I'll get to the Saints next week I'll get to the Saints next week I'll get to the Saints next week. But I wanted to do only one Positive Numbers, and frankly, I think the local minor-league team can wait. Also, my car now scares me, and I don't want to do any part of the survey if I don't have to do it. So, the Positive Numbers this week goes to:
Positive Numbers: Twins (Last Week: -3). The team played seven Games, but only two Games really count. That was the rainout-induced Doubleheader Saturday in Cleveland, and somehow, the Minnesota Twins managed to win both Games and psychologically put the dagger into The Tribe's hopes of winning the American League Central.
Both Games were entertaining, too. In the first Game, Minnesota was holding on to a 2-0 lead, but Taylor Rogers struck out Mike Freeman with a man on First Base to end it:
For the night's Game 2, the score was tied at 5 in the top of the Eighth Inning when Miguel Sano strode to the plate with the bases loaded and facing new (to the Game) Pitcher Nick Goody:
So who cares that the dropped two-of-three at home to The Bastard Montreal Expos? (Minnesota beat the White Sox last/Monday night at Target by the way, finishing the week 4-3.) Cleveland can't come back from what happened Saturday. So now I, the pessimist, can rest assured that the Minnesota Twins will make the playoffs -- the real playoffs.
After finishing up against the White Sox, they host Kansas City for four.
#0: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -5). OK, I'm not not impressed; they went to University Park, Pa. for the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge and beat both of the Pac-12 challengers, Oregon (in three) and Stanford (in four). I should add that the Gophers beat the Cardinal when they were ranked #1 in the nation. For that, The Farm slipped to #2 (behind Nebraska), but Minnesota went up only one spot to seventh. I don't get that, but maybe those back-to-back losses to Florida St. and Texas are still on coaches' minds.
This is the fourth and final non-con weekend, and it's Diet Coke Classic time. They host Clemson Thursday and Oral Roberts Saturday.
#-1: Gopher football (Last Week: -2). For the third week in a row the U. barely squeaks by its opponent. The margins of victory so far are seven, three and three, and they were trailing Georgia Southern (I checked; they're a top-flight school) Saturday with less than four Minutes left to go after an Eagles fumble recovery. It took a 13-play (!!!) drive going 75 Yards in 3 1/2 Minutes and Tyler Johnson completing his monster day (ten Catches, 140 Yards and three Touchdowns) with his final Reception (from two Yards) from Tanner Morgan.Naturally, he was named Big Ten Offensive Player Of The Week.A team that should be elite should not need to come back to win games against non-BcS schools. But hey, better to pull a win out than a loss, which is what my alma mater did.
It's now B1G time. They start playing teams (supposedly) their size ... two weeks from now, when they face Purdue.
#-2: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -6). They finally got their first win of the season, 1-0 in a rain-soaked Thursday at Robbie Stadium over N. C. St. -- and the Wolfpack was ranked, too! That is a great way to get off the schneid. Unfortunately, they followed that up Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 loss, also at home, to ... South Dakota St. (Either one father of a Jackrabbit player or an SDSU superfan tweeted something that was somewhat shady towards the U. I don't know if it's that offensive, but it goes to show that people give themselves permission to be dicks if they can couch it in the name of helping someone else ... and it might be even worse with who has been installed as president and the #MeToo movement being dragged to a strident level by some.)
So with the non-conference sked over, the U. has one Win, two Ties and five Losses. They have no benefit of the doubt when it comes to an at-large bid. They will have to win the B1G, and that means being something they have not shown to be in the club's first eight Matches. And that starts out east, with tilts Friday against Rutgers and Sunday vs. Maryland.
#-3: Vikings (Last Week: -1). I predicted the squad wouldn't be much better than 8-8, and the loss versus Green Bay Sunday is a reason why. For two Games now, at least, the dedication to the run has paid significant dividends, with Dalvin Cook running for a career high. But while he did make some good throws, and while Dan Bailey could have hit that Extra Point and Field Goal and Stefon Diggs should not have took out his helmet to push that missed PAT back 15 Yards, it looks as though (and I was listening to the Game through the radio) that Kirk Cousins was the reason the Vikes lost. I heard that bad Interception as the Vikings were driving. I'm glad Cousins is owning up to what he did, but nevertheless he is still living up (or down) to his reputation as a man who cannot get it done in the clutch.
At home to the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders Sunday. I'll be at the Game working. This might be a tricky one for The Purple.
#-Infinity: Lynx (Last Week: -4). One-and-done, losing at Seattle. There were some people thinking that the Jynx could beat the Storm there Wednesday, and there were even a couple thinking that the veteran-laden team could make a run. But when your starting backcourt of Odyssey Sims and Danielle Robinson score a combined one Point, you're losing.
This has been a team that feels as though it's been patched together. And with a huge legacy, following that up with a second disappointing season would usually yield the question of whether or not the organization should move on from Cheryl Reeve. I still don't think so, because who in the hell will you find to replace her?
