Monday Heat Wave

Just some musings today.  As I re-start this blog, I've already missed my first self-imposed deadline of having something Monday morning.  So while I sit here with no air conditioning in what is soon to be 100 degrees, note that my irritation level is a bit higher than usual.

• Our Minnesota Gophers open their 2013 season versus the UNLV Passin' Rebels on a predicted scorcher of a night as 14 point favorites, according to Bovada.  While I've told everyone to bet their house on the Gophers as 11 point favorites, the new line, the steamy weather, and the lingering shoulder injury to CB Derrick Wells make me feel a little bit queasy right now.  Especially the weather. I want my man-crush QB Philip Nelson to be as comfortable as possible.
• One player who appears to not be missing the game is Ra'Shede Hageman, who right now is the subject of many interviews and articles, including this fine one from Amelia Rayno.  It is pretty clear that Hageman is a good person, a good attitude, and a good athlete, but is he a good player?  That is the subject of tomorrow's Twinstalker blog entry.
• There are few teams I prefer to talk about less than the Minnesota Vikings, but then they go make that draft pick a few years back of Superman himself, Adrian Peterson, and my awe knows no bounds.  Last week the angst level was high when my old pal Bobby O and I learned Peterson would play against the 49ers with their league-toughest defense.  The cussing got a little out of control before game time, when we found he was only allowed two plays with no contact.  Our first reaction?  Why did we risk putting AD on a plane?  It could have gone down!  No need to really test that Superman theory.
• Kyle Gibson was mercifully sent down to AAA Rochester this week.  There's been some speculation that the Twins made the move in part to ensure Gibson's shutdown occurred somewhere where he doesn't accumulate major league time after hitting the limitations placed on his innings pitched this year.  But Gibson already had spent enough time in the minors to not only add another year of highly paid indentured servitude to the Twins, but also enough for the Twins to avoid facing arbitration with him after the 2015 season.  I suspect the main reason Gibson wasn't simply shut down with the Twins was because the team wanted him to have a couple of good starts to think about this offseason.  It had become pretty clear that wasn't going to happen in the majors.
• Gibson's poor MLB showing this year is somewhat disappointing, because you always want to be wowed by a rookie and have that extra hope you've really got that rotation piece for the next 6-10 years.  The more common scenario, though, is that of a young pitcher getting schooled and having six months to figure out how he can be more effective the next year.  A lot of learning occurs when you're not trying to do the job itself.  Gibson turns 26 in October and while that's old for a top prospect, he's missed time and had to recover from a major surgery.  It can be easily argued the Twins are lucky he had Tommy John surgery while still in the minors.  By the time he's fully recovered, which should be the case in 2014, the Twins will have him tied up for six seasons.
• It doesn't really matter, but it's sort of a shame that Gibson pitched 51 innings instead of 49.  I can't tell whether I feel that way because I wanted him to have a chance at Rookie of the Year in 2014 or because he would have been cheap to protect on my fantasy baseball team.
• Gophers hoops coach Richard Pitino has one more scholarship available for the upcoming season, and the plan is to fill it with senior PF transfer Rakeem Buckles from Louisville via Florida International.  Today is eight days from the beginning of classes at the U.  How is it that nobody seems to know whether Buckles will be playing for the U or not?  Here's the kicker:  classes at FIU start today.