Friday January 16, 2004
 

DISCUSSION QUESTION #1 - Bobbleheads

DISCUSSION QUESTION #2 - Favorite Players

TWINS MAILBAG

TIMBERWOLVES MAILBAG

NFL “EXPERT” PLAYOFF PICKS
 

MAILBAG/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

The last couple of days, I have posted two questions as Discussion Questions. I did receive a few responses to each question, not as many as I was hoping for, but that’s all right. I received a lot of other e-mails regarding the Twins and Timberwolves and other topics, so I want to share them as well. As always, I appreciate everyone taking the time to read this site and hearing me out on my thoughts and opinions. I really love getting your thoughts too, and from time to time, like to share them with the bigger audience. So, again, anytime you have a thought to share, or a question to ask, please feel free to send me an e-mail.

Let’s start out with this week’s Discussion Questions.

DISCUSSION QUESTION #1 - If you were part of the Twins marketing department, which four people would you have depicted on the Twins bobbleheads in the 2004 season? I will share the few responses I got, and then give my opinions.

From Ryan Maus:

Thanks for maintaining such a great website. I especially liked your selections for the Twins 25 man roster today, and I agree with just about every one of your selections (I would favor Munro over Nakamura though).

Anyway, in terms of bobbleheads I always liked it better when the Twins had a mix of current and former players (unlike last year when there were only current players). Besides, the Twins are quickly running out of recognizable current players who don't yet have their own bobblehead. My four selections are as follows:

1. Shannon Stewart - He will almost undoubtebly have a bobblehead this year, as the Twins will be sure to showcase their biggest off-season signing.

2. Brad Radke - If there weren't trade rumors sorrounding Jacque Jones he would be in this spot. I know Radke had a retail-only doll issued a couple years ago, but he is the most well-known current Twin without a stadium issue bobblehead.

3. Bob Allison - Even though it may not happen, I think it would be a nice gesture by the Twins to issue an Allison bobblehead doll. He was an important member of those great teams of the '60s, and it would also be a good way to help raise some money for ataxia research.

4. Dan Gladden - The scrappy outfielder was a key member of the two WS champion teams, and the fact that he is still a radio broadcaster on WCCO sure doesn't hurt (his bobblehead would look awesome with that wild hair).

Other possibilities would be Kyle Lohse, Gary Gaetti, and Johan Santana (although he seems the most unlikely).

Those are my selections. I am an avid Twins bobblehead collector, and in my perfect world these would be the players the Twins marketing department would choose in 2004.

From Justin Ahern:

My 4 Bobbleheads:

1.       Frank Viola

2.       Greg Gagne

3.       Kent Hrbek

4.       Al Newman

From “John from Montana”:

I'd go with:

Kirby Puckett

Kent Hrbek

Bert Blyleven

And, to show support for the future:

Joe Mauer

Kirby is a given, and Hrbek was always one of my favorites growing up. Bert is just a classy guy who I love to watch announce. Joe, well he's supposed to be the future, right?

If you want a list of guys that haven't been picked yet, how about:

Joe Mauer

Shannon Stewart (should be around for a couple years at least)

Johan Santana

Tom Kelly (Has he been already?)

I don't know. There are a ton of guys I would like to see, but I'm a fan.

(SETH NOTE - Tom Kelly had a bobblehead in 2002)

From Tim Slukynsky:

In response to the bobbleheads, how about?

1. wally the beer man

2. former governor ventura

3. norm green

4. a scantily clad miss minnesota

Lets stir the pot a little…………..think about it for a minute.

We have wally……beer and baseball/sports go hand in hand.

Governor ventura…well he was famous for his anti-pro sports funding stance

norm green….the hated former north stars owner who made minnesota the laughing stock of north america when we had teams popping up in florida, california, tennessee, and mn didn't even have one

And finally….miss minnesota…say no more

From Melissa Olson:

#1. Dan Gladden - He is the greatest baseball player ever (in my mind anyways), so of course we need a bobble head of him!!

#2. Gary Gaetti – He was awesome!

#3. Kent Hrbek – He was such a character, an all time Twins great!

#4. Brian Harper - I just liked him, don’t really have a reason!

From “LeAnn”:

My answers for bobble heads are:

Shannon Stewart,

Johan Santana,

Kyle Lohse,

Tim Laudner (I had BIG crush on him when he was at the Twins and I don't think he's been bobbled yet.)

