Monday September 13, 2004
MONDAY MAILBAG
Happy Monday Morning!! Welcome back to the work week! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Me, well, I had a good, fun weekend. I guess I'm ready to work again, mainly because I have to! Isn't that always the case? What I need is a job that I absolutely love! I wish I could be doing something that I am passionate about. Obviously I love writing this site, so getting into sports writing, or any job in baseball or the sporting world would be great for me. Any ideas, let me know!
Tomorrow, I have a pretty exciting Q&A set up with someone who, I believe, has one of those dream jobs! So, be sure to stop by tomorrow for an excellent read!
But today, I will briefly discuss some Twins topics and the Vikings game. We will also review our "expert" football picks. But today, I will share some thoughts of our readers. In the last week, I received three e-mails from people that I believe characterize the type of reader that comes to this site; deep thinking, articulate people who legitimately care about the topics. To me, that's what it is all about. So, let's get to it. This first one is about Twins attendance. Then second is in response to the Twins top prospect list that I produced for last Friday, another Twins top prospect list. And the third covers a number of Twins topics. So enjoy.
From David Wintheiser
I noticed one of your 'open letters' talking about the Twins supposedly poor attendance and what it means.
I read and hear these sorts of comments a lot, and am usually pretty irritated by them. (Fair warning.) Yes, if you just look at the raw numbers and compare them to the raw numbers for the Red Sox and Yankees, then of course they're going to look bad. But if you look a bit deeper, you might find a few interesting things going on.
The Twins are 22nd in the majors in aggregate attendance, but since they've played as many or more home games than every other team in the majors, they're just 23rd in attendance per game. That looks bad, but comparing the Twins to clubs in similar geographic and budgetary circumstances can be eye-opening (all #s from the ESPN.com attendance page - note: ESPN.com includes the attendance for the All-Star game in the rankings, so I have removed it from the per-game rankings listed):
Cincinnati 1.94M (18th) 29.0K (18th)
Milwaukee 1.81M (19th) 25.8K (20th)
Detroit 1.63M (23rd) 25.4K (21st)
White Sox 1.70M (21st) 25.0K (22nd)
Minnesota 1.65M (22nd) 23.2K (23rd)
Cleveland 1.61M (24th) 23.0K (24th)
K City 1.45M (26th) 22.0K (27th)
Pittsburgh 1.32M (28th) 21.7K (28th)
The Twins compare just fine to other similarly sized, situated, and budgeted clubs in attendance - they're actually smack in the center of their own division in attendance. They don't compare well to St. Louis (6th in overall attendance), but a) St. Louis has a much larger payroll then the Twins do right now, and b) St. Louis has had a team for about five decades longer than the Twin Cities have, so there's been more time for the place to be a 'baseball town'. Most of the listed cities are as much or more into football as baseball, which also might be a contributing factor to their attendance numbers.
More significantly, though, if you thought the Metrodome was a drag on the Twins's home attendance, then why is home attendance so much better than the club's road attendance?
Cleveland 28.5K (24th)
Detroit 28.1K (26th)
K City 27.7K (28th)
Minnesota 27.1K (29th)
White Sox 26.2K (30th)
One saving grace - we may suck as a draw, but at least we outdraw the White Sox. But the entire AL Central sucks as a draw; five of the seven poorest drawing road teams in baseball are the five AL Central clubs!
Part of this may be self-reinforcing; since the AL Central draws 'poorly' compared to other divisions, and since we play more games with each other than we do with any other single division, our overall attendance looks worse than it might otherwise. But part of it may simply be that, given year after year of talk about the 'weak' AL Central, that we just don't have the drawing power of other divisions, and as a team, we don't do as well because we have few identifiable 'stars' and little of a memorable reputation. (An example of the power of a strong divisional rep would be the NL West - the Giants, Padres, and Rockies are all in the top 10 in road attendance, with the Dodgers at 11th and the Diamondbacks at 14th. An example of a memorable team rep outside of the division would be the A's - they are 8th in the league in road attendance while their divisional rivals are 20th (Anaheim), 23rd (Texas), and 27th (Seattle) respectively.)
