This begins the survey's busy season. Along with the fact that I have to go to work right now, this WMNSS isn't as comprehensive as it could be. But I'm busy, so let's go:
#0: Vikings (Last Week: -2). Another Game where they started off gangbusters, lulled bigtime in the middle, then through miraculous passes and hellacious defense finished up strong and won it in the end. So it went Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders and their unheralded Quarterback and former Viking Taylor Heinicke. They built a two score lead, and yet the Vikes came back in the Fourth Quarter to pull out the Win. It may not be indicative of an all-time great team, but there is something about coming from behind to come out on top.
And it's getting even better for the Vikes going into Sunday's tilt at Buffalo. A couple defensive players have been ruled out, and Bills QB Josh Allen has not been practicing. Fuck yeah, I'll take a victory because the opponent's best players aren't there, are you kidding me?
#-1: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -4). Won in five at Illinois, then swept Maryland. Like I always say with this squad, do something notable in the NCAA Tournament and then get back to me. Hosting Indiana Sunday, at Penn St. Friday.
#-2: Gopher women's basketball (Re-Entry!). So the college basketball season is finally here. Top-flight b-ball for both sexes began Monday, and that included both ballclubs from the U. Most every BcS school opted to begin with home contests versus unheralded, low-major programs, and so it was with the female hardcourters, who kicked off the 2022-3 season by drubbing Western Illinois by 30. Nice start for a season where Lindsay Whalen might be on the hot seat. This Week: Home to Lehigh Sunday, at North Dakota St. Thursday.
#-3: Gopher men's basketball (Re-Entry!). Meanwhile, the Gopher men, with Ben Johnson at the helm for a second season, almost got humiliated right out of the gate Monday night, barely hanging on to defeat Western Michigan at Williams Arena, 61-60. Hopefully there will be many more results like last/Friday night's 72-54 rout of St. Francis (Brooklyn) at The Barn. This team is busy with another pair of home Games. DePaul comes into town Monday as part of the Big Ten/Big East challenge known as The Gavitt Games; I'll be there because I bought at ticket at the Fair, and I hope to get there when it tips off at 6. Another directional Michigan school, Central Mich., comes here on Thursday.
#-4: Gopher football (Last Week: -3). They should be better than Nebraska, who couldn't wait an extra two weeks to fire Scott Frost and save $7.5 million. The Cornhuskers were in this contest until P. J. Fleck decided to replace Tanner Morgan with Athan Kaliakmanis, and they were able to come back in the Fourth Quarter to win it in Lincoln. Their final (relative) cupcake before the rivalry gauntlet to end the season is this/Saturday afternoon as they host Northwestern.
For some reason the U. is playing another Thursday-Friday series, this one against recruiting phenomenon Michigan on the road.
#-6: Wild (Last Week: -5). Lost at the Kings 1-0 where they only got on the Power Play once and Kirill Kaprizov was given a Game Misconduct after Drew Doughty pissed him off into punching him. They then routed the Ducks in Anaheim 4-1 -- pro hockey in California remains in a sorry state this season -- and outlasted the Kraken in Seattle, 1-0. I look at the standings for the first time and they sit mid-table and out of the playoffs (shrug). This Week: Home to San Jose, at Nashville, home to Pittsburgh.
#-7: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -1). Completed a sweep of Minnesota-Duluth last Saturday, 5-3. But then, in their annual U. S. Hockey Hall Of Fame Women's Face-Off Classic Monday, held in Andover, they inexplicably lost to St. Cloud St., and convincingly so, 4-1. The Game, if I'm not mistaken, counts. How in the fuck do you lose to a school like that, in a way like that, in an important Game like that? I found this very uncharacteristic and troubling.
They're off this screening Week before a big series at Wisconsin.
#-8: Whitecaps (Re-Entry!). So professional women's ice hockey is back! The Premier Hockey Federation's Minnesota Whitecaps have moved out of St. Paul's Tria Rink and down to the Richfield Ice Arena ... and they began the season last weekend by getting swept on a pair of 3-2 Losses by the Six in Toronto. I see that the team touted all their signings, most of them holdovers from when they were good back in 2020 and 2021, and I'm still mystified as to how it all fell apart for them last season, and so I don't know how good they could be this season. Their first home Games at their new rink are next Friday and Saturday vs. the Boston Pride.
#-9: Timberwolves (Last Week: -6). Yeah, what's going on with this club is pissing a lot of people off. They beat Houston at home, but they currently are on a three-Game losing streak after dropping tilts to New York, Phoenix and Memphis. Everybody's now complaining about a concerted lack of effort on the part of the team, and while I understand this is a young team, lack of effort should not be the reason why they're an underachieving 5-8. I thought things were going to be different.
Light schedule this Week: At Cleveland tomorrow/Sunday, at Orlando Wednesday.
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