SETH’S CHOICES

Excellent responses, huh? Well, that makes it my turn to give my thoughts on the bobbleheads I would choose. When I was coming up with this list, I came up with four criteria to use in making my choices. The are:

1.)     Current Players should not be have been on a Twins bobblehead in the past.

2.)     Current Players should be with the team the whole year, and you would hope beyond that.

3.)     Current Players should have been with the Twins for a fair time before this season.

4.)     Current Players should be popular with the fans.

5.)     I think that one of the bobbleheads should be a player from the Twins past.

Taking that criteria and applying it to the current Twins roster, I think that the options are these: Brad Radke, Johan Santana, Kyle Lohse, Shannon Stewart, Luis Rivas, Matthew Lecroy. I think that it is probably likely that Shannon Stewart will be on a bobblehead. However, I think that I would want to wait just one more year to put him on a bobblehead. So, for current players, here is who I would chose for 2004:

1.)     Brad Radke

2.)     Johan Santana

3.)     Kyle Lohse

It is hard for me to believe that Brad Radke has not had a bobblehead yet. He deserves it. Then the Twins are going to win dependent upon their pitching. Johan Santana and Kyle Lohse are two pitchers who will be counted upon heavily for the next few years. I think that Shannon Stewart should get one in 2005, along with a couple of the young players, like Joe Mauer or Michael Cuddyer, who contribute this year and prove that they will be around for some time.

Now, the fourth for 2004, I believe, should be someone from the team’s past. In previous years, non-current players have included, Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Bert Blyleven, Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Dave Winfield, Tom Kelly and Jim Kaat. Here are the guys that I think should be up for consideration for the one bobblehead; Dan Gladden, Gary Gaetti, Al Newman or Greg Gagne, the guys who were on both the ’87 and ’91 World Series teams. (Also Frank Viola based on ’87 and ’88 and Jack Morris based on ’91) Of that group, I would select Al Newman first because of his current role as a Twins assistant, and of course, fans love him. Secondly, I would go with Dan Gladden. He signed a multi-year deal as a radio guy for the Twins, so he will be around the next years too. I think he should get one.

I think that top players from the ’65 and ’69 teams should be considered. Those would be the likes of 1965 MVP Zoilo Versailles or Bobby Allison. I would think that in the next couple of years, the Twins will hand out a bobblehead of PA man Bob Casey, who says he will retire after the 2005 season.

However, my choice for the #4 bobblehead seems pretty clear to me. I think there is really just one choice. If you look at the list of other former players honored on bobbleheads, you will see that it includes Killebrew, Carew and Puckett, three former Twins in the Hall of Fame. With Paul Molitor being elected to be enshrined in Cooperstown this year, I believe that the fourth bobblehead should got to former Twin and St. Paul native:

4.) Paul Molitor

DISCUSSION QUESTION #2 - Who were your favorite player or players and why? A while back, I wrote about why Claudell Washington was my favorite player. He may not be a Hall of Famer, or a common name, but I liked him. Who are those players for you? Are there any “obscure” players that you would call your favorite?

From Justin Ahern:

Who was my favorite player? Bo Jackson. He wasn't a great baseball player, but he was a very good one. I knew he wasn't great, but he was a heckuva football player. If he dedicated himself to football, he would be in the Hall of Fame. He was probably the greatest athlete ever to play professional baseball. I don't know if he would have ever developed the plate discipline necessary to become a great player, but there was nobody who was more fun to watch. He could do amazing things in the field and he could hit the ball a mile. One of my friends went to a Royals game at the Dome and said that Jackson was taking batting practice left handed. He hit 3 consecutive balls into the upper deck in right field. I don't know how much truth there is to that, but it is believable.

George Brett wrote the forward to Bo Know Bo. He said that he was honored to be able to play with Jackson. I still remember how I felt watching the 1989 All Star Game when he hit the home run off Rick Rueschel. I also still feel like I was personally robbed by his injury. The injury wasn't even viewed as being serious at the time. When I found out the severity of the injury, I was pretty upset. He had a very bright future.

(SETH NOTE - Thank you, Justin. I remember reading about Bo Jackson taking BP left-handed. I can’t remember if I read it in the paper, or heard it on the TV broadcast. I completely agree. Bo Jackson was amazing to me. He had some incredible raw talent, but he also put up some decent numbers. You mention what he could have been had he dedicated himself to football. I have to add, what could he have been if he had dedicated himself to baseball? He struck out a lot a few years before it became accepted to strike out. If he put up his same strikeout totals now, nothing would be thought of it. Who knows how many homers he would hit now!

