The Wild are peaking at the right time. A club whose heart and chemistry I've questioned all year are now winning the most impressive way: Coming from behind. The club did that the week before against the Coyotes and L.A., and they did it again to beat Boston, the team with the best record in the National Hockey League. (Sure, they are so comfortably ahead that they really didn't need to win this game, but past Wild teams still would not have won this game.) Tuesday's victory capped off a 3-1 week, where they went on the road and had Charlie Coyle's second-period goal stand up against Winnipeg, as well as whipped the team with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference, Pittsburgh, 4-0 at the Xcel Energy Center. Even the loss, to Chicago, was only 3-2 in a shootout.
Could the reason for the fantastic play the players finally playing together? Is it finally realizing that the real season is starting soon? Or is it ... Ilya Bryzgalov? He was traded for a fourth-round pick in case Darcy Kuemper did not keep up his sterling wunderkind play. I thought he could, but I was wrong, and now he's hurt. Which means that General Manager Chuck Fletcher's belief that he needed some fortification in goal was totally correct. Nevertheless, no one could see that Bryzgalov would play so spectacularly; he has won seven games and lost three past regulation since replacing Kuemper for the time being. And despite his, uh, flinty reputation off the ice, right now he is playing like the final piece to a very, very good team.
The regular season ends with games at home to St. Louis Thursday and Nashville Sunday night. And I think the TV news said the Wild will begin their first round playoff series Wednesday. The most likely opponent: Anaheim.
#-1: Timberwolves (Last Week: -2). It's kind of fitting that the night in which the Timberwolves had probably the most impressive win this season, and probably in the last couple seasons, they were officially eliminated from the playoffs. That date was Friday, when they went to Miami and defeated the two-time defending champion Heat in double overtime, 122-121. That same evening, sadly, Memphis beat Denver, therefore giving the Woofie Dogs no chance to tie for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs.
This may have been the most impressive week of the season for the squad. Tuesday evening they beat San Antonio at Target Center in the game that was supposed to be played in Mexico City four months ago, 110-91. Sure, San Antonio was playing without Tony Parker (and by the way, Dwyane Wade wasn't playing for Miami Friday). But like with the Wild beating Boston, the Woofs have not shown they can beat the best teams in the National Basketball Association with depleted rosters. They did this week, as well as playoff-bound Memphis earlier in the screening week.
Unfortunately they also lost in Orlando and, in a case where I took a deep nap instead of trying to beat my self-imposed Wednesday early evening deadline, at home to Chicago Wednesday evening. It's those up-and-down weeks, those times when too many games whose results went contrary to what the talent on paper should produce (well, that along with the firepower in the Western Conference this year) that lands this organization on the outside looking in. And it remains on in disarray; note that Dante Cunningham had a good game in the defeat to the Bulls despite being arrested not once but twice this week, the first time on a domestic, the second one for making terroristic threats.
At least the season's almost over. This week: Home to Houston, then at Sacramento and Golden State.
#-2: Gopher baseball (Last Week -3). Took two of three in Michigan. Best game of the series probably was the first one Friday, where they won 9-6 in 11 innings. However they somehow got crushed at South Dakota St. this (Wednesday) afternoon 13-4. Geez, between the baseball and the women's basketball programs, the Jackrabbits are just keeping the Gophers' ass. This week begins a five-game stretch at Siebert Field, with a three-game series versus Nebraska and a one-off Tuesday/Tax Day against Hamline.
#-3: Twins (Last Week: -4). Took the series at Cleveland, both wins of which finally gave Manager Ron Gardenhire 1,000 wins in his career. They then opened up Target Field on Monday ... and they are still winless through two games. Look, I still think money rules baseball to a degree you don't see in basketball or hockey. And the Oakland Athletics still haven't won a World Series under the modern rules of spending, no matter how finely they execute Moneyball, exploiting every market inefficiency they can find. It still kind of sucks that a team whose home stadium is a literal shithole can come into our stadium and win comfortably by scores of 8-3 and 7-4 (albeit that last game went into extras). All the goodwill they may have received after winning two of three in Cleveland is now gone.
The good thing about these home opener series is that most, if not all, of the games are played in the afternoon. Is it just tradition, or does Major League Baseball feel they need to ensure games are played in the warmest part of these spring days? They finish their series against Oakland tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon, then continue their homestand with a weekend series against Kansas City and a midweek series vs. Toronto beginning Tuesday.
#-4: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: Positive Numbers). Marlene Stollings? Who? I'll be honest, I'm not impressed. What were considered to be the odds-on favorites for the jobs have many more things going for them. Notre Dame Assistant Coach Niele Ivey helped the Fighting Irish to a 37-1 season and finished as NCAA runners-up. Aaron Johnston has done a fantastic job leading South Dakota St. and knows the Minnesota girls high school basketball scene.
But instead U. Athletic Director Norwood Teague goes out and fetches a woman who 1) has been a Head Coach for only three years; 2) the last two at VCU, Teague's old stomping grounds; 3) leading the Rams to the NCAA Tournament in neither season; 4) instead took them to the WNIT where they lost in the first round; 5) and has a personal history of skipping from job to job at a rate that rivals Larry "Next Town" Brown? Are you kidding me?
No, I do not believe Teague was thorough in his search. Not only did he just go back to his contacts in Richmond, Va., he tapped his deputy, Mike Ellis, to lean on this Head Coach incubator
#-5: Swarm (Last Week: -5). OK, they're now in it now, after getting swept in a home-and-home with Rochester last weekend. Friday's home loss in OT, 15-14, in particular hurt. They are now 3-12 and have absolutely no margin for error if they want to make the six-team National Lacross League playoffs. A loss at the X this Saturday against Buffalo, or a win by third-place Eastern Division team Toronto the same day, will eliminate the Smarm ... and as I've said before, this might be the last season this franchise will ever play. Vaya con Dios.
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