Lee Timmerman ltimmerman@kfyrtv.com

I Told You So...
10-13-08

How often does one of your friends brag about a sports-related prediction they made that came true? Compare that with how many times you hear someone admit to being wrong on a prediction. You likely hear a lot more from a person touting a correct prediction.

Unfortunately for me, I have a blog that chronicles some of my predictions, so when I write that Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers are both going to have terrible years (scroll down to my post from 8-08-08) I can`t hide from that.

The Packers are only 3-3 but Rodgers has showed poise and toughness that I did not see coming. He has put up good numbers and should be the man in Green Bay for a long time. Favre reluctantly accepted a trade to New York because he desperately wanted to play and he is showing that there is still some magic left in that 39-year-old arm. Favre is statistically one of the best quarterbacks in football and has the Jets off to a 3-2 start. So far, I am wrong on my prediction that Aaron Rodgers was going to be a debacle and Brett Favre was going to be an utter debacle. Still a lot of season left, however.

To make myself feel better I want to point out some predictions that I have gotten right. Before the 2003 NBA Draft I predicted that Dwayne Wade would be a Hall of Famer someday. That was a bold prediction at the time, but he is headed in that direction. I also predicted that the Patriots would beat the Rams in Super Bowl 36, despite being 14 point underdogs.

Of course, I also predicted that the Giants would beat the Patriots last year, that George Mason would make it to the Final 4 in 2006, that Pacman Jones should stay away from strip clubs, that Monica Seles would get stabbed by an insane fan, that Michael Vick would someday be incarcerated for dog fighting, that the Ultimate Warrior would beat Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 6 and when I was in my mother`s womb, I predicted that the United States hockey team would pull off a miracle on ice against the Russians.



Twins Season Recap
10-1-08

I am writing this 29 minutes after the Twins 1-0 loss to Chicago in the tiebreaker game so I will do my best to keep emotion out of it.... 2 HITS?

The Twins gave fans something to care about 163 times this season by playing entertaining baseball and staying in the playoff race. It was a good season considering the youth on the team and there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about next year.

2 HITS, that`s all you can muster in a do or die game?

Looking ahead to next season the Twins have a young five person starting rotation that is solid and should be improved. Francisco Liriano will need to establish himself as the ace of the staff after a first season back from Tommy John Surgery.

2 HITS against John Danks, for the love of Denny Hocking!

The bullpen does have some issues, but with the emergence of lefty Jose Mijares and return of Pat Neshek, the relievers could be adequate enough to get the ball to Joe Nathan with a lead.

Offensively, the Twins will need young hitters to improve. 2 HITS! Delmon Young was atrocious, considering he was the center piece of a trade that sent Matt Garza out of the organization. Young did bat .290 but struggled in big spots, struck out a lot, didn`t hit for power and was a circus in the outfield. The good news is, he`s only 23. The Twins have five outfielders with Young, Span, Gomez, Kubel and Cuddyer. I wouldn`t expect them to enter next season with a crowded situation like that and Cuddyer or Kubel might be on the trading block.

Nick Punto is a very good utility player, but probably not an everyday player. It would be nice to see the Twins spend some money to get a right handed hitting 3rd baseman or shortstop. Joe Crede is a free agent after this season, if he checks out physically that would be a good acquisition to add some right handed power to a team that hit less homeruns than any other in the American League.

It will be a tough Central Division next season, so Carl Pohlad might need to open the wallet and raise the teams payroll a year ahead of the new stadium opening.

And finally a question for you to chew on: Since 2002 which team would you rather be a fan of, the Twins or the White Sox?

-The Twins have won more games in that period.
-The Twins have won four central division titles, the Sox have now won two.
-The Twins have owned the Sox in meaningful late season games with the exception of the tie breaker game.
-BUT, the Sox won a World Series in 2005

If Chicago goes to, or wins the World Series this year the question is answered, but what would you rather have, a team that consistently wins, but never raises the trophy? Or a team that has some throwaway seasons but wins the title once?

2 HITS!



Fantasy Fanaticism
9-19-08

For the third consecutive NFL season I am not in a fantasy football league and I feel liberated. Although I must admit my interest in a Chiefs-Raiders type game has been completely eliminated because I don`t have to worry about Larry Johnson`s stats anymore.

No longer an owner of a fantasy football team I can now truly appreciate how obnoxious fantasy football owners are. I will give an example, last Sunday while watching the Vikings-Colts game my friend, I will call him Heratio Hufnagle Humberto kept demanding the Colts give the ball to Joseph Addai. Addai is on Heratio`s fantasy team and despite being a Vikings fan Triple H was cheering for him to get 45 carries and score 13 touchdowns.

