The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Twins (Last Week: -1).  I don't know if I should start with the good news of the bad news.  I'll start chronologically, with the good news.

So that motherfucking streak is over!  First, on Tuesday, they beat Toronto at Target Field for their first playoff Win (after an all-time, all-major sport streak of 18 straight postseason Losses) since 2004.  The next Day, the beat the Blue Jays again for their first playoff series Win since 2002.  Both tilts were tight affairs; the Twins won by scores of 3-1 and 2-0.  But the Defense was fantastic -- Carlos Correa is a cheater, but he made incredible defensive Outs in both Games -- and, by the way, Buddha bless Royce Lewis.  Also, God bless Blue Jays Manager John Schneider for doing what too many Managers do in the postseason (IMHO) and yank his Starting Pitcher, in this case former Twins Pitcher Jose Berrios, in the fourth Inning when Game 2 was still scoreless.

I hope Twins fans aren't exhaling.  I mean, I understand and they should, but in baseball, a team that is much better on paper can lose a series to an inferior team.  Now, that didn't happen yesterday/Saturday afternoon vs. the Asterisks in Houston as they dropped Game 1 of their Division Series, 6-4.  But Minnesota was down 5-0 against Trashstros Ace Justin Verlander and they fought back, which matters because it shows this young team, now that that goddamn cosmic yoke of The Losing Streak has been broken, ain't scared.  Unfortunately, Minnesota was the only road team of the four Div Series that lost, which means that the Twins top the survey but sit in negative numbers, so this could be a 3-0 sweep on our team.

Game 2 is tonight/Sunday night.  Games 3 and, if necessary 4 are Tuesday and Wednesday.  I am taking off both Days to help out the television production and hoping in my quiet little heart that I see them win the series at home.

#-2: Gopher women's hockey (NEW SEASON!!!).  Well, I think that we can expect this club to make it to the NCAA Tournament and then get upset by, like, fucking Colgate or something.  But that is later.  This is now, and the start of the season, when every good possibility lays in front of you.  And these Gophers take advantage with a sweep of The Rochester Institute Of Technology this weekend by a combined score of 8-1.

Like with most other seasons, there really is no reason to dwell on this squad until they beat the likes of Wisconsin and Ohio St.  St. Thomas is not one of those teams, and so we'll just state here that the U. has a quasi-home-and home with the Tommies, where the latter hosts Saturday but both outfits play at the X the afternoon before.

#-3: Vikings (Last Week: -6).  Well, finally.  The Vikes get off the schneid and broke their duck, defeating the Panthers in Charlotte, 21-13, last Sunday.  Carolina's probably a terrible club, but the Vikes, despite the final margin of victory, looked really good at many points as the contest went on.  The Defensive Line, in particular, was able to get to and maul Rookie Quarterback Bryce Young.

But let's not get all goo-goo-eyed here.  They're 1-3.  Season's over.  Especially knowing that The Bastard Dallas Texans and Taylor Swift are comin' (naw, she ain't comin' -- if she did, I think we would have known by now).  It may be closer than we think -- that Chiefs offense just isn't clicking, as if they're not of one Borg mind -- but the Vikes remain too deficient in too many areas to win this.  At least I don't think.

#-4: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -3).  Kind of surprised that this XI has a Week between Matches.  And on Sundays, no less.  I would assume that the Big Ten Network would like some live sports content during the Week, so they'd sneak in a Tuesday or Wednesday tilt.  Anyway, last Sunday, they went to Bloomington and fought ranked Indiana to a scoreless Tie.  They host Illinois this/Sunday afternoon; it ends about a half-hour before the Vikings Game starts.

#-5: United FC (Last Week: -4).  Well, the people who wanted #HeathOut finally got their wish.  And when the Looooooons scored first Wednesday at LAFC only to be bludgeoned, 5-1, I have to admit that I became one of them.  That chokejob was the XI's 15th blown lead in 13 Matches this Year in all Competitions, and they have blown leads in the past five Games if you includes last/Saturday night's contest at home vs. The Los Angeles Galaxy.  (To be clear, the statistic now stands at 16 blown leads over 14 Matches in all competitions in 2023.)  And so, after seven Years, the first Head Coach for Minnesota United in top-flight American soccer was relieved of his duties.

