Week in Review - 11/30/2009

Guess what I can't bring myself to talk about right now?  Yep, Gopher basketball.  I know this is supposedly a gopher basketball blog (and Twins), but I just can't do it.  I am livid.  Liv.  Id.  But it's really my own fault.  Here I somehow started to believe this was a "special" team, meaning a sweet 16ish type.  Now I'm coming to realize that it's not even close.  It's just like last year - and why wouldn't it be?  It's pretty much the same team.  All the same warts.  So we can expect to be in a fight for a bid, probably make it, and be happy with that as the upside.  Great.  Better than the Monson years no doubt, but I feel like a kid who just found out Santa isn't real.  I can't even come close to rationally discussing this right now.  And, as they say, if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all.  So I won't.


WHO WAS AWESOME
1.  Cincinnati.  If not for some Tim Donaghy-level reffing (huge foul disparity, blown call on game-winning layup attempt) and an unfortunately timed foul shooting meltdown (2-7 in overtime, with two misses by Deonta Vaughn (career 80+ shooter), the Bearcats would be returning from Maui as the champions of the Maui Classic - as it is, they return instead as a legitimate contender for the Big East title after beating two top-25 teams (Vanderbilt and Maryland) and losing in overtime to Gonzaga.  I told you people this team was going to be good, and there are some very good things.  Freshman Lance Stephenson has Carmelo Anthony-type potential.  They have other potential stars both outside (Vaughn) and inside (Yancy Gates), are very deep, and are an excellent defensive team.  I still think they have final four potential.  Sure, there are some things they need to work on - they settle for too many jumpers and struggle against athletic big men, and I'm not sure about Cashmere Wright at the point just yet, but they could make some noise in March.  And don't forget, Ibrahima Thomas won't be eligible until December. 

2.  Purdue.  Even with all the cross-pollenating tournaments and all that jazz, it's still rare to get a matchup of two teams ranked in the top-11, so when that happens this early, the winner should feel pretty good about themselves.  In this case and using this tortured multi-part sentence, I'm talking about Purdue and their very good 73-72 win over Tennessee in the Virgin Islands on Monday.  It was the three usual suspects bringing the Boilers to victory - Robbie Hummel (20 pts, 7 rebs), the "College KG" JaJuan Johnson (11 pts), and E'Twaun Moore (22 pts) - and those three will be the key to how far the Boilers go this year, but a lot of credit needs to go to Keaton Grant, who's being forced to fill in at the point with the injury to Lewis Jackson and doing a nice job.  I'm not sure when Lew-Jack is supposed to be back, but Purdue hasn't missed a beat without him.

3.  John Shurna.  Wasn't Northwestern supposed to be dead in the water after Coble got hurt?  It certainly isn't looking that way, especially after they won the Chicago Invitational by beating Notre Dame and Iowa State, two teams with NCAA Tournament aspirations, and completely on the back of Shurna, the 6-8 sophomore who won the tournament MVP award - quite an accompishment consider Luke Harangody and Craig Brackins were both involved.  And where did this come from?  Shurna was a lightly recruited, 3-star player out of high school who ended up at Northwestern because they were his best offer and has suddenly turned into a Coble clone.  He's the same guy, although I think Coble would beat him at horse, but he's got the same inside/outside, unathletically effective game, and he defintiely came to play this weekend.  He put up 25-8-4 against Notre Dame (Harangody:  21-9-0) and 23-7-4 against Iowa State (Brackins:  18-9-3) to lead the Wildcats to what must surely be their first place trophy in anything basketball related.  I hate to say it, but with Shurna and Thompson both back next year with more experience, the Coble injury might have been the best thing that could have happened to them.  If they don't get their first ever NCAA bid this year, next year should be it.   

4.  Richmond.  After losing earlier this season to William & Mary, a Spiders team that was supposed to challenge for the A-10 crown was looking like more of a CBI caliber team.  They made up for that loss, however, by winning the South Padre Invitational with wins over Mississippi State and Missouri, wins that aren't what you would called marquee, but very nice quality wins that should end up looking good on selection sunday.  They also got a boost with William & Mary's win at Wake Forest this weekend, which shows W&M is a legit team and softens the sting of that early season loss.

5.  Florida.  The Gators won the Legends Classic in Atlantic City by beating Rutgers and Michigan State (yet another Big Team who bombed this week), and started the week by crushing Florida State.  I wasn't sure exactly what to make of the Gators coming in to this year, but the newcomers have been great (Kenny Boynton leads the team in scoring and Vernon Macklin is in double-figures as well), and Erving Walker is settling in as a pretty good point guard.  Looks like they'll be back in tournament, and not the NIT this time.


WHO SUCKED

1. Oklahoma.  Losing Blake Griffin will obviously make things a little rough, but the Sooners had Willie Warren and Tony Crocker back as well as a really nice recruiting class with two projected starters in it, so the thought was that they would be ok.  Well, the Great Alaska Shootout showed that perhaps that isn't exactly the case since the Sooners came home with a prestigious 7th place trophy after going 1-2 in the frozen north.  They lost to both San Diego and Houston prior before drawing the now 0-8 Nicholls State Colonels, who actually led 47-41 at one point in the second half before falling 81-60.  This was basically an unequivacable disaster for Oklahoma, who were ranked 25th before this tournament.  Neither Houston nor San Diego is awful, and both will probably be on the fringes of the bubble come tournament time, but you just can't do this if you're a major conference school who has hopes of competing for your league's championship.  They shot 33% and were out rebounded 39-30 against San Diego in game 1 and then turned it over 18 times while allowing Houston to shoot 46% from three in game two.  You can probably just go ahead and cross Oklahoma off your NCAA bid list right now.  I'll bet anything it's because of Tony Crocker and his retarded long sleeve t-shirts.  Either that or they miss the power of Austin Johnson's mohawk (and his Miles Tarver-look-like-ness).

2.  Greivis Vasquez.  Maryland had a rough go this week at the Maui Invitational, losing two out of three games - to Cincinnati by 12 and Wisconsin by 9, and picking up their only win by beating tournament host and noted high school program Chaminade in the opening round.  The main issue here, is that their main man and 8th year senior Greivis Vasquez suddenly can't shoot.  In the three games, he shot 2-7, 5-17, and 6-13, which is a combined 35% and actually a nice improvement on his season-total of 30% field goal shooting.  Now, his other numbers are good, he's averaging a career high 6.0 assists and 2.2 steals per game, his 2.1-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is his best as well and his rebounding is right in line with his career numbers, but his scoring is at just 9.8 per game, exactly half of last year's average, and his shooting, as mentioned, as Nolen-Level atrocious.  The Terps can't win without Vasquez scoring, as shown last week, so he needs to get it together if they're going to make the tournament.

3.  Illinois.  You know who hates Las Vegas?  And no, I'm not talking about Dr. Acula, I'm talking about the not so Fighting Illini, who had an awful Las Vegas Invitational.  It should have been a nice resume building weekend.  Beat a crappy Utah team on Friday night and then take on Oklahoma State on Saturday - win or lose, it's overall going to help your resume.  Well, things didn't quite work out, because Illinois managed to screw it up and lose to Utah on Friday, despite having a 32-16 lead at halftime, the same Utah team who lost to Seattle earlier in the week.  Then, instead of at least salvaging the weekend by winning the consolation bracket with a win over Bradley, the go out and get beat by four instead.  Obviously this doesn't exactly look good for the Big Ten, but hey, maybe the Illini are actually terrible and it will be a couple of easy wins for the Gophers.  Special props out to "star" freshmen Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, who combined to shoot 6-27 in the tournament.  If I'm an Illini fan, I'm very worried right now.

4.  UCLA.  Well you knew this was coming, but there's just now way to avoid pointing out the colossal flop the Bruins pulled this weekend.  Even in a down year, would you ever expect the Bruins to finish 8th in an 8-team tournament?  The loss to Portland is obviously not that bad, and the loss to Butler isn't a killer, but to then drop a game to Long Beach?  Especially after having already gone 0-2 they knew they needed this one to salvage, well, anything, out of this, and instead got destroyed by a Dan Monson coached team.  Ouch.  And what the F ever happened to Drew Gordon?  He was supposed to be the stud daddy, but had an awful rough weekend to go along with a subpar career so far.  He failed to break 10 points or 4 rebounds in any game of the tournament, bottoming out in him just playing 12 minutes against Long Beach.  I don't exactly know what's going on down in Westwood, but this is the worst I can remember the program being since I started watching basketball.    

5.  Arkansas.  Most of the teams in either category are pretty obvious this week due to the tournaments and such.  Insert winners into "awesome" and insert 8th place teams into "suck."  Pretty straight forward.  Arkansas (an NCAA hopeful, mind you), on the other hand, had three cupcake games this week - all home games - versus Morgan State, East Tennessee State, and South Alabama.  Well guess what?  They lost all three.  ALL.  THREE.  This is, perhaps, the worst week an NCAA hopeful has ever had this early in the season against this level of opposition.  Now, I know the Razorbacks are a bit hamstrung right now with Courntey Fortson still out due to some sort of disciplinary issue, but these are not losses you see from an NCAA team no matter who they're missing.  In any other week, this would be by far the thing that sucked the most.  But not this week.


The thing that sucked most this week was Dayton coming back and beating Towson after being down by 18 with just nine minutes to play.  That would have given them an 0-2 week capped off with a loss to one of the worst programs in history, and given me an excuse use the Towson picture I have.  Craptacular.

Actually, when am I ever going to have a chance another chance to use a Towson picture?

Time to Move On: Bring on the Aggies

Ok, I've calmed a bit from my post game anger, and although the seething disappointment still burns away at my stomach lining, I realize that it was just a loss to an NCAA Tournament team - it won't hurt much, if at all, when it comes to selection sunday.  Fine.  It doesn't matter that the Gophers were far superior but just let themselves get outplayed, outworked, outhustled, outsmarted, and outrebounded.  Whatever.  I'm moving on.  Time to get to Texas A&M and beat them to finish out the tournament with two quality wins.  After this the game at Miami is the only other chance to get a quality win out of conference (unless St. Joe's shocks everybody and has a good season), so this is key.

A&M has had a similar season to Minnesota thus far, with three wins over cupcakes, an upset win over a higher ranked team (Clemson), and then a loss in the semi-final of this tournament, although A&M's loss to West Virginia is more understandable than the Gophers loss to a team they were much more talented than.  The Aggies are a tough team to get a read on.  They don't do anything particularly well, but they don't have any major weaknesses either (other than foul shooting).  Perhaps the worst news of all - they don't shoot many three-pointers, the only thing the Gophers could defend against Portland.

They are, however, perimeter based, with a trio of guards who thrive both off the dribble and in the mid-range game, all of whom can, yes, step back and hit the three if left open.

The main ballhandler and leading scorer is Derrick Sloan, a 6-3 senior who is averaging over 17 points per game and shooting better than 50% this year.  If I'm remembering the right guy, he's not super quick, so Al Nolen should be able to handle him or at the very least make life difficult.

Their second-leading scorer at 11.8 per game is Sloan's backcourt mate Derrick Roland, who has doubled his scoring average since last season.  I'm not sure what to make of Roland's game, because he seemingly beat up on the cupcakes but has really struggled in the 76 classic so far, shooting just 30% in the two games with point totals of 4 and 8 after scoring 14+ and shooting better than 50%  in all three cupcake games.  This information, combined with his 39% shooting last season, leads me to believe that his offense so far has been a fluke, and he's not someone the Gophers need to concern themselves with on that end of the floor.  Of course, he was on the All-Big 12 Defensive Team last season, so they will have to worry about him in that respect.

The third guard (and third leading scorer) is the perfectly named for a pornstar B.J. Holmes, a junior who is of the Vinnine Johnson instant offense off the bench mold, and he's not remotely afraid to shoot.  He is sixth on the Aggies in minutes played, but is third in scoring and first in three point attempts, but has a 1/2 assist to turnover ratio.  Unlike Roland, he struggled vs the cupcakes but has really turned it on in Anaheim, averaging 19 points per game in the tournament.  He sounds an awful lot like that midget J.T. Campbell, right down to having initials for his first name.  This guy makes me nervous.

The other guy who makes me nervous is Byran Davis, who, along with David Loubeau, make up the Aggies front court.  Davis, now a senior, was a top 60 recruit when he signed on to play at College Station, and his career had followed a pretty good path - more minutes each year, better stats, and a better all-around game.  He seemed prime for a nice breakout season - and it hasn't happened.  His stats have actually taken a step back this year in almost every respect.  Could be that the defection of last year's front court mate to the NBA NBDL somewhere in Europe has hurt him, but he should have been ready for that spotlight.  He's a banger and not particularly athletic, but he has excellent footwork and both Sampson and Iverson showed they are vulnerable defensively against Portland.  Let's hope this isn't his breakout game.

I've written a lot here about the Aggies, but the real key is how the Gophers play.  This will be the third game in a row (well, six really) where they are the more talented team, but as we saw last night that doesn't always equate to wins.  It's simply a matter of hitting your shots, making the most out of your chances, playing smart, and playing with intensity on both ends.  This "pass the ball around the perimeter for 35 seconds and then rush a shot offense" can't make a comeback, or you can engrave that NCAA First Round Loss trophy already.  I really don't like what I saw last night, and I see no reason to expect anything better against another good team.

Texas A&M 71, Minnesota 64.

FUN FACT:  Acie Law's #1 hangs in the rafters at Reed Arena - the only number retired by Texas A&M in any sport.

Gophers vs. Pilots Live Blog

If I'm online while watching a game, I usually try to hang out either at From the Barn's Live Blog or the Daily Gopher's game thread, but since FTB's liveblog machine isn't working and nobody is around in the game thread at TDG, I'll just stick some thoughts here while I think them, because I have to share with somebody and god knows Mrs. W won't listen to me.  We are at 7:00 left in the first half right now and the Gophers are down 18-14.

7:08 - Away from the ball foul called on Ralph.  These refs are racist.

6:03 - Carter to the line after drawing the foul on the obviously fake named Kramer Knudson.  Gophers overall are looking awfully lethargic on offense right now.  The shooting has been awful, nobody is getting into the lane, and then when a shot does go up there is nobody around to even attempt to think about trying for an offensive rebound.  And, naturally, Carter misses both free throws.

5:40 - How many times can Portland beat the Gophers off the dribble?  I hate to say it, but it feels like the Gophers are lucky to only be down 8 right now.

4:40 - Air balled three by Portland, but they grab the offensive board for a lay up and the Gophers are down 10.  This is an awful effort so far.  On the other end, Nolen beats his man and gets to the rim for the bucket and the foul.  That's the second or third time he's done that.  The Pilots have been playing a man-to-man for the most part despite me having heard on the radio that they play a mean 2-3 zone.  Interesting.

4:01 - Gophers go to a half court trap and force a turnover.  Let's ratchet up the intensity here boys.  Look to fiery Ralph Sampson for leadership.  See his emotion and how he wears his feelings on his sleeve?

3:30 - Huge three by Devoe to cut the lead to six.  He is looking more and more like he could be a huge offensive force, especially when Cobbs/Hoffarber can play the point when Nolen is out.  Loving Devoe.  Not Deebo though.  That son of a bitch has Mbakwe all messed up in this bike crime business.   You kids are nothin' but punks.  Sissified. So quick to pick up a gun. Too scared to take an ass-whipping. [Raises his fists] This is what makes you a man. When I was growing up, this was all the protection we needed. You win some, you lose some. But you live, you live to fight another day!

2:19 - Nolen cannot be stopped getting the hole.  Of course, when the foul him he just misses his free throws, so getting to the rim is pretty much irrelevant.

1:30 - Carter scores inside again, and it's clear the Gophers are much better athletes and much quicker and faster.  they should be able to handle this team.  Of course, T.J. Campbell just hit another three.  This guy is unreal.  Best shooter in NCAA history.  Oh, and Nolen once again got into the lane, and this time they didn't foul him but he did miss the layup.  I'm starting to think they have no chance in this one.

0:03 - Gophers turn it over on their last two possessions, and they are just playing like garbage.  The only savior is some good defense that has held the Pilots to 4-15 shooting on threes.  We go to the break with the Gophers trailing 33-27.  It's clear the Gophers are the better team, they're just making some really dumb mistakes, not attacking the defense nearly enough (other than Nolen who can't finish), and are just missing shots.  I'm not panicking.  In fact, I'm quite calm.  I have a good feeling about the second half.  Sorry hippies.

20:00 - And we're back.  Took half time there to watch a little bit of The Soup.  Good show.

19:45 - DJ with a nice move to get into the lane but can't finish.  You know, Portland's defense is pretty good once the Gophers get into the lane.  They're giving them jumpers and they can't hit.  A few shots are going to have to drop if they want to pull this out.

18:30 - Nice jumper by Devoe.  I'm feeling a big half out of him.

18:10 - Gorgeous move by Joseph but can't finish - that's pretty much the story of the game.

17:40 - Westbrook jumper and we're tied.  All the momentum on the Gophers side right now. If they can keep up this energy level and this intensity, we're in good shape.  Of course, that little midget Campbell will probably hit a three.

16:40 - Not Campbell, but Stohl hits one instead and Portland is back up five.  Westbrook with another nice move to get into the lane but can't finish.  It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.  Portland can't stop them from getting shots - and good shots - but they absolutely can't finish.  Kind of like you with your girl last night.  She told me.

15:55 - So this Tiger Woods thing is pretty weird.  Gets into a one-car accident in front of his own house at 2:30am, his wife has to break him out of the car afterwards and he's "drifting in and out of consciousness" despite his only injuries being cuts to his face, and there isn't alcohol involved?  So weird.  I'm afraid it might end up being some kind of pain pill thing, although I really hope not.  He seems like he is too careful and takes too good of care of his body to be into recreational drugs, and with the surgery last year it wouldn't be a huge shock if this is pain pill related.  Hopefully it turns out there is some legit story that doens't involve these kind of things, but based on the few details that have come out I don't know, seems so weird.

15:40 - Angry Westbrook?  I hope so.

15:20 - HEY RETARDS STOP LEAVING PEOPLE OPEN FROM THREE THEY ARE ALL REALLY GOOD SHOOTERS ON THIS TEAM I HATE YOU ALL.  Seriously, I'm gonna go watch the soup.  Smarter people.

14:11 -  Another nice move to get into the lane and missed shot.  la;khjoapgwqhvoisahd

13:43 - The Gophers are being outrebounded 29-19 by a bunch of medium sized, unathletic white kids.  I have no idea how, but they are only down 44-39 despite playing like a mid-tier high school team so far tonight.  And another god damn turnover.  Jesus christ this is horrible.  They should have these guys beaten by 15 by now.  Is this just a case of relaxing after beating Butler?  Were they looking forward to UCLA and just can't bring themselves to care about Portland?  Underrating Portland?  I have no idea, but my opinion of this team is dropping faster than your girl after two glasses of merlot.

11:54 -  Another turnover.  You probably think I'm kidding but I'm not.  Portland refuses to score, and that midget even missed a shot - I assume the first of his career - but the Gophers just refuse to take advantage.  Just when I start to think maybe we have some kind of special team, it turns out they're just the same old stupid team we have watched for years.  This is just like Donnie Darko.

10:55 -  The new offense seems to be "let's all stand around and not do a god damn thing and let the shot clock run down and chuck a bad shot."  Sound familiar?  I think Monson introduced this one and then Tubby has just added a few wrinkles.  It's like they've never seen a zone before (they're in that 2-3 now).

8:58 - You're never going to believe this.   Carter made a nice move to get into the lane for a lay up - and he missed it!  I know, I couldn't believe it either.

8:25 - They are damn lucky to even be within 10 right now (it's 50-41).  This is awful.  I'd rather watch hockey.

7:16 - This is because I picked the Gophers to win, isn't it?  NEVER AGAIN.  Actually, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't pick them to beat Tennessee Tech right now.  That must have been a fluke.

7:12 - You know what?  The more details that come out and the more I think about it, the more I am starting to think this was Tiger having an affair and the Mrs. found out about it and some really weird things happened.  That's the new #1, with pain pill addiction at #2.  #9372 is that the story they're telling is true.

7:11 - I just winced when the game came back on because it was much more fun watching the commercials.  That should tell you all you need to know.

6:25 - Gophers now down double digits.  Not to take anything away from Portland, because they are a good team and should challenge Gonzaga for the WCC title, but the Gophers have been awful tonight.  Completely and totally awful.  Not even close to the same team as last night.

4:20 - Gophers cut the lead to six, could have been five but Joseph missed what must have been the tenth consecutive free throw by the team.  Do I feel excited or hopeful?  No.  Not even a tiny bit.

3:53- Nolen hits two free throws to cut it to four, bringing the Gophers to a stellar 9-16 from the stripe.

3:03 - Luckily, on eof their various dead-eye shooters misses a wide open (and I mean WIDE open) three, then Nolen takes one to the rim and scores to cut it to two - now four after some random whitey hits for Portland.

1:30 - Rodney Williams with a horrible, horrible decision to chuck up a pro distance three (it looked like your typical Al Nolen three-ball).  Gophers still down four with 1:11 left, but it's Portland's ball.  Dear lord was that a stupid play.

0:30 - Three or four chances to score on that possession thanks to offensive rebounds and they come away with nothing.  This is one of the most frustrating Gopher games I can remember watching.  Better team, just completely outplayed.

0:15 - Ok, interesting.  Gophers down 3 and they force a turnover.  Let's get somebody going to the basket and get a quick two unless there's an obvious kick out for three.  Nothing stupid.  I'm looking at you Westbrook.

