SB Nation Minnesota - Features

NLL Lacrosse: Minnesota Swarm Host West Division Finals Against Edmonton Rush

2012-05-12T13:00:35Z

The Swarm host the Rush as both teams look for their first ever Champions Cup finals berth.

You've heard about it all week. You've read about the social media battle, the dancing Swarm players, the discounted tickets for you poor Minnesota sports fans, the owner of the Rush on local radio trash talking Minnesota for their lack of care for lacrosse... Now it's time to put up or shut up.

The Minnesota Swarm host the Edmonton Rush in the West Division Finals at the Xcel Energy Center tonight at 8:30. This is the first time these two teams have met in the post season, but is surely not the first meeting between the two. The season series is tied at one game each, with both games being decided in overtime. What that sets up is sure to be a classic game that will go down in Swarm lore.

Do not let the Rush's 7-10 record fool you. Captain Andrew Suitor said the Swarm are not, in any way, looking past the Rush. He noted that the Swarm have "won five in a row, but the Rush have won four in a row," making these two of the hottest teams in the NLL. What Suitor failed to note is that the Swarm have not lost since the media game.

Coincidence? Likely not.

The Rush have a strong defense, and put up 19 goals against the number one overall seed in Calgary last week. The Swarm had their own upset, as they knocked off the Colorado Mammoth, in Denver, in front of 14,000 fans. Rookie Evan Kirk let just ten goals in, and Ryan Benesch stepped up big time to lead the offense. In between, the Swarm put together a complete game from beginning to end, with defense and transition play both being solid as well.

This week, the Swarm will likely adapt their game a bit to meet the challenge they know is ahead of them. It will be a tight checking game, and likely low scoring, as the two prior game were 10-9 and 9-8, two scores that are almost unheard of in the NLL.

Not surprisingly, the Swarm are happy to be home again, after winning their first playoff game in team history. Suitor laughed as he said, "Hopefully, the gorilla is off of our back. You can't even call it a monkey, it was way bigger than that. Hopefully everything works out and maybe we'll have two more games here."

That could be the case, as the Swarm are the second highest seed left in the playoffs. If the Rochester Knighthawks can defeat the Toronto Rock, and the Swarm can beat the Rush, the Champions Cup would be held here in St. Paul for the first time ever.

But that's something they can worry about after tonight. For now, this is a big one, Swarm fans. Tickets are still available, and the game will also be broadcast on CBS Sports Net, nationwide, for the third straight week. Do yourself a favor and head down to the X. You won't regret it.

If you haven't been there before, bring a cowbell. You'll understand when you get there.

Vikings Stadium Debates Have Taught Valuable Lessons Already

2012-05-10T16:11:36Z

All signs are pointing to the Vikings stadium bill being passed and the team remaining in Minnesota. So what did we learn throughout the process?

If you have been following the Vikings stadium saga closely for the past week, there has been a lot of information thrown at you. As the stadium bill went through three Committees to the House to the Senate to another Committee back to the House and now back in front of the Senate today--did I lose you yet?--there have been more twists and turns than the most difficult Mario Kart track.

But Thursday marks what is hopefully the home stretch and the final major hurdle for keeping the Vikings in Minnesota. After the newly revised bill passed the House in the wee hours of Thursday morning, all signs are pointing to the Senate and Governor Mark Dayton giving the final thumbs up needed to pass the bill. (That sound you hear is every Vikings fan in the world furiously knocking on wood. We should all realize by now that when it comes to legislation, nothing's over until it's over.)

While we're not out of the woods yet, we can still take some time to reflect on what we've learned thus far throughout this incredibly arduous process:

Politics can be excruciatingly tedious and boring. No matter what your political leanings happen to be, I think we can all agree that we'd rather not have to "see how the sausage is made" when it comes to stadium legislation ever again. If the legislators weren't taking an incredibly long recess for reasons that were never totally clear, they were introducing amendments to the bill that ranged from "WTF does this have to do with anything related to the stadium bill?" to "You really have no idea what's going on, do you?" I'm sure the mindless minutiae was not unique to this bill, but it was a sobering experience for the many Vikings fans like myself that attentively watched live feeds of the House and Senate floor for the first time.

