Faceoff

Stupid Criminals | What's wrong with a piggyback ride?

FELDY: If you've followed Faceoff at all, you know how much Phersy and I love our stupid criminals. And this one is pretty, well, stupid. And funny. And, unlike a lot of our stupid criminals, this one actually has a sports angle to it.

As you'll see when you link to the article, Sherwin Shayegan doesn't look like such a bad dude <sarcasm is on>. He sure looks like a 27-year-old who just likes to hang out and watch some Oregon high school basketball.

Here is a link to the full article.

The problem is, Sherwin also likes to enter locker rooms, ask for autographs and pictures. That's just the beginning of the creepiness. See, Sherwin is fond of asking teenage basketball players not only to sign his program and take a quick snapshot. Nope, not enough for Sherwin. He also enjoys asking players for piggyback rides.

That's right, Sherwin is a piggybackaholic, apparently.

Sherwin's actions have promted the Oregon State Activities Association to send a memo to all schools in Oregon warning them about Sherwin. They've also filed a trespass letter that prevents Sherwin from attending any OSAA-run tournaments.

So far, the story says, Sherwin has only approached male athletes and hasn't "made any overtly sexual moves."

The worst part of all of this is now Phersy's going to have to quit asking the Ice Hawks players for piggyback rides to his car after games.

Pro Hockey | Stuart likely to miss all of Round 2

FELDY: We're down to three players from the area remaining in the pro hockey playoffs. 

* Starting in the NHL, Rochester native Mark Stuart missed the Bruins' first round Eastern Conference series against Buffalo, a series that the Bruins won, 4-2. Stuart was out with a finger injury; he had surgery on it in early April and an infection kept him out of the first round. 

In a conference call on Tuesday, Boston GM Peter Chiarelli said he doesn't expect Stuart to play at all in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Bruins will face either Pittsburgh or Philadelphia in Round 2, depending on the outcome of the Montreal-Washington series.

"He's still a little ways away," Chiarelli said of Stuart. "I don't anticipate seeing him in the next round."

That raises the question: If Boston happens to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, can we expect to see Stuart back on the ice? What if the Bruins and coach Claude Julien are happy with their d-man rotation? I'd have to believe the B's would want a solid, consistent player like Stuart in their lineup in the postseason, but you never know.

* While we're on the subject of Stuarts, in the AHL, Colin Stuart and the Abbotsford (B.C.) Heat have pushed their first-round series against the Rochester (N.Y.) Americans to a Game 7. That will be held tonight in Rochester. Jon Rheault had a hat trick for Abbotsford in Sunday's Game 6, a 5-1 victory for the Heat.

A victory tonight would cap an unlikely comeback for the Heat, which trailed 3-1 in the series, but have won the past two games by a combined score of 8-2. Stuart hasn't played in the past three games because of an undisclosed injury. No word available on the Abbotsford website if he will be back for Game 7.

* Also in the AHL, one Red Wing player knocked out another, as Johnny Pohl and the Chicago Wolves topped Milwaukee and Reid Cashman in Game 7 of their first-round series on Monday. The Wolves won a tight Game 7, 2-1, scoring both of their goals in a span of 1:28 in the first period.

The Wolves, the top seed out of the West Division, will have home-ice advantage in their division finals series, which begins Friday against the No. 2-seeded Texas Stars. Games 1 and 2 are Friday and Sunday in Chicago.

Today's Topic | What should the Vikings do at #30?

FELDY: All three of our Vikings "experts" at the P-B wrote in the print edition this week that we think the Vikings will take a cornerback at No. 30 tonight, in the first round of the NFL Draft.

I went with Florida State's Patrick Robinson; Phersy went with Kareem Jackson of Alabama (there's a spoiler, for those two of you who will read our Faceoff column in print today); and Guy Limbeck went with .... well, I think he picked about four different guys, but settled on Devin McCourty of Rutgers.