I loved Bo Knows Bo. It is one of few books that I have sat down and read from cover to cover. Twice! And, I felt the same way about the injury. I felt robbed because what he did on a football field on Sundays was amazing! What he did on the baseball field was also incredible. He may not have been the best, but you had to watch him. And, he truly seems to be a great guy!

I have the utmost respect for both Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. Sure, the two lead their lives completely differently; Jackson very quietly, Sanders on TV and in the media. But you can’t argue the talent of either. I would say that between the two of them, you have the two best ‘athletes’ in the sports world over the last 30 years. If you look at Deion Sanders baseball stats in partial seasons, he was pretty good too! Decent average, great base stealer, lots of triples. )

From “Tyler”:

My favorite player as a kid was OF Dion James. He was the 1980 #1 draft pick of the Milwaukee Brewers. I decided I liked him based on a baseball card I got as a kid in 1985, not because he might have been a potential star at that time. I was only 8 years old at the time...

Dion James became my official favorite player in 1987 when he was traded to my favorite team, the Braves, for the all-time great Brad Komminsk. I was 10. If I remember correctly, I saw him in a preseason game to learn he was a Brave. Imagine my excitement! After being traded from the Braves to the Indians for Oddibe McDowell, I continued to follow Dion's numbers for the rest of his career through boxscores. He finished out his career with the Yankees in 1996.

From Anthony Fox of The Bad Twin:

I just figured I'd let you know that one of my favorite players growing up was Doug Drabek. Of course my favorites were Hrbek, Kirby, Frank Viola, Ryne Sandberg from the Cubs, and Mark McGwire, Eck, Steinbach and Jose Canseco in Oakland. And I have no clue why I liked Drabek, and I know he had a couple good seasons, but he didn't play for a team I could see at the Dome! I don't think I saw him on TV more than a few times, either. But I had like every one of his baseball cards and thought he was the coolest! It's funny how you end up with these odd-ball type favorite players because they looked cool on their baseball cards or whatever.

From Melissa Olson:

Without a doubt, Dan Gladden is my all time favorite baseball player. He became my favorite player in the ’87 World Series when he jumped into the crowd after one of the Twins wins, and has been ever since. He was a very fun player to watch. When I go to Twins games even now, I wear my Gladden jersey. Of course it didn’t hurt that he was one of the best looking players in his time!!!

SETH’S THOUGHTS

Thanks to everyone who wrote me and participated in the Discussion Questions. I think they’re fun. I love these responses. Bo Jackson, Doug Drabek, Dion James and Dan Gladden. Aside from Bo, none of the others would be well-known to baseball fans outside of the teams they played for. But that’s what makes things fun. As I said, mine was Claudell Washington. I had others. To name a few:

I had a Spanish class my freshman year of high school, so about 1989. In it, we got to chose our first and middle names. When I was asked what my “Spanish name” would be, I said, “Ramon Roberto.” The reason(s)? 1989, two of my favorite players were Ramon Martinez, Pedro’s older brother, and Roberto Alomar. Now, both of them are bigger names now, but in 1989, neither was a household name. Roberto Alomar was a rookie. The reason I liked him was because of his 1988 Donruss Rated Rookie card. It is essentially just a mugshot of him (I believe he got in a dugout brawl with Roger Cedeno over it a couple years ago). I loved the card. I actually traded a friend a Gregg Jeffries rookie card for 14 Alomar rookie cards (a deal that I really am happy I made!). Ramon Martinez? Well, I really think I liked him because he was such a wiry pitcher who threw hard and had good stuff. He reminded me of one of my other favorites to watch in earlier years, the Braves Pascual Perez.

So there you have it. A few more fun names of ballplayers from the past.

Any thoughts, or any other names you’d like to mention? E-mail me.
 

TWINS MAILBAG

Yesterday I wrote a posting trying to speak positively about the Minnesota Twins, despite so many people being extremely concerned. I got some really good responses to it. Here are a couple:

From Pat Lewis:

But on to the Twins. I just can't imagine Helling being of much value but I hope I am wrong. But what really upsets me is the window is rapidly closing on a Jacque Jones trade. If San Diego signs Jay Payton you can forget about that option. So maybe you go to the Dodgers but certainly not for Odalis Perez. While I was optimistic early on about the Twins' moves I am not so sure anymore about what the heck Ryan is trying to accomplish. And this is always taking into account the fiscal restraints he works under. But he just does not seem to be aggressive enough. Do you agree or disagree? On Fassero, I think he would have been fine but Fultz and Toler may be just as good. It is going to be really hard to figure out all of the pitching options available in the spring. And this will probably be a work in progress for the first two months with a shuttle between the Twin Cities and Rochester. One name that keeps popping up is Palki.