Vikings fans are an incredibly passionate bunch. There are plenty of people opposed to spending the money it takes to build a new stadium to replace the Metrodome, but it was pretty tough to hear them over the incredibly vocal support Vikings fans have showed at every turn. They relentlessly bombarded the phones and inboxes of every politician involved. They showed up outside of the Capitol like they were tailgating for a playoff game. They commented in the thousands upon thousands on our SB Nation Vikings site, Daily Norseman. Yes, an event that involved exactly ZERO passes, rushes, or tackles necessitated multiple overflow threads because the original posts were getting too bogged down by all the activity. It's amazing how something so tedious garnered such a huge response. If that isn't passion for your team, I don't know what is.

The Wilfs, the Vikings players, and the NFL have proven that they want to keep the team in Minnesota as well. It could have been very easy for the Vikings owners to close up shop. When the Minnesota legislation kept balking, stalling, and demanding more money at every turn, it would have been pretty hard to blame the Wilfs for considering a move to LA. But they have been incredibly accommodating to the constant influx of change, further evidenced by ponying up another $50 million to get the revised bill through the House. The $477 million figure would be the third highest team contribution for a stadium of all time. That's a pretty big statement to make for a team that doesn't reside in one of the country's larger markets.

It wasn't just the owners showing their support either. Many Vikings players have made appearances to help drive support for a new stadium. Cynics may cringe at parading players out on the Captiol to persuade voters, but hey, a little star power never hurt right?

Finally, it was refreshing to see the NFL front office favor tradition over dollar signs. Moving the Vikings to Los Angeles would almost certainly prove to be more lucrative for the league, but Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL seem to understand what the Vikings mean to the state of Minnesota. I'm sure that LA will get their team in the near future, but thankfully it doesn't look like the new team will arrive the same way the Lakers did.

A lot of politicians don't really know about how sports work. Listen, I get it--politicians shouldn't have to know how many yards Adrian Peterson rushed for last year in order to help run the state of Minnesota. Politics and sports rarely have to mix like this, and I think we're all very thankful for that. (Earlier in the week I Tweeted that the two were like the anti-Reese's peanut butter cup.) But still, it's pretty comical when politicos try their hand at comprehending the finer points of sport. My personal favorite was the representative that explained that the NFL had its own network and that the Vikings should try to get a TV deal like the Twins have with Fox Sports North. The "NFL Network", you say?! WHO KNEW?! And yes, I'm sure FSN could afford the multi-billion dollar TV rights required to air NFL games!

We'll all be glad when this is all over. The biggest lesson learned of all at this point. Here's to hoping that it be a very long time before Minnesota sports fans have to endure another episode like this.

Check out this SB Nation Minnesota story stream for more details on the stadium. For more on the Minnesota Vikings, go to Daily Norseman. You can also get all of your professional football news over at SB Nation's NFL hub.

Minnesota Twins Will Be Drafting Second Overall: Who Should They Be Targeting?

2012-05-10T13:18:04Z

With the Twins drafting the number two overall pick in June, let's look at a number of players who they might be scouting right now.

With the draft just a few short weeks away, I am going to attempt to jump into a discussion that I have never, ever started before. Namely, a discussion about which prospects I like for the Twins in their given spot. This conversation will be more interesting now than it may have been at any other point in this site's life, simply because the Twins have the second overall pick, but hey: a first is a first.

A couple of things, just so you understand my philosophy in how I rank my selections.

