Minnesotan on the Loose

Looking Into You

2008-10-21T23:47:00.001-05:00

Well I looked into a house I once lived in
Round the time I first went on my own
When the roads were as many as the places I had dreamed of
And my friends and I were one

You never know when something strange will decide to happen to you. The other week, I was jack hammering up a section of my floor in the basement to clear the way for the installation of new drain lines for a bathroom I am adding in the basement. I decided to take a coffee break from the hard work and soak in a bit of the day’s news from the ink spread across the Star Tribune and noticed a black Toyota pulling up to park outside my window. A short, happy-looking woman with closely cropped hair, somewhere in her late fifties or early sixties, emerged from the vehicle and started to walk up my steps and front walkway, distractedly looking at the landscaping and neighboring houses. I greeted her at the door as anyone would in this sort of situation, with a hesitant “Umm, can I help you?”

“Hi,” she replied, “my name is Joanne and I grew up in this house.”

Now the distance is done
And the search has begun
I’ve come to see where my beginnings have gone

Joanne came inside and looked around the room. She asked if I was renting the place (the previous owners had rented to college aged kids during the last few years they owned the place) and I told her no, that I had purchased the property in late 2006 and was working on fixing up the place. Joanne informed me that she was in town from Dallas for a class reunion at Holy Angeles and couldn’t resist stopping by to see the place. She talked about how much she loved the dark woodwork in the living room, how her brother had sunk himself for weeks on end into fixing up the place after her father had died in 2001, how expensive it was to replace the foundation after they had discovered it was in poor structural shape.

As we wandered about the room, Joanne remarked how her father had watched his tools like a hawk. She talked about how painful her father’s death had been and how hard it hit her family.

All the walls and the windows were still standing
And the music could be heard at the door
Where the people who kindly endured my odd questions
Asked if I came very far

I took Joanne downstairs and showed her the projects I had been working on, how I was updating the basement to add a bedroom, bathroom and media room. She was impressed and laughed that her family had always joked about her father adding a bathroom out on the porch, something that is even more laughable given the current state of my porch (not good). Joanne said that even more than the house, what she missed was the neighborhood; that she remembered a happy childhood with good friends, running through the yards of the houses up and down the block, each one filled with people that cared about and supported each other.

She talked about the flower and vegetable competitions her father would have with the neighbors, how she and her friends would take their bikes down to Lake Nokomis to go swimming in the summer time, and how cold she remembered it being waiting for the bus to take her to school. As she was walking out the door, Joanne turned to me and said “I’m not sure if this sort of thing is important to you or not, the vibe of a place. But if it is, you should know that you are living in a place with great memories, where people loved each other very much for a long time.”

Well we spoke the changes that would find us farther on
And it left me so warm and so high
But as I stepped back outside to the grey morning sun
I heard that highway whisper and sigh
Are you ready to fly?

It seems to me that people seek out their origins for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it’s to see that the things they remember still exist, that the world as they knew it is still reality in some small way. Sometimes it’s to remember something that it seems the rest of the world has moved on from with little or no care, something lost that cannot be replaced. And still others some sort of smeary in-between, less defined, but no less powerful.

Nothing lasts forever – that seems to be the lesson of looking back, of revisiting where you come from. We are doomed with the knowledge that eventually the people we love will die, the things we have accomplished will be forgotten, and the places we have lived will crumble. I guess in the face of such hopelessness, sometimes it’s good to see that some part of who, what, and where you have been is still standing.

And I looked into the faces all passing by
It’s an ocean that will never be filled
And a house the grows older
And finally crumbles
That even love cannot rebuild

Commuting in a World of $4 Gas

2008-08-13T21:06:00.002-05:00

I've started riding my bike to work. It takes me right around 30 minutes to peddle my way to St. Louis Park, almost all of it on paths and avoiding riding in traffic.

This is the route I would normally drive to work:

View Larger Map

This means that every time I ride my bike, I'm avoiding 18.4 miles of car travel. I'm hoping to track my progress on a new blog soon, but so far I've bike commuted 2 days, which means 36.8 miles of car commute avoided.

It's a start!

Lakers & Celtics Game 1, Part Deux

2008-06-05T21:55:00.003-05:00

And now a follow-up live blog of the second half:

Uh oh, Pierce goes down. Of course, will we see Pierce make a dramatic comeback to inspire his team? This injury has the same feeling as when Bird banged his head and came back, or when Magic sprained his ankle against Ohio State in 79 then came back. Could spell trouble for the Lakers.
The NBA needs to step up enforcement of the moving screen penalty. Seriously, every pick PJ Brown sets is moving. Pretty easy for Ray Allen to get open when he has a fullback blocking for him as he darts around the court.
Yeahp, here comes Pierce. Crap. Of course, I'm not sure he was out long enough to warrant a full fledged "holly crap, Pierce is playing with a life-threatening shrapnel wound, I better step it up so we don't lose this game" from his teammates.
Kobe's hang time on the alley-oop from Fisher with 2:50 to play in the 3rd was simply unreal. What an athlete.
And Kobe follows it up with a double teamed, hand in his face, falling away from the basket 20 footer. The man is an assassin.
Two big threes from Pierce to put Boston up 4. Pierce is a warrior, no doubt about that, and he would be truly unstoppable if he didn't let himself get psyched out by other players.
Through the end of the third, Boston is maintaining a big lead in rebounds, 33-21. It's actually kind of surprising they aren't up by more than 4.
Is it just me or is the split screen ABC commercial with Kobe and KG about liking the "fear" kind of ridiculous? Does anybody see that commercial and think KG is anywhere near as ready as Kobe is? I mean, I love the Big Ticket, but there's a reason he's never been to the finals before and Kobe has 3 rings.
Why exactly was that not a back court violation? Because Garnett jumped in the air? So if you make contact with the ball in the backcourt after going over the line but happen to be jumping it's allowed? I never knew that.
OK we need to officially nickname PJ Brown "The Fullback." Can the Vikings look at teaming him up with Adrian Peterson in the fall? I suppose the danger would be that he would set an NFL record for holding penalties in a season. Unreal.
The Lakers sure are having trouble executing offensively down the stretch. When you have Gasol, Odom, and Bryant on your team and you are consistently having Ronny Turiaf and Sasha Vujacic take shots, it's time for a timeout.
2 minutes to go and Kobe has only scored 2 in the fourth quarter? Tough to believe the Lakers will pull this one out.
And Garnett gets the follow-up dunk of his life. How does Gasol not box him out on that play? That's gonna be a youtube classic.
And it's all over, the Celtics take a classic game one to start this series off.

Wow. If the first game is any indication, this looks like it will be a monster of a series. Biggest questions remaining from tonight's game (and my predictions):

Have the Celtics stopped Kobe or was he just not hitting?

Umm, definitely the latter.

Can anyone in the Laker front-court keep KG off the boards?

Not looking like it.

Will the Celtics continue to get the kind of production off the bench they got tonight?

Doubtful, but Cassell has come through on a big stage before.

What defensive adjustments will Phil Jackson make to contain Paul Pierce?

Continue to force Pierce to be a jump shooter, tonight's strong showing from outside was an aberration.

Will Eddie House's son see more playing time than Eddie?

More than likely, yes.

Is Luke Walton going to make any impact off the bench?

At home? Absolutely. On the road? Hopefully he can D-up and pull down some rebounds.

Will Ronny Turiaf resort to his normal Rastafarian dreads after the Duncan MacLeod pony tail didn't work?

Man I hope so.

Things are off to a great start!

