My Twin Girls, St. Paul and Minneapolis

I have two loves in my life St. Paul and Minneapolis.  I love them for different reasons.  Each of them is unique and I don’t want them to change who they are.  Even though they are twin sisters they have very little in common.

St. Paul is the girl next door.  She is cute, sweet, and innocent.  She is quaint, wears little to no makeup, and your parents want you to date her. She often times puts her hair in a ponytail and wears jeans and a sweater, but looks cute as a button doing so.  She is smart and has a full-ride scholarship to the college of her choice.  She is active in the community, volunteering at various animal shelters and soup kitchens.  She is active in sports and participates in choir at her school.  She is social and nice to everyone she meets, rarely judging anyone.   She is unpretentious, kind, and fun to hang out with.  She likes to have a drink, but rarely gets out of control.  Most of the time she drinks beer and can be seen as one of the “guys”.  She is a tomboy at heart and isn’t considered high maintenance.  You can take her on a date to a dive bar with nothing but a juke box and an old guy working behind the counter and she will have the time of her life dancing to old Bruce Springsteen and Rolling Stones songs.  Her neighborhood is unique, with tree lined streets and neighborhood bars and restaurants where everyone knows your name.   Her restaurants rarely require a reservation and if you come in overdressed it’s more noticeable than coming in underdressed.  There isn’t much of anything “big”, everything is smaller and more discreet. No fancy buildings or vivacious artwork, just simple, classic, and elegant architecture everywhere.   Most of her buildings are old.  She built a new arena about 10 years ago and although it’s popular and was necessary to the livelihood of her neighborhood, she felt guilty about it.  Like she was undeserving or it was too fancy, but in the end she is happy and gracious to all those who helped her with it.

Minneapolis is the hot girl.  She is beautiful and sexy.  She is loud and somewhat spoiled.  She can be seen as stuck up and pretentious to some.  She has multiple tattoos and piercings.  She is unreliable and can be out late partying and blow off school and/or work.  She is the popular girl, captain of the dance team.  She is naturally smart, but puts little effort into her schoolwork.  She is a marginal student and has applied at numerous “party” schools.  She likes big fancy things and lots of them: Louis Vuitton purses, Lulu Lemon workout gear, juicy sweat suits, and will only wear name brand clothing.  She will put her own needs ahead of the needs of others and complain to her parents (i.e. the MN legislature) if she doesn’t get what she wants.  Like a shiny new stadium.  She requests the biggest gifts from her parents every year and for the most part gets them.  However, if her request for a fancy gift is delayed one year she will throw a temper tantrum until her demands are met.  Her parents have just accepted this fact and shrug their shoulders and say “ah, it’s just Minneapolis being Minneapolis”.  She’s a baby doll and they usually get what they want.  She is into art and being trendy.  Her restaurants are fancy, require reservations and are ranked very highly.  Her buildings are new, big, fancy and shiny as are her hotels.  Even her lakes, usually seen as an escape are considered social areas and a place to be seen.

So that is what I can tell you about my girls and you know what?  I love them both very much for different reasons.

This is also why I wanted the Vikings stadium to be in Minneapolis and not Arden Hills, which is a suburb of St. Paul.  I didn’t want my innocent, sweet St. Paul to put on makeup and go to the tattoo parlor, it’s simply not who she is.   I want all the big, sexy, fancy things to stay where they belong in Minneapolis.  Minneapolis is great at being big and sexy, and St. Paul is great at being sweet and innocent.  Let’s not turn either city into something they're not.

Pre Spring B1G Power Rankings

1. Ohio State: Urban Meyer aka The Pontiff will take advantage of a rebuilding year in the B1G.  While the Buckeyes will be ineligible for the postseason they will have the most talented roster in the country with a hungry coach ready to make a statement in his first year in the B1G.  The relationship between Meyer and second year starting quarterback Braxton Miller will work out beautifully.  Don't be fooled by the Buckeyes record of 6-7 last year.  This is a tremendously talented team.  Last year they were being coached by a guy in Luke Fickell that was way over his skis.  That will certainly not be the case this year with Meyer.

