• Question: So far, new Target Field hasn’t been a mecca for Minnesota Twins power hitters, with the team’s home run numbers lagging significantly behind those in a similar number of games in 2009 at the Metrodome (23-10 through 23 games). Should this be a concern or is it too early to judge how the baseball will carry at Target Field?
-Dorr: It’s probably too early to judge but balls have not carried well in the power alleys, that’s for sure. In the nine games of the past home stand the team managed only three homers, none of them by Justin Morneau or Joe Mauer. And that might not be a concern except that the opposing teams are hitting them with much more regularity than the Twins. If other teams can hit homers, why can’t the Twins? The best thing to do is wait a couple more months, or perhaps until the end of the season, before making a judgment on how well balls will carry.
-Marxhausen: One thing is for sure and that is that you can never predict where the ball will end up and it is usually moving quite speedily. The Twins haven’t been known for their power in a while and are comfortable doing so. Yes, home runs are spectacular and make the game more fun to watch, but if the power isn’t there then they will find another way to win.
-Larson: We refer to players who hit long fly balls as having “warning track power” and so far that’s a description that fits the Twins, who had the power switch on at the Metrodome last year. Sometimes perception has a larger influence than reality. Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau, who were praising Target Field a few weeks ago, last week were questioning why some of the balls they were tagging so well weren’t going out for home runs. Often when players think there’s a problem it becomes a problem. It’s too early to judge how the ball is going to carry at Target Field. As Luther points out, opponents haven’t had much of a problem. Let’s judge the new park at the end of the season.
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• Question: If Target Field proves to be a “death valley” for home runs, is that a big deal?
-Dorr: The games won’t be as much fun for many of the fans if the field turns out to be a field that is not conducive to home runs. There were 217 plate appearances by both teams in the Minnesota-Texas series last weekend and only one home run. No one knew when the field was built how balls would carry but I’m sure no one thought there would be the dearth of home runs that there has been. If things don’t improve this season you’ll start hearing talk of moving in the fences, something Minnesota pitchers probably wouldn’t like. Maybe the boys just need to hit the ball harder and more often. Their performance with runners in scoring position has been terrible so far.
-Marxhausen: On the contrary, I think that having Target Field as “death valley” will help let the Twins dominate with their style of baseball. With quality hits and proper base running fundamentals, the Twins will work their hardest to advance runners without the long ball. The Twins has always utilized bunting and this will benefit them in the end. They don’t have to bring in the fences so that home runs are being hit every half inning like they seem to be at the new Yankee Stadium.
-Larson: When I was a kid many years ago, how successful your trip to a Twins game was, was judged by whether or not someone, preferably a Twin like Harmon Killebrew, Bob Allison or Tony Oliva, smacked a home run. That’s probably still true for many youngsters, especially with the likes of Morneau, Cuddyer, Jim Thome and Joe Mauer on the team.
But, doubles and triples are exciting, too. If Target Field does prove to be a “death valley” for home runs, there will still be plenty of excitement on the basepaths. And, occasional sterling pitching performances are pretty good, too.
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• Question: The National Football League announced that new Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey (home to the Jets and Giants) will host the Super Bowl in 2014. It will be the first time the Super Bowl will be played outdoors in a “cold weather city.” What are your thoughts?
-Dorr: I don’t have strong feelings either way about the game being played in New Jersey. If they get somewhere near the average temperature of 25 to 30 for that time of year, it should be OK. If it turns out to be a disastrous day weather-wise, it’ll probably be the last time a city in the north, without a dome, gets the Super Bowl. I guess the lure of the Big Apple was just too much for the NFL people to resist in an era when all the leagues are so conscious about public relations.
-Marxhausen: Well to be fair, the Super Bowl shouldn’t always be played in the southern part of the states or have to be sheltered in a dome if played in the north. Like baseball, football is also an outside sport and deserves to be appreciated in every state that watches football, even if they have negative wind chill temperatures during the heart of winter.
-Larson: As a television spectator, I don’t mind. I’ll be home in my easy chair, surrounded by refreshments and goodies. No worry about freezing rain and snow for me.
New York (New Jersey) was rewarded for building a new stadium, plain and simple. If the Minnesota Vikings get a new stadium, Minnesota will host its second Super Bowl somewhere down the road.
If the Jets or Giants advance to the 2014 Super Bowl, it should be a big advantage for them to have “home’ field, especially if their opponent is a southern or “dome” team. We remember games played in the snow as “fun to watch,” but usually those games were sloppy and are remembered for one or two great or unusual plays.