The NBA The Way It Was Meant To Be

2008-06-05T21:34:00.002-05:00

Thought's on tonight's first half between Boston and LA:

Kobe Bryant doesn't panic, he waits...
Gasol's talent as a low-post scorer could really hurt KG's ability to rotate and protect the rim from the weakside because it's harder to rotate another defender to cover him as the Celtics did against Rasheed Wallace. Key stat for Garnett from the first half: zero blocks.
Pierce cannot get into foul trouble in this series, he's far to important to Boston's offense. They really struggled to score with Pierce off the court.
Rebounding the ball and holding it above your head for the outlet pass is really a lost art in the NBA and dramatically reduces the effectiveness of team's transition offense. Compare the way Odom, Gasol, Garnett, and Perkins rebound the ball to the way Kareem, McHale, Bird, and Rambis rebounded the ball.
Rajon Rondo is completely outclassed by Derek Fisher in this series. It really isn't even close.
Score at halftime: 51-46 Lakers. Another fiercely competitive game between the Lakers and Celtics for the title. Does it get any better than this?

Gopher Gloom

2008-04-26T01:26:00.002-05:00

Ahh, what a satisfying Friday evening in Minneapolis! Tonight, Kyle Sexton (K-Sex), Caboose, Mom, Pops, and I attended the Gopher Spring game. I must admit, I was really looking forward coming into tonight's game to seeing some of the Juco recruits picked up by Brewster & Co. during the off season and seeing how various players had developed. Overall, tonight's inter-squad scrimmage was a bit of a snooze and didn't provide much in terms of confidence for the coming season. Some thoughts:

The Gophers were wise to recruit all those wide receivers. Judging by how slow our current receiver corps looked against our defensive secondary we will need all the speed Vincent Hill and Brandon Green can provide, although it should be noted starting WR Erik Decker was not playing tonight.
Gophers and quarterbacks do not mix. Webber was unimpressive. Mortenson was disappointing. Pittman was injured. Brewster was unpolished. Marqueis Gray was still in Indiana. Suffice to say, tonight's game did not leave me confident about our QB situation.
The D-line is showing promise. Anthony Jacobs has bulked up to a solid 285 and if he can maintain the speed that made him an elite defensive end recruit back in 2007, he should be a monster in pass rushing downs. Derrick Onwuachi looked good at right defensive end. VanDeSteeg looks to have recovered from last year's broken wrist and should provide good balance to the line. If we can get some size at the defensive tackle position, the line should be much improved from last year.
Can Duane Bennett stay healthy? No doubt he's quick and has some good moves to shake tackles, but I keep getting the feeling he's about 10 pounds too light to survive the Big Ten season intact.
We need corners. Marcus Sherels showed promise tonight, but Ryan Collado seems hopelessly lost. Hopefully Traye Simmons, Tim Dandridge, and Simoni Lawrence can make big contributions as freshmen.
Ben Kuznia was an animal tonight. I'm putting the over/under at him being second team All Big Ten in 2008 at 40%.
The linebackers looked solid. Sam Maresh, Gary Tinsley, and Spencer Reeves should make this group even better.
Harold Howell fumbled the first punt of the game and allowed an interception on his next time out on the field. Yikes.

Let's hope the new freshmen can provide some much needed talent to this team!

Recent Reading

2008-04-16T21:02:00.002-05:00

A few links to some reading over the past week:

Memo to Petraeus & Crocker
A thought provoking opinion piece on the recent testimony by the lead General in Iraq. Interesting how even the business of murder can be made PC.

Bill Simmons' LVP to MVP - Part I & Part II
The section on Tim Thomas has to be the highlight, though the Sports Guy's love letter to KG is a sobering reminder of what a joy it was to watch him play for the Wolves. However, I think Simmons missed an opportunity to pay tribute to the Celtics true MVP this year: Kevin McHale.

Denver Post Column on the Minnesota Wild
Personally, I loved this column. Think about it: when was the last time Minnesota had a professional sports team that had a reputation for being tough? The 60s? I find it comforting that others view the Wild as a tough team willing to muscle their way to victory. Plus, think of all the shots this leaves open to take on the Avalanche. I think my colleague Licia summed it up best: "If they don't want to get hit then they shouldn't play hockey. Maybe they could play ladies rules against the Canadian women's team, that might be more their speed." Ouch.

Survival of the Richest
Normally I don't agree with Kiyosaki's columns, but this one is a reasonably concise explanation of why the Fed bailout of Bear Stearns was such an unbelievable move. Worth at least a quick read.

The Next Five Years
An interesting blog post I stumbled upon about Eric Case quitting the Blogger team and moving on to other adventures. A good reminder that no matter how comfortable things get, it's OK to keep your eye on the horizon and follow your heart.

So THAT'S why the Wolves Suck
It all seems so simple: the Wolves have terrible players. Why does Kevin McHale still have a job? Why?

Seriously, why?

Financial Inequality in 2008
It's unreal how much greed can continue to exist despite all of the troubles faced by the middle and working classes over the past decades. Don't forget, if you think you're rich, you're not. Remember this in November.

Happy reading everybody and get ready to enjoy a spectacular year for the NBA playoffs!

A Poetic Finish

2008-04-12T23:14:00.002-05:00

Every so often, we get reminded why some flaws are referred to as "fatal;" we get reminded that a critical weakness can rise up and snatch defeat from the claws of victory, leave us confused and despondent and wondering what went wrong, how we blew our chance at glory.

Last Monday night, the Memphis Tigers showed us all how fatal a single flaw can be.

Coming into the tournament, Memphis was widely considered one of the most talented teams in the country. They spent the season utterly dominating their opposition: UConn by 11, Arkansas State by 21, Marshall by 23, and on and on. Led by All-American Chris Douglas-Roberts, outstanding freshman Derrick Rose, and senior Joey Dorsey, the Memphis Tigers were the complete package both offensively and defensively. They could run the fast break, score in a half court set, shot the three well, could defend teams that scored from both the guard and post positions, and rarely made mistakes or turnovers that cost them games. On the eve of March Madness, the Tigers appeared to be an invincible juggernaut destined to make NCAA history as the winningest team of all time.

But...

During the season, Memphis had revealed a critical weakness: their ability to make free throws. In fact, Memphis ranked 329th out of 341 teams in their statistical ability to cash in at the charity stripe, converting only 61.3% of their attempts throughout the season. While it is not unusual to see players, especially more defensive minded centers and forwards, shoot this bad of an individual percentage, for a team of Memphis' stature to shoot this bad collectively is truly a staggering display of lapsed concentration. To put this in perspective, the Tigers shot less than 15% worse from the field, when the other team was allowed to play defense!

Many speculated that free throw shooting would be the undoing of the Memphis Tigers in the Tournament, but much to the critics chagrin, the team seemed to miraculously reverse course. 74% against Michigan State. 83% against Texas. 87% against UCLA. By all appearances, Memphis had found their stroke from the free-throw line at precisely the right time. Some said they had heard their critics and were rising to answer them, others that the magnitude of the event was causing the Memphis players to perform at a higher level. Regardless of the explanation, all considered the Tigers' free-throw dilemma solved and predicted a national championship and a place in the record books. But as Galadriel once said, they were all of them, deceived...

As the final game against the Jayhawks of Kansas stretched on, Memphis found themselves up by nine points with approximately 2 minutes to play, victory seemingly assured if they could hit their free-throws and crush any hope of a comeback left in the Kansas players. It was at this moment that the basketball gods turned their back on the Tigers, abandoned them to fend for themselves, and trip after trip to the line was met with a resounding *clank*. Taunted and tormented, the Memphis players looked around wildly for answers, but the truth was inescapable: it was time to pay the piper for their free-throw sins that had gathered and compounded throughout the year. Like a script from Hoosiers, the Jayhawks proceeded to make a stunning comeback, capped by Mario Chalmers incredible three-pointer with virtually no time remaining. Kansas would go on to clinch the title in overtime and Memphis would be left to wonder about what went wrong and what could have been.

In hindsight, it's almost poetic how the Tigers' free-throw collapse cost them a national title. Their one Achilles heel, their inability to stop, concentrate, and execute, rose up to bite them on the biggest of all possible stages. Almost like it was fate.

