Bullpen

Erichsen is someone to behold

It's strange to think that running 18 miles per day would give someone pleasure.

But with elite runners such as Kingsland High School and St. John's University (Collegeville) graduate Chris Erichsen, there is definitely pleasure there. Even more than that, though, is a massive desire by him to find out just how good he can be as a marathoner.

Erichsen has spent the last two years pushing himself to crazy lengths in order to answer that question. Saturday morning, he'll inch closer to some answers when he runs in the Olympic Trials marathon in Houston.

But with Erichsen, this is truly a marathon and not a sprint. He's already looking way ahead in his quest to discover just what he's got as a runner. Erichsen figures he won't be at his marathon peak until the 2016 Olympics, or maybe even as late as the 2020 Games.

As a former track athlete who always enjoyed basketball and tennis much more, it makes me weak just thinking about the work that lies ahead for Erichsen.

But even more than that is the loads of admiration I feel for the guy. Erichsen's inner strength and discipline is something to behold.

— Pat Ruff

Vikings should take CB first

The Minnesota Vikings — fresh off their 3-16 season — aren't sitting pretty in many ways. But they do happen to be in a nice position for the upcoming NFL Draft.

Minnesota picks third overall. On a team with so many glaring needs, it's easy to image it going any number of ways with that first pick.

The three most tempting players at this point seem to be USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon and LSU defensive back Morris Clairborne.

Those three all figure to be standouts at the next level, and also represent the three areas of biggest need for the Vikings.

But the hunch here is that Blackmon is the one with the biggest question mark as he enters the NFL. While he has been super productive, he does not have elite size (6-foot-1) or speed (about 4.5 in the 40). And the Vikings figure to be able to land a good to excellent receiver through free agency.

So, let's check him off our list.

That leaves Kalil and Clairborne.

Kalil plays left tackle, the most important position along the offensive line, as opposite them line up speed-rushing defensive lineman. Remember how Christian Ponder ran for his life most of the season before finally going permanently to the bench after being roughed up for the last time? Well, Kalil could go a long way toward solving that problem. With time to throw, we'd find out if Ponder really is an NFL quarterback, or better.

Clairborne plays cornerback, which is also an immense area of need for Minnesota. Teams burned Vikings defensive backs at will the entire season. To suddenly be sitting with one of the best coverage cornerbacks in the game in Clairborne would be awfully tough to pass up.

In fact, it should be so tough to pass up that they go ahead and make the LSU star their first pick in 2012.

The Vikings will also pick third in the second round, and each round thereafter. Maybe it's with that No. 35 pick overall that they grab their wide receiver. Rutgers' wideout Mohamed Sanu (6-2, 215 pounds) looks like a good one.

— Pat Ruff

It's January, and Willow Creek is open

 

Willow Creek Golf Course is open, at least until Tuesday.

The front 9 is open for walking only. Saturday and Sunday there will be noon shotgun starts and Monday and Tuesday, tee times are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Enjoy.

 

 

Rochester basketball better than advertised

There's been much said and much hand-wringing over Rochester teams — boys and girls, varsity and B-squad combined — going 0-for-16 in the first day of the recently completed Rotary tournament.

And yes, it was a bad showing, there is no getting around it. But to derive from it that Rochester basketball is among the worst around is far from the truth.

Yes, there are some seriously struggling teams in town this season. The Rochester Lourdes girls — which forever had owned among the strongest girls programs in the state — is having (for them) a historically bad season. The John Marshall girls have mostly had a tough time, too, and are 4-7. But Mayo and Century go into January with solid records, at 7-3 and 7-4, respectively. That's far from lousy.

It's much the same situation with the Rochester boys teams. There is one really struggling team among them, John Marshall, at 1-7. The Rockets, however, have some young talent that has a decent chance of flourishing in a year or two.

Mayo, which is undersized, has still been respectable. The Spartans are 4-4 and play an entertaining brand of basketball that emphasizes ball movement and a quick pace.

