Article: The Wild Are Letting the Tail Wag the Dog With Marco Rossi

[Will D. Ness]

2 hours ago, WildNotMild said:

Difference is that Lundell signed that contract in July 2024 BEFORE the higher cap numbers were released.  And if that was an existing comp, why did Billy offer 5x5 around the first of the year.  There is a lot of reporting by “Wild sources” about the 5x5 offer.  I haven’t seen anything legit that Rossi is asking for 8x8.  

My guess is that 5M was offered first and 6M was the target.  Seems like a pretty fair starting point when you are negotiating.  Now the 8M counter came from Russo I think.  Who really knows, it's all conjecture.

Either way, my main point is that being a RFA, Rossi just doesn't have the leverage.  It doesn't really make sense to me why he held out.  It really can't be about the money IMO.  

The fact that he looked disengaged and was coasting out there on the ice for the last couple months isn't a guy who is motivated to earn a contract... it is a guy who has packed his bags.

[WildNotMild]

28 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

My guess is that 5M was offered first and 6M was the target.  Seems like a pretty fair starting point when you are negotiating.  Now the 8M counter came from Russo I think.  Who really knows, it's all conjecture.

Either way, my main point is that being a RFA, Rossi just doesn't have the leverage.  It doesn't really make sense to me why he held out.  It really can't be about the money IMO.  

The fact that he looked disengaged and was coasting out there on the ice for the last couple months isn't a guy who is motivated to earn a contract... it is a guy who has packed his bags.

Understood.  Contracts are whatever a team is willing to pay AND a player is willing to sign.  I think 5.5-6M could’ve been done last summer.  How many years, not sure.  Usually management wants longer term than the player for young players with older players wanting longer term than management wants.  My guess is that Lundell wouldn’t sign a 6x6 now and would want more money due to the rising cap and another year of stats on the books.

Is 7M for 5 years for either player fair right now?  I would say yes.  I would think management would want him at 7.5M for 8 years if they like him (deal would look better against a higher cap in years 5-8 and the extra 3 years would be worth an extra 0.5M per year for the entire contract) AND if they want to trade him to a team that wants him for the same reasons.

Fans get hung up on comparing the salaries of different players even though they were signed a year or years apart.  JEE’s contract looks cheap now, but that doesn’t mean he is only worth 5.5M now.  Again, with the rising cap, I don’t think Lundell signs for 6x6 today (higher cap now and another years of stats).

I am in favor of signing Rossi for 7-7.5M for 5-8 years.  If the Wild want to get rid of him fine, but please don’t do it to get an aging vet like Nelson.  AND if the Wild do get a guy like Nelson, don’t sign him past the age of 36 and hopefully for less than they would pay Rossi.  I think vets like Nelson will want 7M+ and more years than their age 36 season.

I think Billy is going to want to make a big splash.  I hope he is checking on Larkin on BT, but unless one of them wants to force their way out, big name players like them under contract are rarely moved.  I hope I am wrong, but I see Nelson and Boeser as the big splashes by Billy.

I would happily trade out Rossi and another high prospect(s) and pick(s) to get Larkin or BT.  BUT if we are getting rid of Rossi for Nelson and/or Boeser, I think that is dumb and would rather keep Rossi.

 

[Need4speed99]

9 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

i am not happy with 30 years of loosing either 🍻

hence i am a proponent of going all in now when we have the best player on our team 

focus on the current situation and stop obsessing over what will happen in 5-10 years. for once be bold and go after a difference maker. 

• if rossi becomes great in 5 years - good for him - but that doesn't help us now
• if zeev takes 5 years to mature - good for him - but that doesn't help us now

you cannot be afraid to deal good players or good prospects. if you are - you will forever be in this mush. kap needs help now, cash in those futures for the now and try to win. 

 

All billy does is go after vets and WAY overpay. What does he get that is better than Rossi in pts production? He never has. And at the end he OVERPAYS vets. Look at the history. So what about anything the Wild or billy has done leads you to believe they strike a major win when they all but advertised to the league, we don't want marco?

