Tuesday, October 23, 2007

No More Boston Whining

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.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

State of the Minnesota Sports Scene

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 Sports 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Logan Pass Training Session

(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.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Train in the Distance

(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

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!

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Learning About Family

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 14th 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.

Sunday, May 06, 2007

Old Friends

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.

Monday, April 23, 2007

I'm Alive

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.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Thoughts from a Night of B-Ball

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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Feelin the Madness

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)!

Sunday, February 25, 2007

Snow Day

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

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Frank's Financial Primer

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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



 

Thursday, January 25, 2007

The DK is Born

www.dancekast.com

The DK is born! Check it out everybody and get ready to check back often. Phil and I are working on a project we think could be the next great step in the dance industry.

Crazy stuff!

Frank