From Tom Grout:

I am like you in that I am a die-hard Twins fan. More than likely I am a little older than you so I have been a Twins fan since the first year they moved here in 1961. First major league game I ever saw was that year against the Yankees.

Anyway I too am always optimistic about my Twins and will follow them no matter what. I looked at your proposed roster for the 2004 season, and I agree with most of it. However, I am not as sold on the starting pitching as you are. I am a big fan of Kyle Lohse. He reminds me of a young Bert Blyleven. I don't mean the curve ball, but in stature, look at his big butt and strong legs, and in the fact that he goes right after hitters. He hasn't had any injuries and I think he will pitch over 200 innings for a number of years. Too young yet to be the ace of the staff though.

Brad Radke has been a good pitcher for the Twins over the years. But he isn't all that consistent and even if he has won some big games at some big times for the Twins he is not “ace” material either.

Johan Santana can be very dominating and could be an ace of a staff. But he has not proven yet that he can pitch over 200 innings in a season. Didn't he have some elbow problems late last year? That concerns me too.

Rick Helling? We really have to be optimistic Twins fans to think he is really going to help that much. Grant Balfour could be a good #5 starter.

I had the opportunity to chat with Bert Blyleven and Frank Quilici couple years ago and we all stressed how important to have that ace starting pitcher. The guy who when he goes out there you not only have a chance to win but a good chance to have a complete game. The Twins don't have that and haven't had that for a number of years. Well since Blyleven.

Although I like Shannon Stewart and what he brings to the team, my priorities would have been to go out and get a proven 250+ innings starting pitcher. A true championship team can not be accomplished without one. The Twins bullpen will survive the departure of Hawkins and Eddie.

A closer can be overrated and created. Rick Aguillera wasn't a closer when we got him but he turned out to be one of the best.; Eddie wasn't a closer either but was turned into one. The way the Twins use their closer just bringing him in the beginning of the 9th inning with nobody on, all they have to do is throw hard and throw strikes.

Not only do you need a ace starting pitcher to be a true championship team, you need that big bopper in the middle of the lineup. The Twins are full of good supporting type players in fact really good supporting type players. But they need that guy who is going to hit 30-35 home runs every year and drive in 100+ runs every year. Maybe that player is on the roster now and hasn't developed yet we will see. But I am still crying about the fact that the Twins didn't sign Jim Thome last year. What a player, leader, and just a plain class act.

In conclusion the optimist in me says that Matt LeCroy or Corey Koskie will be the big bopper, and Johan Santana or Kyle Lohse steps up to be that starting ace. The pessimist in me says we may contend for the Central Division but we could very easily end up in 3rd or 4th place.
 

TIMBERWOLVES MAILBAG

And the Timberwolves are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, having won 16 of their last 19 games. After defeating the defending champion Spurs on the road Wednesday night, I got a couple of really good Timberwolves e-mails with some great questions, so let’s get to those:

From Alex Belth, the great writer of Bronx Banter:

I've noticed how well the Wolves have played of late (last night's win must have been satisfying). My man Sam has been great thus far, huh? Sure is an upgrade from T. Brandon. You can imagine how excited I am that Steph is playing for the Knicks. The teams still blows, and I'm not too crazy about Isaiah, but he did bring a bonafide attraction back to the team in Marbury. Having rooted for Steph for so long, I hope his game continues to grow (still too much dribbling for dribbling's sake).
Is this the year that the Wolves win a playoff round?
I'm sure rooting for them.
(How has Spree fit in so far?)

From Leslie Montiero:

With the first half of the NBA season about to be completed, I have been thinking about who should win the MVP. I am thinking Kevin Garnett. I like his chances of winning the MVP this year with a great season and the fact the Timberwolves are doing well. There is a very good chance that his team will finally get pass the first round and maybe go to the Western Conference Finals considering he has great teammates now to pass the ball to. I hope he wins it. It's about time. He gets better and better each year and I just love the way he goes about his business. He is one of my favorite players to watch in the NBA.
He is due to get one.
Wolves just keep rolling. Great W against a great team in S.A. tonight. What's special is that they did it on the road. I am really proud of them.

