For JG

2 quick things:

1. Iowa is starting the process to legaliE sports gambling, could the
be our new Vegas??

2. There are tons of prop bets on-line for the NFL combine...over/
under 40 times, bench press, crazy stuff. Jared, I know you love the
props, so thought I'd make you aware.

Go Gophs!

Sent from my iPhone

Random

Totally just some random stream of consciousness notes on my mind while sitting at BWW waiting for my oil change to be complete.

1. I really like DUKE this year, this is the weird FAV I have for the NCAA Tourney this season. I always hate DUKE and never pick them anywhere past the Sweet 16, so we'll see what happens with the draw...but I'm kind of liking their squad right now.

2. NBA Hoops, catch the fever. After 4 months of not caring at all, I'm kind of getting into the NBA right now. Don't know why, maybe reading too much Bill Simmons, but I'm interested and watching bits and pieces of random games before bed.

3. I'm giving the Gophs 1% chance of winning tonight. PUR is another club I LOVE come tourney time. Tubby has been picking it up, but I really can't pick anything miraculous to happen tonight.

4. Twins...Mauer will sign, I have no doubts.

5. AM 1500, I've listened a little and it's okay. I really am not a big Barreiro guy and especially not a Justin Gaard fan so I've switched over during the drive home lately...it's been decent. I like Cowherd in the afternoons, but I'll still be a Common guy but besides him I really don't like much on KFAN anymore. I'm almost becoming more of a National ESPN/Dan Patrick/FOX radio guy vs. KFAN. Too many bland personalities that say the same thing everyday and don't discuss anything interesting. PA is horrible, morning show is worse. I'm giving the new kid in town a chance, but I'm not sure it will last. I really like Doogie, but he's on so early sometimes that I can't catch it.

6. Spring practice starts in under a month...can't f*ing wait.

7. Wrapping up my SEC 2010 preview already...I think it's going to be crazy competitive and not just the FLA and ALA inevitable matchup this season. But I'm way ahead of myself...I won't start pushing those down your throats until at least June.

7 points and really saying nothing...that's what happens when you are sitting alone at BWW having a beer and working and blogging while wasting some time...dangerous.

Winter Sports Season...not over yet?!?!

So I guess Tubby and Donny must read this blog because after calling out both teams as being completely finished for 2010 they each have huge 2-0 weeks and keep some slim hopes alive for post-season success.

First, the Hoopsters. How fun is it to win 3 in a row vs. Sconny and the angriest looking man in America, Mr. Bo Ryan. Seriously dude, simmer down a little. He looks like he might explode at any moment. This game was fun, and by FAR the best I've seen this team play all year. Offense looked like we had a plan, working the ball inside and getting open jumpers to fall from the outside...I think that's how it's supposed to work. But the defense was an even bigger story for me. They played aggressive, rebounded well, and changed it up at the right times. The 3-2 zone in the 2nd half totally shut down the Baaadgers and allowed us to cruise to a non-nailbiter win for the first time in a while. Then Saturday night they took care of business and pounded a brutal IND club. 4 to play, we still have a shot at 20 wins and a tourney bid...beating PUR at the barn might be a must (barring a B10 tourney run) to keep the dream alive.

Hockey team - where has this been? A dominating sweep of a good CC team this weekend has now made the end of this pathetic season a little more watchable. Now we are off to UMD and then host WIS for the finale series of the regular season. If you're going to get hot, it's a great time to do it! If nothing else, at least this will make the last couple of weekends watchable and with the Final 5 format, there is definitely a chance for this club to make some magic happen. It was nice to see Kangas play as well as he did on Friday night, then Saturday was the offensive showcase scoring 7 times! This is what we should do if you believe the offensive talent we have is what it is perceived to be. UMD is 7 points ahead of us, and they have been a better team all year...but I'll take our momentum and hopefully it will translate into at least 3 points on the road.

Finally - how about Olympic Hockey! I haven't watched a hockey game that fun in a long time. Unreal talent and competition...it was like an All-Star game but everyone was trying really hard to win. Amazing game, and now it seems like the squad is set in a good position to not face one of the big teams until the Gold Medal game assuming we can win the next couple in the medal round. We'll see, but whatever happens, how fun was it to stick it to the Canadians in their own country in their own national sport??!

Overall - great sports weekend, how can it continue into Monday. Well, I'm guessing I'll be forced into watching the Bachelor Tell All special tonight, which should be super awesome, so I guess I'll take a day off of the amazing winner vibe my teams have going right now.

One final note for the weekend - Gopher baseball takes 2/3 from Akron down in Ft. Meyers, sounds like the pitching was outstanding...as usual. I checked out a NCAA Baseball preview article and it looks like we're a fringe Top 25 club this season...maybe this is the year! Omaha, somewhere in middle America...

