Faceoff

Wow ... where have we been?

FELDY: I have no idea where Phersy and I have been. I have no idea where Phersy is. I'm not sure if he knows this blog still exists. Shhhhhhhh .... don't tell him. OK, please tell him.

It's been fairly quiet around here in terms of sports news that gets us stirred up. A few things to catch up on, though:

* NAHL Entry Draft going on today. We (I'll) keep an eye out for local kids. Draft begins in 31 minutes (1 p.m. Central). We (I'll) keep a close eye on the Austin Bruins to see how that new franchise drafts.

* The Pat and Kevin Williams issue with the NFL has officially bored me. I wish the judge would just take the two Vikings and the NFL bigwigs in a backroom, make them all say they're sorry to each other, give them balloons and lollipops and send them on their way with two-game suspensions for the Williamses and two-week suspensions for the NFL bigwigs involved in this case.

* Brett Favre apparently received the ankle I cut off, packed in dry ice and sent to Hattiesburg. His surgery last Friday was a success and he'll back on the field in time for training camp at Mank ... OK, in time for training camp at Witner Pa ... OK, in time for preseason game No. 3. Does this surprise anyone? It does make Mrs. Feldy happy because she now feels like she didn't waste money on that Favre jersey she bought me for Christmas. The only real question now: After Favre leads the Vikes to the Super Bowl, does he go into the Hall of Fame as a Packer or a Viking?

* The Twins still can't hit with runners in scoring position. Their pitchers still give up way too many home runs. They're still in first place. Not much has changed with the move to Target Field. Which we all still love.

* Your 5-time Northwoods League champion Rochester Honkers open their home season on June 3. That's all I got on them, because they're all you'll read about in our print edition this summer. Oh, and it's Slider bobblehead night on June 14. Love bobbleheads, especially a bobblehead of a guy whose head is as big as Slider's.

* Blackhawks over the Flyers in five games. T-O-E-W-S!!

* Maybe this will get Phersy's attention and he'll come back to the blog once in a while: ONLY 51 DAYS TIL ICE HAWKS OPEN TRYOUT CAMP AT THE REC CENTER!!! (July 17-18)

Pro Hockey | Reading between the lines, Bs want Stuart back

FELDY: Got this question from an e-mailer and a co-worker today, so thought I'd do my best to address it here: What's Mark Stuart's status in Boston for next year and into the future?

I don't have any inside info here, but I'm guessing the Bruins want him back. According to reports, the Bruins will do exit interviews with their players today and Tuesday. Maybe we'll have a better idea of what lies ahead for Stuart in the next few days. Maybe we won't. I'll watch Boston media reports, but I don't plan to try to contact Mark for awhile, as I'm sure he's in no mood to talk hockey after the Bs collapsed against the Flyers, losing a 3-0 series lead and a 3-0 Game 7 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Philly.

Stuart is a restricted free agent, just having completed a two-year contract. That means Boston has the right to match any offer Stuart may receive from another team.

Here's a good overview of the Bruins' roster situation, from Bs beat writer Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe. The Globe article points out that Stuart is one of six Bruins who will become restricted free agents (that group also includes former Gopher Blake Wheeler), while five Bruins will become unrestricted free agents.

Only one paragraph in the article specifically addresses Stuart, but that paragraph sounds like it's a sure bet he'll be back in Beantown: "(Dennis) Seidenberg, who was the team’s second-best defenseman prior to his injury, would be a good fit on the blue line next year. But with $2.25 million locked into Andrew Ference each year for the next three seasons, there might not be enough cash to re-sign Seidenberg, especially with Stuart and Boychuk due for raises."

And keep in mind, the Bruins have the No. 2 overall pick in next month's draft, a pick they got from Toronto in the Phil Kessel trade. That means either Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin -- both centers -- will find himself in black and yellow next season, and either of those guys should have a big impact on a team that clearly is capable of making a run to the conference finals.

Son of former JM star to play college hockey at Anchorage

FELDY: Eric Scheid, the son of former Rochester John Marshall hockey standout Jim Scheid, has given a commitment to play college hockey in the WCHA, at Alaska-Anchorage. Followthepuck.com first reported the news on Sunday.