Then you have 8-1 Century and 6-4 Lourdes. The first thing to note about them is that in the latest high school poll, both were ranked in the top-10 in their respective classes. And let's also remember that just one year ago Lourdes made it all the way to the state Class AA championship game, graduated virtually all of those players, and is still formidable

And one final note: The Rotary tournament generally brings in good to very good teams, most from the Twin Cities, to play in this event. Losing to any of them in the first round is almost never a shocker and there's little shame in it.

So, while Rochester basketball may have some flaws in it — there have been complaints about the lack of practice time and facilities at the youth level — it can't be considered an abject failure. It's not great, but it's far better than many are making it out to be.

— Pat Ruff

But only if they play defense . . .

The issue for Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman in using Kevin Love, Michael Beasley and rookie Derrick Williams together on the front line is not whether they can score as a unit. In Saturday night's exhibition win over Milwaukee, the trio combined for 56 points.

What Adelman is trying to figure out is this: How effective is the Wolves' defense with Love, Beasley and Williams on the floor at the same time?

Love and Beasley are nearly identical in height at 6 feet 9, give or take an inch, and Williams is a burly 6-8. All three weigh between 235-245 pounds. Taller front lines could present matchup problems, particularly with Love playing center.

In order to give Beasley and Williams more opportunities to play side-by-side, Love said he is willing to spend more time at center when Adelman wants to use a smaller lineup.

"It's fine with me," Love said. "I'm comfortable there. I'm still strong enough to rebound."

The Love-Beasley-Williams line was featured for stretches of both halves in Saturday night's exhibition opener. Adelman said he wants to give the trio more time together in Wednesday night's exhibition game at Milwaukee. The plan could put more pressure on the Wolves' entire defensive system, which Adelman and his staff have been working hard to upgrade after the team allowed the most points per game in the NBA last season (107.7).

Adelman is willing to make use of the Love-Beasley- Williams combination because of the stress they can put on an opponent's defense.

"They're a tough matchup for the other team, but they have to do the job defensively," Adelman said. "They were active Saturday night. The key is everybody has to keep their concentration. That's the biggest problem we have. We get into situations on the weak side, and we don't have guys thinking all the time. We'll keep working at it."

— Ray Richardson

— St. Paul Pioneer Press

 

Trade Adrian Peterson

The Vikings should consider trading Adrian Peterson.

I would have disagreed with the take at the start of the season. Peterson is probably the best running back in the league. But the Vikings have a lot of needs and Toby Gerhart has shown to be a capable replacement the past two weeks with Peterson sidelined.

I realize Gerhart is never going to be electric like Peterson, but he's a solid back. And without Peterson, the Vikings have also been trying to use Percy Harvin more and Harvin is definitely an electric player.

What if the Vikings could get a couple of first-round draft choices and a current starter from a team in a deal with Peterson? 

Plus Peterson is getting a hefty salary. If the Vikings were able to cut his salary they might also be able to sign an extra free agent or two in the coming offseason.

Overall, trading Peterson could help the Vikings rebuild quicker.

— Guy N. Limbeck

Gophers have smoothed things out

The Gophers men's basketball team is looking more like it has a clue offensively than any team that Tubby Smith has coached since he arrived at Minnesota in 2007.

The reason is simple. Instead of going "big" as Tubby has so often in his short tenure here, Tubby is going "small" this year.

That is, instead of having three virtual power forwards on the floor at one time, the Gophers are going with three guards and a small forward playing power forward.

And it looks good. Instead of the painfully plodding game that we watched last year — the one that had zero flow to it, and had one panicked shot-clock beating attempt after another being hoisted — there is rhythm to this year's offense, with smooth ball handlers and passers.

College basketball is a guard's game. Thankfully, Tubby is going with that flow this year.

— Pat Ruff

Kubel probably will sign elsewhere

The Twins are still waiting on their third 2012 outfielder, but one thing seems certain: It won't be Jason Kubel. Not according to the longtime Twins outfielder and designated hitter.

Asked late Wednesday whether he and the Twins are done negotiating, Kubel said, "Probably so."