Anyway, there's tons of great analysis out there for this game so I won't continue further. Hope everybody enjoyed the wild finish to a great year of March Madness!

The Night Frank's Bracket Died

2008-03-29T00:02:00.002-05:00

And I was singing
Toast, toast, my bracket is toast
I was feelin brash, talkin trash
But now I've no right to boast
It all slipped away while I watched Memphis coast
Sayin oh my gosh my bracket is toast
Oh my gosh my bracket is toast

And just like that, my hopes of a respectable finish in my various pools slipped away as Kansas and Memphis advanced into the Elite Eight. Memphis simply took the wood to Michigan State in the first half, leading by 30 at the half. Some thoughts from tonight.

Just like Georgetown, Wisconsin was significantly bigger than Davidson on the block yet, bafflingly, couldn't get much scoring production down low (Stiemsma, Butch, and Landry were a combined 6 of 16 for the game). Whatever Davidson is doing to keep their opponents bigs from scoring in the paint, let's hope they can find a way to keep it up against Kansas.
If the T-Wolves by some miracle end up with the first or second pick of the draft, they should take Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley. I just don't see Beasley complementing Jefferson very well and Rose would be a beast in the backcourt with Foye and Brewer, with McCants coming off the bench for scoring. So a starting lineup of Jefferson, Foye, Rose, Brewer, and a more defensive minded F/C. That starts to sound promising...
Glen Dorsey is a chump. Only a chump would trash talk a guard after an open court dunk in a game where his team is leading by 20+.
I can admit it, I was completely wrong about my prediction that Wisconsin would make the Final Four.
Brook Lopez had a pretty good game tonight even though Stanford lost. Get ready for the local papers to hype him up when the Wolves miss out on Beasley & Rose and end up taking Lopez with the third pick. (Frank slams head into wall)

Anyway, a disappointing night of blowouts. Rory is back in town from Iraq so the Caboose & I are driving to Marshfield tomorrow to visit for his welcome back party. Be sure to check out his blog (Duty, Honor, Country) for some of his tales from the front.

Thursday Tournament Observations

2008-03-27T22:10:00.002-05:00

Some thoughts while watching basketball and recovering from my own craptacular performance on the court tonight:

North Carolina is good. Like, really good.
Kevin Love is this year's Sean May. Look out for the man-child over the next two weeks.
Josh Ship's confidence is shot. He's passing up shots he would normally take...and make. If UCLA is going to win this thing, they need him to play well.
The big winner from last weekend's games was Wisconsin. Tomorrow they get to play Davidson instead of Georgetown and then (if they win) get to play perennial choke artist Kansas. Pencil the Badgers in for the Final Four.
Drew Lavender's ankle seems healed. Xavior could be a pretty tough match up for UCLA.
If Louisville shot better from the charity stripe, I would take them over North Carolina. But they don't, so I won't.
Darren Collison scored 4 points against Western Kentucky. That's right, the all-american scored 4 against a 12 seed.
March Madness in HD is the greatest idea ever.

Hopefully Friday is just as much fun!

Scotch, Ham, and Broken Brackets

2008-03-24T01:01:00.002-05:00

Some people cannot imagine enjoying a football game without cold beer. Others cannot imagine taking in an afternoon baseball game without a hot dog with all the fixins. In much the same way, I cannot imagine watching the first round of the NCAA Tournament without a fine single malt scotch on hand. There's something about the smoky sophistication and slow, savored sipping of scotch that seems to pair well with way Tournament games gradually build in intensity before their frenzied finish.

On that note, this weekend certainly saw its fair share of frenzied finishes and left many of us staring at the shattered remnants of our broken brackets, wondering just what had happened and how were we supposed to feel about all this? Some of the big events of the weekend:

1. Georgetown is upset by Davidson. Simply unreal. I've probably watched Georgetown more than any other team this year and have seen them win close game after close game in the uber-competitive Big East, gritting out wins on the road at Marquette and Villanova. Not only is this team talented and well coached, throughout the year they have been lucky, a trait that is imperative to have if you hope to make it far in the tournament (see UCLA for another lucky team). I'm speechless that Georgetown lost to Davidson, just speechless. Of all the power teams coming into the Tournament, they seemed to have the easiest path to the Final Four, their only serious obstacle being perennial choke artist Kansas. The only upside of this loss is that it likely ends any chance that Georgetown's Roy Hibbert ends up as a lottery pick, and makes the nightmare I had a few months ago about Kevin McHale drafting Roy Hibbert #1 overall an almost impossible scenario. Almost...

2. Stanford comes through in the clutch. Like Kansas, Stanford is a club that regularly finds a way to choke spectacularly in the NCAA Tournament. Imagine my confidence watching this game with my uncle Bill (who had picked Stanford to win) as Marquette scored to take the lead in OT and Stanford prepared to inbound the ball with less than 10 seconds on the clock. I thought I had this one in the bag. But no, Stanford kicks the ball down low to Brook Lopez who hits a one-handed, fade-away hook shot while spinning towards the baseline over an outstretched defender with one second on the clock. Seriously? Brook Lopez comes up with a clutch one-handed, fade-away hook shot while spinning towards the baseline over an outstretched defender with one second on the clock to win the game? That's how Stanford stays in the tournament? If Georgetown hadn't found a way to blow an 11 point half-time lead, this would have been #1 by a long shot.

3. UConn and Drake both bow out in round 1. How many people had Western Kentucky playing San Diego to make the Sweet 16? Seven? Eight? People will discover Jimmy Hoffa's body and the secret to cold fusion before you find somebody that picked that match up. That's what March Madness is all about!

4. Clemson and Vanderbilt go home early. How quickly the mighty fall. Not a week ago, Clemson was giving North Carolina all they could handle in the ACC Tournament championship and Vanderbilt was coming into the Tournament after a solid SEC season. Both get bounced in the first round by Villanova and Siena. You think maybe the ACC and SEC weren't as good this year?

5. Duke spends another April going to class instead of going to the hole. Is there any sight in sport more satisfying that watching Duke lose? I submit that there is not. Not even the Yankees can touch the Blue Devils for smug arrogance. The funny thing is that everybody seems to understand and feel the same way about this without even talking about it before hand. It's a primal desire of human nature to see hubris laid low by an underdog, to see the powerful and tyrannous humbled by ordinary mortals. Ahh the satisfaction.

And as I think about the warm satisfaction Duke's loss gave me, it seems like a good place to end this post. As always, the first round of the NCAA Tournament delivered thrills like no other event and time of the year, I hope everybody had a chance to enjoy it!

Return of the Shaq

2008-03-23T13:32:00.002-05:00

After winning their seventh game in a row last night, I think it is safe to say the Shaquille O'Neal trade is working out for the Phoenix Suns.

The trade has been analyzed every which way, with proponents and opponents either praising or criticizing Steve Kerr for making such a bold move. Despite all of this analysis, the bottom line seems obvious to me: no matter how great a player Shawn Marion might be, trading for Shaq allows the Suns to compete and win against teams that like to ugly the game up with physical defense and post play, teams such as San Antonio and Dallas, who have combined to eliminate the Suns from the playoffs the past three years.

Good to see Shaq, one of my favorite players, experiencing a second renaissance in Phoenix.

Sleuthing the Slowdown

2008-03-23T11:37:00.002-05:00

Today's New York Times has a fascinating article detailing some of the more nuanced questions concerning the recent purchase of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan Chase. Of course, what remains so fascinating about all of this is that we have been through similar economic situations before, yet nobody seems to learn from their past mistakes! The media does not seem optimistic about the prospects of people learning from this round of trouble.

With the amount of uncertainty still left in the market and the slow pace that this uncertainty is being wrung out, I think it will likely be an economically frosty 2009. Let's just hope we do not start to have runs on banks and serious employment problems, as those will truly be signs of a crisis beyond control.