2. Michigan: Brady Hoke turned out to be a much better hire than I ever imagined he would be.  Don't get me wrong I thought Hoke would bring Michigan back to prominence, but I thought it would take him 2-3 years.  Never in my wildest dreams did I see Hoke taking the Wolverines to a BCS bowl game in year 1.  Hoke, most importantly is 1-0 against OSU.  He also will return Heisman front runner Denard Robinson at quarterback.  The OSU and Michigan rivalry is back folks!  Meyer and Hoke will be around for a long, long time.

3. Wisconsin: The Badgers have a real question mark at the quarterback position after the one and done career of Russell Wilson.  Joe Brennan and Jon Budmayer will battle it out for the starting quarterback position in spring practice and the fall.  Keep an eye out for true freshman Bart Houston from California as well.  The offensive line will be good for like the 20th straight year, the running back position will be loaded, and the defense will be opportunistic.  This Badger team will actually be a typical Wisconsin team from over the last two decades.  It will be a ground and pound, play action team that will get just enough plays out of the qb position to win 8-10 games.

4. Nebraska: Watching the Huskers play football is like doing your taxes.  It bores you out of your mind, but you have to take them seriously.  No sex appeal whatsoever, very regimented, regulated, and uninteresting, yet effective.  Taylor Martinez will continue to throw the ball like LaMarr LaTrell from Revenge of the Nerds and make enough plays with his feet to keep the chains moving, sort of...  The key for the Huskers will be finding that game changing #1 back that the program has lacked since the mid 90's.  If they can find an elite back then look out!

5. Michigan State: Mark Dantonio has built himself a very formidable program.  The Spartans lost a ton of players: Kirk Cousins, Jerell Worthy, BJ Cunningham, and Edwin Baker just to name a few.  However, Dantonio has recruited exceptionally well the last few years and the Spartans should be able to reload.  Stud, workhorse back Le'Veon Bell will be an absolute beast this year and if Andrew Maxwell can be a competent quarterback the Spartans will be very good once again.

6. Northwestern: I really like Kain Colter and I think he has a chance to be a special player for the Wildcats.  He will be the most athletic quarterback the Cats have had in years with all due respect to Dan Persa and Mike Kafka.  He will excel this year in Mick McCall's offense.  This is one of those years Northwestern will be very dangerous with a shot to surprise many.

7. Penn State: The Nittany Lions won't be terrible, but this will be a transitional year.  Everything is a mess in Happy Valley, from the new head coach, to the Sandusky scandal, to the quarterback controversy, to the uncertainty of what lies ahead.  They will be strong along both lines of scrimmage and will have one of the best backs in the conference in Silas Redd and that should be enough to make the Nitts bowl eligible.

8. Iowa: The Hawkeyes will boast one of the best NFL quarterback prospects in the conference if not the country in James Vandenberg.  However, Vandenberg was very inconsistent last year and will lose his favorite target in Marvin McNutt.  The Hawkeyes will also have to find someone to protect his blind side after the graduation of Riley Reiff.  Tailback Marcus Coker has decided to leave the program and the defensive line will be young.  It should be interesting to see what happens in Iowa City this fall. Thsi team could realistically win as few as 5 games and as many as 10.   Iowa is the toughest team in the league to prognosticate this fall.

9. Purdue: The Boilermakers will return quite a few letterman from a team that went bowling last year.  That's all I've got...

10. Minnesota: I tweeted two weeks ago that if MarQueis Grey can complete 55% of his passes the Gophers will be bowl eligible.  Q quickly responded "done!".  I think the Gophers are on the right track, but I am genuinely concerned about head coach Jerry Kill's health.  He seems to be doing better, but his health history is cause for concern.  The Gophers need to find a playmaker along the defensive front, to help out what in my opinion will be a strong back seven. The Gophers also need a feature back, something the program has lacked since the departure of Amir Pinnix in 2007.   Look for JUCO transfer James Gillum to emerge and approach 1,000 yards rushing.

11. Illinois: When Illinois announced the hiring of former Toledo head man Tim Beckman I must admit that I snickered. But the bottom line is I'm not sure if Beckman will work out, just because a guy doesn't bring a sexy name doesn't mean he can't coach.  Beckman is a young, passionate, type A personality and I think that is exactly what the Illini program needs.  It will take a few years, but I think eventually Beckman will be okay.