Kubel, 29, is one of three players the Twins have been chasing hard the past 72 hours as they try to fill their starting lineup; the others are teammate Michael Cuddyer and Oakland A's outfielder Josh Willingham.

Word of a deal with Willingham was reported nationally on Monday, but nothing has materialized, and Twins assistant general manager Rob Antony said late Wednesday there is no deal.

"We're still looking for a right fielder with some power," he said. "It's no secret."

Cuddyer, 32, and Kubel shared right field the past several years, with Kubel primarily the designated hitter, but it appears to be down to Cuddyer and Willingham, both of whom reportedly have offers on the table - though the Twins will not confirm. Asked if he were disappointed to be ending a relationship that started in 2000, when he was a 12th-round pick in the first-year player draft, Kubel said, "In a way, yeah."

But Kubel wasn't enamored of playing in Target Field. After hitting a career-high 28 home runs in 2009, his numbers dipped to 21 in 2010 and 12 last year, when he was limited to 99 games because of a severely sprained left foot. A left-handed hitter, Kubel's gap power was swallowed by the Twins'

new park. Whether Kubel has given up on the Twins, or the Twins are more interested in right-handed hitters Cuddyer and Willingham, is unclear.

Said Antony, "We have not called Kubel or his agent to tell them we've moved on."

But Kubel has been reading reports of a three-year, $24 million offer to Cuddyer and a three-year, $21 million offer to Willingham, 32.

"One thing is they want a right-handed bat," Kubel said. "And Cuddy does everything (defensively). I don't know whether that made a negative impact or not."

— John Shipley

McClatchy News Services

 

 

Wolves are intriguing — really

For the first time since the beginning of a 2004-05 season that went sour for the Minnesota Timberwolves, there is a buzz about this franchise.

Strange to think that could be true of a team that had the worst record in the NBA last year, and has been a league doormat ever since Kevin Garnett was traded to Boston in 2007.

But it is true. This is a team that is suddenly brimming with intrigue and promise. Certainly, it is intrigue that could be fleeting if rookies Ricky Rubio and Derrick Williams don't quickly show they've been worth the hype.

But for now, with one practice under these guys' belts under new coach Rick Adelman — a future Hall of Fame coach, no less — it is there. Point guard Rubio is being billed as a dazzling passer, this kid from Spain with the matinee-idol good looks. And power forward Williams is regarded as a strong and high-leaping do-everything player with a winning  personality.

Then you have forward/center Kevin Love, who has shed 25 pounds on the heels of a breakout season that landed him on the All-Star team. And you also have two more promising young guys in small forward Michael Beasley and shooting guard/small forward Wesley Johnson.

The Wolves — for the first time in forever — are talented. It is young talent, to be sure, but it is real talent.

Let's see what new guy Adelman can mold from it. It's going to be worth watching.

— Pat Ruff

The BCS worked for Tide, but everyone else, not so much

PHERSY: The Bowl Championship Series announced its bowl matchups over the weekend. There were winners and losers. But mostly losers ...

Many teams have legitimate arguments about why they should be in a BCS game (see, Boise State). Others are grasping at straws.

Columnist Chris Dufresne of the Los Angeles Times outlines his thoughts on the recent announcements. Time for reform? Find out what Dufresne thinks ...

IN BCS, CLOSE DOESN'T COUNT

By Chris Dufresne

Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — This year's Bowl Championship Series motto: "Thought you really had a chance, did you?"

Every game "sort of" counted. The BCS worked in Alabama, but outside Tuscaloosa there's ongoing discussion that it needs to be tweaked into an incinerator.

Oklahoma State fell short in pulling off one of the greatest comebacks in formula-calculation history.

Too bad close doesn't count in the BCS.

They're cheering in Dixie and crying a river in Stillwater because Louisiana State and Alabama are playing Jan. 9 for the national title in New Orleans.

It's LSU-Alabama (Part Deux).

"It sort of is what it is," stone-faced Alabama coach Nick Saban said on ESPN of the system that delivered his team to the title game.