Eric is a senior at Blaine High School. He played in the past two state tournaments for the Bengals, who were led by Gophers recruit and projected first-round NHL draft pick Nick Bjugstad. Scheid had 55 points (23 goals, 32 assists) in 30 games for Blaine in 2009-10. The Bengals lost their first two games at state this year and did not place. Scheid had three assists in the tournament, all in a 7-5 consolation semifinal loss to Roseau.

Scheid, who expects to play one season of junior hockey before heading to Anchorage, helped Blaine to a third-place finish at the 2009 state Class AA tournament. The Bengals topped Rochester Century, 5-0, in a state quarterfinal game that year. He had two points in the '09 tourney, a goal and an assist (he scored his goal against Century).

Jim Scheid played at Wisconsin from 1977-80, where he accumulated 85 points in 118 games over three seasons. He was also an assistant coach this season for Blaine.

Target Field and ... hockey?

FELDY: Me and Toddler Feldy took Mrs. Feldy to Target Field for the Twins-Os game on Sunday for Mother's Day (yes, we actually gave Mrs. Feldy the choice and she agreed!). We sat with the sort-of beautiful people (not behind home plate, but in the lower level along the left field line) and it felt like it was a mid-July game. There was no wind swirling and the sun was beating on us all afternoon. Toddler Feldy even put sunscreen on.

I point all this out because I realized just how warped my mind is. Here we are, an afternoon baseball game in May, feels like about 80 degrees out, great seats with great company, Twins win 6-0, and here's what I spent half of the game thinking about: Man, it would sure be cool if the Wild could host the NHL's Winter Classic at this place.

I was picturing where the rink would be, where the best place to sit would be, how cool the setting would look on national TV, etc.

While it looks like a guarantee that the Wild will not get the 2011 Winter Classic (the 2011 NHL Draft will be at The X, though), it's likely the team will get the Classic sometime in the near future.

My obsession with seeing pro hockey at Target Field led to some questions that I'm still kicking around, so maybe the Faceoff Faithful can help.

1. If/when the game comes to the Twin Cities, what's the better venue to hold it at: Target Field or TCF Bank Stadium? From the little bit I've found on the Interwebs about this topic, it seems like the NHL would probably favor TCF Bank Stadium, the home of Gophers football, because it could seat about 10,000 more than Target Field. Parking might be a big issue, however, and it's an issue that would work in Target Field's favor. To me, the real selling point of Target Field is the atmosphere it would provide. Yes, TCF is cool; it has the open end facing campus, etc., but Target Field is a much more cozy, quaint atmosphere. It just seems to lend itself to having the game. If you watched the 2010 Winter Classic at Fenway Park, you know what I'm talking about. It looked awesome on TV and had to be even better in person. I'm not saying Target Field is comparable to Fenway Park, but it's certainly worthy of hosting the Classic. And hopefully soon.

2. Who should be the Wild's opponent? The obvious teams that come to mind are Dallas and Vancouver. Putting Dallas out there in throwback North Stars uniforms would be a cool touch. Vancouver is probably the team Wild fans hate the most, which might lead to a more intense game -- and it would give Canada a bigger reason to watch -- but the Dallas-Minnesota matchup might be more attractive to NBC. ... Another thought, what if a team lands in Winnipeg in the next few years? How about bringing the Jets down to play the Wild? I know there are a lot of Winnipeggers (Winnipegites? Winnipegians?) who travel down to Vikings games. I'm guessing there would be a good number of them who would like to make a trip to Target Field to watch hockey. And they'd probably have a few Molsons before hand.

3. Do the Wild have enough star power to land the game yet? Look at teams that have competed in the Classic recently -- Detroit, Chicago, Philly, Boston. They all either have a superstar, have a great team, or both. The Wild doesn't have a Jonathan Toews or a Nik Lidstrom. Yes, Mikko Koivu is a tremendous two-way player and Brent Burns is verging on stardom. That might not be enough for the NHL, but when you put those guys on top of Minnesota's passionate fan base, that's a pretty good combination. And, who knows, by 2013 or 2014, Chuck Fletcher might have this team built up into a playoff contender.

NHL Playoffs | Stuart may play ... or maybe not

FELDY: A couple of weeks ago, Mark Stuart thought he might not play at all in this year's NHL playoffs for the Boston Bruins. Now, as Stuart says, there's a "light at the end of the tunnel." The end of that tunnel could be reached tonight ... or maybe not.