0:03 - Hoff misses a semi open three, and misses horribly, rebound goes through Nolen's arms to a Pilot and that's your ball game.  Pretty good microcosm of the game right there in that one play.


Ugh.  After you beat the #10 team in the country (overrated or not) to follow it up with that crap?  Just a piss poor effort all the way around, other than the last three minutes or so of the game.   Far too little and far far far too late.  Portland is no doubt a good team, and will likely not only be in the running for the WCC but also for an at-large bid, and I highly doubt this will ever show up as a "bad loss" on the Gophers resume, but it's awfully frustrating right now.  They were just so clearly a better team, but were absolutely outplayed and couldn't get it done.  Ugh.  Not even Christina Applegate could cheer me up right now. 

What's next?  Texas A&M or some crap?  Better win that one, or your win over Butler has been completely erased.  God this sucks.

I BLAME YOU, MOONEY!!

Portland is a Dirty Hippy Town

Yes, Portland is a dirty hippy town, and I know because I've been there.  I assume you don't want to read that whole post, so I'll just remind you instead how you can't tell the hippies from the homeless, and how I saw what I thought was a homeless guy sitting on the sidewalk with a cup in front of him for money, but it turned out he was listening to an ipod and drinking coffee, just looked homeless because he was such a damn hippy.  That being said, it looks like they have a pretty decent little basketball team out there in the Portland Pilots, the Gophers oppnonent later today.

They absolutely crushed UCLA last night, 74-47, and while the Bruins are definitely down and kind of rebuilding, don't take this win for Portland lightly - this is a very good team who is gunning for a WCC crown over Gonzaga and an NCAA bid.  After going 9-5 in conference last year, and 18-11 overall, with wins over St. Mary's, Nevada, and Washington, they were bounced in the second round of the WCC tournament and then dropped their first round CIT game to Pacific - a disappointing end to a good year.  All five starters are back, and based on the season's results this is going to be far from a cakewalk for the Gophers.

The Pilots are 4-0 with wins over Oregon, Seattle, and Eastern Washington as well as UCLA, and are killing teams with the three-ball.  Portland is shooting 54% from behind the line so far, and it's no fluke - they shot 42% last year to finish second in the nation.

Leading the way are a pair of guards, Nik Raivio (brother of former Zag Derek) and T.J. Campbell, both of whom were All-WCC last year.  Raivio is the team leader and does it all (he's more of an all-around player than Derek was), averaging 17.5 pts, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists so far this season while shooting 54% from three and 50% from the field.  He's one of those do-everything, win at all costs, annoying pesky types.  You'll hate him by the end of the game.  Westbrook needs to bring his full on, all night effort.

Campbell is Raivio's partner in the backcourt and he runs the point.  He's just 5-9, but you better believe he's lightning quick and can shoot the lights out.  Last season he hit 53% of his three-point attempts, and he's even better this year hitting at a 60% clip, and is averaging 16.8 points and 5.5 assists this season.  This is actually a good matchup for the Gophers, assuming Al Nolen can keep himself out of foul trouble.  He should be quick enough to shadow Campbell, and with his extra height and strength he might be able to keep him out of a rhythm and disrupt the Pilots' offense.  I hate to say it, but this might be the key to the game.  Yes, we are counting on Al Nolen.

The other perimeter guy to worry about is their third guard and sixth man Jared Stohl, who comes off the bench to average 10.5 points a game while shooting 68% from three, and lit up UCLA hitting 5-5 from behind the arc.  That was his third straight game with at least three 3-pointers while shooting better than 50%.

Sense a theme?  These guys shoot the three extremely well, but they aren't reliant on it.  As a team they have shot 7-13, 7-16, 11-19, and 11-19 in their four games, which isn't an excessive amount of three point attempts.  In fact, they rank 229th in the country in 3-attempts as a percentage of total FG attempts.  Campbell and Stohl shoot mostly threes, but Raivio can score from anywhere, and the Pilots have a couple half-decent forwards who can score.

With all this, you may be feeling a bit nervous and scared for tonight's game.  You may wonder if the Gophers have a chance.  Well, this Pilots team is a lot like that hippy who I thought was a homeless guy - it's all a mirage.

Portland is awful defensively.  Awful.  They rank 298th in overall defensive efficiency. They don't turn teams over at all (thank god), block shots (zero defensive presence in the paint) and don't get steals, and are completely average when it comes to field goal defense.  Even though UCLA hit just 33% of their shots last night (22% from three),

The Gophers on the other hand are the #1 defensive team in the nation (although the competition hasn't been exactly stout up until last night), including #1 at forcing turnovers and in blocking shots, #3 in steals, and #5 in defending the two-point shot.  They aren't great at defending the three (#158), which is a concern against Portland, but I expect their defense to overwhelm the Pilots so that shouldn't matter.  None of Portland's previous four opponents were very good defensively, all were awful at defending on the perimeter, and none of them had the size and athleticism the Gophers bring.

Minnesota should be able to handle this one.  If they can get out to a quick lead it could be a laugher, but I expect more of a tough game early with the Gophers pulling away in the early second half thanks to a big ole burst from Ralph, who should have his way in the paint tonight.

If the Gophers lose, it's a win for hippies everywhere.  That can't happen.

Minnesota 88, Portland 70. 


FUN FACT:  Raivio's father, Rick, also attended Portland and led the team in scoring in both 78-79 and 79-80, setting the schools all-time single season scoring and rebounding totals in 78-79 (records which still stand) and is also the school's all-time leading career rebounder.


And once again, I couldn't find a picture of a Portland Pilot coed, but here's a stewardess from Hooters Air:

Suck it, Mid Major (and refs)

Now that, my friends, is a nice, nice victory.  Quite frustrating, especially with the refs seeming to call every little ticky-tack thing on the Gophers all night long, but a very nice win over a 10th ranked team, however dubious that ranking might seem after watching them play.

Make no mistake, the Gophers were clearly the better team, and were probably twenty points or so better than the Bulldogs.  It was the sheer volume of Butler free throws (36-45) that kept this game close.  It shouldn't have been a surprise, since Butler was 20th in the country in getting to the line coming into the game, but it was frustrating nonetheless.

In the first half, it was the Colton Iverson show (alternate headline:  There's a new Iverson in town - get it, Allen might be retiring).  The sophomore was absolutely everywhere, notching a double-double in the first half - his first career double-double - and playing as well as I've ever seen him.  Defensively, there isn't really much doubt that he can be a contributor (2 blocks), and his rebounding will always be a welcome addition (11 boards), but his offensive output tonight was a welcome surprise (13 points).  It wasn't always (or ever) smooth and it's not exactly like watching Hakeem the Dream out there, but his play was the biggest reason why the Gophers were up four at half.  Due to his effort tonight, I will not say a bad word about him, no matter what, until 2010 at the earliest. 

There wasn't much Colton in the second half - except for when he tossed fat ass free throw shooter with no other discernable skills unless making refs think you got fouled is considered a skill jerkass Matt Howard to the ground - but he wasn't needed.  Devoe showed why he was such a highly regarded recruit, having to take over at the point with Nolen out most of the half with four fouls thanks to a nice pele routine that earned him a tech.  He handled himself well taking care of the ball, and showed a nice ability to score inside, outside, and in transition.  Damian was the other star, showing off his newly developed well-rounded offensive game.  It's not pretty much of the time, but he looks so much smoother than he used to, and has actually developed some nice moves, including a little hook, a three-point shot, and the ability to get to the rim by putting the ball on the floor.  The more I watch him, the more I can't believe he was a Monson recruit (NOTE:  Nolen, I believe).

Speaking of Monson recruits, I should also mention Westbrook and the Hoff here.  Westbrook started the night in a fog, as he did far too often last year, but didn't stay there, really asserting himself for a short stretch late in the second half.  He not only had a huge three point dagger, but also pulled off an incredible move for a layup that was probably a travel, but since it wasn't called thanks to the refs being clueless all night, it counts as a great move.  And Hoff started the night with an airball, but then went on to make three of his other four attempts from beyond the arc, played well at the point when called upon to fill in, and played good defense in a grueling 35 minute night.  Great game for him. 

And great game for the team overall.  They dominated this game.  The score might not show it due to 8 billion free throws made by Butler, but the Gophers outclassed them in every way.  Great win, and as long as they don't lose the next two out in Anaheim we can consider this tournament a huge, huge, success. 


NEXT UP:  vs. winner of UCLA/Portland , 8:30pm, ESPNU.  I will try to put up a quick preview if I get a chance tomorrow.  Hopefully it's UCLA, and hopefully the Gophers can control the game like they did tonight, although will far, far fewer fouls and sloppy turnovers.

And hopefully we get more Rodney.

Happy Thanksgiving, Let's Kick some Ass

For my money, beating Utah Valley, Stephen F. Austin, and Tennessee Tech doesn't really give me enough information to properly evaluate this year's Gopher squad.  I mean, I can tell they aren't going to be bad, but are they going to good?  Or a mediocre bubble team?  Or a sweet 16 type?  Maybe more?  And that's where Butler comes in.  Tomorrow's game against the #10 Bulldogs is about as good of a barometer as you could ask for.

The Bulldogs have taken the mantle of "the little program that could" away from Gonzaga, making the NCAA Tournament the last three years, including a sweet 16 appearance two years ago.  This season the Bulldogs are at 3-0, and although they haven't had a serious tester, they haven't exactly cupcaked it up either, beating Davidson at home and Northwestern and Evansville on the road.  They struggled a bit in all three games, but I think this is more of a team still trying to find its stride rather than an actually struggling team, but we'll find out in a hurry.  This isn't just the biggest test of the year so far for the Gophers, it is for the Bulldogs as well.

They ended last season on a bit of a downer, losing in the Horizon Conference Championship and then getting bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  But the whole team is back - seriously, they have their top 10 scorers back from last year - including the three-man soul of the team:  forwards Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward, and guard Shelvin Mack.

First up is the 6-8 Howard, the leader of the team.  He's kind of like that annoying hustly guy, like a Brian Cardinal or Travis Busch, but with actual talent.  He led the Bulldogs in scoring and rebounding last year at 14.8 and 6.8 per game, but has really struggled this season.  His points, assists, field goal percentage, and turnovers are at a career worst level, and although he's rebounding better than ever there is something off here, especially after a 1-9 shooting performance against Evansville.  Now, in that game he still managed to put up a double/double thanks to some tough rebounding and getting to the line 10 times, so it's imperative that Ralph and company keep him in check.  He's the kind of player who can hurt you even if he's struggling, so I suggest the Gophers not be the team that finally gets him back on track. 

Joining him at forward is the 6-8 Hayward, this season's leading scorer and rebounder, who adds a very different dimension with his inside/outside abilities than what Howard brings to the table.  He is, however, like Howard in that he's very tough, very strong, a tenacious rebounder, and can get to the line.  With the Gophers strength lying mostly outside of the paint, it's going to be very interesting to see how they handle these two.  Since Hayward is more lanky and athletic, I expect DJ to man up on him.  This will be a true test of his defensive abilities.  I am really looking forward to it.  If he can shut Hayward down, expect more national recognition.  You could consider this his "Papa Doc" moment.

Finally is the 6-3 Shelvin Mack, who may be the key to this team.  He isn't technically their point guard, but he does a lot of the ball-handling and led the team in assists last season, and posted a very nice 1.7-1.0 Assist-to-Turnover ratio, which he's upped to 3.8-1 so far this season, all while adding 13 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds per game.  He's a very solid player - fundamentally sound and athletic - and just gets things done.  He actually reminds me a bit of a shorter Damian Johnson, and you can rest assured that is a big-time compliment.  Westbrook is going to have his hands full.  If we get the fully engaged, totally into the game Westbrook, this will be fun.  If we get the half-stoned version, Mack is going to destroy him (and there's no chance Joseph can guard him).  Of course, if we get F-You Westbrook, well, I'll take that version any time.  There's also a possibility Nolen gets Mack, but I'm betting not.

There is plenty of other returning talent as well, including defensive stopper Willie Veasley (it will be interesting to see how Rodney fares), PG Ronald Nored (Nolen should (SHOULD) be able to make his day hell), and three-point bomber Zach Hahn (no relation to Andy), who I am very worried about .  Make no mistake, this team is loaded.

They are, and always will be, a team that relies on their efficiency and solid play rather than athleticism, and that will always scare me.  I've actually seen a couple of places where this team is picked for the Final Four.  I don't quite see that, but I also don't quite see a Gopher victory.  They are in the same class, however, and this is going to be a good one:

Butler 65, Minnesota 63.

If the Gophers can hang tight with Butler and then win the next two of the tournament, that will be a huge success, and a big step in becoming more than a bubble team.


FUN FACT:  Bobby Plump, the player Jimmy Chitwood was based on in the movie Hoosiers, attended Butler after graduating from Milan High, and led the Bulldogs in scoring in 1958.

Also I couldn't find any pictures of any female Butler fans, so instead here's a picture of the always awesome Eliza Dusku dressed like a french maid.  Close enough?  Close enough.

For more info on the 76 classic, From the Barn has a very nice three-part preview up on his site. Check it out.

Monday Mumblings

Of course the big news today is Joe Mauer winning the MVP, and it nearly being unanimous.  I'm just curious about the guy who voted for Miguel Cabrera instead.  It seemed the consensus #2 candidate was Mark Texeira, not Miguel Cabrera.  But let's look:

Cabrera:  .324/.396/.547, 34 HRs, 104 RBI
Texeira:  ..292/.383/.565, 39 HRs, 122 RBI

Pretty close, right?  But by voting for Cabrera, this dude is saying he values things like average and on-base percentage over home runs and rbis, which is actually pretty refreshing.  But at the same time it's completely bizarre, because Mauer beat everybody in those stats.

If some ass clown had voted for Tex based on home runs and RBI, it wouldn't have surprised me one bit, as wrong as it would have been.  I was actually expecting Jeter to end up with a 1st place vote as well, since people are morons who want to make out with him all the time, but Cabrera?  You can't even use the "playoffs" argument since the Twins did that miracle comeback thing to steal the playoff spot.  I can't come up with any conceivable argument, and I've looked at this in every stupid way possible, to vote for Cabrera.  Boggled.

Lastly on MVP, I haven't been able to find the the actual full breakdown of the votes/points, but according to ESPN's "Others receiving votes" section, both Mike Cuddyer and Jason Kubel received votes.  There's not way that a hot 1-month stretch out of Cuddy would vault him ahead of the season-long excellence Kubel showed, right?  RIGHT?  Someone tell me when you find the voting breakdown.

-  Sticking with the Twins for a minute, Shooter had this little ditty in his "column" today:

It wouldn't be surprising if the Twins tried to make a deal with the San Diego Padres for third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, 28, who in 141 games last season batted .255 but hit 18 homers with 88 runs batted in. Starter Glen Perkins would seem to be the bait.

 Now, it's Charley Walters here, so I'm guessing this is more him taking a name that was bandied about last year and tossing a rumor at it, but it's worth a short look at because Kouzmanoff's name seems to keep coming up.

Walters, of course, hits on average, home runs, and rbi, the relevant stats if this was 1988, but since we are no longer in the dark ages, let's look further. 

The Kouz hit .255/.302/.420 this year, and was about an average fielder range wise, although is .990 fielding percentage was obviously outstanding, and a major league record.  Those aren't great numbers, but I don't much care for Glen Perkins anymore, so I'd be willing to do that deal depending on Kouzmanoff's contract.

Which brings me to the real problem - I can't for the life of me find any details of his contract, and one site actually says he's a free agent.  Now, would it shock me if he was actually a free agent and Walters had no idea?  No, it would surprise me one bit. But I won't assume that, as much as I want to, and for now I will just say that pending his contract, I would be interested in a Perkins for Kouz swap.  If he's going to cost $5 million or less, I want him.  And if he's on the open market, and I don't think the Pads would resign him since they have prospect Chase Headley coming up to play 3b, I be willing to pay more like $6-$7, as long as it's just for two years or so - enough time for Valencia to properly marinate.

Thanks to intrepid reader Kate J. for the tip.

-  Hey, you guys remember how I told you Cincinnati would be all awesome this year, and how you should have watched them today in the Maui Classic?  Well, they rolled a pretty good Vandy team (ranked #24 with a win already over St. Mary's) 67-58, and believe me the game wasn't nearly that close.  I really hope you got in on the Bearcats when they were 200-1 to win the National Title, because that number is going to go way, way, way down.  Might as well jump on it now before it gets to like, 10-1 before the tournament starts.

-  Since we're talking about things I watched tonight, I also want to mention that although I hate Pitt, and I loathe them, and specifically Pitt point guards - from Brandin Knight to Carl Krauser to LeVance Fields, hate them all - but I think I might really like this kid Travon Woodall, and I'm kind of wishing I had picked him in my fantasy league (last four picks:  Ralph Sampson, Courtney Fortson, Mikhail Torrance, Jon Leuer - I feel dirty).  He's a sophomore, and although he wasn't a highly ranked recruit when he came out, and didn't make much of an impact last year, he's killing it this year.  Coming into tonight, he was averaging just 7.7 points per game, but added in 7.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds, and then tonight against Wichita put up 19 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, and 4 steals and just seems to be moving at a whole different speed than everybody else out there - almost Rico Tucker like.  Well, I like him.  And I'm actually giving him his own tag.  Yeah, that's right.  With luck I can grab him next round (only 3 left!)

-  This Lewis Jackson injury is going to be a big deal, mark my words.  It makes me a bit nervous that Boiled Sports seems to disagree with me, since they cover Purdue hoops and my opinions are basically of the "JaJuan gives me a boner" type, but they seem to be pretty split on this one over there.  Of course, as seen by the post above and my continued Rico Tucker love, I seem to have a real affinity towards lightning quick, slightly out-of-control point guards.  I know I'll miss him at least.

-  The television program "The Big Bang Theory" is simultaneously the most underrated and overrated show on TV. 


-  Finally, since I'm keeping this short tonight, I'll close with an email from studly reader Stan N.:

Minnesota Golden Gophers--what a ridiculous mascot. Maybe Minnesota Golden Mosquitos would be more appropriate. There's plenty of them in Minnesota too, and a mosquito is more intimidating than a gopher--at least they get more attention. When you're facing Wolverines, Badgers, Wildcats, Hawk(eye)s, etc. what can a Gopher do? I guess their record speaks for itself. Although I'm a Minnesota alumni and support its sports teams, I can't support Goldy the Gopher. I wish we could impeach Goldy and substitute a Timberwolf(I guess that's already taken), a Lumberjack or anything else that would command respect.

I'm not entirely certain about a Lumberjack, since that seems pretty gay, but I'm pretty on board with this.  Any chance we can get rid of Goldy altogether?  Snacks and Bogart, you are both lawyers, can we file a class-action or something?

Week In Review - 11/23/09

If you've been watching basketball on ESPN this week, you would have noticed them pimping the hell out of their NCAA Basketball Encyclopedia, and probably become a bit annoyed by it.  I got annoyed by it, but I have to tell you that I have this book and it is totally awesome.  There is more information in there than any person could possibly need, and I mean that in a good way.  Like, did you know Delino DeShields was a top basketball prospect coming out of high school?  It's full of all that kind of stuff and more.  It's not like a baseball encyclopedia, like where you could say "I wonder what Kenny Lofton's stats were when he played for Arizona" and then look him up, but it's got tons of other info.  It lists every D-I team, their best players, best teams, best coaches, some cool little fun facts and other information, as well as their record every single year and their leading scorer, rebounder, and assister for each season.  Plus a bunch more cool stuff.  I highly, highly recommend it. 

WHO WAS AWESOME

1.  Zack Greinke.  This was refreshing.  The BBWAA actually didn't screw this up and voted Greinke the American League Cy Young award, which is at it should have been.  In case you forgot, Greinke went 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP this year, leading the league in both of those last two metrics, and if you watched him at all he seemed even better than that.  I figured the voters would screw this one up, since they love giving awards to players on good teams (The royals were awful), they love evaluating players based on wins (six pitchers had more wins than Greinke), and they love Yankees (Sabathia looked like a perfect candidate for the idiot voters).  But, for once, they made the right call.  Also a congrats to Tim Lincecum for winning the NL award for the second year in a row.  Who would have known Mitch Kramer would have grown up to be such a success.  

2.  Syracuse.  It seems my prediction of "Syracuse will suck this year" might be way, way off, while the cretins who vote in the polls and had them 24th were closer to the truth (also still underrating them).  After the two gimme wins last week, they headed to Madison Square Garden for the final four of the Coaches vs. Cancer classic, and walked out with the title.  They did it in impressive fashion, as well, beating #12 Cal in the semis 95-73 and #4 North Carolina 87-71 in the championship.  Their defense is still top notch, Scoop Jardine and Brandon Triche have filled in for Jonny Flynn nicely, Andy Rautins is actually making shots, Wes Johnson is as good as advertised, and Arinze Onuaku has stepped his game up.  Very nice week for the Orange.  I still kind of think this might be a house of cards a bit, and also that Cal and UNC were majorly overrated, but Syracuse has already proved me wrong, and it wouldn't shock if they continue to do so.