This raises an interesting question, what is more important, your fantasy team winning or your favorite team winning. I have always gone with the thinking that it is more important for my favorite teams to win but I get the argument for the other side. After all your fantasy team was put together by you and you have a financial stake in it. What it comes down to is what gives you more enjoyment, with your favorite team at least you can share victories with your friends. When your fantasy team wins you can taunt your friends.

Bottom line when it comes to fantasy football, nobody wants to hear stories about your team`s injury report or how you were up 23 points going into the Monday night game and Tony Romo scored 24 to beat you by a point.

And Heratio, I am not watching this weekends Vikings game with you because I know you have Carolina wide receiver Steve Smith on your team.



Quarterback Fiasco
Bill Halter (Weekend Sports Anchor)
8-08-08

Which Quarterback will be a bigger debacle, Brett Favre in New York or Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay?

Let me start my response to this question by saying I think they will both have poor seasons, but I think Rodgers will only be a debacle, whereas Favre will be an utter debacle.

Watching Favre hold up that Jets jersey while forcing a smile at the introduction press conference says it all. Favre wanted to play in Green Bay or Minnesota and when he realized that was impossible, he reluctantly accepted a trade to New York.

Favre has played in Green Bay for the past 16 seasons and in that time created a comfort zone few quarterbacks have ever had. He loses that comfort with the Jets for five reasons.

1. He is two weeks late to camp and will be out of sync right away, which will lead to him doubting his abilities and his teammates doing the same.

2. For the past decade Favre didn`t have any pressure, because when he made mistakes he could always fall back on the great things he did for the Packers franchise. With New York, he hasn`t done any great things for them, so when he plays poorly the fans won`t be as forgiving and the New York media certainly won`t be.

3. Favre has less weapons with the Jets than he did last year with the Packers. Favre has made due with a below average supporting cast in the past but this Jets team doesn`t have very much firepower for the soon-to-be 39-year-old. The Jets were the sixth worst team in the league last year in terms of yards per game. Jerricho Cotchery and Laveranues Coles will be the wide receiver options for #4 and Thomas Jones will be the ground game. That has forced passes into triple coverage written all over it.

4. Favre isn`t that good anymore. This is a bold statement after last year, but Favre has not been the same winner since Mike Holmgren left the Packers. Holmgren was the guy who was able to get through to Brett, and since Holmgren moved on to Seattle in 1999 Favre is 3-5 in the playoffs and has thrown 16 interceptions in those eight games.

5. Favre is on the Madden `09 video game cover. The cover boy of that game always gets injured. Prediction, the consecutive games streak ends this year.

Favre is a first ballot Hall of Famer and a top five QB of all time but the Broadway Brett experiment will remind people of Johnny Unitas playing for the Chargers.

Comments: bhalter@kfyrtv.com




10 Things I Would Change About Sports
Bill Halter (Weekend Sports Anchor)
7-22-08

While these aren`t changes I believe are going to happen or are realistic, there are a few things I would change if I were the all-powerful ruler of sports to make them more enjoyable for fans.


10. Get rid of field goals and extra points in football.

Far too many games are being decided by the kicker. Football would be more exciting if teams more urgently went for touchdowns instead of settling for field goals. After touchdowns, teams could go for one from the 5-yard line or for two from the 10-yard line. Kickoffs would still be a part of the game and the teams punter could take care of that duty. In a game played by monstrous super athletes, it doesn`t make sense for little kickers to have such an impact.

9. Allow college basketball players to commit six fouls before being ejected and NBA players to commit seven.

Why would a sport not want the best players to be on the court? A team is already punished for fouling as the other team gets free throws or possession. Five fouls is certainly not enough in the college game as many coaches will sit a player for the rest of the first half if he/she gets two. Keep the best players on the floor and lessen the importance of a bad foul call by a referee.


8. Add the Designated Hitter rule to the National League.

I know old-school baseball fans will consider this blasphemy, but a majority of leagues in this country have the D.H. Rule. It is time to have one set of rules for the game and having the D.H. is a superior option to having pitchers hit as the universal rule. Pitchers spend too much time worrying about how to get people out to have time to get enough cuts in the batting cage. The D.H. allows careers to continue and makes the game more exciting.


7. Reduce the number of NBA and NHL playoff teams from 16 to 12.

In the NBA and NHL there are 30 teams. That means more than half of the league makes the playoffs... that`s absurd. The regular seasons would mean more and in turn be more exciting with a cut in playoff qualifiers. The top two seeds in each conference would get a bye while the other four teams played a best of 5 series. The benefit of getting a first round bye would add a sense of urgency to teams during the regular season.


