DreInWA

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/03/8351650-590x900.jpg To begin, I like Ron Gardenhire. A lot of it stems from nostalgia, but I appreciate his candor, as well as his general stewardship of the Twins during his tenure with the team. Like many, I have been confused and befuddled by many of his in-game decisions and substitutions, but ultimately, I don’t necessarily believe that a baseball manager has the impact that coaches in other sports can have upon their team. That said, in the case of Josmil Pinto, I am growing fearful. There are a lot of people out there clamoring for Pinto to be named the everyday catcher, and to be clear, I am not one of them. The Twins seem to be in love with Kurt Suzuki. Fine. Let Pinto serve as the backup and work to hone his defensive prowess with Terry Steinbach and the coaching staff. Many of the people calling for starting Pinto claim that his bat could be a difference maker in a Twins lineup that sorely needs it. This is where I am not yet sold. Pinto was a shimmering light that came out of a dismal season in 2013, but we should remember that we have an extremely limited sample size when judging Pinto’s ability to hit major league pitching (or AAA pitching for that matter). Pinto had a wonderful 83 plate appearances with the Twins last year, but if they plan on keeping him on the major league roster they need to find out if he is for real or Chris Parmelee 2.0. This means more at-bats rather than fewer. Which is fine, because this team is going nowhere this season and the roster is so bereft of offense they could DH him a great deal, while still giving him the opportunity to back up Suzuki occasionally. This scenario actually sounds fairly promising. This is where Ron Gardenhire comes in. “I’m not looking for a DH candidate in a catcher,” says Gardenhire. “I need two catchers. If I have that then I’m going to need three catchers and I don’t want to do that.” Gardenhire is scared of losing the DH in the event that Suzuki gets hurt and Pinto would need to go in for him. I guess that could happen, and it could be problematic… But here is where this scenario breaks down. This is something that would affect the outcome of one game and is also pretty rare, which seems like an odd thing to be obsessed about for a team with little hope of being competitive, but fine. They either need to carry a third catcher, or send Pinto to AAA Rochester. Your team is terrible, and it’s not exactly like you’ve got hungry sluggers in AAA kicking down the door at the moment. But if you want to DH Chris Collabello against left handed pitching, go ahead. Just let Pinto get his at bats in AAA for a while. We have seen a troubling trend from Gardenhire in recent years when it has come to dealing with new players. From throwing them under the bus in the media, to getting irked about little things that seem to be more about being grumpy and fed up rather than playing the right way. If Gardenhire is going to be the manager of this team going forward, he needs to start looking long-term rather than the immediate. Pinto’s bat may bring more immediate help to the team as the backup catcher, but there is just no way to spin fewer at-bats for a developing hitter as a positive, especially when the reasoning for doing so is based on an outsized fear of losing your DH, but we’ll give you that one Gardy. If you want to get a look at Collabello, great. Heck, if you want to send out Kubel to test his .235 career line against lefties, perfect. We’ll give you plenty of leash, as long as you extend the same courtesy to the developing players in the organization. This season should be devoted to sussing out who should be a member of this team going forward, and whether that happens in Rochester or in Minneapolis, a larger sample size from the youth in the organization will be crucial to making those decisions. Click here to view the article

My girlfriend had gotten us tickets for the game in May, and as soon as I saw where the tickets were I started teasing her about how we were going to be in the line of fire. As has happened many times in my life, I was exactly right. (Pause, just to let that statement sink in). http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/04/1-590x900.jpg http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/04/2014-04-28_16-01-43-590x900.jpg I had never been to Safeco before and I have to say I was very impressed. The general openness of the ballpark reminded me a lot of Target Field, and if you could ignore the large alien spacecraft in right field, it was very easy to forget that you were in a ballpark with a retractable roof. http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/04/photo-590x900.jpg Aforementioned alien spacecraft, last seen in the film Independence Day http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/04/41-590x900.jpg Welcome to Safeco! Our seats were in the second row about 30 yards past first base, and it was awesome to be so close to the field. I was, however, very aware that this is a place where we might see a few foul balls, and if we did see any, they likely wouldn’t be fly balls. Naturally, I was giving Allison a bad time about this, and unfortunately I had forgotten my glove in the car. The karmic wheel had been spun at that point, and in the top of the 2nd inning near the end of Aaron Hicks‘ 10 pitch at bat, it landed on me. I don’t know about you, but everytime I see a foul ball at a baseball game, there is that brief moment where it looks like it is coming right towards me, even when it isn’t. If you are like me, most of your life you will have dreamt about having a foul ball hit to you, and you have also hoped than when it finally happened, that it wouldn’t be a line drive, but “them’s the breaks kid.” Off the crack of the bat I knew it had a chance of getting to us, and boy did it get to us quickly. I kept waiting for it to “not be coming directly at me,” but that never happened. It was funny how the whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion, I didn’t even have time to stand up. In retrospect, I totally could have caught it. I got both hands on it, but there was a woman with a little kid sitting next to me, so I was really just trying to knock it down. http://cdn.fansided....