Sporting the Twin Cities
'The Boys of (the second half of) Summer'

Andrea Jackley

Speculation, speculation, speculation… Rumors are always flying in the world of sports; it’s just that sometimes the mill becomes more active than others. From trades to casual performance-enhancing drug use, the talking heads are busy talking. Whether it’s Kevin Garnett or Barry Bonds or (gulp) Torii Hunter, conjecture abounds. Does Garnett really want to continue playing in Minnesota, even after a more-than dismal 2006–07 season? Will rookie Adrian Peterson represent, or disappoint? Has Terry Ryan’s imminent patience finally priced him out of the market—especially in lieu of Seattle Mariner superstar Ichiro Suzuki’s $90 million deal?

For Minnesota sports fans, the countdown is on: On Aug. 2 the groundbreaking of the future Twins ballpark with no current price tag will take place. In a little over a week the Vikings will be playing their first preseason game against St. Louis, who will be absent one of their key starting cornerbacks, Fakhir Brown, after suspending him for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. And in eight weeks Torii Hunter will be a free agent.

Twins
It’s time for magic. That’s what many Twin Cities’ sports writers are propagating in their respective mediums. Between newspaper and internet headlines, the Twins must really be feeling the pressure of their improbable 2006 season. The boys are further ahead in the count than they were last year, but have a substantially worse record. The AL Central is, as we’ve come to expect, one of (if not the) toughest divisions in baseball.

But Post-All-Star Break is looking sweet again. At least, it was against the injury-prone Oakland Athletics. The San Diego Piranhas came out biting against the traditionally tough AL West team, scoring a respective six, five, four and four runs, handing the A’s their eighth loss in a row and clinching a four-game sweep. Michael Cuddyer’s bat started hot, much like the beginning of the season, as he went four-for-four in the first game and seven for 10 in the series. Boof Bonser successfully pitched more than five innings and Luis Castillo found plenty of gaps. Justin Morneau hit his 25th homerun of the season and Johan Santana returned to his usual second-half ace form, striking out eight with the aid of that unbelievable changeup. The inevitable question is: Will the Twins be able to keep it up?

A heartbreaking split with the slumping Chicago White Sox before the All-Star break seemed to be very indicative of the Twins’ give-a-little-take-a-little 2007 season so far. After defeating the Sox in a grueling double header on Friday, during which the Twins scored a total of 32 runs, Sox coach Ozzie Guillen was quoted as saying, "They’re not piranhas no more, they’re a shark attack." The Twins then went on to give away the next two games to the ailing team. An exasperated Twins star slugger Justin Morneau said after the game, "It’s tough. I’m tired of being behind."

But amidst all the usual running of the mouth, there are two things we know for sure: Mike Redmond loves to play baseball, and Rondell White is perpetually hurt. After suffering a violent smack to the head from big Jim Thome’s runaway bat, Redmond diligently received several stitches and returned to the game, just in case he was needed.

Each day my neighboring coworker and I speculate on the condition of Rondell White, and each day our hopes are barreled down by yet another "set back." And then the questions start. What could possibly have befallen our heroic left fielder now? Was he skipping in the field again, or trying to run up the stadium steps two at a time? Or, worse yet, was he skipping in the field and chewing gum? Veteran sports writer Patrick Reusse had an astute observation on KSTP radio’s Sports Talk Sunday during the Oakland series: "This is a guy who came to the organization and was known for always being injured. And somehow we thought we had the magic solution. And now he’s always injured."

Vikings
Innovation aside, it seems the Vikings have seemingly become part of an unofficial NFL running back movement. With returning starter Chester Taylor, who booked 1,214 rushing yards in his first season with the team, and the acquisition of seventh-round pick Adrian Peterson, head coach Brad Childress is poised to have an effective one-two punch in his running game. The "two-back attack," as it has eloquently been dubbed by witty pro-sports writers, has steadily been gaining popularity since 2000.

As the Vikings rapidly approach their 2007–08 season, the biggest unanswered question still remains with the quarterback. While no one doubts Tarvaris Jackson has talent and what seems to be an uncannily accurate arm, his ability to persevere in the bigs has yet to be tested.

A scandalous point of interest: An anonymous blogger on http://www.ProFootballTalk.com recently announced: "A league source tells us that the Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper could be eyeballing the Green Bay Packers as his next NFL landing spot. If it happens, Culpepper would be a candidate to serve as the backup to starter Brett Favre, and could then be the guy to succeed Favre when he retires in 2025."

Timberwolves
In a brief note, starters Randy Foye, Rashad McCants and Craig Smith have looked sharp in the NBA’s Summer League. The trio has shown a cohesion that was largely absent during last year’s pitiful season. First-round draft pick Corey Brewer has also been solid, notably nailing a double-double and putting up 18 points and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes against the Grizzlies July 14. These exhibitions should be about as telling as the crystal ball I keep in my basement.