The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

My annual lament here in the WMNSS that this heralds the survey at its smallest, slowest and most manageable.  The college sports season starts Thursday when top-flight women's soccer (including the University of Minnesota) start play, and the frenzy only grows from then, reaching peakes in October and March (I think) before dying down once the NBA and NHL seasons are over.  Actually, with the Loooooooooons doing nothing for the next couple Weeks, there should be only one entry this screening Week, but I have something to say about the Lynx.  I am doubling up the work I need to do, but alas, I guess I am gearing up for the work I have to do the rest of the year:

#-1: Twins (Last Week: -1).  Shit's getting serious from this point forward, and so far, the Twinks continue to tread water.  They follow up a losing series at Wrigley vs. the Cubs with a Doubleheader sweep of Cleveland on Friday, only to cough that up by losing the last two Games of this pivotal series to the Guardians Saturday and Sunday.  They went into that series 3 1/2 Games behind them, and they finish that series 3 1/2 Games behind them.

What's worse is that the injury bug piled on the organization at once Friday morning.  Brock Stewart is done for the Year, and the Twins announced injuries to Brooks Lee, prospect Luke Keaschall and, most importantly, starter Joe Ryan.  There is still no prognosis yet for Ryan's Grade 2 teres major strain, but most players who've gotten this have had to deal with it for weeks, even months.  Fuck.

Worse even than that: Kansas City, nipping only a 1/2-Game behind Minnesota, come to town for three starting tonight/Monday night.  I had a thought that they would sleep the Guardians to pull a 1/2-Game ahead of them in the standings, then get swept by the Royals.  Anyway, a backsliding Bastard Washington Senators v.2.0 may be a balm, but that four-Game set (beginning Thursday) is in Arlington.

#-2: Lynx (Re-Entry!).  OK, here me out.  They restart the season with a home-and-home versus Washington Thursday (that's at home, they're in Our Nation's Capital Saturday afternoon).  They are here because of Cheryl Reeve, Lynx Head Coach and Head Coach of The United States Women's Basketball Team.  You know, the one that has won eight straight Gold Medals and 61 consecutive Olympic Games.  Well, that eighth gold and that 61st Win was almost not to be.  They were heavy favorites against France in the Gold Medal Game yesterday/Sunday morning in Paris, but they were fighting for their fucking lives on the court.  The French were up by ten in the Second Half, but behind A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Kahleah Copper, and seemingly on those three, they managed to eke out a 67-66 victory over the home team.

It should not have been a struggle.  And beyond the Caitlyn Clark Cult that thinks the wunderkind can solve The Middle East, one of the main criticism into how the team got into a sludgy fist fight was rotation and substitution patterns.  That falls on the coach -- Reeve.  Sure, they won, but a lot of people are still scratching their heads thinking what the hell was that shit.

And yeah, I think that befuddlement is going to infect the Lynx once Reeve gets back stateside.  Led (unfortunately) by Clark groupies looking for any reason to take umbrage, they're going to continue to fan the flames of nitpicking anything Reeve does that makes her team look bad.  And once Minnesota loses a Game, they're going to scrutinize Reeve's role in the Loss.  And that might have a spiral effect that will hurt the Lynx.  Yeah, I said what I said.