3.  John Wall.  Well, I think we can go ahead and say "believe the hype."  Wall was the top recruit this season, was picked by someone I read as the National Player of the Year, and so far neither of those seem too ridiculous.  In his three games this year, Wall has averaged 20.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 2.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game, all while shooting 56% from the floor.  His turnovers are about the only thing remotely concerning (averaging four per game), but he only had two in Saturday's win (to 11 assists) and for a freshman this early in the season it's not a surprise they are a little high.  Kentucky still hasn't really played anybody, and won't until December, but for now Wall looks very good, and Calipari is certainly squeezing as much out of him as he can in what his likely his only college season - he's played 38, 37, and 35 minutes in the three games.   

4.  Minnesota Vikings.  Are you like me and life as a Minnesota fan, and specifically a Viking fan, has conditioned you to expect the worst at all times?  I mean the Vikes are absolutely rolling, now at 9-1 and just destroying teams, such as the poor, hapless Seahawks who they rolled to such a degree that T-Jax actually played almost an entire half.  Everything is perfect.  Brett Favre has played nearly flawlessly this season.  Adrian Peterson has gone from "possibly the best back in football" to "the best back in football."  Percy Harvin is heading towards a possible rookie-of-the-year award.  Sidney Rice has realized his untapped potential and vaulted into maybe a top 10 receiver in the NFL (Don't believe me?  He's 17th in catches and 3rd in receiving yards in the NFL).  And the defense, although showing a few weaknesses at times, is still an elite unit with a front four that is basically destroying everybody - And all this without Antoine Winfield.  And yet, instead of relaxing, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop and someting to go horribly, horribly wrong.  Will it be a Favre injury?  An injury to some one else?  Or will it be smooth sailing until an epic choke job in the playoffs?  I don't know, but you know damn well it's going to be something. 

5.  Rodney Williams.  I think it's finally time to recognize that this kid might not just beat beating up on poor teams, he might legitimately be a Big Ten Freshman of the Year candidate.  It seemed the consensus on the Gopher freshmen coming into the season was Royce = FOY candidate, Cobbs = immediate backup, might steal the starting spot, and Rodney = project, possible redshirt.  Well, after putting up games of 14, 14, and 17 points, all on better than 58% shooting, and adding an average of three boards and two steals per, he's suddenly looking far beyond a redshirt.  Besides his stellar defense and insane athleticism, which were given, he's answered questions about his offense by showing a nice outside touch (3-8 from three) and a good offensive IQ.  I'm starting to wish I took him in my fantasy college hoops league.  Although I did get Damian Johnson, who is just ridiculous in every way.

To give you some example, in the scoring system our league uses (pts, rebs = +1, asts = +2, stl, blks = +3, TO = -2), he has put up 46, 40, and 42 points.  Last year's returning leader was Luke Harangody (also on my team), and he averaged 42 per game.  I realize DJ probably won't be able to continue to put up those kind of numbers, especially the blocks and steals, once competition improves, but in any case, he is just so, so valuable, and I'm talking real life - not fantasy.  I don't care who ends up leading the Gophers in which statistical categories, Johnson is hands down this team's MVP.  Except maybe Ralph. 


WHO SUCKED

1.  Penn State.  Ouch.  It looks like Iowa and Indiana won't be battling for 11th place by themselves, the post-Geary Claxton era is looking ugly.  The Nittany Lions were basically Talor Battle and that's it, and needed somebody to step up and help out this year.  That hasn't happened, and Penn State basically embarrassed themselves at the Charleston Classic this weekend, finishing in 7th place (out of 8).  It was a pretty low-level tournament, and was set up for a South Carolina/Miami final, with Penn State and South Florida as potential sleepers and then four cupcakey-type teams.  Well, the final happened, but Penn State never got their sleeper campaign going, dropping their opener to UNC-Wilmington.  Ok, fine.  At least they should be able to rip through the consolation bracket and salvage some pride, right?  Wrong again.  They lost their first consolation game to Tulane, setting up an epic seventh place game against Davidson, which they mercifully won.  Gopher fans have been there - remember the Old Spice Classic? - so we feel your pain, Penn State.


2.  Pac 10 Hoops.  The Pac was already said to be down this year, but things might be worse than originally thought, especially after watching one of their two "top flight" teams get swept by Ohio State and Syracuse in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, and do so without much of a fight (although to be completely fair, the Bears were missing a couple of players).  There are a ton of other black marks as well; Arizona State needed a miracle finish to beat a terrible TCU team, Stanford lost to Oral Roberts, UCLA lost to Bryce Webster and CS - Fullerton, USC was knocked off by a god awful Loyola Marymount team, Oregon lost to Portland, and Oregon State (the conference's big sleeper) lost to Texas Tech to drop to 1-2 and then lost on Saturday to Sacramento State - one of the worst teams in the country - and that all happened just this week.  I honestly can't remember ever seeing a major conference struggle this mightily this early.  At least the Washington schools are still undefeated, although neither has really played anyone yet.  The real winner in this is Arizona, who was heading for a down year and whose 24 straight years with an NCAA Tournament bid record was in jeopardy.  With a decent team, in what suddenly looks like a super weak conference, we could be looking at 25.

3.  Pittsburgh Steelers.  Funny thing about the NFL this year, there are a handful of teams that are so gad awful they never win and never even threaten to win:  Oakland, St. Louis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Kansas City.  Except - whoops - Kansas City beat the Steelers on Sunday, 27-24 in overtime - and did so without Dwayne Bowe, who is suspending for cheating.  I have no idea how it happened.  Roethlisberger threw for 398 yards, but threw two picks and the Steelers turned the ball over three times, and then allowed Matt Cassell to have a nearly perfect second half and overtime, leading to four scoring drives including the game-winning field goal.  I don't even know what else to say.  This is like when Forrest Gump won the Oscar over Pulp Fiction.  Oakland also beat Cincinnati, and in even more embarrassing fashion, but I still feel like the Pitt loss was more stunning even though the Bengals have a better record than the Steelers.  I guess I've learned that you can never trust the Bengals completely.  Kind of like a wife or girlfriend.  Or any female, really. 

4.  Gopher football.  Did you ever think you'd pine for the days of Glen Mason?  I certainly didn't, and yet, that's what I found myself thinking on Sunday watching Maroney run for the Patriots.  I found myself harkening back to the days of Barbaroney (and G-Russ) and thinking, at least when Mason was here the Gophers had some talented players.  At least they were exciting and fun to watch.  And then I stopped myself, and realized what I was saying.  I wish Glen Mason was still here.  I WISH.  GLEN MASON.  WAS STILL HERE.  And I have a feeling if you're reading this and haven't thought that, you're thinking it right now.  Isn't that the most damning evidence that the Brewster era has been a failure? 

5.  NCAA Fascists.  FREE RENARDO SIDNEY!!  FREE RENARDO SIDNEY!!!  FREE RENARDO SIDNEY!!  Who's with me?  FREE RENARDO SIDNEY!!  FREE RENARDO SIDNEY!! FREE RENARDO SIDNEY!!  FREE RENARDO... (also now featured on the front page of the espn college basketball section).


I am crazy fired up for college basketball this year, and this is one of the best times of the season with all the holiday tournaments going on.  We already had the Coaches vs. Classic and Puerto Rico Tip-Off winners, but there's plenty more going on, and I'm most interested in the Maui Classic (other than the 76 Classic, of course).  I've been pimping Cincinnati as a final four sleeper this year, and this will be their first chance to show if I'm at least near the right track or not.  They start off with a good Vanderbilt team today on ESPN2 at 4:30 - check them out.

One other quick note from the weekend - the Gophers opponent in the Big10/ACC Challenge, Miami, won the Charleston Classic this weekend by beating Tulane, UNC-Wilmington, and South Carolina.  That's not really all that impressive, since the first two are weak teams (although Wilmington beat Penn State) and South Carolina's second best player went down with a knee injury seven minutes into the game and never returned, but still, it boosts Miami's profile and therefore the Gophers' if they manage a win on the 2nd - which I certainly think they can.

I haven't been to New Jersey in a while. I haven't missed it.

Sorry I haven't posting while out here in Jersey so far this week, folks, but each night when I got back to my hotel room I was just plain tuckered.  The first night the plane didn't land until 7:30, and after the hour drive to the hotel we had dinner (cajun chicken sandwich, fries) and then I finally got to my room about 10.  I didn't want to start drinking since I had a long day the next day, and god knows the only way I can get up the effort to type on this stupid blog is if I'm into a little bit of Grandpa's cough medicine.

And boy was I right about a long day.  A scheduled eight-hour meeting just kept going and turned into a ten hour meeting, which meant there was no break before dinner.  And wow.  This was a 3.5 hour dinner, no joke.  Everybody there had to order every course.  First, we had to get appetizers for the entire table (calamari, prosciutto, grilled shrimp, eggplant, brie bruschetta, mozzarella), then salad (I had a ceasar), main course (cajun rib-eye, roasted squash, whipped potatoes - and that rib-eye was not cajun in the least), and then everyone just had to get desert (I almost got a port, but since I had to drive went with the creme brule).  Then when I got to the hotel, I had emails waiting for me with questions that needed answering that night, so needless to say blogging was out of the question.

Tonight, however, I am on my own and the only thing I have to accomplish is getting on a shuttle to the airport at 9am tomorrow, so I can have a little time for just me and you, my old friend, just me and you.  I had a nice simple dinner (bacon cheeseburger, onion rings) with a couple beers and a couple cocktails (vodka & tonic), and picked up a six-pack of Coors Light Silos on my way to the hotel.  So let's see what we see, shan't we?

-  For some reason the internet is telling me the Gophers are up just 32-24 at half against Utah Valley, which is less than encouraging.  I almost tried to write a quick preview of the game last night, but when I was researching Utah Valley I realized it wasn't worth it because they are god awful.  But now the Gophers are just up 8 at half.  I know, thanks to texts from Snacks and Grandslam, that Westbrook is out because of food poisoning, and I know I said I thought he was heading for a "special" senior season, but come on.  It's Utah Valley.  I'm almost certain a roster of Terrance Simmons, Steve Esselink, David Grim, Travis Busch, and Kevin Loge could take these guys.  I'm going to assume the second half is going to go much better. 

- In more impressive news, I watched Syracuse kick the crap out of Cal tonight in the bar.  I may have underrated the Cuse.  From my vantage point it was tough to tell who was doing what (Wes J might have had 5 or 25 for all I know) but one thing I could tell is the Orange point guard situation is in much better shape than I anticipated.  Scoop Jardine looked great (how could I doubt a guy named Scoop?), and this kid Brandon Triche looked really good as well.  He's going to be a star in two years.

-  Gophers now up 41-26.  Much better.  I feel now like I can relax, and just get ready to watch Ohio State beat the piss out of the Gay Heels.  Seriously.  You watch.

-  Speaking of basketball, I'm sure you're dying for an update on my college basketball fantasy league.  I won't post the whole draft list, you can find the earlier picks in some other posts, but here is an update since I last posted:

8.12 Frostilicus - Damian Johnson, F, Minnesota

9.1 Frostilicus - Edwin Ubiles, G/F, Siena
9.2 TLEF - TaJuan Porter, G, Oregon
9.3 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Rotnei Clarke, G, Arkansas
9.4 Saintfool - Theo Robertson, G/F, Cal
9.5 Aerial Assault - Matt Bouldin, G, Gonzaga
9.6 WuBanger - Jason Love, C, Xavier
9.7 Truck - Herb Pope, F, Seton Hall
9.8 Jeter23 - Austin Freeman, G, Georgetown
9.9 Tar Heel Boy - Mike Tisdale, C, Illinois
9.10 BasketballCoach - Avery Bradley, G, Texas
9.11 Tobias Funke - Armon Johnson, G, Nevada
9.12 Balco - Vernon Macklin, F/C, Florida

10.1 Balco - Elias Harris, F, Gonzaga
10.2 Tobias Funke - Michael Dunigan, C, Oregon
10.3 Basketball Coach - Klay Thompson, G, Washington St.
10.4 Tar Heel Boy - William Buford, G, Ohio St.
10.5 Jeter23 - Scotty Hopson, G, Tennessee
10.6 Truck - Malcolm Lee, G, UCLA
10.7 WuBanger - Durrell Summers, G, Michigan St.
10.8 Aerial Assault - Ekpe Udoh, F/C Baylor
10.9 Saintfool - Raymar Morgan, F, Michigan St.
10.10 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Bo Spencer, G, LSU
10.11 TLEF - Nolan Smith, G, Duke
10.12 Frostilicus - Jordan Crawford, G, Xavier

11.1 Frostilicus - Brandon Paul, G, Illinois
11.2 TLEF - Joe Trapani, F, Boston College
11.3 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Eric Boateng, C, Arizona State
11.4 Saintfool - Landon Milbourne, F, Maryland
11.5 Aerial Assault - Ryan Rossiter, F, Siena
11.6 WuBanger - Tyler Roche, F, Boston College
11.7 Truck - Jimmy Butler, G/F, Marquette
11.8 Jeter23 - Storm Warren, F, LSU
11.9 Tar Heel Boy - Mike Singletary, F, Texas Tech
11.10 BasketballCoach - DeWayne Reed, G, Auburn
11.11 Tobias Funke - Dee Bost, G, Mississippi St.
11.12 Balco - John Jenkins, F, Vanderbilt

12.1 Balco - Chandler Parsons, F, Florida
12.2 Tobias Funke - Derwin Kitchen, G, Florida State
12.3 Basketball Coach - Mike Davis, F, Illinois
12.4 Tar Heel Boy - Marcus Ginyard, G, North Carolina
12.5 Jeter23 - Marshall Moses, F, Oklahoma St.
12.6 Truck - John Roberson, G, Texas Tech.
12.7 WuBanger -
12.8 Aerial Assault -
12.9 Saintfool -
12.10 NotoriousTREJetBrit -
12.11 TLEF -
12.12 DWG -

That gives me a team of:

G:  Chris Warren - Ole Miss, Nic Wise - Arizona, Deonta Vaughn - Cincy, Jordan Crawford - Xavier, Brandon Paul - Illinois
F:  Luke Harangody - Notre Dame, Tyler Smith - Tennessee, Damian Johnson - Minnesota, Edwin Ubiles - Siena
C:  JaJuan Johnson - Purdue, Derrick Favors - Georgia Tech

I like it.  Coming up, I'm hoping to get Ralph Sampson and Courtney Fortson.  Sampson is even more valuable since centers are such a commodity, I probably should have taken him last round.  I'm nervous because not only because of the rare good centers thing, but because I know team NotoriousTREJetBrit is from Minnesota, and was not happy when I picked DJ.  Hopefully Ralphie slips by them, I'm going to be heartbroken if I miss out on Ralph.

Fortson is a risk because he's suspended right now, and actually I haven't looked into exactly why and that's probably something I should investigate before I pick him.  But on stats alone, he would have gone at least two rounds earlier and probably more like four.  If he cuts down on turnovers he'd be a fantasy, and real life, star.  I'm willing to risk it, since I'm very solid at guard.

-  Just heard on ESPN2 "The Big Ten is the deepest conference in America" right as they go into Penn State highlights.  Oops (although I do happen to agree with that sentiment, except maybe the Big 12).  I have no doubt I will write about this further on Monday.  That's right Penn State, you officially suck.  To give you a quick preview, Penn State was a 12 point (or so, I don't remember exactly) favorite, and my instinct said to bet Wilmington.  Then I researched Wilmington, and switched to Penn State because UNCW sounded THAT bad. 

-  Now with 9 minutes to go, it's just 51-43 Gophers.  I think they were like a 26 point favorite.  This is disappointing.  And so is this Ohio State game.  Kyle Madsen over Dallas Lauderdale?  Why would you make that call, especially against UNC and Ed Davis and Deon Thompson?  No Lauderdale is in at least, but if they can avoid playing Madsen the rest of the game, it would be a good move.

-  Now 17-11 UNC.  P.J. Hill just scored.  Barf.

-  I just went to get ice and now suddenly it's 26-11 North Carolina.  My prediction of Ohio State as a final four sleeper is suddenly looking like my "JP Losman will have a breakout year" call.

-  Wow, the Gophers somehow managed to win 76-51, and snacks reminds me that it was a -24.5 spread.  WE WIN! 

-  Wonderbaby is freaking awesome, by the way, thanks for asking.  She can now count to four, and she was advanced enough in her gymnastics thing to skip a whole class, and is now tumbling with three year olds.  She's 19 months. Suck it, every other baby.  And she even likes yard work.

I'm totally winning.

-  You want to know something completely bizarre?  Do you remember Shane Mack's season in 1994?  Absolutely, undoubtedly, an unreal year.  He hit .333/.402/.564 with 15 dingers and outstanding defense.  He was 7th in both average and slugging that year, just off the top 10 in OBP, and was 8th in OPS.

-  With Allen Iverson released by Memphis there seems to be some kind of movement to villify his career.  Hogwash, I say.  Iverson is without a doubt one of the best players in NBA history.  Do you realize the best teammates he ever had were a mostly-washed up Dikembe Mutombo, Aaron McKie, and Eric Snow?  He basically took that Sixers team that made the finals there single-handedly.  I will grant you that at this stage of his career I can't see a good fit for him.  He's clearly not happy taking a backseat to youth (as seen by making his way out of Memphis), and what good, contending team would he fit with (Chicago, maybe?), but make no mistake, this guy was one of the greats.  If anybody ever goes on some "selfish" or "not a winner" rant, kindly bunch said person in the neck.  If charges are pressed, I'll take the rap.

-   Ohio State is depressing me.  I'm about two seconds away from switching the NBA (*gasp*).

-  Ok, nice try to keep me interested by Larry Drew.  He gave a forearm shiver to noted douchebag P.J. Hill and absoultely flattened him on his dumb ass.  I'll stick around for a while to see if anything comes of it.  I feel like a hockey fan all of a sudden, but far less dumb.

-  Far, far, far, far, far, far, far less.

-  They just said Justin Watts hit a three.  Since I've never heard of him, I'm switching to the NBA.  Lakers/Bulls.  Bulls ++9.5, OVER 195, and first quarter over 49.5.  My Ohio State = Memphis call is just dumb now.  Ohio State = Rice is more like it.

-  Dear god these NBA guys are terrible, especially Derrick Rose.  He can't shoot a jumper for shit, like, T.J. Ford style, and it's like he's too lazy or disinterested to get into the lane.  He's on my fantasy team, and I was all like "Dude I have Rose" and "Derrick Rose is on my team, brah" and stuff, but now I'm just ashamed.  I almost want to just break the TV so I don't watch any of these games.

-  Ugh, these games are depressing.  You know what's not depressing though (besides Audrina)?  The NBDL draft, which I promised I would get to.  So let's look.

-  Nevermind for a minute, just got a text from snacks that OSU cut it to 2 with 11 seconds left.  That is confirmed.  Unreal.  How does that happen?  Kind of wish I had kept watching now.

-  Well that was anti-climactic, and didn't cover the +2 either.  Kind of wish I hadn't switched back over.

-  Back to the NBDL - first overall pick, Carlos Powell.  Second - Donell Taylor.  Third - Deron Washington.  Huh.  this is a lot less fun than expected.  I know Powell was either at Texas Tech or South Carolina, and I think Washington played for Arkansas or Mississippi or someone like that, but this is just lame.  Let's just pick and choose a few highlights (or lowlights) instead, and go with my favorite pick of each round (they do 8 rounds of this garbage):

1st:  Latavious Williams, high school.  High school.  How do you think that's working out?  This is even more inexplicable since the NBA has that one-year in college rule.  So did this guy think the NBDL was the path to fame and fortune?  Did he sign somewhere but couldn't qualify for whatever reason and decided this was a better back up plan than JuCo?  Honestly, I'd look it up but I'm pretty drunk.  If you're bored at work - and you know damn well you are right now - you could go ahead and post any relevant info in the comments section below this post.  RUNNER UP:  JamesOn Curry.  I'm 99% sure this guy has NBA experience already with the Bulls.  Do they even have rules in this thing?

2nd:  Mustafa Shakur, Arizona.  Yep, pretty clear there are no rules.  This guy was a second rate PG back in what I swear must have been the 90s for Arizona.  Actually I just looked it up and he graduated in 2007, so who am I thinking of?  Arizona has basically run a bevy of mediocre point guards through that program who get hyped because it's Arizona.  They're pretty interchangeable.  RUNNER UP:  John Bryant, Santa Clara.  If I had known Shakur wasn't whoever it is that I thought it is, this guy would be my choice.  Being large and uncoordinated gets you riches these days?  Actually, I guess Greg Ostertag perfected it.  Did you know Mrs. W will see a large, uncoordinated white guy playing on a basketball team and say, "Is that their Ostertag?"  True story.

3rd:  Chris Lowe, UMASS.  Not because it's a bad pick or anything, because Lowe was actually a pretty damn good point guard for the minutemen last year, and him being gone is a big reason why they're a big ball of suck now.  The funny part is on the NBDL website they have no link to him.  Yet they have links for Kevin Goffney, Sean Barnette, James Cripe, and Cecil Brown - guys I haven't even come close to knowing who they are.  I'm not some expert (NOTE:  I am), but four dudes I've never heard of get a link and no Chris Lowe?  That ain't right.  RUNNER UP:  All those weirdos.

4th:  Jason Richards, Davidson.  Just stop.  You know what I saw while watching basketball tonight?  Gerry McNamara as a grad assistant on Jim Boeheim's bench.  And that's awesome.  Guess what white point guard guy?  You aren't making the NBA.  Take a page for G-Mac, and try to become a coach.  Go the Jeff Capel route.  It works.  RUNNER UP:  Leemire Goldwire.  This is beyond weird. 