All of those picks are likely moot, now that Lito Sheppard has signed. But, let's look at what the Vikings could do now with pick No. 30:

Cornerback. Even with Sheppard signing yesterday, the Vikings still have some questions at corner. Their group of CBs has the potential to be among the best in the league. It also has the potential to get lit up by opposing QBs and WRs. When Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin are healthy, the secondary is strong, as they can play Benny Sapp or Sheppard in the nickel. Asher Allen, last year's third-rounder, also played well in spots, though he struggled against the elite passing teams. If Griffin isn't able to recover well enough to play as he has the past two years, then Sapp becomes a bigger part of the picture. Bottom line: The Vikings should go corner only if they think they'll get a guy who can be a starter or key player in the nickel right away.

Offensive line. If it's for depth only it's hard to justify a first-round pick on an OL. Get a good guard and/or tackle in second round or later. If the Vikings know that something is still wrong with Steve Hutchinson's back, then a first-round OL is a very good decision because the team doesn't have good depth right now. Some media members think Florida interior lineman Maurkice Pouncey will drop to the Vikings. If he's there, the Vikings should pounce on him (no pun intended) because he's big (6-4, 305), fast and, most importantly, versatile.

Quarterback. Not Tim Tebow. Please, not Tim Tebow. Yes, he's a leader. Yes, he's working on his mechanics. But he can't change that awkward throwing motion overnight and he spent his whole college career in the shotgun -- running the ball a significant amount (217 carries in his senior season alone). The upside to drafting a QB at No. 30 is that you're looking at giving him probably $8-9 million guaranteed, which isn't bad if you think the guy can be your franchise QB. It's not nearly the gamble that St. Louis is likely to take on Sam Bradford, who likely will get more than $40 million guaranteed for going No. 1 overall (last year's No. 1 overall, Detroit QB Matt Stafford, got $41 mil guaranteed).

Linebacker. Drafting an LB at No. 30 wouldn't be a bad decision, but it would signal one of two things (maybe both): 1) Ben Leber's time as a Viking is over after this season, when his deal expires; 2) E.J. Henderson is having a difficult time healing from his broken leg and the Vikings are concerned about his ability to get back to 100 percent. 

Trade down. Not that I'd like to see the Vikes use their first pick on a QB, but if they are going to, I'd rather see them try to trade down 8-10 spots and hope that Colt McCoy is still there for them. I have no idea if he's better than Jimmy Clausen or Tim Tebow, but if they're intent on taking a QB early, I'd rather see them move down a few spots, get another draft pick and still get one of the top three or four QBs.

The pick. Maybe Bryant McKinnie will not be welcomed back after this season, and the Vikings could go for Indiana OT Roger Saffold or USC's Charles Brown (Packers fans have their Charlie Brown jokes ready, I'm sure). But after all of those possibilities, one position we haven't touched on is defensive line. Pat Williams is clearly ready to retire in the next couple of years. Jimmy Kennedy is in place as a very good backup. Is he a potential full-time starter? Maybe, but maybe not if the Vikings can add another young, disruptive big guy in the middle. That's UCLA's Brian Price, who will be the pick at No. 30.

Boys Hockey | Nemanich to step down as Red Wing boys hockey coach

FELDY: Longtime Red Wing boys hockey coach George Nemanich has decided to step down after about 15 seasons as the head coach and more than 20 with the Red Wing program.

Brett Boese, our reporter in our Red Wing office, will have a full story later tonight and in tomorrow's P-B print edition.

This is a big loss for the Wingers program. There's no question that Nemanich and his assistant coaches were the difference in the Wingers' biggest win this season — a victory against Faribault in the Section 1A semifinals.

Here is a link to the article that appears in today's P-B.

Today's Topic: Gopher hockey ... how long will it take to rebound?

FELDY: I was going to leave this topic alone because, well, we can only criticize Don Lucia so many times for the same reasons. I was going to leave this alone ... until I saw this: Gophers recruit Ryan Walters has de-committed from Minnesota because they wanted him to play one more year of junior hockey and BE LESS OF AN AGITATOR.

Right, coach Lucia, because if there's one thing the Gophers don't need, it's an agitator. </sarcasm off>

Seriously? Be less of an agitator? I would think the fact that Walters played that role in the USHL -- while putting up 61 points this season -- would make him an every-night player for the Gophers. 