Look, I have nothing personal against the guy.  But it was obvious that his time had come.  He simply wasn't winning enough, and blowing lead after lead after lead this season had to piss off somebody in management.  He has a reputation for being the Striker Whisperer, but he tried to replace Christian Ramirez with scorer after scorer -- Mason Toye, Thomas Chacon, leading up to Teem Pukki right now -- and it didn't seem to work as well as we think it should.  And he doesn't use all of the substitutions he's allotted, meaning a lot of players are gassed near the end of a Match, making them more susceptible to allowing Game-tying, or -winning, Goals from the other side.

People who are acolytes of advanced statistics continue to insist MNUFC is a good team; it just needed a break every now and then.  I fall back to Bill Parcells, who says that "You are what your record says you are."  And they are still on the outside looking in.  Sure, they responded to a 1-all tie (under interim Head Coach Sean McCauley) with four Goals by Pukki as they routed the Galaxy, 5-2.  But they are behind Kansas City on Goal Difference, and the club currently in ninth place, Dallas, has one more Game to play, which is a home Match versus Western Conference bottom-feeder Colorado.  It's over.  The Loooooooons streak of reaching the postseason will be broken this Year.  Those back-to-back chokejobs to the Galaxy and St. Louis back on September 20 and 23 sealed this squad's fate, and Heath's.

Well, they do play Sporting on the 21st in the regular season finale.  And it is in Kansas City, so they may win this one.

#-6: Gopher football (Last Week: -2).  This is what I was afraid was going to happen.  This is supposedly one of The Big Three Rivalry Trophies the U. plays for, even though expansion has led to The Little Brown Jug to be fought for only sporadically.  I think that's a good thing, because last/Saturday night they got destroyed by the Wolverines at home, 52-10.  The thing is, for the first several seasons Head Coach Jim Harbaugh looked lost and like he wasn't the answer for his alma mater, but he somehow has put it together the last two or three Years and now seems as unstoppable as Kirby Smart in Georgia.  P. J. Fleck?  Not so much.

The next contest is another rivalry Match: At Iowa for Floyd Of Rosedale, on the 21st.

#-7: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -5).  I now have to repeat "This is his first year ... this is his first year" as I slowly inhale and exhale, but this weekend has become a new low for the program because they lost at the Atlantic schools for the first time since the B1G shoehorned in those schools.  They lost at Rutgers last/Saturday night for the first time since 1983 -- and in four Sets, no less.  And Friday night they lost at Maryland for the first time since ... ever.  And now they are in serious danger of missing the NCAA Tournament altogether.

I have done a quick scour of the chatboards.  Apparently Taylor Landfair ain't moving her ass and the Backline Defense is shit.  I have no expectations for this club, especially after the city hosted the tourney and the Gophers didn't even get close to making the Final Four.  But I did assume they would make the postseason even under a new Head Coach.  I don't know what the fuck is going on right now, but this squad is in a tailspin.

At Michigan Wednesday.

The Inert Tension Rod Situation

Last week, while I was at work, apparently the tension rod holding up the shower curtain in my (upstairs) bathroom fell into the bathtub.  The springs just gave up, I guess.

It's been sitting in the bathtub ever since.  I have had two stripper girlfriends come over, ********a for a massage and *****a for a handjob, and they both have needed to go into the bathroom and obviously saw the fallen tension rod.  I would think that any houseguests would be, uh, wondering why I haven't done anything to clean up that mess.  I figure that so long as there isn't anything, uh, worsening in there, and how could it, it's just a mess that's in the bathtub.  I'll get around to it when I get around to it.  And that's why I don't have houseguests over beyond the two stripper girlfriends I pay to come here to give me a massage and a handjob.

But I did buy a tension rod from Target a few days ago, and I might as well put it up, or at least unwrap the rod.  Man, I'm so darn busy -- I work today until Friday, including helping out for Vikings and Twins broadcasts.  If for some stupid reason the tension rod doesn't work or I have trouble setting it up -- well, I'll just leave the whole thing in the bathtub till I have an afternoon or evening to see what is really going on.  Like I said, it's just a mess in the bathtub.  It can stay there a long, long time.  It has already!

Hottest Babe In The Hooters Calendar: September 2023

Overall, this is one of the best months I've seen in any Hooters calendar.  Hesitate to say it's the best ever; I would have to do research.  But I will say that this months contains the hottest, most innovative and paradigm-shifting photo in the history of the calendar, and I look forward to beating off to it as soon as I have the time and energy to do so.