Time to start sharpening the mind up for the final 2 regular season weeks of NCAA Hoops and get ready for the Madness...start finding your favorites right now. I have a few already, and you will be VERY suprised to hear some of them...but I can't reveal until we get a little closer.

Loving this song right now...PJ

Do you want to hear something sad?
we are but victims of desire
I'm gonna shake this day
I wanna shake this day before I retire

I'm gonna see my friend
I'm gonna see my friend, make it go away
I'm sick of everything
I'm gonna see my friend, make it go away

Well I said I... I won't be long before we all walk off the wire
Well I'm gonna see my friend, I'm gonna see my friend for what I require
Well I said I will come in quick
don't want my flame to get no higher

I'm gonna see my friend
I'm gonna see my friend, make it go away
I'm sick of everything
I'm gonna see my friend, make it go away
I'm gonna see my friend
gonna see my friend, make it go away

Want to leave it all.
Want to give it up.
Want to see it go once and for all
Want to view it cho
Want a little bit home
Want to be there...
Hard as a statue, black as a tattoo, never to wash away

Gonna take me an astral plane
I'm gonna tunnel through denial
But I'm gonna shake this day
I wanna shake this day before I retire

I'm gonna see my friend
I'm gonna see my friend, make it go away
I'm sick of everything
I'm gonna see my friend, make it go away
I'm gonna see my friend
I'm gonna see my friend, make it go away

Line on Tiger Press Conference

Will he cry at the press conference on Friday?

YES (-250)
NO (+180)


Currently, 73% are saying YES, he definitely will. I tend to agree.

See all the cool stuff you can stay up to date on via TWITTER...I'm telling you guys, it eliminates the need to watch the bottom line on ESPN and eliminates the need to watch the News - good stuff.

Thoughts? I'd like to see the line for Tiger getting caught cheating again once this is all done...no matter what the line, I take YES and bet a lot.

Winter Sports Season

With the Purple making an extended run this year I have kind of been able to avoid thinking about the dreaded Winter sports season in our great state.

However, the lame month of FEB forces me to at least pay a little attention to our pathetic sports scene until March Madness hits...so I have watched, and I have some thoughts.

1. GOPHER HOOPS
People are starting to question Mr. Tubby, but I don't think that's the right thing to do. Sure he has some faults, but the guy is a proven winner and has been dealt a tough hand this season. Take away 2 PF types that were both expected to contribute heavily and lose your starting PG because he can't make it to class for the entire 2nd half of the year. I don't know many teams that can overcome those kinds of losses. But I'm not providing excuses - this team should have about 3-4 more wins than they do right now. How many times have they been cruising and then lose a large lead in the last 10 minutes because apparently we freak out and forget how to run an offense at that point. I love watching our 30 second stall then give it to Westbrook and let him jack one up...fun to watch. The team just lacks hustle so many times and the "strength" that was our defense from a year ago is now a major weakness because we don't seem to stop anyone!

Tonight is probably the last worthwhile game to watch for the season on this club. WIS is actually a dog tonight at Willum...it's a last chance for hope. I guess there was the cliched players only meeting and we have some lineup changes coming...plus we play Sconny well, so there might be a chance. Other than tonight, I'll tune in for the B10 Tourney in hopes of a miracle...then we can rock the NIT. The sad thing is, I'm really not that optimisitic for the future at this point...let's hope they prove me wrong.

2. GOPHER HOCKEY
Now I really can't break down hockey, but this team is terrible. Coming in expecting conference title possible national title this season...then we're a bottom tier WCHA team?!?! WTF? Donny really hasn't been "coaching up" his club lately...it's been a bad run and it's over for this season. The question is, is Donny done? Smart people continue to say he can not be fired but a resignation is possible. I think it's time - mediocrity is not an option with this club...they continue to recruit extremely well, so a new leader might be able to come in and turn this thing around in a hurry. Thanks for the memories Don - I'll never forget watching 2 titles being won at Sally's...good times...but it's over.

3. WOLVES
Well, we made a blockbuster yesterday...Darko is here! Had to give up the always annoying Brian Cardinal. I still hold out a little hope for this team, but it's tough to watch. What has changed from the KG + nobody days is that we actually have some young talent that people want and that might actually improve and be a quality club down the road. Once again, nothing is really worth noting from this club until after the lottery and the free agency period this season. The 2010 free agent crew, which has been talked about since about 2007, needs to land a couple of solid pieces in MN. Then hopefully a top 2 or 3 lotto pick (keep losing!) and we might have something. I think the most Rubio will help this team is by being traded, so hopefully there are still some takers out there on this guy. A lot of things are riding on where our lotto pick ends up again...doesn't it seem like we say this every year?!? If KAHN says we're 3-4 years away, then we're probably 5-8 years away. If you're desperate and nothing else is on...check it out. Otherwise, wait until the Lottery.

