Tourney Updates - Final 4 Weekend

We've lost 61 teams and we're down to 4...here's how the challenges are going:

1) 4 guy random team challenge
MR - 40 points/0 teams left
JG - 32 points/2 teams left
MK - 28 points/ 1 team left
JR - 20 points/ 1 team left

So ROE will not win, because JG is guaranteed at least 26 more points with UCONN and MSU.

MK can catch him with a NOVA title run and victory over UCONN but not MSU. If MSU wins, JG is champion of the world.

JR has NC left, but they can only get me an extra 15 points...so I'm guaranteed to finish 3rd or 4th - woo-hoo!

2) Bracket Picking Challenge
In this pool it's kind of a similar story:

ROE leads with 106 points right now, but he can't score anymore.
MK is at 103, Bomb at 98, TREE at 88 - all 3 have UNC winning it...so Bomb and Tree are out.

JG has 86 points and no teams left - guaranteed 5th place...not bad.

Basically it comes down to this - a NC win over NOVA wins it for MK, a NOVA win means MR is the champ.

It kind of works out nice - MK will win this pool with a NC win, but he could win the other with a NOVA win...interesting.

Happy F4 weekend!

And we're back

Hey Guys -

So I'm back on-line for the first time since adding a new member to the family. I figured I'd update everyone on where we're at with the pools before tomrorow.

First - here's the new member of our family - The Rollins Family and Gopher Nation...Jace Gregory Rollins


Everything is going great - Mom and Baby are doing really well.

On to the brackets:
1) 5-man challenge on the website:
Roe is leading the way in points and hit 12 of 16 w/all E8 left
Bomb hit 13 of 16 and lost Wake from his Elite 8
MK hit 13 of 16 and also lost WF from E8
JR hit 12 of 16 but only has 6 of the E8 left (WV and ASU suck A$$)
JG hit only 8 of 16, but all 8 are also in his E8...so you're telling me there's a chance...

Lots left to play for - but that's where we are right now. I'm sure it will come down to the final weekend as that's where the most points can be won.

2) Random Team Bracket
Here's how the points sit so far:
JR 12 JG 16 MK 16 MR 6
1 NC UCONN LOU PITT
2 DUKE MSU OK MEM
3 SYR KAN NOVA MIZZ
4 WF 0 XAVIER WASH 2 GONZAGA
5 UTAH 0 PUR FSU 0 ILL 0
6 UCLA 2 AZST 2 MARQ 2 WV 0
7 TEXAS 2 CLEM 0 CAL 0 BC 0
8 BYU 0 OKST 2 OHIOST 0 LSU 2
9 TEN 0 BUT 0 A&M 4 SIENNA 4
10 USC 4 MARY 4 MICH 4 MIN 0
11 UTST 0 VCU 0 DAY 4 TEMPLE 0
12 WIS 4 WKY 4 UNI 0 ARIZ
13 MISSST 0 CLEVST 4 AKRON 0 PORTST 0
14 NDST 0 CORNELL 0 SFAUST 0 AMERICA 0
15 CSNORTH 0 BING 0 RMORRIS 0 MORGST 0
16 ETNST 0 RADFORD 0 CHATT 0 MOORHD 0

JG has 5 teams left in the final 16
MR has 5 left in the Sweet 16
JR has 3 left
MK has 3 left

The only sure fire upset points remaining are for MR-ARIZONA and JG-PURDUE

Here's what the next couple of day's matchups look like:

LOU-MK
AZ-MR

KAN-JG
MSU-JG

UCONN-JG
PUR-JG

MIZZ-MR
MEM-MR

PITT-MR
XAVIER-JG

NOVA-MK
DUKE-JR

NC-JR
GONZ-MR

SYR-JR
OK-MK

So Roe and JG will each definitely be losing a team in Round 3 since they play against themselves (once for Roe, 2x for JG).

As a reminder - you get 4 points for a team losing in Sweet 16 (double for upset teams), 6 points for an E8 loss, 8 for a Final 4 loss, 10 for a title game loss, and 15 for having the Champion

Too many possibilities to go over at this point - more info on Saturday.

In other news - GOPHERS Spring Ball started yesterday. No major news coming out of camp just yet, but this will be a hot topic, at least for this guy, for the next month until the Spring Game. Don't forget APR 25th - be there!

