Positive Numbers: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -1). It really isn't special that these Gophers swept St. Thomas over two Games to get into the WCHA Final Faceoff again. (Their last four Games are Wins over the Tommies, by the way.) But considering their male counterparts are also rolling but that they're three Weeks behind in their schedule compared to where the women are in theirs, I figure that it's justified that the Gopher men get to rise above negative numbers, and since the Gopher women have accomplished slightly bit more, they not only get the top spot for the Week but also get to Positive Numbers.
The competition now suits the Gophers program. They once again host the conference tournament at Ridder Arena, and they, as the second Seed, face third-seeded Wisconsin Friday evening. The winner of that Game advances to the title Match the next afternoon -- probably top-seeded Ohio St. but possibly fourth-seeded Minnesota-Duluth.
#0: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: 0). They finish off their regular season with a sweep of eighth-ranked Ohio St. at Mariucci. And while they won two different ways, both outcomes wound up not being close. On Friday they blanked the Buckeyes, 4-0, all of their Goals coming in a span of 6:15 (the middle two on Power Plays 39 Seconds apart) in the Second Period. In yesterday/Saturday afternoon's tilt, the U. actually was down 2-0 (the first coming with 3.4 Seconds left in the First Period, the second coming 66 Seconds into the Second) before they answered with five straight. Mind you, this Ohio St. team is, or was, ranked in the top ten.
So the U., regular season champs of the Big Ten, have the bye for next Week's Quarterfinals, which are best-of-3. The Gophs host on March 11 the worst-seeded of the three squads that win.
#-1: United FC (New Season!). Where's Rey? The weirdest story in Twin Cities sports is the quiet disappearance of Loons talisman Emanuel Reynoso. Ever since their season ended at FC Dallas, he has been nowhere to be found. If MNUFC brass knows where he is and why he hasn't reported to Minnesota, they're not telling, and I don't know if they do know. All that we do know is that he has been suspended, without pay, for failing to report. Please note that Bebelo has been in some criminal trouble in the past, including an incident where he pistol-whipped some kid.
I am a season-ticketholder and even I didn't quite know what was going on until recently. Just saying that if this were a more high-profile sport -- like if Justin Jefferson just peaced out to Louisiana and didn't show up for the pre-season in Eagan -- all the news departments in this area would be sending teams to Louisiana to figure out what the hell is going on.
Reynoso is that important to this franchise. Maybe even more important, considering he is the only star player United FC has. So without him and his playmaking ability, what do you do? Well, the regular season starting last/Saturday night, and Head Coach Adrian Heath jettisoned is his pet 4-2-3-1 in favor of a 4-4-2. His most flexible player, the getting-to-be-indispensable Robin Lod, became a Midfielder and the side's pivot. And ... it worked ... ? Going back to the place where last season ended, MNUFC began this season with a clutch 1-0 Win over FCD, a victory I didn't think was forthcoming. And it was Forward Mender Garcia off a rebound in the 48th Minute to give the Loons that Win.
Look, even if Reynoso (some fans are calling him "Reyno-show," and that's funny as hell) reports today, he'll need time to get in shape. And if he just disappeared this quickly and utterly, will he come back at all? This will be a different, and possible new, club going forward.
With the addition of expansion team St. Louis City SC this Year, Major League Soccer has now grown to 29 teams, so one team every Match cycle will have a pseudo-bye. Next Week just happens to be Minnesota. The following Week they play at Allianz Field for the first time this Year against the New York Red Bulls.
#-2: Wild (Last Week: -2). This team has been teasing us. Victories over Nashville, Los Angeles and Columbus extended their winning streak to four, but that ended Friday with a 2-1 Overtime Loss in Toronto. Their good form as of late has firmed up their playoff status, however; they're still in Wild Card playoff position, but their four Points clear of Calgary, the team that sits in ninth place.
That gives General Manager Bill Guerin no clarity as to whether this team should be buyers or sellers as the Trade Deadline comes on Friday. The Wild appear to be a decent squad for now, but I don't think there is a difference-maker for which using all their available cap space makes sense. I am encouraged by how they're playing, but they're now winning the Cup this Year.
Their annual after-tournament Sunday matinee is a return fixture with the Blue Jackets this afternoon. That's followed up with a home date with the Islanders and the return of both Zach Parise and Cal Clutterbuck, the latter of whom appears to have been playing longer than the Minnesota Wild franchise. They then strike out to northwest Canada to play Vancouver and said Bastard Atlanta Flames.
#-3: Gopher softball (Last Week: -4). The first notable victory for this team came last Sunday, when they clipped Virginia, 2-1, in eight Innings in their last contest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. They then went from Chapel Hill, N. C., to Waco, Tex., for the Baylor Invitational, where they battered Texas A&M - Commerce in five, 17-0, lost to the host Bears (who are ranked) in eight, 3-2, then, in Minnesota's next two notable Wins, beat ranked Maryland (in what probably is billed as non-Conference Game)s, 4-1 and 5-1. They finish up this tourney with a second bite of Baylor. After this, the third tourney for the U. happens in Fullerton, Calif., and the Judi Garman Classic. Five Games, five different opponents -- Oregon Friday, LSU and the host Titans Saturday.
