This isn’t goodbye.

In fact, it’s sort of like saying hello all over again.

I have recently made a move, without actually moving.

Confusing, I know.

I will still be employed at the Daily Globe, but I have relinquished my role as the sports editor.

So I’m not going anywhere — except to a different desk about 15 feet away — but my role will be changing.

I have accepted the position as the community content coordinator at the Globe. Mainly,

I’ll be dealing with the website and other facets on the online community.

It was a tough decision to leave the sports desk. The editor’s chair is one I’ve called home for the past three years. The year before, I was a sports reporter. This is all I’ve known in my professional life.

But it’s time for a new challenge.

I have enjoyed my time at the sports desk more than I can explain. I have loved every minute of covering games, getting to know coaches, players and fans and just immersing myself into the world of sports.

And that won’t change.

I’ll still be at sporting events. I’m hoping the new sports editor will allow me to cover the occasional game or match.

Even if I’m not at as many events as I once was, my love and passion for sports won’t change.

I’ll still read the sports page of the Globe, but now I won’t have seen it all the night before.
While there isn’t enough room on this page to thank everyone who deserves it, I would like to say a special word to all the coaches and players who have made this job so enjoyable. It’s those people who I will miss working with on a daily basis.

However, I’m equally as excited to look to the future.

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t know everything about the web or how online works. But I’m eager to learn.

Which is why I’m open to suggestions.

Is there something you want to see on our website?

I’m hoping to make improvements to our product, but I’d love to hear from you, our readers.

What will make you excited about our website?

How can we do a better job to serve you?

Feel free to drop me a note, an e-mail at ahagen@dglobe.com or stop me when you see me out and about.

It’s going to be a fun few months for us here at the Globe and I can’t wait to fully explore what new and exciting ideas we can offer.

A year ago, I was better.

Or at least I think I was.

At this time in 2010, I was fighting my way up the ladder.

This year, I’m simply content being at the bottom of it.

Of course, I’m talking about fantasy baseball.

For the second year in a row, I’m in a league with a few people from work and a few from New York.

We have five Minnesotans and five New Yorkers, giving us an even balance.

Last season, I struggled to maintain any sort of consistency and entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

There are 10 teams in this league, and the playoffs are based on how you finish during the regular season.

The first four teams play off for the top spot, with the next four playing for fifth place.

The last two teams are out of the playoffs.

The kicker about this league is the dues are based on how you finish. If you finish first, second or third, you win money. After that, you pay out. The amounts are determined by the final finishing.

So, needless to say, I had to pay a little money.

I entered the playoffs with the sixth seed, and I finished one ahead of that, taking fifth after winning a tie-breaker with former sports reporter Michael Brauer.

This year, there are some new players — and some of the same. We have added sports reporters Daniel Kerwin and Lance Knutson to round out the Minnesota crew of Ryan McGaughey, Lucas Knutson and myself.

I entered this season with optimism. I felt good about my draft and my current roster.
Little did I know I’d be stuck with a group of under-achievers.

First example would be Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes. An 18-game winner a year ago, Hughes made no impact for me early on.

Another prime example (and a source of my frustration) is Atlanta second baseman Dan Uggla. After hitting .287 with 33 home runs and 105 RBI a year ago, he’s hitting a measly .189 with 15 home runs and a mere 35 RBI.

Early on in the season, fueled by the now-injured Buster Posey, my team was right there. I was in the top four (which is where you want to be), and was poised to make a run at the prize money.

It wasn’t meant to be.

Our league is set up to be head-to-head. Each week, we face off against another team in 10 statistical categories — runs, home runs, RBI, stolen bases, averages, wins, losses, saves, strikeouts and earned run average.

I went through a three-week period that killed me.

I lost 10-0, 9-1 and 9-0 in consecutive weeks. That’s 1-28 in three weeks.

So, now I’m nearly in the cellar.

Thanks to Mr. Kerwin, who is currently in last place, I’m not the worst team in the league.

But I’m close.

After a nice win last week (even though it was a short week with the All-Star break), I’m a mere 2.5 games out of eighth place.

I can smell the playoffs.

But before Tuesday’s games, I’m currently losing 7-1. Not a great follow-up.

There is still six more weeks after this one before the playoffs begin. With any luck, that will mean six more wins. Or at least, that will give the team ahead of me six weeks to lose enough games to allow me to jump over them in the standings.

Either way, it will be a fun few weeks.

Kurt Rambis was officially fired on Tuesday.
After months of speculation, Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn finally cut the ties.
Let’s be honest. Rambis wasn’t exactly taking the team in the right direction.
The Wolves were 32-132 under Rambis, and a dismal 17-65 last season.