That's all I got - hope everything is good with you guys and good luck this weekend!

Funniest thing I've read in a long time

Just had to share this - I was reading CFN this morning and the article about the most surprising teams of the upcoming year. The Gophers made the list, which is a nice little piece of publicity in itself. But the funniest thing I have seen in a long time is how they talk about Vandy as another one of the surprise teams and here's one of the reasons:

"The WR corp will receive a huge upgrade with transfer Tray Herndon from Minnesota."

Are you kidding me? I know Vandy isn't necessarily even close to being the class of the SEC, but getting a transfer like Herndon who couldn't get playing time on our roster, which was desperate for anyone with a clue at WR, is ridiculous. This tells me 2 things: a) our talent is unreal at WR if we can let guys like Herndon walk and he's an immediate upgrade for an SEC Bowl team of last year and b) Vandy is in trouble if they think this guy is going to save the world.

But after the 2 debacles we witnessed last night, it is officially football season arounf these parts - 175 days and counting until kick-off at TCF.

No major tourney news from yesterday - our challenge is far from over. I'll throw down a full report on Monday once we have entered the Sweet 16 and things become much clearer.

PJ - "Insignificane" kind of describing our state for the next few weeks.

all in all, it's no one's fault
excuses turn to carbon walls
blame it all on chemical intercourse
the swallowed seeds of arrogance
breeding in the thoughts of ten thousand fools that fight irreverance
the full moon is dead skin
the one down here's wearing thin
so set are the ten pins as the human tide rolls in
like a ball that's spinning
bombs dropping down
overhead, underground
it's instilled...to wanna live
bombs dropping down, please forgive
our hometown in our insignificance

5 minutes from tip-off

It's almost time. We're closing in on the start of the tourney, and I thought I'd post a couple of quick things.

1) We have a new member...ladies and gentleman, we got him - BOMB is now officially a part of the Football Challenge world. Welcome. I believe you entered a bracket for the tourney, so good luck.

2) How many different kinds of pools can you be in? Well, I'm trying to set a record for variety this year. I have the following:

1) BBY Pool - standard, just like ours
2) Our 4 person team pool
3) A number pool where I have a winning number "7" and a losing number "8" for every game and get paid for each game that ends like this.
4) A ranking pool where I put all the teams in order 1-64 and you get that number of points for each game that the team wins.
5) Point spread - I'm betting on a few games against the spread as well just for good measure. I picked them all, so we'll see how that turns out.

On top of that - we're having a baby on Saturday for sure...maybe sooner. We'll see what happens over the next day or so. But I like the idea of bringing my son into the world in time to watch the Gophers beat Duke and win the Final 5 on the same day! Sounds like a plan - as long as the little man cooperates.

Sadly, I actually have to be at work doing some things today - but I'll be glued to the set all night so I'll probably be in contact with you guys.

Enjoy the madness!!

PJ describes the next 4 days perfectly..."In Hiding"

I shut and locked the front door
No way in or out
I turned and walked the hallway
And pulled the curtains down
I knelt and emptied the mouth of every club around
But nothing's sound, nothing's sound

I'd stay but my last cab left me
Ignored all my rounds
Soon I was seeing visions and cracks along the walls
They were upside down

I swallow my words to keep from lying
I swallow my face just to keep from biting, I, I..
I swallowed my breath and went deep, I was diving, diving
I surfaced when all of my being was enlightened.

Less than 24 hours away

I forgot how fun it is to have your team in the tournament...it's been a while. I know you guys are filling in your brackets as we speak, but I am sitting at BWW waiting for some food, so I thought I'd post a few thoughts.

First, the Gophers. I'm really not impressed with Texas, so I think we definitely have a chance to take them down. Our lack of scoring, especially in crunch time, is a huge red flag for me. But I like Tubby in the tourney, even with less than great talent at this point, I think I'll pick the Gophers. Against Duke...mmm, maybe not. But even 1 win would be great for this team in 2009. Look out next year.

And the food is here.

I'm out.

Nothing's gonna stop us now...

One down. Gophers triumph over an outmatched but gutty NW team this afternoon to all but lock up a berth in the Big Dance for Tubby Ball Year 2. Woo-hoo!!