#-4: Timberwolves (Last Week: -3). This ballclub remains incredibly frustrating to get a read on. Jon Krawczynski, Timberwolves beat reporter for The Athletic, noted that their first Game after the All-Star Break, Friday night at home to Charlotte, is an important one. These guys will be playing way more road Games than home, and most of their Games in total are against teams in or fighting for a playoff spot. The Hornets are 19-43. And they went into Target Center and beat the Timberwolves, 121-113. While that doesn't damage their playoff hopes, this feels like a big blow in their efforts to get out of the Play-In Tournament. By the way, the Western Conference remains super-tight; fourth and 13th place are separated by only 4 1/2 Games, and the Woofie Dogs are one of three squads tied for seventh.
One of those times they're tied with is The Golden State Warriors, and it just so happens that their four-Game trip to Cali starts there tonight/Sunday night. From there they stop in Los Angeles to face the Clippers and The Team That Was Stolen From Us v.1.0., and then on to Sacramento.
#-5: Gopher women's basketball (Last Week: -5). This squad is only up this high because it played, and lost, only one Game, at Michigan St. on Wednesday by four. Head Coach Lindsay Whalen said in a news story last Week that, and I'm paraphrasing, "Things will get better next season. Believe it." Sorry, Coach, but I don't.
The only saving grace is that this/Sunday afternoon's Game at Williams versus Purdue is the last Game of the regular season. The B1G Tournament, being held at Target Center, begins Wednesday. It'll all be over soon.
#-6: Whitecaps (Last Week: -7). Oh, no, Whitecraps, what the fuck?! I was stunned that I saw them lose to Buffalo last Saturday. But they followed that up with a 1-0 loss to the Beauts the next afternoon. They just got swept by The Worst Team In The Premier Hockey Federation at home. And then they lost by that same 1-0 score last/Saturday night at Richfield Ice Arena to an actually good team, The Toronto Six. A three-Game losing streak has allowed The Connecticut Whale to start gaining on them for third place. And it's not getting any better; after finishing up this afternoon against Toronto, they'll play at first place Boston Friday and Saturday.
#-7: Gopher baseball (Last Week: -6). I'll just say it: This program has been underachieving the last two, three Years, and it shouldn't be happening. They have championship pedigree -- sure, the NCAA titles were won more than half a century ago, but they still count -- relative recent success in the conference, a stadium that still is on the young-ish side, and support in a metropolitan area. They have the means to fix this. If they want to.
They lost to California-Santa Barbara a second time, this one a 13-2 ass-kicking. They took New Mexico to 12 Innings but lost, 4-3. And then in a neutral-ish site in Fort Myers, Fla. (the Spring Training home of the Minnesota Twins), these Goofers lost the first two of a planned three-Game set vs. Saint Louis. They've started the season 0-6.
They finish up the series against the Billikens this/Sunday afternoon. They open the home-ish portion of their schedule Wednesday when they play a one-off versus Wisconsin-Milwaukee at U. S. Bank Stadium. And then the Cambria College Classic comes, a pretty nifty early-season tournament where Minnesota and two other Big Ten teams (Nebraska and Maryland, so, in other words, two other Big Ten-ish teams) face three out-of-conference teams over the weekend. Those out-of-conference teams usually came from the same league, but not this Year: Those three are Vanderbilt and Ole Miss from the SEC, and Hawai'i of the Big West. I usually go to the Sunday nightcap, but 1) I might work overtime, 2) the Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament culminates with the title Game late that afternoon, and 3) I just saw that they shifted up the first Game on Sunday, the Terps playing the Rainbows, to 9:30, which I understand because Hawai'i has a hell of a flight home but that's insanely early to play any important sporting event. So I might go Saturday.
#-Infinity: Gopher men's basketball (Last Week: -8). There is one thing I neglected to mention about this sorry-ass ballclub in last Week's WMNSS. This team had not one but two Games postponed in a matter of eight Days: The one at Illinois because the Goofs got pinched with COVID-19, and the one at Michigan St. because of that horrific mass shooting there. I can't remember the last time a men's college basketball team had two of their Games postponed and/or cancelled for separate reasons. But seeing as how shitty their season has been, I can't help but think that the remaining members on this squad breathed a sigh of relief because of their, uh, "good fortune." For other squads -- well, any one that isn't going through a 12-Game losing streak -- they would hate the disruption and abhor that they need to reschedule Games because, say, too many people got pinched with the coronavirus. But this isn't your ordinary sucky club. I'm sure these guys can't wait to get out of Dinkytown to air out the stink that comes from this program -- literally and figuratively.
Nevertheless, they are contractually obligated to make up those tilts. And the one at Illinois that was set to be played back on the 7th was played Monday, and they lost it by nine. They then went to Maryland and lost to the Terrapins Wednesday by 18. And then they went to Nebraska yesterday/Saturday afternoon and lost by 11. Hence the dozen-Game losing streak.
And yet their worst Loss, maybe in many Years, happened Friday. Five-star Center Dennis Evans, the highest-rated recruit Head Coach Ben Johnson managed to snag (out of California) in his young tenure at the U., has asked Minnesota to be released from his commitment. I cannot help but think that all this sucking has convinced Evans to avoid this dumpster fire at all odds. Can't blame the kid. You might even feel sorry for Johnson. But it's his program. The savior has decided this program can't be saved, so it's all on Johnson to figure out, with much less-touted players, how to make this university respectable again.
Until then, I have to give these guys another #-Infinity. It's supposed to be rare. But the depths of losing continues apace for this sorry-ass ballclub.
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