Minnesota Wild Future

 

The Wild will need rocket science knowledge, patience, creativity and a healthy dose of Good luck to reach an elite level. 

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Has anyone else been thinking about how the remainder of this Wild season would best play out and/or what would be in the Wild’s best interest??  Should the Wild be willing to abandon the rest of schedule with wholesale changes in players and focus on the future beyond this year???? Unless God drops everything else, there is very little chance the Wild will make the playoffs and if they do they will only be beaten (probably in the first round) once again.  

Here are the Wild options.  

For openers there are only four players that should be considered untouchable.  Kaprizof, Faber, Boldy and Rossi.  Many would include Ericksson Ek, Hartman and Zuccarello.  But if these players have “no trade” clauses in their contracts the Wild will have no real chance of acquiring a player or players that would have any serious, positive impact for the team????  Moving the support players alone will never provide much of an upgrade to the current roster unless the team gets lucky and finds some jewels in the rough.  So, the poorer the team record at the end of the season, the better the draft picks and thus the ability to use them in securing the kind of players they desperately need. 

Next big consideration is the money.  On this front, understanding all the intricacies requires a rocket science education.  To simplify; the Wild salary cap is badly hampered by the remaining obligations to Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. The buyout penalties for both this season and next season are almost $15 million.  That obligation expires in the summer of 2025.  What will remain is a manageable $1.7 million obligation until 2029. This not only shackles any efforts to secure an elite NHL player but also impedes increased salary demands (such as Dumba) from existing players.  

Faber may be the thorniest of the untouchables.  His current market value is $64 million - $8 million over 8 Years.  Even though the Wild have the financial ability to handle this increase, Faber could reject it.  He has one more year on his current contract and could wait to test the open market.  YES – it would be risky for Faber to do that but it would also be risky for the Wild not to sweeten the pot beyond his current value. 

The next option for the Wild is Russia or other foreign countries. To be sure, the Wild got lucky with Kirill Kaprizov.  While this option can pay big dividends it is also very risky and requires great patience. NHL teams have been wary of using premium draft capital on Russian prospects. The Russian player could be under contract to a Russian team and might not be readily available.  In addition, there is always the risk he will not leave mother Russia for the U.S. 

Michael Russo reported the following on the Wild and their current Russian prospect:

“…the Wild may sign Marat Khusnutdinov after his season ends Feb. 25, burn the first year of his entry-level contract and start him right away in the NHL. He has 16 points in 38 games for KHL Sochi (three points a game), can play wing and center and has a ton of pro experience already at 21, so it would make sense for the Wild to get a head start on seeing what they have in him heading into next season." SOOO, is  Khusnutdinov agreeable to showing up on March First??? 

In the final analysis, the Wild are at least two years if not four to five years away from any possibility of becoming an elite NHL team.  What is therefore crucial for us Wild Fans is to develop the mindset that we are watching one of the greatest sports ever conceived and that it is being played by the most talented athletes on the planet. That is where the true thrill of Wild hockey can be found.  

Joe Mauer

 

Americans love baseball more than any other sport and always will.  As such we tend to place those inducted into the Hall of Fame on a much higher pedestal.  Some twenty-thousand-five-hundred (20,500) players have played in the major leagues.  Only 273 players have made into the Hall of Fame.  That’s a mere 1.3%.

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                         St. Paul Cretin H.S. to the Hall of Fame

Everyone believes that Joe Mauer’s talent was so incredible that his trip to the Hall of Fame came relatively easy – “Piece of Cake.”  We need to challenge that belief. 

Yes, he excelled in football, basketball and well…as far as baseball is concerned, we will let Justin Morneau capsulize that in the video below.     

Let’s begin with his being the number one draft choice in baseball by the Minnesota Twins.  Many of us thought that was simply a ploy by the Twins to sell tickets.  Major league team drafts hometown boy.  One avid baseball fan who questioned that pick was told by a minor league pitcher, after playing against Mauer that; “Mauer is the real deal.”  So, Joe came to the majors amid speculation that his ability and talent were blown out of proportion.  What Joe had to prove and what we quickly learned is that Joe Mauer was no Miguel Sano or Byron Buxton.  

Next, he signed the richest contract in baseball.  Many, to this very day, begrudge his getting paid what he was worth.  That jealous anger will never subside.  What always made this interesting is when the question was posed; “If Joe doesn’t get the dough who does?”  The answer to that question is even more distasteful than the dough Joe was paid. 