So as far as I can see, it's not that the locals don't care about the club, or that the Metrodome is such a horrible place to watch baseball that nobody goes. It's more that, despite having won two straight AL Central titles (and going for a third - knock wood), it doesn't seem like the general baseball-going public knows who the Twins are, nor seems interested in finding out. If we have a problem, it seems to me that it's a PR problem.From Chris Dunn
1. Jason Kubel- I believe he's going to be a .320 hitting type player, with 20-30 homer potential who will hit lots of gaps. He takes great at bats, i view him as a #2 hitter, setting up after stewart and getting on base for Mauer and Morneau to drive him home.
2. Jesse Crain- This kid has really impressed me. He flew through the minors. He now has a 1.69 era and is looking pretty unhittable. Once he matures this kid could be our closer of the future and a very special hard throwing pitcher.
3. Alexander Smit- This is a prospect piece, so I'm going based on potential. This kid has dominated every level and even got to represent his country in the Olympics. He's a lefty who the yanks and Boston both wanted very badly out of Holland. I expect him to be a future #1 or #2 in the rotation. I'm excited to see him in a twins uniform in 3-4 years.
4. Glen Perkins- Here is another Lefty from U of Minnesota. I got to watch this kid pitch a few times at the U of M and even made a trip down to quad cities to watch him once. He is unreal!!! The kid has unreal command and is crafty. He can bring it 92 mph or so and is a pitcher who is going to be like Radke, but with a little more power and a lefty which is always nice. He's a very good #2 or excellent #3 type.
5. J.D. (real deal) Durbin- This kid doesn't lack confidence!! He has arrived at the twins at a fairly young age, and can dial it up to around 97 mph or so. He has a nasty mound disposition and is a competitor. I think he will soon be our #3 guy behind Cy Young and Rad.
6. Francisco Liriano- WOW!! Yet another left handed pitcher near the top of our prospect list. This kid we got in the Joe Nathan for AJ deal as a throw in, and I'm loving it. Liriano is only 20 years old I do believe and already in AA doing well. Next year we should see him in Rochester and maybe a late call up for the twins. His future is that of a potential #1 , he has that kind of ability.
7. Garrett Jones- 1st basemen for AA New Britain. Garrett really found himself this year and belted out 30 HR's and tons of RBI's. He also hit a lot of doubles and was a real force. He's a very solid fielder and has a huge stick. He kind of sounds like that other 1st basemen we just called up , whats his face.......MORNEAU!! haha. Hopefully we can find room for the kid. Imagine that, the twins having to find room maybe for a potential slugger, 5 years ago I would have laughed.
8. Scott Baker- Baker was a 2003 draft pick taken in the 2nd round. He's a very polished righty with good control out of Oklahoma State. He has also risen up the minor league ranks real fast much like Jesse Crain. Baker dominated High A ball and AA . He struggled a bit in AAA, but that's to be expected. Twins expect big things from this kid, could see a late call up for him next year , maybe even a early one.
9. Kyle Waldrop- 2004 draftee!! Many might say I have him too early since he's only in E-town ball. Something about this kid tells me he's going to be just a STUD. He dominated gcl ball and did very well in E-town. He was a high school star both hitting and pitching and is a total athletic freak. He's got the size, unreal control and from what i read from him a great attitude and winning mentality. Waldrop has me pumped, I could see him being better than Durbin and Baker, and thats impressive company.
10. Terry Tiffee- Koskie who? hehe. Terry has looked great for the twins so far, he takes some great at bats and looks very much like he belongs up there. I think he can be a .290 type hitting 3rd basemen who can hit 20 + homers and drive in lots of runs. This is a kid i have followed for a while now and really am happy to see him get his shot.
11. Matt Moses- Twins 1st round pick in 2003. He's been plagued by some unfortunate injuries early in his pro career. Hopefully he can put all that behind him now and start to enjoy a healthy season next year in quad cities or fort myers. They compare his bat to that of Hank Blalock’s and that cant be half bad right. He needs to work on fielding and staying healthy. But long term this is a great player to have in our organization with a big upside.
12. Adam Harben- this guy was just flat out nasty this year. His strike out totals were godly and he pitched a lot of innings and was a bulldawg. He will be in Fort Myers next year. I believe he was like a 12th round or later draft pick, I think TR found a steal here. Adam Harben projects to be a very good #3-#4 starter with some power.
13. Scott Tyler- Honestly this kid has the ability to be the best twins prospect if he just figures out his control a little bit. He was a 2nd round pick in 2002 I believe. Scott Tyler is a huge kid 6"5 230 with unreal stuff. He is a strike out machine and his innings pitched/hits ratio is incredibleeeeee!! He really improved on his 2003 season with a stellar mid 2 era type season this year in Quad cities. Scott could very well be a #1 or #2 if he gets a little better control. Heck, Johan Santana used to walk too many guys ...he turned out ok!