6. Make the goal in hockey bigger.

Something needs to be done in hockey, it is not in good shape right now. Getting rid of off sides might be the rule change that is needed but a bigger net would increase scoring and possibly get interest from the casual sports fan back. I may be totally out of line with this one but because of the state of the game I believe a drastic rule change is in order.


5. Get rid of the music that is played during NBA games.

If a fan needs constant hip-hop or techno music streaming through the loud speakers to stay attentive, then something is wrong with the sport or the fan.


4. Allow cheering during play in Tennis and Golf.

In every other sport, athletes are expected to block out distractions from fans. So, let`s see if these country-clubbers can do it. Allowing cheering while a golfer is about to swing or while a tennis player is about to serve would lead to some players melting down and some players benefiting from the added adrenaline. Imagine Colin Montgomery hitting a big putt while getting booed unmercifully and then flipping out and shouting obscenities at the gallery. Sounds like fun to me.


3. Ticket Prices are Ridiculous, Lower them.

The most die hard fans are often times not the richest fans. Tickets prices for all major sports have gotten to the point where many fans have to sell body parts or their body to be able to afford a night at the ballpark, arena or stadium. When factoring in the cost of parking, hot dogs, beverages and a foam finger the price to take the family to a ballgame is as much as a barrel of oil.


2. Institute a Salary Cap in Major League Baseball

This is one step that could be taken to lower ticket prices. It is not an even playing field when one team makes more money because of the market they are in and is able to out spend smaller market teams. The Yankees payroll this year is $209 million, the Marlins payroll is $22 million. That is a bit of a disparity, of course my argument is killed by the fact that the Marlins have nearly the same record as the Yankees this season but that is more of an aberration than the norm. Mid and small market teams like the Twins have to be almost perfect with their decisions to be able to compete for a title.

Here is my suggestion (this has no chance of happening). Set the Salary Cap at $100 million and set the salary minimum at $60 million. Allow teams to go over the salary cap up until $160 million but for every dollar they are over $100 mil., they have to pay a dollar that is given to the other teams in the league.

The three other major sports have a salary cap.

1. Institute an 8 or 16 team playoff in Division One College Football.

I mean come on, 99% of people want this to happen, STOP BEING STUPID. Have the tournament during Christmas break so the players don`t miss anymore school. A military coup might be needed at some point to get this accomplished.

*Again, these aren`t changes that I think will happen, just changes I wish would happen. Unfortunately, greed and fear of change will prevent most (probably all) of these suggestions from ever happening.

Comments: bhalter@kfyrtv.com



Go Figure
Bill Halter (Weekend Sports Anchor)
7-15-08

At the All Star Break the Twins are just a game and a half back in the American League Central. As far as surprises go this is as shocking as the fact that the Miss U.S.A. pageant continues to pick winners who can`t walk. Last year Minnesota finished 79-83 and then proceeded to lose Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Torii Hunter.

The fact that this mid market team continues to be competitive is a testament to the organization. They have refilled the talent pool for years with good scouting and great trades. Since the Chuck Knoblauch trade to New York in 1998 they have been right on with every deal they have made including the fleecing of the Giants when they traded A.J. Pierzynski for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. The only major mistake the Twins have made in the last decade is letting David Ortiz go to sign with Boston for 2 years and $3 million because they had Matt Lecroy ready to fill in at D.H. The jury is still out on the Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris trade. The Santana trade was necessary because of the financial side of it.

So the Twins are the little over-achieving team and all that, but let`s raise the expectations so they stop exceeding them. Looking ahead, here are a couple story lines for the rest of the season.

1. Trade to Improve: Can and will the Twins make an in-season trade to improve the team. They desperately need a pitcher (preferably right handed) to pitch the 8th inning. Losing Pat Nesheck in that role hurt and no one has stepped up to the challenge. Shortstop and 3rd base are also areas of need for the team.

A couple trading options for the Twins at 3rd Base:
Colorado 3rd Baseman Garrett Atkins: .304, 14-HR, 54-RBI
The Rockies have Atkins on the trading block because they are terrible and don`t intend to re-sign the 28-year old at the end of the season when his contract expires. The Twins don`t traditionally trade for players they will lose right away so the only way this deal would make sense is if the Twins resigned him long term. That is unlikely for the financially strapped team unless Michael Cuddyer was traded in the deal to free up some money to use on Atkins.

Seattle 3rd Baseman Adrian Beltre: .259, 16-HR, 46-RBI
He is signed through next season making $12 million a year. That is a little pricey for the Twins but with his power he could bat 5th and give lineup protection for Justin Morneau. Morneau is starting to be pitched around, which might not happen as frequently if Beltre were behind him in the lineup. Beltre is also a good fielder.