5th:  Shagari Alleyne, Kentucky.  Remember when Kentucky, and I think it was Tubby, actually, recruited Alleyne and someone named like Lukasz Orbzut and they were both 7-2 and were going to be all twin tower and such?  Nice plan.  And this guy is still getting chances based on his height.  Not fair, Jeff Hagen, not fair.  RUNNER UP:  Scooter McFagdon, whose name is funny, whose potential was unlimited, and whose disappointingness is complete.  Also want to give a shout out to Joe Darger of UNLV here, whose name is nearly identical to a kid I knew in high school and never fails to make me giggle.

I just want to mention here that I went to go get a couple beers (NOTE:  Silos running low) before the bar closed and on the elevator back up some cougar lady asked me "So what are you doing, want to go back down and get a drink?"  I demurred.  But I want to mention it here anyway.

6th:  CJ Anderson, Xavier (via Manhattan).  This guy WILL be in the NBA at some point.  Maybe it's not for long, maybe it's a cup of coffee, but he will get a shot.  You watch, I'm predicting he leads the NBDL in scoring, which I just realized I'm using as a high end compliment.  Whatever.  This dude is awesome.  RUNNER UP:  J'Nathan Bullock, somewhere.  I know I've heard this name before, because it never fails to make me laugh, but I can't remember why right now.  Seriously, why my parents didn't just name me J'Nathan will haunt me to my dying day.

Just realized my flight tomorrow is at 11:20, not 11:00.  That's 20 extra minutes of sleep.  Time to get more drunker.

7th:  Garrison Carr, American.  This guy was awesome for them.  But was his career more, or less, successful than Tasheed Carr?  That's one to think on.  RUNNER UP:  Rodney Alexander, no clue.  I don't know who this is, but that's a hell of an NBA name.

8th:  Lawrence McKenzie, Minnesota.  You probably know who this is.  Hey, whatever works.  No doubt he'll grind out a career in Europe making more than I could possibly dream of by playing basketball.  I do have a hint for him:  look to New Zealand, it seems any mediocre former Gopher can make a nice living over there.  Plus, outside the Aborigines, he'd probably be the only black dude over there, and that's got to be an advantage.  RUNNER UP:  A.J. Ratliff, Indiana.  Senior Year = 1.7 pts, 1.3 rebs, 0.6 assists per game.  This folks, is the NBDL.

-  Lastly I want to close with something snacks sent me since apparently he doesn't do any work.  This here from Peter Gammons, the jesus of baseball analysts (sorry Aaron).  He mentions that Joe Mauer hit just one infield popup the entire season.  Sound ridiculouly hyperbolic?  Well, he is wrong.  Mauer actually hit two.  That means he popped up 1.5% of the time, fourth best in major league baseball (behind ryan howard, derek jeter - puke, and joey votto - stud).  I find the fact that we are privy to this info fascinating.  Common DWG whipping boy/stud, depending on who you ask, was 9th at 2.1%, pretty good.  But I know what you're waiting for, you want to know Twins, don't you you provincial son of a bitch?

Well, I know one guy who is going to enjoy this, but guess who was fifth worst in the majors in popping up?

It was Mike Cuddyer.  He popped up 15.5% of the time.  That is awful.  But let's look at something a little more for just a minute.  Let's assume that all fly balls and ground balls at least have a chance at getting the team closer to scoring a run, where popups and strikeouts don't.  Cuddy also strikes out 20% of the time.  That means that 36% of the time he is at the plate, his results have no chance of doing anything good.  That seems high.  this feels like the kind of thing I should research further, so somebody remind me because I'm going to bed.

I really hate New jersey. 

Thanks BTN!

Awesome.  I pay $2.99, and I get nothing but freezed pictures, skip aheads, and, rarely, as many as four consecutive seconds of uninterrupted picture.  And that's the second half of the game.  The entire first half was nothing more than 1-2 seconds of play, a frozen picture, hit refresh, and do it all again.  So here's what I saw from the game:

-  Justin Cobbs take some fool on the dribble for a layup

-  A super-sexy sweeping lefty sky hook from Ralph.

-  Justin Cobbs hitting a three.

-  Rodney Williams hitting a three

-  DJ forcing some overmatched donkis to turn it over

-  What looked like an awesome 2-1 break with Ralph and DJ, but I have no idea how it ended

-  Paul Carter getting matched up on the wing with some slow white dude and blowing by him like Brandon Jennings v. Brian Cardinal.

That's it.  Now, don't take this as a condemnation of the BTN streaming video, I had no problems with either the Moorhead or Tennessee Tech games, but tonight was just brutal.  I will have no problem using it again in the future - assuming they respect my email and refund my money for tonight - but it really, really sucked to not be able to watch the game, so I'm going to have to piece this together from the boxscore/make stuff up.

-  I know the first half wasn't pretty, even leading to a text from Snacks that read "this team isn't any better than last year", and resulting in a SFA lead deep in the first half, before a mini-run to close out gave the Gophers a 26-19 lead at the break.  In the second half that run continued - and how - with the mighty Gophers outscoring the non-mighty Lumberjacks 56-23, to end up with a 82-42 victory that would have been another 2x if not for a late cheapie layup by some dork from SFA.

-  I was going to do a whole thing here where I made stuff up like "Rodney Williams had a 360 dunk on his way to 14 points" and "Devoe Joseph was 3-3 on three pointers tonight, including two from 25+ feet" but I am suddenly simultaneously annoyed and tired, and it would take far more devotion to a bit to pull that off than I can muster up right now.  Instead, here's a fun fact regarding Stephen F. Austin U that I forgot to include earlier:  "In 1970, five players from SFA were drafted into the NBA.  Only eight other schools can match that in a single draft."  Information = power, kids.  Don't ever forget that.

Since I have no other way to talk about the game, and I don't want to speculate based on box scores, here is an update on the fantasy college basketball draft, and I know damn well you care because you've never played fantasy college basketball and you're very curious:

1.1 DWG - Luke Harangody, F, Notre Dame
1.2 TLEF - Craig Brackins, F/C, Iowa State
1.3 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas
1.4 Saintfool - Grievis Vasquez, G, Maryland
1.5 Aerial Assault - Kyle Singler, F, Duke
1.6 WuBanger - John Wall, G, Kentucky
1.7 Truck - Jarvis Varnado, F/C, Mississippi St.
1.8 Jeter23 - Patrick Patterson, F, Kentucky
1.9 Tar Heel Boy - Damion James, G/F, Texas
1.10 BasketballCoach - Michael Washington, F/C, Arkansas
1.11 Tobias Funke - Evan Turner, G/F, Ohio State
1.12 Balco - Greg Monroe, F/C, Georgetown

2.1 Balco - Lazar Hayward, F, Marquette
2.2 Tobias Funke - James Anderson, G, Oklahoma St.
2.3 Basketball Coach - Tasmin Mitchell, F, LSU
2.4 Tar Heel Boy - Trevor Booker. F. Clemson
2.5 Jeter23 - Devan Downey, G, South Carolina
2.6 Truck - Dominique Jones, G, South Florida
2.7 WuBanger - Jeremy Hazell, G, Seton Hall
2.8 Aerial Assault - Kalin Lucas, G, Michigan St.
2.9 Saintfool - Manny Harris, G, Michigan
2.10 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Devin Ebanks, F, West Virginia
2.11 TLEF - Willie Warren, G, Oklahoma
2.12 DWG - JaJuan Johnson, F/C, Purdue

3.1 DWG - Derrick Favors, F/C, Georgia Tech
3.2 TLEF - Jerome Jordan, C, Tulsa
3.3 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Andrew Ogilvy, C, Vanderbilt
3.4 Saintfool - Deon Thompson, F, North Carolina
3.5 Aerial Assault - Jerome Randle, G, California
3.6 WuBanger - Ed Davis, F, UNC
3.7 Truck - Wayne Chism, F/C, Tennessee
3.8 Jeter23 - Solomon Alabi, C, Florida State
3.9 Tar Heel Boy - Sherron Collins, G, Kansas
3.10 BasketballCoach - Al-Farouq Aminu, F, Wake Forest
3.11 Tobias Funke - Mac Koshwal, C, DePaul
3.12 Balco - Stanley Robinson, F, Connecticut

4.1 Balco - Jerome Dyson, G, Connecticut
4.2 Tobias Funke - Corey Higgins, G, Colorado
4.3 Basketball Coach - Talor Battle, G, Penn State
4.4 Tar Heel Boy - Scottie Reynolds, G, Villanova
4.5 Jeter23 - JaMychal Green, F, Alabama
4.6 Truck - Jeff Allen, F, Virginia Tech
4.7 WuBanger - Lance Stephenson, G, Cincinnati
4.8 Aerial Assault - Roland Schaftenaar, C, Oregon State
4.9 Saintfool - DeMarcus Cousins, F/C, Kentucky
4.10 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Malcom Delaney, G, Virginia Tech
4.11 TLEF - Sylvan Landesberg, g, Virginia
4.12 DWG - Tyler Smith, G/F, Tennessee

5.1 DWG - Chris Warren, G, Mississippi
5.2 TLEF - Gordon Hayward, F, Butler
5.3 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Gani Lawal, F, Georgia Tech
5.4 Saintfool - Sean Evans, F/C, St. John's
5.5 Aerial Assault - Alex Franklin, F, Siena
5.6 WuBanger - Luke Babbitt, F, Nevada
5.7 Truck - Jonathan Tavernari, G/F, BYU
5.8 Jeter23 - Xavier Henry, G/F, Kansas
5.9 Tar Heel Boy - Mike Holmes, F/C, South Carolina
5.10 BasketballCoach - Isaiah Thomas, G, Washington
5.11 Tobias Funke - Arinze Onuaku, C, Syracuse
5.12 Balco - Chris Wright, F, Dayton

6.1 Balco - Samardo Samuels, F/C, Louisville
6.2 Tobias Funke - DeSean Butler, F, West Virginia
6.3 Basketball Coach - Robbie Hummel, F, Purdue
6.4 Tar Heel Boy - DeShawn Sims, F, Michigan
6.5 Jeter23 - Jon Scheyer, G, Duke
6.6 Truck - Greg Echenique, F, Rutgers
6.7 WuBanger - Keith Gallon, C, Oklahoma
6.8 Aerial Assault - Kevin Coble, F, Northwestern
6.9 Saintfool - Dexter Pittman, C, Texas
6.10 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Trey Thompkins, F, Georgia
6.11 TLEF - Kemba Walker, G, Connecticut
6.12 DWG - Nic Wise, G, Arizona

7.1 DWG - Deonta Vaughn, G, Cincinnati
7.2 TLEF - Robert Mitchell, F, Seton Hall
7.3 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Wesley Johnson, F, Syracuse
7.4 Saintfool - Jimmer Fredette, G, BYU
7.5 Aerial Assault - Landry Fields, G/F, Stanford
7.6 WuBanger - Quincy Poindexter, F, Washington
7.7 Truck - Ben Uzoh, G, Tulsa
7.8 Jeter23 - Alex Tyus, F, Florida
7.9 Tar Heel Boy - LaceDarius Dunn, G, Baylor
7.10 BasketballCoach - DJ Kennedy, G/F, St. John's
7.11 Tobias Funke - Jeffery Taylor, F, Vanderbilt
7.12 Balco - Iman Shumpert, G, Georgia Tech

8.1 Balco - Elliott Williams, G, Memphis
8.2 Tobias Funke - Matt Howard, F, Butler
8.3 Basketball Coach - Augustus Gilchrist, F/C, South Florida
8.4 Tar Heel Boy - Patrick Christopher, G, Cal
8.5 Jeter23 - Chas McFarland, C, Wake Forest
8.6 Truck - Alex Oriakhi, F/C, Connecticut
8.7 WuBanger - Corey Stokes, F, Villanova
8.8 Aerial Assault -
8.9 Saintfool -
8.10 NotoriousTREJetBrit -
8.11 TLEF -
8.12 DWG -

Which gives me: 

G - Chris Warren, Ole Miss
G - Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati
G - Nic Wise, Arizona
G -
F - Luke Harangody, Notre Dame
F - Tyler Smith, Tennessee (also G eligible)
F -
F -
C - JaJuan Johnson, Purdue (also F eligible)
C - Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech (also F eligible)

Which I think is a pretty good team.  I am currently five spots away from two picks, and I think I might go the double homer pick - Damian and Ralph.  The only other consideration right now is Ekpe Udoh from Baylor, and I'm really not sure if he's a fluke or legit.  I don't know if Damian and Ralph are the two best picks at this point, but they are definitely the two most fun; besides, if I lost out on Ralph I'd have to kill myself.  I'm actually almost positive I'm going to take Rico Tucker with my last pick.

BRYCE WEBSTER ALERT!

Hey folks, just wanted to drop a quick note that CS-Fullerton plays UCLA on ESPN starting at 11pm tonight, and Fullerton is where Bryce Webster finally ended up after transferring out of Minnesota (there was something about Utah State in there somewhere, but he is at Fullerton).

I don't have the time nor the inclination to rehash his time with the Gophers and what has happened since, but Bryce is starting for the Titans, and scored 8 points and grabbed 5 boards in the team's season opening win over Hope International, which apparently was a real game and not an exhibition.  He played just 21 minutes, which likely had a bit to do with the lopsided 93-57 score. 

The Bruins have most of the players back after a bunch of preseason injuries, but this is a young team without a lot of practice team as a complete unit.  Can Bryce lead the Titans to the upset?  Probably not, but you should watch anyway because basketball is awesome.

Beware the Southland

One day after seeing Southland Conference mate UT-San Antonio knock off Iowa, the mighty Lumberjacks of Stephen F. Austin roll into Williams Arena looking to snag a second win for their conference over a Big Ten team.  Well, the Gophers aren't exactly Iowa, but SFA is superior to UT-San Antonio (and Tennessee Tech).

The Lumberjacks won the Southland last season, going 22-8 overall - including a win over every midwestern white dork's favorites NDSU, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as a 15 seed, losing to Syracuse 55-49.  Unfortunately for them, graduation ravaged their roster and they lost 3 starters, including the last two Southland Players of the Year, and some key reserves.  They do have their starting back court back this season, and point man Eric Bell is an excellent, heady ball player, but I don't know where their scoring is going to come from.  Outside of Bell and back court mates Eddie Williams and Walt Harris, there's nobody here with any experience and/or offense.

No, the danger in playing SFA doesn't come from their offensive prowess, it comes from their style of play and their defense.  The Jacks played at an extremely slow tempo last season, ranking 301st in the country.  They also played stifling defense, ranking 8th in overall defensive efficiency (better than Michigan State last year), due to allowing opponents to shoot just 43% from inside the arc (24th) and an incredible 28% from outside of it (2nd in the country).  And when opponents missed, they didn't get second chances, with SFA allowing offensive rebounds just 29% of the time, good enough for 39th in the country.  The Lumberjacks may have lost some key players, but the same coach remains and you can bet they are going to play slow, and they are going to play tough defense.

This match up would have been a nightmare game for Monson when he was here, because playing a slow team where just getting a shot is a chore can cause frustration, which leads to a mistakes when coupled with a lack of discipline.  With Tubby running the show, however, and plenty of fresh bodies to cycle in and out when frustrations set in, the Gophers should be able to handle SFA without too much difficulty.  That said, it's an excellent test for the team this early - not too difficult, but enough of a wrinkle that they'll have to do some work to get the win.

I expect the Gophers to try to kick up the tempo and look to run.  With SFA a bit challenged on the offensive end, and the Gophers having the size and athleticism to grab most of the rebounds, the opportunities should be there.  If you want to really notice how the team is, pay attention in the half court and watch how they handle a touch defensive team.  I know that's what I'll be looking for.  If the Gophers can get the open looks in this game they were getting on Friday, it will be a very positive sign.  I think they do it.

Gophers 70, Stephen F. Austin 52.

Also I couldn't find any pictures of any SFA girls, but this girl's name is Austin so hopefully we're still bros.

Week In Review - 11/16/09

Holy crap dude, how freaking crazy was Belicheck going for it on fourth and two with a six point lead and just two minutes left from his own 30 yard line?  Was that anything other than, "We know damn well if we punt you're going to score and beat us, so we better keep the ball as long as possible?"  Either that or Belicheck has finally lost it.  Just bizarre, but what any entertaining game in general and a great comeback by Manning.  College basketball is finally back as well, and my thoughts on the Gopher hoops game are right here.  If you're looking for Gopher football thoughts, god save your soul.


WHO WAS AWESOME

1.  Evan Turner.  I mentioned this in my Big Ten Preview, but I'll say it again - Evan Turner is ridiculous.  He certainly didn't disappoint in the opening week, putting up a triple-double in the opener against Alcorn State and following it up with 24-17-4 against James Madison.  Sure, the competition wasn't the best, but Turner and the rest of the Buckeyes looked very, very good, winning the two games by an average of 34 points.  I'm telling you, with Turner, David Lighty, and William Buford this team is going to be very tough and Memphis-y.  If Jon Diebler keeps shooting like he did last year (or better so far), this is going to be a really good team.  We'll know more after next week when they play Carolina, but watch out folks.

2. Rotnei Clarke.  Corliss Williamson didn't do it.  Scotty Thurman didn't do it.  Patrick Beverley didn't do it.  Clint McDaniel, Todd Day, and Ronnie Brewer couldn't do it. Hell, not even the great Oliver Miller could do it, but apparently Rotnei Clark can - break 50 points in a game, that is.  Clarke became the first Arkansas player to ever score 50 points in a game, putting up 51 in Friday night's 130-66 win over Alcorn State.  Clarke had 31 at halftime, and hit 13 three-pointers on 17 attempts for the game breaking the SEC record held by former Arkansas guard Alex Dillard.  It's good timing, too.  I had just read an article about how the Razorbacks had a bunch of players suspended (including superstud Courtney Fortson) and would need Clarke to step up in order to take some of the pressure off their star center Michael Washington.  Step up indeed.

3.   Dayton.  There are a ton of really good games starting this week, but over the weekend it was mostly blow-outs or mid-level teams squaring off.  There was, however, one game between two teams that both had NCAA Tournament aspirations:  Creighton vs. Dayton.  Seeing as how Dayton is listed at the beginning of this entry, you would probably guess that Dayton won, and you'd be correct.  The Flyers trailed most of the game, but outscored Creighton by 15 in the second half behind a strong showing by Chris Wright, who scored 25 on 9-12 shooting.  I'm still not entirely sure what to make of Dayton, other than that their fans are deluisonal, but even though they had more trouble with Creighton than they probalby should have, this is still a good win on a resume.

4.  Brandon Jennings.  I've been trying to avoid talking about Jennings' great start to his NBA career since he really pissed me off by skipping college to go play in Europe, but after Saturday night's 55-point explosion, I don't see any way to put it off any longer.  First off, this is a really solid fifty-point game, with a high shooting percentage (21-34 from the floor, 7-8 from three) and some other contributions (5 rebs, 5 assists) - and they won.  Second, something like this probably shouldn't be too surprising, especially since he burst into the league and almost had a triple-double in his first ever NBA game (17-9-9).  Thirdly, everything I'm reading says that this kid is already the quickest guard in the league and is essentially unguardable one-on-one, and compares him to Allen Iverson.  Finally, this really sucks because now I'm going to have to make an effort to watch a Milwaukee game.  Thanks Brandon.

5.  Ekpe Udoh.  Other players may have put up gaudier numbers so far (like Isaiah Thomas's 24.7ppg in three games or Al-Farouq Aminu's 25 and 11 boards per in two games), but nobody surprised me more than Udoh, the former Michigan Wolverine and current Baylor Bear.  Udoh put up 18 points and 11 boards (with 3 blocks) in the opener vs. Norfolk State, and followed that up with 21 and 7 with 5 blocks in game 2 vs. Hartford (Vin Baker U).  I remember Udoh as a all-defense no offense type, like a young Dikembe Mutombo or any of the endless parade of seven-foot "project" from Senegal into the NCAA.  His career average was just 5.5 ppg coming into this season, so either this is merely a case of playing inferior opponents, or Udoh learned some offensive skills.  The Bears play two more cupcakes before taking on Alabama and then Arizona State, so we won't know much until then.  If he has learned to play offense, it's going to torture Baylor fans because this was the exact piece they were missing last year.

[UPDATE:  Found this on ESPN:

When he decided to transfer from Michigan, Baylor's Scott Drew thought he was going to get a super-defensive stud in Ekpe Udoh. He didn't know that Udoh would also be an offensive threat.
Udoh saved the Bears from falling to Hartford yesterday, hitting a 20-foot fadeaway game winner. In addition to his five blocks, Udoh scored 21 points and is now averaging 19.5 ppg through his first two games.
Udoh worked exclusively on his offense during his redshirt season and over the summer. Besides Kevin Rogers, Scott Drew has never really had an offensively-dominating big man. He normally runs the offense entirely through his guards. While this still shouldn't change, it should be nice to have a threat down low in Udoh.]

  

WHO SUCKED

1.  Mississippi State.  I read in a couple of places that Miss State was a "dark-horse" final four contender.  I love Jarvis Varnado more than I love my wife, but I wasn't quite ready to buy that - at least not until they figured out who they were going to get their offense from.  Still, I expected good things.  Well, they are not off to a very good start, losing their opener at home to Rider 88-74.  Two major issues:  three-point defense and scoring.  They allowed Rider to shoot 10-16 from three-point range, which is tough to overcome for anybody, particularly when nobody can throw the ball threw the hoop on your own team.  Pimp-Daddy Varnado was 8-8 (complete line:  22pts, 14 rebs, 7 blocks - such a stud), but the rest of the team shot just 18-54.  The three point defense could jsut be a fluke, but perimeter scoring will need to greatly improve.  They run a three guard offense, and the three starters shot a combined 9-31.  Varnado deserves better.  Pick it up, jerkstores. 