I will probably tend to value collegiate players higher, in part because this year's draft isn't seen to be that strong and so the uber-upside high school picks aren't really there at the top of the draft, but also because I see the next Twins wave of prospects being about two or three years down the line. I'd draft a player with the plan of having him ready to contribute to the Major League team by 2015.
Injuries and current health are huge. It's not like I have a sliding scale in mind or can really rate these guys that objectively right now anyway, but an injury counts against a player.
In general I will value a pitcher over a position player. Partially because I think pitching is where you start to build a team, and partially because the Twins have some pretty good position player prospects and not a lot of good, dependable pitching ones.

Steve Adams had a great run down on a number of options a couple of weeks ago. Be sure to check that out.

Kevin Gausman, RHP
LSU | 6-4, 185
Born: Jan '91 | L/R

Gausman throws gas. He sits around 97 with his fastball and can ratchet it up to 99 on occasion. As the scouting season has gone along, it sounds like he's improved on his other pitches as well. With LSU this year he's made ten starts, striking out 88 in 69 innings while allowing just 60 hits and 20 walks. He also induces ground balls, with just one home run allowed so far.

Richie Shaffer, 3B
Clemson | 6-3, 205
Born: Mar '91 | R/R

He's been called "the second best" hitter in the draft, behind Mike Zunino, but he's also been said to have the most upside of any collegiate bat in the draft as well. He's been rising through the ranks in recent weeks as his numbers stay high: .371/.515/.649 as a 21-year old junior. Shaffer also boasts a 44-to-30 walk-to-strikeout ratio this year.

Mike Zunino, C
University of Florida | 6-2, 215
Born: Mar '91 | R/R

Zunino is the best bat in the draft, and with good reason: he's a catcher who destroys opposing pitchers. He's hitting .328/.384/.639 in 48 games so far this season. Scouts seem to think he's a lower risk than some of the more popular pitchers, which only makes his "best bat in the draft" that much more desirable. If the Twins take a bat at number two, it's probably this guy.

Andrew Heaney, LHP
OSU | 6-2, 174
Born: June '91 | L/L

This southpaw has rocketed up the charts, thanks to what's been a very strong junior season at Oklahoma State University. In his first two seasons his results were mixed, but so far this year he's struck out 109 batters in 93 innings, posting a 1.65 ERA and .188 opponent batting average. All this in a conference that's known to be strong in baseball. His changeup is already a plus pitch and scouts believe the deception in his delivery will be an asset.

Mark Appel, RHP
Stanford | 6-5, 215
Born: July '91 | R/R

Appel is one of the more popular targets for the Twins, if you believe the pundits, but in spite of striking out 85 batters in 86 innings so far this season scouts don't think that ability will translate well to Major League Baseball. There's no deception in his delivery, meaning hitters get clean looks at the ball from the point of release. Still, he's relatively polished in terms of a fluid throwing motion, can throw heat in the mid-90s, and has decent stuff.

Five Left Out

Kyle Zimmer, University of San Francisco, RHP: Declining velocity, possibly due to a recent hamstring issue, and a shorter collegiate track record.

Byron Buxton, High School, OF: Believed to be the top prospect in the draft, but not a sure thing. Committed to Georgia; don't want to blow a pick on a guy who might end up in college. But he does, apparently, have 80 speed and an 80 arm. Twins do like toosly outfielders.

Carlos Correa, High School, SS: Scouts like to project him, but he's still just 17. Also one of Miami's recruiting class. Again: don't want to blow a pick on a guy who might end up in college. Drafting any prep player this high in the draft requires a team to be 100% certain that they won't go to university.

Stephen Piscotty, Stanford, 3B: Appel's teammate hasn't generated the power that scouts wanted to see at this point in the season, but they "see" the power. Might not stick at third.

Michael Wacha, Texas A&M, RHP: The most polished pitcher in the draft. Would be ready quickly. Typical Twins selection because he's close to being ready.

NLL Lacrosse: Minnesota Swarm and Edmonton Rush Keep it Fun as They Get Set to do Battle

2012-05-09T13:01:16Z

The Minnesota Swarm and Edmonton Rush have started the West Finals a little early, taking their battle to social media.