12:00 date tomorrow with Sparticus...hmmm, don't like our chances here. Maybe they'll overlook us?

I think that will be a LOOOOONG lunch date tomorrow...involving beer and not going back to work. Anybody up for that?

In other news, Ivan Maisel has Brew's Crew ranked as the #3 team that is posied to make a big jump this year...I get goosebumps just writing that sentence and thinking about TCF and a 8-10 win season. F*ck March - is it September yet?

Gopher Puck - all indications are we need to win this weekend and get to the final of the WCHA tourney to lock down a tourney berth. Tough call - I don't have a pairwise rankigns PhD, so I guess I'll just hope to keep winning and make it an afterthought.


How about this - I read an article this morning talking about how Donny Lucia is on the hot seat if things continue to be mediocre this year. Wow, 2 Nat'l titles - then a run of 2-3 down years and now he's on the hot seat. I'm curious to see what you guys think of this. Obviously, it's like the ND, OHIOST, FLORIDA type of jobs in the football world so should we expect much more of the Gophers? Especially when you really have your pick of all the talent in MN and you can't even get into the NCAA tourney. I hadn't really thought of this, but I'm kind of on board with axeing Donny if/when this slide continues. I love the skill players he brings in, but they are in dire need of some tough defenseman, which Lucia apparently refuses to recruit. Some new life might be just what this club needs to get back on track. He's had a nice run of about 10ish years, but it might be time. Thoughts?

Also - I guess the Jay Cutler option might not be completely dead. Sounds like things have gotten even worse with the Broncos. My question to you is what are we willing to part with to get a franchise QB? Or maybe even better, what would you rather have...franchise QB, AP type RB, Moss type WR, Allen like DE, Ray Lewis type LB, Polamalu type S?

For me - I think QB rules all and there is no way around it. Regardless of what you want to do on offense, you have to have a great leader running the show. I know every one brings up the "game-manager" and the Trent Dilfer lead Ravens...but that was definitely the exception and not the rule. Look at the winning QB's the last few years: Ben, Eli, Peyton, Ben, Brady, Brady. Granted in 2001 and 2003 Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer won the title but that is non the way to do it. So basically, I think that if you are the Purple you give up whatever you possibly can in order to get Cutler, if you do - like I do - think he's a franchise QB who could be "the man" for the next 10 years.

Do I think it will happen...no - but I can dream.

PJ to close...for Tubby and crew from "I am Mine"

And the feeling, it gets left behind
All the innocence lost at one time
Significant, behind the eyes
There's no need to hide
We're safe tonight

Tourney Time

Alright guys - it all starts tomrorow...at least for us Gopher fans. My personal opinion is that we MUST win tomorrow to get in. A loss, which is very possible, and we're toast. I think it really is this simple. What happens? I think they either get blown out or win a very very close one.

The hockey club somehow got a home series against the Cloud this weekend. I'm hoping Kangas has figured it out and starts us on another playoff push. A sweep would be ideal, but it will probably be a 3 gamer. I think they must win a couple in the Final 5 to get in...might as well win the whole f'ing thing.

BTW - has anyone else listened to PA today and his gushing over how happy he is for the NDSU squad making the tourney. Personally, I can't stand them and hope they draw someone like NC/PITT in round one and lose by 200 points. They are slowly climbing the list of most hated teams ever for me...creeping right up there behind IA and Becky.

BABY is due on Monday, could come anytime between now and the 23-24th ish. Hopefully I'll be able to set up the pool and send it out in time next week for us to have a little pick'em.

Not much else happening I guess...Gophers landed another Top 5 MN kid. LB out of Woodbury, Edwards I think is his name...sounds like another big-time player in state. Seantrel is the #1 player in the country - confirmed by Rivals today. We were also listed on the #3 kid I think he's from Texas and he's a WR...don't like our chances there, but you never say never. The ticket site is updated on gophersports.com...not sure if any/all of you got in for next year or not, but they have the entire stadium up with the ability to see the view from any seat - it's pretty cool. I pick my seats on May 5th - can't wait.

Have a good one guys - I'm running off to a meeting. BTW - I'm trying to think of more "state of the state" type topics where we can all chime in, that was fun last week. I should have a couple slower days coming up, so look for something then.


Later.

Who's coming with me?