On Thursday, Boston.com reporters wrote that Stuart practiced and hoped to receive medical clearance to play in tonight's Game 4 of the Bruins' Eastern Conference semifinal series at home against Philadelphia.

But with the Bruins holding a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, coach Claude Julien says he won't rush Stuart back, even though Boston is battling some injury issues.

"We're not going to accelerate Stewie," Julien said in the Boston.com story. "If Stewie ever plays, it's because he's ready."

Stewart is recovering from a severe infection in his hand after having surgery on his pinky finger nearly a month ago. He missed all of Boston's first-round series, and hasn't played against Philly yet.

Barring a catostrophic collapse, Boston will reach the Eastern Conference finals. I can understand why Julien wants to be careful with Stuart. The NHL playoffs are the toughest grind in sports. To have a guy like Stuart be 100 percent fresh for the Eastern Conference Finals (and possibly Stanley Cup Finals) would be a huge boost.

If and when Boston closes out its series against the Flyers, it would mark the Bruins' first trip to the Eastern Conference finals since 1992.

Junior Hockey | Former Lourdes stars closing in on NAHL title

FELDY: A year ago, Tyler Voigt and Pete Spratte had just led Rochester Lourdes to its first state tournament appearance in six years. Now, the two former Honorable Mention All-State players are chasing a national junior championship.

Voigt and Spratte have led the Fairbanks Ice Dogs to a 2-0 start in round robin play at the NAHL's Robertson Cup tournament in Wanatchee, Wash.

The Ice Dogs face Traverse City at 4:35 Central time today and close round robin play against Bismarck on Saturday at 4:35 p.m.

Victories today and tomorrow would guarantee Fairbanks a spot in Sunday's national championship game.

Voigt and Spratte have both had strong tournaments so far. Voigt has scored the game-winning goal in each of the Ice Dogs' victories -- a 3-2 victory against Wanatchee on Wednesday and a 4-3 victory against St. Louis (former Mankato West standout goalie Tyler Bruggeman was in net for St. Louis).

Voigt had two goals against St. Louis and was named the No. 1 star of the game. Voigt and Spratte both have plus-1 plus/minus ratings through two games.

Voigt has three postseason points (all goals) in eight games, after recording eight goals and five assists in 53 games during the regular season. Spratte has one goal and one assist in eight playoff games, after recording one goal and five assists in 38 regular season games.

Fairbanks and Bismarck were the only unbeaten teams left in round robin play entering today's games, both at 2-0. Bismarck faces Wenatchee at 9:05 Central time tonight.

A rambling notes Thursday

PHERSY: OK Feldy, I can't pick just one topic for today, so it's time for a little Thursday ramble.

First off, I don't have a man crush on Wilson Ramos. Yes, when I returned from Florida years ago after watching him play at Class A Fort Myers, I had a bit of a crush on him, mainly just because I was excited to see a player of his skill level playing Class A ball. But now, too many people like him. I tend to like the underdog! Plus, don't get used to him in a Twins uniform ... that's all I'm sayin' ...

Feldy's favorite football player Lawrence Taylor was arrested yesterday in connection with an alleged rape. It should be noted that the former Giants star has not been formally charged yet, though those charges are expected today. Feldy, you and I grew up when Taylor was dominating the NFL (well, at least at the end of his run for me). He was an amazing football player, one of the best to ever put on a uniform. But man, this guy has problems. Between the drug addiction and now this ... it's sad times for LT. Here's a link to the story. ...

So Feldy, you did that nice, long post on the Vikings stadium proposal ... how are you feeling about that now? So yeah, the stadium proposal was dead before it ever had a chance to pick up steam. Hopefully it's something that will be looked at again down the road. I think it's safe to say nothing will get done with this during this session. But this team will leave Minnesota if they don't get a new stadium soon. Write that down! And that would be devastating for all of us Purple rubes. I don't think it's even something we can imagine at this point ... the Vikings have just always been there. Let's keep our fingers crossed ...