With the firestorm over the LA Kings twitter account from a month back, the reality of social media changed for professional sports franchises. No longer were the accounts only for dispersing official information and press release level stories. Now, the accounts were becoming "alive," more... "human." In other words, exactly what social media is supposed to be.

The National Lacrosse League is no stranger to keeping things more fun than serious, and is certainly no stranger to Twitter. With the conference finals set to take place this weekend (discount tickets still available), the Minnesota Swarm and Edmonton Rush are ready to do battle at the Xcel Energy Center. But first, they have taken the battle to the social realm.

Late last night, it was announced that Rush owner Bruce Urban will be on 93X here in the Twin Cities at 8:30AM. When the Swarm mentioned it on their Twitter feed, Urban replied:

Interesting move, having the owner of the competition on the radio the day after the owner of the local franchise, John Arlotta, was named GM of the Year, eh?

This all blew up into a fun exchange of tweets between the Swarm's official Twitter and that of the Rush:

Oh. Snap. They did NOT just bring up the five Stanley Cups they won, did they? You know, back in the 80's and early 90's? The last time Edmonton won anything was 1990. The Twins won the World Series in 1991. Yeah, that's right, we got you by a year, Edmonton! You don't even have baseball there.

Well, to be fair, we don't have much baseball here, either. That's not the point, though.

And yes, there is something in the rafters at the X. There's the, um... retired #1 sweater. Retired at opening night in 2000. That's the #1, which reads "fans" above it. More of a marketing gimmick than anything, but it's still up there. There is also that sweet Northwest Division Champions banner from 2007. That's the year the Wild were punished in the first round by the Colorado Avalanche.

It's also the last year the Wild made the playoffs at all.

The Rush also came at we Minnesota folk with what must be a mistaken reference to North Dakota:

While we may be just bloggers that live in our mom's basement, we do have the right to stay up as late as we want. So more like 11 o'clock, gosh darn you, donchaknow?

The Swarm, however, played the trump card over on Facebook. It seems that while writing the game preview for MNSwarm.com, they needed some help finding information on the city of Edmonton. They, as many are wont to do, turned to Siri, the all seeing, all knowing female voice inside your local iPhone:

Agreed, Siri. Agreed. It's not a wonder Apple makes so much money. It is difficult to get such honest and completely accurate answers from most AI interfaces.

In case you missed what all this is about, the Swarm and Rush this Saturday at Treasure Island Field at Xcel Energy Center. Tickets are still available, and through the link above, you can get discounted tickets to help you poor, suffering Minnesota Sports fans get in to see meaningful games in May.

The Rush staff think we don't know what it's like to win a championship. To them I say Go ~~Vikings~~ ~~Timberwolves Wild~~ ~~North Stars~~ Lynx and Twins!

We'll see you Saturday night inside the Hive.

NLL Lacrosse: Minnesota Swarm Offer 'Meaningful Games in May' Discount

2012-05-07T19:40:58Z

The Swarm want to provide the Minnesota sports fan with meaningful games in May. They are even willing to offer you a discount for your suffering.

If you are reading this site, you are likely a Minnesota sports fan. That, or you really enjoy watching others suffer. Either way, you're here, and that means you likely know a thing or two about just how miserable the Minnesota sports scene can be. The Wild haven't made the playoffs in four years. The Twins are on pace to lose over 100 games this year. The Vikings are, well, the Vikings. The Timberwolves had our hopes up before falling apart.

Setting aside the championship from the Lynx, we don't have much to cheer about here in Minnesota. Now you do.

The Minnesota Swarm have partnered with our Minnesota Wild site, Hockey Wilderness, to bring all Minnesota sports fans in the fold. The Swarm are offering discounted tickets to this Saturday's West Finals at the Xcel Energy Center for anyone who would like to see this thing called "the playoffs" live and in living color.

The Swarm and Hockey Wilderness are calling this the "Meaningful Games in May for Minnesota Sports Fans" discount. You won't get this deal anywhere else, except your Minnesota SBNation sites. The Swarm want a chance to prove to you that "playoffs" are real, and they are exciting.