To me, a couple of things are to blame here: 1) Kids are committing to college programs at way too young of an age. Walters gave the Gophers a verbal commitment when he was a sophomore at St. Thomas Academy in 2007. Too many factors can change in three years. 2) The Gophers have too many recruits coming in. In theory, this is a good problem for Lucia. He'll have 17 forwards on the roster next year, if everything stays as it is now. That gives Lucia's team some depth and lineup flexibility. However, because it seems like all of Lucia's recruits are young guys who have been scorers all their lives, and they all feel like they should be first-line players, it can cause some bitterness when they're not playing on a regular basis.

So, how long til the Gophers turn this thing around?

As we said, they'll have 17 forwards on next year's roster. They'll have 11 back from this year's team, including Jay Barriball, back on a medical hardship after suffering a knee injury. A couple of those new forwards -- Nick Bjugstad of Blaine and Seth Ambroz of New Prague -- accelerated their schooling to graduate a year early so they could come to Minnesota.

Is that part of the problem? The Gophers are getting all of these young players, some who have barely turned 18 years old when they start playing college hockey. I don't care how talented you are, talent can only carry you so far when you're playing against 21- and 22-year-olds at Denver, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Sure, it's good to have some of those young, talented guys on your team, but obviously a roster full of them in the WCHA isn't going to cut it.

To me, it comes down to coach Lucia needing to go outside of the state more consistently in recruiting efforts. Don't ignore the talent in Minnesota, but don't rely it solely. Look at some of the best players to come through Minnesota in recent seasons -- guys like Vanek, the Potulnys, and even Jacob Cepis this year. None are native Minnesotans, yet they were either the best or among the best players on their respective Gophers teams.

Lucia needs to ignore the old-timers who get upset when he dares to go outside of the state's borders to recruit. People who still want the Gophers to field an all-Minnesota roster are either living in the past or they want the program to continue to flounder.

Pro hockey playoffs | Updates on Roch.-area players

FELDY: We still have three area players going in the pro hockey playoffs. Well, sort of.

Rochester native Mark Stuart has missed the first two games of the Boston Bruins' first-round NHL playoff series against Buffalo. The series is tied 1-1, with Game 3 set for tonight in Boston (6 p.m., Versus).

Stuart had surgery on an injured finger a couple of weeks ago and had hoped to be back for the playoffs, but an infection set in and set him back. 

According to this story in the Boston Globe, Stuart will miss the entire first-round series.

Buffalo will likely be without former Gopher Thomas Vanek, which could have a big impact on this series. Vanek reportedly has a high ankle sprain.

* * *

Mark Stuart's brother, Colin Stuart, and Red Wing native Reid Cashman are both still going in the AHL playoffs.

Colin Stuart plays for the Abbotsford (B.C.) Heat, the top minor league affiliate of the Calgary Flames. Abbotsford is tied 1-1 with the Rochester (N.Y.) Americans in a first-round series. Game 3 is tonight at Abbotsford. Stuart doesn't have a point through two games, and he has six penalty minutes.

Cashman is a defenseman for the Milwaukee Admirals, who trail the Chicago Wolves, 2-1, in their best 4-of-7 first-round series. Game 4 is tonight in Milwaukee.

Today's topic: The Wolves ... yippee!!

PHERSY: Trent Tucker used to say: "The Minnesota Timberwolves are playin' their basketball when they're playin' it with themselves."

And by that, I think he meant that there isn't another team on the planet they're capable of beating, so maybe an intra-squad scrimmage would be fun???

So yeah Feldy, the season is over. And your Wolves were the second-worst team in the NBA with a 15-67 record. Inept would be a nice word to describe this squad.

So what happens now? When the team is this bad, the plan to bring it back to respectability must be extensive.

This is expected to be one of the best free-agent classes in NBA history. That's great ... for solid franchises. But the Wolves aren't in a great market, they don't have a great team, they don't have a great arena, there's not much to do in Minnesota and it's cold here. So, I don't see a whole bunch of big-name free agents lining up to sign in Minnesota. If the Wolves get one upper-end free agent, I'd be thrilled. I'm not going to hold my breath for that, though.