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• Question: Last week Jimmy Williams was awarded $1.25 million in a lawsuit against University of Minnesota Men’s Basketball Coach Tubby Smith, with a jury agreeing Williams had enough reason to believe that he was “hired” as an assistant on Smith’s staff. Williams resigned from the staff at Oklahoma State, then found out he didn’t have the Minnesota job. He then sued Smith. It’s the latest in several off-court issues for the men’s program at the U. How do you look at Smith’s first three years with the Gophers?
-Dorr: Certainly below what expectations were by most people when he came. I wasn’t as excited as some about his hiring but figured he would have the program a little farther along than it apparently is. The next season should tell whether or not Smith has taken the program to a higher level. I thought his biggest strength would be recruiting and the results there have been so-so.
-Marxhausen: Tubby Smith came into this program knowing there would be a rebuilding process that he would have to undergo to ensure the resurrection of the program. Smith has been hit with off-court issues that affect how his program progresses. Every team faces issues every season, but to keep their nose clean is different. Smith and the U of M have no reason to be alarmed. With a few setbacks, the team still has one of the best active coaches to ever coach college hoops.
-Larson: Many of us thought that when Smith arrived it would be smooth sailing for the Gopher men’s basketball program and NCAA Final Four appearances were dead ahead. While the Gophers have improved, a deep run in the NCAA tournament doesn’t appear imminent. Smith has recruited several very good players but his “great” recruits have been hampered by issues out of Smith’s control. But, that often takes place in Division I sports.
Smith shouldn’t be criticized for recruiting players who have troubled backgrounds, especially if they were Minnesota prep standouts. If he doesn’t sign them, other schools certainly will and he’ll be chastised for not recruiting them. As Luther points out, next season will be a key one for Smith and the Gophers. Fans will be expecting more than a first round NCAA loss.
• Question: It’s the Philadelphia Flyers vs. the Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League Stanley Cup Finals and the Boston Celtics against the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association playoff finals. Who you picking?
-Dorr: Remember now, this comes from someone who picked San Jose and Buffalo to be in the finals in hockey and the Lakers and Cavaliers to be in the finals in the NBA. I’m hoping the Blackhawks beat Philadelphia and I at least know that Philadelphia is not one of the original six NHL teams, as a well-known Twin Cities sportscaster reported last weekend. Philadelphia came into the NHL in 1967 as one of six new teams, among them the Minnesota North Stars. NHL playoff games are usually low-scoring affairs so it was nice to see a 6-5 game in the opening game of the final series. I have no idea who will win in the NBA, thinking a month ago that Boston would be done by now. I’d like to see Boston beat Los Angeles but the Lakers get the extra home game and that might make a difference. Just because I have to, I’ll take Chicago in the NHL and Boston in the NBA.
-Marxhausen: My original picks for the Stanley Cup were Chicago against, thus leaving the prediction of the winner based on talent: Pittsburgh. These two teams impressed me with their squads and their team play on the ice, especially the defensive end. With that, Chicago will triumph over Philadelphia’s amazing run to the finals. In a rematch of the 2008 championship finals, Boston and Los Angeles meet in an even battle between the two most successful NBA programs ever to step foot on the court. The aging Celtics, with the added help of some youngsters, have an uphill battle against the best finisher in the game today in Kobe Bryant. Bryant rebounded from the loss in 2008 to the playoff championship in 2009. The Lakers have more experience in the playoffs. With the league’s best shooter on the court, the Lakers will win this match-up and notch back-to-back crowns.
-Larson: I attended many North Star games in the 1970s and early 1980s. Watching NHL games on TV can get a little boring. Watching NHL games in person is great. Television doesn’t capture the speed of the players or the crunching checks. Back then the Blackhawks had the Sutter brothers and North Stars’ fans hated those guys. These were the days before mandatory helmets and the Sutters frowned on them, so you had no trouble picking them out. If there was blood dripping down the clear boards, it usually meant one of the Sutters had passed by. Usually, the blood wasn’t their own. After the North Stars, the Blackhawks, with the league’s best logo, became my favorite team. That’s why I’m picking them over Philadelphia, another team that wasn’t afraid to mix it up against the North Stars. It’s Chicago in five games.
Two years ago the Celtics beat up Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in the finals. And, our beloved Kevin Garnett got the championship ring he so coveted. But, those guys are older now and, according to reports, a bit banged up. Guard Rajon Rondo has become Boston’s best player.
Bryant has been unstoppable so far in the playoffs and the Celtics won’t have an answer for him this time around. The Lakers win in six games.
Do you have an opinion on any of this week’s questions? Do you agree or disagree with the sportswriters? Let us know by sending an e-mail to editor.millelacscotimes@ecm-inc.com or a note to Mille Lacs County Times, 225 S.W. 2nd St. Milaca, MN 56353. Or comment online.
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