UPDATE!
I was having problems formatting the pictures in this post, and then they just stopped showing and came up with those little red X's. Here's a link to a Photobucket album instead. The good news is I've included more photos in this album, so go ahead and take another look.
*****
I made some trips around town with my camera recently and thought I would share some construction pics. The first one was taken of the 35W bridge construction from the pedestrian bridge that connects the U of M East and West Banks. You can't really see too much, but I didn't feel like biking over the 10th Ave bridge (the one blocking the view). It was taken about a month ago, so progress has moved along considerably since then. These guys are working around the clock and are on track to be 3 months ahead of schedule. The last report I read had a September 15th opening date.
The next nine photos are of the new Gophers football stadium. These were taken on the same day as the bridge photo, so they are a bit outdated. If you check the webcams here and here, you'll see the brick work is well underway, there's more precast seating bowl pieces installed, and the steel frame is almost complete. In fact, all steelwork is scheduled to be complete in June. They said that by the fall, all of the brick work and windows will be installed and the interior of the stadium will be inclosed. In other words, it will really start looking like a functioning football stadium this fall; minus the field turf, scoreboard, lights, and the seats. But those are just minor details.
The last few pictures were taken at the Twins ballpark site about ten days ago. You can see the structure really starting to take shape in right field, and the plaza is nearly complete. I could go on and on about this ballpark, but I'd only be plagiarizing everything I read over at TwinsBallpark2010.com. I highly recommend checking it out.
Click on the pictures for full size photos.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
More NBA Draft stuff
-So maybe I was a little hard on Jim Souhan in my earlier post, as I just found another piece that he wrote about the NBA Draft lottery. This column is pretty good and tries to give hope to all of the perpetually gloomy and whiny Timberwolves fans.
- Chad Ford has updated his mock draft and has the Wolves taking OJ Mayo. He also mentions Brook Lopez and Danilo Gallinari as other potential candidates.
I'm not a big fan of the Lopez pick, simply because players like him come along almost every year. If there's still the need, we can pick a big center with limited athletic ability next year.
The Gallinari pick intrigue's me though, mostly because I don't know anything about international players. I'll eat up any evaluation from these scouts because I've never seen him play.
- The Fanhouse mentions that Kevin McHale may be high on UCLA center Kevin Love. I'm not sure how I feel about this pick because as the article mentions, his game duplicates Al Jefferson's. This would require some creative coaching to get the most out of these two players when they are on the floor together.
- Chad Ford has updated his mock draft and has the Wolves taking OJ Mayo. He also mentions Brook Lopez and Danilo Gallinari as other potential candidates.
I'm not a big fan of the Lopez pick, simply because players like him come along almost every year. If there's still the need, we can pick a big center with limited athletic ability next year.
The Gallinari pick intrigue's me though, mostly because I don't know anything about international players. I'll eat up any evaluation from these scouts because I've never seen him play.
- The Fanhouse mentions that Kevin McHale may be high on UCLA center Kevin Love. I'm not sure how I feel about this pick because as the article mentions, his game duplicates Al Jefferson's. This would require some creative coaching to get the most out of these two players when they are on the floor together.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Food! Glorious food!
There's a story from MinnPost last week that talks about the food that will be served in the new Twins ballpark. Delaware North, the company contracted to run the concession stands, states they want to seek out local food favorites to serve alongside the traditional hot dogs and peanuts. The article brings up suggestions such as Jucy Lucys from Matt's Bar, walleye sandwiches from Tavern on Grand, Sweet Martha's Cookies, Kramarczuk's sausage, Dixie's barbecue, and Punch Neopolitan Pizza.
I thought I'd give my take on the ideas above before offering a few more of my own.
Jucy Lucys - Yes, yes, yes! Why wouldn't you want this at the new ballpark? I still can't believe this item is considered uniquely Minnesotan. Why haven't people in other cities and regions figured out that stuffing melted cheese inside a burger is fucking delicious? Maybe they have and I just don't know it yet.
Walleye Sandwiches - If you want an item that represents our state, than it doesn't get better than deep frying, grilling, or blackening our official state fish before slapping it on a bun.