Right now this organization should be formulating its plan. They need to take a very hard look at their current roster and decide who fits and who can truly play at this level. Honestly, struggling for a few more years just isn't acceptable, and I can't imagine Glen Taylor wants to bleed money too much longer. That means the Wolves have to take a realistic look at every single player on the roster. If they don't think the guy has a chance to play at a high level in the NBA, they should get rid of him now. Identify five players who fit roles, and go with those guys ... and when I say five players, that may include a few (or all) guys who aren't on the current roster.

Let's start with the draft. This team finished second to last in the NBA this season. Theoretically, that gives the Wolves a great shot at getting the No. 2 pick in the draft and a decent chance at getting No. 1. But, anyone who's followed this franchise knows we can't bank on that, especially in a year when there are two standout players in John Wall and Evan Turner. Any good Wolves fan is planning on the team getting the No. 3 pick ... the ping-pong balls love making us suffer.

Some people around the sports department aren't set on Wall ... but I think both Wall and Turner are going to be NBA superstars, franchise-type players the Wolves covet.

If the Wolves do fall out of the Top 2, they should trade up. I don't care what it takes. The other problem with the No. 3 pick is that the consensus No. 3 is Georgia Tech power forward Derrick Favors. He's a solid player. But the last thing the Wolves need is another power forward!!! So I can't see the Wolves going in that direction ... actually, I shouldn't say "can't" because we all know the Wolves are very capable of taking players they don't need! But I hope they wouldn't go in that direction.

Really, who cares about the rest of the Wolves' draft picks at this point? There are some good players in this draft, and the Wolves can fill up their bench nicely ... but I'd rather see them trade those picks, for whatever they can get.

Before draft day, the Wolves should decide what to do with Ricky Rubio. I say trade him. I'd rather not wait years for this kid to show up in the Twin Cities ... and there's no promise he'll ever play here. If some team is willing to give up a hefty ransom for him, go for it!

Jonny Flynn and Kevin Love ... I think those are two spots that must be addressed, too. Do these guys fit the franchise? I like Flynn, and I'd keep him. But the Wolves have to figure out if he's going to be an above average point guard in the NBA. That decision might have to come after the draft and could depend on who the Wolves get at the top. And what about Kevin Love? We all know I'm his biggest fan (only because he went to UCLA). But I'm not sure he's anything more than a role player in the NBA. Now, he'd be a great player to have coming off the bench. But, if some team is willing to offer an established player in return, the team probably has to consider the trade.

One thing I'd really like to see the team embrace in the offseason is defense. This team played horrible defense for good chunks of time this season. I say get rid of anyone who won't play defense. Flynn ... I'm talking to you buddy! I think Flynn can be better, though, so I'd take the wait-and-see approach with him, let him know that's an area that must be better next season.

OK, Feldy, you have me rambling again. I think there is hope for this team. But, I'm not certain it's with the current roster. There are a few pieces I'd keep, but for the most part, I'd blow this thing up, build a team starting next season. Put a team on the floor that can compete next year and then make the playoffs in two seasons. It's the NBA, so it's possible. But it will take some great moves this offseason.

• • • • •

FELDY: Maybe we should just pack up Target Center, its tenants (both the Wolves and Lynx), and ship it all off (building included) to Bismarck or Sioux Falls in exchange for an NBA D-League team.

Oh, where do I start with this team's issues? I guess I'll start in the logical place: David Kahn and Kurt Rambis.

Kahn seems intent on trading either Al Jefferson or Kevin Love in the offseason. It seems like Love is the name that has come up more often and that would seem to be the bigger mistake. I'd rather see Love in a Wolves uniform for years to come instead of Jefferson. I like the inside-outside game that Love brings, and his passing ability. Love at least tries to play defense; Jefferson looks lazy on that end of the floor.

Here's all you really need to know about Kahn and Rambis: They've seemingly fallen in love with Darko Milicic, a 7-foot stiff who couldn't cut it with four other NBA teams. Of course fans and coaches of a team that won just 15 games and has never had a true center are going to fall in love with him. He averaged — what? — like 8 points and 5 rebounds a game. That's gotta be some sort of franchise record for a Timberwolves center, right?