12. Indiana: I feel bad for the Hoosiers, they had a verbal commitment from Gunner Kiel, the nations top senior signal caller.  Since then he decommited from IU and committed to LSU only to deccommit from the Tigers and eventually sign with Notre Dame.  Edwin Wright-Baker is a nice athlete at QB who will put up nice numbers in Head Coach Kevin Wilson's offense.  The Hoosiers will be fun to watch this year, but I don't see a lot of wins yet.  The defense will still be a joke.

Twin Cities Sports Teams Stock Reports

Minnesota Vikings

The B1G football dude’s recommendation: sell

The Vikings tied a franchise record for losses in the 2011/12 season with 13, matched only by the Les Steckel coached team of 1984.  Leslie Frazier is going to get a second year to coach the Purple, but his leash will be short and if the 2012/13 season goes anything like last year he won’t last until Thanksgiving. 

Christian Ponder was a surprise pick at number 12 overall in last year’s draft, but regardless the Vikings hitched their wagon to Ponder and will give him a full season as the starter to prove that they didn’t reach drafting him as high as they did.   Ponder had an up and down rookie season with the Vikes, showing great promise at times and looking completely overmatched at others.  His 13TD/13INT ratio will have to improve dramatically.  Despite the fact that a lot of Vikings fans like Ponder he was one of the lowest rated quarterbacks in the league and his 54% completion percentage topped only Blaine Gabbert and Tim Tebow.  

This is a coach and qb league and the Vikings are stuck with Leslie Frazier and Christian Ponder.  Now maybe they will do a complete 180 from last year and prove they are worthy of being the coach and quarterback of the future, but I am skeptical.  First let’s start with Ponder, the second year pro from Florida State had an up and down career with the Seminoles.  Ponder often times struggled in big games down the stretch.  He was also injury prone throughout his career at FSU.  Ponder struggled with injuries and his decision making with the Vikings in year 1 as well.  He should get a pass being a rookie, but I have noticed a theme throughout his collegiate and professional career.  Ponder threw a late pick that cost the Vikings the game against the Broncos in December and was bailed out by Joe Webb on several occasions after putrid performances.  Frazier meanwhile is a great defensive coordinator and #2, but he doesn’t have what it takes to be a head coach in my opinion.  Frazier reminds me of Norv Turner and Wade Philips, really good coordinators, and really poor head coaches.

My take is this: in a division with Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Jay Cutler are you satisfied with Christian Ponder as your starting QB?  In my opinion the Vikings need to draft Baylor Quarterback Robert Griffin III.  RG3 has a much bigger upside and in this division you are going to need an upside all the way to the moon.

Minnesota Wild

The B1G football dude’s recommendation: sell

The Wild gave up early on Todd Richards, canning him after two up and down years.  Richards came to the Wild as an up and coming young coach.  Many in the league thought very highly of Richards after several years as the top assistant in San Jose.  A year ago Richards had the Wild in 6^th place in the Western Conference and on pace to make the Stanley Cup playoffs, but a late collapse cost the young coach his job.  Richards was seen as an offensive minded coach who brought an up tempo style after the neutral zone trap years of Jaques Lemaire.  Fans quickly turned on Richards as the Wild struggled to score goals on a consistent basis.  What fans need to realize is this.  When you hire a chef with a reputation for cooking gourmet meals and you tell him that he has to make something with spam, leftover mac and cheese, and Oscar Meyer hot dogs, how do you think your meal is going to turn out.  The Wild’s problem last year and this year is they don’t have any goal scorers.  I liked the acquisitions of Danny Heatley and Devin Setoguchi, but they weren’t able to overcome injuries and a lack of depth along the front line.

Mike Yeo is a good, young head coach as was/is Todd Richards.  I just hope that the poor man’s Jerry Jones (Craig Leipold) doesn’t make another knee jerk decision and bail on Yeo after just one year.  Yeo should be given an opportunity to coach the Wild and grow with their young prospects.  However, aside from Finnish forward Mikael Granlund, the Wild has mostly dime a dozen guys and grinders.  The Wild needs more electricity in their lineup and I don’t see much in the young players that I have seen this year (Granlund is still in Finland).  This is a long term rebuilding project. 

