It is nut cuttin' time.

The Gophers hoops team doesn't have much hope when it comes to making the NCAA tournament, but if they win the next two games (Purdue, Illinois) they at least have a shot. And at this point in the season, its more than they deserve.

Put us firmly in the camp of "there's no way they beat Purdue" tonight. Purdue is waaaaaaaaay too much for them. They are going to go small and make Tubby put some guys in to cover the perimeter. Iverson and Sampson are too big and dopey to cover anything outside the lane. They will have to play Westbrook a bunch and that guy is a cancer -- we hope we are wrong, but they just don't match up with them at all. Plus, Damien Johnson basically said Purdue is overrated and he thinks the Gophers have as much or more talent than Purdue - but the Gophers just aren't as nationally hyped. Hmmmm...nothing like lighting a fire under the #3 team in the country who might have over-looked you if you didn't open your big mouth.

We were wrong about USA/Canada and we could be wrong about tonight. Let's hope so.

We don't get it.

The 2010 Olympics are here. I won't watch a second of the action. And...for the last 10 or 15 years I've actually wanted to like the Olympics.

Other than that kid currently taking a nap in his big boy bed and that other kid who is yet to make an appearance, I don't love anything more in life than sports. If I am to believe what I hear, one of my first words was "touchdown" for crying out loud...I love sports. But the Olympics -- even the summer games -- have never done anything for me.

Sure, I like the pics in SI of Lindsey Vonn and Cool Runnings was one of the greatest movies of the last 30 years. But the Olympics just doesn't do anything for me. However...pitchers and catchers report very very soon. And I am quite interested in that.

So...let's get this half pipe thing out of the way and let's figure out as soon as we can that Team USA won't compete for any kind of medal in hockey. I just want summer and baseball to get here. I need it.

Let the games begin and let them end just as quickly. And then its time to play ball.

Greg Gagne is a Twins Hall of Famer?

Greg Gagne was a good shortstop on a World Series championship team and I guess that makes him worthy of being in the Twins Hall of Fame. Not that we didn't like Gags and not that he didn't bring a lot of great defense to that 1987 team. But...he's hall of fame worthy? Really? Okay, the weather is too crappy to disagree today, so we will just go with it. Congrats.

Hey snowplow guy...go eff yourself.

I have freaking had it with winter. Seriously, let's just be done with this. Cold Omaha is moving to a warmer state sometime in the next 2 years. It has to happen. I can't deal with this anymore. Not only am I tired of driving in this crap, I am really sick of getting my driveway cleaned out and then having the snowplow driver come by my house and bury me waist deep in more ice/snow/shit from the road. Sick of it. Hurry up summer or I am going to lose it.

The Twins are going to be pretty good.

Yeah yeah. We know. And in other news, water is wet and coffee tastes good. But for real...the Twins are going to be special this year. We couldn't be more excited about the upcoming season and we can't believe we are actually going to be a part of the magic. For the first time ever, we are officially season tickets holders. Yup...my dad, a buddy of his and my buddy the Dicker decided to get season tickets together. Section 102 at the new ball park -- it is going to be pretty sweet.

The Twins are set for a great year. Just take a look at this projected lineup:

CF - Denard Span

Could boost his OBP (.392 last year) but he's a great lead-off hitter because he takes pitches and isn't afraid to be aggressive when he needs to be. We don't want to say too much here because we really feel like he's playing above his head and we don't want to jinx him.

2B - Orlando Hudson

This 8-year vet has had stops in Toronto, Arizona and LA and has a career batting average of .282. He's a 4-time gold glove winner and 2-time all star. We still can't believe the Twins actually opened up the checkbook and added this guy. He will be a game changer at the top of the lineup. He averages 79 runs scored per season and we are going to guarantee you right now that he scores 100 runs this year.

C - Joe Mauer

Not much needs to be said here. He's going to sign a long-term contract with the Twins before the season starts and he will average more than $20 million per season. And that would be a deal because he could get $25-$30 million on the open market. He's just entering his hitting prime and while he probably won't be a catcher for more than 4-5 more years, he will be able to play some first base and will DH well into his mid to late 30's. He's won batting titles and an MVP award.