2.  Utah.  The Utes lost their top four scorings from last season, but still had three starters back as well as a bunch of talented new comers, so I don't know if anybody knew what to expect from them this season.  I feel reasonably confident, however, in saying that nobody expected to see a team that would lose to Idaho in their season opener, the Vandals first win over Utah since 1938.  Now, Idaho is actually a better team this year than most people think, but this game is a stinger for the U of U, and I have a feeling this is going to be a very frustrating year in Mormonville.  Special shout out to the Utes two best players, Carlon Brown and Marshall Henderson for shooting a combined 9-27.    

3.  Jay Cutler.  LOL.  Nice job Cutty, five interceptions against the 49ers (17 for the season, , including two in the red zone, one of which was in the end zone at the end of the game.  The game that the Bears lost 10-6, meaning if they manage even just two field goals or a TD out of those trips, they win.  Oh, and also the niners scored all 10 of their points off two of his other picks, with both drives starting in Bears territory.  Is it really fair to say he single-handedly lost that game for the Bears?  Yes.  Yes it is.

4.  Timberwolves.  Ok, I think we all knew it was going to be bad, but did we know it was going to be this bad?  After winning the opener over a hapless New Jersey squad, they have now lost ten straight, including a brutal 0-4 this week that inluded a loss to Memphis who had lost seven straight of their own prior to beating the Wolves.  Earlier in the season they were at least putting up a fight - the loss to Boston was a great game - but now they're just getting killed.  Their four losses this week were by 41, 23, 12, and 10, with only the 12 point loss to Dallas being in the realm of respectability (the 10 point loss was the Memphis game, and might be more embarrassing than the 41 pointer against Golden State).  I know Love is out and now Jefferson is out, but *newsflash* Jefferson was in the lineup for both the Golden State and Portland games, and trust me, it's not just him.  Flynn, Love, and Jefferson are the only players who should ever see a starting lineup in their careers, everybody else is a role player at best.  Still, better to be a Wolves fan than a fan of Iowa.  

5.  Iowa.  Seriously, you guys are embarrassing the conference.  You lost to Texas-San Antonio.  AT HOME!!  BY TWELVE!!!  Good lord, they're a middle level Southland Conference team.  They're called the Roadrunners for god's sake, and they had never beaten a Big Ten team.  I know they lost a couple pretty good players to transfers after last season, but Anthony Tucker, Matt Gatens, and Jarryd Cole + filler should be enough to beat damn UTSA.  I guess when Tucker and Gatens shoot 2-15 from three for the game, it's tough to win.  Well, way to go Lickliter, your dismantling of the Iowa basketball program is nearly complete.  Honestly, it's like the guy is a double agent.  He's my new favorite coach.

As for me, there will be a preview of Stephen F. Austin up shortly, then I'm going to be in New Jersey the rest of the week.  I'm sure they'll be a post or two, because what else am I going to do?  Until then......

Gophers win, Royce White is still a mystery

Usually when a rare Saturday roles around where I have no plans and no major projects needing to be done, which today is one of such of that, I like to do nothing.  Sit around, play with Wonderbaby^TM, watch some tv, and generally do nothing. However, with the Gopher basketball opener taking place last night and the whole Royce White deal, it seems I don't have much of a choice but to spend some time typing.

I'm just quickly going to touch on Royce White, since his status seems to be changing by the second. He wasn't on the bench for the game, rumors were flying that he was going to be expelled, and the news actually reported he was expelled. Seemed pretty clear, but now this morning both Tubby and Joel Maturi have said he is still on the team. I had expected he had gotten the boot, and despite my "wins come first" attitude and how vigorously I defended White previously, I thought it was probably the right decision. Now, who knows? I'm going to hold my thoughts on this matter until everything shakes out, but I'll just say if Royce is still on the team by the end of the week he is a very, very, very lucky young man. I just hope he will realize that, although I am not optimistic.

On to the fun part - the game. The team looked very good in their 87-50 win over Tennessee Tech, and the most impressive part was the defense. The numbers by themselves are impressive, holding the Eagles to 28% shooting, turning them over 27 times, and out rebounding them 35-26, and blocking 15 shots. Since the competition wasn't exactly top caliber, I was more interested in how they played rather than the results, and I'm happy to report that they looked good in their rotations and help side defense - absolute keys if they're going to do anything this year. That kind of defensive effort will keep them in a game against anyone. Needless to say, I was very impressed.

A few call-outs:

- Lawrence Westbrook led the team with 22 points on 9-13 shooting, including 4 three pointers, and he looked very good. He's slimmer and faster, and his shot right now is dead on and he knows it, showing supreme confidence once again in his jumper. I feel a little bit silly typing this, but I am getting a feeling that we might be in for a special senior season from Westy. Remember the leap in his game Travarus Bennett took from his junior year to his senior year? Or Eric Harris? I'm getting that feeling. I hope I'm right, because he'll be a big part of how far this team can go.

- Ralph Sampson started his run towards Big Ten POY with a nice night - 9 points and 9 boards on 4-5 shooting. He towered over everybody on Tenn Tech so the rebounds aren't really that impressive, but his offensive game looks far more polished than last season - that new turnaround J is a thing of beauty. With his added muscle as well, he should be able to have some very nice games this year.

- Al Nolen was unguardable last night. Seriously, there was nobody on TTU who could stay in front of him, and he was able to get to the lane at will and then usually find an open teammate for an easy basket, resulting in a team high 7 assists for Nolen last night. He still did his patented "get to the lane and then jump stop and pick up the dribble with no idea what I'm going to do with the ball move" a few times, which is still worrisome. It's one thing to slice up a bottom-tier OVC team, it's something different facing Big Ten defenders. Overall with Nole I was encouraged, but worried at the same time. I'm really looking forward to that Butler game. That's a touch defensive squad reminiscent of a Big Ten team, and will be a nice litmus test not only for the team, but for Nolen in general.

- Rodney Williams is the talk of the game, and for good reason. He was always said to be a ridiculous athlete who had some work to do on his offensive skills, and although that's not completely untrue he has looked far more polished than I and many others were expecting, and was the team's second leading scorer last night with 14 points on 5-8 shooting, including another three pointer. If his outside shooting is for real, a Gopher may still end up winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year, just not the one initially expected.

- If I have to pick one player who didn't play well, and it isn't easy when your team wins by 37, it would be Devoe Joseph. He struggled shooting the ball, made some really poor decisions with the ball, and lost his man on defense a few times. I still think he's going to be a major contributor and a big part of this team for the next three years and everthing, just last night he stuck out as having a poor game. Not a concern.

- Finally, Damian Johnson is ridiculous. Look at this line: 9 pts, 2 rebs, 3 assists, 6 steals, and 5 blocks. Just a great all around game, and I have a feeling we won't see another game with DJ grabbing so few boards. Even if his offense hasn't improved (although it looks like it has), he's still going to be the most valuable Gopher again this year.

Overall a very good win. A game like this can't really tell you how good your team is, but it can warn you if they are flawed in some way. The Gophers got through this one with no red flags - an excellent sign. With or without the currently inactive players, this is going to be an NCAA Tournament team. After the Thanksgiving Tournament, we should have a pretty good idea if they can be more.

And So it Begins

Tonight begins the march to a championship.  Or at least to an NCAA Tournament bid.

Your mighty Gophers take on the hated Golden Eagles from Tennessee Tech who, frankly, are going to get blown out of the water.

Tech is a small team, with only four players bigger than 6-6, two of which have never played D-I ball and two of which who played just twelve minutes per game each last season, which means a big game for Ralph Sampson.  He's dominated the two smaller exhibition teams the Gophers have played, and this shouldn't be any different.  Not only will he score at will on the block, expect him, Damian Johnson, and Paul Carter to all have big games on the offensive glass, and the Gophers' total second-chance points might equal the Golden Eagles' total for the game.  Not only is TTU undersized, but last season they were 303rd in the country in allowing offensive rebounds - and that was with their best player and leading rebounder, now lost to graduation.

Of course, there's also a chance there won't be many second chance points because the Gophers might never be stopped.  Not only do the Eagles rebound poorly, they defend poorly too.  And they're equal opportunity - they can't defend the three pointer or the two point shot.  Not to mention that there is absolutely nobody here who can block a shot, so Westbrook, Rodney, Cobbs, and Nolen should be able to get to the rim, either for there own lay-ins or kickouts to the shooters at the undefended three-point line.

Really, the only chance Tech has to keep this close is if the Gophers get sloppy.  For all the bad things I've said, the Eagles do have a lot of guards and they do have some plusses, including playing at one of the fastest paces in basketball last year, which can make teams get sloppy if they aren't careful.  They are good at both stealing the ball and turning their opponents over in general, so it is imperative that the Gopher guards stay in control.  With better athletes, Minnesota doesn't need to avoid a fast-paced game - it would actually be to their advantage to run - but they do need to do it under control and make good decisions, a task which makes me a little nervous, actually.

If the game is tight at all towards the end, Tech is a good three-point shooting team, including Frank Davis, who hit 76 three-pointers last year while shooting it at a 43% clip.  If they keep it close and get hot, it could get ugly.

But it won't.  Seriously, there's no reason to worry, I just wrote that stuff as a worst case scenario kind of situation.  It won't come to that.  Gophers 88, Tenn Tech 60.


FUN FACT:  In 1985, before a game against Tennessee the Golden Eagles' fans bombarded the home court with toilet paper for 15 minutes, causing a 45-minute delay which went down in school lore as "The Blizzard."  Although fans of fierce rival Middle Tennessee State now refer to toilet paper as "Tennessee Tech Diplomas."

Fantasy College Basketball Update

I laid the rules and some initial strategy out in this post.

Here is where the draft currently stands:


1.1 DWG - Luke Harangody, F, Notre Dame
1.2 TLEF - Craig Brackins, F/C, Iowa State
1.3 NotoriousTREJetBrit - Cole Aldrich, C, Kansas
1.4 Saintfool - Grievis Vasquez, G, Maryland
1.5 Aerial Assault - Kyle Singler, F, Duke
1.6 WuBanger - John Wall, G, Kentucky
1.7 Truck - Jarvis Varnado, F/C, Mississippi St.
1.8 Jeter23 - Patrick Patterson, F, Kentucky
1.9 Tar Heel Boy - Damion James, G/F, Texas
1.10 BasketballCoach - Michael Washington, F/C, Arkansas
1.11 Tobias Funke - Evan Turner, G/F, Ohio State
1.12 Balco - Greg Monroe, F/C, Georgetown

2.1 Balco - Lazar Hayward, F, Marquette
2.2 Tobias Funke - James Anderson, G, Oklahoma St.
2.3 Basketball Coach - Tasmin Mitchell, F, LSU
2.4 Tar Heel Boy - Trevor Booker. F. Clemson
2.5 Jeter23 - Devan Downey, G, South Carolina
2.6 Truck - Dominique Jones, G, South Florida
2.7 WuBanger - Jeremy Hazell, G, Seton Hall
2.8 Aerial Assault -
2.9 Saintfool -
2.10 NotoriousTREJetBrit -
2.11 TLEF -
2.12  DWG - 

So I am five picks away, and wil have two in a row.  I'm hoping to get Manny Harris from Michigan and JaJuan Johnson from Purdue right here.  Harris I think would be a steal, and while it seems a little early for Johnson, it turns out there is actually quite a shortage of centers in college hoops, and since we have to start two of them, it feels like it's time. 

If Harris is gone, an intriguing prospect would be Derrick Favors, the freshman from Georgia Tech who qualifies as both a forward and a center.  He's called "the favorite to win ACC Rookie of the Year", but is that enough to draft him this early?  Guards Cory Higgins of Colorado and Talor Battle of Penn State are also possibilities.  Last year, Battle put up 16.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game with just 2.4 turnovers.  With less help around him, I could see him pushing those numbers to 20/7/5/2, which would be elite level production. 

I may have to take him.

DWG Book Review: When the Game was Ours

One of the first books I reviewed this year was "When March went Mad", a book about Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and their year's in college, so it's appropriate that one of the last books I review this year is "When the Game was Ours", this time by Magic Johnson and Larry Bird (and Jackie McMullen), this time with the two superstars giving telling their own stories.  And why not?  Growing up, Magic was my idol.  I always wanted to make the extra pass rather than scoring, and it always had to be a no-looker.  I had Magic's autobiography and read it several times, I had a bunch of videos that I could put in on a random weekend and watch his highlights, and I had enough Magic shirts that I could have worn one every day and not had to do laundry for a solid week.  Needless to say, I was looking forward to this book.

And it really doesn't disappoint.  The book gives you a little bit of everything.  College recruiting is touched on, and there's a very interesting tidbit in here about Magic and the University of Minnesota I will elaborate on in a minute.  The playoff battles (Magic's baby hook and filling in for Kareem, the Bird Steal and Memorial Day Massacre) are here, but rather than a huge play-by-play breakdown, you get more of what was going on within the team and on the sidelines.  There's also some very cool stuff from the Dream Team in here.  Perhaps most interesting however, at least to me as someone who knows so much about these guys' careers already, is everything that has happened from retirement until the present time.

Magic talks about his struggles with HIV, and how hurt he was by certain players reactions (I won't go into the Isiah stuff, that's been covered by everyone) and touched by others, as well as giving you a look at how emotionall hard this hit Bird and his teammates.  It really hits you how rough this was, or at least it did me since I was a 15 year old who idolized him, and was suddenly expecting him to die soon - I wore every one of those Magic shirts for the next two weeks straight.  Outside of that, it goes into his struggles to reach today's players when he took over as coach and in his ill-fated comeback attempt, and also goes into Bird's coaching plan - he would only coach three years because he said "players stop listening after three years."  Bird's reaction to the Artest melee and his current activities within the organization are here as well.

If this review feels a bit disjointed and rambling, that's because it's tough to wrap my head around how much information is in this book and how to lay it out in a relatively short review.  I mean, it's just 340 pages, and into those they pack the careers of two of the greatest players the NBA has ever scene, who started their rivalry in college and burned right through the 80s as the two best teams in the league and have continued to be relevant since their playing days were over.  You could have tripled the page count and it would still be a compelling read.  I can't recommend this highly enough. 

The last thing I want to mention is the the recruiting tidbit I hinted at above.  In the book, Magic mentions he took an officialy recruiting visit to the University of Minnesota when he was a high school senior (which I didn't know), hung out with Mychal Thompson and a bunch of students, and called it "the best recruiting visit I took" but that he "just couldn't go anywhere other than Michigan or Michigan State."  Damn.  I desperately wanted a chance to ask him about this on a teleconference interview with him and Bird that I was lucky enough to be a part of, but it turns out when someone like me is on the list with ESPN, The Sporting News, and a multitude of major newspaper writers, I don't exactly rank anywhere near the top of the "get to ask a question" list, and didn't get that chance.

Seriously, can you imagine Magic in maroon & gold?

Twins Talk

Since we unfortunately have a night off from college buckets, and at least one reader is clamoring for Twins roster speculation as seen by the bordering on obsessive comment left earlier today, I'll go ahead and take a look at what some of the rumors out there surrounding the Twins this offseason.

In no particular order, other than the order their names jumped into my head.

-  Akinori Iwamura, written about here previously, is no longer an option, seeing as he was traded to Pittsburgh.  It's a bit perplexing, because the Pirates aren't going anywhere any time soon, and they had to trade a young semi-promising middle relief prospect in order to pay him $4 million for one year.  It's also disappointing because that's cheap as hell for his production and I'd be willing to bet the Twins could have gotten him for like, Armando Gabino (who was plucked away by the Orioles off waivers, by the way).  Anyway, it's not happening, so it's time to move on. 

- Lovely reader Kate, who was the first one to turn me on to Iwamura, has indeed moved on, and is "literally drooling" over the thought of Adrian Beltre on the Twins (her words, not mine), and we've made no secret of our Beltre love here at DWG before.  There is a lot that points to this being a possibility, including this article where mlbtraderumors.com predicts Beltre will end up a Twin, and the fact that he is a Type B free agent means the Twins won't have to give up a draft pick to sign him.  The sort of large negative here is that Beltre actually had the Twins on his "no trade clause" list.  Beltre had his worst hitting season as a pro and nearly lost a gonad (that's not a joke), but he's still intriguing and would look awfully nice on the hot corner if he is affordable.  I'd love to see a 2 year/$5 million per, but I have no idea what the market will be.

-  Speaking of the market for 3b, you can go ahead and forget about Chone Figgins, he's going to be the hottest property out there, and there's no chance you're going to see the Twins in a bidding war for him.

-  Hell, as long as we're listing people for you to forget about, let's add John Lackey to the list as well.  Not only is he a type A - meaning if the Twins were to sign him they would have to give up their first round pick next year, something they would never do, but because he's the top pitcher on the market.  That means teams like the Yankees and Red Sox will be after him, and that means that contract will end up being more than the Twins' payroll.  So, sorry PA who continually talks up Lackey to the Twins, get your head out of the clouds (and your ass) - it ain't happening.  No way, no how.

-  One free agent pitcher who does have a shot at winding up here is Rich Harden, an immensely talent yet injury prone pitcher who has only pitched more than 25 games in a season twice in his six years, although one of those was last year.  There's no doubt he would be a huge risk, but there's also no doubt he has the talent to be a front of the rotation starter if he stays healthy.  I wouldn't invest a lot of money or a lot of years, but if they can get him to sign an incentive-laden deal he could end up being a huge steal.

-  As far as other middle infielders go, two names I had heard as possibilities, Marco Scutaro and Placido Polanco, both suddenly got a lot less likely with the announcement that they are both type-A guys.  I'm actually glad that's how it shook out for Scutaro, because although I like his multi-positionalness and knowledge of the strike zone, I can't shake the feeling that he's a utility guy who had a career year.  I am bummed, however, about Polanco, who I was really hoping the Twins would end up signing to a two or three year deal.  This really reduces the odds he ends up here, since I can't see the Twins getting rid of a first round pick to sign a 34-year old for two years.  The rule is meant to help smaller market teams, and it works in a lot of cases, but this time the team getting screwed is the small market.   

-  One guy who was helped by the classification was Mark DeRosa, who, it was thought, would be a type A but ended up a type B, greatley expanding the pool of teams who will be looking at him.  The Twins showed some interest in him last season, and I would guess they take another look at him this winter.  His numbers absolutely plummeted last year after his trade to the National League, and he's 34 years old with just two seasons better than league average in his career, so I'm inclined to pass.

-  Common commenter and former contributor Dawger mentioned that the Twins should look into signing Miguel Tejada.  If you ever wonder why we question his baseball (and all sports, really) acumen, this should be all you need to know.  Actually, that's a bit harsh.  If he can play second base (I don't know the answer to this) and they can get him for a similar deal to the one Crede signed, I guess that would be ok.

-  Turning our attention to pitching, the one interesting thing I read is that the Texas Rangers feel they have a surplus of pitching (seriously, the Rangers) and could be looking to move Brandon McCarthy - yes, the same McCarthy who was a failed prospect with the White Sox, but is now starting to look pretty good for Texas.  I have no idea what the price would be, and I actually need to do a lot more research on this before I decide if I'm excited or not.  For now, color me intrigued with a chance of arousal - just like your mom last time I was at your house. 

-  As far as free agent pitchers go, outside of Harden the only name I've heard connected to the Twins at all is Jarrod Washburn (and Lackey, if you count jackasses who work for KFAN and are less well informed than my dad when it comes to his computer), and the only other name that has perked my interest a tad was J.J. Putz.   Washburn feels like the town strumpet at this point, and has either been with every team or been rumored to be with every team at this point.  I'm having a lot of trouble getting even remotely excited about him (unlike Dawger at wrestling practice) and would need to hear a solid argument from someone else.  Putz, on the other hand, was bought out by the Mets and so would have no compensation issues, and is just two years removed from being a lights-out closer (and was a good set up guy last year).  Again, the market will dictate whether or not the Twins should go after him, but he's worth a look.  I like to compare the Twins' bullpen to God - I have no faith.

-  Lastly, tell me freaking Melvin Mora doesn't feel like exactly like the kind of guy the Twins would sign to play third.  Yuck.

-  That's really all I have for free agents, but if you want to take a look at the guys the Twins have exclusive rights to - Pavano, Cabrera, Redmond, Crede, and Mahay - and really the only interesting guy here is Pavano.  I'd right stuff, but instead just go here to Nick's Twins blog where he writes a whole lot more than I care or have the abililty to about this Pavano dealie.  Under no circumstances should Redmond be resigned, and Mahay is meh.  Cabrera has no place here, yet the papers continue to say he could be signed if he would play second solely because he had a nice 15-game stretch and people desperately want to believe in "clutch" - he's as good as gone.  Crede is the only other possibility I'd entertain resigning.  After yet another year torpedoed by injuries, the market for him is likely to be even lower than last season.  Would he sign here for one year, $1 million?  $2 million?  Seriously, if he would sign for that kind of money he's a no-brainer.  Hell, even 2 years at $2 million per year is probably worth it.