Of the dozen babes that adorn September '23, I think I can single out six of them.  Well, eight: Honorable mention goes to The Main Woman, Cassidy of Grand Prairie, Tex., for her long, dark brown hair, her blue two-piece bikini and her tight-ass body; and to Katrina of Ontario, Calif., a dirty blonde whose only drawback is that I can see her orange bikini top underneath her cropped hooded sweatshirt, and if she hid it, I would think she could easily flash us.

Contrast that to the server that winds up in sixth place, Lillie of Westminster, Colo.  The long-haired brunette has on a red bikini bottom but a black Hooters tank top (which, by the way, says "Denver, CO" -- close enough, they said?), and I can't spot a bikini top underneath the tank top.  She's pulling on her shirt, so if she indeed is wearing nothing underneath, it's flashy time!!!

In fifth place is Kianna, of Odessa, Fla.  Long and dark hair, red two-piece whose straps both loop over her left shoulder.  She's got big lips and a Mona Lisa smile, and while I'm not super-aroused (her posing at a steep angle to the camera is a minus), she gives off an aura of mystery I'm attracted to.  (I'm noticing a lot of expressions with this month.  Don't know why.)

In fourth place is Nashville's Kat.  Long, light brown hair, red two-piece bikini.  Not a fan of her wrapping her arms around herself.  But she's got a gorgeous face, and a muted smirk that also is quite, quite delectable.

In third place is Kimi, of Costa Mesa, Calif.  Another waitress with long, light brown hair, she is wearing a light blue two-piece.  Has just the beginnings of a curve of a smile, and that, on her, is arousing to me.  She is also posed kneeling (looks like on a rocky shore), and kneeling naturally arches out her body and thrusts her sizable boobs forward.  Me likely!

In second place is Auna, of Boca Raton, Fla.  Long, dark hair, solid blue two-piece bikini.  That bikini is on the skimpy side, and that shows off her toned, olive-skinned (is she of Middle Eastern extraction?  Indian?  Arab?) body.  You can tell that her tits are fake, but I don't care, she's fucking hot.

But, in first place is, and I have never seen this name before until now, Enxhi, of Mesa, Ariz.  (Apparently, "Enxhi" is Albanian.)  Brunette who's tied up her hair.  Jean shorts that are opened up front to show off her red-and-blue underwear -- nice touch!  And she's wearing a flannel top that's tied up in front and ... oh, wait ... that's not a shirt -- THAT'S BODYPAINT!!!  Now, they brushed out Enxhi's nipples -- BOO -- but you can't hide the fact that Enxhi was willing to pose topless for the fucking Hooters calendar!!!  I will venture to say that since I hadn't seen anything like that since I started buying the calendar several years ago, this is the first time a Hooters waitresses was willing to be photographed naked.  And sure, I'm not a big fan of bodypaint because, you know, I'd rather see breasts.  But this is a massive, game-changing step into provocativeness.  And I fucking love it!!

Goddamn right I'll masturbate to these women.  Thank you to Enxhi and everyone!!!  Fap-fap-fap!!!

I Now Love What I Hated And Hate What I Loved

I have been in The Fourth Department, off and on, for months now.  It might even be a year.  But as I have gotten used to the work -- and accrued overtime in the process -- I have begun to exhale calmly through the stressful parts of the position -- OK, sorta -- and have grown to really like the intangibles with it, like being tucked away in a nondescript part of the building, enjoying the company of the people I am with, the ability to just stick my earbuds in and work, and, well, being left alone.  I think I do a good job there.  Not as if my boss has much of a choice, but I think I do a good job there.

But with my co-worker getting back from her leave, I am being moved again.  For today and Friday, I am in My Favorite Department.  This is a position I haven't worked in weeks, if not months.  And frankly, I don't know if I like it as much as I used to.  I think that's partly over my trepidation over not working there in some time, but off and on over these past few hours I've been dreading the worst part of that position.  Not to bore you with the details -- I actually can't remember them, to be quite honest -- but if something needs to be tested a second time, we have to draw up these documents that have all these details that we need to fill in, and that requires going through a few systems and programs, and we have to make sure we track wherever we go.  I've always hated that particular job, and thinking that I'll need to break up my notes to refresh my memory is not something I relish.

So a job that I once hated I ... well, kind of like, and the job I once liked I ... well, kind of don't like now.  Heh.