Then came all the injuries. The time Mauer missed playing was a real annoyance.  During one prolonged absence it was impossible to know what was really ailing him and whether he was receiving the correct treatment.  The Twins told us one thing while Mauer told us yet another.  Mauer was so frustrated that he sought medical advice and treatment beyond the Twins organization.  

His presence in the lineup was crucial.  When he finally did return, he could have been slated to be the team’s designated hitter.  Joe didn’t take the easy way out.  Even though he was the very best catcher of his era he agreed to learn a new position.  As such he moved to first base.  He struggled when learning the position but eventually turned himself into an excellent first baseman.

Then there was the one time he bunted the ball.  We hadn't  seen ridiculous outrage like that since Roger Maris bunted home a winning run for the New York Yankees in 1961. 

Finally, there was the never-ending criticism surrounding his demeanor.  Many believed he should be the team leader.  He should be the most vocal element in the clubhouse.  He should lead the way in marshalling the forces when needed.  Mauer never allowed anyone to compromise or force abandonment of his quiet humility.

 “Easy – Piece of Cake????”  Joe Mauer earned every penny he was paid for beyond his remarkable performance were the many struggles and adversities he had to endure and overcome.  Through it all, he never failed to perform more than adequately.  Mauer hit over .300 with men on base, men in scoring position and when the bases were loaded.  He has clearly earned the Hall of Fame.

Yet, in the end, what so very many of us have admired most about Joe Mauer is that for fifteen (15) years the only uniform adorned by the superstar was that of the Minnesota Twins. 

Way to go Joe.  We love ya!!!!! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrT7btR22CM

     Grandson Drew " The Slugger" Wolfson With Joe Mauer

  

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

 

Final Words for the Final Journey

  “I've Been to the Mountaintop”

~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Delivered Mason Temple (Church Of God)

Memphis, Tennessee - April 3, 1968

The night before he was shot and killed

 “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.  Longevity has its place.  But I'm not concerned about that now.  I just want to do God's will.  And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain.  And I've looked over.  And I've seen the Promised Land.  I may not get there with you.  But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land !     

"Drum Major Instinct" - Ebenezer Baptist Church - 4 February 1968

 

“Every now and then I guess we all think realistically about that day when we will be victimized with what is life's final common denominator—that something that we call death”….” And I don't think of it in a morbid sense.  And every now and then I ask myself, "What is it that I would want said?"

 

“If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral.  And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long.  And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say.

 

Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important.  Tell them not to mention where I went to school.

 

I'd like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others.

 

I'd like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody."

 

Minnesota Wild Fans Are Not Idiots

 Let’s start with one indisputable fact.  The Minnesota Wild played one of their very worst games of season in Winnipeg against the jets on Saturday December 30th.  Only Dallas was a bigger embarrassment.  What follows could explain, at least in part, what transpired during the game.  

Apparently, something untoward occurred in the Minnesota Wild locker room between the second and third periods of that Saturday game 

Filip Gustavsson started the game in goal.  He played the first two periods.  The Jets scored three goals in the first two periods.  None of those goals can be attributed to any ineptness by Gustavsson.  They were a direct result of inept Wild defense by not covering the slot in front of the net.  At the end of the second period Gustavsson skated off the ice unincumbered in any manner. He did not return to the bench during the third period. 

Marc-Andre Fleury replaced him at the start of the third period. When Fleury was asked by CBS sports about Gustavsson's sudden departure, Fleury responded by saying Gustavsson; "wasn't feeling great."  

John Hynes was asked in the post-game interview if there was anything he wanted say about Filip Gustavsson's  departure.  Hynes very curt response was; “No.”  He refused to talk about it using the time-honored Sargent Schultz and Donald Trump escape slogan of “I know Nothing.”   We can at least give Hynes credit for refusing to lie to us. 

Meanwhile, the company (Wild) line is that Gustavsson has a lower body injury and is day-to-day. 

No sports franchise will jeopardize the gate by airing their dirty linen in public.  While that may be admirable to a degree, sports fans get tired of being lied to and treated like the most naïve idiots on the planet. We get to the point with these organizations where we must beg the question; is there no way to skirt the truth without lying???  Who will ever forget the Minnesota Viking telling us in 2013 that we should NOT be concerned over any rumored departure of Percy Harvin.  They assured us he was NOT going anywhere. On March 11, 2013 Harvin was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.  

It would be refreshing if just once one of these public organizations stopped demanding we read between the lines and then attempting to insult us further when we refuse to do so.