#-1: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -1). The lady footballers reach the top while not winning all their games this week. No, they didn't lose, either -- two wins and a tie. But one of those victories, coming last (Thursday) night, was against 20th-ranked South Carolina in South Carolina, by a score of 3-1. In actual football numbers, that'd be, like, 30-3. An upset of a ranked team on the road is almost assuredly a trump card for getting on the top of the WMNSS, even with a 0-0 tie at Toledo on the record. (The Gophs also defeated Bowling Green in Bowling Green, 2-0.) They have not lost since they began the season at Notre Dame, and even then it was just 1-0. They should be a force in the Big Ten. This week they come home to finish their out-of-conference schedule against Illinois St. Sunday afternoon, then begin their conference schedule at Iowa Thursday.
#-2: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -2). It's still a good week for the U. volleyballers. They went into Durham, N.C. and won all three of their games to claim the Duke Invitational. They're not on top of the WMNSS because none of the three teams they beat are ranked (although the host Blue Devils got some votes in this week's AVCA Top 25) and they dropped a set to lowly Delaware.
They remain 12th in the AVCA, which I'm starting to think is criminally low. They're 8-1, albeit playing against not-tip-top competition. That should account for something. Oh, and game-changer Ashley Wittman won the first of many accolades this week, being named Co-Big Ten Player and Freshman Of The Week. I could be wrong, especially once they face the likes of Penn St., Illinois and even Michigan, but they should be a force to reckon with in the conference and once the tournament rolls around.
This week they attend the fourth and final interconference tournament of the "preseason," the USD/San Diego St. Tournament. The Gophs obviously face both host schools -- USD is ranked, by the way -- as well as UC-Santa Barbara.
#-3: Twins (Last Week: 0). Went 5-1 this week and they're next to last? It was a competitive week in the WMNSS. After sweeping the Chicago White Sox in three this week -- at Comiskey Park, no less -- the Twinkies now have a nine-game lead; ladies and gentlemen, even though the race for the A.L. Central was kind of over before the series began, now it is really, really over. I mean, the way they just stomped on the Pale Hoses' necks (victories by scores of 9-3, 9-3, and 8-5) sent the message that they've fallen and they sure as shit shouldn't get up. Although they shouldn't coast, they can coast and still sew up a playoff spot.
Now, the things that still bother me. Orlando Hudson seems to be a nice guy, but he's in a major hitting slump and I don't like his range on defense. Is it too much of a stretch to replace him with Nick Punto in short? The fielding could be a lot stronger. It could be the one thing that rears its ugly head in the playoffs as the Yankees or Bay Rays or Rangers kill the Twinks with groundball after groundball through the holes in the infield. Finally, Matt Capps isn't lights out, and you need that from a closer. Jesse Crain, of all fucking people, is the best reliever on the team right now. Dan "The Common Man" Cole of KFAN suggested he could replace Capps as the stopper. Certainly, we have to stop calling him the Crain Wreck.
They are home all this week: three over the weekend against The Bastard Philadelphia/Kansas City Athletics, then a threesome with Cleveland. Should be a 6-0 week.
#-4: Gopher football (Re-Entry!). What can I say? A loss to second-division South Dakota has virtually nailed the final coffin in Tim Brewster's head coaching career at the U., and possibly even his head coaching career anywhere. However. ...
If the Gophs can somehow upset USC, a powerful school in name only right now, it could be enough to save his job. As pathetic a performance they turned in last week, this is college football. The U. could rally around Brew and the embattled program. And the Trojans have not played up to their rank; they remain disconnected on offense and still can't tackle for shit on defense. I say they replace Adam Weber with MarQueis Gray and Wildcat the hell out of 'SC; Jeremiah Masoli did that and Oregon steamrolled 'em. They'd better try something; if they lose, and especially if they get drubbed, TCF Bank Stadium will be empty of maroon-and-gold-clad fans in just its second season. They won't witness a lame duck.
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