Do yourself a favor and get on the bandwagon. The tickets, with this discount, are actually cheaper than regular season games. If you've never been to an NLL game, get yourself down to the Hive for this one. If you have been, why not come again, and support a team that is actually, you know, winning.

You can get your tickets through the Ticketmaster site, or by going to MNSwarm.com. Use promo code: Xcel

The prices will be as follows:

Colony (Sideline): $38 (saves $6)

Worker Bee (Endzone, Lower Rows): $22 (saves $4)

Swarm Troopers (Endzone Upper Rows): $18 (saves $2)

It's time to get on board, Minnesota. Come down to the Hive. Check out the Swarm. They're even ready to give you a discount for your suffering.

What Can We Expect From Brian Dozier?

2012-05-07T13:06:36Z

The Twins are calling up their first real shortstop prospect in years. As fans, what should we expect?

In the midst of what can only be called a lackluster start to the season, the Minnesota Twins have already been trying to tinker with their roster. Believing that Ben Revere needs to play everyday he was shipped back to Rochester, and in his absence the organization has been flinging castoff outfielders against a wall to see if one sticks. Clete Thomas and his multitude of strikeouts did not stick. Now we have Erik Komatsu and his upside of plate discipline.

Today also marks a pair of significant changes for the Twins. Struggling Australian right-hander Liam Hendriks will head back to triple-A to make room for southpaw Scott Diamond, but it will be the second incoming player that most people will be excited to see: shortstop Brian Dozier.

Dozier was an eighth round selection by the Twins in the now almost entirely defunct 2009 draft, and along with Niko Goodrum has been seen for the last couple years as the only players in the system who could possibly project into any kind of a Major League player (at least until Levi Michael was drafted last June). In January, Baseball America listed Dozier as the system's tenth-best prospect; Goodrum was praised for having the strongest infield arm, but it was Dozier who was nominated as the best defensive infielder and who was given the nod for having the best strike zone discipline.

But where Goodrum is just 20 years old in 2012, Dozier is 25 and may be as close to being Major League-ready as he can be. Between Fort Myers (high-A) and New Britain (double-A) in 2011, he hit .320/.399/.491 in a combined 569 plate appearances. That's all outstanding, but his age at those levels should be taken into consideration.

In 28 games with the Rochester Red Wings so far this spring, Dozier has batted .279/.339/.371 with 11 walks and 18 strikeouts. He nearly made the team out of spring training with a nearly identical batting average and on-base percentage as that. Of course spring training numbers don't mean too much, but the shortstop also slugged .511 in March.

How does Dozier compare to a few other shortstops that have come up through the Minnesota system?

Jason Bartlett was a year younger than Dozier when he got his first taste of triple-A, hitting .331/.415/.472 in 313 plate appearances back in 2004. At the time the Twins insisted he wasn't mature enough and wasn't enough of a leader to deserve a full-time job at the Major League level, which doesn't seem to be an issue with Dozier. Bartlett's offense does grade out higher however, as he'd continue to rock triple-A pitching until he was up for good (.325/.390/.461 lifetime at that level).

Cristian Guzman never went to triple-A. In 1998 he batted .277/.304/.352 in double-A with zero plate discipline and blistering speed that he didn't know how to use to his advantage on the bases. It was good enough for Baseball America to rank him the game's 68th best prospect coming into 1999, and he'd never look back. His '99 debut with the Twins saw him as a raw 21-year old, but he'd lead the league in triples three of the next four seasons and make an All-Star appearance.

Those two players are the only real comparable guys you could look at over the last ten to fifteen years, as they're the only shortstops to see real Major League time. Dozier doesn't have some the special tools Guzmas had but he's a better overall athlete and a better defensive player, at least fundamentally; Barlett was the better hitter, but it sounds like the Twins are more willing to put their faith in Dozier than they were Bartlett at the same age.