-57-590x900.jpg I attached a Gif of the video back on the Pond. It is pretty difficult to see me get the ball, but you do see it bounce down into the front row. At the end of this you can see the guy in the front row with the ball right before he handed it to me. I had no idea where it went, and I was too busy doing my super sweet re-enactment of what had just happened. You can see Allison’s head next to me, just coming out of her super defensive crouch, I felt very protected. http://cdn.fansided....-40-590x900.jpg What just happened? When the guy handed me the ball I could barely believe it. I had dreamt about this moment for so long and for it to be finally be here was unfathomable. But, in the countless times I had had this fantasy, I always wanted to give the ball away to a kid, since I am older and it would mean much more to that kid than it ever could to me. However, it was not easy. I felt like Bilbo Baggins being asked to give up the ring by Gandalf. http://cdn.fansided....ing-590x900.jpg Keep it, you deserve this. In the end the good won out, and I gave the ball to the blonde kid sitting in front of me. It was his dad who had handed me the ball in the first place, which was pretty nice, since he just easily could have kept it. I felt good about the whole interaction, though I will mention that the kid didn’t seem that psyched about it; he later mentioned that this was the 4th ball he had gotten at a game, and the 2nd that very day. I took it in stride on the outside, on the inside it was more like: http://twinsdaily.co...ntid=7301&stc=1 Four balls? That being said, it was a pretty great day overall. I became a hero to the people sitting around us for a few innings, with the loud Canadians sitting behind us remarking that “Justin Morneau” –me– saved their lives. When they started yelling idiotic comments at the ball girl in the later innings I told them that I was “starting to regret it.” However, if nothing else this event did give me a little more leash to obnoxiously cheer for the Twins at certain moments through the game. I didn’t want to be an annoying away fan, but when Morneau hit his home run, I was definitely standing. The Twins ended up winning the game 4-0, and I was glad to see my favorite player play, in what was his last season in a Twins uniform. This is probably excessive for a recap, but I have been to a lot of baseball games in my life, and it is likely I will never get another foul ball. If nothing else, I am glad I have this checked off my list. This seems to be the theme this year in many ways, and reflecting on it, I owe a lot of thanks to a lot of people for making this year possible, and that list now includes Aaron Hicks. http://cdn.fansided..../10-590x900.jpg Click here to view the article

PREVIOUS http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/04/mlb-oakland-athletics-minnesota-twins.jpg The Twins were 3-3 heading into opening day at Target Field, which frankly seemed a bit surprising considering the way they started the season. There seemed to be a faint hint of optimism about the team. Could Chris Colabello could give us the “feel good” story of the season? Is Jason Kubel back? Would Jason Bartlett‘s injury spare us from having to witness his flailing attempts to hit major league pitching/catch a ball in the outfield? Things were looking up. What was predicted to be an anemic offense was scoring runs. In fact, even after a dismal three-game sweep by the Athletics at home, the Twins still rank 8th in the majors and 2nd in the AL in runs scored. It wasn’t always pretty, but the offense was doing enough to keep the Twins in games. Of course the problem, and this may seem familiar at this point, was the pitching. The Twins pitching staff currently sports a 6.31 ERA, which puts them dead last in the majors, and is nearly half a run worse than the 29th ranked Arizona Diamondbacks. This is a familiar story line in Minnesota. One that fans have witnessed time and time again in this latest run of three-straight 90 loss seasons. What seems a bit different this year, is that the memo has gotten out to a large portion of the public. It’s a small sample size (so is everything at this point in the season), but here are the attendance numbers from the first three home games of the season per ESPN. Game 1: 35,837 (90.7% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 2: 22,973 (58.2% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 3: 20,650 (52.3% full) – % is based on regular season capacity In the middle of Patrick Reusse’s latest piece, he pointed out that the Twins still had more than 3,000 tickets to sell on opening day, which on one of the first nicer days of the season, certainly didn’t seem to be a good sign for the Twins management. Reusse also noted that if the Twins offense doesn’t perform this year, it is all Joe Mauer‘s fault. Apparently, the logical assertions made in his article were limited to citing the ticket sales. At first the numbers from games two and three really looked pretty alarming, but I found that they were roughly consistent with 2013. However, comparing the past two years to the two seasons previous is where the disparity really starts to become obvious. 