Sweet Martha's Cookies - Amazing idea. People could order them up in the plastic buckets like they do at the fair, only these buckets would have the Twins logo and design on it. You'd get a little souvenir and a whole lot of cookies to take home.
Kramarczuk's sausage - This is an interesting suggestion. I've never eaten at this place, but I've driven by it plenty of times. They are an Eastern European deli and bakery. I would think this would be a cool idea to have a specialty stand in the ballpark that has their unique flavored sausages. However, I'm guessing one of the local meat packaging giants like Hormel or Schweigart will continue to provide the dogs for the majority of the stands.
Dixie's barbecue - This one is debatable. While it is a local restaurant, they specialize in a food item that isn't really correlated with our region. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be served at the ballpark, though. There's already a Famous Dave's stand in the Metrodome. This is where the debate comes with multiple local barbecue joints in the area (Dixie's, Famous Dave's, Rudolph's, and Market BBQ). If they do serve barbecue in the new ballpark, I hope they offer more items than just pulled pork sandwiches. How about some brisket or ribs?
Punch Pizza - Another debatable idea, mostly again because of other established local chains in the area: Pizza Luce and Davanni's. Whoever is selected to be the pizza vendor, I only have one suggestion/demand: serve it by the slice! There's only one thing I truly hate that is pizza related, and that is personal pan pizzas.
Davanni's is the vendor in the Xcel Energy Center, and they serve it both ways. However, you can only get it by the slice on the elitist, gated community they call "Club Level." The sports fans in this fine state need to rise up and demand that fans of all socio-economic backgrounds are able to purchase a delicious slice of pizza and not be forced to eat those personal pan pizzas that are the size of a bagel and may be laced with soylent green (trust me, I used to work there and make those very pizzas).
Here are some other items that I think are essential to rounding out the menu:
Cheese curds - Another thing that I'm finding out from watching cable food shows like Bizarre Foods and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is that this is another uniquely Midwestern food. Why hasn't the rest of the country figured out that deep frying battered chunks of cheese is the greatest idea this country has had since abolishing slavery.
And I want fresh battered cheese curds like they have at the State Fair. None of those pre-made cheese curds that you just pull out of the freezer and drop in the deep fryer.
Pronto Pups - Staying with the State Fair foods theme, I want to see some corn dogs at the park. I don't know why they're not serving them at the Metrodome already. It's delicious and convenient. You have your dog served on a stick with ketchup and mustard already slathered on with a paintbrush. What could be better?
Local beers - At pro sports venues, almost every concession stand cashier is equipped with a beer tap next to them that typically pours American style lagers. I would like to see a Grain Belt Premium and Pabst Blue Ribbon tap for every Budweiser and Miller Lite.
On top of that, I would like to see a couple beer stands in the park that only have local brews on tap. No food or sodas would be sold at this stand; just beer in the bottle and on tap. This would be similar to the Harbor Bar stand in the Xcel Energy Center. Sure, I don't mind them selling the standard imports and micros like Corona, Guinness, Sam Adams, and Heineken, but I only want to see them in the bottle. Save the tap space for all of the varieties of Summit, Schell's, Leinie's, and Surly.
Those are my additions to the suggestion box. If anybody else has ideas or input, I'd love to hear it. I guess now the question is how many of these items and local companies will be selected to sell their products in the new ballpark, and how big will their role be? Will they supply their own staff to operate these stands? Will they just supply the items and the brand names? Will they be available in multiple stands throughout the ballpark, or only in single specialty stands? I can't wait to find out. Don't disappoint me, Delaware North.
I thought I'd give my take on the ideas above before offering a few more of my own.
Jucy Lucys - Yes, yes, yes! Why wouldn't you want this at the new ballpark? I still can't believe this item is considered uniquely Minnesotan. Why haven't people in other cities and regions figured out that stuffing melted cheese inside a burger is fucking delicious? Maybe they have and I just don't know it yet.
Walleye Sandwiches - If you want an item that represents our state, than it doesn't get better than deep frying, grilling, or blackening our official state fish before slapping it on a bun.