Feldy, you were at the Twins game yesterday. They pulled off a barnburner of a victory, 5-4. We'll take it! I heard someone saying they got lucky yesterday because they gave up four solo shots to the Tigers. I say, lucky? I'd say that's good. Yeah, giving up four home runs isn't ideal, but to me, that shows the pitching staff is getting it, at least a little ... when there's nobody on base, that's when you should be going right after hitters. Yes, sometimes that's going to mean the ball will leave the park (especially against Cabrera ... man, that guy is crushing right now). But I like that mentality ... don't waste pitches with nobody on base. Feldy, we've both been to the stadium a few times now, and I think we both love it. I don't have complaints, not at all. My big thing is going to be trying to sit in every section. I want to check out the view from everywhere at Target Field! ... Oh Feldy, I almost forgot to mention -- the Twins swept a series!!! WOOT WOOT!!

Feldy's Blackhawks won a big game in their series against the Vancouver Canucks last night. And Dustin Byfuglien had a hat trick. With all of the stars currently playing for Chicago (see Toews, Kane, Sharp, Hossa), Byfuglien gets the hat trick? Really? Whoa. I will say this, the second round of the NHL playoffs definitely hasn't been as fun as that first round. Man, that was awesome. It seemed like they were all one-goal games and every series came down to the wire. Hopefully the conference finals will be be better than the semis ...

And Feldy, this might be the biggest news of the day: The Williams Wall will have to serve their four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. At least that's what a judge ruled this morning ... it sounds like they may have another appeal or something, but I've given up trying to follow this mess. So, if those two have to sit out to start the season, where does that leave your Vikings Feldy? Do you alter expectations? I think it really could hamper the team's season. If they start out 2-2 (or worse) in those games, will they be able to recover in time to win the division? I hope so, but it could be trouble. Oh yeah, and what's going on with that Favre guy? Here's a link to the Williams Wall suspension story. ... 

Finally, a couple of odds and ends ... for MMA fans, three Minnesotans are fighting tonight as part of Bellator 17, an event that will be shown live on Fox Sports Net (check your local listings, because it's usually not on live but it will be on at some point tonight). Carey Vanier and Roger Huerta will be fighting in the semifinals of the Bellator lightweight tournament, and former Gophers wrestler Cole Konrad is making his Bellator debut. ... My guy Marcus Sherels (that's a joke, we all know he's Pat Ruff's guy) has signed a tryout contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Feldy, what do you think his chances are of making this team? In my eyes, he's a perfect practice squad guy. I do think he can one day play at this level, but I'm probably in the minority. ... The Ice Hawks got their new logo on the floor of the Rec Center this week. It looks amazing!!! Stop in over there and check it out, along with the new seamless boards!

That's all for now.

Today's Topic | Can we calm down on Wilson Ramos now?

FELDY: At the risk of offending Phersy and his man-crush on Twins catcher Wilson Ramos, can we all take a deep breath after tonight's 4-3 win against Detroit and gain some perspective.

I'm making my second trip to Target Field on Wednesday. And judging by the way some Twins fans were talking after Monday's game, I pretty much expected to see Ramos' jersey No. 44 hanging next to Carew, Hrbek, Killebrew, Oliva and Puckett (Plus the Twins would have to add a new entrance to Target Field -- Gate 44).

We know Ramos, 22, is a nice player. He hits the ball hard when he makes contact. He has good power. He has the look of a great power hitter. Yes, he was 7-for-9 in his first two MLB games before an 0-for-3 night Tuesday DROPPED HIS AVERAGE TO .583. But he's not going to go 3-for-4 every night. Let's give him a couple of weeks at the big league level before we start talking about how to keep him in the Twins lineup every day.

And stop the panic. Please. The Twins don't need to rush out and trade Ramos. They 100 percent don't need to trade Joe Mauer to make room for Ramos. That suggestion is ludicrous at this stage.

Take a step back and look at the big picture.

When Mauer is able to return to the lineup on a daily basis, the prudent move is to send Ramos back to Class AAA Rochester. It might not be the popular move, particularly if he's batting, say, .350. By sending him to Rochester, it's a guarantee that he'll play every day, getting about 20 -- likely more -- plate appearances every week. (And let's keep in mind that Ramos was hitting all of .179 with the Red Wings when he was called up). And guess what? If the Twins run into more injury trouble, Ramos is a heck of an option to call up.