2013 Game 1: 38,282 (96.9% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 2: 22,963 (58.1% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 3: 24,752 (62.7% full) – % is based on regular season capacity 2012 Game 1: 39,414 (99.8% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 2: 31,413 (79.5% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 3: 31,782 (80.5% full) – % is based on regular season capacity 2011 Game 1: 40,714 (103.1% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 2: 39,936 (101.1% full) – % is based on regular season capacity Game 3: 38,484 (97.4% full) – % is based on regular season capacity When looking at these numbers, it is hard to even claim that the honeymoon with Target Field is over, when the reality is that it was probably over a year ago. Fans are upset by the product that has been put on the field, and with the current Twins payroll hovering around $85 million, just good enough for 24th in the majors, they have every right to be. Look, I get it. Even if the Twins had spent much more in free agency, they still probably wouldn’t have been competitive this season. If I were the Pohlad’s, I wouldn’t want to throw away tens of millions of dollars for a few more wins either, but as we trudge toward what will likely be a fourth-straight 90 loss season, fans are fed up, and no amount of “How about the great concession stands,” “Did we mention the 2014 All Star Game,” or “Just wait until the reinforcements get here” talking points are going to bring the fans back. Only winning will do that. Unfortunately, though the pitching will likely improve, it is just as likely that the offense will regress to their meager expectations set before the start of the season, and it could be a long year. Accountability is the buzzword now, and barring a meteoric Byron Buxton/Alex Meyer call up, there will be few reasons for fans to come out to see this team. The front office can continue to wax poetically about about the future while listing the cumulative salary figures when talking about Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes, but it seems as though the fans see through that now. It’s hard to know who to blame, because the team isn’t good enough to really blame the coaching staff. The Nolasco and Hughes signings got people paying attention, but then nothing significant followed. For the Twins this was big spending, but within the context of baseball today, this was run of the mill, and the onus there either falls on Terry Ryan or the Pohlad’s, or both. Either way, the fans are holding the front office accountable for the embarrassing product they have put on the field, and they will do it by staying as far away from Target Field as possible. We will see if this accountability is contagious, and begins to be seen in the decisions the organization makes going forward.

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/03/7444846-590x900.jpg In an interesting move, the Minnesota Twins placed Scott Diamond on waivers Wednesday, giving the other teams in the league until Thursday to make a move to claim him. The move is interesting for several different reasons, seeing that it was not that long ago that Diamond appeared to emerge as a pitcher who could become part of the permanent rotation going forward. Diamond was the Twins top pitcher in 2012 (insert joke here), going 12-9 with an 3.54 ERA. He certainly wasn’t a flame thrower by any means, which his 90 strikeouts in 173 innings would indicate, but it seemed that he could certainly anchor the team at the #4 or #5 spot in the rotation. However, the hopelessness of 2013 left few players unscathed and was particularly rough for Diamond as he ended the season 6-13 with a 5.43 ERA. Left with the dueling performances of his 2012 and 2013 seasons, we were left to wonder which Scott Diamond would show up in 2014. The decision made by the Twins to attempt to pass Diamond through waivers seems to indicate their thoughts on the matter. Especially seeing that Kyle Gibson still has an option left, and they could easily have sent Gibson to Rochester to start the season to give Diamond a shot to prove himself. It is hard to glean much substance from Spring Training, but Diamond giving up 20 hits, 10 walks and carrying a 5.29 ERA through 17 innings probably didn’t help his cause. It could also be that Gibson’s strong performance in Spring Training has raised his stock within the organization, but likely it is a combination of Gibson looking like he may be ready for his shot, and Diamond regressing back to the mean from which he arose. After all, baseball is a weird game where weird things can happen. Please see Andrew Albers throwing 17+ scoreless innings to start his short-lived major league career. Diamond could have been a flash in the pan in 2012, who got knocked around in 2013 after the rest of the league got the book on him. It could have been an off year, or his injuries could have provided problems. It could have been a little bit of all of this at the same time, but time will tell. Getting rid of Vance Worley made sense, but it will be interesting to see if any other teams in the league want to take a chance on Diamond, as he is only 26 and has previously shown some potential. Regardless of how this turns out, it won’t likely be something we remember several years from now, but it has been one of the more interesting moves of what has been a fairly uneventful offseason, as we again head towards a season that may be difficult to endure.

