From the sports desk

[lollardfish]

The final 90 seconds of the NCAA Men's basketball game were pretty exciting. 70-70 and lifetimes of memories on the line. I kept thinking (during the five-ten minutes that, thanks to the strange time-flux of sports games, those 90 seconds took to pass) about how so many of these athletes now held something of their legacy, at least for the next many years, in their hands. If the game was a blow-out one way or the other, then that's that. But someone was going to have to take, make, miss shots. Luther Head for Illinois missed two three pointers (one for the lead, one for the tie, clunk, clunk). UNC made the steal, enough free throws, the baskets (swish). Legacies. Do most of us have comparable moments with the score tied and the game on the line? When I asked my (ex)wife to marry me? (clunk) When I decided to get back out of my car to talk to buttonlass on a fateful December night? (swish). Romance is really the only avenue where the decisions and executions made over a very short sequence seem so consequential - the call to kiss or not kiss, to say the right thing in the one or two minutes when the emotional chips are down and the tenor of the next few years, at least, will be set. I mean, I've played sports and succeeded or failed when games were on the line, but the games weren't that important in the cosmic scheme of things. I've played gigs which felt like battles (swish!) and emerged victorious - but again none of these gigs were the transformational catapult me into stardom sort of moments. Maybe they could of been but ... "clunk" ... but I don't think so. The important moments in my professional life are the results of long grueling hours of writing, reading, and thinking. Anyway, I'm glad it was a good game.

Baseball is back, and my the Yankees are terrifying. A set of terrific front-line pitchers, even if two of them are a bit of an unknown thing (Pavano and Wright, unlike Randy Johnson, may have more difficulty with A.L. hitters for awhile, I suspect). Every hitter in their lineup is very good at 'doing what they do,' whether it's hit for contact, power, and now they've added some speed in the form of the (unheralded) Tony Womack. Womack played a very important role in front of the Cards' big hitters, and even in the ninth spot for the Evil Empire he'll act as a second lead-off man in front of Jeter and A-rod ... and Jeter and A-rod in their second at bats against a given pitcher when they are especially dangerous (having seen his pitches already that night). The only vulnerability I can see for them is in middle relief - and middle relief is obtainable mid-season, usually. I expect them to win the AL East and some absurd number of games. Meanwhile, it's just clear that Pedro and Schilling > Wells and an injured Schilling. I know Curt will be back. I know Clement has great stuff (and will certainly out-perform Derek Lowe last season, although the Nation will always love Lowe for his post-season performance). Foulke's always been a slow starter. Wade Miller might be great by July. Anything can happen with injuries and people out-performing expectations. It's going to be a tough season - and that's just how it should be. Johann Santana pitches tonight for the Twinkies and it will be exciting to see if he can perform like he did last year.

The fate of the T-Wolves have made me sad. Last year they ditched their 'nice guys' formula and signed two irritating all-stars in Sprewell and Cassell, both of whom performed wonderfully. If Cassell had been healthy against the Lakers, I think we get past them. This year the irritants are back without the all-star, and we're either lottery bound or looking at losing to Phoenix in the first round (I suspect the former). And I still think Kevin Garnett is the greatest athlete I have ever seen play in person (I think I saw Jordan try out for the Olympic team, but I can't remember. Hell, I may have seen him play Indiana as a boy, but I can't remember. I do remember Marcus Allen destroying the Indiana football team one year. Anyway, if I can't remember it doesn't count).

Meanwhile, don't look too close or you might scare them, but the Minnesota Vikings have traded Randy Moss and bought a defense. I know! A defense! They still have one of the worst "game-time" coaches in professional sports (he seems to be a pretty good motivator; the players love him; Tice makes two or three really obvious wrong decisions every game, and given the number of games decided by 3 points or less, those decisions are critical). I love ditching the distractions and infractions of Randy Moss. Maybe he'll turn around in Oakland and maybe not - it's someone else's problem. Daunte Culpepper is our featured offensive force, and with a competant defense (we still need one linebacker, assuming Cowart doesn't revert to his old all-world form) we should be right in the hunt.

April's here. Baseball's starting. 161 games to go.

Comments

[laurel]

And I thought the Yankees were scary last year (and boy did I get sick of them; after watching them play the Twins in regular season, then postseason, them more postseason with them, etc. But their end made it worthwhile).

I've been sad about the Wolves all season. Last year they were fun (and I was in South Dakota and never got to a game). This season, I've been to two lackluster games. On paper, it looked like they should be fabulous this year with more players healthy than last year, and so on. Ugh. Frustrating. And I agree about KG. (That's why it's always worthwhile to get to a game or even to watch one on TV, even when we don't play well or lose, KG is so very fun to watch).

I've got my fingers crossed for the Twins, of course. They're the team I follow the most (in the sport I follow the most). I'm going to the home opener, where I will almost certainly cry over the death of Bob Casey (the only public address announcer the Twins have had; they're doing a tribute to him before the game).

Happy Moss is gone, maybe I'll start watching the Vikings regularly again. We shall see.