Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 5-1-23.
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After an intense couple weeks, The Takeout is going to take a couple weeks off and be back later in May. As always you can follow my musings at twitter.com/rstanzel. I’ll be taping a new Make Glove not W.A.R. Twins podcast for Pulltab this week.
Slightly different format before we take a break.
What Are We Doing Here, Minnesota Sports Fans?
Let’s have a real conversation, Minnesota sports fans. Mediocrity doesn’t have to be enough for us. First round playoff exits don’t have to be enough. I know it’s what we’re used to. But it doesn’t have to be enough.
After hearing the Wolves complain about “unrealistic expectations” this season - they have two bonafide stars, and traded multiple draft picks for Rudy Gobert - it just got to me. Then I’ve heard fans and pundits talk and make excuses for a couple days about the Wild.
“We’ll get them next year” is the state slogan since 1991. I know it’s hard to live like this.
Because of the position I used to hold, I am always careful telling it like it is so to speak. I’ve been off the sports grid long enough where I feel like I can. I’ve lost longtime Twitter followers the last few weeks for speaking the truth. Yes, I hail from an East Coast city where winning is expected. Here’s the thing, winning doesn’t have to be EXPECTED in Minnesota. But it can be a cozy benefit.
To help prove my point I’ll come up with a few rebuffs for when your friends at the water cooler are making excuses this week.
“The Wild’s in salary cap hell because of the Parise and Suter buyouts. This was about as good as they could do.”
Hogwash. This was the year for them to do something - because it’s only going to be worse. With three weeks left in the regular season, the Wild was not only right there with the Stars and Avs for first in the Central, but also for first in the entire Western Conference with Vegas. We were all dreaming of home ice for two rounds!
“Our team just couldn’t overcome the injuries.”
Now, the Wolves had a valid excuse here, and with a smaller roster, it’s hard to overcome the selfish injury to Jaden McDaniels (punched a wall) and Naz Reid. Now, Joel Eriksson Ek absolutely stirs the Wild’s drink. But the Stars lost Joe Pavelski. Is the Wild as deep as they could be at the center position because of the cap issues? No. But they traded for Cup winner Oskar Sundquist at the trade deadline, and were so deep at center that he couldn’t even crack the lineup.
“The Wild was going to lose no matter what Dean Evason did.”
Probably true. But a coach has to give the team every opportunity to win. And he didn’t. Starting Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 2 changed the entire momentum of the series. Then he let his team lose three straight games with a first-year playoff goalie, and his only lineup change was flip flopping wingers on the first and second lines. The Wild was playing like a team looking for their coach for some kind of spark (some could argue players shouldn’t need that). It never came. Status quo.
“The Wild was the better team for the majority of this series.”
I heard Mats Zuccarello’s quote and almost fell off my Saturday morning rocker. The Wild was thoroughly throttled in three of its four losses. Absolute no shows in Games 5 and 6. After the epic double overtime Game 1, just one game was even close on either side.
Who’s Best in Position to Win a Championship?
Seth Kaplan at Fox 9 posed the question of which of the four major men’s teams in Minnesota is most in position to win a championship? Here’s my 2 cents.
1) Twins - Darkhorse pick. The truth is, they’ve got three starting pitchers - two under team control for many years - who on any given day can throw seven shutout innings. The backend of their bullpen is superb. Can the offense use some help? Yes. But if this starting staff stays healthy, a World Series appearance isn’t out of the question even this year.
2) Vikings - Tough choice over No. 3 pick just because this defense wasn’t very good last year and they’ve done little to upgrade it so far. But they nearly won a playoff game last season with the old (literally) D, so add Jordan Addison to Justin Jefferson, and Kirk Cousins managing the game. Besides, who are you afraid of in the NFC besides the Eagles?
3) Wild - This is going to upset the basketball bunch. Anything can happen in hockey - it’s one of the things that made this playoff no show so maddening. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy will one day play like stars in the playoffs together. Will it be soon? Who knows.
4) Wolves - Gosh this team wants you to believe in them. Anthony Edwards is soon to be a top 10 player in this league, maybe higher. It’s a stars league for sure. But for all the Wild’s faults, the Wolves have even more of a losing pedigree that you can’t shake until you have more of a full roster turnover.
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