Back from an extended absence.

Good to be back on the blogosphere after an extended hiatus which saw me get older, smarter and dumber at the same time. Learned a lot about living and dying and found that my passion for sports has limits but my passion for golf knows of none. I've learned that my passion for theatre has limits but my passion for performance knows of none. I don't know, everything really does seem so trivial now. My last blog was talking about basketball and now it seems trite and unimportant. Of course it was about the Wolves so maybe that explains it..

Now calm down, I know some are worried that my love for sports has wained over the years and that I don't follow it close enough to have opinions. Not true, I still follow as much as I did when I was 10 maybe more. Problem is I'm more cynical, more jaded perhaps even a little bamboozled. I feel like I've been played as a fan to a certain extent. Maybe it's Favre related or PED's related or Lebron or worse.... slow pitch softball leagues I don't know. Maybe that's another blog for another day. Point is I love sports still and will still blog about them a ton but I've found other things that have peaked my curiosity such as faith and mortality and movies that say stuff and politics and the pursuit of life's purpose whatever that maybe.

I just turned 29. This was scaring me most of the summer because I have an unhealthy relationship with getting older. Not growing up but just getting older. I'm not worried or upset that I'm not married or I don't have any kids or anything like that. It really is just the fact that I'm older and over the last year I've become all to aware of the fragility of life and just how quickly things change. When I was younger I always believed I was Superman. Even when I would get hurt I knew I'd bounce back. I guess you just think your invincible and that you and your friends and your colleagues and co-workers and actors would just stay in the time capsule and live forever. The weather is always nice in Metropolis just not always in Minneapolis. So I anguished all summer lamenting my birthday and lamenting what seemed to be the end of my prime. My formative years by the wayside. What was to await me was an onset of morning knee pain and small talk which would most likely consist of what the weather was like and what I had for breakfast last tuesday. Complaining about shitty things like .The service at the dollar store and why there are no good 7 day movie rental places like there were in my day!

I probably coulda bummed out a retirement home. Ponzi scheme victims might have still found a way to cut me a check from whatever was left of their ruins. Then it happened. August 20th hit and the world didn't stop. I didn't just grow gray hairs I found that I was just as alive as I was the day before. Maybe dare I say more alive. The happy birthdays came pouring in and all I could think of for the first time in a few months was "this life.....pretty cool" and pretty lucky. Before I went to bed my heart poured for People like Super Kyle and Tim Gage and Lynne Saba all people who I had genuine love and respect for who passed on since my 28th birthday. It would disrespectful to these awesome people if I continued to lament getting older.Or if I pissed and moaned about  knee pains and bad golf swings and long school days and Brett Favre.

So indeed it's a new day at The Chili. No longer worried about my youth fading and embracing what truly should be my prime with the hope that I'm being guided by higher forces. Forces who are smarter and funnier and more sports savvy then I'll ever claim to be.

Maybe I'm Missing Something

I'm a big NBA guy as some folks know. All this season I've heard that the Suns are shopping Amare Stoudamire and it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It's not every day that a young physical monster who can get you 20 points a game with range all over the floor becomes available. It just makes no sense for the Suns to do this. They lack size as it is and the one true size you have you're shopping. That being said I believe that if someone wants to dance, they should have a dance partner. This is where my favorite NBA franchise enters the picture.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are the perfect suitor for a trade for Amare. The Wolves are way under the cap with money coming off the books this off season and lets be honest, Lebron, Wade, Bosh and the like are not signing this off season with Minnesota so that's why you make a trade for Amare right now and make a splash. Here is my trade idea. Amare to the Wolves for the expiring contracts of Mark Blount and Brian Cardinal. For the Suns you move Amare and free up 16 million dollars off the books for the off season. It's clear your not in the mix for the championship so why not give yourself some off season leverage in pursuit of one of the big free agents.

For the Wolves it's a great trade because you sell hope to the fan base. You acquire a young player who get's 20 points a game. He can slide right into the front court with Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. This would give you one of the best young teams in the NBA for next season with Flynn and an improving Corey Brewer  in the backcourt. Not to mention you have another high draft pick coming in the draft this season. Why not do this if you are David Kahn and the Wolves? Worst case scenario, Amare pouts and sucks. His money comes off at the end of the 2011 season so it's not like your on the hook here. It reminds me a lot of the Kings in 1999 when they acquired Chris Webber and paired him with a young and growing team. At first Webber wasn't feeling it and vowed to leave when his contract was up and ended up staying and helping the Kings make a sustained run at the title and validating him a star in this league. This is Amare's time to do that for the Wolves.

What are the odds of this trade? I don't know exactly. I know the Wolves had interest in Stoudamire in each of the last two off-seasons or at least it's been rumored so why wouldn't they be now. It's a win-win for both teams.

Twins Get Thome! Whoopie what does it all mean Basil?

It's time to talk baseball at the chili. The Minnesota Twins signed perennial Twins killer Jim Thome to a 1 year shot in the dark. It's low risk and at best it should give the Twins what they need to repeat as the AL Central division champions. At worst, it's one more Craig Monroe,Tony Batista,Joe Crede, Jeff Cirillo and the list goes on and on. The Twins have a track record of taking blind stabs on players at the end of the line.

So Why could Thome be different. Well out of all the players listed above, no one has the pedigree or the track record that Thome has. Sure he's 39 but he can still turn on a fastball and on a team that was trotting out Jose Morales late in the season at DH because of injuries I ask the world what harm could it do? This move though as much as I'll endorse it cannot be the signature move for the Twins if they expect to make noise. The fact is they still have no answer at third base and second base is sketchy at best. There are still no sure things in the bullpen and that includes Joe Nathan. There are also questions with the rotation. Is Frankie Liriano back or do we have the same dead arm head case that we had last year. Can Carl Pavano stay healthy for two staright seasons and we haven't even gotten to Pat Neshek  and Kevin Slowey.