14. Jay Rainville- Another of our rookie pitchers. Jay had a ear in the 1's in GCL ball after being the best pitcher in Rhode Islands history in high school. He came out of the same school as Rocco Baldelli. Jay Rainville is a MONSTER of a kid has drawn comparisons to Clemens. This kid is a bit raw, but his potential like Tyler’s is just scary.
15. Jason Bartlett- Jason looked bad flat out for the twins in his short call up. But it's hard to make an impression in such a short stint. He's had a great couple years and hit .330+ in AAA . He needs to work on his glove a bit. We acquired him for Brian Buchanon so anything he does for us is gravy. He can be a player though, no doubt.
16. Trevor Plouffe- SS we took in the draft this year. He had a hitting streak of I believe 20 + games which is very impressive for a young 17/18 year old kid who skipped GCL ball for E-town ball. Look for him and Moses possibly to anchor the infield in quad cities next year with Woodard at 1st!!.. Exciting.
17. Johnny Woodard- Woodard was a surprising pick in the 2003 draft, they took him pretty early in the 3rd round. He was a projected power hitting, big 1st basemen who was raw. Does it sound like another 3rd round pick like back in 1999. Oh yes Morneau!! hehe Anyways, Woodard is one of my personal fav prospects, the kid has a GREAT year this year hitting about .310 with some power and slugging. I love our 1st basemen in the organization, Morneau, Jones, Woodard.
18. Errol Simontisch- This is yet another lefty starter in the organization. All he has done since becoming a twin is produce. He was a quad cities pitcher this year and had a good record, era in the 2's and had good hits/innings and k's ratio. He isnt a power pitcher, but yet he is a very craft guy much like a Radke type of guy.
19. Jay Sawatski- This 2004 , 8th rounder like you said could be a quick moving prospect. He's also a lefty and has some real dominant stuff. He will be in fort myers possibly next year and who knows AA could be in his near future. I think Sawatski will keep the twins bullpen dominant in future years with guys like rincon/romero/crain and nathan there now.
20. Justin Jones - I realize he didnt have the season he wanted, but neither did Scott Tyler the year before. Terry Ryan rarely makes bad calls and the cubs had this kid rated high for a reason. He's yet ANOTHER lefty who brings the heat and has an array of pitches. I think Justin just lost some stability when he left the cubs and struggled for a bit with his new team. I think he has a big year next year and we'll see what happen. I've heard he has top of the rotation type ability, if he meets that potential.
21. Deacon Burns- Deacon = production ...WHOA!! That kid tore it up at E-town and should be in quad cities doing the same next year. Hopefully I can go down there and catch him in a few games. He was like a 26th round pick , and is only 5'8 , but he showed a ton of pop and ability to drive in runs. Fun player to watch the next few years.
22. Pat Neshek- Neshek is a reliever in the organization who has been at high A level and AA. He is a polished pitcher who like Sawatski and Crain should make sure that we keep a solid bullpen for years to come.
23. Steven Duguay- He sure made an real good impression on the twins this year. he had a great era and also very impressive strike out ratios. He should anchor the Quad city league next year.
24. Denard Span- He was our 1st round pick in 2002 and has been a hurt a ltitle bit in his career. He is very fast, possibly the fastest in our organization. He had a good end to the year this year , getting some hits and making it happen. He's a long term project but hes worth watching , unlike BJ Garbe lol.
25. Anthony Swarzak- Twins 2nd round pick in 2004. He showed unreal control with like 2 or 3 walks. He had less hits than innings pitched and good k's, to go along with a 5-3 record and ERA in the 2's. Swarzak has loads of ability and will see E-town next year and possibly some Quad cities.
Thing about Twins minor leagues system that impresses me the most is the projected Fort Myers pitching staff next year.
1. Glen Perkins
2. Scott Tyler
3. Adam Harben
4. Errol Simontisch
5. Justin Jones
Be a fun year down there next year.
Some honorable mentions who very well coulda been on this list--
- Juan Portes~ GCL SS with major power, no glove.
- Matthew Fox~ E-town SP, 1st round 2004 pick. Struggled a bit , but his arm was tired, rebound year next year?
-Alex Romero- OF with a great eye and some skills
-Kevin West- AAA OF with power
- Frank Mata - RP with 97 mph heat in low a ball.