Grab those profits while you can and wait for the dust to settle folks!

Lost in the Maddness

2008-03-22T21:33:00.002-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year
Where there's vicious rebounding
The shots are astounding
And we all get to cheer!
It's the most, wonderful time, of the year!

March in Minnesota is a tough time. As I recently heard Garrison Keillor describe it, "March is God's way of showing people who don't drink what a hangover feels like." The streets are sloppy and obnoxious to drive on. Melting snow reveals the trash and debris that has been deposited into snow banks throughout the winter and must now be picked up. The sky teases with days of sunshine and warmth, then cruelly returns us to blizzards and freezing rain at the drop of the hat. In this land of gray bleakness and false springs, it's easy to feel as if all hope is lost, that the ring has been returned to Sauron, that the Death Star has destroyed the rebel base on Yavin IV, that Betamax has rendered all of your precious VHS tapes worthless. In short, everything is wrong in the world and there is little hope it will be made right.

It is no coincidence, in my opinion, that the powers that be picked this most hopeless time of year, as season of frayed nerves and tears, to host the most splendid celebration of western civilization, the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.

Endless word's have been written about the splendors of the NCAA Tournament, all of them letters of love to the basketball gods thanking them for such a display. There's no doubt the unique structure of the Tournament, a one-and-done fest of the nation's best teams, attracts many admirers, myself among them. Thought I would take a quick moment to jot down some of the things I love most about the Tournament.

1. Everything changes as the tournament progresses. One of the best parts of March Madness is that the way you feel about a team is in constant flux based on what else is going on in the Tournament. You might love Texas against a smaller, quicker team like Marquette, but how will they hold up against the low-post power of Stanford? Georgetown might seem an obvious match up nightmare for a smaller, more one-dimensional team like Kansas State, but how will they fare against the tall, deep squad from Wisconsin? This constant state of flux fascinates and frustrates and makes it so every round, every game is a must see just because you have no idea what will happen.

2. It's a family affair. I realized yesterday that this is the first time in over a year that I have eaten two evening meals in row that were not cooked by me and did not involve fast food or a restaurant. I'm not kidding, this is why I love March Madness. Every March, my dad and I spend a solid 4 days screaming at the television while Mom whips up delicious, ingenious food hour after hour. It completely amazes me the kind of creativity she can show in a simple food like quesadillas or pizza. Dad gets more animated at sports than any other time of the year, and I just feed off his energy taking our enjoyment of the game to a new level with each passing night. Caboose gets involved with sports in a way he usually doesn't, coming down to shout at the television and whoop in celebration as Duke gets bounced from the Tournament. All of this blends into four solid days bonding with my family, whom I love and admire tremendously.

3. Bonding with coworkers. Personally, I love all the press about companies losing billions in productivity every year because of March Madness. I love it because it means employees would rather focus on bonding with each other in the celebration of competition than concentrate on the daily grind. It's an affirmation that, no matter how materialistic and shallow our culture might become, people still have enough sense to focus on an event that celebrates powerful human emotions at their most basic and raw: losing and winning, humiliation and celebration, failure and triumph.

4. Kids become heros. As many of the NCAA commercials hammer home, most of the kids that play in the Tournament will never play professionally. For most of them, this will be the biggest stage they will ever play on, and for the seniors, it will be the time they get to lace em up and hit the hardwoods. And for some lucky few, they will get to be their school's hero for a day, a shining example of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

5. Gus Johnson. Most of the year, we are tortured by horrendous sports announcing. Just think of the travesties unleashed upon us by John Madden, Al Michaels, and the other major announcers throughout the NFL season and the overall poor color commentating that goes on throughout the NBA season. Amidst this steady stream of mediocrity stands out Gus Johnson, the finest color commentator on television today, and a professional at his finest during March Madness. Watch this clip and tell me you don't get fired up.

So there you have it, my top five for the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully this marks the return of regular posts to Minnesotan on the Loose!

No More Boston Whining

2007-10-23T19:30:00.000-05:00

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=271021015

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=271021102

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/070730

I never want to hear a Boston fan of any kind complain about living in a "tortured sports city." Never. Do you understand me? Never.

State of the Minnesota Sports Scene

2007-10-18T21:20:00.000-05:00

Here we are, 11 days from what I traditionally consider to be the peak of the sports season. The college football world is over the mid-point of its season and racing toward the bowl series and recruiting drama. The NFL season is in full swing, dominating Sportscenter even on nights when no games are played. Universities around the countries are hosting "Midnight Madness" to kick off their respective college basketball seasons. And in 11 days, the coux de gras, at least for me - the NBA season gets underway. Let's take a brief moment to examine the state of Minnesota sports at this, the high point of the sporting season.

1. Minnesota Golden Gophers - College Football. The one team I truly bleed for, the Gophers have had what can generously be described as a disappointing season thus far. Losses to Bowling Green, Florida Atlantic, Indiana, and Northwestern have deflated the enthusiasm and support new head coach Tim Brewster had built heading into the system, exposing his coaching staff and team for what they are: inexperienced and out gunned. Redshirt freshman quarterback Adam Weber has shown potential and with the proper athletes, the defensive schemes should prove to be much more effective, but the seniors on this team, especially Amir Pinnix, Ernie Wheelwright, John Shevlin, and Jamal Harris have done a poor job leading by example in their final year as Gophers.

Ironically, the Gophers still could sweep their rivalry games this year as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Iowa have all competed with Minnesota weekly on who could be the most embarrassing Big Ten program of the moment. The team's biggest problem remains team speed on the defensive side of the ball, undoubtedly the first thing Brewster will need to address through recruiting to make this team competitive again.

2. Minnesota Vikings - NFL. This year's Viking's team, in my opinion, has underperformed as well, though not as badly as my beloved Gophers. The Vikings, for the first time in a decade, made a good decision with their first round draft pick and now sport one of the most productive and exciting rookies in the league this year, Adrian Peterson. I'm still shocked he fell to us at pick #7 and convinced the only reason he did was because of his collarbone injury during his Junior year. Barring that injury, he goes #1 in my mind, without doubt. But even with this stud new runner, the Vikings are a bumbling 2-3.

The team's defense is certainly good enough to win with, though the pass defense can be exposed (can you say Dwayne Bowe?). Quarterback and wide receiver remain the Viking's two weakest positions, though Sidney Rice is beginning to show potential. Unfortunately, you cannot consistently win in the NFL without solid quarterback play, and Tavaris Jackson has not shown the ability to lead the team in pressure situations. With an upgrade at quarterback, this team is ready to contend.

3. Minnesota Golden Gophers - College Basketball. The Gophers b-ball team made a big splash following the NCAA Tournament by hiring coach Tubby Smith away from the Kentucky Wildcats, a perennial superpower in the college basketball world. Tubby has already picked a couple of solid commitments for the 2008 season, but the roster for the 2007 season does not lend much optimism for the Gophers' Big Ten campaign. Dan Coleman is a hard worker and fun player to watch and Spencer Tollackson is a steady performer, though a bit of an underachiever considering is ballyhooed recruitment.

