described as inappropriate.
It remains to be seen what the media will do with Moss' latest episode. They may blow it into a big story, like last week when he left the field with two seconds remaining on the clock. Or they may let it fly, chalking it up to "Randy being Randy." In this case, I prefer the latter.
Everyone knows Randy Moss has done some stupid things. Leaving the field early and saying he plays when he wants to play are stupid. Everyone knows he does illegal things. Running over traffic cops and smoking pot fall in that category. But pretending to moon the crowd belongs in a category of its own. I call it the "Clueless Category."
Although there are times when Randy can be a mean person, mooning the crowd is almost a redeeming quality. It shows an innocence you would expect to see from a thirteen-year old. Moss didn't flip the bird like Brian Cox and Jake Plummer, he didn't insult them by standing on their logo at mid-field and raise his arms like Terrell Owens. No, Moss pretended to moon the crowd. He pretended to show the crowd his butt. I can't think of a way to say it that sounds more serious, mature and controversial. Randy pseudo-mooned the fans at Lambeau Field. It may be insulting and inappropriate, but more than anything else it's just plain funny.
At 3:30 this afternoon, the Vikings and Packers will kick-off with a half-frozen football and play for the first time ever in the post season. The Packers have Brett Favre. They have Ahman Green. They have been to the Super Bowl with those players. Twice. They have won it once.
The Minnesota Vikings haven't been to the Super Bowl since the days of Ancient Greece, well before Culpepper, Moss, Bennett and Burleson were names anyone had ever heard. They have played in two NFC Championship games, losing one in heartbreaking fashion and the other in back-breaking fashion. As I write this, mere hours stand between the Vikings and this year's quest.
In a way, I like where the Vikings are right now. Admittedly, they are sliding, having lost seven of their last ten games. They are out of sinc, out of confidence and out of time. They can't afford to mess around any more. But I think that urgency is their greatest strength.
Going into the Washington game, Mike Tice thought the Vikings would have a great chance of winning if they didn't turn the ball over. Well, they didn't, and they even forced two of their own. And they still lost. Now is the time to forget passive strategies. It's the time to put the conservative play-calling in the back pocket and think more along the lines of calling a Randy Moss pass to the end zone. It no longer matters if it backfires again. Laying it all on the line is the only chance they have.
Here is where Daunte Culpepper comes in. He is known around the league as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the world. His ability to run as well as throw puts him in an elite club with the likes of Michael Vick and old Randall Cunningham. But the question I have about Culpepper is this: Can he win a Super Bowl?
Granted, John Elway didn't win the big one until the final years of his career, so maybe I'm being too hard on Culpepper. Daunte also has a sub-par defense to compensate for, which can sometimes be impossible. But if he could do it, if he could overcome the inevitable defensive miscues and lead his team to victory today at Lambeau Field, who's to say it will stop there? After all, this is the team that was given the third best odds to win the Super Bowl in pre-season polls. This is a team with plenty of talent to beat Green Bay. And if they can manage that, this could be the team that Daunte Culpepper leads to the promised land.