SETH’S RESPONSE

First, for those of you who have yet to bookmark Alex’s Bronx Banter site yet and don’t read it every day, be sure to do start today! I am going to consolidate my answers to these two messages together.

First, I need to discuss the Wolves Big 3:

Kevin Garnett - KG has finished second in the NBA MVP voting twice in his career. However, at this point in the season, if Kevin Garnett is not the front-runner for MVP, something is wrong. First, he is averaging a career-high 24.5 points a game. He is leading the NBA was 14.1 rebounds a game. He is also dishing out 5 assists a game. His team is leading the Midwest Division of the Western Conference. He is clearly not only the leader of this team in terms of numbers, but he is the leader in so many off-the-court, or in-practice ways, as well as being a coach on the floor. He is the best all-around player in the NBA. That can be shown numerically by his Efficiency Rating, a statistic that includes every facet of the game. Here are the NBA’s Top 10 players in Efficiency Rating:

I think Minnesotans should appreciate how good he really is, and to this point, he has been nothing but a solid role model for everyone!

Sam Cassell - The 34 year old Cassell has been a HUGE factor in the Timberwolves success so far. Alex says that he “sure is an upgrade to Terrell Brandon.” The way he is playing right now, the answer is yes. But there are a lot of similarities between the two players. As good a mid-range jump shooter as Cassell is, Terrell Brandon just didn’t miss a shot inside of 18 feet. Terrell Brandon made few mistakes and was so steady. Sam Cassell often shoots too much and is not in control, but it works for him. They do have some different point guard styles, but both work. Sam Cassell is just playing so incredibly well right now. Everything he is shooting is going in. He is making great decisions. To date, he is 12^th in the NBA in scoring at 20.8 points a game and is dishing out 7.5 assists. Flip Saunders even has him playing defense! He has been an incredible pickup for the Wolves, especially considering they acquired him (with C Ervin Johnson) for Anthony Peeler and Joe Smith!

Latrell Sprewell - Is Sprewell fitting in? Absolutely. He is a far-different player now that I get to see him play more frequently. I never realized just how strong he is defensively. He is a good rebounder. He is playing so well within the Timberwolves system. He accepts being the #2 or #3 scoring option, yet is still scoring 18.3 points a game. Since the Wolves have been playing without sharp-shooter Wally Szczerbiak all season, Sprewell (along with Fred Hoiberg) provides a good long-distance shooting option. He doesn’t slash as often as he did in his younger years, but he plays so smartly. I know when he left New York, the fans were upset, they loved him and his style of play. I think that when more people in Minnesota see him play, he’ll grow on us too.  The only negative that has come from Sprewell so far was the unfortunate instance in New York, when he and MSG owner James Dolan got into an expletive-laden shouting match. I personally think Spree could have handled it better, but I think Dolan deserves just as much blame for that situation.

The Injured - Wally Szczerbiak is yet to play. Michael Olowokandi only played a handful of games before having his second knee surgery. Troy Hudson has played in just two games. Gary Trent has been great, but has now missed games the last few weeks with an injured ankle. Mark Madsen missed time with back spasms.

The Others - I think that Kevin McHale and Flip Saunders deserve a LOT of credit for the success of the Wolves this season. Saunders has coached three superstars and molded in a great supporting casts of castaways. Kevin McHale found some real diamonds in the rough. Mark Madsen, formerly of the Lakers, has been remarkable in the hustle, defense, offensive rebounding categories. Fred Hoiberg, who was released by the Bulls, has played a solid all-around game and is a great outside shooter. Trenton Hassell, another castoff from the Bulls, has provided incredible defensive intensity, often guarding and controlling the opponent’s best scorers. Oliver Miller was playing in the CBA in the middle of North Dakota when Kevin McHale signed him, and he has given the team a spark with his rebounding and passing. Keith McLeod (although recently waived) proved to me that he will have a career in the NBA. Gary Trent has been great both scoring and rebounding. Ervin Johnson has even contributed. These are all guys who are not superstars, but they have fit so well around The Big 3 to create this winning team. They all deserve credit, along with Flip Saunders and Kevin McHale.

