Cup of Coffee

March 8, 2017: Full of Surprises

77 Comments

Skim isn't...overly coordinated...but in a bid to become more active, she decided to join the swim team this year. She's in the 50m freestyle. Her first meet was Tuesday.

Much to her surprise and to mine...she won.

77 thoughts on “March 8, 2017: Full of Surprises”

  2. Swimming is a wonderful sport, coordinated or uncoordinated. Like Track & Field, you get to participate individually, but you are also part of a team, so you have a bunch of others that have your back. Good for her!

    1. Indeed. My kids were not very fast swimmers, but both competed in summer rec leagues (where, for most kids, the meets are more about hanging out, running around, and eating snacks than swimming per se) and the Girl even swam a year or two on the h.s. team. I am a big fan of the social power of participation, particularly in these "less popular" sports (e.g., swimming, cross-country). They were great for both of my kids' social development. Exercise was a nice bonus.

    1. That being said, I fully endorse participation in sports in school when not taken to an extreme. Junior is very introverted and being part of the baseball team in junior high and now high school has really helped him socially and I think it has really given his self-esteem a boost. Trey is very outgoing and likes to lead, so I challenge him to be a leader on his baseball teams. He struggles with fear holding him back from doing things or trying new things. With baseball, you can tell at times he struggles with being afraid of getting hit by the ball, which happened to him a few times the first year he was hitting against a pitcher. He also at times struggles with self-confidence and I have to remind him that he's a good player and deserves to be out there. When he does have success, you can see him really light up.

  4. The Dozier contract situation is starting to make me scratch my head. If reports are to be believed, the front office hasn’t even opened a conversation about an extension. There are certainly reasons to avoid extending a player too long — especially a middle infielder headed into his thirties — but if the Twins believe their window is something like 2016–2020, Dozier seems like the kind of guy they’d want to keep. Yes, they have some prospects who could play second or force Polanco to move over, but if I’m building a contender for the next 2–3 seasons, keeping a guy who’s averaged 32 homers a year for the last four years seems like something I’d be motivated to do, particularly with the payroll flexibility they have after this season. A four year contract (through age 35) would allow Dozier to try to get one more multi-year deal, although what the free agent market looks like at that point is anyone’s guess.

    Perhaps the biggest question is where he’ll play in a couple years. I don’t remember him having a particularly good arm in his time at short, so perhaps they’re thinking he couldn’t handle third when Lewis & Gordon get to Minnesota?

    1. I'm puzzled about that, too. Extending Dozier may or may not be something you decide to do, but I don't understand why you wouldn't at least want to find out what it would take to do it.

    2. On the other hand, you can see all the free agents next year, the depth at 2b in the minors, and the draft pick compensation from a qualifying offer and can see that the Twins have a lot of leverage.

    3. The more I think about it, the more it seems to me like it might mean Falvey and Levine aren't sure they're in their window yet. Remembering that the Twins were essentially sellers at last year's trade deadline, and that Dozier was almost sold off last off-season, and knowing that he'd be great trade bait this year if things don't work out... it makes sense, that that might be how they're viewing it. Maximum flexibility means an ability to trade Dozier too. Heck, even if they are in their window, if they have someone who can take over and by trading Dozier they can get the pitcher they need or something... that makes a lot of sense to me.

      1. I've never loved Dozier. I don't get it, really, honestly. I'm kind of surprised they haven't reached out to him on a deal, but I'd also be pretty hesitant to hand him over $20 million a year.

        TR really should have gotten some FA years in his last contract.

  5. It's official (or at least Woj-official), the Wolves are adding Derrick Rose. Not a fan of this move at all - there isn't a need at PG, he sure seems to be washed up, he has off-the-court issues, and fits into the narrative that Thibs keeps trying to recreate Chicago.

    4. A washed-up shoot-first point guard is exactly what this team needs. KAT's usage is at a career low 22.4% and with his TS% at a career high .649, we need to drive that usage even lower. D-Rose is just the guy to do this.

      1. I wish the Wolves would try to find out what happens if KAT is tries to fill the Anthony Davis role now that Boogie's out.

        1. Holy shit do the Wolves need to re-configure their offense. Every half court possession that doesn't include Towns is a stupid idea. He's the best offensive player they have and it is not close. Jimmy Butler is a cold-blooded killer, but Towns is a better overall offensive player. He should absolutely be the focal point and they should use him to beat down the opposition and get open shots for everyone else because he's got to be double teamed. Period.

          But, there's a problem. Wiggins.

          Wiggins' usage is also down to 23.7 (higher than Towns!) from 29.0 (!!!!!) last year. His TS% is .510 (career low). His PER is down to 13.1 (league average: 15.0, career low). If Wiggins isn't scoring, he's totally useless. And he's not an efficient scorer, mainly because of his horrible shot selection. 21% of his shots are long twos (career low, but still...). That is absolutely ridiculous. Every time I see Wiggins dribble in a foot or two inside the three point line and jack up a shot, I die a little inside.

          Wiggins' OffRtg is 101(!!!!!!), His DefRtg is 113(!!!!!).

          The max contract kicks in next year. Disaster.

          1. Towns has 15 games this year with 10 or fewer FGA. That is completely insane. Only 30 times (out of 66) has he had 15 or more FGA. He should have 15 FGA EVERY SINGLE GAME.

            1. They should have won a title in the prime KG years. He was the best player in the world.

              2. Well, it's not like he'll have to learn a new offense, considering Thibs' hasn't changed since he last rolled with Rose at PG.