The Last Of The Food I Bought For Work

Partly because of the food Father has forced me to take with me to work, I have now been conditioned to eat at work.  When they initially wintered in Las Vegas, I was OK, and in fact grateful, not to eat food that I didn't want to eat.  But now that I have gotten used to eating during the day, I have to have something -- maybe not the banana and the peanut butter sandwich and the other Chinese stuff he seems to pack for me as if I'm going off to war, but something little.

Last winter, when they were away and once I got through all of the perishable food they left for me, I was craving food again.  But just something small, so I bought a huge variety pack of granola bars.  I think I timed it so that by the time I got finished with them, my parents would be back.  But work has this thing where we get praised for the good things we do at work by getting showered with candy bars, so I interspersed those with the granola bars.  And then a co-worker gave me this huge canister of European candy bars.  They were so filling that I could only eat a few of them every break.

Add those all up, and by the time my parents came home, I still had a ton of food stashed in my cubby hole (every employee is given either a locker or a filing drawer in which to put our stuff).  Now, my parents came home in March, so I had food to bring with me from then until about Labor Weekend.  So all that food I saved I saved basically for half a year.

Yesterday/Tuesday at work, I got done with the last of them, the final granola bar.  I think those granola bars and those European bars and those candy bars all would have been fresher six months ago, but they were edible.  But now that they're gone, could I just go without?  No.  I went to Target last night and bought more bars.  I think I'll need more reinforcements in a month or so.  Eating something quick at work is now something permanent, for better and/or for worse.

Time Off Or No Time Off

I am torn about taking time off.  Not the concept; of course in any job if something comes out or if you just need a break, you should take some time off.

With that being said,  I am taking time off because of the Twins.  They've made the playoffs, which means that they're going to playing Games at home, which means the production companies I have worked for in the past have put out calls for more work.  If you follow and understand which networks are broadcasting which stages of the postseason, you would see that one production company is (or was) asking for help for the Wild Card Series which starts today and could last through Thursday.  Another company is stepping in to do the rest of the playoffs ... so long as the Twins make it that far.

And therein lies the rub.  The overarching variable is the Twins, of course -- will they advance in the playoffs or not?  After thinking about it, I decided to save my powder, so to speak, and not help out the production that is doing the Wild Card Series.  They wanted someone who could've started Sunday, by the way, so I would've had to use up to four days.  But if they advance, the production crew doing the Division Series and beyond is the same company I have been working with for a quarter-century now.  I think it behooves me to at least help them out.  Unfortunately, the dates they need me are still up in the air.  I mean, I know the Game Days.  But if they need me to work, say, a Set Day, which is a day before a Day the Twins would play, I don't know if I can help them out.  The last-minute suddenness of asking for time off is something I really don't like and really don't want to bother both my boss and the people who would need to fill in for me.  But, well, that's the playoffs, right?  And besides, I told my boss that "my other job" takes priority.  I will work for them if the need arises because it's my field.  And it's happening now.

With that being said, if the Twins lose this Series, all of this is moot.  But, well, I need to put in time off for next week, and if I have to pull that back and work instead, well ... I hope everyone deals.  I feel really bad about this, actually.

Late Night Talk Shows Are Back. And I'm Not Ready

So with the WGA (the writers') strike over, late-night talk shows can come back ... even though I wonder how they are going to put on shows since, talk shows are filled with interviews with actors from SAG-AFTRA, the actors' union that is still on strike.  And aren't all the talk show hosts part of SAG-AFTRA, too?  Are they allowed to even come back?

Well, I guess they are, and new shows begin tonight/Monday after about five months dark.  Honestly, I don't know how to adjust to watching them again.  Yes, I blog posted about missing these talk shows.  But like I think I have also blog posted, I whine about a change, but then I finally get used to the change, and so once it changes back I whine about it changing from what I am used to.  Same here.  I liked turning off the TV after seeing the weather forecast and doomscrolling through Twitter/X until I got my fill.  I'm going to be curious enough to tune in and see whether the talk shows are going to be back to normal or if there are still going to be some elements of the genre missing because of the continuing strike.  But I think I will prefer to be on my computer at around, oh, 11 o'clock, at least for now.  And then, soon, I'll look forward to turning my eyes away from my laptop and cellphone and watching some TV instead.  But, as with all things, it'll take a while for me to adjust.

Watch My Dirty Clothes On The Floor, Stripper Girlfriend

So I have *****a coming over here this morning to give me a handjob.  She says it's her birthday; my gift to her is money, even though, when I'm in the throes of her vicious hand lovin', I'll say that my actual gift to her is my cum.

