Say It's So, Joe!

Joe Mauer is a Minnesota hero, similar to Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. He is the go-to guy for almost anything and his face can be seen on everything from the T.V, billboards and milk cartons. However, his batting statistics in the play-offs are far off what we expect from him. After Joe's fellow big hitter and smash brother, Justin Morneau, is out with a concussion means Joe needs to step up in the play-offs. A lot is expected from Joe. Joe is without argument the best all-around player the Twins have. He is also the highest paid Twin ever. This season Joe only has one home run at the new Target stadium and is not up with his normal stats. With the other Twins not helping much on offense, Joe needs to take charge and get his team fired up. Lately, Joe has been being compared to Yankee shortstop and perennial All-Star Derek Jeter. With Jeter being accustomed to the play-off pressure and having to generate offense, he is no stranger to being called upon in clutch moments. However, Jeter has not won an overall baseball Most Valuable Player award and Mauer has; on top of that Mauer has won three batting titles and Jeter has none. So is Joe ready to take the lead or are the Minnesota fans expecting too much from him?

Hammerin' Hank Aaron Hits In The Hero Spot.

Hero's Quest: Hammerin' Hank Aaron

Stage I: Birth (and background)

Henry Louis Aaron was born February 5, 1934 in Mobile, Alabama, in the segregated South; few would imagine at the time of his birth that he would become the ultimate symbol of America's past time.

Henry, or as people mostly refer to him as Hank, is one of or is the best baseball player to ever play the game. Hank played for 22 seasons with what is now the Milwaukee Brewers but during his career was the Milwaukee and then Atlanta Braves. He holds the record for most home runs in a career with 755. (That is home runs hit without the use of performance enhancing drugs.)

Stage II: Departure

Call to Adventure: Hank grew up playing and loving the sport of baseball and his love of the game got him noticed. At the age of 16, he was scouted and signed with a Negro League team called Indianapolis Clowns. At the time, baseball was segregated with blacks playing in the Negro Leagues and whites playing in the Major Leagues. Later in 1952, the Boston Braves acquired Aaron's contract for $10,000 and sent him down in their minor league system. He also received the Rookie of The Year Award.

Crossing the Threshold: While Jackie Robinson became the first black major league baseball player, Hank benefited from Robinson's role on April 13, 1954 when he got his first shot at the big leagues. Hank would go 0-5 that game. In his second season he was voted to the All-Star game for the first of his 24 times.

Stage III: The Land of Fulfillment

Hero Partners: As one of the first handful of black athletes to join the major leagues, Aaron joined fellow pioneers and partners Eddie Mathews, Willie Mays, Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby.

Tests/Ordeals: In his first major league game, Hank would be tested -- he fails to reach base as he goes 0-for-5 at the plate.  Later on that season, he brakes his ankle and has to sit on the bench for six weeks.

Journey to the Underworld: During his career, Hank's power at the plate becomes evident. As he closes in on breaking the great Babe Ruth's home run record, Aaron is subject to racial taunts and death threats -- clearly feeling like he is facing death.

Stage IV: The Return

Magic Flight: When Aaron smashes home run 715, the ball sails into a magic flight to the record books. As he crosses home plate, the journey to the underworld is a thing of the past.

Elixir: Aaron is inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown.

Master of Two Worlds: He mastered both Negro League and Major League baseball. He later becomes the Ambassador for the sport of baseball worldwide.

Should Tim Brewster Be Dumped Down The Gopher Hole?

So far this season as the head coach, Tim Brewster has lead the Minnesota Gopher football team to a 1-4 season (and he is 14-24 lifetime with Minnesota). Brewster has a brand new state-of-the-art, on-campus stadium to play in and the support of a revitalized fan base because of the stadium. He also has been in charge of the football program for four years now so clearly this team bares his imprint. With all the young talent and the athletes he has recruited himself, he has still lost four home games in a row and has ruined the excitement of the new stadium has brought out in the fans.  With the high expectations Coach Brewster set publicly before the season began, the losing overall record and the terrible start to this season, it begs the question: Should Coach Brewster be on a one way ticket out of Minnesota? Many people believe that with our neighbors from the east (Wisconsin) and south (Iowa), having such success with football, why can't the great state of Minnesota have a winning football program? Is it the facilities in Minnesota? Tim Brewster said one thing that helps a team win is having a stadium on campus. With the new stadium built, why can't the coach win a game? Lastly, Brewster has said that good coaches can bring the talent out of any player -- so with Tim having coaching experience in the National Football League, why can't he pull out a win in collegiate level? So now ask your self this, when will Tim's plane take off, if it takes off at all? Tim Brewster has been given everything he says he needs to build a winning program yet he has not -- and now is the time to find another football coach who will use all the assets Minnesota has and build a winning football program.