Crede, Sidney, Bay Area Trip, Rosenfels

-The Twins finally signed Joe Crede last Saturday to a one-year $2.5 million deal with incentives. I cannot begin to express how happy I am with this deal. First of all, the deal presents virtually no risk to the Twins. If Crede can't stay on the field, they are only out $2.5 million and have a decent backup plan in the platoon of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris. However, if Crede does stay on the field, the Twins just signed an all-star caliber third baseman who can fill the power void they've been seeking for the past few years. Crede is a perfect fit not only for what the Twins need, but in the organization as a whole. He plays an outstanding gold glove caliber third base and can put up anywhere from 20-30 home runs. He also plays the Twins style -- running out every ball, giving maximum effort, being stellar with the glove, being fundamentally sound, and being a good presence in the clubhouse. Hearing the quotes from players who have played with him, Crede sounds like just the right guy for the Twins third base job. He can definitely be the right handed power bat that the Twins were searching for all of last season to hit behind Justin Morneau. Now, if Michael Cuddyer and Delmon Young can take steps forward, the Twins could have a lethal combination of speed, average, and power in their lineup. Crede will play his first game on Friday. As you can tell, I am psyched about this acquisition. You have to give some praise to GM Bill Smith for getting it done, especially after an off-season of inaction. The best sight will be when Crede sends some blasts out of U.S. Cellular Field against the hated White Sox and we can say...You can put it on the board....YEEEEeeeeeSSSSS!!! Let's play.

-The USC Trojans basketball team scored an absolutely huge recruit when they landed 6'9'' 250 lb. forward Renardo Sidney last Sunday. He is rated 98 out of 100 by the scouts (same as O.J. Mayo was) and some consider him the top recruit in the country. He is an absolute force inside on both ends, is a terrific passing big man, and can extend his shooting range all the way out to the three point line. The Trojans now have a recruiting class of Sidney (98), Noel Johnson (93), Solomon Hill (91), and Derrick Williams (89), making it likely the best in USC history. If the Trojans can keep everyone next year, they will be scary good and a team with Final Four potential. Imagine this starting lineup to begin the season: Daniel Hackett, Dwight Lewis, DeMar DeRozan, Taj Gibson, and Alex Stepheson. Sidney may have to come off the bench if everyone stays -- that is ridiculous! The bench would be: Sidney, Noel Johnson, Solomon Hill, Derrick Williams, Marcus Johnson, Leonard Washington, and Nikola Vucevic, in addition to others. USC will be big, deep, and very athletic. Even if Taj Gibson and DeMar DeRozan leave (more likely that one, not both will) the Trojans will probably be the favorites to win the Pac-10 Conference and go very far in the NCAA Tournament. Big time recruit by Tim Floyd, his third in three years.

-I am very excited to go up to the Bay Area this weekend to call the games against Cal and Stanford. The Cal game is a do or die game for the Trojans. They absolutely must win it if they home to have any chance at an at-large bid. I believe if the Trojans win their last four (both in the Bay and at home against the Oregon schools), they will secure their spot in the NCAA Tournament. That would get them to 20 wins, which is generally the magic number for tourney at-large qualification. They would also match their 11-7 conference record from a year ago, which was good enough for a 6 seed in the NCAA. It all starts with the Cal game. The Bears are 15-1 at home, but the Trojans handled them pretty easily at the Galen Center. They have to break through on the road (where they are only 2-6) and get that resume win. I believe if they win against Cal, they will win out because the three teams they play after that are very mediocre. The Trojans actually played decently in Arizona and against Washington at home, but seemed to hit a wall after taking a lead in the second half in all three games, probably because they got tired and have zero depth without Marcus Johnson. That excuse doesn't fly now, however. The Trojans need to find that extra bit of energy to put away teams and finish games. If you get up on Cal in the second half, bury them and show the committee why you're tourney worthy. I believe talent wise, the Trojans are better than their four remaining opponents, but they need to prove it. Let's see if this Trojans team can come together at the right time.