[OldDutchChip]

3 minutes ago, Need4speed99 said:

All billy does is go after vets and WAY overpay. What does he get that is better than Rossi in pts production? He never has. And at the end he OVERPAYS vets. Look at the history. So what about anything the Wild or billy has done leads you to believe they strike a major win when they all but advertised to the league, we don't want marco?

i guess we'll see. i am as pessimistic as you, so all of these crazy/smart ideas i throw around are ideas that i would explore. not Bill. 🍻 

but it's not that bad - the contracts given to Foligno, Harty, Brodin, Zuccy and Ek (Yes he is a vet) haven't been too bad. Even freddy is getting paid AHL money, and MJ experience is done. and Trenin wasn't too bad in the PO. 

let's hope he has it in him to at least reach out and pitch an offer for Brady, Pasta, Tage, Larkin and others and not just sign Nelly and resigns Nyquist and Mj...

 

[Need4speed99]

11 hours ago, AKwildkraken said:

Let's review who we traded for last year.  Jiricek for a first, Hunt and some change.  A second for Nyquist.  And Marat for Brazeau.  Brazeau would be considered a grit guy, but not Nyquist or Jiricek.  

Also, our grit guys showed up in the playoffs.  Foligno, Harman, Trenin, and I would even add Brazeau to the list, all played well against Vegas.  

All that being said, I'm expecting Rossi to stay in Minnesota, not getting let loose on an offer sheet.  

And these were good trades? And these grit guys scored enough goals to beat a skill team? No they weren't and no they didn't. You need goal scorers,they still lost in the 1st because of lack of goals.

When are you and billy going to see the game has changed and skill and goal scoring are a huge part of it. Florida was one of the smallest teams.

This franchise is stuck in mediocrity until they figure out goal scoring is paramount. Get skill guys. 

Also brazzeau was scratched a few times and did nothing, but hey he's huge.

[Need4speed99]

3 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

i guess we'll see. i am as pessimistic as you, so all of these crazy/smart ideas i throw around are ideas that i would explore. not Bill. 🍻 

but it's not that bad - the contracts given to Foligno, Harty, Brodin, Zuccy and Ek (Yes he is a vet) haven't been too bad. Even freddy is getting paid AHL money, and MJ experience is done. and Trenin wasn't too bad in the PO. 

let's hope he has it in him to at least reach out and pitch an offer for Brady, Pasta, Tage, Larkin and others and not just sign Nelly and resigns Nyquist and Mj...

 

I can respect that. Sorry if I come off as too strong, just heard the mn slogans of "next year" and "our prospect pool" for way too long. Tell me how thewilds MO has changed. Look back and tell me this is ACTUALLY different.

But all those contracts suck. You wanna be mediocre, great. You wanna win, not so much. You disagree we can go on each of those contracts, the yrs and figures for the players. If we can't do that, please tell me which player was worth it. Billy is a product of liepold and liepold should not be incharge.

[Protec]

Pete DeBoer in a WCF again. Impressive...

[OldDutchChip]

23 minutes ago, Need4speed99 said:

I can respect that. Sorry if I come off as too strong, just heard the mn slogans of "next year" and "our prospect pool" for way too long. Tell me how thewilds MO has changed. Look back and tell me this is ACTUALLY different.

But all those contracts suck. You wanna be mediocre, great. You wanna win, not so much. You disagree we can go on each of those contracts, the yrs and figures for the players. If we can't do that, please tell me which player was worth it. Billy is a product of liepold and liepold should not be incharge.

All good my friend!

I don’t know if Harty, Foligno, Ek, Zuccy, MJ and even Trenin is the problem. I think it’s that Boldy really is the only one that is close to stardom, and if that is all that you’ll extract after never ending promises of great prospects-then you’re in trouble. You needed to hit on a star - tier 1/2 during the last 5 years and that hasn’t happened - that is what is biting us now.
 

Rossi is not a star - he has a bad end of the season and was really not much better in the PO. None of the prospects are ready. None! That’s crazy! Wally may be a bust or need another 5 years, Ohgren and Zeev are raw. Yurov is likely the same. None of these older prospects are doing anything special.

The last star fell in our lap - Kap and we had developed zero other stars, with Boldy approaching that level but not there yet. 

so I think the biggest issue is having no one step up and join Kap as elite and you just can’t win in the NHL with just 1 star 

[Need4speed99]

4 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

All good my friend!

I don’t know if Harty, Foligno, Ek, Zuccy, MJ and even Trenin is the problem. I think it’s that Boldy really is the only one that is close to stardom, and if that is all that you’ll extract after never ending promises of great prospects-then you’re in trouble. You needed to hit on a star - tier 1/2 during the last 5 years and that hasn’t happened - that is what is biting us now.
 