Before the season started, I went on record and said the Wolves would be better this season.
I was sort of right. They improved from 15 wins to 17 wins.
But I was also terribly wrong. Outside of Kevin Love’s incredible double-double streak, there wasn’t much good about the team last season.

Yahoo! Sports reported June 22 that Rambis was already out.
This was before the draft.
This was also before Kahn made any sort of official announcement.
A lot has happened since then.

Ricky Rubio was officially announced days before, and Minnesota grabbed Arizona star Derrick Williams with the second overall pick.
In other words, the Wolves finally have their point guard of the future.

 
Williams is a little trickier.
He isn’t a true post player. But he does have size and is very athletic.

Sure, Michael Beasley was recently in the news for  a less-than-stellar reason, but a starting lineup that features Love, Rubio and Williams has to be better.
Right?
The answer isn’t so clear anymore.
Rambis was given a roster filled with unproven players.

There were a few veteran guys, like Luke Ridnour, but the youth and inexperience far outweighed the veteran presence.
Shoot, they even gave Darko Milicic a chance.
No one since the Pistons gave him a chance.

Detroit drafted him No. 2 behind LeBron James and ahead of players like Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade.
Now, he’s with the Wolves, hoping to rejuvenate his career.
But he won’t do it under Rambis.
I’m confident Rambis will catch on somewhere else. He learned from one of the best in the history of the game — Phil Jackson — and will be a head coach again.
And the Timberwolves will be a good team again.
Which will happen first? My money is on Rambis, who will be on a better team. Minnesota didn’t exactly hand him a roster, so next time, my guess is Rambis won’t settle.
The two could have had potential this season, but we’ll never know.
What I find interesting is the timing.
The NBA is in the midst of a lockout that could threaten the entire season.

If Kahn was going to make a move, he should have decided weeks ago.
The incoming coach should have had the opportunity to draft players to fit the new system. The Wolves made five trades during the draft, acquiring and losing players at an astonishing rate.
So, what does this all mean?
Let’s assume there will be NBA next season. That doesn’t seems like the most probable outcome at this point, but for the sake of arguments, let’s assume there will be a full 82-game season.
The Wolves will be in yet another rebuilding year.
Would they be winners under Rambis? Maybe not.

But I think he’s earned the right to try — for at least another year. 
With two new pieces and a roster full of players who have another year of experience, Minnesota could have been on the right track.
I agree, there should have been a change made. But the wrong guy was let go.

Riley Meester was out on the field, ready to sing his heart out.

Among the more than 40,000 fans who filled Target Field was Matt Huss.

A former Daily Globe sports reporter, it was Huss who made what Riley was about to do possible.

A 14-year-old from Ellsworth, Riley was chosen to sing the National Anthem before the Minnesota Twins faced the San Diego Padres on June 19; Father’s Day.

“I was incredibly nervous leading up to Riley’s performance,” Huss said. “It’s been well documented that Riley doesn’t much like to be around large groups and loud noises, and I started to worry that maybe the whole scene, sellout crowd in a huge stadium, might be overwhelming. But, yet again, Riley rose to the occasion.”

Riley was positioned behind home plate, looking out toward the vast Target Field outfield with his family surrounding him.

Riley delivered one of the best performances of the year, hitting every note and every word.

If he was nervous, he didn’t show it.

Huss first heard Riley sing while covering an Ellsworth boys’ basketball game a few years ago. Since then, he has kept up with the family, and with Riley.

On that special day in Minneapolis, Huss was reminded of the first time he heard Riley sing.

“Just like the first time I heard him sing, in the Ellsworth High School gymnasium, I got chills and goose bumps,” he said. “It was incredible. I clapped so hard that my hands started hurting. I was so happy that he did well and that he had fun. The best moment was when the crowd erupted and Riley smiled, raised his arms above his head in triumph, and basked in the applause.”

Huss wasn’t the only one taken with Riley’s performance. The players on the field were impressed as well. So much so that the Padres players greeted Riley as he went past.

Huss’ wife, Ruth, took a YouTube video of the performance, which instantly drew a large number of views.

“My wife, Ruth, ignored the Target Field ushers and rushed to the front row behind San Diego’s dugout to shoot a video of Riley’s performance,” Huss explained. “When she returned to her seat, she told me that she saw women crying. Then, when the Meester family left the field, the surrounding sections gave them a standing ovation. Almost immediately, on both Facebook and Twitter, people attending the game were publishing emotional reactions many admitted tears, and all of them gushed about both Riley’s ability to sing and inspire. I didn’t expect the YouTube video would reach 3,000 views by the end of the week, and I didn’t expect to see Riley mentioned so often on social media sites, but I’m not surprised. He’s a special kid.”

