In the middle of the offseason, when you usually hear very little news about most other sports, the NFL has found a way to make headline after headline in what is by far the most hyped professional sports entry draft.  It’s at this time every year that the likes of Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, and Jeremy Green begin frothing at the mouth, spewing out new prediction after new prediction like a sick college freshman after their first “big night” in an effort to keep viewers on the edge of their seat regarding who will be number one.  The volatility of the stock of these poor college kids would deter even the most intrepid investors from investing in them.  There was even discussion last year of moving the first round to Friday night, so the weekend could be completely suffocated by NFL coverage.  Fortunately the brain trust didn’t pull the lever.  
 

I won’t deny that I love the NFL Draft.  It may be because of all the hype, or the fact that I’ve watched it every year since I can remember.  Whatever it may be I have grown to love watching and anticipating the decisions various scouts and owners will make and who will be endlessly ridiculed or excessively praised.  This year I have paid closer attention to the hype and found out how ridiculous it really is.  Aside from how boring and repetitive the surplus of articles and television coverage are, they have put so much unneeded pressure on these young men at a very vulnerable time when they are looking to define what kind of person they are going to be.  It’s no surprise that so many of them run into legal problems.  Although, the argument can be made that this is part of the job description, which is why all NFL teams conduct what seems to be an endless string of personality tests in addition to the rigorous physical tests, another “draft aspect” us readers/viewers are so fortunate to learn so much about. 
 
So, like it or not, the NFL Draft is going to continue to get as much, if not more, buildup as the Super Bowl.  Maybe it’s because Americans love to make sports picks (NCAA brackets, mock drafts) and be able to point and laugh at coworkers and friends when they are right and the others are wrong.  Maybe people don’t have enough to do at work and can do nothing better than read articles about how much better a football player is going to be because of a difference of 5 one-hundredths of a second in the 40 yard dash.  Whatever the reason is, as a nation we eat up the competition and the hype which means there will be no let up of draft nerds like Kiper and McShay gushing about risers and demoralizing fallers as these kids continue to have to deal with the pressure and temptation of being in the spotlight.  It’s almost like Charles Darwin designed the blueprint for the NFL. 

Tiger will look towards taming the course and the field starting Thursday at the Masters to claim his 5th Masters Title. There are many other golfers playing great golf that should offer us golf fans a great tournament, but Tiger hasn’t won the Masters since 2005 and has clear intentions to go for the Grand Slam this season.

Tiger has played in only 1 tournament that he didn’t win so far this season and he clearly didn’t play his best golf that week at the WGC-CA Championship at Doral where he still finished in 5th place.

If I was a golfer on the PGA Tour, I would be scared with what Tiger had to say as he sat down with Scott Van Pelt for ESPN’s Sunday Conversation:

To me, Tiger Woods is a person that has an unmatched drive and clear confidence with his ability to get better, as if any of us thought that was possible. I may be wrong, but there is no reason not to believe we will see history being made this year again by this man, and there is no sign of it ever slowing down.

If I was a bookie in Vegas I would be willing to pay great odds for a selection of the field, I think it is only fair when the man that has to be beat is Tiger Woods.

Who do you think has a chance to give Tiger a run for the title of 2008 Masters Champion?

from sports.espn.go.com posted with vodpod

The success of the newly transformed Twins will only be seen as the season wears on, and many sportswriters are predicting the Twins to finish in third or fourth place in the AL Central Division. As I see it, however, this year doesn’t matter, because with such a transitional, young ballclub, it’s difficult to believe that that the Twins could win the Central, or even be very competitive in comparison to the Indians and Tigers this year. The danger that I see is that the Twins could spin again into another dark age, similar to the epic string of losing seasons the club suffered in the late 1990′s.

Starting in 1993, the Twins posted eight dismal losing seasons. Between 1997 and 2000, the team never posted more than 70 victories, mainly because the team fell apart as the former stars of the previous World Series Teams fell apart themselves. Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett retired; Chuck Knoblauch left for the Yankees and forgot to bring his right arm. The departure of these core players, and the inability of a small market baseball team to quickly replace them with veterans to supplement their young talent, left the team unable to compete.