Rossi is not a star - he has a bad end of the season and was really not much better in the PO. None of the prospects are ready. None! That’s crazy! Wally may be a bust or need another 5 years, Ohgren and Zeev are raw. Yurov is likely the same. None of these older prospects are doing anything special.

The last star fell in our lap - Kap and we had developed zero other stars, with Boldy approaching that level but not there yet. 

so I think the biggest issue is having no one step up and join Kap as elite and you just can’t win in the NHL with just 1 star 

So how do they actually move past this? They are following the same old. What changes? 

[Protec]

Marchand, three points in game seven. Winning races, getting pucks on net. Being an agitator and driving 5v5 play creating chances. 

NA style hockey. There's a reason certain players and coaches keep getting back the the Conference Finals. They're winners. MN needs to upgrade from too many passengers and get more guys who can carry water when the going gets tough. 

[Will D. Ness]

1 hour ago, WildNotMild said:

I think that is dumb and would rather keep Rossi.

Agreed, but I do think bridges were burnt in all of this though.  It's a shame because I do think Rossi will be good in a couple years.

[WildNotMild]

23 minutes ago, Need4speed99 said:

So how do they actually move past this? They are following the same old. What changes? 

One thing I think that needs to change is to get a coach who has a winning pedigree.  And, not just a good winning percentage in the regular season, but who also has a legit track record in the playoffs.  AND, who can develop and build trust with young players.  Dean and Hynes haven’t had or shown either of the above.

The teams with the largest contention windows have a few vets who are well paid and continuously fill in the roster with a couple of young guys on rookie contracts and players willing to sign for less for a chance to win a cup.  In all sports, you almost always get the best cap value by drafting and developing your own players instead of chasing older AND more expensive free agents.

 

[OldDutchChip]

53 minutes ago, Need4speed99 said:

So how do they actually move past this? They are following the same old. What changes? 

i'd throw my chips all in with Kap. He is right in his prime but to (a) keep him and (b) win with him, the Wild need to show him that they are serious. they can't run it back with same group + nelly. they need to give him help. star help. 

so before your rising "stars" and "can't miss" prospect's value depreciates - you need to cash them in

i think you call for Tkachuk, Pasta, Tage, Larkin, Nylander (yes TOR will no doubt start to entertain changes) - there are others too - but basically do NOT settle for Nelly. 

Lead with an offer that they have to take serious. Faber, Rossi, Zeev, Ogren and other youth should be used as trade chips. Adding Faber and Zeev is a must - otherwise there's no point to even call. 

I would rather have team with either Tkachuk, Pasta, Tage, Larkin or Nylander, than Rossi and Faber or Rossi and Zeev. We cannot keep building for the future - we've done enough of that. We need to be bold and go for it now. 

NHL last 4 team - 

• EDM - two superstars
• Canes, Panthers, Stars - are bold and take chances to get ahead

While we just wait for Havlak and Hanzal or for Minnesota has beens to age and come home. ENOUGH

[Tony Abbott]

12 hours ago, OldDutchChip said:

focus on the current situation and stop obsessing over what will happen in 5-10 years. for once be bold and go after a difference maker. 

• if rossi becomes great in 5 years - good for him - but that doesn't help us now
• if zeev takes 5 years to mature - good for him - but that doesn't help us now

you cannot be afraid to deal good players or good prospects. if you are - you will forever be in this mush. kap needs help now, cash in those futures for the now and try to win. 

OK, but what if Rossi's great now, and Zeev is Quinn Hughes this coming year or next?

Then you lose your job as a GM and you 1000% deserve it.

[Tony Abbott]

1 hour ago, Protec said:

Marchand, three points in game seven. Winning races, getting pucks on net. Being an agitator and driving 5v5 play creating chances. 

NA style hockey. There's a reason certain players and coaches keep getting back the the Conference Finals. They're winners. MN needs to upgrade from too many passengers and get more guys who can carry water when the going gets tough. 

Good for Narcotics Anonymous, glad they're getting their day in the sun.

[OldDutchChip]

6 minutes ago, Tony Abbott said:

OK, but what if Rossi's great now, and Zeev is Quinn Hughes this coming year or next?