OK, enough of the negativity. Let's look at the positives. This ... should ... be ... eeeee .... zeeeee. Well, the Wolves have plenty of draft picks. I believe they own about half of this year's first round picks. Of course, as you mentioned, Phersy, there are two obvious top picks in this draft, which means the Wolves will end up drafting at No. 3.

I can't bring myself to care much more about the Wolves right now. We'll get back to this in two months, when those things called the playoffs are over. Maybe.

Today's Topic: The Wild's season that was(n't)

FELDY: Two weeks ago, Mrs. Feldy and I sat through the worst exhibition of professional hockey I think I've ever witnessed in person when the Wild lost 4-0 to Chicago at the Xcel Center.

The Blackhawks were just fine. The Wild, on the other hand, were so bad, they made the Hawks look like the Gretzky-era Oilers. I heard Wild coach Todd Richards come out the next day and apologize to the Wild fans who had paid to sit through that debacle. I thought about taking Richards up on his apology and asking for my $20/ticket back (or whatever those upper level end seats cost -- about $200 each after Ticketmaster fees, I think). Alas, my frustration has passed about that game, but not about the season.

Some thoughts about this season, and the coming offseason, in no particular order

* I like the job Chuck Fletcher has done and I'm not yet as concerned as many Wild fans seem to be about Richards' ability to be a legit head coach in the NHL. When it comes to coaches, they're most often only as good as their players. 

Sure, Richards must take on some of the responsibility for the team playing poorly in the first month of the season and the last several weeks. But it wasn't his fault that the Wild used 40 different players this year -- a team record -- due to injuries and poor play. Look at the guys he had to use at center in the final weeks -- a first-round pick who hasn't panned out (James Sheppard); Kyle Brodziak; Casey Wellman, a lanky 170-pound kid straight out of college; and Cody Almond, who might be a true NHL center in two or three years.

As for Fletcher, he was (and still is) buried in a bunch of bad moves and bad contracts issued by Doug Risebrough. For Fletcher, starting with the Wild was worse than starting with a brand new team. Before he can build this club into a winner, he has to undo all the gunk that Risebrough built up. His trade of Benoit Pouliot for Guillaume Latendresse was tremendous (for both sides), and getting Cam Barker from Chicago wasn't as bad a move as many people are trying to make it out to be. The Wild sent defensemen Kim Johnsson and Nick Leddy to Chicago for Barker; I wonder if Wild fans would have been as up in arms had Leddy played college hockey for New Hampshire or Boston College, or even Wisconsin or UND? The fact that he plays for the Gophers and is from Eden Prairie was enough to upset some fans, despite the fact that the Wild have two better defensemen in the pipeline (Tyler Cuma and Marco Scandella). Barker is a former No. 3 overall pick, so he has some talent.

* Thommy Thompson must go. When Fletcher was hired as GM, he decided to keep Thompson on as an assistant GM because Thompson had been so heavily involved in preparing for last year's draft. At that draft, Thompson convinced Fletcher that Leddy was a guy the Wild had to have. Seven months later, the Wild shipped Leddy to Chicago in the Barker deal. One of Fletcher's goals is to build up the talent base in the minor leagues. To do that, he needs to no longer allow Thompson to have such a big say in the draft process. Better yet, don't let Thompson have a say at all. Simply let him go.

* Josh Harding seems to be as good as gone in a trade, though we said the same thing about the Wild's solid backup goalie a year ago. Thing is, if Fletcher is going to deal Harding, he needs to get a solid, every-night center, a guy who can be a true No. 2 center. There aren't a lot of those guys available. Harding could be a long-term starter for some team, so Fletcher has to get value for him. Fletcher will do everything he can, I'm sure, to trade Harding this summer, though, because the goalie is just a year away from unrestricted free agency, and Fletcher will want to acquire some assets for Harding. As Michael Russo pointed out in the Minneapolis Star Tribune earlier this week, Nik Backstrom has a no-trade clause and a $6 million cap hit that would serve as a no-trade clause if he didn't have one already.