If the Twins were to keep Ramos up with the big-league club when Mauer returns, he'd get maybe 8-10 plate appearances a week. Maybe not even that many. He'd fill Drew Butera's role as the backup catcher (and Butera would go to Rochester), meaning he'd play basically in day games and give the Twins a great right-handed pinch-hitting option off the bench. There's no place for him to DH, with Jason Kubel and Jim Thome in line ahead of him.

That leads us to the next point. Ramos is still young, 22 (though, who knows, he may be older than that). The Twins don't have to be in a rush to make this guy a big-leaguer. He will get his shot in a matter of a couple years, or maybe in a matter of a couple months. Thome isn't going to be with this team forever. Maybe not at all after this season. Maybe Michael Cuddyer moves on after this season, moving Kubel into a more regular outfield spot and opening the DH role for Ramos.

Could the Twins make him into a third baseman? Possibly, but that's likely a two-year project and it doesn't appear imminent. Could the Twins move Mauer? Possibly, but why would you want to move arguably the best catcher in Major League Baseball?

At some point Ramos is going to be a full-time major leaguer. But how about we give him more than 20 at bats before declaring him the next Joe Mauer?

Today's Topic | The Vikings stadium proposal

FELDY: Today was a big day in the process of a getting a new stadium for the Vikings. There's a good chance that the bill introduced today, which proposes a $791 million fixed-roof stadium for the Vikes, won't pass the state legislature this year. But the fact that the bill was introduced and will be discussed in committees and likely voted on, is a good sign.

It's a start; unfortunately, time is running out quickly. The Vikes have two years left on their Metrodome lease. After that, L.A. and a potential new stadium there is calling. The good news about the bill that was introduced today is there's not much of a downside for people who live in the metro area.

Metro area residents actually will likely be the least affected by the current proposal -- the amount of the cost not accounted for by the Vikings will be made up by a 1.5 percent surtax on hotel rooms, a 6.875 percent tax on jersey sales, a sports-themed scratch-off lottery game and a 2.5 percent tax on rental cars. So, as far as metro-area residents are concerned, unless you live in Eagan and like to rent a car and drive to stay in a hotel in Anoka, you won't be affected.

Here is a link to a great .pdf file that breaks down the key points (and funding sources) for the new stadium. 

Things to think about

1. If you don't like the Vikings, this funding plan won't faze you. Even if you stay in a $200/night hotel in downtown Minneapolis, you don't have a right to complain. You would contribute exactly $3/night toward the stadium fund. And if you can afford $200/night for a hotel room, you can afford a $3 charge. Just drink one less bottle of water out of your hotel fridge. ... The Vikings/ticket holders will be directly responsible for $264 million up front. The rest will be accounted for with the hotel, rental car, jersey and scratch-off game revenues. THERE IS NO STATE MONEY INVOLVED.

2. I've heard the complaint, "well, this really hurts business travelers." Does it? Really? Let's say you're from out of town, renting a car and staying in a hotel. If you happen to be in a $200/night hotel, and you're renting a car for, let's just say, $40/day, your grand total from these new taxes would be $4/day.

3. The cost is right. That's hard for some people to stomach, I know, at $791 million. But the same stadium a year from now might cost $840 million. Plus, the sooner this gets passed, the sooner thousands of labor workers can get back to work.

4. The (not just Vikings) jersey tax. From what I've read so far, this tax extends beyond Vikings jerseys. So if you buy a Wild jersey or a Twins jersey (we know no one buys Timberwolves jerseys), you're paying for a small part of the Vikings stadium. My guess is, most people who are buying Wild or Twins jerseys are going to be OK with an extra tax on their jersey to help the Vikings' stadium. (Your tax on an $80 Twins jersey: A whopping $5.50. On a $110 Wild jersey: $7.56).

5. A fixed roof -- not ideal, but doable. A fixed-roof stadium can be done in a way that doesn't leave the fans and players thinking they're inside a modern-day Metrodome. Look at Ford Field in Detroit. It hosted the Super Bowl in 2006, the NCAA Final Four in 2009 and the NCAA Frozen Four last month.

6. MSFC Chairman coming to Rochester on Thursday. Roy Terwilliger, the chairman of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission will be in Rochester on Thursday, at 6 p.m. at the Wicked Moose bar and grill. It will be interesting to hear his thoughts on the bill that was introduced today.

Let us hear your thoughts. This seems like a no-brainer to me; I can't imagine a more public-friendly proposal. So what am I missing, if anything?