Minnesota Twins

The B1G football dude’s recommendation: hold

The Minnesota Twins dominated the American League Central for a decade.  However, that string of domination came to a screeching halt last year as the Twins flirted with 100 losses.  Was it just a bump in the road or a sign of things to come?  I’m not really sure and that is why I am telling you to hold your Twins stock.  The health of former MVP’s Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer will be paramount to the Twins returning to their throne as kings of the central.  The wildly erratic Francisco Liriano will also have to become the consistently dominant pitcher he is capable of being, even though it should be noted that he hasn’t been dominant for a long stretch since undergoing Tommy John surgery after the 2006 season.  Liriano has been dominant for a month or so at a time, but he can’t put it together for a full season, which has been exasperating for Twins fans who know what his potential is.  For a staff that desperately needs a number one starter, Liriano’s re-emergence is another key to the Twins turning their fortunes around in 2012.

The steadying influence of current GM Terry Ryan will help immensely!  Ryan is just smart.  If you listen to the dude talk you get the feeling he knows his stuff.  Former GM Billy Smith was way over his skis.  He reminded me of soon to be former Minnesota AD Joel Maturi, a really nice guy who seems lost.  Smith and Maturi were little lost puppy dogs, who were eventually taken to the pound and euthanized.

Minnesota Gopher basketball

The B1G football dude’s recommendation: hold

Tubby Smith came to Minnesota with a lot of hype and excitement.  He took over a program that had become a lower echelon team in the BIG and made them immediately competitive and relevant elevating said program to a middle echelon BIG program.  Tubby has taken the Gophers to the post season in 3 of his 4 years at the U, two of which were NCAA tournament appearances. 

I posed this question on Twitter last week.  “Has Tubby Smith become the Glen Mason of Gopher coaches?  Fattening up on non-conference cupcakes, sub .500 BIG record, occasional big wins, and non-descript post season appearances.”  Tubby like Mason had success before he came to the U, winning a National Championship in his first year at Kentucky with mostly Rick Pitino’s players.  Mason had success at Kansas (by KU football standards). 

Tubby has put together athletic teams that can run and play defense, but can’t rebound or shoot to save their lives.  He has also had trouble hanging on to his elite recruits.  Royce White, Justin Cobbs, Devoe Joseph, and Colton Iverson are all no longer with the program, and we all know about the issues on and off the court for Trevor Mbakwe.  I think Tubby can field competitive teams year after year, but as a Gopher basketball fan you need to ask yourself this question.  What are you looking for in the program?  To be competitive, or to be BIG champs.  I think we are all in a wait and see mode with Tubby, but I do think the Gophers should extend him.  I think a 3 year extension should be sufficient.

Minnesota Gopher hockey

The B1G football dude’s recommendation: hold

The Star Tribune’s Patrick Reusse calls the Gophers the Yankees of college hockey and he is dead on accurate.  The Gophers don’t recruit they select.  I would say that it’s safe to say that 99% of kids that grow up playing hockey in Minnesota would jump at the chance to play for the Gophers if offered a scholarship.   The Gophers regularly have Top 5 recruiting classes. 

The Gophers have struggled over the last 4-5 years due in large part to the high amount of turnover in the program.  Most of the kids Lucia recruits are or will be NHL draft choices and many bolt after just a year or two with the program.  Kids like Nick Leddy, Erik Johnson, Kyle Okposo, and many others have bolted for the NHL before their eligibility has expired.

The Gophers will always be looked at as the program with the most resources of any program in the country.  Think Texas in football, with all the in state talent, high school programs, etc..  However, the Gophers will need to cut down on their turnover and maybe recruit kids that are willing to play for the program for 3-4 years.  It’s probably easier said than done, but a program of the Gophers statue should compete for national championships every year, period.  Head coach Don Lucia’s killer instinct needs to be questioned.  I am starting to wonder whether the guy is just mailing it in and is content with his two national championships that were won almost a decade ago.  I think the Gophers may be better off hiring a young, driven, hungry, type A head coach.  Lucia was just that when he arrived, but I am afraid he has become the lazy executive that is still milking the company for his accomplishments years ago and not trying to help the company in the future.  He is the guy at the corporation pulling in the big salary and the young guy below him is doing more work for half the salary.  I think the Gophs need the young driven guy.  Hey, maybe the Gophers can hire Todd Richards?!

