Sporting the Twin Cities
Turkey Day Tragedy

-- Andrea Jackley

It's 1:53 a.m. November 22, Thanksgiving morning, and my cell phone jars me awake from a restless slumber filled with dreams of homemade apple pie and endless NFL football. "Beep! Beep! Beep!" it screams, as I roll over to begrudgingly oblige the electronic nuisance's calls for attention. It's a text message from Tom, a good friend and fellow baseball enthusiast, determined to start my holiday off right: "Torii 2 Anaheim!! 5 yrs 90 mil!!"

I pause, letting my eyes adjust to the glaring little screen in front of me, in hopes that I just wasn't seeing clearly quite yet. But it is no use, for as soon as I flip on the television there are reports of the deal resounding across the cable networks. The Internet is no kinder, as headlines like "Angels sign free agent Torii Hunter for 90 million" on espn.go.com flash before me.

It was a last minute deal, brought to the table by the desperate Anaheim Angels, who were running out of time to fill a hitting gap in their lineup needed to protect star hitter Vladimir Guerrero; and according to the Thanksgiving Day Associated Press (AP) news release, "Hunter will be the everyday center fielder and hit in the middle of the lineup, making it tougher for opposing pitchers to pitch around Guerrero."

The assault on my world as I knew it continues into the next day. Jim Souhan, respected Star Tribune sports writer and radio personality, wrote a brisk column which begins, "Call Carl Pohlad cheap. Call the Twins feeble. Call new General Manager Bill Smith overmatched, or simply invoke his nickname, 'Mr. No.'"

Mr. Souhan goes on to defend the departure of our beloved center-fielding star, citing such little-known facts as "Big money, long-term contracts can destroy a franchise," and "A billionaire owner running a profitable team that will enter a new stadium in 2010 can afford $90 million over five years for a power-hitting center fielder. That doesn't make it a wise investment." I am stunned by this introspective, daring look at a deal sure to affect Carl Pohlad's upcoming ticket sales.

Yes, Mr. Souhan, large commitments of money for your run-of-the-mill, above-average hitter circa 1976, done several times over as clubs like the Angels seem fond of doing, can be destructive to a team's future. However, I decline that Torii Hunter is simply your run-of-the-mill, above-average hitter. Torii Hunter is a fielding phenom, an incessantly hard worker, the face of a franchise and the leader of a midlevel-market major league baseball team with fledgling talent eager to find its way - and he does it all with grace, integrity and style.

You see, Mr. Souhan, Torii Hunter defined the Minnesota Twins for a period in time in which they were winning not just baseball games but the hearts of local fans. And there's another problem with your arguments: the Twins franchise has never wagered its solidarity with frivolous "big money, long-term contracts." To the contrary, they have offered them only when circumstances warranted: take for the most recent example, Kirby Puckett. If any player has proven his worth since, it has been Torii Hunter.

Souhan further illustrated his point by saying, "The Twins didn't mind paying Hunter $15 million a year while he's in his prime; they balked at paying even more for a 36-year-old corner outfielder with a battered body, which is what Hunter figures to be in 2011." Let's not forget Hunter's ever-improving skills at the plate and his staunch willpower, both on and off the field.

I guess we'll have to settle for watching Hunter abuse his body in centerfield from the stands during next season's opening series - against the Angels.

But so the story goes. And for Minnesota fans stoically yearning for some reason to switch on ESPN in the morning, they must once again resign themselves to thoughts like, "Well, good for him. Now maybe has a chance to win." Another day-brightening headline broadcast on espn.go.com Nov. 23: "Garnett gets double-double as Celtics coast to win over Lakers."

Vikings

For Minnesota football fans, this season has brought disappointment after disappointment. The one shred of light shining through clouds has been Adrian Peterson and his other-worldly performances in the running game. Two weeks ago, Vikings fans' hearts stopped for a few minutes while Peterson lay, riddled with pain, on Lambeau Field after taking a hit from Green Bay Packers cornerback Al Harris. There were 1:15 minutes left on the clock in the third quarter… but time seemed to be standing still for Vikings fans.

"On a screen play, I caught the ball and cut it up the field. I saw two guys approaching from my left side. I tried to cross their face, and I crossed the free safety's face, and I don't know if it was a cornerback or strong safety that came in and dove at my legs right when I was cutting. It was scary," said Peterson.

Back-up quarterback Brooks Bollinger had thrown Peterson a short pass for an easy catch down the right flat when Harris made what appeared to be a clean hit from behind.

Peterson recalled the moment: "But right when I planted, that's when he came and hit my knee," he said. "I was just like, God; I hope I didn't tear anything or anything like that. That's what was going through my mind." Similar thoughts were streaming through Vikings fans' minds as well, only perhaps with a few more expletives. All this capped off an embarrassing (perhaps the most embarrassing I can remember) loss against the Packers, 34-0.

Peterson tore a lateral collateral ligament (say that ten times fast) in his right. Luckily, the injury has a fairly quick recovery time and Peterson is expected back on the field by no later than December 2 against the Detroit Lions. Peterson's injury also came with a silver lining: supposed starting runningback Chester Taylor got some well-deserved playing time against the Oakland Raiders November18, rushing 22 times for 202 yards and three touchdowns. Taylor's performance led to much-needed victory over the Raiders, 29-22.

The Vikings' recent antics can't help but invoke images of Brad Childress kneeling by his bedside, praying to the football gods (a.k.a. Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor) to help him save his job.

Gopher sports

The men's Gopher hockey team, for the first time in some years, has been finding ways to lose right along with local football teams. Now 7-5-1, the 13th ranked Gopher men's hockey team recently tied 3-3 with Michigan State to open the College Hockey Showcase. And although the women's team is 4-0-1 on the year, not yet losing on home ice, their real rivalry this winter may come in the form of Williams Arena. Mediocre performances by the skating rodents may prove beneficial to both the women's basketball and, as I coin the term, "Tubby's team" this season.

The biggest story in Gopher football these days is yet another embarrassing loss to the Wisconsin Badgers, one of the most heated rivalries in college football, just one week after the Vikings' fall to Green Bay. While head coach Tim Brewster was not named as one of veteran sports writer Pat Reusse's infamous "Turkeys," I have a feeling next year's column might devote considerable attention to him.

Wild

The one team the Twin Cities has come to expect a little satisfaction from this fall has been the Wild. Unfortunately, as though taking cue from the rest of the pro and college sports teams in the area, the Wild have been dropping games right and left to such abhorred opponents as the Vancouver Canucks, which had promised to be one of the bloodiest battles of the year. The Wild began the season with a vengeance, going 7-0-1, but have managed to muster a record of only 4-9-1 since October 21. But if I have any faith left this season, it's for the "Slovakian Super Studs" to turn things around.

Fair thee well

Well Minnesota Sports Fans, it's been a good run. A year and half of bringing the thrills of the Twin Cities' sports scene to Metropolitan State University has been fun and rewarding, but the time has come for me to don my cap and gown - and I'll do so with pride. Keep rooting for our floundering mess of sports teams, because as we can look to the east toward Boston, MA and know, good things come to those who wait. Oh, and don't forget to pick up your post-Garnett special from the Timberwolves: three games featuring the likes of the Dallas Mavericks; Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns; and yup, you guessed it, the Boston Celtics - all starting for just $50. (Do you think upper management choked on their "turducken" while announcing this one?)