#0: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -4). It wasn't perfect; since the U. couldn't get a winning Goal by 5x5 Overtime, the Game Sunday officially goes down as a Tie. But after 3x3 Double OT solved nothing, the Gophers won that extra Point in the Shootout over #1 Wisconsin. Pair that with Saturday's 4-2 double-up over the Badgers, and the Badgers are #1 no more. Minnesota is, by virtue of taking five-of-six Points over the weekend. Yes, there is a lot of season left, and the Gophers have to pay Bucky Badger a visit in late January. But this is as good of a result as you can get, and that lifts this squad to the top of these pops and above negative numbers.
They have an exhibition Game tonight (Tuesday night) at Ridder vs. Hamline, which has, in my mind, The Most Underrated Logo In All College Sport. They play for real vs. Bemidji St. two weeks from now.
#-1: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -2). Beat Ohio St. at home (although they had to go the full five Sets), then defeated Purdue in West Lafayette on a Game broadcast on ESPN2, so I was able to see the end of the Match. They've won six in a row and currently are ranked 6th in the nation. Yeah, but can they reach the finals of the NCAA Tournament? This weekend: At Maryland Friday, at those same Buckeyes Sunday at ... 10 a.m. our time???
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -5). Baby steps, I say. They split a home series versus Notre Dame over the weekend. They lost the Saturday contest by a score of 5-3, but in Double Overtime Friday, wunderkind (and Sophomore Captain) Sammy Walker scored the 3-2 Game-winner and -ender. Now, since it went past single OT the game officially counts as a Tie, but Walker's Goal gave the Gophers that extra Point, so I consider that to be a Win.
At Michigan this weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: 0). This screening week was something I didn't think I could say at all about this Woofie Dogs team: Interesting. Sure, they went 1-2. But they won that game at Washington. Two things stand out. First, they not only beat the Wizards but blew them out by 22. That echoes the team's 22-Point beatdown of the Hornets in Charlotte on the 25th. They have two close victories over Brooklyn and Miami, but those two squads are a cut above Charlotte and Washington. In other words, it seems as though, at least very early in the season, that the Wolves have their shit together enough to not only beat mediocre-to-good teams, but blow out bad ones. I didn't think they'd be capable of doing that.
The other thing that stands out of that win over the Wizards is that they did it without Karl-Anthony Towns. That's because in the first game of the screening week, a 22 (there's that number again -- Qanon, this must mean something!)-Point loss in Philadelphia Wednesday, KAT got ejected for fighting beast-when-he's-not-injured, not-a-dick-only-if-he's-playing-for-your-team Joel Embiid. And then the NBA stepped in and suspended both players for the next two Games. (And by the way, without KAT the Wolves lost at home last/Monday night to Milwaukee by 28.) For a good chunk of Thursday morning, the main headline on sports websites and talk radio (or at least ESPN) is the beef, first on-court and then off-, between the two. That's when I have to remind myself of a Twin Cities fan's perspective of Towns. We see him as the burdened, unfortunate anchor of a club that's going nowhere. But to the outside world, and to NBA Nation, KAT is just the next big superstar to emerge, and it's just a matter of when. This bitch-fight, then, is thus a squabble between a superstar and a superstar-to-be. But to us, as much as we like Towns, we aren't rushing to defend him. To us, he still needs to find his way. This reminds me that sometimes, a team's fans is more unjustly critical of that team's superstar than neutral fans.
Busy screening week coming. At Memphis; home to Golden State (which now appears to be an automatic W -- what happened to the Warriors?!), then a back-to-back where they Denver Sunday afternoon and then visit Detroit Monday night.
#-4: Vikings (Last Week: -1). This is a Game the Vikes should have won. No Patrick Mahomes and a slew of Bastard Dallas Texans inactive. A passing game that was lively enough it counteracted the anemic day by Dalvin Cook and the running game. And a defense that made more than their fair share of stops. But this was an instance where all facets of the team -- running, passing, receiving, defense, special teams playcalling, coaching -- fucked up just enough that the sum of their mistakes meant a Harrison Butker Field Goal at the gun to beat Minnesota, 26-23.