-The news that the Vikings are close to a deal with the Houston Texans for Sage Rosenfels is terrible news, in my opinion. People will point to the fact that it's not Tarvaris Jackson and be happy, but in reality I believe this is a round about way for the Vikes to make it seem like there's competition for Jackson, but eventually give him the starting job anyway. Brad Childress is way to loyal to T-Jack, and needs to let his ego go and just admit that his guy is not the right guy to lead a Super Bowl caliber team. I will admit that the options out there for quarterbacks aren't great right now, but there is one clear option out there: Jeff Garcia. If the Vikes can't get there hands on Donovan McNabb or Matt Cassell, Jeff Garcia is without a doubt the next best option and certainly better than Rosenfels. Garcia is a veteran who knows the west coast offense and is a winner. I'd much rather sign him to a one or two year deal to be a quick fix than try to get a long term solution when none seems available. Cassell would be that long term solution if you're right on him, but his price is extremely steep and the Vikings look like they're not going there. I know they've identified Rosenfels as a guy they've wanted for a couple years now, but he has been in the league for 8 years and never won any meaningful games or been a full time starter. He is not the answer. The first call you should make when free agency hits is Jeff Garcia. If he could stay healthy, he definitely has the ability to lead this talented team to the promised land, albeit for one year. If Tarvaris Jackson is the quarterback of this team this year, however, there will be blackouts galore and hardly any fans will be behind the team. Just from a PR standpoint alone, T-Jack cannot be the starter. He lost us the playoff game against the Eagles singlehandedly and is worse the bigger the game gets. Get him out. Get Jeff Garcia in. Don't mess around with Sage Rosenfels.

One more note

Something I neglected to mention in my preview that should be important today is free show shooting. In the first meeting, Washington shot 40 free throws to USC's 24. The Huskies shoot more free throws than anyone in the conference, so USC needs to make them earn their points today. Fight On.

USC-#19 Washington

USC got the win they needed on Thursday against Washington State. Today's challenge, however, is much greater as the first place Washington Huskies come to town. With a win today, I believe the Trojans will be in the NCAA Tournament. It would put the Trojans at 17 wins with four games to go, three coming against the Oregon schools and Stanford. The Trojans should win those three games and have a chance to win in Berkeley this Thursday night. First order of business: Get a big W today.

The big key for USC today is slowing the pace of the game down. The Huskies really like to get up and down the court. Watching the Huskies this year, I have been unimpressed by their half court offense and their defense. If USC can dictate the pace and force the Huskies to execute in the half court, they should be in great shape. That will be easier to do today at the Galen Center than it was in Seattle last month, when the Trojans lost by 5. USC is 13-1 at home.

Another key for the Trojans today is containing the small back court of Isaiah Thomas and Justin Dentmon. They are Washington's two leading scorers, both averaging over 16 ppg. They both killed the Trojans in the first meeting in Seattle. USC always seems to have trouble with smaller guards because their guards are big and can't move as quickly laterally. That makes USC's help defense absolutely critical today. They also must close out on Washington's shooters because they love to jack it up from the perimeter.

Look for Taj Gibson to have a big game today. He is experienced and knows how critical this stretch is for the Trojans. He dominated a good big man in Aron Baines on Thursday and always seems to have Jon Brockman's number. It will be a good battle with the Huskies big man today.

In the first meeting, DeMar DeRozan was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 12 points. The Huskies had no answer for him. DeRozan needs to play a full, solid game for the Trojans to win today. Also, the Trojans need at least some contribution from their bench. Look for Nikola Vucevic to start again at the 4, so it will be up to Leonard Washington, Keith Wilkinson, and Marcus Simmons to give the Trojans something. They had zero bench points against Wazzu; that won't fly today.

Again, this game is so pivotal for USC. Win it, and the Trojans can feel very good about their tourney chances. Lose, and they're squarely on the bubble. Now we go!

USC-Washington State: It's Crunch Time!

It's a must win for the Trojans tonight as they host Wazzu at the Galen Center. USC needs to reach 20 wins to feel good about their chances to make the NCAA Tournament. The thing USC has working in their favor is their remaining schedule. Four out of their last six games are at home, where they are 12-1 this season. In addition, four out of their last six are against teams below them in the conference standings. The Trojans must win their four home games and steal one up in the Bay Area next week. They are in the exact same position right now as they were last year at this time (15-9, 6-6). They went on to win five of six and one in the Pac-10 tournament. There's no reason to think they can't do it again, especially the way DeMar DeRozan has been playing. The Trojans just need to close out games better, something they couldn't do in the desert last weekend. The thing working against the Trojans is the absence of Marcus Johnson. Not only does it take away from the Trojans already limited depth, but it takes away someone who was giving the Trojans a huge spark on both ends of the floor and someone who was averaging 8 ppg in his last three games. The Trojans should get Nikola Vucevic back tonight, which is good from a depth perspective. He also played his best game in Pullman against Wazzu, scoring 8 points. The Trojans starters will need to play a lot of minutes, but they are definitely athletic enough to do so and considering how big these games are it shouldn't be a problem. If the Trojans are going to make the NCAA Tournament this year, it starts tonight with a win over Wazzu.