* Should the team trade Brent Burns? It sounds absurd because we've seen how good Burns can be on both ends of the ice when he is healthy, but he would seem to be one of the Wild's most tradable assets. Burns is just 25 years old and has two years left on a four-year, $14.2 million deal, a contract that could be palatable to a team in need of a big defenseman who can effectively jump into the play in the offensive zone. He is due $3.8 million next season and $4 million in 2011-12.

* Who will be on the blue line next year? Assuming none of the current defensemen are traded, that would mean Barker, Burns, Nick Schultz, Marek Zidlicky and Greg Zanon. Clayton Stoner will be back as well, and I get the feeling that Richards and Fletcher want to see what Stoner can do over a full season. Throw in guys like Scandella, Cuma and Elk River native Nate Prosser, who was signed out of Colorado College in mid-March, and there is plenty of talent to compete for the six d-man spots.

* A lot of questions must be answered at forward as well: What is Pierre Marc-Bouchard's status while recovering from concussions? Is Derek Boogaard worth keeping? (my answer to that one: yes, his presence on the bench is an intimidating factor).

Priorities should be: 1) fixing the leaky defense. Give Backstrom some help and let him regain his confidence. 2) Give Marty Havlat a kick in the rear end. He received superstar money last season; he needs to play and produce like a superstar. 3) Make some tough decisions. Letting go of guys like Boogaard or Antti Miettinen might not be popular with all fans, but sometimes players have to go.

The bottom line is there is no simple way to fix talent level of this team and organization. Fletcher is going have to find a good balance this summer of trading for players who can help now, while at the same time getting talent in the minor-league system that will help down the road or serve as trade bait.

Wild fans are no longer going to tolerate a team that misses the playoffs. The term "rebuilding" has run its course; fans don't want to hear it anymore. If this team doesn't at least make the postseason next year, its sellout streak just might be a thing of the past.

•••••••••••

PHERSY: Whoa Feldy, that's frighteningly thorough. Are you auditioning to become the next Chris Snow, going straight from press row to the front office?

Feldy, I do agree with the bulk of what you just typed (and that's a lot of stuff). But there are a few things I take issue with.

No. 1 would be Marty Havlat. Frankly, I just think some people in Minnesota were uninformed regarding Havlat. I'm not sure I'd call the money he received "superstar" money. He didn't get Marian Gaborik money, and I'd consider that superstar money.

Havlat was never going to be a superstar. He's never been a superstar. He's never been the fastest player on the ice. But he's a crafty vet who makes the players around him better. Ask your boy Latendresse about that. If Marty can stay healthy — and that's always been a big 'if' for him — he's a very solid player, not a superstar. If the Wild signed him to be a superstar, then it was a bad move. But I don't think that was the intention.

Honestly Feldy, that's my only true issue with the things you wrote. My only other thing I'd touch on is the comment about fixing the leaky defense. I think that process already has been set in motion. While I agree the cupboard in Houston is bare, if there is a bright spot, it's the defensive prospects throughout the system. The Zanon signing was huge ... that was a home run. He's my favorite Wild player, because he's a true defensive defenseman, and lord knows I love defensive defensemen!

Like I said, I'm not going to type as much as you did Feldy, so I'll give you the short, simple version of what I think needs to happen for this franchise to contend in two years.

Really, it boils down to two things. First and foremost, the Wild absolutely, positively needs to find a couple of bona fide scorers. Latendresse, I suppose, could be that guy. But they need more than him, and I certainly wouldn't put him into the superstar class yet (or even close). When you look at The Hockey News' rankings of the Wild's prospects throughout the system, none of them are scorers. There are plenty of defensemen and some complementary forwards, but there are zero guys who could be considered future superstars up front (FYI, Scandella will stick with the team next year ... and he can be a great two-way defenseman for this team).

I haven't taken a close look at the upcoming free-agent market, but I'm guessing there won't be a plethora of bona fide scorers available. So that means the Wild will have to add those types of players through trades or the draft (and drafting someone like that means we won't see him in Minnesota for probably three years ... it doesn't matter, though, they should draft that way anyway ... and that's really my No. 2 issue that must be resolved for fixing the franchise ... adding good people in the draft and restocking Houston).

Josh Harding is gone, I would assume. Hopefully, they'll put a package together that will bring a scorer to Minnesota ... and giving up Harding is acceptable if he brings a scorer in return.