(Aside: Did you see how many Vikings fans were in attendance? Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise since Minneapolis and K.C. are connected via 35. But from the viewpoint of the last Field Goal to end the Game, you could see wide patches of purple amidst the sea of red. And did you see the four Vikings fans who got end zone seats and held up giant signs that spelled out "SKOL?" I thought the Chiefs fans are a loyal bunch!)
And so they are who we thought they were -- a team that is good enough to beat the clubs below them, but decisively not good enough to beat the squads theoretically above them. The team's saving grace is that Green Bay (as well as Chicago and Detroit) all lost Sunday. Unfortunately, that doesn't erase the perception that the Vikes are between a one-and-done playoff team and just outside the playoff bubble.
They visit Dallas Sunday night. That could be a bad one for the Purple.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Re-Entry!). The second year under the helm of b-ball legend Lindsay Whalen began this (Tuesday) afternoon, and the 23rd-ranked Gophers ... ay-yi-yi, lost, at home, to Missouri St., 77-69. This club is going through some transitions, but by God, you would have to think they would at least win their home opener, wouldn't you? The mulligan season for Whay is over; she now has to produce and/or show improvement and/or competence, and this is a very, very bad first foot backward.
The Goofers have their first six Games of the season at Williams. Sunday they host Vermont, and I hope, for their sake, they win.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -3). An 0-3 screening week, made worse by the fact that they lost at The Bastard North Stars in humiliating fashion: The Mild were up 3-1 but allowed five Goals in the Third Period. They played competitively in St. Louis the next night but lost, 2-1. They then hosted the defending world champion Blues Saturday and had a 2-1 lead, but an insurance Goal was overturned upon replay, then a no-call on what many thought was a penalty led to the tying Goal. Of course, the Blues won in Overtime.
Look, I haven't seen the highlights. But it's not as if this was the only defeat they've suffered. As you can see they've suffered a lot already, and they can't blame the officials or Toronto for those. As much as they were fucked Saturday, they've fucked themselves a lot more, and it looks like this self-fucking shall continue. And it shall continue because the Mild must embark on a four-Game road trip out west. The first three come this week: Anaheim Tuesday, San Jose Thursday, Arizona Saturday.
They have an exhibition Game tonight (Tuesday night) at Ridder vs. Hamline, which has, in my mind, The Most Underrated Logo In All College Sport. They play for real vs. Bemidji St. two weeks from now.
#-1: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -2). Beat Ohio St. at home (although they had to go the full five Sets), then defeated Purdue in West Lafayette on a Game broadcast on ESPN2, so I was able to see the end of the Match. They've won six in a row and currently are ranked 6th in the nation. Yeah, but can they reach the finals of the NCAA Tournament? This weekend: At Maryland Friday, at those same Buckeyes Sunday at ... 10 a.m. our time???
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -5). Baby steps, I say. They split a home series versus Notre Dame over the weekend. They lost the Saturday contest by a score of 5-3, but in Double Overtime Friday, wunderkind (and Sophomore Captain) Sammy Walker scored the 3-2 Game-winner and -ender. Now, since it went past single OT the game officially counts as a Tie, but Walker's Goal gave the Gophers that extra Point, so I consider that to be a Win.
At Michigan this weekend.
#-3: Timberwolves (Last Week: 0). This screening week was something I didn't think I could say at all about this Woofie Dogs team: Interesting. Sure, they went 1-2. But they won that game at Washington. Two things stand out. First, they not only beat the Wizards but blew them out by 22. That echoes the team's 22-Point beatdown of the Hornets in Charlotte on the 25th. They have two close victories over Brooklyn and Miami, but those two squads are a cut above Charlotte and Washington. In other words, it seems as though, at least very early in the season, that the Wolves have their shit together enough to not only beat mediocre-to-good teams, but blow out bad ones. I didn't think they'd be capable of doing that.