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/03/8351650-590x900.jpg To begin, I like Ron Gardenhire. A lot of it stems from nostalgia, but I appreciate his candor, as well as his general stewardship of the Twins during his tenure with the team. Like many, I have been confused and befuddled by many of his in-game decisions and substitutions, but ultimately, I don’t necessarily believe that a baseball manager has the impact that coaches in other sports can have upon their team. That said, in the case of Josmil Pinto, I am growing fearful. There are a lot of people out there clamoring for Pinto to be named the everyday catcher, and to be clear, I am not one of them. The Twins seem to be in love with Kurt Suzuki, fine. Let Pinto serve as the backup and work to hone his defensive prowess with Terry Steinbach and the coaching staff. A lot of the people calling for starting Pinto, claim that his bat could be a difference maker in a Twins lineup that sorely needs it. This is where I am not yet sold. Pinto was a shimmering light that came out of a dismal season in 2013, but we should remember that we have an extremely limited sample size when judging Pinto’s ability to hit major league pitching (or AAA pitching for that matter). Pinto had a wonderful 83 plate appearances with the Twins last year, but they need to find out if he is for real, or Chris Parmelee 2.0, if they plan on keeping him on the Major League Roster. This means more at bats rather than less. Which is fine, because this team is going nowhere this season and their roster is so bereft of offense that they could DH him a great deal, while still giving him the opportunity to backup Suzuki occasionally. This scenario actually sounds fairly promising. This is where Ron Gardenhire comes in. “I’m not looking for a DH candidate in a catcher,” says Gardenhire. “I need two catchers. If I have that then I’m going to need three catchers and I don’t want to do that.” Gardenhire is scared of losing the DH in the event that Suzuki would get hurt and Pinto would need to go in for him. I guess that could happen, and it could be problematic… But here is where this scenario breaks down. This is something that would affect the outcome of one game and is also pretty rare, which seems like an odd thing to be obsessed about for a team with little hope of being competitive, but fine. They either need to carry a third catcher, or send Pinto to AAA Rochester. Your team is terrible, and it’s not exactly like you’ve got hungry sluggers in AAA kicking down the door at the moment. But if you want to DH Chris Collabello against left handed pitching, go ahead. Just let Pinto get his at bats in AAA for a while. We have seen a troubling trend from Gardenhire in recent years when it has come to dealing with young players. From throwing them under the bus in the media, to getting irked about little things that seem to be more about being grumpy and fed up rather than playing the right way. If Gardenhire is going to be the coach of this team going forward, he needs to start looking at the long-term rather than the immediate. Pinto’s bat may bring more immediate help to the team as the backup catcher, but there is just no way to spin less at bats for a developing hitter as a positive, especially when the reasoning for doing so is based upon the ridiculous fear of losing your DH, but we’ll give you that one Gardy. If you want to get a look at Collabello, great. Heck, if you want to send out Kubel to test his .235 career line against lefties, perfect. We’ll give you plenty of rope, as long as you extend the same courtesy to the developing players in the organization. This season should be devoted to sussing out who should be a member of this team going forward, and whether that happens in Rochester or in Minneapolis, a larger sample size from the youth in the organization will be crucial to making those decisions.

