Random Rumblings

TWINS
-Joe Mauer makes his long awaited return tonight against the Kansas City Royals at the Dome. I said that the Twins would just need to tread water until the All-Star catcher returns and luckily, that's exactly what they've done by going 11-11. Jose Morales actually was quite impressive replacing Mauer during April, and he did enough to warrant keeping him around for the time being. The Twins will carry three catchers for now and it is certainly a luxury to have a solid young switch hitting catcher off your bench. I think Mauer's return will show just how valuable he is. Obviously, his presence in the lineup is key, but maybe even more important is his unique ability to handle the young pitching staff. He also virtually shuts down the running game of the opponent because no one tries to run on him. Mauer is going to be a huge boost to this team. With Mauer, the Twins play with more confidence and feel they can beat anyone. He is the most important player on this team without question. Look for the Twins to take off now that they have him back.

VIKINGS
-The Purple did exactly what I wanted them to do in last weekend's NFL Draft by drafting Percy Harvin and Phil Loadholt. I am psyched. Harvin will be an explosive game breaker. He is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Having him, Berrian, and Adrian on the field at the same time will be sweet. Speaking of Peterson, we now have two 6'8'' book ends for the best player in the NFL. Loadholt is a great run blocker and should lock down the right side of the line. I give the Purple an A on the draft. Percy is going to be awesome.

-I want Brett Favre on the Vikings. Football immortality got his release from the Jets this week and there is already speculation about him possibly joining the Vikes for one last Super Bowl run. The fact that he said he doesn't want to play football "at this time" only was fuel to the speculation fire. He still won't say that he is retired for sure. If he is recovered from the torn right bicep that hampered him through the later part of last season, the Vikings should go after him. Not only would the Vikings problem of selling tickets immediately disappear, but Favre would fill a big question mark that still exists at the quarterback position. I don't believe Brett Favre is washed up at all. When he was healthy last year, Favre was playing terrific football. His decline started when he got injured. In addition, Eric Mangini's lackluster play calling didn't help the Jets down the stretch at all. Favre's decline certainly contributed to the Jets collapse, but blaming him singlehandedly isn't fair. I believe that with Favre the Vikings would be the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. If Brett wants to play and the Vikings make sure he's healthy, I would definitely take a fly on him. He would be the missing piece for the Purple. The Favre speculation this year has started rather early. Gotta love it, especially if he ends up on the Vikings.

USC BASKETBALL
-The Trojans were delivered a big blow this week when it was announced that Renardo Sidney will no longer be playing at USC next year. It was certainly a complicated situation, but basically USC ended up not wanting to take a risk on a player with a lot of questions surrounding him. I'll do a longer blog post detailing this soon, once I get more information. What we do know is that it's a big hit to the Trojan's recruiting class for next year. Nonetheless, I'm still excited for next year's squad. The Trojans still have a solid class, with Lamont Jones, Noel Johnson, and Derrick Williams all coming in, with the possibility of a couple more players as well.

NBA PLAYOFFS
-What an exciting series between the Celtics and Bulls. It is probably the best playoff series ever. What has made it so great is the degree of difficulty on some of the shots and the variety of players who are stepping up for both teams. It's not just Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Derrick Rose, and Ben Gordon. It's also Big Baby Davis, Kendrick Perkins, Brad Miller, Joaquim Noah, and Kirk Hinrich. Unbelievable series. I'm very happy it's going to Game 7. An extremely interesting story line is that Kevin Garnett may actually see some time in Saturday's deciding game. There are already rumors swirling about KG playing. If he does take the floor, this already crazy series will become even crazier. Gotta love playoff basketball