Loving the Glass with Mr. Clean

I told you before that I wasn't gonna post more on the Wolves, but since y'all apparently don't have NBA teams anymore, I'm gonna have to say a piece. No doubt there is nothing to see here.....well, almost nothing. A religious follower of this team, I no longer know what day games are, unless I am working. But within the futility, a bright spot can sometimes catch your eye, then get washed away again in an overflowing river of shit.

The Wolves just released a website and video plugging Kevin Love for Rookie of the Year. Although his chances are slim, the site makes a very good case -- and it shows how illumination by sheer will and determination has been achieved by a man who has wiped the literal glass from the lamp to let the light shine through. It's not just the Big Al injury folks. Kevin Love is for real.

In the first preseason game in which Love appeared vs. Chicago, I was so very, very disappointed. SO disappointed. The big lug seemed barely able to jump more than a couple inches. Against the Joakim Noah's and Tyrus Thomases of the league, I could see that his leaping ability coupled with his height -- plus a propensity for putting on weight -- this was gonna be another draft bust.....another good-in-the-tourney/bad-in-the-big-leagues transition. Derrick Rose was already so very good in that game. By contrast, watching the painted area after every missed shot, it seemed like Love was eating 4 armpits.

With the weight of the draft-day trade, this was not gonna be pretty, and we were gonna have Mayo smeared all over the sports pages for years to come as another McFail indictment.

Even in my disappointment, however, I had the perspective to realize that it was a long season, while some local sportswriters were already overreacting. I decided that it was just one game, so give the kid a chance to....outlet pass or whatever it is he was supposed to be good at.

In the final preseason game 24 hours later vs. Milwaukee, Love was coming back strong with lots of rebounds and putbacks. But of course Mayo was having an even better start to the season. While Love went to the bench quickly a few games into the season in favor of the quiet talent of Ryan Gomes, Mayo was already starring for the hapless Griz.

But Love was quietly overcoming hate in his bench minutes, and the Minnesota fans began to realize that in the winter of our discontent, it was starting to feel like the summer of '67. Big Al was still the man, but Love was at least a capable cape-man for the Al Star.

Despite his height-weight-leaping limitations, Love wants the ball. His smarts and desire allow him to get the boards...and I think in the end he probably does more to help a team than Mayo does. Is he redundant next to Big Al? Maybe. And if the Wolves somehow get Blake Griffin, maybe that would be a good problem to have times 3. However Mayo seemed redundant with the Foye/McCants/Jaric team of guards also -- so in a league where size matters, the little Big is a better fit now than the bigtime Little, and I'm still very glad Minnesota made the trade. How did we do? Brook Lopez has been good too, for a stiff. Russell Westbrook may have filled an even bigger gap on this Wolves team, in retrospect....and in my book either he or Rose should be ROY. But there is a case to be made for Love. And the Wolves are doing it. However, making a case for Love is not why I am posting at you today.



The Love Shammy
It seems like every NBA team has to come up with gimmicks to promote their all-star and MVP candidates these days, like the famous Brandon Roy and Al Jefferson iPods and GPS systems that came out the past couple years. And rookie of the year is no exception. So the Wolves have made a website and infomercial that makes a case for Love....and is funny too. I am proud to say that I work with the fine folks responsible for the infomercial video, and they did a great job. Love reads his lines just like every athlete in a commercial, but in an infomercial context the forced enthusiasm sets a perfect tone. Interviews with Brian Cardinal the Custodian and J.B. Bickerstaff round out the testimonials.

But the best part about it for me was the Love Shammy featured on the website. We recently acquired a Sham-Wow as a stocking stuffer for a Christmas from my parents-in-law. Despite the emotional attachment you get having something given to you by a loved-one....I would much rather have a Love Shammy. Think of it! Hello! It would be great around the house, in the car, on a camping trip, or as a wedding gift. I still posess a Howl Towel from the pinnacle of the Wolves success, game 7 over the Sacramento Kings in the semifinals. But a Love Shammy, even from the Wolves' darkest hour, would somehow be even better.

I don't really buy tickets for Wolves games anymore, but hear me Wolves ticket sales department: I would buy an entire section to get my hands on some Love Shammys. So, last night at midnight after watching the Love-o-mercial, I instant-messaged my Target Center broadcast supervisor to find out if there was a Love Shammy promotion in the works. He was awake, and I got the bad news immediately. Sadly, even on Fan Appreciation Night, there seem to be no plans for a Love Shammy give-away.

Like television, you can't believe everything you read on the internet, kids. There is no such thing as a Love Shammy, except what you see on the screen. A prop might not even exist. It's probably just a plain white towel that's been Photoshopped. Sigh. But the idea of the Love Shammy lives on...and maybe will live again. And I gotta admit, the Wolves marketing staff did their jobs. Every time I dry my car, I will forever remember how well Kevin Love cleans the boards.