Minnesota Timberwolves

The B1G football dude’s recommendation: buy

Rick Adelman is looked at as one of the best coaches in the NBA.  He was assigned the tall task of coaching a young team with no go-to scorer that has been looked at as one of the worst franchises in the NBA for the last 5 years or so.  It should be noted that the Timberwolves are swimming in lottery picks: Kevin Love, Wesley Johnson, Michael Beasley, Ricky Rubio, and Derrick Williams all come to mind.  Adelman has instantly taken a team that hasn’t eclipsed 20 wins the past two years and transformed them into a .500ish team that is being mentioned by some as a playoff contender.  Now the emergences of Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic should be taken into account as well, but Adelman has the town abuzz about the Timberwolves, something that has been lacking around these parts since 2004. 

The Wolves still need a shooting guard and someone that can spot up and hit open shots.  I think the Wolves are just a 2 guard away from being a Western Conference playoff team.

Minnesota Gopher football

The B1G football dude’s recommendation: buy

If you were to conduct a random national survey and you posed the question “What do you think of the Minnesota Gopher football program?”, most people would probably say something along the lines of “they suck!”  If you are an investor or day trader you are always on the hunt for stocks that are undervalued and have a tremendous up-side.  The Gophers are a stock that is worth next to nothing right now and worst case scenario 3 years down the road is it remains a stock that is worth next to nothing.  Former Texas Tech and current Washington State head coach Mike Leach, who campaigned for the Gopher job opening a year ago said the same thing.  After Jerry Kill was hired he was on record saying that he likes a “challenge”.  The coach no doubt will have a challenge on his hands trying to turn around a program that hasn’t been relevant in nearly 50 years.  However, Jerry knows the upside is huge.

Is Jerry Kill the next Steve Jobs?  The late Apple CEO was an innovator, taking a niche computer company and evolving it into a company that has transformed the portable music player, cell phone, and laptop computer/tablet markets forever.   Jobs is the architect of a company that saw its stock rise from around $7.00 per share in October of 2002 to over $500 per share as of today.  In my opinion, and I will grant you that I am a Minnesota alumnus and season ticket holder, the Gophers have all the tools to become a relevant program not just in the B1G, but nationally.  They have the stadium, city, local business community, and now a University President to get the job done.  You can’t tell me that if Wisconsin and Iowa are relevant Minnesota can’t be.  That simply “shouldn’t” be true.

Kill can check off the first step on his list to turning the Gophers into a competitive program.  He locked down the borders of the state in the recruiting battle.   The Gophers top 4 in state recruiting targets in no particular order were: Mankato West QB Philip Nelson, Blue Earth OT Jonah Pirsig, Hopkins WR Andre McDonald, and St. Thomas OG Isaac (the Chef) Hayes.  Kill landed all four, now that’s what I call a Kill shot!

B1G championship game prediction

Wisconsin 31, MIchigan State 17: Russell Wilson and Montee Ball will lead the Badgers to their second consecutive Rose Bowl appearance.

Final B1G power rankings

1. Wisconsin: I think the Badgers will route the Spartans next weekend in Indy.  Bielema just looks pissed off about losing two games on hail Mary's, which ultimately cost his team a chance to play for the national championship.  I expect the Badgers to take out their anger and frustration on Michigan State and try to run up the score.

2. Michigan State: The Spartans were much better than I thought they would be this year, especially defensively.  However, the Spartans will fail to claim their first outright conference championship in a long time.

3. Michigan: I thought the Wolverines D would improve, but not to the extent it did.  Wow!  The Wolverines now just need a little help next weekend to claim their first BCS bid in 5 years.  The Wolverines are 16th in the BCS and need to climb to 14th to be eligible.

4. Nebraska: The Cornhuskers ran hot and cold this year.  They looked like a national championship contender one week and like a lower echelon B1G team the next.  I'm still not sure what to think about Nebraska long term, but they have a long way to go to get back to what they were in the 80's and 90's.

5. Penn State: The Nittany Lions had an up and down year, both on and off the field.  I still think Penn State will hire an elite head coach, but I could be wrong.

6. Iowa: The Hawkeyes had a jekyll and hyde season.  They beat Michigan and lost to Minnesota.  Go figure.  James Vandenberg was also wildly inconsistent this year and ended with a dud against Nebraska.

