It's hard to be a Minnesota sports fan

Last night I caught the news that Johann Santana will be (pending a few negotiations) traded to the New York Mets. Being the fan of a smaller market team in a sport that desperately needs a salary cap is not easy. The Twins just cannot pay the big money that teams from New York, Boston, or Los Angeles can. So the best pitcher on the planet is no longer a Minnesota Twin. What do the Twins get out of the deal? A handful (minus one) of prospects that might amount to something in the future. What to the Mets get? Perhaps a World Series. At least for now most watchers of the game would have to concede they are the favorites in the National League.

This feels oddly familiar...trading a star player to a city out east, making that other franchise a powerhouse. It's disheartening to watch SportsCenter and be reminded that the team with the NBA's worst record traded its star to the team with the NBA's best record. I know something had to happen with the Wolves. A series of bad moves left them with no room under the cap and a team that just wasn't going to get it done. But as a fan, it hurts. The Wolves were so close a couple of years ago. So a big name player gets traded away. My team gets "potential". The other team may get a championship.

To be fair, I can think of at least one example where a blockbuster trade brought a superstar to Minnesota and sent a bunch of potential to the other team. Yes, I'm thinking of the Herschel Walker trade. In that case the superstar turned into a bust, and all that potential that got traded away turned into a couple of championships. I rest my case. It's hard to be a Minnesota sports fan.