There's no doubt about it, it will take time to repair the damage Dan Monson's ineptitude did to this program, but I expect them to content for the Big Ten title in the next two to three years.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves - NBA. At last we come to the biggest enigma of the Minnesota sports scene, the Timberwolves. I know the S ports Guy has been geeking out about the Celtics acquiring Garnett from the Wolves and thinks they got the better end of that deal. I know Marc Stein has the Wolves last in his pre-season power rankings because of the Garnett trade. I know every Minnesotan is upset that Garnett is gone and feels an overwhelming sense of hopelessness about the season. But let's face some realities:

This team wasn't getting any younger. Garnett will be 31, Trenton Hassell will be 28, Mike James will be 32, Ricky Davis will be 28, and none of them were performing at their peak.
They couldn't contend in the west. The Wolves, as they existed last year, couldn't beat the premier teams in the league, who all just happen to play in their conference. They simply stood no chance against San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, Utah, and Houston, and barring a blockbuster trade, that wasn't likely to change for a very long time.
Garnett would have left anyway. KG only had 2 years left on his contract when he was traded and has an option to opt-out of this next year and enter free agency early. Since he entered the league, the Big Ticket has made approximately $200 million, which means money is clearly not a factor in where he chooses to play. Garnett has never won an NBA championship and has only played for one Wolves team, the 2004 team, that seriously contended and it is well established he wants to win a ring before retiring. All this adds up to a scenario where, if he had not been traded, Garnett would have left Minnesota anyway, its just that the Wolves would have received nothing in return.
The players the Wolves received are decent. Al Jefferson will be a solid player for the next 10 years and is improving by leaps and bounds every year. Gerald Green is an explosive player and will make a capable backup at the swing position for the next few years. Furthermore, the sheer number of players acquired gives the Wolves flexibility to make trades for players that can help them win now.

The most exciting part of the trade for the Wolves is that they have now assembled a nucleus of talented young players at a variety of positions in Randy Foye, Al Jefferson, and Corey Brewer. These three blue chippers will provide the foundation the Wolves can build on over the next few years and should prove to be a good core to start with. The only part of the situation I haven't been able to figure out is why Kevin McHale hasn't traded his excess players and Ricky Davis to Memphis for Pau Gasol, he would be a perfect fit for this team and would make them contenders much faster. (this is the moment where I realize the Wolves are still run by Kevin McHale....and grind the palms of my hands into my eye sockets in frustration)

*sigh*

No doubt about it, these are trying times for the Minnesota sports faithful. Hopefully things will improve.

Logan Pass Training Session

2007-09-10T20:03:00.000-05:00

(Note: This entry describes the events of July 27th, 2007)

“I never cared for Browning” Dad remarked as we zipped past a series of shuttered businesses, “the town kinda scares me. I considered taking the train here until I read in the paper that a man was brutally murdered in the street; thought we might want to avoid that.” From the looks of things, I had to agree with Dad that we were better off taking our chances with the grizzly bears of Glacier than with the residents of Browning, and shifted my gaze from the depressing surroundings to the approaching mountain horizon. Glacier National Park, the crown of the continent

We made our way up Highway 89 to the Saint Mary entrance of Glacier, familiarizing ourselves with the park at the large Ranger Station/Visitor Center located there. Already late in the morning, our plan was to secure a site in one of the local camp grounds and complete a day hike or two to get our legs used to the trail. Obviously, to make any kind of hiking possible, we would need fuel, and after making camp at the nearby Rising Sun campground, we exited the park and lunched up at the Park Café. Little did we know what a prominent role the café would play during our time out west.

Recharged with hamburgers and late-morning pancakes, we decided to tackle Logan Pass and the corresponding hike to Hidden Lake. To reach the pass, we drove Going to the Sun road, the famous highway that bisects Glacier Park and provides dramatic views of the parks mountains, valleys, and wildlife. Arriving at Logan Pass, we scoured the packed parking lot for a place to store the Impala, finally finding a spot relatively close to the visitor center and trailhead. Our packs flung over our shoulders, Dad and I eagerly trotted over to the beginning of the trail and our first hiking adventure in Glacier was underway.

Logan Pass is a relatively easy hike, designed to be accessible to a wide variety of visitors with a sturdily constructed boardwalk path for the approach to the pass. Following the boardwalk is a heavily-used trail leading down to Hidden Lake that passes snowfields and white mountain goats. Dad and I gobbled up the boardwalk and began the descent down to the lake, making sure to drink plenty of water and cover ourselves with sun block.

The hike down was pleasant and we encountered a family that had been fishing at the lake; they boasted landing a 20 inch trout, which naturally prompted us to request photographic proof (which they had). We tackled the ascent back up to the parking lot, pacing ourselves and snapping photos along the way. We passed dozens and dozens of tourists, many sporting expensive camera hardware; Dad and I figured we walked by at least $100K in camera equipment on the trail.

Back at the visitor center, we purchased postcards to write home before hopping in the car and returning to camp. Figuring it would be best to conserve our freeze-dried meals for the trail and longing for civilized food, Dad and I opted to visit the Park Café a second time, savoring a sort of last meal before diving into the back country.

Back at camp, I made note of the time and borrowed the car to make a quick attempt at a sunset picture from the Goose Island lookout point, a rather scenic point we had passed earlier in the day with framed views of Saint Mary Lake and its surrounding mountains. At the Point, several serious photographers were gathered, appreciating the sunset, examining each others’ gear, and engaging each other in a lively round of the now age-old debate in photography, “film vs. digital.” It was very entertaining listening to these Ansel Adams wannabes having at it and learning a bit about their techniques. The sunset was magnificent, well worth my trip up. In fact, I would later find out that smoke ruined the view from that spot every night Dad and I were in the park, making it a lucky coincidence I had picked that night to claim my shot.

Train in the Distance

2007-09-09T22:10:00.000-05:00

(Note: This entry describes the events of July 25, 2007)

Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance
Everybody thinks it’s true

As I sat waiting for mechanical carriage that would sweep me up and whisk me westward to fun and adventure, the Paul Simon song ran steadily through my head. This was only the second long train ride of my lifetime, and my first experience riding the rails through the American west. While traversing the countryside behind a locomotive is no longer the glamour activity it once was, it remains a more cost effective mode of transport than airplanes when visiting northern Montana and is much less tiring/stressful than driving long distances over the plains.

We boarded the train in the dead of night in St. Cloud, Minnesota, a confusing experience because of the poor signage found at the station and the mute nature of the station’s employees. Dad and I amused ourselves talking to fellow travelers and debating which side of the station we were supposed to park on. Eventually, like a vision from a gritty sci-fi novel, the Amtrak train rolled through the station and greeted us its mechanical whirs and whooshes (If you’ve ever ridden Amtrak, you know it looks like something straight out of Blade Runner, at least from the outside). Once on board, we hurriedly found our seats and did our best to securely store our gear, squeezing and cramming our bags into racks and overhead compartments. Our moment of panic over, Dad and I settled into our seats and did our best to doze and rest. The train rolled steadily westward, rocking us to a fitful night of sleep on the Great Plains of America.

The next day, I passed the time in the lounge car reading books and writing notes in my journal and on the laptop. Dad and I munched on Pop-Tarts and apples and sipped coffee from the lounge car, enjoying the views out the floor to ceiling windows. One of the great advantages to rail travel is time. Time to catch up on all the reading and written correspondence that ordinarily gets brushed aside. Time to really think about what you want to write, what you want to say. Time to think about what you are reading and really savor the experience. Seemingly endless time.

Eventually, we began to long for the solidness of real ground beneath our feet and began tracking our progress with my GPS, anxiously anticipating our arrival in Cut Bank, Montana. Before too long, the tiny screen of my GPS revealed Cut Bank approximately 45 miles away, and before we knew it, Dad and I were grabbing our gear, leaping out the door, waving goodbye to the conductors, and making our way over to the blue Chevy Impala rental that would serve as our base of operations for the next two weeks.

A gritty oil town on the American frontier, Cut Bank is bisected by two prominent roads: Main St. and Central Ave., making it an easy place to navigate, even for first-time visitors. Dad and I found our hotel, prominently marked with a gigantic penguin, and made final preparations for our drive into the park the following morning. Our adventure had begun.

Glacier Blog Series

2007-09-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

Starting today, I will begin posting my Glacier blog series. This series will detail Dad and my trip to Glacier, Montana that occurred from July 25th to August 6th. I plan to post one new entry each day for the next 13 days, at which time Minnesotan on the Loose will revert back to its usual inconsistent-ramblings.

