It's really unhealthy to be a Minnesota sports fan.
I can't trust any of my teams anymore because some of the decisions coming out of downtown Minneapolis are simply so indescribably idiotic that it makes me wonder about the sanity of everyone involved.
The Vikings give me a little hope, as the defense is stiffer than Bob Dole, and the offense will only get better as Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson and wideout Sidney Rice develop into one of the more solid RB-WR tandems in the NFC.
The biggest question mark is, of course, at the quarterback spot, where Tarvaris Jackson has been about as consistent as Mitt Romney. For some incomprehensible reason, however, coach Brad Childress seems to adore him, and it looks like T-Jack will lead my beloved Purple to the promised land - or more likely to where the team has been since the glory days of 1998: mediocrity.
Fine, I can deal with Tarvaris. I can't, however, deal with that walking felon Dwight Smith for another year. He can't tackle, and he bites on every double move a receiver makes. It's a science. Can you imagine Wes Welker against him? Lord, what a massacre. Draft a safety; play with 10 guys. I don't care. Get that moron off my team. And send Troy Williamson back to that Nike vision camp.
The biggest news in the baseball world in the past week, however, has been the departure of star southpaw Johan Santana to the Mets for a bunch of "prospects." There have been literally hundreds of articles about this trade and one theme reigns supreme: The Twins got robbed. Badly.
After the Twins' trade for Delmon Young, I had high hopes for new GM Bill Smith.
And now this.
What an unbelievably bad trade. Smith hugely overplayed the Twins' hand, seemingly convinced he could put the Red Sox and Yankees into a bidding war for the world's best pitcher.
Bill, these teams aren't stupid. Neither team needed Johan Santana. Instead of taking the best deal when it was offered - and Hughes/Cabrera, Lester/Crisp and Ellsbury/Masterson were all better than the one Smith accepted - Smith felt the crunch and folded.
I thought the negotiation process went something like this: High-ball offer first; then low-ball offer. Then, the teams get closer and closer to the middle.
Instead of doing this - and accepting ANY other deal - Smith idiotically flapped his lips for six weeks and accepted the worst trade of them all.
The Twins received four players: Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, Deolis Guerra and Carlos Gomez.
Who? For Johan Santana?
Humber and Mulvey are projected to be number three starters, at best. Bill, we have those already: Baker, Blackburn, Bonser, Perkins and Slowey. Remember? What the hell are we going to do with two more mediocre pitchers?
Guerra has potential, they say. Of course he has potential. What 18-year-old with a 95-mph fastball doesn't have potential? See you in half a decade, Deolis. Maybe.
The so-called "star" of the deal is Carlos Gomez. Baseball insider Keith Law called Gomez the 35th-best prospect in baseball.
For the single best pitcher of his generation. Seriously?
One of Gomez's assets is his incredible speed. Apparently the kid can run like a Kenyan marathon runner out in center. You know who else is fast? Jason Tyner. Gomez, Jason Pridie and Denard Span for the center field job: Boy, if that doesn't inspire hope, I don't know what will.
VP of player personnel Mike Radcliff says the acquired players "all fit profiles of things we need," and compared Gomez to Torii Hunter.
Is this guy nuts, too?
Bill, please don't turn into another Kevin McHale. One moronic GM in our town is more than enough.
Ross Marrinson is a senior majoring in international relations. He can be reached at Ross.Marrinson@tufts.edu.