Sweet Martha's Cookies - Amazing idea. People could order them up in the plastic buckets like they do at the fair, only these buckets would have the Twins logo and design on it. You'd get a little souvenir and a whole lot of cookies to take home.
Kramarczuk's sausage - This is an interesting suggestion. I've never eaten at this place, but I've driven by it plenty of times. They are an Eastern European deli and bakery. I would think this would be a cool idea to have a specialty stand in the ballpark that has their unique flavored sausages. However, I'm guessing one of the local meat packaging giants like Hormel or Schweigart will continue to provide the dogs for the majority of the stands.
Dixie's barbecue - This one is debatable. While it is a local restaurant, they specialize in a food item that isn't really correlated with our region. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be served at the ballpark, though. There's already a Famous Dave's stand in the Metrodome. This is where the debate comes with multiple local barbecue joints in the area (Dixie's, Famous Dave's, Rudolph's, and Market BBQ). If they do serve barbecue in the new ballpark, I hope they offer more items than just pulled pork sandwiches. How about some brisket or ribs?
Punch Pizza - Another debatable idea, mostly again because of other established local chains in the area: Pizza Luce and Davanni's. Whoever is selected to be the pizza vendor, I only have one suggestion/demand: serve it by the slice! There's only one thing I truly hate that is pizza related, and that is personal pan pizzas.
Davanni's is the vendor in the Xcel Energy Center, and they serve it both ways. However, you can only get it by the slice on the elitist, gated community they call "Club Level." The sports fans in this fine state need to rise up and demand that fans of all socio-economic backgrounds are able to purchase a delicious slice of pizza and not be forced to eat those personal pan pizzas that are the size of a bagel and may be laced with soylent green (trust me, I used to work there and make those very pizzas).
Here are some other items that I think are essential to rounding out the menu:
Cheese curds - Another thing that I'm finding out from watching cable food shows like Bizarre Foods and Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives is that this is another uniquely Midwestern food. Why hasn't the rest of the country figured out that deep frying battered chunks of cheese is the greatest idea this country has had since abolishing slavery.
And I want fresh battered cheese curds like they have at the State Fair. None of those pre-made cheese curds that you just pull out of the freezer and drop in the deep fryer.
Pronto Pups - Staying with the State Fair foods theme, I want to see some corn dogs at the park. I don't know why they're not serving them at the Metrodome already. It's delicious and convenient. You have your dog served on a stick with ketchup and mustard already slathered on with a paintbrush. What could be better?
Local beers - At pro sports venues, almost every concession stand cashier is equipped with a beer tap next to them that typically pours American style lagers. I would like to see a Grain Belt Premium and Pabst Blue Ribbon tap for every Budweiser and Miller Lite.
On top of that, I would like to see a couple beer stands in the park that only have local brews on tap. No food or sodas would be sold at this stand; just beer in the bottle and on tap. This would be similar to the Harbor Bar stand in the Xcel Energy Center. Sure, I don't mind them selling the standard imports and micros like Corona, Guinness, Sam Adams, and Heineken, but I only want to see them in the bottle. Save the tap space for all of the varieties of Summit, Schell's, Leinie's, and Surly.
Those are my additions to the suggestion box. If anybody else has ideas or input, I'd love to hear it. I guess now the question is how many of these items and local companies will be selected to sell their products in the new ballpark, and how big will their role be? Will they supply their own staff to operate these stands? Will they just supply the items and the brand names? Will they be available in multiple stands throughout the ballpark, or only in single specialty stands? I can't wait to find out. Don't disappoint me, Delaware North.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
#3? Dang.
The NBA Draft lottery was held last night, and the Wolves ended up with the 3rd pick. For those unfamiliar, the draft lottery puts the top three draft picks up for grabs amongst the NBA teams who did not make it to the playoffs. The teams with the worst records supposedly have more ping pong balls in the lottery, giving them a greater chance of winning the top pick. However, the team with the worst record only has a 25% chance of winning; meaning they also have a 75% chance of "losing" the lottery. After those first three picks are determined by drawing, the remaining order is determined by win-loss record.
