Does Joe Mauer have competition?

I intentionally waited to make a Timberwolves post for a few different reasons, and the lockout was one of them. Another was not to be one of those people who posts how the Timberwolves will win 50 games this year after winning their first game, or will lose 50 games by losing their first game. I wanted to see a few games of this youth movement (volume 4 for the Timberwolves), but I wanted to see how they looked coming off a shortened training camp/pre-season.

A non Timberwolves fan will see the 0-3 start as another “here we go again” situation. As far as wins vs loses go…that may be the case. But we’ve learned a few things about this team through three games that makes this them far more intriguing than years past. Mainly, Ricky Rubio…… He. Has. ARRIVED.

In a year that saw a Vikingsless Brett Favre hand the reigns over to a rookie, a Twins team that absolutely fell off their rocker (that’s an intentional term), a whirlwind of mess that is Gopher athletics, and rebuilt Wild team that no one knows what to expect…Ricky Rubio appears to have arrived at the right time.

Minnesota is a unique sports market in that it doesn’t take a whole lot for a star athlete to claim ownership of the fans, while stamping on his/her label as to say “this is MY town”. First it was Harmon, then Frank, then Kirby, Randy, KG, Peterson and lastly Mauer. This is Mauer’s town to lose…and if he’s not careful, Ricky may be getting the key to the city before we know it.

Before you anti-Joe Mauer folks go off, remember that Joe Mauer has some pretty radical achievements and he’s still young. Professional athletes are allowed to have an injury filled year…especially if they’ve won batting titles, gold gloves…etc. Give Mauer this year before writing him off as “one of our own”, but also embrace that the Timberwolves have something special in Rubio. And who do we have to thank for that? Yup, Mr. David Kahn.

I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to jumping all over Kahn and his decision making skills. He’s done a decent job at dumping salary, but he still has some TERRIBLE moves/decisions that are killing us (Flynn and Darko to name a few). But we all know that Rubio was going to be the cornerstone of Kahn’s tenure with the Timberwolves. Kahn believed in Ricky and he sold that belief to Kevin Love and others in the organization. Now it’s time for the pieces to fall into place, and Kahn to earn his paycheck by surrounding what we’ve got, with the CORRECT pieces to make this thing go according to plan.

Love it or hate it, this is an NBA town. If the Wolves are good…the winter buzz in this town is something else, and you can’t deny that. We NEED the Wolves to show some real promise as it may be a while before the Vikings/Twins or Gophers do. For the Wild, they get a “TBD” stamp…because all we want from them is the playoffs. At least for now…

As for Ricky…Minnesota is like the newly single gal at the bar. Not the skanky one (Wisconsin), or the quiet nerdy one (Iowa), or the “obsessed with how good her butt looks in those new jeans that were SO last year, but she still stares at herself in the mirror for 20 minutes before going out” (North Dakota)…Minnesota is the attractive one that you don’t realize is single. She’s fun, she’s got a sense of humor, she’s cute…and she’s not embarrassing herself. But she wants to be wanted…so while Joe Mauer and her are “taking a break”, go get her number Ricky…strike while the iron is hot. Make Joe a little jealous...

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