Positive Numbers: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: Positive Numbers). Another weekend, another pair of games, and another pair of victories. Sweeps, too. This time, however, these were at the Michigan schools: Michigan St. Friday (22-23-15), #12 Michigan Saturday (25-10[!!!]-20).
This club, without a doubt, is The Best Golden Gopher Volleyball Team I Have Ever Seen. Now, like I've said before, they have to go all the way. These women are scary good, but the longer they go without losing, the scarier it gets. This week: At Wisconsin for Halloween, then the Spartans come to Maturi on Saturday.
#0: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -4). So this side squeaked in as the 7-seed for the B1G Tournament. According to Chris Henderson of All-White Kit, Minnesota has no chance of getting in as an At-Large. The Gophers' only chance of getting in is to buck the odds and win the tourney.
And that is why they take the second spot: An absolutely vital and clutch 1-0 win yesterday (Sunday) afternoon at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were probably going to be in regardless, so we can question their true motives. Nevertheless, a 7-seed doesn't win at a 2-seed all that often. Thank Buddha, then, for April Bockin, named Conference Forward Of The Year and First-Team All-Big Ten on Friday, who rebounded a shot into the net in the 88th Minute.
There was a lot of carnage in the bracket Sunday. Three of the four Quarterfinals were won by the lower seed; only top-ranked Penn St. remains standing. The Nittany Lions and Illinois join Minnesota in Westfield, Ind., this weekend for rest of the tourney. On Friday afternoon the Gophers meet up with another no-hope-but-for-the-conference-championship squad, Nebraska. One of these upstarts will be play for the right to barge into the NCAAs.
#-1: Whitecaps (Last Week: 0). I don't want to give short shrift to the Whitecaps, but with Sunday's 2-1 win over the Buffalo Beauts at TRIA, this team is now the only one in the National Women's Hockey League that is undefeated. I should get to a game one of these days. But it won't be any time soon, because for some reason, they don't play until ... December. Huh.
#-2: Wild (Last Week: -2). And another club that is ranked lower than it should because other teams just did better. Home wins over Los Angeles and Colorado puts the Wild on a five-game winning streak, the longest in the NHL. Unfortunately, they aren't undefeated in-conference, like the Gophers volleyball team is, didn't pull out an upset on the road to continue its season, like the Gophers soccer team is, and they aren't undefeated and first in the league, like the Whitecaps are. And also, not for nothing, but did you know the Mild are the oldest team in the league? Maybe that's not so surprising.
But now they embark on a six-game roadtrip starting tonight (Monday night) in Vancouver. They hightail it to Edmonton tomorrow (Tuesday) night, then are at St. Louis Saturday.
#-3: Gopher football (Last Week: -7). Had a passing thought about going to the match vs. Indiana Friday, but I was too sick, so nah. I don't think I had the constitution to stay out in the gloomy rain for three-plus hours. But it would've been a hell of a rollercoaster to watch. The Gophs got out to a 31-9 lead late in the third, only for the Hoosiers to rip off 22 consecutive to tie the game. I swore to myself that if the Goofers lose a game like this, P. J. Fleck may have half of next season left. But hey, Tanner Morgan tossed a 67-Yard pass to Rashod Bateman on the first (and only) play after Indiana tied for the deciding 38-31 score. This may not solve anything, but at least this squad won its first conference game of the year.
At Illinois Saturday afternoon.
#-4: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -3). Split at Wisconsin. That's all I got. Next week: A two-game series against Bemidji St. at Ridder.
#-5: Timberwolves (Last Week: -5). As the Woofie Dogs sleepwalked into a 1-2 screening week (beat Indiana, then lost at Toronto and at home versus Milwaukee by 30), the big news is that the Houston Rockets have offered Tom Thibodeau and/or Glen Taylor four first-round picks for Jimmy Butler. The four first-rounders, alternating over the next seven years, is the maximum one franchise can give another under NBA rules. So, why haven't someone said "Fuck yes!"? I don't know. If Thibs remains determined to ruin the future of this organization because he wants to win now, that's enough evidence of incompetence and/or insubordination that he should be fired without pay. I don't know if this means that the trade has been rejected or if they're in a "we'll get back to you" mode, but again, MAKE THIS FUCKING TRADE!!!
They play every other day this screening week. Home to LeBron and the Lakers tonight (Monday night) and Utah Wednesday, then at Golden State Friday and at Portland Sunday.
#-6: Gopher men's hockey (Re-Entry!). In an attempt to make men's hockey glitzier, this weekend the Golden Gopher male icers went out to Las Vegas and play North Dakota -- and lose for the first time this year, 3-1, in the U.S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Game.
And ... that's all I got. This weekend: A home-and-home vs. Minnesota State-Mankato.
#-7: Vikings (Last Week: -1). The Theraflu knocked me out to the point where I woke up at around 8. Turned on the TV and saw that the New Orleans Saints were leading. The Vikings were behind, but from what little I saw, they were still able to move up and down the field on them. Stood to reason, since the Saints' passing Defense is the worst in the NFL.
But then the fucking turnovers began. First Adam Thielen (who reached 100 Yards receiving for the eighth straight time, tying the record for most 100-Yard receiving games at any point in an NFL season) coughed up the ball deep in Saints' territory. Then, to start the Second Half, a scrambling Kirk Cousins throws a Pick-Six. Damn.
I didn't watch the whole game. But I've heard a couple people say that the Vikings in fact didn't put up much of a fight. That sucks. I also want to point out the ramifications. We're halfway through the season, and in the NFC, the Rams are first and the Saints are second, and they probably stay that way because the ViQueens lost to both. So whatever happens from here on out, it stands to reason that this team will not have a bye in the playoffs. Maybe that's not a bad thing. But for this team, especially one that shot itself in the foot with Turnovers like they did last night, maybe that's not a good thing, either.
The Detroit Lions visit Sunday. They have won both times they have played at the new stadium.
#-Infinity: United FC (Last Week: -6). Was going to go to a Q&A at New Bohemia on Lake St. to hear a writer for The Athletic speak, but was sick. Probably better that way: Columbus beat the Loons, 3-2, and with that win, the Crew sewed up the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, with all the push-and-pull, MNUFC managed to allow one more Goal this year than they did last year. The side does not hold the record for most Goals allowed in a season anymore -- I think Orlando blew past that this year -- but they still exceeded their own record, which is fucking sad.
After the match Manager Adrian Heath said, "I know what to do." I know what to do, too: Fire Heath. Oh, and get back Christian Ramirez.
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