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/02/8225452-590x472.jpg To leadoff (baseball term), it occurs to me that some of my past posts have sent no small amount of ire in the direction of the Twins’ front office, and the man at the helm: Terry Ryan. Many probably heard of his cancer diagnosis this week, and there is nothing like news like this that immediately points out how trivial baseball is within the grand scheme of things. All reports indicate that his illness is treatable, and we wish Terry and his family all the best as they go forward with his treatment. Since we’re talking about Terry Ryan, it bears mentioning that he has been a busy man this offseason. The acquisitions of Ricky Nolasco, Phil Hughes, Mike Pelfrey,Jason Kubel, Kurt Suzuki, and Jason “Watch your back Florimon” Bartlett have bolstered hope among fans that there may be fewer reasons for self-loathing in 2014. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was falling back into the trap. The Twins’ current payroll is still hovering around $84 million. In other words, right where it was last year. The aggressiveness the front office showed early in the offseason snatching up Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes — both landmark signings for the Twins — seemed to obfuscate the reality that the Twins shed payroll down the stretch last season, all while the coming year would see some of their aging contracts to guys like Nick Blackburn come off the books. Combine this with the increased revenue brought in by their TV contracts, and the argument could very easily be made that the Twins grossly under-spent this offseason, and may have just pulled off one of the best of their “Houdini acts” of public relations in recent memory. (This is the PR team that brought us “Corey Koskie: Canadian Folk Hero,” so we shouldn’t be surprised by their brilliance.) As I contemplated this, I found myself becoming upset. I was just another rube in the end. They throw a little money around for what looks like a couple of #3 starters, and I fall head over heels. I can’t deal with this anymore. I want something real, like whatJuan Pablo and those other six girls have. Something magical. Where’s our Tanaka? Why do good things happen to bad people, like everyone in New York? (Several hours later) And why doesn’t Kevin Love want to stay here? Why can’t Gary Anderson kick field goals that matter? Bob Dylan was our claim to fame, and after that Super Bowl commercial, that’s clearly over. So what’s left? When was the last time Josh Hartnett was actually in a movie? Of course, this train of thought is a black hole of misery, past failures and projected futures. One we have been down far too many times in Minnesota. After a while, these thoughts began to dissipate. Maybe, I wasn’t just feeling better about the Twins because they had actually signed players that I didn’t need to immediately look up. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that for the first time in a long time, it seemed that there was at least some semblance of a plan in place. When teams are winning, it is perfectly natural to become less introspective about why it is occurring. Jim Pohlad admitted as much in an interview early this year, pointing out that the organization had grown slightly complacent in the wake of the success (during the regular season) of the early and mid 2000′s. But baseball changed, and when the Twins failed to adapt, rather than regress, they fell off of a cliff into the canyon that we may now slowly be pulling ourselves out from. I am still frustrated that the Twins didn’t spend more during the offseason, but my issue has rarely been with the external free agents we haven’t signed, rather it has been with the players we let leave. Also, it is wise to note that trying to correct years of ineptitude in one offseason doesn’t always pan out very well. The debacle that has been the Minnesota Timberwolves this year is a testament to this statement. A season that was supposed to be a turning point for the Wolves has quickly descended into chaos. Now, instead of talking about the foundation of the team going forward, the team must grapple with the very real possibility that Rick Adelman won’t return to coach next season, and that this will only hasten Kevin Love‘s departure from Minneapolis when he can opt-out after next season (the crown jewel of David Kahn’s storied tenure and legacy as the team’s GM). There are many potential moves the team could make, but the Wolves are cap-strapped already, and without knowing if Love will sign an extension it is nearly impossible to make a decision in any direction. As it is currently constructed, the roster for the Timberwolves won’t likely yield much more for the team than barely making the playoffs, only to be crushed in the postseason. Does any of this sound familiar? Obviously the analogy isn’t perfect because of the lack of a salary cap in baseball (said while noting the fact that the Twins absolutely have a salary cap), and while the short term outlook for the Twins looks substantially worse than that of the Timberwolves, what separates these two franchises is the talent the Twins ostensibly have waiting in the wings. (For reference, please see Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano v. Shabazz Muhammad and Gorgui Dieng.) I look at the Timberwolves and I have nothing but questions. When I look at the Twins I see just as many questions, but even more so, I see possibilities. This isn’t to deride the Wolves, as