If we look to the current year, the Twins still have young star players that can hopefully hold together a decently competitive baseball team. However, the danger is always still there; what if Delmon Young or Carlos Gomez doesn’t pan out? Or the many young pitchers the Twins will rely on beginning this year? Or mismanagement by a new GM costs the team already on a tight budget? The club is better managed now than in the late nineties, but a combination of these events could be devastating for the team.

As of opening day 2008, however, falling into another dark age for the Twins seems an unlikely event. However, watching this newly transformed team with Torii Hunter standing in center field for the opposing team reminds us that this is not the Twins team we once knew, and instead is a much more fragile version of the perennial powerhouse of 2002-2006. This team has the potential to succeed greatly, and surpass those former champions. However, much like the Twins teams after the 1991 World Series, this team has the same potential for failure. Transformation is a delicate process in nature and in baseball, and in the case of the small market Twins, history has shown that it can sometimes take a decade.

-Patrick Eidsmo is a new contributor to Minnesota Sports Daily

As The NHL playoffs start to become more than a speck on the horizon of a long 82 game season, the Wild find themselves front and center in the playoff picture.  On Wednesday night the Wild recaptured first place in the northwest division by defeating the red-hot Edmonton Oilers, who are now 7-3 in their last ten games.  The Oilers spanked the Wild pretty badly up in Edmonton on Monday night;

the game was not as close as the 5-3 score would indicate as the Oilers were up 3-0 early in the first.  On Wednesday the Wild looked like a completely different team, playing in front of their home crowd they jumped on the Oilers early and completely dominated them for the first two periods of play.  
 

The Wild seem to not have any health issues as they get ready to go into the playoffs, a few names clutter up the day-to-day injury report but with the exception of Kurtis Foster (out for season) the Wild appear to be very healthy.  Coach Jacques Lemaire looks to have good chemistry going between his lines as well.  I don’t know if you can really say they have a number 1 line but if one had to pick it would most likely be the Gaborik, Radivojevic, Bouchard line.  Gaborik looks to be 100% healthy right now and the line played very on Wednesday last night, notching the team’s first tally and maintaining solid pressure throughout the game.  The number 2 line, again I feel like these two are pretty interchangeable, is the Rolston, Koivu, Demitra line.  Koivu looks like he’s coming back very nicely from the injury and Demitra looks to be the perfect complement to Rolston, constantly looking to feed the cannon.  It seemed like Wednesday night Lemaire mixed up the checking lines throughout the night, though Parish, Belenger, and Voros received the most ice time as the third line, rookie James Sheppard, and veteran Todd Fedoruk also rotated through.  The Boogey Man saw his normal 5-6 minutes of ice and was involved in a good tilt with Zack Stortini immediately after the Wild scored their first goal.  I like this lineup for the Wild.  I think the other forwards who were healthy scratches can fill in very nicely in place of most of the other checking line players, but Wednesday’s lineup was very solid.  I also love the addition of Chris Simon, an agitator very good at getting under opponents’ skin, to the roster and a great player to have on your team during the playoffs.  The Blue liners look pretty solid; Burns has continued what he started at the end of last season and is one of the team’s key contributors, especially on the PP.  Carney labors around out there a little but is as cagey as they come and will bring a lot of experience to the playoffs.  Nummelin and Johnsson continue to be solid and Hill has filled in nicely for the injured Foster, he has four points in the last 4 games.
 
If the Wild can continue to play like they did on Wednesday night they have a serious shot to do well in the playoffs.  They have been involved in many low scoring, close games this season which I feel is a big positive as most of the games played in April, May, and June are usually one or two goal games.  If Minnesota can hold their position and win the central division they will be the third seed in the Western Conference and play Calgary, Dallas, Colorado, or Vancouver.  Three of these teams are in the Wild’s own division (Northeast) and are teams the Wild are very familiar with.  Five points separate Minnesota from Vancouver in the standings, and with five games to play anything can happen.  Anaheim, San Jose, and Detroit would all be unlucky first round match-ups.  San Jose is surging right now (8-0-2 in their last ten), Detroit is Detroit (8-2-0 in their last ten), and Anaheim is 15-5 in their last 20.  They also added Selanne and Scott Niedermayer to the roster midway through the season.  The best match-up for the wild would be to play a club from the northeast.  Jerome Iginla has torched the Wild for more points than he has against any other team this season (10 in 7 games) and it just seems the Wild don’t match up well with the Flames.  Colorado, Vancouver, and Dallas would all present a similar match-up for the Wild and would give them the best chance of moving on to the second round. 
 