7. Northwestern: The Cats showed a pulse at the end of the year despite their limited roster.  Don't count out Pat Fitzgerald at some of these openings this year in Westwood, Tempe, and State College.

8. Ohio State: And now we begin the Urban Meyer era.  Braxton Miller is a perfect fit for his offense and they will be a factor if not a favorite in the Leaders Division in 2012.

9. Purdue: The Boilermakers won in Bloomington and saved Danny Hope's job.  The rest of the B1G is thankful that such a mediocre coach will be in the B1G for at least another year.

10. Minnesota: MarQueis Grey will be a major factor for Minnesota next year.  Grey broke the single season rushing record for a quarterback and will break his own record next year.  A soft schedule should get the Gophers to bowl eligibility next year.

11. Illinois: The Illini are just not a very good team and whoever takes over next year will have a significant rebuilding job on his hands.

12. Indiana: I didn't understand the Kevin Wilson hire a year ago, and I still don't.  This program needs a tough, physical, defensive minded head coach.  Wilson will have to be a mad scientist to turn this program around and keep his job.

B1G predictions: Week 13

Iowa 28, Nebraska 24: The Hawkeyes finish ahead of their border rivals in the Legends Division with a win in Lincoln.  Hawkeye fans will have 12 months to gloat.  Iowa will prove to be an underrated team after all, and Nebraska overrated.

Northwestern 24, Michigan State 21: Another upset!  Northwestern will end the season with a bang, beating Legends division champ Michigan State.  Pat Fitzgerald proves once again why he is one of the rising stars in college football.

Michigan 24, Ohio State 16: No upset here.  The Wolverines are licking their chops thinking about beating the vulnerable Buckeyes and they will do just that.

Purdue 31, Indiana 28: Purdue will get it's revenge in the Old Oaken Bucket game, avenging last year's overtime loss to the Hoosiers with a thrilling win.  The Boilermakers will get a last second field goal from Carson Wiggs to leave Bloomington with the hardware and their first bowl bid in 4 years.

Illinois 20, Minnesota 10: The Gophers have had trouble generating much offense this year and that trend will continue against a stout Illinois defense.  Nathan Scheelhaase will make enough plays with his arm and his legs to keep the Gophers out of it.

Wisconsin 28, Penn State 13: The Badgers win what will be a blah game, but they will leave with the Leaders division crown and an all expense paid trip to Indianapolis to get their revenge against Michigan State.

Last week: 5-1, Overall: 71-20

B1G power rankings: Week 13

1. Wisconsin: I am looking forward to the exchange between Bret Bielema and Fox sideline reporter and former Minnesota coach Tim Brewster at the inaugural B1G championship game. 

2. Michigan State: Sparty put together an impressive season.  The D was much better than I thought it would be.  Dantonio is building something special in East Lansing.

3. Penn State: Penn State is about as dull as tepid dishwater, but they are a solid football team.

4. Michigan: Brady Hoke has the maize and blue back on track.  They will be competing for national championships soon.

5. Nebraska: I tried to tell people at the beginning of the year that the Cornhuskers were overrated.  I knew that Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Florida State were vastly overrated and how did that turn out?

6. Iowa: If it weren't for that gaffe at Minnesota a month ago the Hawkeyes would be in good shape for a New Year's Day bowl game.

7. Northwestern: Here come the Cats on one of their late season runs.  I'm sure that all 814 Northwestern season ticket holders are absolutely ecstatic about the way the Cats are playing right now.  Pat Fitzgerald reminds me of the hot girl who stays faithful to her high school sweetheart.  Everyone knows that she can do better, but she remains committed.

8. Ohio State: The Buckeyes will hire an elite head coach this off season and their ills will be cured.

9. Purdue: If Danny Hope loses to Indiana he may as well dial the moving company on his way back to the locker room.

10. Illinois: See above only swap out Ron Zook for Danny Hope and Minnesota for Indiana.

11. Minnesota: A win over a reeling Illinois team is a real possibility for the Gophers.  If Jerry Kill beats the Illini he will have more wins (2) in his first season in the Big Ten than his predecessors Tim Brewster and Glen Mason did.

12. Indiana: Has Gunner arrived yet?