The Cougars will try to slow the pace of this game down, limit opportunities on offense for the Trojans, and play solid defense. The Trojans proved they can win a slow paced game by beating Wazzu up in Pullman, but they should try to push the pace whenever possible. Washington State is a very unathletic team that cannot keep up with the Trojans if they speed up the pace of this game. It should be easier for the Trojans to dictate the tempo at home than it was for them in Pullman. The key matchup to watch will be Taj Gibson against Aron Baines. Baines did probably the best job on Gibson that anyone has done this year, but look for Taj to assert himself tonight. Gibson is usually doubled down low, so the Trojans should try to get him the ball of a high screen and roll and get him open 10-15 foot jumpers that he can nail with ease. As I mentioned already, Nikola Vucevic was huge in the win in Pullman, so hopefully he can give the Trojans a spark off the bench tonight. DeMar DeRozan should have a big night as well for USC. Marcus Johnson won't play tonight and he carried the Trojans down the stretch in Pullman with two huge shots. Look for Dwight Lewis to step up in his absence. Lewis was out with an ankle injury when the Trojans won in Pullman.

The Trojans need this win badly. If they can win tonight and get a sweep by winning Saturday, I can say with almost certainty that they will be in the tournament. That's because I think they will win at Stanford next week and easily beat the Oregon schools at home to close out the regular season. Six straight would sure be nice headed into the Pac-10 Tournament, though. Let's start it tonight. My "Let's play" slogan hasn't been working lately, so I'm going to try a new one: Now we go.

Fight On.

USC @ #18 ASU

I'm going to keep it simple: Tonight's game against the Sun Devils isn't a must win for the Trojans, but it sure feels like one. With a win, the Trojans will almost seal up a trip to the NCAA Tournament, assuming they can take care of business at home. With a loss, the Trojans will be firmly in sixth place, with little to no room for error the rest of the way. A loss will also make the trip to the Bay Area in a couple weeks even more critical than it already will be.

The match up to watch tonight will be James Harden vs. Daniel Hackett. In the first meeting at Galen Center, Hackett played as good of defense as I've ever seen, holding the Pac-10 leading scorer to 4 points (0-8 FG). The most impressive thing about Hackett's performance was that he denied Harden the ball and prevented the ASU offense from running through him. Obviously, Harden will be more aggressive today, but Tim Floyd will change up his defense as well. Expect to see Hackett on Harden all night, but also expect for Floyd to pull some things out of the hat that he didn't show the Sun Devils last time (Box and 1, aggressive double teams, Triangle and 2, etc). How the Trojans play defensively against Harden will dictate the outcome of this game.

In the first meeting, DeMar DeRozan took over in the second half and put the Trojans on his back en route to the victory. The Sun Devils really don't have anyone to match up one on one against DeRozan and the zone defense they play caters to the open 15 foot jumpers that DeMar has been nailing with ease lately. In the first meeting, he also did a great job of getting behind the zone and getting easy buckets as a result. Look for more of the same today because the Sun Devils don't really vary their defense up much from that pesky zone. Dwight Lewis also killed the Sun Devils with five threes in the first meeting. If Dwight is shooting like he was on Thursday, the Sun Devils are in for some trouble and may need to switch to a man defense. Lewis and DeRozan are the keys offensively for the Trojans today.

As long as USC takes care of the ball and contains Harden, I think they'll win tonight. It's too important of a game and the Trojans will be playing with a sense of urgency from the get go. Also, the Sun Devils could have a bit of a let down after getting a big victory over UCLA on Thursday. This is crunch time and the Trojans need to get it done tonight. Let's play.