The other thing that stands out of that win over the Wizards is that they did it without Karl-Anthony Towns. That's because in the first game of the screening week, a 22 (there's that number again -- Qanon, this must mean something!)-Point loss in Philadelphia Wednesday, KAT got ejected for fighting beast-when-he's-not-injured, not-a-dick-only-if-he's-playing-for-your-team Joel Embiid. And then the NBA stepped in and suspended both players for the next two Games. (And by the way, without KAT the Wolves lost at home last/Monday night to Milwaukee by 28.) For a good chunk of Thursday morning, the main headline on sports websites and talk radio (or at least ESPN) is the beef, first on-court and then off-, between the two. That's when I have to remind myself of a Twin Cities fan's perspective of Towns. We see him as the burdened, unfortunate anchor of a club that's going nowhere. But to the outside world, and to NBA Nation, KAT is just the next big superstar to emerge, and it's just a matter of when. This bitch-fight, then, is thus a squabble between a superstar and a superstar-to-be. But to us, as much as we like Towns, we aren't rushing to defend him. To us, he still needs to find his way. This reminds me that sometimes, a team's fans is more unjustly critical of that team's superstar than neutral fans.
Busy screening week coming. At Memphis; home to Golden State (which now appears to be an automatic W -- what happened to the Warriors?!), then a back-to-back where they Denver Sunday afternoon and then visit Detroit Monday night.
#-4: Vikings (Last Week: -1). This is a Game the Vikes should have won. No Patrick Mahomes and a slew of Bastard Dallas Texans inactive. A passing game that was lively enough it counteracted the anemic day by Dalvin Cook and the running game. And a defense that made more than their fair share of stops. But this was an instance where all facets of the team -- running, passing, receiving, defense, special teams playcalling, coaching -- fucked up just enough that the sum of their mistakes meant a Harrison Butker Field Goal at the gun to beat Minnesota, 26-23.
(Aside: Did you see how many Vikings fans were in attendance? Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise since Minneapolis and K.C. are connected via 35. But from the viewpoint of the last Field Goal to end the Game, you could see wide patches of purple amidst the sea of red. And did you see the four Vikings fans who got end zone seats and held up giant signs that spelled out "SKOL?" I thought the Chiefs fans are a loyal bunch!)
And so they are who we thought they were -- a team that is good enough to beat the clubs below them, but decisively not good enough to beat the squads theoretically above them. The team's saving grace is that Green Bay (as well as Chicago and Detroit) all lost Sunday. Unfortunately, that doesn't erase the perception that the Vikes are between a one-and-done playoff team and just outside the playoff bubble.
They visit Dallas Sunday night. That could be a bad one for the Purple.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Re-Entry!). The second year under the helm of b-ball legend Lindsay Whalen began this (Tuesday) afternoon, and the 23rd-ranked Gophers ... ay-yi-yi, lost, at home, to Missouri St., 77-69. This club is going through some transitions, but by God, you would have to think they would at least win their home opener, wouldn't you? The mulligan season for Whay is over; she now has to produce and/or show improvement and/or competence, and this is a very, very bad first foot backward.
The Goofers have their first six Games of the season at Williams. Sunday they host Vermont, and I hope, for their sake, they win.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -3). An 0-3 screening week, made worse by the fact that they lost at The Bastard North Stars in humiliating fashion: The Mild were up 3-1 but allowed five Goals in the Third Period. They played competitively in St. Louis the next night but lost, 2-1. They then hosted the defending world champion Blues Saturday and had a 2-1 lead, but an insurance Goal was overturned upon replay, then a no-call on what many thought was a penalty led to the tying Goal. Of course, the Blues won in Overtime.
Look, I haven't seen the highlights. But it's not as if this was the only defeat they've suffered. As you can see they've suffered a lot already, and they can't blame the officials or Toronto for those. As much as they were fucked Saturday, they've fucked themselves a lot more, and it looks like this self-fucking shall continue. And it shall continue because the Mild must embark on a four-Game road trip out west. The first three come this week: Anaheim Tuesday, San Jose Thursday, Arizona Saturday.
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