~One to watch next year~ Johan Pino , 20 year old Venezuelan prospect that the twins signed out of Venezuela a month or two ago. He had a 0.52 era and just dominated. He pitched in the same league as Johan Santana and has drawn comparisons. Pino will probably start in E-town I'd imagine. We'll see what happens, but let's hope for another Cy Young like Johan!From Andy Haider
Seth - Thanks for the reply. I imagine you were as excited as I to see JD pitch on Wednesday. It looks like he has a good fastball that he was locating on the corners (and keeping down), but he may need to work on the offspeed stuff.
I was not surprised when they sent down Crain in order to promote Kubel. After all, I believe you had predicted that a long time ago. For whatever reason, Gardenhire is still not using Crain in "clutch" situations - as that is clearly been Rincon and Rincon only.
I know Romero has not been scored upon in forever, but I still don't have any great confidence in his abilities. Is there any talk on the health of Balfour? He has been amazing every time he comes into the game (he finally gave up a base to the first batter he faced in a game in the TX series). I just haven't seen him take the mound too frequently upon coming back from the disabled list.
I anxiously read through your recap of prospects. I really like Rainville. He only walked two or three batters his entire senior year as well. It appears he has kept this up. While it will be probably be a long time as he works his way from high school to the Twins, I think he is definitely someone to keep an eye on. I saw that you gave an honorable mention to this year's 26th round pick of Deacon Burns. Every time I would read your recap of the E*Twins game, he was always mentioned as getting a hit. I look forward to seeing him in the Quad Cities next year. Lastly, I do not recall seeing Justin Jones anywhere on your list. Even though I know he did not do well this year (especially after the trade), I find in inconceivable that he is not on the organization's top 25 and / or an honorable mention.
I still would like to see more pitchers in September get opportunities to start. At this point, I understand that they have to give Santana every opportunity to win the Cy Young. I would still limit each start of his to no more than six innings (if we have the lead). We should have a collection of quality arms to preserve many more wins. I am starting to wonder if Lohse will come down with an "injury" soon - to "explain" his poor season and allow the opportunity to put someone else on the post-season roster. I still favor Fultz as a lefty specialist, if we are going to start Mulholland as it seems painfully obvious.
Lastly, I noticed that your list of Twins prospects was void of any catchers. Other than the fact that I cringe that we started Joe Mauer's clock towards free agency and arbitration this year, I do wonder if his knees will allow him to catch. I never worried about all the conversations of him being so tall before - but I wouldn't mind seeing the Twins turning Jacque Jones into a AAA catcher prospect this winter.
Thanks for letting me vent my thoughts.
Seth's Responses
See? These are excellent responses that I have received. Just a couple of thoughts in response. I don't worry about the Twins attendance. First, I don't believe that Carl Pohlad is losing any money on the Twins, much less the $10-$15 million he claims to be losing a year. He became a multi-billionairre by making smart business decisions. If owning the Twins was costing him that much, he would not be an owner!
I know that TV and radio ratings for Twins games are up again this year, so clearly locals do care about the Twins. Ticket prices, although cheaper than any other big league team's, did go up again, making it more difficult for a family to afford going to a game.
David, your last point was about the Twins not being known by general baseball public. That is probably true, and that is why I fear that Curt Schilling, and not Johan Santana, will win the AL Cy Young this year. Don't get me wrong, Schilling (and Pedro and Mulder) is having a great season. But it isn't as good as Santana's. This really hit me on Friday night when I was watching Baseball Tonight. Jeff Brantley, a former big league pitcher himself, and Tim Kirkjian discussed who would and who should win the AL Cy Young Award. Kirkjian, being of sound mind, said that the Cy Young Award, unlike the MVP Award, should be based on the numbers and who the best pitcher is. Johan Santana has to win it because his numbers show that he has been the best, most dominant pitcher in the league. Now Brantley thoroughly frustrated me with his response. He (adlibbing) said that he thinks that Curt Schilling will, and he emphasized the word SHOULD, win the Cy Young Award because he is a big name from a big market. WHAT? How does that make sense? He said that it is tougher to pitch in Boston than it is in Minnesota. Why? Because of all of the Boston and New York press, and because the Twins maybe have two or three writers at each game. I'm glad he doesn't have a vote!