Arizona 83, USC 76

Very tough loss in Tucson last night for the Trojans. They got off to a terrible start and were down 18 at one point, but battled back and almost came away with the win. The run going into the half was impressive and the Trojans played extremely well offensively in the second half. Unfortunately, Arizona hit too many shots early and got too many open looks down the stretch as well. Give credit to Nic Wise and Chase Budinger, who both had terrific shooting nights, but the Trojans defense still left much to be desired. Arizona is too good a team to be given multiple open looks on the perimeter. Dwight Lewis was on fire with the three ball in the second half and DeMar DeRozan kept the Trojans in it early. Daniel Hackett also was as aggressive as I've seen him, but again missed a pivotal free throw in the last minute. Teams are really focusing in on Taj Gibson and doubling him down low every time, so it was nice to see the other three big players for the Trojans step up.

Tim Floyd did a better job with the offense in this game, but made one critical mistake down the stretch in my opinion. With the Trojans down three with 30 seconds left, they came out of a timeout and Dwight Lewis shot a contested fade away three with Jordan Hill in his face. It was terrible shot selection by Lewis, but it was also a mistake by Floyd not to try for the quick two. There was plenty of time left, so you have get a high percentage shot in that situation. Very bad call.

The missed free throw by Hackett was absolutely huge. With the Trojans down two, Daniel made an acrobatic shot to tie it up. Then, there was a timeout and Hackett stepped up to the line and missed another clutch free throw. It led to another transition opportunity for Arizona and Nic Wise capitalized by draining the decisive three. If Hackett hits the free throw, the Wildcats would have had to take the ball out of bounds and set up a half-court set, something they weren't able to do all night.

The Trojans transition defense was dreadful last night. Arizona did execute well, but USC was lazy getting back and it led to countless open threes and layups for the Wildcats. USC was on their heels and didn't close out on the perimeter shooters. It was as bad as you can get as far as perimeter defense. In the half court, the Trojans D actually looked fairly good. They didn't let Jordan Hill catch the ball deep in the post, and they did a good job cutting off Wise's penetration. It was the transition game that killed USC.

After the game, I told a friend that I was impressed with how we played last night for the most part, especially offensively. He told me, "Yeah, but we can't keep having good losses. It's crunch time. We need to win." He is absolutely right. The game at ASU is a near must win for USC. I've said all along that I believe 20 wins will get USC into the NCAA Tournament, and I still believe that. That means that the Trojans must win their four remaining home games and one of their three road games. 11 Pac-10 wins should get the Trojans in the Tourney, but 12 will likely seal the deal. That means the Trojans must take care of business at home, beat ASU on Sunday, and win one in the Bay Area. That doesn't seem too improbable. Neither does a sweep in the Bay Area (neither team looks very impressive to me). So, it will likely be either 11, 12, or 13 Pac-10 wins for the Trojans. I think any of those three numbers will get USC in, but 12 will make it a lock. The Trojans need to win some games, starting Sunday.

USC @ Arizona

This is the start of crunch time in the Pac-10. Every game is pivotal and tonight's is no exception. Arizona sits only 1/2 game behind USC in the conference standings, so this way could go a long way in determining if the Trojans qualify for their third straight NCAA Tournament. The Pac-10 may only get five teams in and USC is sitting in fifth place right now, albeit only one game out of second place. Arizona has won five in a row, so it won't be easy tonight in Tucson.

In the first meeting at the Galen Center, USC edged Arizona by a point but didn't play their best basketball. The big matchup problem for the Trojans in that game was guard Nic Wise. He was able to penetrate with ease and get open looks for himself and his teammates. USC will need to come with quick double teams to cut off his penetration, but be ready to close out on Arizona's outside shooters, especially Chase Buddinger. The matchup in the post between Jordan Hill and Taj Gibson was pretty even in the first meeting, and I'm looking forward to another great battle between the two tonight. Hopefully, Taj's dislocated pinkie finger is feeling better. He will need to keep Hill off the glass and not let him get too deep in the post for easy buckets.

Marcus Johnson will be out again tonight with a shoulder injury. The Trojans will really miss his spark off the bench and his ability to drive to the hole. Donte Smith, Marcus Simmons, Keith Wilkinson, and Nikola Vucevic will all need to step up off the bench in Johnson's absense. Look for the Trojans to go with a bigger lineup to try to stop Jordan Hill.

The Trojans defense needs to get better over these last eight games. The past couple weeks they have been abused by the pick-and-roll and are letting teams get too many open looks. The intensity needs to return to where it was at the beginning of conference play. Offensively, the Trojans must do a better job of moving without the ball and getting looks for Taj Gibson and DeMar DeRozan. Get the ball in the hands of your play makers.