I think they could go either way. It’s just pointing out that the Twins suffered tremendously due to many of the decisions that were made during the Bill Smith era. It takes time to right the ship, and bottoming out in the interim is often an unfortunate, but necessary part of the process. The obvious difference being that the Twins did so after an era of success, and the possibility of bottoming out again for a Wolves franchise that has been mired in a decade of misery, starts to seem like a cruel joke at this point. But for the Twins, Spring training will begin shortly, and the coming year will bring along with it a myriad of singular as well as converging narratives. The Top 15 Now that Mauer is out from behind the plate, will he finally get back to hitting 30 homers a season? (Please see sarcasm). When will Miguel Sano reach the majors? Will Byron Buxton see the majors this season? Will a pitcher friendly ballpark and the raw, mustached glory of Rick Andersonhelp Phil Hughes find his once so highly valued potential? Will Josmil Pinto become the primary Catcher for the Twins? Will Alex Meyer find success at the Major League Level? And if so, will Mauer inform him that being nice is his thing, and to chill out with the substitute teacher boohockey (how to curse like a Mauer). Will Brian Dozier build upon the strides he made last year, that worried Eddie Rosario so much he stared doping? Was Kyle Gibson just tired last year? At what point will someone lament selling Andrew Albers to Korea? Will Jason Kubel make the team as DH? What is the over-under for Lord of the Rings related tweets from Trevor Plouffethis coming season? Will Miguel Sano hit 45-55 home runs? How many times will Bert Blyleven reference keeping the ball “down in the strike zone,” and, or his thoughts on the pitch-count. Does Paul Allen believe that Ricky Nolasco passes the “eye test?” Will Aaron Gleeman find love, and, or successfully move to Uptown? There are many more questions and possibilities regarding this team, our city and humanity in general, but that’s it for now. Other Notes There was no place to put this in that made sense (said acknowledging that this statement puts forth the questionable notion that anything above made sense), no, despite his love for J.J. Barea, the plight of the Timberwolves isn’t Rick Adelman‘s fault. I would love to see a list of “ ,” questions and possibilities for the Timberwolves going forward from the excellent staff at A Wolf Among Wolves. It is well documented that I live in Seattle, and when hate-watching the recent play of the Timberwolves while commiserating with other lost souls on Twitter isn’t enough, I listen to the excellent podcasts put out by Gleeman and the Geek, the “gentleman” of The Sportive, as well the Talk to Contact family therapy session put out by the boys of Puckett’s Pond. If you don’t currently listen to the shows listed above, and maybe you feel like podcasts just aren’t for you, just remember that you are a fan of the Minnesota Twins, and this means that you don’t really have any dignity to lose at this point. So, give them a chance.

Thanks for your responses. I don't really have a dog in this fight, in the sense that I am not really a Seahawks fan per se. That said, I live in Seattle, and they do so many great things in the community, and are a much more likable squad than some of the media makes them out to be. I thought this got overblown, and Sherman seems like a pretty great guy. We are lucky to have Joe Mauer in Minnesota, now if the Twins could just start winning

Ha, I think that is a fair assertion. Though I doubt AJ was ever as talented, and there was the fact that even AJ's teammates didn't like him

http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/01/8141464.jpg Q: How many hipsters does it take change a light bulb (craft a social commentary about what Richard Sherman’s outburst, and our reactions to it, really means)? A: It’s a really obscure number, I doubt you’ve heard of it (at least one more). So, unless you are unaware that technology exists, you probably know that Richard Sherman said some stuff Sunday night after the Seattle Seahawks pulled off a thrilling 23-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in front of a rabid 12th Man crowd at Century Link Field. While the real story was the solid team win for the Seahawks and the coming matchup against the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl, Sherman’s postgame comments took center stage. The interview in question took place shortly after Sherman tipped Colin Kaepernick’s pass away from Michael Crabtree into the open arms of teammate Malcolm Smith, sealing the Seahawks victory in emphatic fashion. So, yeah, Sherman was a little excited. Again, I am operating under the assumption that most have seen this by now, but if not, take a look. Twitter can be a cruel mistress, and this has been especially true in the days that have followed the victory. While a great deal of time and energy was spent recounting the bitter rivalry that exists between these two squads in the lead up to this game, what was less well known was the ongoing feud specifically between Sherman and Michael Crabtree. The brash and loquacious nature with which Sherman plays the game can make for a short list of friends from the rest of the teams in the league, but with Crabtree it was little more personal. This fact, and Sherman’s now storied rise from the streets of Compton, CA, to attend Stanford University have led to a string of pieces