One letter to the Star Tribune read:

“As good as the Twins are playing and with another win on Sunday it pales in comparison to what is really important. The (14) year old Autistic young man that sang the National Anthem to start the game was beyond wonderful. There was not a dry eye around where my wife and I were standing. His singing with all his heart and enthusiasm was better than any so called superstar trying to outdo all others. He sang with all his heart and soul and it could not have been more perfect. Thanks to his parents for their work and dedication and to the Twins to let us all enjoy.”

Another blog, posted on www.gardenweb.com said:

“It was hard not to cry, but I think I was wiping my eyes some…jaw got sore clenching it tight too….

“I wasn’t the only one.

“Applause/ovation after that was enormous…”

Riley received the loudest ovation of the day. The fans stayed on their feet until he was off the field, creating a moment that touched and inspired every person at Target Field.

I know it’s a day I’ll never forget.

What’s wrong with the Minnesota Twins?

Everyone seems to have their own opinions.

I’ve heard people talk about the bullpen and the starting pitching. Some have put the blame squarely on Joe Mauer. Others on Nick Punto.

Having watched a few games games, I feel there is only one true answer:

A lot.

The Twins went through a really rough offseason. They watched as reliever after reliever signed with other teams.

Matt Guerrier, Jesse Crain, Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes — key components to last season’s bullpen — are all pitching with new teams. Even Pat Neshek, who was still recovering from surgery, was released and signed with another team.

Sure, they re-signed Carl Pavano and Jim Thome — which I think were great signings.
They also kept Jason Kubel and landed prized Japanese import Tsuyoshi Nishioka.

So, what’s the problem here?

The answer is the front office. I blame general manager Bill Smith.

Flat out, he let too many people go.

Maybe he was working on a budget. In fact, he probably was. The Twins have the ninth-highest payroll in the major at a little more than $112 million.

They counted on Joe Nathan too much. Instead of being the dominant closer he was two years ago, he’s become a mop-up guy.

Nathan should return to his old form, but it probably won’t be this year.

That leaves Matt Capps (who is struggling with arm fatigue) as pretty much their only option.

Perhaps Smith should have planned for this.

The Twins put all of their bullpen eggs in one basket (Nathan), and they are cracking very slowly and painfully as his ERA remains north of 7.

However, I truly believe that the biggest mistake the Twins made was with their infield. The organization believed Alexi Casilla could be an everyday player.

He can’t.

Casilla owns a .215 average, despite playing in 41 games. He’s driven in four runs and had five extra-base hits and committed five errors in the field.

Meanwhile, J.J. Hardy is hitting .243 with two homers and 12 RBIs for Baltimore. Plus he’s made five less errors than Casilla.

That’s right, he hasn’t made an error.

And don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming the fact that Minnesota owns the worst record in baseball on Casilla — or any one player.

I think there’s enough blame to go around equally.

When — or if — the Twins get their roster back together and healthy, I still believe they have playoff-quality talent.

But the only question is, will they be too far out of it for it to matter?

I think I can speak for everyone when I say I’m sick and tired of the cold weather.

The spring sports season was supposed to be under way by now, but I can’t help but feel like winter just won’t end.

If there was any good to come out of the recent poor weather conditions, I may have found it.

I met a friend in Kansas City on Monday to attend a Royals game — my second of the season. The plan was to return to Minnesota and work on Tuesday.

But lucky for me — and unlucky for area teams — the weather didn’t allow any events to be played.

So at the last minute, my friend and I decided to make another day of it.

We quickly found tickets for Tuesday’s game, and spent the day seeing the sights in Kansas City.

It turned out to be a thrilling 5-4 victory for the home team, despite a game-time temperature of 45 degrees. Of the three games I’ve seen in KC, it was the first win. Another positive of the trip.

And while I’m OK with the weather allowing me one more day to get away, I’m ready for the nice weather.

I’m ready to start watching high school and college sporting events here.

And even though the drive to KC isn’t bad — thanks to interstate — watching games in southwest Minnesota is a whole lot closer.

The Southwest Conference is good.

People have known that all season.

But as the postseason has progressed, that fact has been proven over and over again.

Case in point, the top two teams on the girls’ side will be playing in this week’s state tournament.

Jackson County Central, which won the conference with an 11-1 record, advanced through the Section 3AA bracket and into Wednesday’s state tournament.

The Huskies, who are 26-2 overall, will play Minnehaha Academy — the defending state champion — at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Target Center in Minneapolis.

Both of JCC’s two losses were to state tournament teams. One was to Estherville Lincoln Central (Iowa), who finished second in the state in Class 2A.

The other was to conference rival Marshall. The Tigers, who are also heading to state — in Class AAA — were second in the SWC with a 10-2 conference mark.