Since the NBA has a letter opening ceremony instead of actually drawing the ping pong balls on live TV, people have accused the NBA of fixing the lottery to get star players on big market teams. This year is no different as Timberwolves fans are whining that it was fixed to send the top two players to Chicago and Miami. Only having a 1.7% chance to win, Chicago made a big jump to take the first spot, but Miami actually had the worst record in the league and fell a spot to #2. On top of that, Miami is one of the worst sports cities in America when it comes to attendance (and look who's at the bottom of this list)(oh, and read point #13 on this one).
If these conspiracies were actually true, how would you explain Portland and Seattle getting the top two spots last year? They play in small markets, and the Sonics are actually about to move to Oklahoma City; a veritable hub of media exposure. Or what about the 1992 draft that Wolves fans continually agonize over? The top two picks were sent to two other small market cities: Orlando and Charlotte. We need to relax here. The NBA is not out to get the Timberwolves.
So what do the Wolves do with this pick? Jim Souhan thinks they should trade down.
Begin mini-rant:
And this is why it sucks reading the Star Tribune columnists. Don't get me wrong, I do think they have good writers on staff, but there's not enough of them. In order to provide balanced coverage of all of the major stories and sports franchises in the area, they assign columnists to cover areas they don't have much knowledge or interest in. Jim Souhan and Pat Reusse do great pieces on the Vikings and Twins, but their columns covering the Wolves, Wild, and Gophers sound like they were pieced together from the obnoxius user comments section on the paper's website. It's like they write those asinine columns to spite their editor who's forcing them to meet their quota of Wolves, Wild, and Gophers coverage.
OK, mini-rant against the Star Tribune is over. On to why I don't agree with his idea (except for the part about using this pick to help unload Marco Jaric's bad contract, and he also believes that the Wolves should draft Beasely if he happens to fall down to #3):
Trading down is a wise move for the NFL draft. Football is played with 22 starters on offense and defense, along with all sorts of situational players that are subbed in on certain plays. It's good to build up your team's depth through the draft by acquiring as many picks as you can. If the player you originally wanted is no longer on the board and the next guy on your list of needs isn't projected to be picked that high, you can trade your high pick with another team looking to move up for multiple lower picks.
This doesn't work as well for the NBA, though. There are less players on that see the court and one elite player can have a huge impact on the team. You still need depth, but the Wolves already have a roster full of guys who are not superstar material. These are the ones that need to be molded and developed into solid role/bench players. Adding multiple lower picks would only add to this pool. What the Wolves need is another elite player to take them to another level.
Now the usual consensus in most NBA drafts is that there are one or two players projected to be instant superstars. After those top couple picks are gone, it's a crapshoot. There are lots of guys who are drafted for their all around athleticism and potential; not on their overall basketball skill. This draft is no exception. There is Derrick Rose, Michael Beaseley, and everybody else.
The thing that makes it interesting is the ever-increasing buzz surrounding OJ Mayo, a shooting guard from USC. He didn't blow anybody away with his stats last year, but not every college player does. They often play within coaches systems that don't rely on some of the isolation play that the NBA uses. There's even a current rumor that was cited in Souhan's column and elsewhere saying that the Miami Heat might take Mayo if the Chicago Bulls take Derrick Rose.
That scenario would put Michael Beasely right in the Timberwolves' laps. We already have a star power forward in Al Jefferson who can score at will in the low post. Beasely has more of an outside game (38% from 3-point land) that would work well playing alongside Al. The only thing I wonder is how he'll develop as an NBA defender? This could be the difference between drafting a Rasheed Wallace or an Antoine Walker (who we already have on our roster). The experiment of playing both Beasely and Jefferson together may not work out, but these would be valuable trade assets in a few years if they still continue to develop as individuals.
If the conventional wisdom of the past few months holds up and the top two picks are Rose and Beasely, then the Wolves should select Mayo. He doesn't fill a "need" position like a center or point guard would, but he is clearly a very talented player and appears to be the best available at this point. We already passed up on Brandon Roy two years ago because we had drafted Rashad McCants the year before; and we all know how that worked out.
