By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com The weekend after writing about the mediocrity of college football, four of the top seven teams in the country lose. Mediocre, absolutely, but at least it was entertaining to watch some of the “top” teams self-implode. Unfortunately for two of those teams, their upsets should have never happened. To Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com Coming off a dreadful 63-99 season, the Minnesota Twins decided to part ways with general manager Bill Smith last week after a mediocre four-year run. Good decision. Taking his place will be the guy who preceded him, Terry Ryan. Bad decision. Smith certainly struggled during his tenure, turning Johan Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com College football has always been a little goofy. While pretty much all other sports have seasons that gradually build in tension and fan interest, culminating in some sort of exciting playoff format, college football prides itself on the importance of the regular season at the cost of having any Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com Theo Epstein is smart. Even I’ll admit that. However, little did I know that he was such a devious genius. Epstein, who presided as general manager over a Boston Red Sox organization that ended an 86-year World Series drought in 2004 before winning it all again in 2007. Now, Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com HBO’s Bryant Gumbel pulled off the verbal equivalent of dining and dashing earlier this week on his Real Sports television show. Gumbel, an African American man, likened NBA commissioner David Stern to a “plantation overseer,” and claimed that Stern thought of players as “his boys.” Now, Stern has to Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com Wait, there aren’t any teams left from the A.L. East? What, not even the N.L. East? Nope. There aren’t any teams from the West really either, although baseball geography places Texas right next to Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle. All of this means, sadly, that not nearly as many Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com I can’t remember any week not involving the Twins that I’ve ever enjoyed more as a baseball fan. A couple of Game 7s have been great, but never has there been so much action of the utmost consequence covering a full week. It started with Boston managing to pull Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com The beauty of being so busy during the high school sports season is being able to tune out the depressing state of the Minnesota professional sports scene (Vikings, Twins, Gophers, basically any animal or group of Norwegian pillagers not named the Lynx). Thankfully NBA commissioner David Stern appears set Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com About a week ago, it appeared as if the only thing worth discussing as the Major League Baseball regular season wound down would be postseason awards. Thankfully, Tampa Bay and St. Louis have joined the mix to add at least a little spice to their respective leagues’ wildcard races. Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com A strange feeling started to sink in about mid-June this year, something I had never experienced before in my life. I wanted summer to be over. I used to dread the start of school. I didn’t find class especially boring or strenuous, but I really didn’t like not being Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com On November 28, 2007, the Minnesota Twins traded Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan to the Tampa Bay Rays for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie. Oof. The trade was lauded at the time by most Twins fans who had grown weary of the conservative manner in Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com As a die-hard baseball fan, I always look forward to the date when pitchers and catchers report for spring training. Everyone shows up smiling, soaking in the sun, I watch the clip for 10 seconds on the news, then I count the next six weeks until meaningful games begin. Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com Thursday’s rattle and prattle from everyone’s favorite Record sports editor. Vikings cut McKinnie The Vikings were bold this week, cutting ties with left tackle Bryant McKinnie. It’s hard to say that a Pro Bowl player was a bust, but given the inconsistent play he exhibited throughout the majority of Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com The importance of being a “good sport” is drilled into every youth starting out in every sport. While that can mean different things depending on what sport is in question, baseball has a list of “unwritten rules” that is probably longer than all other sports combined. A few of Read more »
By PATRICK SLACK Sports Editor patrick.slack@mcrecord.com I love the irony of ex-coaches talking up the talent of the rosters they left behind for their successors upon being dismissed. This week, ex-Vikings coach Brad Childress talked about how well Donovan McNabb will fit in and help an already strong team. Ex-Gophers football coach Tim Brewster talked Read more »