As for your comments about the Cam Barker trade: Anyone who thought that was a bad deal is nuts. That was a great deal for both parties. Barker is a young, solid defenseman who could be in the league for at least another 10 years. I'll roll with that guy on the blue line for the next decade!

OK, so I'm rambling now Feldy ... look what you made me do!

So, to recap, Feldy is smart and he loves hockey, and the Wild need to acquire scorers and restock Houston in the offseason. Fair? Ready, break!

_________

(Tomorrow's topic ... the Timberwolves, what will they do with the No. 3 pick in the draft? I mean, anyone who's followed the Wolves over the last 10 years knows they're not getting the No. 1 or No. 2 picks, because ping-pong balls hate us! A couple of hockey wonks will try to take on that topic tomorrow.)

Today's discussion topic: Initial impressions of Target Field

(A quick note, first. We're going to try to pick a discussion topic each day and actually offer some opinion on here, instead of just little news tidbits all the time. We'll also try to tell you what our next-day's topic will be, and hopefully we'll get this noted daily in our print edition.)

FELDY: Mrs. Feldy and I took in the Twins home opener yesterday and, not surprisingly, Target Field gets a massive thumbs-up. 

Here's my quick review if you don't want to read my wordiness. I'll do it in Andrew Bernard form: This ballpark is good.

If you want to read more, here you go ...

Before I get too deep into the greatness that is Target Field, I have a question for those of you who have also been to a game there: Is the enthusiasm over the new park due to just how great it is, or due to just how crappy the Metrodome was? Or is it a combination? I tend to think that, not only is Target Field a first-class park on its own, but its greatness is enhanced by the fact that we had to watch ball at the Dome for three decades.

I've been to a handful of new parks in the past five years or so and Target Field ranks among the best.

I'd better be careful how I state this, because I don't want my Minnesota citizenship revoked by the You-can't-ever-say-anything-bad-about-Minnesota police: Target Field is awesome. I love it. I can't wait to watch the Twins play home games there for most of the rest of my life. But .... Target Field is #2 on my list of new parks that I've been to. I put it behind Camden Yards/Oriole Park in Baltimore (which isn't all that new anymore, built in 1992) because the complete experience at Camden is tough to top, with the warehouse out in right field, the intimacy of the park, and the one-block walk to the Inner Harbor's entertainment district.

Now, back to the Target Field lovefest.

Honestly, I was worried after hearing so much hype about the place that I might get there and go 'this is it, really? It's just OK.'

My feelings changed from the time the new park came into view as we walked up on 5th Street, the north side of the park. Twins history is everywhere you go, both outside and inside, starting with the numbering of the gates. There are five gates to enter, numbered for the five Twins players whose numbers are retired — 3 (Killebrew), 6 (Oliva), 14 (Hrbek), 29 (Carew) and 34 (Puckett).

The next thing we noticed — it's hard to miss, basically screaming 'look at me!' — is the limestone exterior, which gives the park a unique touch that you don't see at other new parks such as Seattle and Philadelphia.

Still on the outside of the park, on the west side, are big division, AL and World Series championship banners. Near those banners are a series of bike racks — the Twins say there are about 400 bike parking spots for people who want to ride to the game. Across the concourse from the banners and bike racks is a chain-link fence covered in a brown material that includes giant blown-up baseball cards from Twins greats of the past and present.

Walking around to the south side, you find Gate 14, where, of course, the entrance to Hrbek's restaurant is. We didn't go in to try the Rex Burger, but the place was packed. Knowing Herbie's eating habits, the food in there can't possibly be bad.

From there, walking along the north side of the ballpark, you pass the back side of the massive Twins pro shop, which contains pretty much every piece of overpriced Twins merchandise you could possibly want. Just around the corner, on the east side, is Gate 34. That's at the center of a great plaza area, which was jam-packed with picture-takers, lunch-eaters and beer drinkers.