It's time for DeMar DeRozan to start carrying this team. He clearly is the most talented player on the squad and must continue to develop his aggressive instinct during this critical strech run of Pac-10 play. He's been steadily improving and I'm ready to see him break out. Last year when the Trojans won 5 of their last 6 games to close out the regular season, O.J. Mayo averaged 28 ppg. I'm not saying he needs to do that, but DeRozan does need to put this team on his back right now and help lead the Trojans into the NCAA Tournament.

The Trojans probably need five more wins (that would get them 20) to secure a birth in the NCAA Tournament. If they take care of business at home by winning all four (the Washington game will be tough), they only need to steal one of their remaining four road games. However, winning two or even three on the road would put the Trojans in a much better position to make a deep run in the Pac-10 and NCAA Tournament. They should be able to get a split in Arizona (today's game is critical) and if everyone's healthy, a sweep in the Bay Area isn't out of the question. It starts today. Let's play!

Hey Mr. Smith: Sign Joe Crede!!!

With the start of Spring Training approaching in less than a week, the Minnesota Twins have yet to fill their hole at third base. If you told me before the off-season that the Twins wouldn't have addressed this issue at this point, I would probably think it would be to a lack of quality third basemen available on the free agent market. Yet, that is not the case because one very good third baseman is still available: Joe Crede. The former White Sox third baseman has absolutely killed the Twins over the years with his monster home runs and stellar defense. While it's true that back problems have limited him over the past couple years, he had surgery in the off-season and is reportedly ready to go. I'm not going to go into any statistical analysis because the bottom line is this: a healthy Joe Crede is substantially better than a platoon of Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris at third base. Crede is a perfect fit for the Twins because he is a right handed power bat and plays gold glove caliber defense. He hit 17 home runs in 97 games last year and made the AL All-Star team. When healthy, he is legitimate 30 HR guy. The Twins have shown a reluctance to offer a contract to Crede thus far because of concerns over his health. They say he is only at 75%. Even if he is only at 75% the Twins should sign him. It is not a big risk at all considering they are well under their payroll of last year and they have a decent backup option with the Buscher/Harris platoon. Anyone who says Crede isn't better than that platoon is absolutely crazy and probably hasn't watched him play. It would be a risky signing if you didn't have a backup plan, but the Twins do. It seems that everyone always says that the Twins are one bat short. This is the chance to get that bat and go from AL Central contenders to World Series contenders. Do the deal, Mr. Smith. Sign Joe Crede!

USC @ #12 UCLA

This is a defining moment in the season for the USC Trojans. With a win tonight, USC will tie UCLA in the Pac-10 standings headed into the final eight games of the regular season. A win tonight also gives the Trojans a split of the season series for the second year in a row, and a second straight win at Pauley Pavilion. Both teams are playing very well right now. This is sure to be a defensive battle and whichever team executes better on offense will probably come out on top. The key will be who makes better adjustments from the first meeting.

The key to the game for USC is to keep Taj Gibson out of foul trouble. In the first meeting, Taj picked up three quick fouls and had to sit for about 14 minutes in the first half. The Trojans were able to stay in the game, but undoubtedly could have taken a lead into the half with Taj in there. The Bruins have absolutely no answer inside for Gibson, so USC should feed him early and often. Dwight Lewis also had a rough game against the Bruins the first time, only tallying four points. He will need to find a way to get some open looks against the defense from Jrue Holiday and Josh Shipp. DeMar DeRozan had a great first half in the first meeting, but was shut down in the second. The Trojans must find a way to get him involved in transition, and get him some open mid-range jumpers. Daniel Hackett must take care of the basketball against the quick Darren Collison.

Defensively, the Trojans must find a way to contain the terrific back court of UCLA, led by Darren Collison and Jrue Holiday. Maybe more importantly, USC must not let Nikola Dragovic be the X-factor that he was in the first meeting. Dragovic had three threes in that game and all of them were open looks. The Trojans must do a better job of defending the arc because the Bruins won't be able to get anything inside against Taj Gibson.

A good start tonight is critical, especially because the game is on the road. The Trojans can ill afford to have to play come back like they did in the first meeting. Also, USC must play a full 40 minutes in order to get the win. In the first game the Trojans went to sleep for too many stretches at a time. If the Trojans want a conference championship this year, they must beat the best at their house in order to get it. Let's play!