-  The last thing is trades, and if you are seriously contemplating trading Nathan, Morneau, or Mauer (I'm talking to you anonymous poster) you are dumber than Audrina (although not nearly as hot).  None of them should be traded (and I assume the Mauer part is shtick) unless somebody comes up to Billy Smith and seriously blows his skirt up with an offer.  Although imagine the offer they could get for Mauer.  What if the Rangers offered Neftali Feliz, Justin Smoak, Elvis Andrus, Taylor Teagarden, and Brandon McCarthy?  Seriously.  You would have to take that.  But that's the kind of thing I'm talking about.  Other than that, you shouldn't trade any of those three, unless you can somehow get Joakim Soria in some way.

-  The very last thing I'll say, is that the Brewers tried to get either Adam Lind or Travis Snider from the Blue Jays or Clay Buchholz from the Red Sox for J.J. Hardy before settling for Carlos Gomez.  Wow.  That is like trying to get with Lindsay Lohan circa 2004 and ending with this recent trainwrecky and not in a good way version.  Also, as I close this post, that reminds me that I mentioned Audrina somewhere up above and as such, this must now happen:

That was her when we left the bar the other night.  You all have a nice day.

NCAA Basketball Preview: The Big Ten

I didn't watch the game, since I couldn't attend and I wasn't going to pay three bucks for that streaming player on bigtennetwork.com (although I'm sure I will on Friday) so I don't have much to say about the shellacking of Moorhead by 2x.  If you're looking for game impressions I'm sure From the Barn will have them up shortly (and no doubt there are plenty of threads at the Gopher Hole, although currently they seem to be arguing the pros and cons of Marijuana).

Instead it's time for the final DWG Basketball conference preview (insert sarcastic cheer), our beloved Big Ten.  Funny thing is, I've probably spent less time researching this conference than any other, planning on using my remembering and my brain to do a good job.  Although somehow that seems super unllkely.  What I do know for sure is that this is the deepest and best the Big Ten has been in a while, and the losses of Royce and Mbakwe are not doing the Gophers' any favors.  Tough and the top, and tough in the middle, every game is going to be tough, and this year has a good chance to be the first time the conference has been able to knock off the ACC in the Big 10/ACC challenge.  Or at least I hope so.  Combine that with Ohio State playing in the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, the Gophers in the 76 classic, Purdue in the Paradise Jam, Illinois in the Vegas Invitational, Michigan in the Old Spice Classic, Wisconsin in the Maui, and Michigan State in the Legends Classic, and we should have a pretty good idea of where the Big 10 stands nationally before we get to December.

1.  Michigan State.  Pretty much a no-brainer, considering they were the national runner-up last season and are returning everybody of consequence other than Goran Suton, and they have plenty of options to replace his production including two top 100 recruits who are both centers - one of whom is who is even white, but not foreign.  The paint is pretty much the only thing close to a weakness here, but with Raymar Morgan back at full strength and Draymond Green and Delvon Roe with a full year under their belts, I don't think it's going to be an issue.  I especially expect Roe to explode this season and have a huge year.  The backcourt is depressing to even think about, and it sucks for everyone else that Kalin Lucas is back.  I still think Chris Allen is terrifying despite a rough year shooting the ball last season, and when he's hot the Spartans are pretty much unbeatable, which, actually, they are even if he's not.

2.  Purdue.  The "baby boilers" are now juniors, and are getting better.  They will count on the same Big 3 (Moore, Hummel, and JaJuan Johnson) to pace them this year once again.  Moore was their leading scorer, and Hummel seems to get the most press since everybody is so racist, but Johnson is the man to watch here.  "The College KG" has improved each season, and now has a very nice touch on his mid-range jumper to go along with improved ball-handling and an excellent scoring ability in the paint, as well as being a solid rebounder and very good defender.  In case you can't tell, I freaking love this guy.  If Lewis Jackson can improve his point guard skills, this team will absolutely challenge the Spartans and be a final four contender.  More certain than that, however, is Chris Kramer is back once again and he will annoy the crap out of you.

3.  Ohio State.  The Buckeyes lose just B.J. Mullens from last year (oh no!!), and get nobody new after no signings this offseason.  Well, they kind of get somebody new, because David Lighty returns from an injury that kept him out almost all of last season.  Ohio State made the tournament last year without him (and lost to Siena in one of the more entertaining games of the tourny), and is going to make some noise this year.  Evan Turner is ridiculous as an all-around player (as shown by his triple-double last night), and this year will be playing a true point guard rather than the point swingman role he played last year, hopefully relegating super douche P.J. Hill to the bench.  Lighty and even sophomore swingman William Buford have similar all-around games, and this team is going to look a lot like a Memphis team this season.

4.  Michigan.  The Wolverines also lose essentially nobody off a team that made the NCAA Tournament last year, and return maybe the best overall player in the conference in Manny Harris, who I really wish had gone pro.  He and DeShawn Sims give Michigan a hell of a nice inside/outside combination, and Beilein finally has a few shooters around to help run his "chuck up every three you see" offense, including Zack Novak, who you probably remember destroying the Gophers in Ann Arbor last season.  Stunningly, he won the Wolverines' dunk contest at their midnight madness thing, which is weird because I don't remember him being particularly athletic.  The biggest key to their season might be at the point, where Beilein hands the keys over to freshman Darius Morris, a top 100 recruit who played well in the team's exhibition game.

5.  Minnesota.  I could see the Gophers any where from third to sixth, but with the unknown future of both Royce White and Trevor Mbakwe, I just can't see putting them above fifth right now.  Al Nolen needs to become an offensive weapon (or at least a minor threat) for this team to go too far this year, unless Justin Cobbs can take his job.  We rag on Nolen a lot, but you have to also remember that he is an absolute lock-down defender, and he really does take care of the ball very well.  If he can learn to hit a jumper (see:  Eric Harris), all the other pieces are there for a nice run.  Or at least I like to believe so.  It's weird being optimistic.  I've never done this before.  I feel like a homer.  Am I being a homer?

6.  Northwestern.  An NCAA tournament berth for Northwestern?  Yep, I'm calling it.  Don't forget how close they were last year, blowing games against Illinois and Purdue, losing a ton of other winnable games, and beating Michigan State in Lansing.  They lose just Craig Moore off last year's team, and how hard can it be to replace a guy who stands on the perimeter and just shoots threes?  Coble is awkward, ugly, uncomfortable, and gangly, but it works and he is back again.  If he ends up leading the Wildcats in scoring again he'll pull off the rare "lead your team in scoring all four years."  Of course, Lavell Blanchard did the same thing at Michigan, so, well, there you go.  I've been expecting big things out of Michael Thompson the last two years, maybe he finally puts it all together this year.  And that combination Princeton offense/1-3-1 zone can catch anybody off guard at any time.  They play Butler November 18th and Notre Dame November 27th, so we should know what to expect after that.

7.  Illinois.  I may be underrating Illinois, at least one preview I saw had them as high as fourth, but I just don't like this team.  Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale ARE the front court - there's nothing behind them, and the guard situation is pretty unsettled.  McCamey puts up ok numbers, but he's going to have to play the point with Chester Frazier gone to graduation, and Alex Legion was pretty underwhelming as a transfer from Kentucky.  They have two very highly regarded guards coming in - D.J. Richardson (Rivals #38) and Brandon Paul (#42) but they are both scoring types, not point men.  The Illini will have talent, there's no doubt, but I think the loss of Frazier and Trent Meachem puts them into a situation that could implode in a very bad way.  That being said, if McCamey can run the point and Richardson is as good as some say he is, they very well could end up towards the top of the conference.

8.  Wisconsin.  Ha ha, you guys suck.  I hate to ever count the Badgers out, since they have a knack for hanging around every time you dismiss them, but this year is going to be tough.  Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon form a decent backcourt, but unless Hughes becomes Chris Paul and Jon Leuer becomes Keith Van Horn, I don't see the Badgers making the NCAA Tournament this year.  That being said, that dingleberry Bo Ryan has his team once again loaded with the slow, big, white, unathletic, hustling nerds he likes, and he's made it work before, but this might be the toughest year yet.

9.  Penn State.  If the Nittany Lions had any plans on making it back to the NCAA Tournament, last season was the year, but I guess an NIT Championship will have to do.  Talor Battle is back, and is absolutely one of the best guards in the league, but all his running mates are gone and I don't know who can step in.  They had a couple of forwards, David Jackson and Andrew Jones, who really played well during the NIT last year.  If one (or both) of those two plays like they did in March, or one of a handful of three-star freshmen can help Battle out, I suppose they could make some noise.  I'm mostly looking forward to the game where Battle scores 40 and the Lions knock off a ranked team, because you know it will happen - I just hope it isn't Minnesota.

10.  Indiana.  It's still going to be a while for the Hoosiers to get back to the top of the conference, but this is a killer recruiting class and should get them moving in the right direction, as well as reducing the blowouts from last season.  Five recruits ranked in Rivals top 112 are highlighted by SF Christian Watford (#41), who put up 19 and 11 in their exhibition opener.  The Hoosiers are still going to be pretty weak in the front court, but the backcourt should be better, which means less of little nerd boy Matt Roth.  Although midwestern folk love the scrappy, undersized, home town, walk-on types, so he'll probably sneak his way into the rotation one way or another.

11.  Iowa.  I am struggling for anything good to say about the Hawkeyes this year.  Anthony Tucker, assuming his supsensions are behind him, and Matt Gatens are quality players, but everybody else is gone, and the rumor is at least some of it has to do with the extremely boring style of play coached by Lickliter.  The Hawkeyes finished 341st in Division I in temp out of 344 teams, and if you watched any of their games you know how slow and boring they truly were.  With that style and less talent, I'm sure they'll end up beating somebody at some point, but I know I won't be watching.


And there you have it.  Season really gets going Friday.  Can't wait.


Other Previews
Conference USA
Atlantic 10 
Mountain West 
Atlantic Coast 
Big Twelve
Big East 
SEC
Pac 10

Week in Review - 11/9/09

I'm not going to write about Cuddyer here.  If you missed it, the Twins picked up his option and are going to pay him $10.5 million in 2011.  They had to make the decision by today, and I understand why they picked it up rather than paying a $1 million buy-out, but are you really confident he will be worth $11 million in two years?  Last year was a career year, and according to fangraphs that season was only worth $8.8 million on the open market, so we're expecting him to get better?  The smart move would have been to buy him out, then try to resign him for like 3 years/$18 million or so.  If some fool team wants to pay him $10 million a season, shake his hand, congratulate him on finding someone willing to overpay him, wish him luck, and move on.

Well, I guess I lied.  I did end up writing about Cuddyer, even though I said I didn't, but at least he didn't get one of the coveted ten spots below.  Mainly because although I don't think it was the right move, I don't think it was awful, either.  Although I have a feeling our very own I Hate Cuddy Guy might show up here pretty soon with some less than flattering words.  On to the stuff......


WHO WAS AWESOME

1.  Chris Paul.  Is Paul the next Magic Johnson?  Of course not, idiot.  Magic was a once in history type player, but that doesn't mean Chris Paul isn't really damn good and the best point guard in the league right now.  He's scoring (26.6 per game, 7th in the league), assisting (9.7 per game, 3rd), and shooting (62% from the floor and 68% from three, 7th and 2nd) and generally playing out of his mind right now.  None of this should come as a huge surprise, since he was so good and showed so much potential in college, but these things don't always work out so it's good to take note of it when it does.  Unfortunately for him and basketball fans, the rest of his team completely sucks.

2.  Cincinnati Bengals.  Before the year started, some genius wrote "This is the team that I think will surprise.  Carson is back, and coming with him will be Ochocinco who is "revitalized" which really just means he's a bitchy little whiner who wouldn't try last year because they sucked and now everyone thinks they will be good again so he will be good again - and I agree.  Plus the defense isn't half bad, actually, at least not as bad as you think.  Playoffs, baby.  Believe."   Now, following a shellacking of the Ravens that doesn't look as dominant as it was because it was just 17-7, whoever that handsome fella who wrote that looks even smarter than usual, and that's tough to do.

3.  Josh Freeman.  I have a theory.  My theory is that Steve McNair is alive and Josh Freeman is actually dead, but due to some kind of conspiracy and a Face/Off style surgery, McNair is living and playing as Freeman.  Seriously, this kid throws like him, runs like him, carries himself like him, and, at least yesterday, was cool under pressure like him after leading the formerly hapless Buccaneers to a big 38-28 win over the Packers (which also essentially wrapped up the division for the Vikes).  It was Freeman's first start, and he started kind of slow, and his numbers aren't particularly impressive (but better than that piece of crap Aaron Rodgers's), but he threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, made smart plays down the stretch while Rodgers was melting down, and led the Bucs to their first victory of the season.  I don't know if he'll ever put up huge numbers and be a a big-time fantasy QB or anything, but if I'm a Tampa fan, I'm suddenly feeling a lot better about the future.

4. Russell Westbrook.  When the Sonics picked Westbrook fourth overall a couple of years ago I was like "lol wut?"  Westbrook wasn't a true point guard, and wasn't a great outside shooter, so I wasn't sure exactly what role he would play in the NBA.  Luckily for him, I'm an idiot, and after a great rookie year in which he finished fourth in ROY voting, he is following it up this year by becoming one of the best all-around guards in the league, averaging 18 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds per game.  Oh, and also yesterday he had 17-5-10 as the Thunder destroyed the Magic 102-74 (Orlando was without Vince, Rashard Lewis, and Ryan Anderson, but still, that's a good win). 

5.  College Basketball.  It's back, baby.  The Gophers might be playing an exhibition tonight, but there are four real, actual games tonight with the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament kicking off the season.  North Carolina, Ohio State, Syracuse, and Cal all have what should be pretty easy matchups, but there's some intrigue anyway.  UNC plays FIU in Isiah Thomas's coaching debut (more on him below), and Syracuse plays Albany in their first game action since their loss to LeMoyne (more on that below also).  That's all just a prelude to Friday and the real start of the season, with 252 teams in action that night.  Awesome, as it is every year.


WHO SUCKED

1.  Iowa Football.  Never has it been easier to pick someone for this spot, and never has it felt better.  Not so much that I hate Iowa, I probably don't as much as most Gopher fans do, but I'm just glad the Hawkeyes aren't going to somehow back in to the BCS Championship game thanks to a Texas loss in the B12 championship game or something and get blown right off the field and once again set up a series of articles about how bad the Big 10 is at football.  I mean, they are, but I get sick of reading about it.  So thank you Iowa, and thank you Northwestern.  There is now zero chance we have to watch another Big Ten team get killed in the championship, and instead we can watch them get killed in all the other bowls, and with Penn State losing to OSU, we can be assured whoever ends up in the Rose Bowl by default will lose by at least 30 to Oregon. [Let's make this USC since I just found out Oregon lost to Stanford]

2.  Syracuse Basketball.  LeMoyne??  If you pay attention to sports, you are no doubt already completely aware of the fact that the Cuse lost to D-II LeMoyne thanks to a last second three pointer by some guy whose dream just came true Tuesday night.  I'd love to join the pile one, but come on.  For Syracuse it's a glorified scrimmage, for LeMoyne - just three miles down the road from the Carrier Dome - it's the Super Bowl/World Series/NCAA Championship all in one, not to mention a chance for these players to stick it to Boeheim and the Orange for not recruiting them.  I mean, I'm pretty sure Syracuse will suck this year, but it has nothing to do with a loss to LeMoyne.   

3.  Corey Brewer.  Ok, I'm sorry but this guy just can't shoot the ball.  I got called out (and called "bro") for being worried about his 37% shooting in the preseason in the comments section of this post, but it looks like I was right -  he's shooting 38% so far this year, including games of 6-21, 6-16, 4-10, and 4-9 this week.  Now, sucks is kind of strong, because Brewer absolutely serves a valuable function on this team, and is a definite starter thanks to other things he can do like defense, rebounding, and just overall being around the ball, but he's not a prolific scorer, and shouldn't be a featured part of any offense.  Of course, with Love out and Jefferson having a terrible season so far, maybe the Wolves don't have a choice, and that my friends, surely sucks.

4.  New Jersey.  Good god is this team awful.  Actually losing to the Wolves should have been a pretty big tipoff, but now the Nets sit at 0-7 after a really stellar 0-4 week, their best player, Devin Harris, is injured, they're in the bottom two in the league in both scoring and shooting, Courtney Lee his shooting 31%, their suddenly promising young player, Chris Douglas-Roberts, now has the swine flu, and Trenton Hassell has become prominently involved.  Things are not going well.  I know the plan was basically to ignore this season and clear room to go after Lebron in the offseason, but I think they cleared the teamout a bit too well.  Seriously, if Lebron signs here (or anybody else) he's pretty clearly effed in the head. 

5.  FIU/Isiah Thomas - Seemed like everything was going well for Isiah at FIU, right?  First, he signed a pack of Juco guards, including three good scorers who immediately shore up an offense that is losing almost all of it's scoring.  Then he uses his national stature to grab a couple of good recruits, including a shocker in getting Dominique Ferguson, Rivals #40 recruit who chose the Panthers despite offers from Arizona and Kentucky.  All is well, right?  Well, turns out you also have to coach, and instead of a triumphant debut, Isiah watched his team lose to Northwood in an exhibition, the same Northwood that is an NAIA school.  Oops.  And I realize nobody really cares, and neither do I, but this gives me a great excuse to post this video, which might be the greatest thing ever.




Is that not the greatest thing ever? No preview for the Gopher exhibition because yawn and also because real basketball starts tonight. Also file away in the "sucks" column the fact that I realized yesterday due to previous engagements and business travel/events, I won't be able to attend another Gopher game until December. Thanks a lot, life. You suck.

Dinocroc = Johnny Lawrence? (Live Movie Blog)

Next up on your live movie blog excitement is a little ditty called "Dinocroc" brought to you by the same jackasses you brought you "Supergator", or as I like to call it, Super Gay.....tor.  It's funny because it's a gay joke.  Oh relax.  Anyway, our synopsis is "Several townspeople step forward to save their community form the jaws of a prehistoric reptile."  Sounds a lot like Lake Placid, which was good.  Somehow I doubt this will be. On to the fun.......

-  We're in Australia, and right away there's some crocodile dundee dressed guy hunting crocs.  I can only assume this is a bad sign.  Although on the other hand, he just got eaten.  Things are looking up.

-  God, nothing makes my balls shrivel up and bile rise in my throat like seeing that "Roger Corman Productions" banner show up.  I ran this down for you in the Supergator live blog, but as a refresher, "it was produced by Roger Corman, who is notorious for shoveling out horrible movies. He's produced 386 movies according to IMBD, and other than Piranha, not a single one is a good movie (unless I missed one). Most of these have names like "Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women", "800 Leagues Down the Amazon", and "Dino Croc" (although I might have to try to find this one), as well as the god awful Carnosaur series and like nine Bloodfist movies. I do like the cheesy movies, but this guy is pretty much always a failure."  Alright!  Who's fired up now?

-  Now we're heading into a genetics laboratory, who I assume will be at fault for creating a giant croc that wreaks havoc on the community before it is saved by Costas Mandylor.  Poor Science.  These movies always do two things:  mangle any scientific fact they try to bring into play and blame careless scientists for creating monsters.  Oh yeah, well if you can't keep your facts straight, maybe you are the careless one!  Maybe all these deaths are on you!  I don't want....your life!

-  Oh snap!  One of the genetically engineered baby crocs killed the other!  Now the main science lady is in their lair or whatever investigating what's going on.  Do you think she shut the door?  Or do you think she left it open, is about to get killed, and the dinocroc will escape?  Before you guess, I want you to keep in mind that the "baby" dinocrocs are already about 10 feet long, and she went in their pen with a tazer and a pen.  Now you guess.

-  Here's the plan to get the croc back:  feed it at the same place and same time every night until they can capture it.  I don't get it.  If you know where it is enough to feed it, then just capture it.  It's only 10 feet long right now, but "grows at an incredible rate."  And their "bait" is a dog.  So they're going to chain the dog to a post in some random area of the swamp (NOTE:  There's always a swamp) and just assume dinocroc will show?  Except now the jackass let the dog run away, and dinocroc actually did show up.  To eat the guy. So I guess this plan is going flawlessly.

-  I think that's Jamie Walters playing the main dude in this.  Nope, looked it up, it's some guy who isn't anybody, but looks just like Jamie Walters.  So that's what we are going to call him.  He's the male lead, and the female lead is some chick who is a Veterinarian.  Right now they are looking for a lost dog with three legs - the very same dog who was almost bait for the Dinocroc!  What an incredible twist!

-  Some 100 year old dude is tracking the Dinocroc using sonar and what not, and he's got a bead on him.  I also have no idea who this guy is or where he came from, I guess I missed that part

-  Vet girl and Vinnie from Blossom are now playfully splashing each other with swamp/lake water - you know, because that's what people do - completely oblivious that the Dinocroc is stalking them.  Luckily, crotchety old man in the boat knows it, and he essentially rams them to get them out of the water.  No sign of the croc.  So basically absolutely nothing happens in this scene.

-  Turns out the old guy is affiliated with the genetics company that created these crocs in the first place.  And now he's taken the two leads to their lab, getting them into the restricted access area, spilling their company secrets, and basically telling them about every skeleton in this company's closet.  Why?  Because they were in the water when the croc was around, of course.  Seriously, I have no idea.  This is like, a vet and a construction worker, there's no reason at all to even bring them into the fold, especially since they weren't even aware there was a large crocodilian on the loose in their area.  I'm SHOCKED that this movie isn't making any logical sense.

-  Ok, I guess they are the local animal control officer and reptile expert.  Makes a little more sense, but just a little.  They've also brought in the "Quint" guy now.  You know, the badass, tough as nails, manly man who is an expert at killer crocs.  Yeah, he's here now.

