#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -1). The Jynx is the last team that's undefeated in the Women's National Basketball Association, but I don't know if I've had more doubts of a team that has started off 5-0. The squad claimed both ends of a home-and-home with the Connecticut Sun, but the game at home (well, the X instead of Target) Tuesday finished 80-78. I don't know if their 82-68 win at Mohegan Sun is indicative that they've turned a corner or something. Point Guard play remains suspect, and the rebounding could be better. And the team isn't getting any younger.
Hmmm, interesting ... the team plays only two games, both on weekends. Tonight they host San Antonio, and they play at Seattle Saturday.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2). Hey, hey, hey ... a 5-2 screening week keeps the Twinks atop the American League Central! Pitching remains solid, led by an unheard-of (and hopefully natural) start of the year by Ervin Santana, who, if he and the team keep succeeding like this, definitely should not be traded. The lineup is hitting too, even though Miguel Sano has slumped to the point where he sat out yesterday's (Saturday's) and today's (Sunday's) games. And Byron Buxton still can't hit, but the rest of the bats appear to have taken up some of the slack so that the organization has accepted his limitations. Hey, things could be better, but it could be worse, and if they can keep this up and improve on their weaknesses, these guys are going to stick around.
They finish up the series against the Bay Rays of Tampa at Target today/Sunday, then The Best Team In Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros, come to town for three games starting tomorrow (Monday). They then embark on a three-series road trip starting in Anaheim against the legendary Mike Trout and the Angels for four games beginning on Thursday.
#-3: United FC (Re-Entry!). Did someone say that Christian Ramirez couldn't play in Major League Soccer? The way he's been playing the last two matches I wonder how he hadn't gotten picked up by another team before this year.
The man they call Superman scored three Goals in Sunday's match against Los Angeles and last (Saturday's) match vs. Orlando. One of them was an athletic, slow-bounding side kick to tie the Galaxy at 1. Another of them came off a fantastic backheel flick from the mercurial Johan Venegas that sprung into an open area in front of Ramirez; he eluded the OCSC Goalkeeper and another defender before tapping it in. That resulted in that match's only score and broke a two-game losing streak (and extended to six a streak where the Lions have not won a game). The third, unfortunately, extended that losing streak to two; off of a Corner Kick, the ball found Ramirez's foot and skittered past Bobby Shuttleworth to give L.A. a 2-1 win.
One other thing I want to point out is that I saw a lot of individual prowess in last night's win. Ismaila Jome headed a 50/50 ball into open space, which continued a forward run. I mentioned the Venegas flick. Francisco Calvo took the ball out of the defensive half using a spin-o-rama. And Ibson (who was on the cover of last night's roster card) kept possession of the ball with this weird spinning move where he had one knee on the pitch. It was a sight to behold, but the almost 19,000 at TCF Bank Stadium was able to say "Whoa!" several times last/Saturday night.
Saturday they go to Kansas City.
#-Infinity: Gopher baseball and Gopher softball (Last Week, respectively: -3 and -4). OK, let's get the baseball Nine out of the way first. They fought, and they fought hard. The greatest moment probably was their second match-up with Big Ten Tournament host Indiana in an elim game. The U. was down 6-0 before crawling back with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Hoosiers scratched in single runs in the top of the seventh and eighth innings to make their lead 8-4. But they came back to lead and, it turns out, win the game with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, the last three of which came on a Home Run from pinch-hitting Eduardo Estrada, Jr. Wow. That was fucking thrilling.
That put them into a contest with Iowa, which they won by tripling the Hawkeyes, 9-3. (Oh, they started off the tourney by beating Indiana, 5-4 and losing to Northwestern, 11-7.) But their luck ran out last (Saturday) night, 7-5 in 13 innings. Again, a hell of a run. But they needed to win this whole shebang to make a repeat appearance in the NCAAs, and due to a late-season swoon including dropping series to Long Beach St. and Purdue, their season is officially done.
But let's talk about the failure that is the University of Minnesota softball team. Yeah, yeah, they lost to a very tough Alabama team by a pair of 1-0 scores, blah-blah-blah. You guys had the balls to play the disrespect card and wear t-shirts that said "Win Anyway." Well, you didn't fucking win, did you? DID YOU?!?!?!
They needed to win the Regional. I don't care that it was on the road. If you're as lofty as you say you are, and if the polls say you are (the coaches gave the U. a bone by ranking them #1 after getting snubbed), then you march into Tuscaloosa and win. Period. And they didn't. Which -- and I said this last week -- means that the NCAA was totally right in saying that Minnesota was not one of the 16-best teams in top-flight softball, despite having the best record and the most wins in Div. I. They were seeded appropriately. They did not deserve a host. And those fucking goddamn losses are the reasons why.
What a humiliating end to the college career of Pitcher Sara Groenewegen. Made the NCAA Tournament all four years, but the program only won one Regional during her tenure. Yeah, she is The Greatest Gopher Softball Player In History, but after this, so fucking what?
You know, I'll bet that the NCAA will give Minnesota a host next year even though Head Coach Jessica Allister will have nowhere near the club she (supposedly at least) had this year. What fucking trolls.
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