The bottom line is that in the NHL playoffs anyone can beat anyone on any given night.  The playoffs are often described as a second season simply because they last three months and are unbelievably grueling.  The Wild have put themselves in a very good position right now and are paying very well as they finish off the stretch run and enter the playoffs.  They have a balanced team and solid goaltending, the perfect recipe for a repeat the 2003 playoff run.                              

Arizona

Arizona has some of the best golfing conditions all year round, and early spring is one of the best times to go because it isn’t so hot. You will find a wide variety of golf courses in the Phoenix and Scottsdale area, at very reasonable costs.

*Troon North – Scottsdale, AZ

South Carolina

South Carolina has some of the best golf resorts in the world, and is known as a hot bed for travelers around the world that enjoy golf vacations. Whether it is Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head or golf in the Midlands the South Carolina Golf Trail has a lot of offer.

*Oceanfront Course- Hilton Head, SC

Hawaii

In a dream world, everyone that plays golf would go to Hawaii, not just for the golf but to relax in paradise. Hawaii’s islands offer some of the best settings for golf that you can find anywhere, although it is more expensive to get there, the golf is well worth it. Golf in Hawaii boasts the famous Kapalua – Plantation Course and Wailea Country Club, both of which are on the island of Maui.

* Kapalua Resort – Maui, Hawaii

Ireland

While it may not sound like the ideal place to travel for golf when you are stuck in winter, Irish golf has a unique appeal and it’s all down to the quality of the country’s courses. The country may be internationally famed for the character of its links courses like the Portmarnock, Ballybunion, Doonbeg and The European, but visitors will also be wowed by the exceptional championship parkland courses.

*Kenmare Golf Club – Kenmare, County Kerry

Florida

Last but not least, Florida is one of the most popular places for spring travelers to play golf. Not only does Florida provide you with hundreds of courses to play, ranging from affordable public courses to PGA event courses, it also offers families much more to do away from the golf. Whether you want to go to Disney World, one of many beaches or head to the Florida Keys, you will find great golf in Florida in all of those locations.

*Celebration Golf Course – Celebration, FL

As you might already know there are thousands upon thousands of wonderful golf getaways to discover when you are stuck in the never-ending winter, these are just a few of the most popular and top golf getaways for any golfer that is starting to get the golfing bug.

What are your favorite golf getaways to get ready for golfing in Minnesota?

Metro Player of the Year 2008

D – Jake Gardiner – Minnetonka

1st Team
F – Zach Budish – Edina (Gophers)
F – JT Brown – Rosemount
F – Marshall Everson – Edina (Harvard)
D – Jake Gardiner – Minnetonka (Wisconsin)
D – Chris Student – BSM (Providence)
G – Joe Phillippi – Hill Murray (Nebraska-Omaha)

2nd Team
F – Danny Mattson – AHA (North Dakota)
F – David Eddy – Woodbury
F – Tyler Barnes – Burnsville (Wisconsin)
D – Nick Leddy – Eden Prairie (Gophers)
D – Joe Gleason – Edina (North Dakota)
G – Alex Fons – Hopkins

3rd Team
F – Adam Mueller – Roseville (MSU Mankato)
F – Mike Schraber – Blaine
F – John O’Neill – Anoka (Minnnesota Duluth)
F – James Saintey – STA
F – Dan Cecka – Hill Murray
D – Nick Jensen – Rogers
D – Luke McManus – Rosemount
D – Anthony Raiola – Minnetonka (UMass)
G – Hakan Yumusaklar – Lakeville South

For extended coverage on Minnesota High School Hockey and the games this weekend check in with updates at the Gopher Hockey Blog. Congratulations to all of the honored players on the 2008 All-Metro teams.

Who is the front-runner for next year’s Mr. Hockey award?