written in defense of Sherman. Nearly all of which highlight his intelligence and involvement working with local charities within the communities of Compton and Seattle. There is little doubt that Sherman has always been a polarizing player, but his comments have unleashed a media circus, and he has been vaulted onto the national stage. The main thing that many people are finding difficult to reconcile, are the conflicting narratives being presented by Sherman’s defenders and detractors. He is athletically blessed, driven, angry, intelligent, arrogant, a true competitor, a guy who speaks from the heart, a jerk, classless, and misunderstood. He is an excellent communicator who occasionally says stupid things. America just doesn’t know what to do with this guy. Many are saying that this event has brought about a referendum on the nature of sportsmanship, race and personal values, and if not that grandiose, at least it has gotten people talking. Basically, minus the obvious and sinister subtext of racism that resides in far too many of the responses to Sherman’s diatribe, and yes, if you think that the fact that he is a black man with dread locks has nothing to do with the way people are reacting, you are more than a little bit naive, many of the people who were turned off by Sherman’s interview have a pretty valid point. It wasn’t great. It did steal focus away from the great victory his team had accomplished, and in the grand scheme of things, it was just unnecessary. That said, turning this into some kind of moral commentary on what kind of person Sherman is, is asinine. This got me thinking about the story came out last year when one of the top prospects of the Minnesota Twins, Miguel Sano, was benched for celebrating a home run a bit too much, and I felt a slight inkling of “Twins Way” panic. (First reference to the Minnesota Twins accomplished, I am tying this thing together.) Oh no, is he not going to be the type of guy that just “goes about his business out there,” what are we going to do? This is the Twins we are talking about. This is the team that got rid of David Ortiz because his defense wasn’t very good, and he demonstrably objected to being asked by Tom Kelly to shorten his swing. At least we saved a minuscule amount of money. Isn’t hindsight fun? While bringing up Ortiz is a bit of a cheap shot, and we can all agree that teaching a young player a little humility isn’t a bad idea, but at what point does this begin to become ridiculous. What is the proper amount of sportsmanship? What does it look like? What criteria are we using? In a game like baseball, rife with innumerable lines of written rules, one must also learn the unwritten rules. The only problem? No one can seem to decide what they actually are. Sure, some are more certain than others. But from Cole Hamels plunking Bryce Harper on purpose because he was a Rookie, to Dallas Braden berating Alex Rodriguez for walking over the mound, things tend to get pretty complex (and equally ridiculous) quickly. The A-Rod-Braden incident works pretty well as an example, because how these debates play out is based largely upon the context of the situation in question, as well as the people involved. The “Stay off my mound” defense seemed obscure, but we accepted it, because, well, A-Rod is an *******. Or, at least this is what a large enough group of people thought of him to make Braden seem like he was just dutifully following some sacred baseball code, as opposed to a crazy person spouting nonsense. The Sherman debacle is working out in the same fashion. For many people, especially in the Midwest, Sherman’s interview with Erin Andrews was the first time they were seeing him say anything, so it makes some sense that he rubbed people the wrong way. Now that social media has given all of us time to review his résumé both on and off the field, many have altered or changed their initial feelings about him. However, some people just can’t seem to grapple with the fact that someone who is as intelligent, kind and generous as Sherman so clearly is, can also act like such a cocky, uncontrollable ass sometimes. And for all the mavens of sports talk and analysis out there, those who possess the stalwart audacity and creative spirit that allows them to connect a line between two narrowly spaced dots, the Super Bowl provides them the perfect opportunity to begin their debate. WWPD bro? http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/01/8140116-590x408.jpg What would Peyton do? Peyton Manning would never start yelling at Erin Andrews. He’s classy. Humble. Honest. OMAHA! Minnesota should know more than a little bit about this conversation, we have our own Peyton Manning, his name is Joe Mauer. Manning may have more postseason success, but what Mauer lacks in Championships he more than makes up for in amount of Milk consumed daily, and the number of times his wife has given birth to children that accurately represent the mascot of his team. (Second Twins reference accomplished, feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, as this tapestry is woven together.) Look, we all love Joe Mauer, we would be foolish not to. But his interviews aren’t the stuff of legend. He is a bit on the bland side. He is Tim Tebow with talent, minus the Jesus-hugging (addition by subtraction). However, the difference between Mauer and a lot of professional athletes, is that I actually believe that he might just be that nice. (Seriously, “Joe Mauer Nice” is a thing.) Maybe it’s Twitter, maybe it’s