-  Obligatory scene with drunk rednecks going hunting illegally on a game park reserve in the middle of the night ($20 says Super Sioux Fan has done this).  The both got eaten in super undramatic and lame fashion, and all we ever see of the dinocroc so far is an obviously computer generated flash of it's tail.  Building suspense like Jaws did, or too cheap a budget to show it's title monster?  You decide, but let me tell you there was more suspense for the second half of the gopher/bulldog basketball game than I'm feeling right now.  More sexual tension, too.  These two leads are terrible.

-  I just looked them up, and neither lead actor had done much before, and niether has done much since.  Basically this was their one shot at glory, and they failed.  Like Darius Washington.

-  So I've been doing a lot of thinking about fantasy college basketball, and I think I might just go with Varnado as the #1 pick (although I'm trying to trade draft slots to get to 3rd or 4th).  He's the player that would be the most fun, and if he continues to improve like he has been he'll be a super stud.  But then again, you can't win your league in the first round, but you can lose it so I should just go Harangody since he is a sure thing and will be the offensive focal point for that team.  I just hope somebody trades draft spots with me so I don't have to worry about it.   

-  Ok, there it is.  It's big and, just like the Super Gator, is some kind of cross between a croc and a T-Rex, and loves to roar, even more than your average shark.  Actually, I think this is basically the exact same movie as Super Gator.  Except this time it's a croc, and last time was an alligator.  Nice job, Corman, keep beating that horse.

-  $11 million for Cuddy?  LO-mother effing-L.

-  The swamp from before is now a lake, and a lake where billions of people have shown up to ski and boogie board and whatever else you young people like to do.  I understand that this suddenly makes a lot more deaths possible, and there are suddenly bikinis involved, but I'd at least like an explanation - even a half-assed one.

-  Fake Quint just dove in the water to try to "flush it out", speaking about the Dinocroc that has been surface feeding on swimmers like a largemouth on a hula popper for the last ten minutes.  I don't know that this plan makes much sense.  Maybe he's planning to wrestle it to death under water.

-  Well now the old guy just fell in the water.  And not because the boat was rammed or anything that made sense, just because he was old apparently.  I don't know, I guess his hip failed or something.

-  Hm.  Now the media swarms have decended on that genetics company in order to demand answers about the deaths, which is weird because we haven't seen anything about a leak to the media and the only people who have seen that this thing is some sort of mutant are either on the genetics company's side or dead.  In other word's, other than their weird old dude getting eaten, there's no reason to connect this to the company.  Especially since they are in Florida, and everything actually points to this just being a crocodile with a taste for human flesh.  This movie is really giving Occam's Razor the finger.

-  Let's see, the Sheriff wants to go after the croc with "all the firepower we have", while the "good guys" want to use carbon monoxide.  I swear I'm not making that up.  Boggles the mind.

-  OMG, one of the guys who wrote this also wrote Suger Gator, so not only is this the identical movie, it was written by the same guy who somehow now got two paychecks.  Also they just found Steve from Full House's kids bike all mangled.  I remember seeing the croc going after that kid while he was looking for his dog, which somehow has gone on for like three days now, but honestly I can't remember if it killed him or not.  I would assume no, since generally movies don't kill little kids - other than It and Pay it Forward - but that dad guy sure thinks so and he just jumped on his badass moped and drove off by himself, I assume to go after the Dinocroc by himself.  Always a good idea.

-  Nope, I'm wrong.  He went to the bar instead and ordered "a bottle of anything."  Just went up a few notches in my book.

-  By the way, we started going through season one of True Blood again, just because we are getting antsy for season two and my crush for Anna Paquin continues to grow.  You need to do a google search to get to the really good stuff, but for now this will have to do:

 -   In news almost as awesome as Anna Paquin's breasts, Lance Stephenson is officially eligible for Cincinnati.  You can expect to see the Bearcats in the top 10 at some point this year, along with a ton of articles about what a "shocker" it is.  Guess what?  I'm telling you now, it's no shocker.  That team will be a contender to win the Big East.

-  So that guy who thinks his kid is dead even though he probably isn't is having a good cry in his bed, and this like super sad music is playing in the background.  I bet anything the director and Mike Seaver thought that this would be a super powerful scene and we would all cry and it would be like The Notebook and shit.  It's not.  But on the bright side for that guy that chick felt bad and crawled into bed with him and just put his hand on her boob.  I know that would cheer me up.  Good job that chick.  Meanwhile this is all interspersed with shots of the sheriff's guys getting taken down one-by-one by Dinocroc.  It's very much like the Karate Kid, if Daniel-san was the croc and the Cobra Kai was the sheriff and his dorky minions. 

-  The sheriff, aka Sensei, lost five men last night, and now he wants to try their carbon monoxide plan to kill the croc.  Also Vinny wants us to know he's "In" and he wants to killl "that fucker."  Cue montage scene.  Did I or did I not tell you this was like the Karate Kid.  Except the good guys are now the good guys and I guess the croc is now the Cobra Kai.  He did strike hard.  He did strike first.  And he had no mercy.  He also made them "get him a body bag" several times.  This analogy is awesome.

-  I ran the numbers and using our scoring system Harangody outscored the next closest guy (Varnado) by six points per game last year.  There i sno way I can pass that up, and I'm stupid for even trying to trade out of that spot.  So nevermind.  I get to have Harangody.  Yeah.

-  Pretty sure fake Quint is wearing a cowboy hat and a stocking cap.  And also they are using live dogs as bait for the croc.  That's awesome.  People should do that in real life, and I'll tell you why:  dogs suck.  It's a fact.  The only dog ever worth a damn was Snake's dog Tippy, who was great but then went completely psycho when Mrs. Snake popped out their first kid.  So dogs are stupid.  Sorry Bogart.  I like Bender and all, but dogs suck.

-  The sheriff is arresting that chick and that dude because they object to using the dogs as bait.  Frickin' liberal hippies.  And I think the sheriff just said "chum boat."  I would rewind to check, but I don't really want to know if I'm wrong.

-  Yep, it's a chum boat.  They have a chum boat.  Awesome.  I've always kind of wanted to drive the boat around at my parents' cabin and chum.  I don't know that it would accomplish anything, but if there's any monsters lurking, we'd find them.  And it can't hurt the fishing, you know?

-  Something just happened and the two main characters escaped from the truck where they were being held.  Yep, they were being held in a truck.  And now they have somehow acquired blow torch and are using it to melt the handcuffs off each other.  Again, I swear I'm not making this up.

-  We watched some movie called "It's Alive" the another night.  Probably the worst movie ever.  And I've watched A LOT of bad movies. 

-  Holy sweet christ does Taylor Swift look gorgeous with dark hair.  Wow.  Watch Saturday Night Live.  She goes from cute to absolutely amazing.  Trust. (note:  we switched over to SNL.  You probably figured that out.  I'll get back to the movie, I promise.)  Also, am I gay if I like that song of hers about how "you belong with me?"  Big fan.

-  Ok, back to the movie.  I can't remember what is supposed to be happening, but I just saw some really shitty cgi of a large tail which no doubt means Dinocroc is on the movie.  Make your time.

-  Those two dorks are using their gay little blowtorch to free the dogs and melt their chains so they get free.  Forget for a minute that I doubt a handheld blowtorch can reach the melting point of steal, you're being chased by a crocodile/T-Rex hybrid - give up the dogs and just run, morons.

-  that dudes little five volt blowtorch is apparently enough to keep dinocroc at bay.  Conslusion:  Dinocroc is a pussy.  Or, alternatively, a shitty little blowtorch = the crane kick, if we want to torture that analogy a bit more.

-  Vokda + Diet Coke + lime juice = $

-  What happened?  there was a bunch of noise and people staring, and then we faded to black, and now apparently it's all over.  Sheriff claims he killed the thinger, but we saw nothing of the climax.  Normally I'd say we are waiting on a plot twist, but a movie this shitty could very well go ahead and not actually show anything of the climactic battle/fight/dumb crap.

-  By the way, fake Quint didn't do shit and was kind of a pussy the whole movie.  Although we have 15 minutes left right now.  Still time for redemption.  Also did you know Michael Cuddyer will make $11 million in 2011?  That's hilarious.

-  They're making a Dinocroc vs. Supergator movie called "Volcanic" which is already in post-production and stars David Carradine.  Yes, the guy who killed himself accidentally because of the whole auto-erotic aphisxiation thing.  Also in a related note I can't spell asphixiation.

-  Oh, it's still alive.  And Mrs. W wants you to know it "looks like a doll.  Like somebody is standing there going rawr rawr rawr.  This needs to end.  Like ASAP."  She is not amused.  I think she wants to get back to the Taylor Swift thing because I think she has a little crush on her.  So, Taylor, if you're out there:  both me and the missus have a thing for you.  Call me.

-  This thing hates fire as if it was Frankenstein's monster - not Frankenstein, though.  If you ever hear anybody called the monster "Frankenstein" you would be well served by knifing them in the kidney - and they would be better off as well.

-  Do you want to know how this movie ended?  No, you don't.  I'm going to tell you anyway.  The Dinocroc got run over by a train.  A locomotive, if you will.  But it wasn't quite dead, so Pacey stabbed it in the eyeball.  That's going to make it tough to come back for Suepr Gator vs. Dino Croc, but I guess Super Gator got blown up by a volcano, so anything is possible.  It's like heaven for retards.

- So I guess that kid did die.  That's kind of weird. 

-  Jesus.  Right at the very end, before roll credits, the dinocroc walks across the screen and roars.  But they just showed it all dead and crap.  How is that possible?  I guess it's not that hard to come back for the sequel when you're a zombie Dinocroc.  Whatever.  I've seen worse.  Also I'm not sure that "like heaven for retards" joke made sense above, but I'm going to leave it in because it makes me laugh.  Like your face.

-  I was going to be all done here, but I just uploaded that picture of the movie poster and I noticed it says "It feeds on fear."  No it doesn't.  It feeds on mostly humans, and a few dogs.  Also, in order to feed on fear, you need to actually show up.  This stupid thing was on screen like, one minute total of the whole movie.  I wasn't afraid of it, I just wanted to see it.  That movie poster makes me angry.  I'm now going to do nothing.

BREAKING: Bye-Bye Gomez

Just heard on KFAN that the Twins traded Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for SS J.J. Hardy, who the Sidler actually advocated for last year.

I haven't found a link yet.  I will post it when I find one.

Here it is.  Still kind of sorting out my thoughts on this, will post more later.

NCAA Basketball Preview: The Pac 10

You know what I really dig about this conference, other than the beautiful weather and smoking hot chicks, is that every team is paired up with another from the same area, and they always play the same teams in the same week.  You have UCLA/USC, Arizona/Arizona St, Washington/Wash St., Oregon/Oregon St., and Cal/Stanford, and they always travel together.  So like UCLA would play Arizona on a Thursday and Arizona State on a Saturday, while USC would play Ariz State on the Thursday and Arizona on Saturday.  I don't know why, but I find that very cool and interesting.  Probably because I'm a nerd.

With all the Gopher news, the Gopher game, and the World Series going on this week, not to mention my award-winning interview with Larry and Magic, I haven't had a whole lot of research time, so this will be shorter than usual.  And let's be honest, nobody reads my previews anyway.  I could post bible verses for each team's synopsis and it would go unnoticed unless somebody was searching for "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live", but that person would have plenty of other problems anyway.


1.  Washington.  I've been waiting for this team to make a big leap for a few years now, and with the Pac down overall this might be the year they finally pull it off.  The loss of Jon Brockman to graduation leaves them with a huge hole in the paint, but their guards should be top notch with Rivals #13 Abdul Gaddy joining sophomore Isaiah Thomas.  I'm a huge Quincy Pondexter, mainly because he has a funny name, but with those two distributing the ball he should be poised for a breakout year.

2.  California.  Completely unheralded, but with a very solid backcourt with Jerome Randle the penetrator/scorer/distributor and Patrick Christopher the shooter - both were all Pac-10 last season.  PF Jamal Boykin may be the key to them being an NCAA Tournament contender as opposed to just an NCAA Tournament team again.  He was a big time recruit who had signed on with Duke before transferring to Berkeley.  He hasn't exactly lived up to his potential, but he has improved every season thus far.  Now in his senior year, it's his last chance to shine.

3.  UCLA.  In terms of scoring and minutes returning, there's not much, and some communist is their leading returner in both.  In terms of talent, there's plenty here.  Four top 100 recruits this year join four top 50s from last year.  In other words, they are probably going to be very good, but also very inconsistent.  They also needed a three pointer with 16 seconds left to beat an NAIA school earlier this week in an exhibition, so looks like they're starting slow, but should be pretty solid by midseason or so.

4.  Oregon State.  Not a misprint.  The Beavers should be pretty decent this year, but I've never heard of a single player on that team, assuming Wes Washington and Corey Benjamin are gone.  I know that was years ago but come on, Vasquez is still on Maryland and I'm pretty sure his freshman year begin with 19.  They play the Princeton style offense.  Yawn.

5.  Arizona.  It was looking even worse for the Wildcats this year, but Sean Miller made some very big freshman signings in the late signing period, and it will be up to those freshmen how good Arizona will be this year.  They could be first, they could be 8th, but fifth sounds right.  Nic Wise could easily end up leading the conference in both scoring and assists. 

6.  Oregon.  The Ducks lost 23 games last year, in no small part because their point guard, Earl Boykins wannabe Tajuan Porter, shouldn't be a point guard, what with his more turnovers than assists - and just 1.8 assists per game and his aggressive shooting (7th in the conference in FG attempts despite under 40% shooting).  The good news is they are supposed to have some JuCo point guard who can come in and run the show.  Even so, Porter will need to avoid the 6-15 type nights that popped up regularly last year.

7.  USC.  The Trojans lost three players to the NBA draft and, amidst scandal, lost nearly every recruit they signed this offseason, but there is still some talent here.  They get their top scorer back in guard Dwight Lewis, who outscored Taj Gibson, Demar Derozan, and Daniel Hackett last season, as well as Marcus Johnson, a transfer from UCONN.  Power forwad Alex Stepheson was a top fifty player when he signed with North Carolina in 2006 and a minor contributor on the team before deciding to transfer back to L.A. to be closer to his family.  On a team this thin, he'll have every opportunity to justify that rank.

8.  Washington State.  The cougars crazy run of boring everybody to tears and winning when the other team fell asleep should finally come to an end, with three starters and major contributors leaving as well as captain boring Tony Bennett leaving for Virginia.  I did read somewhere that Klay Thompson is projected to be the best NBAer currently in the Pac 10, so if you have a chance to catch one of their games it sounds like that would be a good time.

9.  Arizona State.  I just read something that picked the Sun Devils as fourth in the Pac and I gotta tell ya I don't get it.  Losing James Harden and Jeff Pendergaph is a huge blow, especially to a team with a so-so recruiting class coming in.  Their only double-digit scorer coming back, Rihards Kuksiks, is a three point sniper who led the conference in made 3s while shooting 44%.  The only problem is that 80% of his attempts last year were from behind the arc, and you know what helps get open three point looks?  Playing with James Harden and Jeff Pendergraph.  I don't know man, I just don't see it.

10.  Stanford.  I've always hated this program, I still hate this program, and I hope they stay in last place forever. 



Other Previews
Conference USA
Atlantic 10 
Mountain West 
Atlantic Coast 
Big Twelve
Big East 
SEC

Well that was pretty worthless

The Gophers beat UMD 114-47 last night, and UMD was so bad that there really isn't much you can take from this game.  The Bulldogs' offense was plagued with airballs (32% shooting) and turnovers (28 total) all night, so it's tempting to say the Gopher defense was great, but I just think UMD was so overmatched that it wasn't really fair, and it's tough to give the Gophers too much credit.  I will say that they did look good, and that's about it.

Rodney Williams had a monster dunk at the end of the first half which was definitely the highlight of the game, and confirms the insane athleticism he has.  More impressive to me though was the two three-ponters he knocked down.  My worry was that he was just an athlete and would end up being a bit of a project, but if he has an oustide game he can be a big part of this team immediately.

My biggest concern was how little Justin Cobbs played - just 14 minutes.  Now, Westbrook only played 16, but I assume that was because Tubby knows what he has with him.  I'm still expecting Cobbs to start by the end of the year - he did look good when he was in, but I was surprised to see Joseph come in and play the point when Nolen was on the bench. 

There is more you could point out, such as Colt and Sampson looking more polished or DJ's incredible all around game (16 pts, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 7 steals) but I can't put a whole lot of stock in that based on the opponent, and I don't think it will be much better on Monday against Moorhead.  Hopefully the regular season gets here soon.

Gopher Basketball is finally here

Perfect timing.  With baseball season ending, it is time to turn to college basketball and the Gophers start tonight in a preseason exhibition against the hated Bulldogs of UMD.

The team has certainly been in the news lately, and for all the wrong reasons, but now it's time to hit the court and I can't wait, although my excitement is a bit tempered because the two guys I really wanted to see play are both suspended/being held out of games.  However you want to word it, it sucks.  But there is still plenty to look at tonight

- Ralph Sampson.  Tonight begins his march towards All-American status.  Reports are that he is in incredible shape and has put on quite a few pounds of muscle, as well as that his mid-range jumper is coming along nicely.  He had some nice post moves last year, although unpolished, and if he's spent the time working on his offensive game could be an incredible inside/outside weapon.

- Colt Iverson.  What's his role?  Offensive weapon?  Defensive stopper?  Big time rebounder?  Warm body?

-  Lawrence Westbrook.  L-Dub was a big-time weapon at times last year, but had a tendency to disappear just as often when he was needed.  It will be tough to tell from one game against a lesser opponent, but he needs to be focused all season, every game.

-  Al Nolen.  Excellent defender, good at taking care of the ball, not an offensive threat whatsoever and it sounds like he still might not have found a jumpshot.  If he can't keep defenses honest from the perimeter, when does he become more of a liability than a weapon?

-  Justin Cobbs.  It sounds like Cobbs can shoot it, based on his runner-up finish in the three-point contest.  What about the rest of his game?  With Mbakwe and White out, he becomes the new guy I'm most interested in.

-  Rodney Williams.  But I didn't forget about Rodney.  No question he's an incredible athlete, what about the rest of his game?

-  Blake Hoffarber.  Is his shot back?

-  Devoe Joseph.  Now that he doesn't have to worry about playing the point, how high can he go with his offensive game?  We got a taste a couple of times last year, now back at his natural position what is the limit?

-  Damian Johnson.  Has the offensive game caught up with the rest of him, not that it would need to for him to be the team MVP.

-  Paul Carter.  He becomes even more important with those two clowns not playing, and the reports are he will be much improved this year.

-  Team nerd.  With both Travis Busch and Kevin Payton gone, who fills the role of the team nerd?  You know, the guy who stands at the end of the line for intros and does the weird handshakes and jumping butt bumps or whatever you call that thing people do?  Since I'm going to the bar before the game, I'm guessing I'm going to miss this part.  Bummer.  My money is on Cobbs, dark horse Joseph.

-  The Team.  How do they react to all that's gone on this week?  Come out focused and destroy UMD, or wander around going through the motions?


So you see, despite it being a meaningless game, there is plenty here to look at.  I don't have the time nor inclination to do a preview of the Bulldogs, but if that's your sort of thing the esteemed blog From the Barn has done the research.

God Damn It.

I hate the Yankees so much.  I can't even believe I thought I hated the Red Sox as much as I hated them.  Not even close.

Pretty much the only saving grace tonight is Mrs. W thinks Chase Utley is hot.  That makes two of us, my dear, that makes two of us.  I believe the quote was, "he looks like Jess from Gilmore Girls."  Sadly, I know what that means.

This is the first time I've ever approved of one of her crush's more other than that one time she liked me.


Also I just want to say Cohutta is the fuckin' man.  I love that bumpkin.

Fantasy College Basketball Update

Ok, I have some more details about this Fantasy College Basketball League I'm going to be in.  We are going to be using the six main conferences (Big Ten, Pac 10, SEC, ACC, Big 12, and Big East - suck it, A-10), and a few other teams (Butler, BYU, Creighton, Dayton, Gonzaga, Memphis, Nevada, Siena, Tulsa, and Xavier). 

Scoring is:

1 pt per point scored
2 pts per assist
1 pt per rebound
3 pts per steal
3 pts per block
-2 pts per turnover

And we start 2 centers, 4 forwards, and 4 guards, with a total roster size of 16, and weekly games (so if someobdy is playing 2 games in a week and someone else is only playing 1, you would play the 2 game guy).  We don't start until December 14th, but the draft is going to be taking place soon and it's a slow draft, like a pick or two per day kind of thing.

We roll some internet dice thing for draft pick, with highest going first, and with about half of the league (12 members) having rolled I'm sitting at 90 right now - currently the #1 pick.

I think the real key here is the 3 points per steal and per block.  It's easy to focus on the main three stats, and actually the only fantasy college preview I've found does just that, but that is a lot of points for playing defense. 

For example, last year Damian Johnson would have averaged 28 points per game, despite just 10 points and 4 rebounds per game.  A guy like Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell, who was tenth nationally in scoring at 23 per game and is an early pick in this kind of thing, averaged only 31 points per game.  I'm guessing I could snag DJ ten or more rounds later than Hazell, depending of course on how much everyone else is paying attention - and that will be the key.