I am thoroughly excited about the Twins prospects. I love that they have a plethera of pitching prospects throughout their system, and many of them are left-handed! But I think that there are probably 30-35 guys that, at this point, have to be considered legitimate prospects. I have to admit that I completely missed on Justin Jones. A few people mentioned his name, and you're right. He was terrible with the Swing this year, but clearly, he is an unbelievable prospect, and yet another left-handed pitcher. I guess if I were to put him on my Prospect List, I would put him between #12 and #17 somewhere. Also, I agree with Chris in saying that Alexander Smit has huge upside. I guess I am going to wait just one more year to put him in my Top 10. I want to see him pitch a full season. Of course, that means also that I am a hypocrite, because I have Kyle Waldrop in my Top 10. Oh well, it is my list! Ha!
Andy, you're absolutely right. I did include Deacon Burns in my E-Town update almost every day! He was incredible. So, why didn't I include him in my Top 25? Here is the reason. Elizabethton, and the other Rookie Leagues, are comprised primarily of players drafted in this year's draft. That means there are a bunch of kids just out of high school or just out of college. To me, the college guys should be ahead of the high school kids. Burns played four years of college ball, the last two at Northern State, so he should be able to hit the high schoolers. I am in no way saying that what he did is any less impressive. There are a lot of college guys that struggle adjusting to the wood bat, or to pro ball in general. I think that Burns is totally worth watching next year, and if he continues to dominate, he suddenly becomes a Top 20 prospect!
Jacque Jones to catcher, huh? Ummm... But you're right, the Twins really don't have much for minor league catcher prospects particularly in the upper levels. To me, Rob Bowen is no longer a prospect. He didn't hit .200 in AA this year and was so bad as a possible backup catcher with the Twins that they went out and acquire Pat Borders! The AAA catchers were Chris Heintz (who hit well most of the year) and Brandon Marsters, neither of which is considers a prospect. In my mind, the Twins best catching prospects played in Quad Cities this year, and they would be Kyle Phillips and Kyle Geiger.
Makes you really hope that Joe Mauer is healthy enough to catch next year and well into the future. I am still optimistic, or positive (or naive?) to believe that Mauer will use the entire offseason to rehab, or do whatever it takes to make himself ready to catch next year.
Thanks again to these three guys, and to all of your who wrote. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or other discussion, send me an e-mail.
The weekend was great for the Twins. They won all three games so far against the Detroit Tigers... and that is without having a starting pitcher named Brad or Johan on the mound. Carlos Silva gave up a run in six innings Friday to record the win. Kyle Lohse lasted 5 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on Saturday before the combination of Aaron Fultz, Jesse Crain, JC Romero, Juan Rincon and Joe Nathan completed the game without allowing another hit. Yesterday, it was Terry Mulholland who got the win by going 6 2/3 innings.
The best news of the weekend came yesterday when JC Romero's vastly overrated consecutive scoreless inning streak finally came to an end. I will say this, Romero has actually been very good when he has started an inning. He just has not been good at keeping inherited runners from scoring. So yes, the streak was great, obviously better than if he had given up even more runs. But for a reliever, it is what it is. It certainly is not comparable to Orel Hershiser's 59 consecutive scoreless innings back in 1988!
The Twins were actually helped by the home run ball. On Saturday, they had solo homers from Cristian Guzman and Shannon Stewart. Sunday, Terry Tiffee, Torii Hunter and Cristian Guzman homered. Yes, that is right, Cristian Guzman hit two homers in consecutive games.
Was anyone else thrilled to see the Orioles Jorge Julio lose another game yesterday in fine fashion? In the 9th, he gave up a long home run to Gary Sheffield and instead of hitting the next batter, as he tried to do with the Twins Augie Ojeda, he gave up another homer to Hideki Matsui. I was also happy that the league decided that Julio would be suspended, for four games, for his decapitation attempt of Ojeda. At this point in the season, I am also cheering for the Yankees. I know that isn't popular, but I prefer they win the AL East. Why? Because I would prefer the Twins play the Yankees in the ALDS rather than the Red Sox!