I know this seems negative and I know you're thinking I'm down on the club. I'm not. Every team has holes and question marks as we head into the season. Even the Yankees made questionable moves. Hello Nick Johnson anyone? The Tigers got worse and The White Sox couldn't hit the broad side of a barn last year so yes we are good. Just looking for potential snags. I love baseball. Bring on the Season!

A Break from Sports.....Temporarily!

This is a sports blog I know but every now and again its important to divert oneself from the sports meat-grinder and broaden the horizons. I saw a movie but not just any movie. I finally saw the one movie that everyone else has seen. That's right Avatar! For the 28 years of my life I've been told myriad times to see a movie because quote "Its Amazing!" or "It's the greatest movie ever made" and very rarely has said film delivered the goods. Same for this film except this time they might actually be right. There are movies that transcend generations. This is one of them.

I know it sounds like Hyperbole but I have to say that I have never enjoyed my in theatre experience like I enjoyed this one. It was easily the most visually stunning film I have ever seen. It seems about every 10 years or so a movie comes along and pushes the visual envelope. From Jaws to Star Wars to Jurassic Park to Saving Private Ryan to Lord of the Rings to Avatar.. It vaulted into my top 5 all time along with Field Of Dreams,Annie Hall,American Beauty and Young Frankenstein.

I'll take others top 5 in the comments.

Vikings Autopsy

One of my biggest worries this last off season was if the Vikings sign Brett Favre, what would we do after the season. Sure there was the possibility he would play more than one year but most betting people were thinkin this was a one and done thing.Which begs the question for the Vikings, what do we do? Do the Vikings hold out hope that an off-season of reflection will be enough to lead Favre back for one more last chance at the Super Bowl. Do they draft the future QB like Tim Tebow or Colt McCoy. Do you hitch your wagon to Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels hoping a year behind the old sage was enough to help them take the next level.

All of these scenarios have merit but unfortunately none of them offer a sure fire way to get back to the NFC Championship and beyond. First, if the old sage decides to comeback again he would be 41 years old and I don't recall anyone who got better at 41. I realize that he just finished a career season at 40 but lets be serious here, what are the odds that he can catch lightning in a bottle again. You aren't supposed to get better as you get older so I have to believe at some point Favre will regress and if you are a Vikings fan are you willing to roll the dice on that for next season. I still believe he will retire. This was a one shot deal. I have to believe Brad Childress knew this in advance but knew this was a chance that he had to take.

I think that no matter what the drafting of a future QB has to be part of the future plan. My wish would be for Tim Tebow. Some have questions about his mechanics which I suppose is fair. Some have questions about his game and whether or not it transfers to the next level. I don't worry about these things. Mechanics can be coached and wondering whether or not a game can translate is just silly. That argument can be made for anyone. I wonder if Jimmy Claussen will be good at the next level. I question Colt McCoy's ability to play at the next level. Here is the difference for me. Tim Tebow played in every big game imaginable and way more often than not he found his way to the winner circle. I can't recall a big game that Jimmy Claussen won and as good as McCoy was for Texas. I can recall more than a couple games where McCoy looked average. So why not Tebow. He comes from good stock, He has proven to be durable and has all the qualities you want in a winner. Last I checked it's about winning. Vince Young proved this year that its about winning first and mechanics second.

Either way you slice I expect to see more of T-Jack and Sage and not the old sage but Sage Rosenfels (aka The Fumblecopter). Has sitting a year proved to be positive for them or is it same old. If its the former, we may have a chance to get back to the playoff. If its the latter, to put it bluntly...it could be a long time before we have another shot at the title.

It Could be Worse......Right?

I heard it all this week from jubilation about the Vikings chances for the Super Bowl to the feeling of inevitability that we were somehow destined to lose. The same talk was coming from New Orleans, Was it their time or were they destined to be the "Aints" for life. It was the proverbial irresistible force meeting the immovable object and something had to give. Unfortunately for Vikings fans, we gave yet again.

Every loss takes on a life of their own. I think of '98 when Dennis Green opted to take a knee before halftime and left time and time-outs and most likely points on the table. Gary Anderson misses the big kick and we lose. I always treated 2000 like you treat the rebound girlfriend in high school. It was ok but you know it wasn't going to end well and your head was still in a haze from the last girl. This was different. It wasn't that hot girl you had in '98 but she had personality and experience and showed you things you hadn't seen before and for a little while you thought this could be the one. Ah but alas for Vikings fans this relationship ended a lot like the others leaving you a little older, a little more jaded and unsure if you will ever find the right one.

However to Vikings fans, let me be clear. This was on the players. Not the coaches or the officials or the crowd noise or the late hits or the booth reviews or the overtime rules or anything. It was on the players who played. The biggest stat in football is turnovers. The Vikings turned it over 5 times. They fumbled 6 times. They had 12 men in the huddle late in the game with a 45 yard field goal all but in the bag. Bottom line, we had 60 minutes to win this game and we didn't and when you don't get it done in regulation you leave it all up to chance. A coin toss and even then only about 60 % of the teams who win the toss actually win the game. Its not the officials, I felt they called about as fair a game as they could. Meacham caught the ball in my opinion and the two ball spots were too close to overturn. The coaches called a good gameplan, the guys just didn't execute. It was Peterson and Favre and the O-line and the D-line who put little to no pressure on Drew Brees all game. Instead of getting mad at the wrong people, you should shake it off and tip your hat to Sean Payton and The Saints for doing what some people thought would never happen.

It could be worse Vikings fans. We could be Pittsburgh Pirates fans, we could have no football team at all........oh wait. I probably shouldn't say that either.