Like, Harangody and Brackins are kind of the top two guys, and last year they averaged 41 and 35 per game, but thanks to Cole Aldrich's three blocks per game, he averagd 36 - more than Brackins and would be the #2 player and that's if he doesn't improve.

Basically, those are the top three and I don't know if there's anybody else you could argue should be included, and if I end up with the #1 Harangody is the smart pick, Brackins is the fun pick, and Aldrich is the intriguing pick - I'd probably end up going Aldrich or Harangody, and would be much happier with Cole.

Any thoughts?  Sleepers?  Defensive guys I'm missing?

***UPDATE*** More Good news for the Gophers

With the first exhibition game for our beloved Golden Gopher basketball team coming on Thursday, we should be excited, discussing the exciting possibilities a new season always brings, and debating if Justin Cobbs will take Al Nolen's starting job before or during the Big Ten Conference season.  Instead we're getting nothing but bad news.

On the heels of the ludicrous Mbakwe decision comes the news today that Royce White and Devron Bostick have been suspended by Tubby Smith indefinitely due to a violation of "unspecified team rules."  According to the Pioneer Press article, Tubby stated the suspension could be two to six games, or "It could be 20.  If they take care of the things they have to take care of, then it could be less."

Any guess at what the infractions could be would be nothing but idle speculation, but the quote from Tubby gives me a positive feeling like it's something simple like skipping classes or effort in practice - something that could be fixed in a relatively short time and with a little effort.  Wishful thinking?  Maybe, but with the news so far this week, maybe Gopher fans need a little wishful thinking, otherwise it's starting to feel more like a Bob Huggins team than a Tubby Smith team.

The most troublesome aspect is that Royce White is involved.  I'm sure you remember his disciplinary problems in high school, but Tubby and the school game him the opportunity to play here anyway.  I'd hate to think they made a mistake, and/or he's not taking advantage of his situation.

UPDATE:   The Pioneer Press article has been updated to include the information that Royce White was cited for misdemeanor theft and fifth degree assault at the Macy's at the Mall of America, October 13th at 7:54 pm, and is scheduled to be arraigned November 17th.

Now, I have no clue if this has anything to do with the suspension, especially since Bostick isn't mentioned in the complaint, but it seems odd that Tubby would have waited three weeks after the incident to suspend Royce, and with the above quote I'm not sure this all fits together, unless he's referring to if the charges are dropped or reduced or something he'll let White back on the team.  I have no clue.  I won't rush to judgement until more facts are known, specifically what the hell actually happened and Bostick's involvement, but this certainly doesn't look good.

UPDATE 2:   Ugh.  More details from the Star Tribune.  According to this, White stole about $100 worth of merchandise from Macy's, and when he was confronted by the security guard he pushed him to the ground.  I'm trying to spin this, but really, really having trouble.  Uh, I guess it's good that he won't get jail time, right?

I defended White on this blog, but now I have a feeling he might never play in a game for the Gophers, and if that's the case, I can't argue against it.

World Series Game 5 Live Blog

It could be the last game of the baseball season, so I might as well Live Blog this crap, right?  Plus we'll see if my man-crush on Cliff Lee grows, or just disappears like a john, with nothing more than a crisp new fifty on the night stand and a slight burning sensation during urination.  We're picking this game up in the top of the second after finally getting Wonderbaby^TM ready for bed.  She's a bit wound up after her first day of pre-pre-school today, and I'm a bit concerned because the majority of her classmates look like Sloth from the Goonies.  On to the show.....

-  It's 3-1 Phillies thanks to Chase Utley continuing to be a P.I.M.P.  And I turned it on just in time to hear McCarver say, "American League batters are used to Mariano Rivera breaking bats, but not many of them know about Cliff Lee........even though he was with the Indianas............Lee's a different pitcher with Philadelphia."  Dude.  Just stop.  It makes me glad I've been watching most of this with no sound - which I'll be doing again shortly once Mrs. W gets back from putting the baby down.

-  Speaking of Lee and pitching game five, I think he should have been moved up and pitched last night, but this yahoo article is quite harsh and mostly retarded (like Dawger).  I hardly think that decision "blew the world series" or that Charlie Manuel is like Forrest Gump and "stupid is as stupid does."  He also calls Cliff Lee "not an ace" because he didn't demand the ball for game 4.  I'm seriously stumped.  I didn't like it at the time, but I'm thinking that it was actually a good decision by Manuel.  Think about it - Blanton pitched well enough for the Phillies to win, Lidge blew the game.  If they can steal a win with Blanton going against Sabathia, suddenly the Phillies are in the driver's seat, and they damn near did it, again, if it wasn't for Lidge - not Blanton and not Manuel.  I'm willing to bet Passan had this article typed up before even the first pitch of Sunday night's game, and when the Phils lost he just hit send on his little mac-book.  It's not even surprising, that seems to be the standard for journalism these days.  Except me.  I'm really good.

-   Boy has Texeira been brutal.  Another weak grounder with a runner on base, and he's now at .062 for the series.  And yet since the Yankees will win, nobody will say a word.  This is so unfair to A-Rod. 

-  There is way too much being made of Damon stealing third after stealing second on the same play.  Yes, it was totally heads up and a great, smart, alert play - no doubt.  But also let's try to remember that A-Rod doubled two batters later - Damon is scoring from any base.  I'm just thankful Jeter isn't the one who made that play, can you imagine?  It would make the Madden/Favre love fest look like Twilight.  Because it's a chastity parable.  Shut up.  No, you're gay.

-  Utley walks and steals second - any chance we can get a losing player winning the World Series MVP?  I don't think it's ever happened, right?  I know some defensive guy from the Cowboys won the Super Bowl MVP even though the Cowboys lost back in the 70s, but I don't think it's happened in baseball.  Of course, seeing as how Jeter is on the Yankees and everyone loves him more than life itself, he'll get it for hitting .360 with no runs batted in and just two extra-base hits.  What a joke.  God I hate you Derek Jeter.  You know that scene is Se7en, where Kevin Spacey ties that guy to the bed and like cuts his hand off and somehow tortures him but keeps him alive for like a year?  What?  I'm just asking if you remember that scene, I ain't sayin' nothin'.

-  The NL's Jason Kubel knocks in Utley.  Burnett getting rocked.  And trust me, A.J. Burnett doens't have the mental capacity to recover when he's getting smoked.  Might as well pack up and head to New York, folks, this one's over.

-  Ibanez knocks in another one, and that'll do it for fragile little A.J.  We're going to David Robertson here folks, although if I'm Girardi I call this one over and go to Mitre or Gaudin.

-  Wow, base hit for Cliff Lee.  We're at 6-1 here, and Rollins can break this baby wide open.  Well, wide opener.

-  Strikes out like a jerk.

-  Link to Blue Ribbon's preview of Gopher basketball.  It points out something I had either forgotten or never knew:  The Gophers had more turnovers than assists last year.  Ouch.  Damian Johnson, Al Nolen, and Kevin Payton were the only ones with more assists than TOs, and Westbrook (1/1.5), Iverson (1/2.2), and Busch (1/2.l) were absolute killers.  Let's go ahead and put that as priority #1 for next season, shall we?  Also note that with rounding, future Big Ten P.O.Y. Ralph Sampson was one of only four players with a 1-to-1 ratio or better (and, of course, the preview doesn't fail to compare him to his "Heroin Satan" father - god that must get old).

-  FYI, Colbie Smulders recently had a baby, and she has lost the baby weight, but she hasn't lost it from everywhere, if you know what I'm saying.  (NOTE:  I'm talking about her boobs.)  This is her, if you are unaware:

Now imagine that with some C+ cups.

-  Derek Jeter got a hit.  MVP!  MVP!  MVP!  MVP!

-  Don't worry, nothing came of it.  And a great catch in left-center by Brett Gardner.  He's 10 times the fielder Melky is, too bad he can't hit for shit.  Sounds an awful lot like Carlos Gomez, no?

-  Iowa is ranked #4 in the latest BCS.  Serious question, how many other top 10 teams do you think Iowa would beat more often than not?  Florida?  Texas?  Alabama?  Boise?  Georgia Tech?  Cincy?  TCU?  I'm not sure there's a single team here they are bettre than..

-  Ok, actually they got a run somewhere back there, and it's now 6-2.  I would have known that, but I have become a bit distracted by facebook, and everybody trying to sound cool and ignore the fact that I was part of a group interview of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird today.  You are all jerks.

-  Oh, yeah.  So I was part of a conference call of a bunch of writers who got to do a group interview of Magic and Larry today.  Of course, it was only an hour and there were people from like, ESPN and The Sporting News and USA Today, etc., so I didn't get a chance to actually ask a question since I'm pretty sure I'd be the Pittsburgh Pirates of the invitees, but it was still cool.

- Cliffy keeps rolling along, now through seven with just the two runs allowed.  It certainly wouldn't hurt for the Phillies to pick up a couple of more runs here. 

-  This probably deserves it's own post, but here is a report on Corey Joseph's reaction to his official visit on Saturday.  Sounds good, folks, sounds really good.  In particular pay attention to the first two comments below the article - very insightful.

-  Utley just destroys a pitch down the line, but foul.  Dude, that guy is so dialed in right now it's ridiculous.

-  And the very next pitch he goes yard.  Again.  This guy is a second basemen, it just isn't right.  That's five in this series, which I think is some kind of record.  And we could have two more games.  I'm actually kind of starting to believe the Phillies can come back and win this - delirious, I know.

-  Ibanez goes yard.  This Phil Coke guy sucks.  Let me remind you all that Pedro's career postseason WHIP = 1.07.  Bring it Yanks, because I feel a career defining Pedro performance on Wednesday.  Yes, another one.

-  Cliffy gives up three straight hits, including a double that probably should have been caught but Ibanez is 100 years old to A-Rod and it's 8-4, and we get Chan Ho Park for like the 10th time this series.  Confidence = ug.

-  Park gets three straight guys out, but another run comes in when Ben Francisco - in at CF for the Flyin' Hawaiian who may or may not have injured his hand after taking a Burnett fastball off it - totally lolligags the throw to home and A-Rod tags up from third.  Really a very good, smart play.  He did the bluff-type thing, saw Francisco kind of wasn't really trying, and then just kept going and beat the throw.  Good play.  8-5 Phils, but the Yanks will get one more crack at it.

-  T-Wolves down 25-23 in the first.  I benched Kaman on my fantasy basketball team tonight and put in Ryan Anderson because I need more three-pointers.  Kaman has 8 points and 6 boards already.  Why the hell would I bench a center against the Wolves?  Dumb.  And speaking of fantasy, I now have the details on my fantasy college basketball league.  I'll be posting those sometime this week. 

-  Oh yeah, my fantasy basketball (NBA) team includes LeBron, Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, Joe Johnson, and Derrick Rose.  Yeah, I'm dominant.  Also when I just looked up my roster right there I realized that Kaman is still starting until tomorrow, so disregard all that "I'm dumb" talk.  Plus, you should have tried to make me feel better and you didn't.  Why are your feelings the only ones that matter?

-  8-5 still, but Madson gives up a lead-off double to Posada.  Seeing as how you not only can't trust Lidge, but he's probably not available anyway, I'd assume this is Madson's show.  If he sucks and they end up bringing in Brett Myers at any point, we might as well just engrave the trophy for the Yanks right then and there.

-  I just saw Danielle Harris's boobs.  God bless you free Showtime preview.

-  Base hit for Matsui.  If I used swear words on this blog, this would be the part where I would type fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

-  Jeter grounds into a double play.  Ha ha, way to be a True Yankee, Jeter.  Awesome.

-  Damon base hit.  A Tex home run here ties the game.  Awesome.  Nice bullpen Philadelphia.

-  Nevermind, he strikes him out proving that there is at least one person on this planet with the last name Madson who you can trust, and we're going back to New York where the Yankees will almost certainly win it.  But I really hope not.

Mbakwe Frame Job Nearly Complete

I wouldn't have expected Deebo to be able frame Mbakwe quite so well, but Joel "I'm a fantastically huge pussy" Maturi has decided that Mbakwe will be held out of the team's games until "the matter is "fully resolved."

He can still practice with the team, be part of the team, and attend classes, but won't be able to play in any games or travel to any away games.  All of which means is that this isn't really a punishment, it's nothing more than Maturi covering his own ass, for what reason I can't understand.

First of all, it appears to me at least that Trevor is almost certainly going to be cleared of this.  Not only does he have handfuls of witnesses who can place him away from the scene when this happened, but everybody knows all black people look alike so this is probably going to end up being a case of mistaken identity.  To the best of my knowledge, the entire body of evidence against him is simply one woman's identification, made not long after she was assaulted so who knows her state of mind.  Additionally, eye witness testimony, even identifications, are notoriously spotty.  Given this, I'm surprised they are actually taking this to trial at all, and even more surprised Maturi would hold him out.  When Michigan State is in town I think I'm going to punch Mrs. W in the face, then have her tell the cops Raymar Morgan did it.

Secondly, he says he believes it is both in Mbakwe's and the University's best interests to hold him out.  What?  How does that make any sense?  This isn't remotely in Mbakwe's best interests.  He's here to play basketball.  Now he can't play basketball.  And how is this doing anything good for the school?  How does holding him out do anything at all?  Because if he plays, and is then found guilty and can't play anymore it will disrupt the team?  That happens to every team every year because of injury.  You know what they do?  They take the guy's back up and make him the starter, which is now what Maturi is forcing Tubby to do prematurely.  I also think we should probably hold out Damian Johnson and Ralph Sampson, too.  Just in case they were going to get hurt this year.  We don't want to disrupt the team.

Lastly, whatever happened to Innocent until proven guilty?  I know this isn't a court of law, but does that mean we can/should suspend due process?  Honestly, I'm completely baffled by this whole thing.

There are two questions I have, the answers to which might make this make sense:

1)  Is there more information in the assault than I know about?  Any physical evidence, a witness to the attack, or any reason to believe the plethora of witnesses who can alibi Mbwake are lying?  Any real ironclad reason to think he's guilty?

2)  Is there some penalty to the school/team if a player is found guilty of assault and you didn't "hold them out of games."  Like, say Mbakwe plays in ten games, gets convicted, and kicked off the team - would the Gophers have to forfeit those games, lose scholarships, or be denied post season berths?  Not to my knowledge, which is why, again, I question how this is "protecting the University."

Most of the people I see agreeing with the decision are saying things like "it sends the right message" or "it's the right call."  My question is, why?  What is the message?  Wouldn't a better message be "we believe in our student/athletes", "we trust our players", or "we're behind you 100%"?  Maybe I'm way off here, I don't know.  Gopher Nation from The Daily Gopher disagrees with me, and plenty of other people do too.  I just think this is incredibly unfair to Mbakwe, and incredibly disappointing by Maturi.

Week In Review - 11/2/09

Thank the lord basketball is back, am I right fellas?  Honestly, I was getting a little tired of writing about football all the time, with all it's cover 2s and zone blitzes and drop kicks and statues of liberties.  I don't even know what most of that means, but all I know is I'm damn glad to be watching a little roundball again.

And speaking of Roundball, it sounds a lot like we may be getting some bad news from the U and Joel Maturi about Trevor Mbakwe today.  I don't want to get too much into it until the details all come out, but if what I think is about to happen does happen, this is just a horrible, horrible decision at best, and irresponsible and ruins someone's future at worst.  I am sure I'll get more into that later today when the everything is official. [NOTE:  It's official.  Post coming shortly]


WHO WAS AWESOME

1.  Adam Weber.  It's hard to evaluate the team's overall performance, since there are plenty of awesome things you can point to, but just as many sucky ones, but there's no doubt Weber impressed in Saturday night's big 42-34 win over the Spartans.  In his first full game without the next Wes Welker, Weber went 19-31 for a career high 416 yards and five scores, including two sixty-ish yarders to Duane Bennett, one of which was of the "immaculate reception" variety.  Weber seemed to choose Tow-Arnett as his new favorite receiver, and he caught 8 of the 19 completions the Gophers recorded for the game, but overall the ball was spread out, with six different Gophers making a catch.  I don't know if this is a step back in the right direction, or a good game against a forgiving defense, but for one week at least, Weber was certainly awesome.


2.  Carmelo Anthony.  Tearing.  It.  Up.  Like Zack Morris at a high school prom.  He's completely out of control.  In the Nuggets' three games this year (all wins) he's put down 30, 41, and 42 points.  As impressive as that is, he has shot 50, 53, and 58% in those three games from the floor, with overall shooting percentages of 54% from the floor, 43% from three, and 88% from the free throw line.  Oh, and he's also averaging 7.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals, all of which would be career highs other than the rebounds (would be second best).  Want more?  He's also turning it over just two times per game, which, yes, would be a career best.  His 2003 draftmates Lebron and Wade may have had more success, and Lebron has an MVP while Wade has a championship, but Anthony looks like a whole different player.  I'm declaring this the Year of the Melo.

3.  Boston Celtics.  It seems the reports that the Celtics were too old or fading weren't exactly true.  Ok, so those might have been just eminating from my head and not the national media, but the point is that the C's went 4-0 here on opening week, and in impressive fashion at that.  The four wins were over title contender Cleveland, playoff teams Chicago and New Orleans, and a complete ass-stomping of doormat Charlotte.  As per usual, they did it with good defense (opponents FG% ranged from 31 to 42%) and a balanced scoring attack, with three different leading scorers and eight different players hitting double-digits in the four games.  KG looks like maybe he did hit a wall, and is maybe not quite the same player, but he's smart enough and still good enough (and tall enough) to play a good complimentary role.  If nothing else, that win over Cleveland let's all y'all know - the Celtics are a title contender.

4.  Jonny Flynn.  Looking very, very promising so far, leading the Wolves in scoring in their first two games with 17 and 18, including a big run in the fourth quarter of their first game (and only win) against New Jersey.  Now, he's not exactly the best distributor yet, with just three assists per game (which sadly leads the team), and turns it over a bit too much, which is typical for a rookie, but his overall play has been a delight.  He leads the team in scoring (15.3), as well as free throws both made and attempted (14-16).  He's proving difficult to guard, gets to the paint, and draws a lot of fouls.  Once his shot further develops and he becomes a better passer, he's going to be a star.  Sorry Rubio, point guard spots taken.  

5.  Percy Harvin.  Did you know that Brad Childress regularly ends special teams practice by having Percy return kicks with no blockers against the regular kickoff team - and he scores nearly 80% of the time?  Did you know Percy once raced Secretariat, and won by five and a half lengths?  Did you know Percy can catch a bullet fired out of a .357 Magnum between his fingers - from three feet?  Did you know Percy can get to a Donkey Kong kill screen every time?  Did you know Percy once knocked up your girlfriend just by winking at her?



WHO SUCKED

1.  Charlotte Bobcats.  While reading up for the coming NBA season, I saw more than one preview that mentioned the Bobcats would be much improved this year.  Then the season started, and they lost by thirty to the Celtics.  Then they only beat the craptastic Knicks by two and needed two overtimes to do it - at home, so I decided to actually look at their team and figure out if they were good or bad, and trust me - they're bad.  Not only did they shoot under 38% in both games, including a 31% failure against Boston, but there is nobody on this roster.  Ray Felton is solid, but behind him the only intriguing prospect is D.J. Augustin, and he plays the same position.  They are starting Gerald Wallace and Stephen Graham, and Vladimir Radmanovic is their seventh man.  This isn't an improving young team, this is a crappy team who can't even say it has a bright future, whoever is in charge has destroyed this team. 

2.  Michigan.  You probably pay more attention than I do, so you probably know that Michigan sucks in the conference season, but I didn't, so it's news to me.  I remember them coming out in the non-conference season and going 3-0 with a nice win over Notre Dame, and then nothing, but according to the standings they have gone just 2-4 since then, including what could only be called an embarrassing loss to Illinois on Saturday by the count of 38-13 - ouch.  Basically, other than Notre Dame their wins this year are over Indiana, Delaware State, Western Michigan, and Eastern Michigan.  It seems the reports that Wolverine football is back might have been a bit premature - just like you last night, from what I hear.

3.  Brad Lidge.  Christ, I don't even know where to start with this fucking guy.  First of all, if it's your job to cover third, cover third.  Secondly, don't hit a guy who has like, one hit in the entire world series.  Thirdly, don't get hit around by the next couple of guys as if you were Phil Humber when you're supposed to be an elite closer, to the point where the only reason you even got out of the inning is because Posada got tossed trying to go to second.  Look, you were known as "shaky" this year already, but this is unforgiveable.  I thought the whole Blanton starting thing was a huge mistake by Manuel, and they really needed to copy New York and go to a three man rotation, but they got a good effort out of Blanton and were right in the game at 4-4.  Enter Lidge, who is a walking implosion.  You just can't do that.  We can go ahead and give the rings to the stupid Yankees now if you want.  I give up.
 Screw you Philllies.

4.  Corey Maggette.  Started the season with a 3-14 shooting performance, and then followed it up going 2-7, all of which adds up to a 5-21 start and a 24% shooting percentage - worst in the NBA amongst qualified players.  And, just so you're aware, he also has twice as many turnovers as assists thus far.  Way to go Corey!  I always thought Magette would be better than he ended up being.  But I'm kind of an idiot, so no big shocker. 

5.  NCAA Fascists.  FREE DEZ BRYANT!  FREE DEZ BRYANT!  FREE DEZ BRYANT!  Who's with me?  FREE DEZ BRYANT!  FREE DEZ BRYANT!!  FREE.....



Now who is ready for some NCAA Basketball (even if it's just exhibition games)?  I can't wait.