Photos from our trip can be found here.

Enjoy!

Learning About Family

2007-07-22T00:10:00.000-05:00

The memory of my grandfather that stands out most in my mind is from my family’s trip to a resort in northern Minnesota when I was five years old named Vacation Air. Located near my family’s traditional homeland in Minnesota, Wauben and the surrounding lakes, hills, fields, and forests, the resort was the scene of two consecutive family trips, once when I was five and again when I was six. Acting as a surrogate base-camp within our family fiefdom, Vacation Air allowed us to express our love of Minnesota at its most basic and elemental, letting each of us revel in the heritage and history the surrounding area imbued and infused within us in a way no other Earthly locale ever could.

In amongst the 12-foot Lunds and Alumacrafts that composed the majority of Vacation Air’s sturdy fishing fleet was an old pontoon boat, a vessel that had obviously seen better days yet remained an exotic carriage to adventure to a five year old boy from the cities with the blood of the north woods in his veins. The boat was docked on a long pier located at the bottom of a steep hill near the resort’s main lodge, making it a challenging destination for the elderly or persons of limited mobility and undoubtedly reducing its attractiveness to potential renters. I thought it was best boat I had ever seen.

During our first day at the resort, we had scoured the lake with Grampa’s Lowrance Fish Lo-K-Tor and trawling lures in search of big fish with little success. From my previous experience fishing with my dad, uncles, and grandfather, I knew that finding the fish was the most important step in catching them. If you could find the fish, I was taught, there was a good chance you could catch ‘em, but if you couldn’t find ‘em, you had no shot at all. Little did I know at the time how many things in life this basic logic would apply to.

On the morning of our second day at the resort, I went down to the pontoon to play and imagine myself to be some great captain or explorer doing as I pleased all around the lake. While playing, I happened to duck my head under the deck of the pontoon, curious about what mysterious unknowns resided under such a vehicle and to my amazement, my eyes spied dozens and dozens of large fish! Though I did not know it at the time, these “large” fish were not really large at all, mostly sunfish, crappies, and large rock bass, but scales are different to the young than they are to the old and at the time they seemed like prizes worthy of at least attempting a catch.

Excited by my discovery, I sprinted for our cabin and immediately located Grampa. I implored him to come down to the pontoon and see the stock of large fish I had located, absolutely certain that I had located this lake’s secret hiding hole and beaming with pride at my ability to accomplish what my uncles, grandfather, and father had not.

Grampa grabbed his hat and sunglasses and followed me over to the resort’s lodge, down the steep hill to the lake, out onto the dock and onto the pontoon. He got down on his hands and knees and gazed under the pontoon with me, marveling at all the fish under the boat and noting several times what a good job I had done finding the fish. We discussed methods and tactics we could use to catch these tricky fish that had decided to hide under the boat, but thought we should probably have lunch first before getting started on fishing. Mission accomplished, we headed back onto dry land triumphant and started back towards our cabin.

Just after getting off the dock, my dad, who was standing near the resort lodge, called me over to him. I ran to him and explained excitedly how I had found fish under the pontoon and how Grampa and I were going to catch them. Dad said that was great I had found fish under the pontoon, but I should realize how lucky I was. Grampa, he explained, had a difficult time getting up and down hills and would not have gone down to the pontoon for anybody else. He said I should be sure to thank my grandfather.

That was the moment in my life I realized what family was. Up until then, every day of my life, I had taken for granted that my family did what asked as a matter of course. It wasn’t that anybody was taking me into special consideration or making a special effort for me, it was just the way things were. With those words, I realized that my Grampa was willing to do things for me that he would do for no one else, that he would go to lengths for me because I was his grandson, because I was of his blood, that he would not even consider for others. It seems like a small thing in retrospect, but to a five year old, it was a shocking revelation of what family was, what family really meant, and a moment I remember vividly to this day.

My grandfather died on Sunday, July 14^th at the age of 82. He loved to hunt, fish, talk politics, and most of all, tell stories. He taught me how to fish, how to debate, how to take down “Harvard MBAs,” how to avoid “dumb bohemies,” and most importantly, what it meant to be family. My grandfather lived a long, good life and fought a good fight for a long time; I am honored to have known him, to have lived with him, and to be of his blood.

Old Friends

2007-05-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

Old friends. When I’m swallowed up in the deepest depths of sorrow, nothing makes me feel better than seeing old friends; people who have treated me with kindness and affection and who I admire for that. It’s a reassurance that I’m not such a monster after all; that I’m not so impossible to love.

I drove down to the Minneapolis Convention Center this morning to watch my former students dance and compete. Former – what a funny word to use. I say former because I am no longer actively teaching at Fusion Dance, but I still feel intimately attached to them all. I think anybody that has spent any time teaching understands what I’m talking about; that you never really stop being interested in your students, their progress, how their lives are unfolding…and that somehow you are intimately and inescapably wrapped into their lives whether you are there or not. It’s a strange sensation.

One of the things I have always admired about Fusion Dance, the thing that kept me driving an hour each way at 1 AM to be apart of, is that the parents and families of the studio are some of the most decent, kind, and earnest people I have found. To be sure, they have their failings as all humans do, but their decency as a whole always impresses and moves me. I have never spent time with a group of people that have made me feel more welcome and admired, even after I was no longer teaching their children. It’s unreal.

I can’t really relate how much I’ve missed working at Fusion. Driving to Red Wing daily or weekly, realistically, is completely incompatible with my current life, which is why I gave up working there and focused on other endeavors But when I worked there, I always felt like I was apart of something good; like I was doing good work. Seeing them all today reminded me of all the good times I had working there, all the successes and failures, all the tough times and triumphs. Moreover, it reminded me of these parents’ unyielding commitment to their children and their young lives; all the long hours they spend working, driving, and watching and the affection they show the people who help them make their kids’ lives a bit better.

The parents and kids were deliriously happy to see me today, almost embarrassingly so, but it felt refreshing and reassuring to be around people that cared for me and how I was doing. All of their numbers and routines looked terrific, most of the kids have made pretty significant progress over the past year, but they continue to play the role of the small fish in the big pond. Granted, they are a very good small fish, but it’s amazing how uniformly high quality the Minneapolis dance scene has become.

Seeing everyone from Red Wing was remarkably refreshing and reminded me of everything I love about being involved with the dance community. It also reminded me how good it feels to be around old friends and how it can make it seem like everything is going to be alright, even if only for a little while.

I'm Alive

2007-04-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

It’s been a long time since I’ve watched these lights alone
I look around my life tonight and you are gone
I might have done something to keep you if I’d known
How unhappy you had become

The day I have been dreading for months and months has finally come. The day I have worried myself sick over, searched my soul for, and argued my hardest against has arrived and I have ultimately been proven powerless to stop it.

Today, my beautiful girl walked out of my world, taking with her everything I had hoped and dreamed for in this life.

While I was dreaming of you
With my heart in your hands
And I was following through
With my beautiful plans

The reasons she left are complex, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to share the details. Ultimately, Megan decided that she couldn’t be fully committed to our relationship in the way that I needed her to be and struck out on her own for whatever lies over the horizon. I can appreciate what she’s going through; the urge to run, to be free, to revel in the whimsical and pleasurable rather than sacrificing for a better tomorrow. I can appreciate her circumstance because I have the same urges.

I can appreciate and understand, but relationships, at their core, are about loyalty and commitment, and if she can’t stand beside me in the tough times as well as the good, how can I build a future with her? How can we build a life together if I cannot depend on her when things are rough going? In the end, I can’t. So there’s the rub.