          4. This is a hard team to like. I split a half season with some neighbors.

            I'm trying to be positive. Taj has been a surprise. Butler and Towns are great. Wiggins seems like a nice guy...

            1. Taj is a real pro. Butler has been awesome. Towns has superstar talent. I root for Bjelly and Gorgui. Teague is frustrating. It's like he doesn't have a feel for the game. Shoot the open three, Jeff! But, I'm not as down on him as some people. Wiggins, man. He's gonna be an anchor.

              1. I agree but the coaches need some blame here. They need to be drilling it in his head that those lazy midrange jumpers early in the shot clock are not acceptable.

                  1. It's funny, because every time I see a Wolves game on national TV, the announcers often talk about how talented Wiggins is. As he misses bad shot after bad shot. I don't get it.

                    2. When you don't really know anything about a team, you reach for The Narrative.

                      When it comes to Wiggins, "I've always been a patient man, but my patience has reached its end."

                    3. His instincts are to take terrible shots. I don't understand it. He is extremely athletic and should be able to basically get to the basket at will, but he prefers to step a foot inside the three point arc and take an out of rhythm fall-away jumper. Sigh.

          5. Agree 100%. The Wiggins contract is going to be on a lot of "worst contracts in the league" lists at this rate.

    6. Welp, I'm out. I have no interest in following a team with Rose on it, especially a really poorly constructed one.

    7. I had just been lamenting to myself that I hadn't watched any basketball in the last month or two. Looks like I don't need to concern myself with that, anymore.

    2. I've watched too many football games because I saw him do the "fencing pose" after the fall and instantly said concussion.

      glad he walked off

    3. Jamal Crawford needs a short leash when he cant hit his shot. He came two feet short of the basket on a three point attempt.

    1. Happy to see Bjelly do well, but good lord, I can't stand our coach/GM. Or the owner, for that matter. I'm so jealous of Boston's Stevens/Ainge pairing.

      2. Heard last night that Thibs was open to trading Wiggins last summer (for Kyrie, maybe?) and Glen Taylor squashed that. Ugh.

        I have been with this franchise literally from day one as a fan. There have been some really, really, really bleak years. But, if they miss the playoffs this year and then it all unravels because of that Wiggins deal (and it could!), well, I don't know.

  9. In slightly better basketball news, SBGville is one win away from their first trip to the state boys basketball tournament since I was in kindergarten.

    1. It could be a big year for WGOM alma maters, what with SBGville, 'Kato East (Bootsy) and Spamtown.

      1. And my high school team won its first game in the girls state tournament last night!

      2. SBGville won the 9-man football title this year and a trip to the State BB Tournament on top of it might drive the locals into an unprecedented frenzy.

      3. Big winter for my squads. Boys Hockey matching up with Hermantown today at 1pm in the state semi-finals. Girls hockey took 3rd. Girls Basketball just punched their ticket last night. Boys swim team finished 4th. Lots of police/fire escorts around here these days.

        1. I gotta say I'm not a ginormous fan of the 4-class system now for hoops. There are only 7 teams in the 1AAA sectional tournament. Spamtown, as the top seed, only has to win two games to head to State. Seems...cheapened.

          Plus, the 4-class system means that seven-time defending champions DeLaSalle is always, always waiting. They need to take a clue from the Cali football playoffs and have an Open division. (But...but but, is this finally the year? Spamtowners have beaten the 2nd-ranked school in 2A in Minnehaha Academy, which plays a big-time schedule, as well as the 4th-ranked big school, Lakeville North, in Lakeville's gym at their own tournament, plus a split with 6th-ranked big school JM, a split with 17th-ranked big school Owatonna, sweeps of 3rd-ranked 3A school Bootsyville and 11th-ranked 3A Northfield, and a blow-out season opener win against 15th-ranked 3A Totino-Grace; those are very encouraging signs).

          1. I don't quite remember the one class tourney in Minnesota but I do remember when the A and AA champions would playoff. My dad lived in Little Falls when he was a kid, so I remember cheering for Little Falls in that playoff game in 1975, which was the last year of that playoff. Also, it's six-time defending champ DeLaSalle, unless this year is a foregone conclusion.

            North Dakota now has four(!!!!) divisions in football, AAA, AA, A, and nine-man. In AA, there are only 10 teams in the entire state. They play a nine-game regular season, which means that every team plays every other team in the state. Wahpeton is AA. They are in the extreme SE corner of the state. They have to play Watford City every year, which is 425 miles away. Belcourt is 300 miles. Bismarck is 250 miles. Devils Lake is 217 miles. This is craziness.

            1. Four? Pikers. South Dakota has seven classes of high school football.

              I don't defend that, I just enjoy it for what it is. It makes for a lot of 3-5 teams making the playoffs, and it makes for a lot of first and second round blowouts, but people seem to like it, so whatever.

            3. ND obviously has logistical issues with some remote schools and low density areas of the state—but in higher density areas, I think high schools should do what they can to enable a chess-like system where teams are ranked by Elo and scheduled to play teams of similar strength. You would get a single table of rankings and could seed a state tournament based on size if you liked. IMO, blowout games are the worst part of HS football (no one learns much of anything) and just organizing by size doesn’t truly solve that problem when you have some schools out there which effectively recruit for talent and are sometimes willing to go as far as creating an associated school for the football players so they don’t really have to go to class (e.g. Bellevue HS in Washington.)

          2. DeLasalle's head coach in those years is now a Drake assistant. We'll see if that matters.

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