MHS is facing Benilde-St. Margaret’s at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Williams Arena.

The Red Knights are the defending state champions in Class AAA and enter with a 24-5 record.

While there are two teams representing the SWC on the girls’ side, the boys’ will match that number.

In Section 2AAA, the Worthington Trojans will play the Marshall Tigers at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Mankato.

“The Southwest Conference is as tough as any conference in the state,” WHS head boys’ coach Ron Vorwald said. “Both AA and AAA are pretty similar. The Southwest Conference has as much parity as any conference in the state. There are a lot of good teams.”

In Section 3AA, SWC foes Redwood Valley and Windom will battle for a spot in state at 8 p.m. Thursday at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall — giving the conference four teams in section finals.

“We were actually talking about that (Saturday) night on the way home,” RV head coach Markus Okeson said. “It gives you an idea of how strong the Southwest Conference really is. These top four teams are, I believe, teams that can compete in a lot of conferences across the state. It just goes to show you what a tough conference and a tough schedule will get you in the postseason.”

Marshall won the conference with an 11-1 record, while the Trojans were second at 9-3.

Two of Worthington’s losses came at the hands of the Tigers, with the other one was a loss at Redwood Valley.

Windom was third in the conference with an 8-4 record, but had key wins over Marshall and Redwood Valley (twice).

The Cardinals, meanwhile, tied with JCC for fourth in the conference with a 6-6 record.

However, they enter Thursday’s game with a 20-7 overall record.

“If you would have told me we would have had 20 wins and playing in the section final, I would have said, ‘Wow,’” Okeson said. “We have some new kids coming in and we play a few sophomores. It’s kind of crazy.”

Combined, the teams are 34-14 in the conference and have an impressive 64-10 non-conference record.

JCC finished tied for fourth in the conference with a 6-6 mark. But the Huskies were 12-3 in non-conference games, proving how tough SWC teams truly are.

“The Southwest Conference is pretty well represented this year,” Vorwald said. “It’s a pretty tough conference.”

While each of the four remaining boys’ teams have more than 20 wins, each squad is looking for one more.

“We have some work to do,” Vorwald said. “When it comes to tourney time, anything can happen. I know we’ll be ready. Our guys will be ready.”

In both games, there has been a clean sweep by one of the teams.

Windom defeated Redwood Valley twice, while Marshall has gotten the better of Worthington in both meetings.

“I don’t think we played very well against Marshall the last time we played them up there,” Vorwald said. “I just watched that tape (Sunday) afternoon and we did a lot careless things. We can play much harder than we did. I know Thursday night, we’ll be a different basketball team than we were the last time we played Marshall.”

It’s not that I don’t know how to cook.

I’m just not very good at it.

And it’s just a lot of work.

First, there is the preparation. This goes beyond just coming up with an idea, which in itself is very difficult.

Once you find the right recipe, then it’s time to shop for groceries.

Unless it contains Mountain Dew or Doritos, I probably don’t have the ingredients on hand.

So a trip to the local market is in order.

With the ingredients and recipe ready to go, then it’s time to actually combine these into what I hope is a success.

I have tried a few things recently, but it seems to be hit and miss.

My first few tries weren’t great, but recently, I’ve had better luck.

I have to first thank my mother for that. She provided me with a very simple casserole recipe. It was pretty delicious. Cooking for one is tough — I ate it for days.

More recently, I acquired a Crockpot (thanks Julie’s mom!) and with recipe in hand (thanks Beth!), I attempted cheesy hash brown potatoes.

Again, I would consider this a success. Although, next time, I don’t think I need a full two pounds of potatoes. I was eating it for days.

Thanks to a George Foreman grill and a box of Stove Top stuffing, I’ve been doing pretty well.

I am on a hot streak. But I don’t want to push my luck.

My biggest problem isn’t my lack of ambition. It’s my lack of time.

With my work schedule, I don’t often see the a.m., leaving opportunities for both breakfast and lunch out of the question.

That leaves me with one evening meal.

Covering numerous sporting events throughout southwest Minnesota, I often don’t have the time it takes to shop AND cook in the same break. That requires me to think (and shop) ahead.

Even if I do have the ingredients, I don’t have the time to let something cook for hours.

So while I won’t be cooking a full turkey anytime soon, I am still hoping to explore more recipes with my Crockpot and other quick ideas.

This is where I need help. My mother has already mailed me a few recipes, I have acquired a new recipe book (thanks Joyce!), and both Beth and Justine are actively trying to come up with simple foods for me to combine into a full meal.

And hey, if anyone knows a good recipe with Mountain Dew and Doritos, I’ll be set.