4. WILD
The one club with a glimmer of hope. How about a GM that makes some proactive trades to get better!?? How about a team that isn't just "accumulating assets" and is actually trying to rebuild and win at the same time? Now I'm not expecting much of a playoff run out of this club, but I feel confident that we have the guys in the front office and the guys behind the bench to make something good happen. It's kind of fun to watch when we're not trying to win 2-1 every night! I'm expecting the club to sneak in and snag an 8 or 7 seed this year and then try to make more of a push in 2010-2011.

I'm kind of excited to watch the USA-CANADA game on Saturday night. I haven't been excited to watch a hockey game since the last Wild playoff run, so it's a weird feeling. I don't think we have a great shot to win, and even if we do it's hard to call it another "Miracle", but it should be a fun watch either way. Maybe the club can talk the Holy Cross radio team into simulcasting the game...then it could feel even bigger than Lake Placid in 1980! I still think that might be the most hilarious clip I've heard in a long time, well...that and the bowling guys talking about how the Spanish are taking over.

So the good news is that the horrible and sad Winter sports season in MN is almost over as P & C report next week and we can be on a 100% Twins vibe (and Gopher Spring Football, of course) through the sunny months until it's time to prepare for TCF Part II this fall. Which is only about 200 days away from welcoming in South Dakota to the Bank...let the countdown begin!

Wild Expansion Rumors

Wow, this would be a stretch, but sounds like nearly all members of the B12 are looking elsewhere at this point.

TEXAS to the B10 and COL to the P10?

It's going to be quite a shake up once one of these dominoes finally drops.

Lock of the Seaon in NCAA Hoops?

MICHIGAN +8.5 tonight vs. our pathetic Gophs...have to love those odds.

Other news - CFN has their Pre-Preseason rankings out for each conference...the Golden Ones are picked 11th in the B10 for 2010. Really? I guess with our complete lack of offense last season and losing our entire defense except for the safeties it probably makes sense. But I still have to believe some of the lesser teams will find a way to finish below us.

Hoping Horton/Hammock our new co-OC's can stabilize the offense and make it productive much like Cosgrove/Lee did with the D last season. It's only FEB and I already feel like I have to start making excuses for this team...yikes!

Anyone looking for a party this weekend - it's in New Ulm. Bock Fest is on Saturday, weather looks okay...but not great. Basically, line up outside the brewery around 10am and hang inside trying to stay warm until about 4pm when we move the party downtown. It's a great time - but get there early or you won't get inside. BTW - if you're looking for a good Schell's beer, and they are kind of hard to find, try the Bock...it's solid.

I'm mailing out checks tonight for Mr. Roe and Mr. Kobow...let me know when you receive them.

Gopher Talent...finally up to par?

I think I commented on this article when it was posted last time on thedailygopher.com, but it now has a look ahead at what we can expect in 2010.

The premise is simple, whoever has the most talent on the field should be winning the most games...right? Well, it's not always that simple, but in my opinion this is a very good indicator at what a coaching staff has to work with and where realistic expectations should be set each season.

How does he do it? The guy takes all the rankings of each recruiting class and adds up the ratings of the 4-5 classes that make up the team each year with heavier weighting being applied to the Juniors and Seniors. If you don't have time to look at the link, I'll summarize for you:

2007: Gophers=600, WIS=900, IOWA=1150 - obviously heavy advantage IOWA
2008: Gophers=400, WIS=750, IOWA=1000 - once again, huge edge IOWA
2009: Gophers=500, WIS=850, IOWA=1050 - pretty accurate predictor
2010: Gophers=725, WIS=800, IOWA=750

This equalizing of talent has to do with Iowa losing their a very highly rated class of seniors (plus a handful of underclassmen not accounted for on these ratings) and Brew's improved recruits entering their 3rd year and making a larger impact. WIS has stayed very consistent throughout.

As far as overall B10 rankings, it looks like this:
- OHIOST and MICH on top around a 2000 rating (MICH has lost a ton of players from these classes since the great DickRod took over, so it's a little misleading)
- PSU rolls in around 1400
- ILL at 1200
- Sparty at 900
- WIS, IOWA, MIN all right around 750-800
- PUR at about 350
- NW at 250
- IND at 150

So we're placed right around 6th-8th place based on talent, which is much better than the 8th-9th place talent we had last season.

What does this mean? Well, I think this is the most talented, on paper, team that the Gophers will have fielded in a long long time. Does that mean we win 8 games...no, but it means that we're moving the right direction and this season with a "level" playing field with Iowa and WIS, Brew has no excuses. We need to beat at least one of these teams this season and we need to show progress. The time is now!!

Is it September yet?