Making a list, hoping for change

Talk about it

This is the time of year for lists.

Christmas lists, year’s best lists, year’s worst lists, New Year’s resolution lists. The list goes on and on.

I’ve never been a big list guy, because if I made one, I would undoubtedly fall short in my attempt and achieve only frustration and what’s the point of that?

I certainly hope for things, who doesn’t? Hoping doesn’t take as much work or thought and when it inevitably doesn’t happen, the letdown is minimal.

The following is a list of things we’d like to see change, or at least modified or maybe just tweaked. The chances, I realize, are slim, but why not ask? After all, it’s the holidays.

For many years I’ve hoped that winter sports scheduling in this town would be modified. I use the word modified because change will never happen.

I’ve never understood the idea of piling event, after event, after event on to one or two days in a week. If the goal is to split up and dilute the crowds, mission accomplished. There are bus trips — Williston, Dickinson, Rapid City, Spearfish — that require weekend games. But there are a bunch that do not.

This January, there are 60 Jamestown College and Jamestown High School events planned, 44 of them are crammed on to Fridays and Saturdays. I rest my case.

r Chance of change: 0 percent — I’ve been here long enough to know better.

In recent years it’s become increasingly difficult to track down Class B scores and as a result team records.

These scores and records are important to us. People in LaMoure like to know what Litchville-Marion-Montpelier’s records are, and in some cases, they may know better than us.

There is a relatively simple fix to this. When coaches or team managers fax or call their results into us here at The Sun, either include the record on the fax or have it handy when we ask you for it.

We’re able to track down 90 percent of the scores and 90 percent of the records, but with districts and regions becoming more and more spread out geographically — especially in football — tracking down every score and every record is becoming a tall task, but we do try.

r Chance of change: 75 percent. I know most of our Class B friends will at least try.

It wouldn’t be fair to aim all of our frustrations at just our local teams now would it? Especially not when we have the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves and Wild to poke fun at.

Cubs and Red Sox fans are famously known for their fatalism, but Vikings’ fans are nipping at their heels.

It’s so entertaining to see the panic and frustration of a team that is 11-3 and likely a shoe-in for the No. 2 seed in the NFC. This week alone, we’ve run three stories about how Brett Favre and Brad Childress are mad at each other. With Favre, drama is part of the deal. He can’t live without it.

But how about this: Just let the season play out. The Vikings are in the hunt and have a chance, that’s plenty for me.

r Chance of change: 5 percent. Most Vikings fans are inherently irrational and frankly it’s entertaining so why mess with a good thing?

At least the Vikings are relevant, that’s more than what can be said for the Timberwolves and Wild.

I realized years ago there are about 7 of us in Jamestown that care about the Wolves, and thanks to the recent prolonged drought that number may have dropped considerably. All I’m hoping for at this point are more losses and a better chance at the No. 1 pick in the draft and Kentucky guard John Wall.

r Change of change: 2 percent. The Wolves have always been star-crossed. If it’s not Christian Laettner or J.R. Rider it’s Ricky Rubio. One would think some day things might change, but with the Wolves probably not.

The Wild started out terrible, but have been better lately. What I’ve always said about the Wild, though, is that every year seems the same. They’re not real good or real bad and that’s the case again. They’re always cheap though and the only star they’ve ever had — Marian Gaborik — is second in the NHL in scoring, including 26 goals in 35 games after getting big bucks from the New York Rangers when the Wild refused to pay up.

r Change of change: 8 percent. The Wild will probably back door into the playoffs again and be eliminated shortly thereafter — just another season at The X.

Speaking of cheap, how about the Twins?

For years there was a lot of, “If you build it, the players will come,” jive from the Twins. Not surprisingly, that has not happened. They traded for J.J. Hardy, which was a decent move. But as they move into Target Field next April, Nick Punto will still be the 2nd baseman and who is at third? I don’t know. They haven’t added a single pitcher of note and Joe Mauer is unsigned 10 months away from free agency. How do you think the Twins will fare in a bidding war for Mauer’s services with the Yankees and Red Sox? I assure you, the ending will not be happy.

r Chance of change: 1 percent. There’s not a more gullible fan than a Twins fan. They don’t demand much, and now with the new stadium the Pohlad children will continue to line their pockets with new money, while throwing Carl Pavano on the mound, Punto at second and probably a scrub like Joe Crede or someone comparable at third. They’re cheap, blatantly cheap and it’s getting really old.

I don’t like ending on a sour note, after all, tomorrow is Christmas.

But as we’ve all learned through the years, it’s not often as sports fans we get to have our present and open it to.

Sun sports writer Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at daves@jamestownsun.com

Tags: jimmies jays vikings twins , sports, class, b