I want to go where I will never hear your name
I want to lose my sorrow and be free again
And I know I’ve been insane
When I think of the places I could have been

I’ve been through breakups before, too many if you want my opinion about it, so this shouldn’t be new territory. But this one hurts like nothing I’ve ever experienced; it churns up my insides like a Kitchen-Aide mixer and plays with my emotions like a sick kid plays with a bug just before squishing it. I’ve thought and thought about why this separation punishes me so acutely and what I’ve come up with is that I had really bought in to my relationship with Megan. Whether I talked about it or not, I really thought she was the one and that we had a bright future in front of us, and I feel cheated to have that taken from me; to have it stolen right out of my hands.

Looking up and down this road
I’ve been here before
Can’t be here no more

Is this the end of Megan and I forever? Who knows, anything’s possible, but it certainly feels that way. In the end, I guess I don’t have much choice but to do what I’ve always done: wake up tomorrow and live it the best way I can. What other options are there? Not many (at least not many good ones). I do take solace in the fact that I gave Megan and my relationship with her literally everything I had; the problem was that I failed, not that I didn’t try, and I believe there is nobility in that. There’s a big part of me that will never really be over her, I don’t think I could claim to have ever loved her if there wasn’t, but I’m still me and I still have hope. I’ll be fine eventually…

…but it still hurts. So for now, I’m going to mourn the death of what could have been, the death of my life with my beautiful Snuggs, and think about what new dreams will replace the old.

Hey look at the way I believed in you
And loved you all these years
Now you can fill a swimming pool
With all my salted tears
If you’d have told me what was in your heart
Instead of all your lies
I thought that it would kill me
But I’m alive

Yeah, I’m alive.

Thoughts from a Night of B-Ball

2007-03-31T21:21:00.000-05:00

Ahh, the NCAA Tournament.

This really has been a good one, hasn't it? Sure, there haven't been many upsets, but that just means that the best teams are playing each other at the end. Only part-time fans crave upsets, true aficionados crave to see the best play the best.

Anyway, as I sit here watching Florida dismantle UCLA, I've been pondering the following questions:

Has a team ever owned another more than Florida owns UCLA? Two years in a row the same Gators team has completely dominated the same UCLA team. The only two-team series that I can think of that rivals this level of domination are the Bills/Cowboys Superbowls of the early 90s. Seriously, it's impressive.
Will Greg Oden return for his sophomore year? Reading this article tonight, I can see the benefits, but there are so much incentives (like financial security for the rest of your life) to turn pro that it would be hard to imagine him coming back. If OSU wins it all, I guaranty he turns pro and goes #1.
Who emerges from the tournament as the team to beat next year? Depending on who decides to turn pro, my money is on UCLA. They have the #1 recruit in the country showing up at their doorsteps next year and Collison/Afflalo will remain a deadly duo...as long as they don't play Florida.
Who will end up the best pro of this years stars? The safe money is on Durant, but it could depend on what team they go to. Jeff Green has a chance to be a real impact player for whatever team gets him in the 7-8 range and my personal favorite, Julian Wright, is like a reincarnated James Worthy. Regardless, it's going to be a good draft class.

I know, the thoughts of the sports obsessed. A few additional thoughts from the tourney:

My colleague Tracy successfully derailed my mojo and ruined my chances at the office pool. Next year I'm going to make a voodoo doll of him in advance just in case he tries the same tricks.
Texas A&M, my sleeper pick to make the Final Four, was completely robbed at the end of their game against Memphis. Completely. My only explanation is that the refs in the game were auditioning for a chance to guest-ref the NBA Finals this year. Unbelievable; I thought I was going to have a seizure.
This has been the best-fed I've been in awhile. Most of Tournament I've been going out to Brooklyn Park to watch the games with my dad, and Mom has been cooking up my favorites while I've been out. Lasagna. Ginger Chicken with fried rice. Life has been good.
During this tourney run, Dad, Drew, and I have been on a scotch run of epic proportions. For some reason, basketball becomes even more enjoyable with a glass of 12-year in hand.
My favorite moment of the tournament (me screaming at my brother, as he's sitting next to his girlfriend, after he commented on a deck of cards that came with a bottle of Speyside 12-year I had bought):
That's right! That's why you drink scotch! You don't get that s#!t with Miller Lite!
They've always let me down when I've picked them. Everybody advised me not to pick them. I wrote I wasn't going to pick them...and I still picked Kansas to win it all. I'm an idiot.

At this point the Gators have successfully polished off the Bruins and we are set for Ohio State vs. Florida Part Deux: This Time, it's Basketball! Hope everybody has been enjoying the tourney as much as me.

On a final note, please check out Rory's blog when you get a chance. He's been reporting from Iraq and has had some interesting postings as of late. And always, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, no matter what faith you may be of.

Feelin the Madness

2007-03-01T20:14:00.000-06:00

Today, we officially flipped the calendar into March, which means that we are only a few short weeks away from the most wonderful time of the year...

March Madness!!! (that's right, triple exclamation mark!)

In just 14 short days, we get to revel in the collective joy of one of the five greatest sporting days of the year: the first day of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Frantically filling out brackets. Pressing *refresh* a thousand times at work to see who won the 5-12 match up (historically renowned for upsets). Screaming across the office at your colleagues about a photo finish. Racing home to watch the the last games and going to bed giddy to watch Saturday's hoopfest.

Man, I'm gettin' pumped just writing about it!

Anyway, this NCAA tourney is looking to be the best in well over a decade, thanks in no-small-part to the NBA's new "year-and-a-half" rule, prohibiting high school seniors from entering the draft. There are no less than ten teams that have a legit shot at the title, TEN! That's not to say there are ten teams that conceivably win the title; practically every team in the tourney will be capable of that this year. What I mean is that there are at least a dozen that could win it and everyone would say "Of course they took it! Look at the way they played over the last month! I can't believe we didn't see that coming!"

It isn't too often we have NCAA tournaments that have that kind of depth to them. In preparation for the frantic bracket studying and filling the next week will see, I thought I'd offer my insights on my favorites to win the title.

1. Florida - Yeah, they've dropped their last three games and are being talked about in the media as "burnt out," or "unmotivated," I don't care, it's their title to lose. I watched them play Tennessee the other night with my pops, a game they ended up losing, and I couldn't believe their cardiovascular conditioning. I mean, it was the tail end of the game and Joakim Noah, a legit 7 footer, was still sprinting up and down the court for dunks, rebounds, and layups. It's possible they could get upset in the first two rounds, but if they make it deep into the tournament, the part where conditioning starts to show, look out. I guarantee you Florida is the best conditioned team in the country and will be able to get it done when it matters.

2. Texas A&M - Just lost a double OT thriller to Texas, but they have all the characteristics of a NCAA champ: great senior guard play, a respectable road record, and solid rebounders. Acie Law is playing as well as anybody in the country and has shown himself to be ridiculously clutch in the loss to Texas and an earlier win at Kansas. With so many games coming down to the wire in the tournament, I would put my money on Law and Texas A&M to pull these games out.

3. Ohio State - The #1 team in the country and the temporary hosts of one of the most heralded players in the country, Greg Oden. Ohio State, again, has great guard play and a solid road record, but Oden has not had a dominant season and a great number of their key players are freshmen, which makes me concerned about their ability to play night after night. The big question to me is, can Oden take his game to a new level in the NCAA tourney ala Sean May? If he can step up his scoring and continue to be the defensive force he has been all season, Ohio State will be nearly unstoppable.

4. Kansas - A basketball institution, the Jayhawks have one of the best forwards in the country in Julian Wright. Smart, physical, great passer; he could be the best total player in the tournament. Kansas has explosive guards and a deep bench but...The last time the Jayhawks came into the tournament highly regarded was the team featuring Drew Gooden and Kirk Heinrich that nearly lost to Holy Cross in the first round and ended up losing in the championship game (when I had picked them to win it all). I still haven't recovered from the scare they gave me in the first round and, as such, can't put them higher than fourth.