1B - Justin Morneau

The other former MVP needs to stay healthy but if he does, he will once again be one of the top power hitters in the game this year. Again, not much needs to be said about this guy.

DH - Jason Kubel/Jim Thome

Holy crap, we just wrote Jim's Thome's name in the Twins lineup! That was fun. And, Jason Kubel is - and has been - one of our favorite Twin's players over the last ten years. Kubel was great last year and is finally healthy enough to play outfield on a regular basis which would give Thome even more at-bats. We have no idea how Thome will hold up but if he can stay upright and can be even remotely as good as the old Jim Thome, he is going to be a great addition.

RF --Michael Cuddyer

He turned into a homer and RBI machine last year. We don't know what to expect from Mike. He's an overachiever in our mind, but he's shown that he belongs in the lineup everyday. He needs to stop sliding headfirst and beating up his hands. And stop with all the magic tricks, its embarrassing.

SS - JJ Hardy

Hardy hit 26 home runs in 2007 and 24 in 2008. He dropped off last year and fell out of favor with the Brewers but we firmly believe last year was a mirage. Yes, we liked Orlando Cabrera and we would have loved it if he stayed here. But Hardy is younger and has a lot more upside so the Twins actually made the right move by bringing him in here. And...they got rid of Carlos Gomez in that deal - who can argue with that?

LF - Delmon Young

I know, he hits everything to right field, he can't catch a cold and he looks really uninterested during games. But you know what? He's a player. The kid is only 23 and just three years ago he was the best hitting prospect in baseball. He lost 30 lbs in the off-season and he is saying all the right things about being dedicated to getting better and wanting to learn from the team veterans. Call us foolish, but we want to think this could be Delmon's break-out campaign. My Dad accused me of being drunk when I said this back in the fall, but I think Delmon could be an MVP candidate as soon as 2011.

3B - Danny Valencia

Yes, Nick Punto and/or Brendan Harris will most likely be in this spot on opening day but I really hate both of those guys as players so I don't want them in there anymore. Third base is going to be the weak link on this team, so why not have a prospect in that spot who can learn on the job, get some big-league experience, and become the cornerstone player that we need at the hot corner? Valencia is up to the task. He's 25-years-old, so it's not like he's wet behind the ears. He's torn up the minors with a .299 batting average in 4 seasons -- he's got power potential and he isn't a hack with the glove. Wouldn't you rather watch a kid with potential than watch Brendan Harris or Nick Punto? Us too. We might have to wait until the weather warms up to see him, but we think Valencia will play a big role this season.

So...there you have it. Looks pretty good, right? It's going to look even better from our seats down the first base line and in wonderful HD television. Ugh. We can't wait.

Today is the day.

Today is signing day for high schoolers and that means 6'8" 330 lb Seantrel Henderson will make his college choice by writing his name on the dotted line. The Golden Gophers are rumored to actually have a chance at landing the huge dude who just happens to be the highest rated offensive lineman in the country. And oh yeah...he played his high school ball at Cretin.

If Tim Brewster gets Henderson to sign with Minnesota, we will lay off Coach Brew for a while because a guy like Henderson is wanted by just about every premier program in the nation. You said you could recruit Coach, and if you get Henderson we will believe you. He's an in state product and you told us that guys like him were going to be a priority for you. Prove it.

So many questions...

We wish we had the real story about why Royce White is leaving the U of M . We honestly don’t have a clue. He’s had trouble with the law and he’s scared for his safety…that’s what we know for sure. Um…okay. That’s it? Like we said, we don’t know what is really going on and how deep the story runs…so…yeah. We don’t know.

What we do know is that we tried to watch some of the Gophers vs. Ohio State game yesterday and it made us sick to think that Tubby Smith could use a player (several players) like White on this team. The offense is almost as anemic as the Gopher football offense and yesterday Tubby’s Titans gave up 85 points – that’s the highest total since he arrived on campus three years ago. The Gophers aren’t going to make the NCAA tournament again this year and if anybody other than Tubby Smith coached this team…we are pretty sure there would be some people crying for a new coach to come in here and turn the program around.