Then you lose your job as a GM and you 1000% deserve it.

what is "Rossi great now" mean? prime Marchand? prime Point? prime Galchenyuk or Granlund? is that something we need to wait for?

you really think after watching Zeev that he will be Quinn Hughes next year? Maybe he'll be Calem Addison? you want to wait for the unknown and waste Kap's prime? 

if you are a GM that gets the best player in the world (Kaprizov, NOT Rossi or Zeev) and you prioritize Rossi or Zeev over him and screw the chance at winning (not a round, but SC) - you get fired and you 10000% deserve it. 

 

[Need4speed99]

35 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

what is "Rossi great now" mean? prime Marchand? prime Point? prime Galchenyuk or Granlund? is that something we need to wait for?

you really think after watching Zeev that he will be Quinn Hughes next year? Maybe he'll be Calem Addison? you want to wait for the unknown and waste Kap's prime? 

if you are a GM that gets the best player in the world (Kaprizov, NOT Rossi or Zeev) and you prioritize Rossi or Zeev over him and screw the chance at winning (not a round, but SC) - you get fired and you 10000% deserve it. 

 

That EXACTLY points to why you keep Rossi. You need scorers, getting rid of a young up and Comer, is just stupid. You don't win that way. Unless they are going after someone like rant it's not even smart. 

Who do we get to replicate his total? What moves do you make?

I still think they trade him for peanuts or a prospect(which you have already said is stupid) then what? They will overspend on vets and the Wild will be right back in the same boat.

Move the needle. Get a star. Or develop your players and let them run.

[Tony Abbott]

59 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

what is "Rossi great now" mean? prime Marchand? prime Point? prime Galchenyuk or Granlund? is that something we need to wait for?

Right now, he's a top-20 center in the NHL. If you're saying he's got more coming, then hot damn, yeah, that's worth waiting for.

59 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

you really think after watching Zeev that he will be Quinn Hughes next year? Maybe he'll be Calem Addison? you want to wait for the unknown and waste Kap's prime? 

I don't think he'll be at that level in the near future -- the freaking Wild believe it. You know how good you have to be to even play playoff games the season after you're drafted??? Especially for an organization that wouldn't, for example, play Matt Boldy after destroying the AHL?

I guess you're the only smart enough to understand that four underwhelming games for a 19-year-old in the playoffs means they're five years away from doing anything.

59 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

if you are a GM that gets the best player in the world (Kaprizov, NOT Rossi or Zeev) and you prioritize Rossi or Zeev over him and screw the chance at winning (not a round, but SC) - you get fired and you 10000% deserve it. 

So tired of this. You're being stunad if you think the Wild will be prioritizing anyone over Kaprizov at this point. He's signing, he's gonna be here for eight years whether or not they package Rossi and Zeev for Brady Tkachuk/Dylan Larkin/Tage Thompson/William Nylander -- a foursome of players who are so good at hockey that they've won two playoff series through 35 combined seasons. They're finally getting all this talent together, let it flourish. 

[AKwildkraken]

7 hours ago, Need4speed99 said:

And these were good trades? And these grit guys scored enough goals to beat a skill team? No they weren't and no they didn't. You need goal scorers,they still lost in the 1st because of lack of goals.

Nyquist was an overpay,, Jiricek is too early to tell and Brazeau was mediocre.  But you said Billy will trade for grit originally and I'm pointing out that he didn't trade for grit last year.  

Also I would argue that we lost the series because we let too many goals in.  I didn't get to see game 4 or 5, so I went back to look at the +/- on the last three games and it seemed Ek, Kaprizov and Boldy were on the ice for more than a fair share of the goals as they were on the minus side two of the three games.  Foligno and Hartman were on the plus side and had a good series.  I don't think grit lost the series for us.  I think our skill guys got tired and eventually outplayed in long run.  To your point about scoring more goals, I agree we need a better second line or more skill and size in the top six.

[Protec]

5 hours ago, Tony Abbott said:

Good for Narcotics Anonymous, glad they're getting their day in the sun.

NA hockey gets the Cup every year with 16 tough wins. Lot of little Euros and mental weaklings go home empty-handed. 

The Rossi selection, injuries, and return to glory while never escaping the trade rumors & debate is too bad so sad. 

The obvious sticking point is size and Euroism. Rossi doesn't defend doggedly and lacks sandpaper. Therefore, doesn't take pressure off Ek. 

All the stats and regular-season stuff can't balance that for the Wild management. My opinion is that Brackett is a dumbazz and you've defended him going back to his time in Vancouver. That's foolish, he is the one who put MN and Rossi in this position. Or if you use your Canucks-GM argument, Guerin is the one who insisted on taking Rossi and JB woulda picked Lundell or Jarvis 100% if left to do his job. 