Looks like for the first time in years the Minnesota Vikings are aggressively pursuing the one common goal of all NFL franchises…winning. With a strong, but aging defense and a superstar offensive talent (AP), the Vikings are realizing that now is the time to fill the gaps and go for a run at the Super Bowl.

The most expensive signing, but likely the most important for going into next season is the signing of Bernard Berrian, Berrian will bring a mix of deep threat speed with great hands, immediately catapulting him to the top of the depth chart for receivers.

To strengthen the safety position of the outstanding defense the Vikings also signed Madieu Williams, who was with the Cincinnati Bengals last season. Madieu was brought in to shore up help with defensive pass-coverage an area that the defense definitely needed to address.

The Vikings also got some more help at the fullback position by signing Minnesota native and former Gopher Football standout Thomas Tapeh. Tapeh is familiar with Brad Childress, which will help him in the Vikings system. It was uncertain what the Vikings would do with Tony Richardson, but this makes it clear that Tapeh will be the guy paving the way for the electric running attack the Vikings have with Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor.

Next on the list for the Vikings is to try and find a defensive end that can replace a spot that has seen Kenechi Udeze and Erasmus James injured for the better part of their careers. Jevon Kearse is a free agent and the Vikings may be interested in signing him, although his numbers have declined and he would add age to the defense. Antwan Odom is another defensive end the Vikings were trying to go after, who had originally scheduled to make a visit to the Vikings but left his visit in Cincinnati with a nice new contract.

Should the Vikings try to fill this gaping void with an aging defensive end or should they draft a defensive end in what is to be considered by many a good class of defensive ends coming out of school?

 For those of you who haven’t seen the Twins Territory commercial that aired on the Super Bowl and was created by Periscope, who really is the face of the Twins these days?

 With Torii Hunter gone, who was the clear leader in the clubhouse as well as Mr. Cy Young Santana gone, which Twin will take over as the identity and leader that this club needs for 2008 as well as the future? My guess is that it will be one of the three gentleman featured in the Twins Territory clip, as much as I wish it was TK, that is not who I’m referring to.

Who do you think the Twins need to be the identity of the team this year?

Here is a quick round up of two of the games I was at last night in the boys AA section finals in Section 6 and in Section 2 AA.

Benilde St. Margaret’s 3, Minnetonka 2

• Minnetonka probably had the advantage on paper in this game and clearly outplayed the Red Knights most of the game, however as they sat on a 2-0 lead going into the third period Benilde took advantage scoring 2 goals in about 9 minutes to tie it up and force overtime. Minnetonka seemingly had a goal early midway through the third period when Jake Gardiner, Minnetonka’s senior star defenseman jammed at the puck that was sitting in the crease, however the goal was disallowed, with the refs saying the puck was pushed in with a hand. Momentum quickly shifted at this point and Benilde took that swing into overtime, scoring a rebound goal on Matt Buonomo 40 seconds into the overtime frame, giving them the Section 6 title and a trip to the X next weekend.

Edina 4, Burnsville 3

• Any fans that were at Mariucci for the first game that left should be kicking themselves for doing so. The Section 2 championship game between Edina and Burnsville was one of the best paced, up and down Minnesota high school hockey games I’ve seen in a while and the goaltending was outstanding after the early goal scored by Burnsville. If not for Michael Becker, Burnsville’s goaltender, this game could have easily been put away towards the end of the third period or early in overtime, but the way he played it looked as if nothing was going to go in ending up with 43 saves. Eventually, enough chances for Edina’s top line of Anders Lee, Zach Budish and Marshall Everson wore out Burnsville and they scored with under a minute left in overtime to give them the Section 2 title and likely a top seed for the State Tournament.

Watching those 4 teams play last night was a treat for hockey fans and can only increase the anticipation for what should be another great State Tournament in the State of Hockey.

In other results from section play Roseau beat Moorhead handily 6-1, winning section 8AA and gaining a berth in the State Tourney as well. The rest of the class 2A section finals will be played Thursday and Friday.

What are your thoughts and predictions for this year’s State Tournament?

Feel free to share any stories, images or videos with me that relate to sports and the outdoors in Minnesota. You will find that I am a huge baseball and hockey guy, but I also enjoy anything related to the other great sports teams we have, especially high school sports.