The Marbury/Knicks Questions - As a Timberwolves fan, I can not in my right mind like Stephon Marbury. When he (and his agent) forced the Timberwolves to trade him, he lost the respect of a lot of people. His jealousy of KG was so obvious. Because Flip and Kevin made a commitment to him, Tom Gugliotta (an All-Star at the time) left via free agency. Marbury wanted to go home, and was ‘thrilled’ to wind up in New Jersey. Well, that didn’t turn out so well for him as he wore out his welcome. Then he went to the Suns, where apparently they got sick of him too. Last week, he finally got to play where he wants to, for the Knicks and in Madison Square Gardens. This may be his last chance for happiness.

Now, as much as I don’t like Marbury, he is an incredible basketball talent. He can shoot from anywhere inside 25 feet. He is fearless driving to the basket. He is a very good passer and gets a lot of assists, which is amazing to me since he is so selfish. This is a good move for him. He goes to a place where right now, expectations are low, but booing is high. If he can bring the Knicks out from the dead, his legend in New York could actually meet the level that it is in his head.

But, the Knicks are not that far away. With Marbury at the point, Allan Houston at the 2-guard, and the likes of Keith Van Horn, Kurt Thomas and Dikembe Mutumbo up front, there is a good nucleus. Along with Starbury, the Knicks also got Penny Hardaway. Although he is just a shadow of his former self, Penny has been very solid in a role, coming off the bench. There is a good six player team. What Isaiah Thomas needs to do is fill in the rest of the roster, and just let things play out for the rest of the season.

The above players that I’ve mentioned need to be allowed to just gel together, and if they come close to their potential, the Knicks should make the playoffs in the pathetic Eastern Conference. That would be a great goal for this season. Knicks fans, and Thomas need to look at this as an on-going improvement, not just something to appease the MSG crowds now.

I completely understand the firing of Don Cheney, a change was needed. I don’t know that Lenny Wilkens was the right choice for that job. But, obviously he is a well-respected coach who should be able to bring out the best in the Knicks players.

I think that Thomas needed to come in and make mass changes to shake things up. He has certainly done that. Now, he needs to stop, let these guys play together for awhile, and continue to evaluate. They need to obviously play hard and attempt to get to the playoffs, but Thomas needs to have a vision for next season in mind in any decision he makes.

What do you think of my Wolves thoughts and evaluations? How ‘bout those Knicks? E-mail me.
 

NFL “EXPERT” PLAYOFF PICKS

We’re down to just two games this weekend, the Conference Championship games, with the winners moving on to the Super Bowl. First, I will give your our panelists picks for the week, and some gave some great comments regarding the games, so I will include them as well.

Summary:

Carolina @ Philadelphia - Eagles 6-3

Indianapolis @ New England - Colts 5-4

If our picks are any indication, there should be two very good football games to watch this weekend!

David Lee of Braves Buzz -

Pats can't lose at home. Good close game.

McNabb leads the Eagles to victory.

Anthony Fox of The Bad Twin -

I can't pick against my Michigan guy, Tom Brady, so I'm going with New England.
The Panthers looked good against the Rams... but the Rams are soft. Philly gave up 8 sacks to Green Bay's pathetic front line. But Philly won. I still have to go Carolina. I think they're a very underrated team and Carolina isn't going to be tentative with big gutsy calls like the Packers. They also have much better Special Teams than the Packers. So Carolina.

Aaron Gleeman our champion and author of Aaron’s Baseball Blog -

I picked Indy and Philly to meet in the Super Bowl before the season started, so I might as well stick with them now. (Don’t believe it, check it out here)

Michael Labuda who writes ChiSox Daily -

Indianapolis over the Patriots - At the beginning of the playoffs I would never have thought I would end up picking the Colts to make the Super Bowl. Heck, I didn't even have them beating the Broncos. And how could you blame me? The Broncos took it them just a few weeks earlier.
Also, I probably bought into the belief that both Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning couldn't win the big one. Even the kicker believed it! Now this is probably along the lines of someone being a "clutch hitter". Many people believe there is no such thing. You're either good or bad and lucky and or unlucky. But I'm not one of those people. Some people and teams come through when it counts and others can't live up to the moment. I figured this Colts would end up as the latter of the two.
But the offensive dominance the Colts have displayed the last two weeks has made me a believer. That and the fact New England has a gaudy record that has more to do with luck than any clutch play-making abilities. Oops, I better stop before I contradict myself again.
Eagles over the Panthers.

So, there you have it! Plenty of reader’s thoughts, and I appreciate them all. That is going to be it for this week! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! If you have any questions or comments or ideas for another Discussion Question of the Week, please e-mail me.

Back to Archives           Home