Anyway, my lazy behind is starting to do some chores around here, including doing the laundry.  What I do -- and have I blog posted about this before? -- I imagine a matrix on the floor, a chart where each piece of clothing can be separated by the wash and dry cycle it's supposed to be laundered.  I did the "warm wash" clothes (thought not the ones that need to be on gentle cycle -- guess I'll get to those some other time -- but all the others I've left on the floor.  Yeah, I moved the clothes I haven't gotten around to washing and drying aside, but when *****a gets here she'll see and maybe need to step over my clothes ... not to mention all the clothes and crap I have around my bedroom, any of which I will only move in the minutes leading up to her getting onto my driveway.  Maybe.

I don't necessarily want to be seen as a slob, but frankly, I'm paying her for a HJ, so ... should I really care if I am not tidy?  Should she?  She's seen the house as I have laid it out a few times before, so it won't be a surprise to her.  Should I make more of an effort to clean up, though?

Nah!

No, I Will Not Turn On The Air Conditioning

I remembered back in the spring when it began getting hot and Father refused to turn on the AC.  It isn't necessary ... use fans ... AC takes a lot money.  I resented him for putting me through such torture until it got too hot even for him, and he relented.

Well, damn, I have turned into my old man, because the Twin Cities reached a high of 92 degrees today, breaking the daily record.  I made a mistake of keeping my bedroom window open from the overnight, when the humidity was tolerable so long as I kept my fan on.  My bedroom faces the sun at the hottest part of the day, so once I went back into my bedroom from the kitchen in the mid-afternoon, it was baking, even with the curtains closed.  It's Hell's Kitchen in here, no lie.

And yet ... no, dammit, I will not turn the air conditioning on.  It isn't necessary ... I'll use the fan ... air conditioning takes a lot of money.  Yes, my calculus changes if I'm the one now paying for utilities.  I planned on going out to the community center to exercise today, and maybe I should go out there because it's cooler out there.  Once it gets dark I'll hope and pray I can still resist turning on the AC.

It'll remain this hot till Tuesday.  After a storm moves in, it'll get cold enough that we'll need to use the furnace by next weekend, actually.  And I'll still hold off on using that because it's not necessary ... I'll wear more clothes ... the heater takes a lot of money. ...

The Weekly Minnesota Sports Survey

#-1: Twins (Last Week: 0).  They went 5-1 this past Week, even though it doesn't matter, really.  They needed The Bastard Washington Senators v.2.0 to go on a losing streak, and they've righted their ship enough so that Minnesota wasn't going to get that other bye into the American League Division Series.  So the 3-Seed is theirs; the only remaining question going to the regular season finale this/Sunday afternoon is whether Texas, The Houston Asterisks or Jose Berrios and The Toronto Blue Jays will be the team they face for the American League Wild Card Series, a best-of-3 all at Target Field mid-Week.

I find it very sad that the unquestioned top team in this Week's Survey has both the longest-active and the longest-ever losing streak of consecutive playoff Games with 18.  Man, fuck this sports town.

Oh, their final Game of the regular season is in Denver vs. The Colorado Rockies.  Both a friend and a Minnesota-based person I follow on X/Twitter are in Denver, went to at least one Game, and posted at least one picture from their seat at Coors Field.  Been there for one contest; it was really hot (I had an upper-deck seat) and the view of the Rocky Mountains out in the outfield is great.

#-2: Gopher football (Last Week: -3).  After fucking trailing at Halftime, 17-14, the Gophs roared back to defeat the Louisiana (formerly Louisiana-Lafayette) Ragin' Cajuns for Homecoming yesterday/Saturday afternoon, 35-24.  But the damage to the atmosphere may have already been done after the previous collapse at Northwestern.  I didn't watch the Game all that much because my alma mater was playing at the same time, but I wonder how many empty seats there were, and how many were empty as a result of that unacceptable Loss to the Wildcats.  Meanwhile, Head Coach P. J. Fleck brought up the NIL arms race in one of his press conferences leading up the Game.  Lamenting how the U. needs to step up its game makes me believe he actually is greasing the skids on an exit.  There is such a thing as a seven-year itch.

Michigan comes to town Saturday night.  The Little Brown Jug will be contested for only the third time in the past seven seasons (it was contested annually between 1928 and 1998; college football has broken away from tradition for a while now).  Wait, wait, wait ... who am I fucking kidding?  Michigan is ranked second in the polls; that trophy isn't going to be contested.