2. Whom to trade: The Twins have always been reluctant to deal single or Double "A" prospects because those are the guys they are going to need to fill holes in 5-6 years. So Triple "A" and current big leaguers will be the most likely to get dealt. I am sure the Twins would be willing to include Cuddyer and Jason Kubel in the right deal but Denard Span is the outfielder that could fetch them the most. At 24 years old, Span`s stock is high right now because of his productive short stint in the majors. He won`t be due a big contract for a few years, so the Twins could keep him on the cheap or sell while the asking price is high.

3. Francisco Liriano: Two years ago Liriano was the best pitcher in baseball before injuring his elbow and missing the entire 2007 season. The Franchise has been awesome in his last three starts in Triple "A". 3-wins, 20-innings, 0-runs, 24-strikeouts. He isn`t walking guys and his fastball is starting to hit the low 90`s with more regularity. There is only so long you can leave him down there when he is pitching like that. The only problem is, who do you remove from the rotation to make room for Liriano? Livan Hernandez has been the team`s least effective pitcher, but he is also the only veteran starter they have. Another option could be moving Glen Perkins to the bullpen.

If Liriano is effective in his next start, I say they deal Livan for a mid-level prospect and go with the young staff.



The Timberwolves and the NBA Draft
Bill Halter (Weekend Sports Anchor)
6-24-08

The NBA is unlike the NFL in the sense that the NBA conducts its draft a couple of weeks after the end of the season. The NFL has its draft three months after the season to keep the league in the news throughout the entire year. Think about it -- the NFL has a mini-camp in May and training camp in June just to keep a buzz going about the country`s most popular sport.

The Timberwolves have never moved up in the draft lottery and that was again the case this year, but they did get the pick they were supposed to, Number-3. And what they do will greatly affect the rest of the lottery portion of the draft.

Kevin McHale has been in charge of Wolves personnel decisions since 1995 and on the whole, it has been a debacle. I mean, he has done to this team the same thing a baby does to a diaper, but he has been right on since pulling the trigger on the Kevin Garnett trade. KG got a ring, which was satisfying for me as a fan of his, but the Wolves also got a good deal in the trade. Al Jefferson is 23 and will be a slightly less talented version of Tim Duncan for the next decade. The Celtics also traded Ryan Gomes, who is a restricted free agent and a guy the Wolves should re-sign. In addition, the Wolves got a couple of expiring contracts and multiple draft picks. After the Garnett trade, McHale started emptying bad contracts.
-He traded Trenton Hassell`s outrageous contract for Greg Buckner who had a year less on his deal.
-And then he traded Ricky Davis and Mark Blount to Miami in a deal that will give them the Heat`s 1st round pick next year if it is outside the top 10. This deal was monumental because it was one in which McHale actually ripped another team off. I mean, Ricky Davis is as valuable to a team as the ebola virus.

So entering the draft I am optimistic the Wolves will do the right thing and draft O.J. Mayo. I would say I am cautiously optimistic, because McHale could easily drift back into terrible-decision-making mode and draft a player from Antarctica or trade the pick for a package of sweaters.

Assuming Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley are off the board, O.J. Mayo is the pick. The Wolves have committed to Randy Foye as their point guard, meaning they need a shooting guard -- and despite Mayo being the same height as Foye (6`4), he could be that shooting guard.

The only hesitation I have about Mayo is that he will get restless in Minnesota and want to play in a bigger market after his rookie contract expires, but nothing about him indicates he will be a problem off the court. At U.S.C. Mayo was a good teammate and passed more than he is given credit for. He was also a gritty defender. Ovintin J. Anthony Mayo should be the pick. He went through growing pains as a freshman but so do all freshmen. Mayo is a year older than most people in his class, but he is also more physically and mentally developed than most people in his class. The whole "taking money from an agent while at U.S.C." doesn`t concern me in the least, because I just can`t blame him for how that situation unfolded.

I see Mayo as a player who, in his prime, will average 25ppg, 6apg, 5rpg. He is in the mold of Dwayne Wade without the quickness and first step of Wade, but with a better outside shot.

McHale, keep the rebuilding train going and make the right pick.

© 2008 KFYR-TV

Home | News | Weather | Sports | Webcast | Country Morning Today | Programming | Primetime Rewind | Advertising & Sales | About Us
Community Connection | driveKFYRTV.com | Movies | Contests & Promotions | Search | Links | Contact Us

Sister Stations: KMOT in Minot, KQCD in Dickinson, KUMV in Williston