Yesterday, Shannon Stewart was given a day off. Lew Ford took his spot in the lineup, in the leadoff spot. In the game, he was 0-1, with four walks. That's a really great day for a leadoff hitter! I remember last year when I discussed what the Twins should do for the 2004 season, I said that they should let Shannon Stewart go and have Lew Ford be the left fielder and leadoff hitter. First, I have to say that Shannon Stewart just produces for this team and apparently does something that numbers can't explain that causes the Twins to play better. I thought I'd take a look at a couple of numbers:
Shannon Stewart as Leadoff Hitter .314/.386/.472
Lew Ford as Leadoff Hitter .273/.404/.377
Interesting, I think. Stewart has hit for a significantly higher average, but Ford has actually been on base more frequently (the job of a leadoff hitter, right?). However, Stewart has hit for more power out of the leadoff spot. So, I have no problem with Stewart leading off at all.So, where should Ford hit?
Lew Ford as #2 Hitter .261/.340/.349
Lew Ford as #3 Hitter .297/.388/.487
I think Ford makes for a good #2 hitter, but as you can see from the numbers, he has been a LOT better in the three spot. But, maybe Gardy should consider batting him somewhere else...
Lew Ford as #6 Hitter .412/.474/.529
Now those are some pretty good numbers (even if is in a small sample size of eleven games). But, then again, let's be completely honest about these numbers. The leadoff hitter bats first in the first inning. After that, that hitter can hit at any time. So, what does it all really mean? What do you think? E-mail me.
Do you have any other thoughts on the Twins, their pitching staff, their lineup or their minor league system? E-mail me.
Here is the pitching matchup for tonight's final game against the Tigers. The Tigers finally get to see one of The Big Two.
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Tonight - 6:05 - Brad Radke (10-7, 3.51, 1.15, .268) vs Jason Johnson (8-12, 5.16, 1.45, .291)
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Here are the current standings though the weekend's games in the AL Central:
Minnesota Twins 82-60
Chicago White Sox 72-70 10.0
Cleveland Indians 70-73 12.5
Detroit Tigers 64-77 17.5
Kansas City Royals 51-91 31.0
VIKINGS, NOT TWINS, BEAT COWBOYS
I need to thank all six or seven of the readers who pointed out to me that on Friday, when discussing the Vikings/Cowboys game, I said that the TWINS will beat the Cowboys. Oops! (this has since been changed) As Jason Bain asked, "Is Johan Santana going to throw for them?" At this point, I wouldn't put anything past Mr. Santana!
Seth's Prediction - Vikings 30, Cowboys 22.
ACTUAL SCORE - Vikings 35, Cowboys 17.
That was a pretty impressive display by the Vikings yesterday. I think it should be pointed out that the Cowboys will be a good team. Their defense is as good as any in the league. That makes when Daunte Culpepper did yesterday more impressive. Of course, knowing how Vikings' fans work, I'm sure some think he could do more, but he was incredibly efficient.
Actually, the Cowboys dominated the first quarter, taking a 3-0 lead while holding the ball for 13 of the 15 minutes. But after that, it was all Vikings. First, Culpepper hit Onterrio Smith streaking down the seem. Smith outran the defense 63 yards for a TD. Later, Culpepper lofted a ball to Marcus Robinson for a 3 yard score.
Somehow Terry Glenn ended up wide open deep downfield and into the end zone. Seriously, it was an incredible catch, but how does he get that open!? I hate the prevent defense as much as anyone, but the Cowboys don't score there if the Vikings are in it. In the second half, Randy Moss had two short touchdown catches, but it was a long TD pass and (amazing) catch from Culpepper to Kelly Campbell that put the dagger in the Cowboys.
Culpepper needed just 23 passes to accumulate 245 yards and five touchdowns. He also ran when necessary! Vinny Testaverde threw for 355 yards, but it took 50 pass attempts because they were unable to get a running game going. At this point, I'm very happy with my choice of Daunte Culpepper for MVP.
Cowboys fans should be thrilled about their trio of wide receivers with Antonio Bryant, Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn. But, Vikings fans should be elated with the Randy Moss, Nate Burleson, Marcus Robinson and Kelly Campbell. Again, the difference is that Vikings ability to dominate by running too that makes these guys so dangerous!
Jim Kleinsasser, meet Corey Koskie. Corey Koskie. Jim Kleinsasser.
What did you think of the game? Does it give you more hope for the season? How will the Vikings do?? E-mail me.