Since the NBA has a letter opening ceremony instead of actually drawing the ping pong balls on live TV, people have accused the NBA of fixing the lottery to get star players on big market teams. This year is no different as Timberwolves fans are whining that it was fixed to send the top two players to Chicago and Miami. Only having a 1.7% chance to win, Chicago made a big jump to take the first spot, but Miami actually had the worst record in the league and fell a spot to #2. On top of that, Miami is one of the worst sports cities in America when it comes to attendance (and look who's at the bottom of this list)(oh, and read point #13 on this one).
If these conspiracies were actually true, how would you explain Portland and Seattle getting the top two spots last year? They play in small markets, and the Sonics are actually about to move to Oklahoma City; a veritable hub of media exposure. Or what about the 1992 draft that Wolves fans continually agonize over? The top two picks were sent to two other small market cities: Orlando and Charlotte. We need to relax here. The NBA is not out to get the Timberwolves.
So what do the Wolves do with this pick? Jim Souhan thinks they should trade down.
Begin mini-rant:
And this is why it sucks reading the Star Tribune columnists. Don't get me wrong, I do think they have good writers on staff, but there's not enough of them. In order to provide balanced coverage of all of the major stories and sports franchises in the area, they assign columnists to cover areas they don't have much knowledge or interest in. Jim Souhan and Pat Reusse do great pieces on the Vikings and Twins, but their columns covering the Wolves, Wild, and Gophers sound like they were pieced together from the obnoxius user comments section on the paper's website. It's like they write those asinine columns to spite their editor who's forcing them to meet their quota of Wolves, Wild, and Gophers coverage.
OK, mini-rant against the Star Tribune is over. On to why I don't agree with his idea (except for the part about using this pick to help unload Marco Jaric's bad contract, and he also believes that the Wolves should draft Beasely if he happens to fall down to #3):
Trading down is a wise move for the NFL draft. Football is played with 22 starters on offense and defense, along with all sorts of situational players that are subbed in on certain plays. It's good to build up your team's depth through the draft by acquiring as many picks as you can. If the player you originally wanted is no longer on the board and the next guy on your list of needs isn't projected to be picked that high, you can trade your high pick with another team looking to move up for multiple lower picks.
This doesn't work as well for the NBA, though. There are less players on that see the court and one elite player can have a huge impact on the team. You still need depth, but the Wolves already have a roster full of guys who are not superstar material. These are the ones that need to be molded and developed into solid role/bench players. Adding multiple lower picks would only add to this pool. What the Wolves need is another elite player to take them to another level.
Now the usual consensus in most NBA drafts is that there are one or two players projected to be instant superstars. After those top couple picks are gone, it's a crapshoot. There are lots of guys who are drafted for their all around athleticism and potential; not on their overall basketball skill. This draft is no exception. There is Derrick Rose, Michael Beaseley, and everybody else.
The thing that makes it interesting is the ever-increasing buzz surrounding OJ Mayo, a shooting guard from USC. He didn't blow anybody away with his stats last year, but not every college player does. They often play within coaches systems that don't rely on some of the isolation play that the NBA uses. There's even a current rumor that was cited in Souhan's column and elsewhere saying that the Miami Heat might take Mayo if the Chicago Bulls take Derrick Rose.
That scenario would put Michael Beasely right in the Timberwolves' laps. We already have a star power forward in Al Jefferson who can score at will in the low post. Beasely has more of an outside game (38% from 3-point land) that would work well playing alongside Al. The only thing I wonder is how he'll develop as an NBA defender? This could be the difference between drafting a Rasheed Wallace or an Antoine Walker (who we already have on our roster). The experiment of playing both Beasely and Jefferson together may not work out, but these would be valuable trade assets in a few years if they still continue to develop as individuals.
If the conventional wisdom of the past few months holds up and the top two picks are Rose and Beasely, then the Wolves should select Mayo. He doesn't fill a "need" position like a center or point guard would, but he is clearly a very talented player and appears to be the best available at this point. We already passed up on Brandon Roy two years ago because we had drafted Rashad McCants the year before; and we all know how that worked out.
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