It's official -

SPRING GAME - 4/25 (Saturday)
WHERE - ST. THOMAS (O'Shaughnessy Stadium)
WHEN: 1:30 pm
HOW MUCH: FREE!

Let's do it. It's also draft day, so could be a full day of fun.

Also, some huge news on the recruiting front - JIMMY GJERE (pronounced Jerry I believe) committed to Brew today. He's a MN kid who plays OL and already had an offer from the Buckeyes on his plate (for sure 4 star, possibly 5 star type kid). HUGE get for Brew - let's hope the other big fella at OL in the state of MN signs on as well. Seantrel was at the beat-down of Bucky last night w/Brew and others...let's hope he forgets about the temptation of playing in front of the Song Girls at USC and sticks around as well. With these 2 as our OT's for the next 3-4 years we could be very special.

How fun was it beating Bucky last night for a season sweep!!??!?! I loved it. Why does Bo Ryan always look angry? Is there a Badger you hate more than Krabbenhoft? What a tool - isn't he like 35 years old?!

I am actually kind of excited for the Gopher hockey games this weekend vs. Michigan Tech. After playing as badly as they have, can you believe they could still finish 3rd in the conference?!?! Does this shock anyone else as much as it did me? MTECH is awful, I think they have like 9 pts this year...so a 4 pt weekend should be expected. If Kangas can pull his head out and find the March magic again you never know what might happen.

Hope everyone has a great weekend - Ellie is heading down to Grandma's, so Anna and I will be partying all weekend...as much as a 8 1/2 month pregnant lady can party...so not at all. Well, I plan on having a couple at least.

We gotta close with a little something upbeat for Jimmy Gjere - woo-hoo!! It's a longish song, but an very under the radar classic from PJ.

Drifting, drifting, drifting away.
I got myself a mansion, then I gave it away.
It's not the world that's heavy, just the things that you save.
And I'm drifting, drifting away.

Drifting, drifting, drifting along.
I rid myself of worries, and the worries were gone.
I only run when I want to and I sleep like a dog.
I'm just drifting, drifting along.

The suitcoats say, "There is money to be made."
They get so damn excited, but I guess it's their way.
My road it may be lonely just because it's not paved.
It's good for drifting, drifting away.

The suitcoats say, "There is money to be made."
They get so damn excited, nothing gets in their way
My road it may be lonely just because it's not paved.
It's good for drifting, drifting away.

Drifting, drifting, drifting, uh huh.
I feel like going back there, but never for long.
I sometimes wonder if they know that I'm gone.
I'm just drifting, drifting along.
Drifting, drifting along. Drifting, drifting along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPYAu5NM62c&feature=related

Kobow's State of the State.

Well, I know you guys put down your thoughts on the place where our pro sports teams are at, and I figure that I can throw my two cents in before my meeting coming up in a bit here.

Here are my thoughts, how they stand, and where they are going from here.

1) Vikings-They barely and I mean barely beat out the Twins for the number one spot on my list. I know the stadium sucks, I know the fan base is fickle, and I know we do not have anything near a proven quarterback. Our head coach is far, far below average, and sometimes incompetent. But here is what we do have. We have one of the most dynamic offensive players in Adrian Peterson that the game has seen in the last 15 years. We have an owner who has proven that he will spend a lot of money heading into two uncapped seasons upcoming in 2010 and 2011. If we are going to see a Super Bowl championship in our lifetime, I believe it is going to come in the next three seasons. The defense is still strong, the running game is excellent, and the passing game has no where to go but up. I truly believe this team is the closest to a world championship out of our four sports teams.

2) Twins- A very close second, a consistent winner, but does anyone actually take them seriously to make a run at a World Championship? I certainly do not. They are a nice story every summer and early fall. "Look at the Twins, in contention again, how do they do it?" Well, here is how they do it. They have one of the best 1st basemen in the league. A great catcher, speed in the outfield and all throughout the lineup, and a group of solid young starting pitching. By the way Jared, to compare the Twins starting rotation to the Braves of the early 90's is ridiculous, and I hope you were kidding. Uhhh, those Braves had three HOFers, and the Twins don't have one. So, if the Twins have all these good things going for them, why aren't they #1? Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, NYY, Boston, Anaheim, Tampa Bay. And that is just the American League. They certainly aren't better than NYY, Boston, Anaheim or Tampa Bay. And I'll make the argument that they aren't better than Chicago or Detroit, two places where owners actually spend money on their teams. But boy we sure beat the crap out of KC don't we? I despise the way this team is run at times...so unbelievably frustrating as a fan, and I certainly am not a big Twins fan at all, and it bothers me. With the move into the new stadium, we hear rumors of more big time free agents being brought in here, but I certainly won't be holding my breath.

