Observations on Sports this Weekend

Today’s Redskins game vs. the St. Louis Rams scares me. It’s the type of game that teams who are learning to win overlook. You’re at home, heavily favored and the opponent is winless. Every pundit is picking you to win easily. It’s the kind of game where you can get caught looking ahead.

The NHL season kicked off this weekend. I am very excited about the Capitals after last season’s run. Alex Ovechkin and the core of young stars have added an energy and excitement to the team that has not existed in the past. It's somewhat surreal to think that the best player in the NHL plays for my team. They split their first two and do not appear to have trouble scoring goals. But giving up 7 to Atlanta is a bit worrisome, even this early in the season. I’d like to see Ovechkin defend his MVP, especially if Crosby is the competition. I can’t wait until they visit the Wild on November 23rd. It will be my only chance to see them this season.

The Wild had a solid outing in their opener, defeating Boston 4-3. There was a great article Saturday in the Star-Tribune about the core of the Wild team. It provided some great perspective on selecting the right talent, not just the best talent, for your team. I had a chance to meet Doug Risebrough a couple years ago and was impressed with how thoughtful he was on the subject. I think the trap that most fans get into is becoming dazzled by talent. It’s all too tempting to do the same as a GM, but in the end, it’s about putting together the best team you can, not about putting together a collection of individuals. Doug has that perspective and I think he’s assembled a core of players that will have the Wild winning for awhile, even if Marian Gaborik doesn’t stick around.

I am at a loss for words with Michigan.

I haven't seen much baseball this postseason. With the Yankees missing the playoffs, I haven't had much to root against. I'm pulling for the Rays.

The Pony Jets, Addie's soccer team, finished their season yesterday. While they didn't win a lot of games, the kids had a lot of fun. It was really rewarding to coach them. I think I learned as much as they did and I got to spend quality time with my daughter. I am really proud of her. Check out Polly's blog for a picture.

Finally, Polly is trying to convince me to run the Twin Cities marathon next year. I've never thought of myself as a runner in that way, but the challenge is intriguing.