Comparing Restovich To Ortiz

A couple days ago, the Twins waived Michael Restovich, opting to carry four catchers. First of all, this proves my belief all along that the Twins have been sugar-coating Joe Mauer's condition. If they really believed he was going to be able to catch there would be no reason to carry a fourth catcher. What I can't figure out is why the team has insisted on making Mauer's injury seem less serious than it is. Who cares if his knee is hurt? Obviously, no one wants that but the Twins receive no benefit for making his injury out to be less than it is. It's not going to help him rehab any quicker.

Secondly, I think the Twins are making a similar mistake with Restovich that they made with David Ortiz, although obviously on a different level. Ortiz was an average to good major league player for the Twins. He showed the ability to hit for power to all fields, drive in runs and, yes, strike out. But the Twins didn't feel the need to keep him. Now he's one of the best power hitters in the big leagues. He credits part of his success to an environment where he is encouraged to hit home runs rather than focusing on not striking out.

Restovich has suffered a similar fate during his tenure with the Twins organization. His mind, if not his swing, has been constantly meddled with. "We know you can hit home runs," the Twins basically said to him. "But we don't want that. Not if it means you're going to strike out too." Unfortunately, the Twins will be looking for a true power threat for a long time unless they change this attitude.

I think Restovich and Ortiz will also be similar in what happens to them after leaving the Twins. No, I'm not saying Resto will be an All-Star or hit 40 home runs this season. I am saying that when he gets a chance to get 500 at-bats a year--and it looks like it won't be with Tampa--he will be a solid major league player, presenting a valid power threat for some team. Ortiz went from average major leaguer to All-Star. Restovich will go from solid minor leaguer to solid big leaguer.

Yes, Terry Ryan, he will also strike out. But isn't that a trade-off you need to consider?

A Blind Ace

Joel Ludvicek will go down as a legend in my book.

The Iowa native who got a hole in one a couple days ago isn't your typical golfer. Nor was this your typical hole-in-one.

First of all, and most amazingly, Ludvicek is legally blind. His vision is very blurry and he can't see things directly in front of him. How he even hit the golf ball is beyond me.

Secondly, this wasn't a 97-yard chip shot from the tee box. It was a legitimate 168-yard hole. In fact Ludvicek, who I'm guessing doesn't have a whole lot of strength left at 78 years old, had to use a driver to get it there.

Finally, when the ball rolled into the cup and his golfing partners told him about it, he didn't believe them because "they've said it before."

Forget the cruelty of a blind guy's golfing partners telling him he hit a hole in one when he hadn't, and just picture that moment. A blind guy hits the ball--a substantial feat in itself--it's well-struck and looks like it's on a good line. Then it lands on the green and drops into the hole. Three-fourths of the foursome erupts while the one who hit the ball is thinking the joke is starting to get old. But when he approaches the hole and looks in--not directly, of course--he
sees, barely, that he did in fact ace the hole.

If I was Joel Ludvicek, I would have walked off the course right then and there. I wouldn't play another hole of golf in my life. I would just go around telling people about my hole in one and watching them laugh. Then again, maybe I'd tee it up again and go for two in a row. With luck like that, you never know.

Twins Games Will Never Be The Same

I bought my first Twins tickets of the year the other day. Shortly after the purchase, I heard of Bob Casey's death. It's odd how I didn't realize it until now, but Twins games and Bob Casey go hand in hand. They always have, since the beginning of the franchise. Now, things will feel a little different at the Metrodome.

Many people have been talking about Casey's famous lines. You know, "Nooooo smoking in the Metrodome. Noooooo smoking," as Kent Hrbek takes a fake puff and waves a little no-no. And of course, "Kirbeeeeeeeeeeeey Pucket!" But Casey's influence penetrated deeper than that.

Everything he said, from the starting line-ups to "the Twins are not responsible for thrown bats or batted balls" was said in Bob Casey's voice. Every syllable made it feel like a Twins game. His voice is the only one Twins fans have known.

Maybe Casey was preparing us for his departure. Lately, there haven't been many special name announcements. When Pucket, Knoblauch and Hrbek left, Casey seemed to tone things down a little. Now we don't have to worry about listening to a cheap imitation of his famous announcements, not that anyone could compare.

But that doesn't mean his absence won't be felt. In my mind, Bob Casey will always be the Twins public address announcer.

The Big Dance Comes Through Again

After a couple chaotic weeks that dwindled the NCAA men's basketball field to four teams, two things occurred just as they always do this time of year, sure as the March snow storm in Minnesota. First, my picks were thrown in the trash well before the national championship game. And second, the tourney lived up to the hype yet again.

I personally consider March Madness the best athletic event of the year. Better than the Super Bowl, better than the World Series and a heck of a lot better than the NBA playoffs. Need proof? Look no further than this past weekend's games.

On Saturday, the tourney's biggest Cinderella squad, the West Virginia Mountaineers, held a 20-point lead over Louisville. Behind Kevin Pittsnogel's six 3-pointers and 25 points, the magical Mountaineers seemed poised to storm St. Louis. Then March Madness got them.

Louisville dominated the final 15 minutes of play, inching closer and closer before tying the game and sending it to overtime. With their best player fouled out and Taquan Dean hobbling around on one leg, the Cards completed the comeback and will advance to the Final Four.

Minutes later, it was Illinois creating the magic. After trailing by 15 late in the game to Arizona, Dee Brown, Luther Head and the Illini forced their game into an extra session as well. A last second Wildcat three pointer clanked off the backboard and Illinois' comeback was also complete.

Then Sunday, a pesky Wisconsin club that had no business being on the same court as North Carolina held tough throughout the entire 40 minutes. The game to come, Michigan State and Kentucky, proved to be the best of them all.

A three-point prayer hit the rim four times before falling in. Four times. That doesn't happen. If the ball hits the rim more than once, it always bounces out. But not for Patrick Sparks. And that toe that looked like it was on the line...nope. It took five minutes of nail-biting to get the word, but the word was overtime. Fighting that momentum, the Spartans emerged victorious, surprising the nation as a Final Four club.

Has there ever been a more exciting weekend in college basketball? Four games, four total overtimes. That's what I call Madness.