3) Wild-Speaking of frustrating, this team is an ultimate head scratcher at times to think about how they were put together. The star player I believe wants to bludgeon his coach to death at times. He is also hurt all the time, rarely gives 100%, and disappears in big games. A truly wonderful combination. The head coach I think has completely lost this team. They don't buy into his system anymore. After hearing the same speeches and playing the same style over and over and over again for years at a time, the players eventually start tuning you out. That is what has happened with LeMaire and this Wild team. Backstrom is an excellent goalie, probably top 5-10 in the NHL, but also has to want to kill his teammates when he sees another 2-1 loss where he makes 35 saves to keep them in the game. They seem like they want to try to bring bigger name players in here, but consistently lose some of their better veteran players to FA. As mentioned, they draft inexplicably poorly, and probably are as far away from a championship right now as they have been in the past five years. Hey, that stadium looks great though.

4) Timberwolves- As I often state, I truly believe I am one of the last 8-10 T'Wolves fans in this state. But this had better be as low is it's going to go for this team for a while. They are borderline unwatchable, even with Jefferson in the lineup at times. Of course anytime, you lose a guy who was having a 23-11 season, (incredible when you think about it...top 10 in points and rebounds), you are going to have a tough time winning. As horrific as the Foye-Roy deal looked last year, it hasn't been quite the bloodbath this year, as Foye has remained healthy and seems to be playing with way more confidence. I don't think I would trade Kevin Love for Michael Beasley right now...which is a big statement. But that doesn't get them off the hook for YEARS of repulsive draft choices. McHale is a guy I still don't trust at HC. I think he is always ready to press the self-destruct button. The owner is getting old and incompetent, the stadium isn't getting any newer, and we have awful luck in the lottery. But they have made some decent moves in the last two years, and could with a little luck and good selections in the draft this year, start to change things around. A move out of the West to the Eastern Conference would help.

Thoughts?

Kobow

Response to Tree's 4 MN Franchises

I think I would have to agree with the order of the MN franchises. Here are my thoughts on each:

1)Twins: Our one franchise that you can count on to be there in the end each year and not piss it away (at least not consistently like #2). The signing of Crede makes us a legit contender this year. We have a starting rotation that is like the Braves of the 90s. We have Baby Jesus behind the plate. We have 4 outfielders that can play. Our corners in the infield are All-Stars. We have the greatest backup catcher in the league. Our closer is a stud. What more could you want in a team? Our manager is great and people get behind the team. Our farm system is top notch and we always develop great talent. The outdoor stadium is only going to do more for the team. I look for the Twins to stay #1 in MN for awhile.

2)Vikings: The only team that I consistently go to games of. I decided to re-up my season tickets for one more year (I think I have been saying this for a few years now), but after seeing a playoff game last year, I have to think that there is more to come. AP is a stud and is worth the price of admission. We tried to get a big-time receiver and failed because we wouldn't pay a few million dollars more. That doesn't matter though because we have no one to throw the ball to him. Getting Sage is a joke. We are a team that needs to win now--I know Sage isn't young, but he isn't experienced. We needed to get Hasselbeck or Garcia. There is less than a 1% chance of getting Cutler, although it is intriguing. If we get Cutler, I bet Housh would have liked to make a decision to be in purple. Chilly is a terrible coach. Our fans are the most band-wagon fans in the world, but it is still the NFL, which reigns supreme. Did I mention that our stadium sucks? I hope that the LA rumors don't come to truth, but if we don't build a new stadium, the purple is gone. We are always around .500, but never do anything with those playoff chances.

3)Wild: The MN team that I follow the least. I see that we signed Backstrom for 4 years, so that is a huge help. Our best player is constantly hurt, and when he isn't hurt, he chokes in the playoffs anyway. We are not able to go out and sign the big free agent. Our drafting is horrible..we don't develop much of our talent. Our coach provides awesome sound bytes and gets a lot of the guys, but he is on his way out. We have an awesome stadium and a great game atmosphere.

