Eric the Blue

Before tonight’s Game 2 against the Spurs, I might as well put the hex on the Twolves’ 38-year-old point guard Mike Conley, who, having earned favorable notices for his performance in the decisive Game 6 win over Denver, backed it up in the opening road win against the favored Spurs: in 24 minutes, he scored 12 points (on just 8 shot attempts), got 2 rebounds, passed for 6 assists, did not once turn the ball over, and played “pretty good” defense. With Edwards and Ayo both available tonight, his role will shrink, and the chances I’ll look like a dolt for praising him aren’t too high.

But why should I fear looking like a dolt? Chris Finch only put T. J. Shannon in the rotation when injuries required it. All winter my teen-aged daughters have been grumbling, “Why is T. J. buried on the bench?” Now I have to listen to the Tolja-sos. Thanks, Finchie.

I have so far failed at making these girls baseball fans, which is a shame, because in the summer there’s a game almost every day. It gives you something to do while awaiting senescence. (Come to think of it, it gives you something to do after that occurs, too.) But of course my kids are not worrying about what to do with themselves when their energies fail. If they were preparing themselves by being baseball fans, maybe they’d realize that Byron Buxton must be the most unappreciated sports star ever to wear a Minnesota uniform. Man, has he been on a tear: 11 homers in the Twins’ last 19 games. I saw today that his lifetime slugging percentage of .490 is, among Twins, behind only Harmon Killebrew, which means it’s not behind Rod Carew, Tony Oliva, Kirby Puckett, Justin Morneau, et. al. I would rate Byron a better fielder than Harmon (and everyone else who’s ever played for the Twins). He’s also above average as a baserunner. “But he’s always hurt!” No one ever says that about Mickey Mantle.

Hard to make people happy. There are 30 teams in the NBA and for two seasons in a row the Twolves have been among the last four standing. Three more wins against the Spurs and they will have done it again. When people complain about them, it reminds me of how my mom would advise: “Think about other people once in awhile, maybe your own problems won’t seem so bad.” Yeah, right, think about fans of the Utah Jazz. Plus, they have to put up with the Mormons, or be one themselves, which would be unpleasant if you’d somehow acquired a taste for either coffee or liquor.