#-3: Gopher soccer (Last Week: -2).  Scoreless Tie at Iowa Sunday, then were handled at Robbie by Wisconsin Thursday, 3-1.  The Badgers are a good outfit, so the talent and result difference between the border schools is stark.  This is Erin Chastain's third Year as Head Coach, and she hasn't taken her alma mater to NCAA Tournament yet, and she has yet to win a conference Match.  Maybe more scrutiny is in order?

Only one Match this screening Week, but it's a big one, and it happens this/Sunday afternoon: At Indiana, ranked 16th in one poll.

#-4: United FC (Last Week: -Infinity).  Blew another goddamn lead last/Saturday night, although this time they managed to tie San Jose at Allianz at 1.  This is the third straight motherfucking Match where they held a lead and then lost it.  After hearing they blew the lead and lost to both the Galaxy and St. Louis the previous screening Week, I wanted to compile how many leads they've given away this Year, and just tonight I was able to find the time to compile it: For 2023, throughout all competitions, the Looooooooons have blown 14 leads over twelve Matches.  (I have heard the statistic "'x" Points dropped from a winning position," and that's such a haughty, soccer-centric kind of stat that I wonder why in the hell can't we just say blown leads instead.  It's an American stat!)  Adrian Heath pulled Emanuel Reynoso late in the Second Half when MNUFC was leading but when I thought they still needed a Goal.  Heard Bebelo is playing hurt, but he was still pulling the Earthquakes into his orbit, and they equalized shortly thereafter.  I don't fucking get it.

The only reason I've lifted these underachievers above -Infinity -- well, besides calming down -- is that I looked at the standings after last/Saturday night's Draw.  If United FC were able to keep leads and win two of their last three Matches, not only would they be well into playoff position, right now they would be in fifth place in the Western Conference.  Sadly, because of their recent and season-long fuck-ups, they're in 11th.  They're only three Points behind ninth, but they have to hope teams ahead of them stumble, and they have only three Matches left in order for all that to happen.  Moreover, the XI visits LAFC Wednesday and host the Galaxy (which came back from 3-1 down in Carson, Calif. to defeat the Looooooooooooons 4-3 on September 20) Saturday night.  Their streak of reaching the postseason is in very serious jeopardy.

#-5: Gopher volleyball (Last Week: -1).  Yes, I keep saying First-Year Mulligan, but while this team swept Michigan at Maturi Friday, they got swept Sunday at Nebraska and lost at home to Penn St. last/Saturday night in four Sets, and both the Cornhuskers and Nittany Lions are ranked.  A second weekend finish appears to be the goal, and I think that's very underwhelming.

Visit the Atlantic schools over the weekend.

#-6: Vikings (Re-Entry!).  The season's over.  I was ready to declare the ViQueens' season over after getting upset at home to fucking Tampa Bay, but after fucking up at home and losing to The Los Angeles Chargers, they're 0-3, and very few squads rebound from such a hole to make the playoffs.

Karma, in a sense, is coming back to bite these guys in the asses.  After being undefeated in one-score Games, they're now winless in the three contests they've played so far.  That's a vicious regression to the mean.  More disturbing, however (even moreso than the continuing deficiencies on Defense), is the continuing lack of focus when it comes to fundamentals and when it counts.  Alexander Mattison had a ball ripped from his hands.  The Chargers earned First Downs through Vikes Penalties.  And the most egregious example of not being able to perform in clutch moments was the last drive, where, after getting a First Down and driving for the go-ahead Touchdown, Kirk Cousins decided he needed to wait to hear Head Coach Kevin O'Connell radio in a play.  He couldn't hear, however, because the U. S. Bank Stadium crowd was too loud after that First Down.  Cousins may or may not have heard the play, Cousins threw to T. J. Hockenson, and Hockenson allowed it to bobble across his hands into the arms of an awaiting Chargers defender.  O'Connell had a Time Out, but he said he would rather have the Offense run a play to keep the Chargers off-balance.  Well, the ones off-balance on that Interception were his team.

And now they're going down to Carolina, with an amped-up Adam Thielen poised to show his old (and childhood) club that he still has something left in the tank and Bryce Young ready to have his first big performance against a Minnesota team because all Rookies and unknowns have big performances against Minnesota teams.  They are likely going to be 0-4 with a home tilt versus Kansas City (and possibly Taylor Swift?) looming.  This season and franchise is circling the drain.