NFL "EXPERT" PICKS (Reprinted from Thursday)
Well, 15 of 16 games are complete with just tonight's Packers/Panthers game to go. Here are the standings through the Sunday games, followed by the actual picks. (incorrect picks in red)
Name Website W-L
Ryan Maus Twins Chatter 12-3
Mike Brasel Fantasy FB Guru 12-3
Jeremy Kovash Wolf Lake Mfg 12-3
Aaron Gleeman Aaron's BB Blog 11-4
Ben Jacobs Hardball Times 10-5
David Bergner Baseball Savant 10-5
Mike Labuda ChiSox Daily 9-6
David Bloom Ya Gotta Believe 9-6
Vic Quick KDUH-TV 9-6
Seth Stohs SethSpeaks.net 8-7
John Bonnes The Twins Geek 7-8
Missy Olson SethSpeaks.net 7-8
Seth Stohs Melissa Olson Ben Jacobs Aaron Gleeman John Bonnes Ryan Maus SethSpeaks.net SethSpeaks.net Hardball Times Aaron's BB Blog Twins Geek Twins Chatter Indianapolis @ New England Colts Colts Patriots Patriots Colts Patriots Seattle @ New Orleans Seahawks Saints Seahawks Seahawks Seahawks Seahawks Cincinnati @ NY Jets Bengals Jets Jets Jets Bengals Bengals Arizona @ St. Louis Rams Rams Rams Rams Rams Rams Tennessee @ Miami Titans Titans Titans Titans Dolphins Titans Oakland @ Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Raiders Steelers Raiders Steelers San Diego @ Houston Texans Chargers Texans Texans Texans Chargers Jacksonville @ Buffalo Bills Bills Bills Jaguars Jaguars Bills Detroit @ Chicago Lions Bears Bears Lions Lions Lions Baltimore @ Cleveland Ravens Ravens Ravens Ravens Ravens Ravens Tampa Bay @ Washington Redskins Buccs Redskins Buccs Buccs Redskins Atlanta @ San Francisco 49ers 49ers Falcons Falcons Falcons Falcons Dallas @ Minnesota Vikings Vikings Vikings Vikings Vikings Vikings NY Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Kansas City @ Denver Chiefs Chiefs Broncos Chiefs Chiefs Broncos Green Bay @ Carolina Panthers Packers Panthers Packers Panthers Panthers NFL MVP Daunte Culpepper Randy Moss Donovan McNabb Randy Moss Priest Holmes Ladanian Tomlinson NFL Rookie of Year Kevin Jones Eli Manning Larry Fitzgerald / Sean Taylor Kevin Jones Larry Fitzgerald Kevin Jones NFC Champion Vikings Vikings Eagles Eagles Vikings Seahawks AFC Champion Patriots Colts Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots Super Bowl Champ Vikings Vikings Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots
Michael Labuda David Bergner David Bloom Vic Quick Mike Brasel Jeremy Kovash ChiSox Daily Baseball Savant Ya Gotta Believe KDUH-Sports Fantasy FB Guru Wolf Lake Mgr Indianapolis @ New England Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots Patriots Seattle @ New Orleans Saints Seahawks Seahawks Saints Seahawks Seahawks Cincinnati @ NY Jets Jets Jets Bengals Jets Bengals Jets Arizona @ St. Louis Rams Rams Rams Rams Rams Rams Tennessee @ Miami Dolphins Titans Titans Titans Titans Titans Oakland @ Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers Raiders Steelers Steelers Steelers San Diego @ Houston Texans Texans Chargers Texans Texans Chargers Jacksonville @ Buffalo Bills Bills Bills Bills Jaguars Bills Detroit @ Chicago Bears Bears Lions Lions Lions Lions Baltimore @ Cleveland Browns Ravens Ravens Ravens Ravens Ravens Tampa Bay @ Washington Redskins Redskins Buccs Redskins Redskins Redskins Atlanta @ San Francisco 49ers Falcons Falcons Falcons Falcons Falcons Dallas @ Minnesota Vikings Vikings Vikings Cowboys Vikings Vikings NY Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Eagles Kansas City @ Denver Broncos Chiefs Chiefs Chiefs Broncos Chiefs Green Bay @ Carolina Panthers Packers Packers Packers Panthers Packers NFL MVP Peyton Manning Matt Hasselbeck Roy Williams-Cowboys Daunte Culpepper Daunte Culpepper NFL Rookie of Year Reggie Williams Tatum Bell Reggie Williams Reggie Williams Eli Manning NFC Champion Vikings Seahawks Cowboys Vikings Vikings AFC Champion Colts Patriots Colts Colts Colts Super Bowl Champ Colts Patriots Cowboys Colts Colts
Have a wonderful day and week! If you have any questions or comments on anything, send me an e-mail.