The only other player we could think about comparing Dozier to would be Alexi Casilla, but then we'd have to start talking about Luis Rivas. And Twins fans already have enough to gnash their teeth about without bringing him up.

Dozier will not be the savior of this organization. The Twins don't expect him to be, and we shouldn't either. Not just because it would be an impossible feat for him to accomplish on his own, but also because he's not an elite prospect. It's easy to be misled because of his great 2011, and it's easy to be excited because the Twins don't produce a lot of middle infield talent through the minor leagues, so it's important to know exactly how much we should expect from our latest arrival.

The best thing the Twins could do would be to tell Dozier that shortstop is his for the rest of the season. That they're going to allow him to learn on the job and that making mistakes will happen. A short leash does a new player no good at all, and if there are any aspirations at all for him to take over the shortstop position for the next couple years then they need to show him that level of faith.

Hopefully that's exactly what happens. Expecting great things from Dozier right away isn't what should be exciting about his callup. Instead, let's be excited that we get to see him develop and grow right in front of us, and that two years down the line he's a solid starter. That's the goal.

Vikings' Stadium Vote Could Lead To Biggest Day In Team History, Like It Or Not

2012-05-06T14:00:18Z

After a decade of trying, the Minnesota Vikings will finally have a stadium bill reach the floor of the Minnesota legislature on Monday. One way or another, it will be a historical day.

The Minnesota Vikings have played in 819 meaningful games in their existence (774 regular season, 45 post-season). During that time, the team has gone to four Super Bowls and five other Conference Championship Games. Despite all that history and all of those accomplishments, I can make the following statement without feeling as though I'm engaging in the slightest bit of hyperbole:

Monday, May 7, 2012 might be the single biggest day in Minnesota Vikings history.

On Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives will finally bring to the floor the bill that, if passed, will fund a new Minnesota Vikings stadium adjacent to the current Metrodome site. The entire process to this point has been filled with drama and partisan politics of every possible stripe, but for the first time in the Vikings' decade-long quest for a new home, they will have legislation presented to the entire state legislature.

While the tide seems to be shifting in favor of the pro-stadium crowd, the debate and vote in both chambers is likely to be contentious and acrimonious. Those that are behind the plan, to include Minnesota governor Mark Dayton, are cautiously optimistic, feeling that they have the votes to squeak the legislation through both houses. If the Senate and the House both pass the bill, they will then go into a committee to iron out any kinks and differences between the two versions of the bill. After that occurs, the final bill will be brought back to both houses for a final vote.

Hopefully, that's the way things will play out. If they don't, then the Vikings' future in Minnesota will be very much in doubt.

The Vikings have made it clear that, as far as a stadium bill is concerned, this is it. They have declared that they will not be back for another try in 2013, and that means that the team will likely be bound for another destination. The frustration that the team is exhibiting is understandable. In the decade that the Minnesota Vikings have been attempting to get a new stadium, there have been governors of all political stripes in the big chair in St. Paul. There is current governor Mark Dayton, who is a Democrat. There was Republican governor Tim Pawlenty. And there was. . .well, whatever the heck Jesse Ventura was.

The state of Minnesota has had budget deficits and budget surpluses, and there have been numerous other variables throughout the process. The team has been asked to play second fiddle to a new Minnesota Twins stadium. They've been asked to play second fiddle to a new Minnesota Golden Gophers football stadium. They've been asked to find a local partner, which they did with Ramsey County and the former Twin Cities Army Ammunition Depot. After that site was turned down for various reasons, they were asked to increase their contribution for a stadium on a site they weren't completely enamored with, and they did that as well. This past week, after the bill had been vetted by numerous committees and was ready to head to this floor vote, one of the state's political parties floated a completely new, unrelated plan for reasons that this writer really isn't quite sure of.

All of that comes to a head on Monday when the bill hits the floor.