5. Texas - If Kevin Durant declares war on the college basketball world and pulls a Carmelo Anthony, they might as well hand the Longhorns the title. Seriously, the kid is unstoppable. The rest of the team is rounded out well with explosive guard play and good shot blockers and they lead the Big 12 in both free-throw shooting and three-point shooting (good stats to lead coming into March Madness).

6. UCLA - Last year's runner-up remains an incredibly talented team, and watching them take Arizona apart earlier this year was admittedly impressive (the win against Texas A&M was also solid). I haven't watched enough of their games to make an accurate forecast on UCLA, but their team is solid top to bottom. My only hesitation would be that you need equal parts talent and luck to make it through the NCAA tourney and they got LUCKY against Gonzaga last year I have a feeling they used up all their luck last year.

7. North Carolina - The dominant team in the ACC always has a shot at the title and the Tar Heels are much deeper than they were last year. My biggest hesitation in picking them to go far is that three of their players that play the biggest minutes, Wright, Ellington, and Lawson, are freshmen. My gut says that they get tired in the Sweet 16 and Hansbrough doesn't have quite enough to pull them through.

8. Wisconsin - Solid role players all around, big guys that can rebound, shot-block, and shoot threes, and one of the five best players in the country in Alando Tucker. Wisconsin also has a solid road record, including their near win at Ohio State last week. The problem is that the Badgers have started to suffer a few key injuries, including a significant injury to Butch, that could hurt them in the tournament. Depending on the bracket, I think they'll make a run to the Final Four and lose in the Semis.

9. Georgetown - They just lost a bad one to Syracuse, but it was on the road and followed an emotional win over Pitt. The Hoyas have solid inside scoring, but don't seem to have a go-to guy to pick them up when shots aren't falling. Patrick Ewing Jr. is an emotional player and seems to get the team fired up, but he doesn't quite have the talent to take over a game. Still, a 10 game win streak is no small feat at this level and if they get hot, Georgetown can hang with anyone.

10. Louisville - Not the highest rated team in the tournament, but Pitino gets his team up for March Madness. Louisville has won its last five games including wins over Marquette and Pittsburgh. I doubt they'll make it past the Sweet 16, but Pitino is a genius in the tournament and I wouldn't look them over.

Don't be fooled by these teams rankings in brackets: Memphis (haven't played a ranked team since December 20) and Pittsburgh (their best player Aaron Gray just badly sprained his ankle - I' leery of his ability to hold up through the tourney).

Suffice to say, it's looking to be a great tourney. Hope everyone is looking forward to it as much as I am and that everyone is surviving this blast of winter weather we experienced today (12 inches of snow)!

Snow Day

2007-02-25T20:58:00.000-06:00

Boy today sure was a snowy day in Minneapolis. As any Minnesotan will tell you, the beauty of a slightly sizable snow storm is that it's the perfect excuse to lay around the house, watch TV, read books, and dink around on the Internet. Today's stimulating schedule of snow-day satisfiers, at least for Megs and myself, included:

1. Shoveling. Yes, shoveling snow is probably the most bitterly regarded aspect of every Minnesotan's life, but it does have its positive sides. First, it makes it possible to pull cars out of the garage without them becoming hopelessly stuck, especially cars with relatively low clearance (like the Protege). Second, after spending a solid hour shoveling, the shovelers can spend the rest of their day of leisure secure in the knowledge that they in fact did get some exercise in the morning, and furthermore, this exercise was work that has detectable results. Shoveling's classification as "work" makes it all the more satisfying and allows the shoveler to more easily justify a day of slovenly respite.

2. Point Break. My favorite movie of all time; Megs had never seen it. On the surface, sure it seems like another "whoa!" Keanu Reeves movie, but in reality its an allegory on the argument on the true expression of human nature: civilized man vs. savage man, an argument that dates back to Rousseau and Descartes. The movie eloquently articulates the case of the noble savage, most notably in the scene where Bodi, played masterfully by Patrick Swayze, passionately states that "We serve as an example to those people inching along the highway in their metal coffins that human spirit is still alive." However, the movie ultimately makes the case the savage spirit, anarchy for lack of a better term, ultimately destroys everything around it. I've always meant to write an analysis of the movie, maybe I'll take a crack at it sometime in the next few weeks.

Oh, the surfing cinematography is amazing, the score is moving, there are several gunfights, and Keanu has some absolutely hilarious lines at the end. It's a must see.

3. Ohio State vs. Wisconsin. #1 vs #2 only a few short weeks before the beginning of March Madness. Two of the best players in the nation squaring off, Greg Oden and Alando Tucker. A finish that went down to the wire. Wisconsin losing. What could be better?

On a side note, has anybody figured out why Greg Oden has been continuing to get the press that he has as the next phenom when he hasn't had that great of a season? Seriously, compare his stats to Kareem, Walton, Ewing, Mourning, Russell...the boy's got a ways to go.

4. Miracle. After Point Break, Megs declared that she got to call the next movie and, to my never ending fortune, she picked Miracle. I had forgotten what a great movie this is; the scene where Brooks makes the team skate till they are puking always gives me chills. Plus, any movie that practically spotlights "The U" is golden in my book.

5. Amazing Race. Has there ever been a realty show team more unstoppable than Rob & Amber? Seriously, they're like the Roger Federer of realty television at this point: so good it's scary to watch them take the opposition apart. With that said, there are too many variables within the Amazing Race to declare them winners at this point, but it's certainly theirs to lose.

I should mention at the end of all this that Megs made carmel bars today.

Ain't life grand sometimes? :-D

Frank's Financial Primer

2007-02-01T22:07:00.000-06:00

Over the past year, I have spent a considerable amount of time learning about personal financial planning. In fact, I would say that after Megs, the Gophers, DanceKast, and my family, reading about personal finance has been my biggest hobby of the year.

I can’t exactly pinpoint why the subject has prompted my interest. Maybe it’s because it seems like a prudent time to be figuring this stuff out, maybe I’m just getting to be a greedy business school grad. Either way, I want to take this opportunity to share some of my insights from the past year.

The financial world is a crazy world and is made confusing by two factors: Wall street’s deliberate attempts to confuse people and the general awe people grant the subject of personal finance. People are constantly beset by questions like: should I use a financial planner? Which mutual funds perform best? How do I even begin investing? Should I buy individual stocks? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!?!?!?

I’m no certified financial planner, but based on my year of study, I am willing to offer these few juicy morsels to get people started right on the year:

Read Up. Yahoo Finance has new updated articles every day by some of the best financial writers around; some of their better writers are Ben Stein, Laura Rowley, and David Bach. This content is free and, quite frankly, all you need to know to get started in the world of investing.
Stick to Indexes. Yes, every once and awhile a fund manager while beat the S&P 500, but almost none do consistently and absolutely none do by a margin that would offset a managed mutual fund’s higher expense ratio. Do yourself a favor and stick to index mutual funds.
Diversify. Quite frankly, it’s the only “free lunch” in investing. It makes sense that spreading your funds around several investments is a safer bet; what is less intuitive is that you can actually increase your return by this spreading. Read this article for a few great options.
Open a Roth IRA. If you make less than the restricted amount, open a Roth IRA and contribute your $4,000.00 for 2006. You have until April 15. Go on. Get started.
Account Structure. Near as I can tell, you want to have 3 types of accounts: a checking account (for everyday transactions – preferably at a credit union), a high interest online savings account (ING, Emigrant Direct, or GMAC Bank), and a brokerage account to manage your Roth IRA or other securities (Vanguard, Fidelity). All these accounts can be linked to transfer funds electronically to each other, making it easy to get paid, move money to savings, and then move money to longer term investments.

Investing can be as complicated as you want, but it doesn’t have to be. Education these days is free, so make sure you read up. Remember – knowledge is power.

If nothing else, follow the PYF (pay-yourself-first) formula and put 10% of your paycheck in savings.

This article was the inspiration for this column.

Franky J