I don't think Rossi checks the most important boxes for GMBG. Right or wrong that's the guy. OCL is the owner, Bettman the commissioner, so if you wanna know what I really think, MN has an uphill battle no matter what. 

[Protec]

10 hours ago, Will D. Ness said:

My guess is that 5M was offered first and 6M was the target.  Seems like a pretty fair starting point when you are negotiating.  Now the 8M counter came from Russo I think.  Who really knows, it's all conjecture.

Either way, my main point is that being a RFA, Rossi just doesn't have the leverage.  It doesn't really make sense to me why he held out.  It really can't be about the money IMO.  

The fact that he looked disengaged and was coasting out there on the ice for the last couple months isn't a guy who is motivated to earn a contract... it is a guy who has packed his bags.

Rossi responded well after facing adversity before. That, if repeated will help Rossi wherever he plays. If he's frustrated, who can blame him? He is one kind of player. A small, finesse, skill-guy, not a speed-demon or power-forward. He's not a Tkachuk or Mark Stone who score playoff goals out of nowhere.(Maybe this year on Trenin setups.😁) MN is basically asking/wanting him to be a young Brock Nelson or Ryan O'Reilly. 

I hate to say it cause I came around to like Rossi, but he's not taking the pressure off Ek or changing the game's complexion just like Fiala didn't. When Zuccy and Rossi are replaced and some prospects get traded for a deadline guy like Tarasenko or Anders Lee, that's when the Wild can beat WPG, VGK, or Dallas, maybe.

Edited May 19 by Protec

[WildNotMild]

2 hours ago, Protec said:

Rossi responded well after facing adversity before. That, if repeated will help Rossi wherever he plays. If he's frustrated, who can blame him? He is one kind of player. A small, finesse, skill-guy, not a speed-demon or power-forward. He's not a Tkachuk or Mark Stone who score playoff goals out of nowhere.(Maybe this year on Trenin setups.😁) MN is basically asking/wanting him to be a young Brock Nelson or Ryan O'Reilly. 

I hate to say it cause I came around to like Rossi, but he's not taking the pressure off Ek or changing the game's complexion just like Fiala didn't. When Zuccy and Rossi are replaced and some prospects get traded for a deadline guy like Tarasenko or Anders Lee, that's when the Wild can beat WPG, VGK, or Dallas, maybe.

Again, I think Rossi is gone.  Again, I think getting rid of a young 60 point center is a stupid move.

I get the argument to move some prospects for “better players”.  The stars of the league don’t get moved unless they force their way out.  As of now, I haven’t heard of a star player demanding a trade.  So that leaves lesser and older free agents and/or players other teams are willing to get rid of.  If two or more of Wally, Buium, Ohgren, Jiricek, Yurov, Faber are traded for a single player, there is another hole in the lineup for next year in ADDITION to replacing the 60 points from Rossi.

Plus, the Wild are one of the older teams.  Older players usually cost more, have more wear on their bodies/injuries and start to decline.  I would much rather keep young 23-24 year old players who have shown they belong in the NHL instead of keep chasing mid-30s players who are on the decline and looking for their retirement deal with clauses.

Bottom line:  the Wild need more offense.  When I am watching the Wild play and they go down by two goals even in the first period, the feeling is the game is lost.  I don’t get the same feeling watching Vegas, Edmonton, Dallas, etc.

It is tough enough for a team to get one 60+ point player added to the team.  I would argue the Wild needed two at least 50 point scores added to be competitive and that was BEFORE getting rid of Rossi.  Since it doesn’t look like any big stars are going to be moved (and yes, Billy should make calls), then it looks like Billy will likely add two 30+ year old players to too much term, for too much money and clauses. 

[OldDutchChip]

9 hours ago, Need4speed99 said:

That EXACTLY points to why you keep Rossi. You need scorers, getting rid of a young up and Comer, is just stupid. You don't win that way. Unless they are going after someone like rant it's not even smart. 

Who do we get to replicate his total? What moves do you make?

I still think they trade him for peanuts or a prospect(which you have already said is stupid) then what? They will overspend on vets and the Wild will be right back in the same boat.

Move the needle. Get a star. Or develop your players and let them run.