If the vote goes Minnesota's way, then Viking fans from coast to coast and border to border will breathe a sigh of relief and know that their team dodged a pretty significant bullet. If it doesn't go Minnesota's way, there's a very good chance that this will be the last season of NFL football in Minnesota. The Vikings have made it clear that they are not playing any longer in the Metrodome without a new stadium agreement in place. If this bill gets shot down, owner Zygi Wilf will likely either declare his intention to move the team, or he'll put the team on the market and sell them to someone that will.

In my perspective. . .and it pains me to say this. . .but if the Vikings leave Minnesota, the chances of the NFL coming back to Minnesota are somewhere between slim and none. No team that's a candidate for relocation will move to Minnesota to play in the Metrodome, so there will have to be a new stadium built, likely at a significantly higher cost than the current plan calls for. In addition, with all of the acrimony that has marked the current set of stadium hearings, the NFL likely would not be in any hurry to attempt to negotiate anything with Minnesota again. Why would they be?

Monday could be a new beginning for NFL football in the state of Minnesota. It could also be the beginning of the end. One way or another, Minnesota Vikings history will be made in St. Paul on Monday.

For the latest news on the Minnesota Vikings, be sure to check out The Daily Norseman. For the latest on the National Football League, head over to SB Nation's NFL hub.

NLL Lacrosse: Minnesota Swarm Open Playoffs Against Colorado Mammoth

2012-05-05T13:00:34Z

The Swarm and Mammoth renew their rivalry as they open the Champions Cup playoffs. You can bet it will be the best game of the week.

Tonight in Denver, the Minnesota Swarm open the single elimination playoffs against the Colorado Mammoth. Those who follow the Swarm will know this is a familiar opponent, this being the fourth time the teams have met. The season series currently sits at 2-1 in favor of the Mammoth. However, that one win for the Swarm was last week.

It was convincing.

The Swarm played a complete game from beginning to end, kept league MVP and season scoring record holder John Grant, Jr in check for three and half quarters. The defense and transition for the Swarm had Grant, Jr off his game, and looking bad. Of course, he is who he is, and he still got his points, but the Swarm know the recipe, and can certainly repeat that feat tonight.

Yesterday, Adam Jones of the Mammoth was named the league's Rookie of the Year, something that is a bit surprising with the number of highly qualified candidates on the Swarm's roster. Alas, the league chooses the winners, not giving the media covering the league a chance to get involved. Jones had a very good season, so it isn't exactly a travesty, but players like Jordan MacIntosh outperformed Jones on a week to week basis.

None of the awards matter at this point, with the focus being on advancing toward the Champions Cup. According to MNSwarm.com, this is the first time the two teams have ever met in the playoffs, and is the only game in the opening round featuring two teams above the .500 mark. The Swarm have never won a playoff game, but this year could certainly be different, with the Swarm ending the season with a four game winning streak, and putting together complete team games.

The Swarm have to be in the heads of the Mammoth, who had been rolling fairly comfortably through their season before the Swarm derailed that train. The Mammoth will need to adjust their game, while the Swarm need to do exactly what they did last week. Clog shooting lanes on defense, create offensive transition chances, and continue to press on offense. The only weak spot for the Swarm was defensive transition, something you can bet Coach Joe Sullivan highlighted as he stayed with the team all week.

One factor the Swarm will need to deal with is the home crowd in Denver. The Pepsi Center is sold out, and Mammoth fans will bring the noise. The crowd will most certainly be a factor, and will give the Mammoth a huge advantage. With over 11,000 at the last game here in St. Paul, the Swarm got a taste of what it might be like, but the fans are now hostile.

The Champions Cup playoffs last three weeks, and if the Swarm hope to see the Xcel Energy Center again, they will need some help. It is not expected that Edmonton can beat top seed Calgary, but if that happens, and the Swarm win tonight, they will get to host the second round.

Judging by the Twitter feeds of players and team staff, it appears everyone is relaxed and in good spirits, yet focused in on the task at hand. You can bet the one bright spot going in Minnesota sports right now is not going down without a fight.

You can watch the game live on CBS Sports Network, starting at 6:30.