4) Timberwolves: I am still a Kevin Love fan, and I think he will be a decent player in the future. Al is fun to watch when he has both ACLs. We have a few young guys that are looking like they can play. Randy Foye would look better with the Blazers and Brandon Roy should be here. McHale is a terrible GM, but is an OK coach. We are about 4 players away from a playoff contender, but we are heading in the right direction (however, we have been rebuilding for the last 3 or so years). But hey, we have a cool mascot and some yeah-baby's on the dance team.

State of the State's Pro Teams

We have 4 major franchises in this city, so I thought I'd do a quick post of thoughts on each...where we are, where we've been, where we're going.

1) TWINS
The only winner in our history, and they've done it twice. A consistent winner, which is much more than you can say about the other 3 franchises. The Twins do it with their own guys who are fundamental players and they pitch really well. I expect this team to make another run this year, and really every year for the forseeable future. They made a nice splash by grabbing Crede this winter, which in the past has really been the only thing against this club - lack of impact free agent signings. I hate to say it, but this looks like a team with very few weaknesses right now, and they are the model franchise in the city. The new staudium next season will only enhance their standing and keep us all interested for quite a while.

2) VIKINGS
I rank them 2nd for a couple of reasons...they try to win by spending lots of cash and making moves, and they are in the NFL, the #1 sport for most of the country. Interest is still quite high, but fading. With a potential move and a lame duck coach/QB combo, the Vikes appear to be on the tail end of their run. The huge involvement in free agency has helped tremendously, kudos to Zygi on that. But the coach is still a moron, I felt this way before last season and I haven't seen anything to change my mind. They still don't appear to have a QB - yep, Sage might be a slight upgrade from the bad TJACK, but it's still not a Super bowl contender. Now, if the Cutler rumors are true and something like that happens, which I give about a 1% chance, then this will be totally different. You have to have a QB to be a contender, and we don't right now. They will not be getting a stadium, unless something drastically changes in the state or maybe the team (Cutler). But I look for us to be a 3 sport pro city within 10 years, which is why this team continues to drop farther and farther off of my radar with each passing season. Overall, never really close to a title in the last 5 years. This year will likely be no different, unless the QB situation is fixed. The future, well, I think you have to start at the top. They should win the division - but is that really saying much. Unless you can make a run in the playoffs you aren't where you need to be. I still don't like Chilly, so a change there might be good - but it might all be irrelevant if we don't have a team in a couple years.

3) WILD
The "ultimiate build job" hasn't exactly worked out. Where do I begin for the problems with this club: 1)you have an old school coach, who might win more games than the talent should suggest, but is still on his way out. 2)you don't draft well - ever. when you have teams that are loaded with young talent and all we can throw out there is PMB, Gilles, Shepherd...you can't compete. 3)your expansion, cute little story phase is over. time to start winning games and being a consistent contender - but we're not even close. They have a few players, but i don't think the front office is aggressive enough to make some big shake-ups and change things at Xcel. Overall, they are competitve, but there isn't a real threat to make a post-season impact. This year, I am betting on them as a non-playoff team. Gabby will leave, very doubtful we can trade him this week. So the future looks a little bleak, unless they hire the right coach and start drafting better and bringing in something different with the free money from Gabby...we could be starting the slow down trend for the next few years - we'll see how popular the X is at that point.

4) WOLVES
The trainwreck that is the Wolves actually has one of the more promising futures of the 4 major teams in this city. If you were to ask me who will be better in 2011 Wolves or Wild...I say Wolves in a second. They have some nice young players - still a bunch of crazies running the show, but they have some talent and some cash and lots of draft picks. Obviously, right now they are bad, and finishing in the lottery is probably the best thing for them right now. Add 1-2 new young players and a couple of solid vets for next year and we could be a fringe playoff team. I didn't think we'd ever get here, but this team might actually be turning it around a bit and moving their way up the ladder in Minneapolis/St.Paul.

Thoughts?

i think we're back

not sure what happened, but after about 10 days of being "broken" i think the blog is fixed.

i know you were all worried.