Inside the park, the concourses are indeed wider than the Metrodome's (how could they not be?) and the sightlines from every seat are terrific. We sat in Section 302, row 6, a little less than halfway up. Check out the Target Field seating chart, and you'll see we were about as far away from home plate as you can get, yet even with my 20-8000 vision I was able to follow the play. Sitting in the second-to-last section of the upper deck down the right field line at Target Field is vastly different than a similar section at Metrodome. You're seats in those section are also angled toward the field, so that when you sit straight, you're not staring into center field.

There are plenty of restrooms, novelty stands and concessions nearby (my first meal: a beer and a hot dog; what else could it be at a baseball game?). The food options are plentiful. I'm not sure how I failed to try a burrito from Senor Smoke's, but it's on the to-do list for the next trip to Target Field.

Oh yeah, the best part of the new park: The team on the field. Twins fans have waited a long time for a fitting place to play; now they have it and a winning team. Corny as it may sound, that combination was the best part of the day on Monday. A new park makes fans giddy, a good team makes them even happier. Not having to play in the Dome is the best.

To top it off, the post-game atmosphere was so far and away better than leaving a Twins game at the Dome. People hung around the park for a good hour afterward, as well as collecting on the plaza. A few blocks away, on the east side of Target Center, the street near Block E was blocked off, allowing fans to gather at places such as Smalley's 87 Club (formerly Champp's) and the new Hubert's bar.

What do you think, Twins fans? Am I overselling Target Field or do you feel the same way? Let us know.

TOMORROW'S TOPIC: A postmortem on the Wild's season and a look ahead at the NHL playoffs.

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PHERSY: Feldy, how dare you!!! How dare you not rank the Twins' new park as No. 1 on your list. Spoken like a true North Dakota rube. You're probably still just worked up about the Sioux nickname, and the fact that UND will now be known as the FIghting Ground Squirrels.

HA!!!

OK Feldy, I had to chide you at least a little bit on this one. I haven't been to the new field yet, though I'm hoping to go early next week. So it would be tough for me to give any kind of true review of the park.

But, through the love-fest, I think most people realize that they didn't exactly go crazy on this new park. There aren't a whole lot of bells and whistles or expensive features. But what they did do is make it a tribute to the past, present and future, and I love that.

And I think you're exactly right ... part of this state's obsession with the new park is definitely owing to the Dome and its inadequacies. Years of indoor ball in the worst MLB park will make you get a little excited to head outdoors, even if we just built a stadium with no roof in the frozen tundra that is Minnesota.

But, let's enjoy it while it lasts. The critics will come out soon enough. Let's roll with the positivity!

Speaking of positivity, how about that team currently playing at Target Field? The Twins are hot, and that makes this whole thing that much more enjoyable.

Feldy and I are talking about this for tomorrow's print-edition version of Faceoff ... but let's just say, I really love what I'm seeing from this team early in the season, against some of the best teams in the American League.

Hockey | NHL Draft coming to Xcel Center

FELDY: Star Tribune's Michael Russo reports today that the Xcel Center will play host to the 2011 NHL Draft.

Certainly, the Wild's 2009-10 season didn't go the way anyone wanted -- the fans, the players, coaches or team owner Craig Leipold. But I still think Leipold seems committed to building a winner. For the fans who are grouchy about this season, I don't blame you.

I was at the 4-0 loss to Chicago last week and, quite honestly, was tempted to mail my tickets from that game to GM Chuck Fletcher and ask for a refund. But, in the end, none of this season's lows are Fletcher's fault. It's his first season. It's the first season for coach Todd Richards and the second for Leipold.

If the team doesn't make the postseason next year, the frustration will grow, understandably. By Year 3 of the Fletcher-Richards regime, this team needs to be a solid postseason contender and do more than just make the postseason.

All of this is a long-winded way to say that, despite the lack of success on the ice, I still think Leipold is commited to building a winner, and to making Minnesota a destination for some of the NHL's premier events. That starts with next summer's draft, apparently. We know that Leipold is pushing behind the scenes to get the Winter Classic played in the Twin Cities as well at some point in the future. As far as that goes, it sounds like it's a matter of "when" not "if."

Now, the only major NHL event that eludes the Twin Cities is the Stanley Cup Finals. It won't happen in the next couple of years, but let's give this new group of team leaders some time.