LSU won the first game, 9-6, meaning we're possibly looking at another Battle of New Orleans to end the War of 18-12.

The Southeastern Conference, the beast with the loudest voice, is assured of winning its sixth straight BCS title and losing its first.

In the end, the BCS could only make Oklahoma State fans hope and Alabama fans sweat.

Outside of a few nervous hours, as computers churned and voters pondered, nothing changed.

Alabama entered, and exited, the weekend at No. 2.

All that's left is the autopsy. Alabama finished at .9419 to Oklahoma State's .9333.

"No. 3 Oklahoma State made a real run at the top this weekend," BCS Executive Director Bill Hancock said in a statement. "This year the difference between No. 2 and No. 3 was the closest ever under our existing rankings formula."

Yippee!

The BCS, like a pickpocket, almost got away clean. Had Oklahoma State not lost in double overtime at Iowa State, or Stanford not lost at home to Oregon, we'd be sitting here with two undefeated teams playing for an undisputed national title. Boise State, at 12-0, might have earned a shot against Louisiana State.

The BCS' best defense, a good one, is that the schools that got left out have only themselves to blame.

Also, Alabama finished second in the three people polls that matter: USA Today, Harris and Associated Press.

Was a rematch between LSU and Alabama the right call?

Not in my opinion, especially because there was a viable option involving a quality conference champion.

It is reflective of a sport's shamelessness that the SEC, five years after it argued vehemently against an Ohio State-Michigan rematch, argued in favor of a rematch this time.

Don't blame the wacky BCS computers, though, if you didn't like Sunday's result — the computers had Oklahoma State at No. 2

In 2004, the BCS altered the formula to give more weight to the judges with eyeballs.

In other words, BCS voters in the USA Today and Harris Interactive indexes could have prevented LSU-Alabama II if they didn't want a rematch.

But not enough of them did.

Enough voters sized up LSU and Alabama and decided they were the best two teams.

Flawed systems produce flawed results.

Oklahoma State has a right to be upset. The pairing of Oklahoma State's offense against LSU's stellar defense has more universal appeal than a replay of a Nov. 5 game that produced zero touchdowns.

Billionaire booster T. Boone Pickens threatened an investigation if Oklahoma State didn't get to the title game — good luck with that.

Also, if you're Oklahoma State's coach, you can't say you'd vote Alabama No. 2 on Wednesday and cry bloody murder Saturday.

This wasn't a conspiracy — it was convoluted BCS kookiness as usual.

Got a problem with the BCS?

Get in a very long line. The BCS, in its 14-year history, is no more crooked or correct than it was in 2000, when Florida State beat out Miami even though Miami was No. 2 in both polls and beat Florida State.

Oregon's then-coach, Mike Bellotti, deemed the BCS "a cancer" in 2001 when his Ducks finished No. 2 in both polls and No. 4 in the final standings.

You want outrage? USC finished No.1 in both polls in 2003 and didn't make the title game.

The BCS is always at its worst when it affects your bowl plans.

The only cheerful news for BCS bashers is that the fundamentally flawed system, despite being absurdly entertaining, may have run its course.

Commissioners will meet next spring to discuss the format for the next BCS contract, which expires after the 2013 season.

Any plausible suggestion short of an eight- or 16-team playoff will be considered.

Commissioners could revisit the seeded "plus-one" model that was rejected a few years ago. That would have involved a mini-playoff featuring the top four teams in the final BCS standings.

Even that model, though, would have left Boise State out of this year's mix.

A better compromise would be melding the current BCS with an unseeded format in which all the bowls would go back to their traditional ties.

After the bowl games, you would use the BCS standings to determine No. 1 and No. 2 and play one extra game.

In the unseeded format, every BCS bowl would have meaning and extend the national title discussion.

In the unseeded format, Oklahoma State would get another game to makes its case in the battle against Alabama. And Alabama would get another chance to prove it was the worthy choice.

Every plan has pros and cons.

You might be saying anything has to be better than this.

But if you think this year was flawed, well, consider it might be worse next year.