million-dollar endorsement deals, but we can all mostly agree that post game interviews really don’t offer us anything at this point. We get tired cliches and mind numbing soliloquies on the nature of “helping the team win.” The only thing is, we seem to like it. We crave it. What’s he going to say this time? I really hope he mentions something about “putting the team first, and trusting each other.” Sports franchises are now valued in the billions of dollars, and the players have seen others get burned too many times to say anything that is actually representative of what is going on behind the scenes. Sometimes this can be a good thing. But when canned responses and platitudes become the required standard, it isn’t about sportsmanship anymore. It is about keeping the boat from rocking, and the gravy train of profits flowing. Which is why, especially in the NFL, an athlete being outspoken in regards to just about anything is frowned upon. But how much will be tolerated is highly situational, and obviously, those who are the most successful on the field are provided much more margin for error than those who aren’t. A fact Chris Kluwe learned all too well with the Vikings. There is little doubt that Sherman’s interview captivated so many people, because it was so raw and seemingly uninhibited. Many tried to understand it, to wax philosophically about the mental edge these guys have to play with in this brutal sport, and a lot of that is probably pretty accurate. In many ways, the way that professional sports have evolved over the years is both remarkable, and slightly terrifying. As Dick Bremer and many others like to say, we are seeing “grown men playing a kid’s game.” This, inevitably, is where some of the calls for a more humble reaction from Sherman that reference some kind of prepubescent ideal of sportsmanship begin to break down a bit. All this vitriol and confusion surrounding Sherman also comes from another place. People can’t stand the contradiction. He’s either yelling near, or around Erin Andrews all the time, or he is rogue scholar who is utterly devoted to philanthropy. The generation of StrengthsFinder devotees is confounded by the fact that from moment to moment he dances between the two sides of the way he is being represented in the media. They call him inconsistent, when really, and I’m not a scientist, he is probably just a human being. The guy is a made for TV movie waiting to happen, and ironically, many of the people who are the consummate champions of the actuality of the “American dream,” still need him to pick a side. In the end, I guess I just don’t understand that line of thinking. Especially when the crime that has led so many to indict him as a person is so minuscule in the grand scheme of things. Yesterday he went on a sort of mini-apology tour (Chris Christie is probably glad he could stop for a while), mainly because he doesn’t want to overshadow the other members of his team. I don’t know if he needs to apologize, and he was pretty clear that he was apologizing for targeting Crabtree specifically, but don’t think that he isn’t going to be back to his trash-talking ways in the Super Bowl, and I’m fine with that. I am sure there are plenty of athletes who are perfectly humble, and self-depricating in a way that I as a Minnesotan identify with, but I guess I don’t expect the professional athletes I support to be just like me. Because they aren’t just like me. They are one percent of the most freakishly talented, insanely competitive group of people in the world, who have somehow been both genetically blessed and lucky enough to avoid injury long enough to ascend to the highest pinnacle of their sport. I would prefer they take winning in stride and say the right things, but only if those things are actually sincere. The fact that we likely wouldn’t be having this conversation if Sherman had just mumbled some nonsense about “coming together when it mattered most,” serves to point out how fickle we are in evaluating these situations. In our search to categorize our opinions we attempt to group players and people into neat little boxes. We view the concept of sportsmanship in the abstract, and it becomes a stereotype. Because what is a stereotype really, other than a template for what we want things, people and the world to be. A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image. When in reality, there are a lot of different ways to be a good sport, and there are a lot of different ways to be a good teammate, person and role model. But instead we’ve settled for far too many shortcuts, sound bites, and excerpts from “Hemingway for Dummies” along the way. Richard Sherman said some foolish things in the heat of the moment that ended up bothering a lot of people last weekend. But as we have seen, he certainly isn’t “classless.” However, he also isn’t the cookie cutter version of what some people seem to pathologically need an athlete to be. In the end, Sherman isn’t just one thing, or one image, and the best part is, no one else has to be either. http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/01/1508535_10151786868377061_377613919_n-590x786.jpghttp://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/2/files/2014/01/spacer.gif Richard Sherman visiting patients at Seattle Children's Hospital Also, check out the great blog post about his visit here: Richard Sherman surprises kids at Children’s with a special visit (All of that was to avoid talking about Tanaka signing with the Yankees. Worth it.)