Positive Numbers: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -3). Congratulations are in order for the University of Minnesota women's soccer team. By posting back-to-back Clean Sheets -- 1-0 over Maryland and 3-0 over Indiana, both at Robbie Stadium -- they have clinched a birth in the Big Ten Tournament (the Opening and Quarterfinal Rounds of which will be at Robbie, per this announcement). Moreover, it appears as though the side's resume is robust enough that the Golden Gophers will make the NCAA Tournament for the first time under Head Coach Erin Chastain.
One more Match left: Home to Iowa on Decision Sunday. (All 16 teams will play, but they will not all play at the same time. I think they need to do something about that.) There's a slight chance the U. will rise into the Sixth Seed and avoid the Opening Round, but if they don't, they will play Halloween ... and I will most likely be able to see them, because I plan on being there!
#0: United FC (Re-Entry!). It is always good to enter a postseason with momentum. And after a season where they reached as high as second in the West and then suffered through a middle section where they were out of the playoff field, they complete the Regular Season unbeaten in their last five Matches after keelhauling St. Louis at Midway Saturday night, 4-1. The Loons were once flirting with being the Eighth Seed and thus hosting the Wild Card Match Wednesday, which I would not be able to go to because I'm working second shift Wednesday and Thursday. But they've played so well that they've lifted themselves up to the Sixth Seed, in fact, and will play Real Salt Lake in a best two-out-of-three Round One Series, Game 1 of which will be next Week.
#-1: Wild (Last Week: -6). The club's two Wins this screening Week -- both on the road over St. Louis and Columbus, by the way -- continued a streak that is really impressive: They have yet to trail this season. Sure, they've lost, in a Shootout at home to Seattle on the 12th and in Overtime at Winnipeg. But that's past regulation. See, they've lost, but they've never trailed. See the difference?
I think they have the fourth-longest streak of never trailing to start a season in NHL history. Let's see how long they can keep this going as they continue their early, long, six-Game road trip at Stanley Cup champion Florida, Tampa and Philadelphia.
#-2: Gopher men's hockey (Last Week: -4). It is gratifying to see the Gophs go up to Duluth and take both contests of a two-Game series vs. those dirty-ass Bulldogs, 7-5 and 5-1. I saw one twitterer (?) say it's the U., Denver, and both Boston schools (College and University) in the Frozen Four. Slow your roll, clickbait guy. It's a long season that just got started. Who knows how this Minnesota team can disappoint you this time around?
A special two-Game series versus St. Thomas this weekend. Friday's matchup will be at Mariucci. Saturday's will be at The Xcel Energy Center.
#-3: Vikings (Re-Entry!). "Bad Losses" shouldn't be a thing, I'll grant you that. But I don't think the sky is falling after The Detroit Lions came to U. S. Bank Stadium and handed the Vikes their first defeat of the Year, 31-29, yesterday/Sunday afternoon. While the Lions came back from a 10-Point deficit after one Quarter, the Vikings came back from not one but two 11-Point deficits on Detroit. They're a good team, a really good team. And, assuming the Vikes are still what we saw of them when they began the season 5-0, the return date on the last Week of the Regular Season should be something.
Meanwhile the Vikes have to regroup because they have that stupid Thursday night Game on the road. At least they play The Los Angeles Rams, which should be no trouble.
#-4: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1). Swept at Rutgers Friday, got swept by third-ranked Penn St. yesterday/Sunday afternoon. Also yesterday/Sunday, the NCAA did that stupid "Top 16" reveal that does nothing but drives narratives and establishes expectations that fans will point to when their squad isn't as high as they once were. Anyway, the Gophs slide in at #16. And they should at least stay there 'cause they can kick over Northwestern at home Wednesday and Ohio St. in Columbus Sunday.
#-5: Gopher women's hockey (Last Week: -7). Yeah, the Lynx lost, but I'm not mad at them, as you'll see why below. I'm really pissed off at the Goofer female icers, who once again have demonstrated they are not the power that they once were. Top-ranked Wisconsin came into Ridder, and the U. was completely humiliated by the Badgers, and in the two worst ways you can lose -- a 5-0 ass-kicking Friday, and choking on leads of 2-0 and 3-1 before losing 4-3 Saturday.
They played Ohio St. and Wisconsin -- the two big behemoths in women's college hockey, the only two programs any women's college hockey fan should know and care about -- on back-to-back weekends, and they they lost all four Games and gleaned only one Point from them. This is embarrassing. They have quickly proven they have not been able to step up to take those two schools. So what in the goddamn hell are you doing here? And so what if you sweep a home-and-home with Minnesota State-Mankato this weekend?
#-Infinity: Lynx (Last Week: -5). Yep. This is why I avoid seeing my teams in championship Games. So Sabrina Ionescu hit a Logo Three to steal home-court back in Game 3 (by the way, with the way Twitter was lionizing her obviously great shot, there are a lot of powerful entities on popular platforms who were in the fucking tank for the Liberty ... that really grinds my fuckin' gears, and that's all I'm going to say about that), and Bridget Carleton sank two Free Throws to give the Lynx the lead that stuck when Ionescu missed a Game-tying Three at the buzzer.
So, in a WNBA Finals that seemed to have met the moment the sports world finally took the league seriously (thanks, Caitlin Clark, but no thanks to your toxic "fans" who use your gifts to hammer women playing sports, in particular Black basketball players), the winner-take-all Game 5 was played in Brooklyn last/Sunday night. And ... well, there are no good ways to lose, but righteous indignation over getting fucked over by the refs at the end of the Game makes losing a title tilt a bit more palatable. Apparently, Breanna Stewart took, like, five steps after receiving an inbounds play, got a Foul call on Alanna Smith I still don't see after replay, and made both Free Throws which sent Game 5 into Overtime, where The New York Liberty won their first-ever championship, 67-62.
On the one hand, blaming the officiating is as old as time immemorial. There are always other factors that contribute to the defeat. The role players besides Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride didn't have great Games. Also, Collier blew a Lay-Up in the Possession before Stewart's travel with six Seconds left in the Fourth Quarter and the Lynx up by two. She makes that and whatever happens on the other end doesn't matter. Finally, the Lynx's Defense did what they needed to do and shut down the the Libs' two big stars. Ionescu finished with one made shot and five Points. Stewart had 13 Points on 4-for-15 shooting, missing all three of her Three-Point Attempts. You do that and you still lose? Sorry, but a lot of that has to be on you for failing to stop the Liberty's role players.
On the other hand, here's LeBron James, who knows a little something about basketball:
I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul! Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game. 🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 21, 2024
I do live in a bubble where I have just scrolled through a fusillade of "THAT WAS A FOUL!!!" tweets. But believe me when I say that there are a lot of neutral observers who don't live in Minnesota and have no dog in this fight who say that not only did Stewie get away with travelling and getting a phantom call, but the officiating (both in this Game and throughout the, well, league) sucked. By the way, Collier didn't go to the line once last/Sunday night. So, yes, Collier shouldn't have blown that Lay-Up ... and Stewart should have been called for travelling and not been given that Foul. Both things can be true at the same time in this temporal plane. Also, bad officiating didn't decide this Game and championship ... and a bad no-call decided this Game and championship. Those two things can also be true and the same time in this temporal plane.
The Lynx weren't predicted to reach the Finals. I for one thought they would be an also-ran, a one-and-done. But as much as I like to think this team is just getting started, I know for a fact that life is random, and most times you don't get to build on previous seasons. Tomorrow is not promised for any of us. A title was within their grasp last night. And yeah, the refereeing was not good, but the team let it go. They just did.
No comments:
Post a Comment