You cannot have it both ways 

when you have an opportunity- you must act 

ours should be winning

Rossi is not a star right now and we need a star next to Kap

[OldDutchChip]

9 hours ago, Tony Abbott said:

Right now, he's a top-20 center in the NHL. If you're saying he's got more coming, then hot damn, yeah, that's worth waiting for.

I don't think he'll be at that level in the near future -- the freaking Wild believe it. You know how good you have to be to even play playoff games the season after you're drafted??? Especially for an organization that wouldn't, for example, play Matt Boldy after destroying the AHL?

I guess you're the only smart enough to understand that four underwhelming games for a 19-year-old in the playoffs means they're five years away from doing anything.

So tired of this. You're being stunad if you think the Wild will be prioritizing anyone over Kaprizov at this point. He's signing, he's gonna be here for eight years whether or not they package Rossi and Zeev for Brady Tkachuk/Dylan Larkin/Tage Thompson/William Nylander -- a foursome of players who are so good at hockey that they've won two playoff series through 35 combined seasons. They're finally getting all this talent together, let it flourish. 

Right now, he's a top-20 center in the NHL. If you're saying he's got more coming, then hot damn, yeah, that's worth waiting for.

Top 20….wow what a dishonest take! Or did you measure it by points only? Of course you did! 

I don't think he'll be at that level in the near future -- the freaking Wild believe it. You know how good you have to be to even play playoff games the season after you're drafted??? Especially for an organization that wouldn't, for example, play Matt Boldy after destroying the AHL?

I guess you're the only smart enough to understand that four underwhelming games for a 19-year-old in the playoffs means they're five years away from doing anything.

You just don’t understand - the team has Kap in his prime, do you want to baby Rossi and skip a chance to win? You cannot be patient and win, you have to pick. I don’t really care how hard it easy for rooks, next it’ll be yurov and Zeev that need time- that’s a never ending loop. Sometimes you have to know when it’s time to go for it

So tired of this. You're being stunad if you think the Wild will be prioritizing anyone over Kaprizov at this point. He's signing, he's gonna be here for eight years whether or not they package Rossi and Zeev for Brady Tkachuk/Dylan Larkin/Tage Thompson/William Nylander -- a foursome of players who are so good at hockey that they've won two playoff series through 35 combined seasons. They're finally getting all this talent together, let it flourish. 

all this talent! Wow you serious? They have developed zero top tier talent after lucking out on Kap and you are happy? Weird

here answer these questions if you can -

1. what contract do you give Rossi if you are the GM
2. Would you trade Faber and Rossi for Tkachuk/Pasta/Nylander/Tage/Larkin
3. Do you think the status quo + Nelson is enough to entice Kap to sign and remain Wild for the rest of his career

[ArizonaWildFan]

Great stuff all around, folks. I love the passion. There are a bunch of routes to get to a Cup and we argue about which one to take. We won't know the correct answer until, or if, we get there. But we can study the paths that others successfully take and use it as a map.

It starts with the navigator, ownership and management. That group does choose the path with the coaches, players and funding they provide. Next comes the drivers, who are the coaches, and they take what the navigator gives them and maneuver their vehicle as they see fit on the journey. Finally comes the vehicle, the players. They accelerate, slow down, brake, turn, etc as directed by the driver.

All three have to work together to have a successful trip. Each one on it's own doesn't have to be the best, but they have to be very good individually and able to work as one.

The Wild have a navigator who chooses the hardest path; going over winding mountain roads, which leads to detours, bad weather, mechanical breakdowns and running out of gas and money before finishing the trip.

In his mind he wants and needs a Hummer to take his path, but that path doesn't get you to a Cup. It can keep you in the race for a while, but the Porsches, Corvettes and Escalades kick your butt heading to the finish line. He doesn't realize or accept the fact that he's in a race, not a demolition derby,

The driver, honestly I can't accurately evaluate our driver. He doesn't have a great record, especially down the stretch, but the maps and vehicles he's been given in the past may not have allowed him to be successful. Let him have another season and see what happens.

Our vehicle? At times it performs like an Indy car and at others it won't even start. Do we need a complete overhaul, a tune up, new tires (or just a rotation), do we go with new parts or replacement parts from the salvage yard? I don't know the answer and none of us do.

I don't think that taking Guerin's used Hummer with salvage yard spare parts over the difficult mountain roads is the answer, though. I'd prefer to take a Suburban on the interstate.