Better to rebuild through the draft now that the dynasty is over. Hey, maybe you can build around Napheesa Collier, who was named Rookie Of The Year. And maybe pray that the club (and the league) sticks around for another year.
Positive Numbers: Twins (Last Week: -3). The team played seven Games, but only two Games really count. That was the rainout-induced Doubleheader Saturday in Cleveland, and somehow, the Minnesota Twins managed to win both Games and psychologically put the dagger into The Tribe's hopes of winning the American League Central.
Both Games were entertaining, too. In the first Game, Minnesota was holding on to a 2-0 lead, but Taylor Rogers struck out Mike Freeman with a man on First Base to end it:
For the night's Game 2, the score was tied at 5 in the top of the Eighth Inning when Miguel Sano strode to the plate with the bases loaded and facing new (to the Game) Pitcher Nick Goody:
So who cares that the dropped two-of-three at home to The Bastard Montreal Expos? (Minnesota beat the White Sox last/Monday night at Target by the way, finishing the week 4-3.) Cleveland can't come back from what happened Saturday. So now I, the pessimist, can rest assured that the Minnesota Twins will make the playoffs -- the real playoffs.
After finishing up against the White Sox, they host Kansas City for four.
#0: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -5). OK, I'm not not impressed; they went to University Park, Pa. for the Big Ten/Pac-12 Challenge and beat both of the Pac-12 challengers, Oregon (in three) and Stanford (in four). I should add that the Gophers beat the Cardinal when they were ranked #1 in the nation. For that, The Farm slipped to #2 (behind Nebraska), but Minnesota went up only one spot to seventh. I don't get that, but maybe those back-to-back losses to Florida St. and Texas are still on coaches' minds.
This is the fourth and final non-con weekend, and it's Diet Coke Classic time. They host Clemson Thursday and Oral Roberts Saturday.
#-1: Gopher football (Last Week: -2). For the third week in a row the U. barely squeaks by its opponent. The margins of victory so far are seven, three and three, and they were trailing Georgia Southern (I checked; they're a top-flight school) Saturday with less than four Minutes left to go after an Eagles fumble recovery. It took a 13-play (!!!) drive going 75 Yards in 3 1/2 Minutes and Tyler Johnson completing his monster day (ten Catches, 140 Yards and three Touchdowns) with his final Reception (from two Yards) from Tanner Morgan.Naturally, he was named Big Ten Offensive Player Of The Week.A team that should be elite should not need to come back to win games against non-BcS schools. But hey, better to pull a win out than a loss, which is what my alma mater did.
It's now B1G time. They start playing teams (supposedly) their size ... two weeks from now, when they face Purdue.
#-2: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -6). They finally got their first win of the season, 1-0 in a rain-soaked Thursday at Robbie Stadium over N. C. St. -- and the Wolfpack was ranked, too! That is a great way to get off the schneid. Unfortunately, they followed that up Sunday afternoon with a 1-0 loss, also at home, to ... South Dakota St. (Either one father of a Jackrabbit player or an SDSU superfan tweeted something that was somewhat shady towards the U. I don't know if it's that offensive, but it goes to show that people give themselves permission to be dicks if they can couch it in the name of helping someone else ... and it might be even worse with who has been installed as president and the #MeToo movement being dragged to a strident level by some.)
So with the non-conference sked over, the U. has one Win, two Ties and five Losses. They have no benefit of the doubt when it comes to an at-large bid. They will have to win the B1G, and that means being something they have not shown to be in the club's first eight Matches. And that starts out east, with tilts Friday against Rutgers and Sunday vs. Maryland.
#-3: Vikings (Last Week: -1). I predicted the squad wouldn't be much better than 8-8, and the loss versus Green Bay Sunday is a reason why. For two Games now, at least, the dedication to the run has paid significant dividends, with Dalvin Cook running for a career high. But while he did make some good throws, and while Dan Bailey could have hit that Extra Point and Field Goal and Stefon Diggs should not have took out his helmet to push that missed PAT back 15 Yards, it looks as though (and I was listening to the Game through the radio) that Kirk Cousins was the reason the Vikes lost. I heard that bad Interception as the Vikings were driving. I'm glad Cousins is owning up to what he did, but nevertheless he is still living up (or down) to his reputation as a man who cannot get it done in the clutch.
At home to the soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders Sunday. I'll be at the Game working. This might be a tricky one for The Purple.
#-Infinity: Lynx (Last Week: -4). One-and-done, losing at Seattle. There were some people thinking that the Jynx could beat the Storm there Wednesday, and there were even a couple thinking that the veteran-laden team could make a run. But when your starting backcourt of Odyssey Sims and Danielle Robinson score a combined one Point, you're losing.
This has been a team that feels as though it's been patched together. And with a huge legacy, following that up with a second disappointing season would usually yield the question of whether or not the organization should move on from Cheryl Reeve. I still don't think so, because who in the hell will you find to replace her?
Better to rebuild through the draft now that the dynasty is over. Hey, maybe you can build around Napheesa Collier, who was named Rookie Of The Year. And maybe pray that the club (and the league) sticks around for another year.
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