Minnesota Sports Misery Rankings - November edition

If there were to be a correlation study of the weather and moods in Minnesota, it's likely you'd find a correlation coefficient close to 1. That is, as one variable goes up, the other does too, but just the same as one goes down. Such can be said about weather and sports in the state of Minnesota. The highs of the summer and the Twins glorious regular season are gone, and the lows of winter and a struggling Minnesota sports landscape is upon us. It'll only get colder and it could get much worse. But then there are days like we've had in early November, where the weather inadvertently spikes up 20 degrees and all of a sudden there's reason for hope. So as we roll into late fall, TCW presents the November edition of the Minnesota Sports Misery Rankings.



EUPHORIC BLISS
A long suffering fan base was vindicated when the San Francisco Giants won their first title since moving to the Bay area. Good for them, we can only hope for this in the land of 10,000+ lakes.

POPULOUS PRIDE
None. Teams in this category are championship contenders and not just playoff participants.

CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC
The USA Today and AP pre-season NCAA Basketball rankings recently came out and the Gophers Basketball team didn't make either, but weren't too far off, coming in at 29th and 30th respectively. Joe Lunardi ESPN's bracketologist just released his first NCAA Tournament Bracket of the season and he has the Gophers slotted as an 8 seed team. This is all good news in Tubby land. This signifies that the experts believe the Gophers will be competitive and one of the best teams in the country. However this doesn't necessarily mean the Gophers will be elite and at the top of the Big Ten. The Gophers have 10 non-conference games to start the year. Often times these non-conference schedules face mainly cream-puff teams and give only a brief indicator of how competitive a team will be in the Big 10 conference slate. That won't be the case for the Gophers though. Their schedule may seem very favorable, but an in depth look shows that of the 10 teams they face, 6 have made the NCAA tournament either last year or the year before or both; Wofford, Siena, Western Kentucky, North Dakota State, Cornell, and Akron. Of the others, Eastern Kentucky won 20 games last year, annual ACC foe Virginia is no pushover, and St. Joseph's is the only road game. That leaves South Dakota State as the one true cream puff on the schedule. Don't get me wrong here, the Gophers should be favored in every game and if they come out 8-2 or better, this could be a great Gophers Basketball season.

BANDWAGON TEAM OF THE MONTH
Something is happening that profoundly made a statement on the Minnesota sports landscape that the other 2 active Pro Teams cannot say at this time, the Minnesota Wild have more wins than losses! Pandemonium right? Ticker tape parades and riots? Well not yet, but the Wild are providing some hope in the frozen North. After starting the year looking shaky in Finland and a so-so October, the Wild have reeled off 3 straight wins and are undefeated in November. At 7-4 and 2nd in the Northwest Division, ESPN just skyrocketed their Power Ranking to 9th in the NHL, up 11 spots from last week alone. How are they doing it? Penalty kills and power play goals, currently ranked in the top 10 in each, and with Backstrom in goal have allowed the 4th fewest goals per game. Can they keep it up? We will see as the season is still in infancy. For now they are driving a full double decker of fans hoping for a chance of glory or a snippet of hope.

WAITING ROOM OPTIMISM
Its Hot Stove season for Major League Baseball, also known as the offseason. Free agency has opened its doors and the big names are deciding where they should take their services next year. ESPN and Sports Illustrated recently released their top 50 free agents and the Minnesota Twins can find 2 of their 2010 players on the list. The most sought after Twin will be Carl Pavano, who won 17 games last year and established himself as a reliable veteran innings eater who has a lot left in the tank. The question will be whether teams are willing to throw the Yankee type contract he received from New York several years ago. Everyone knows that turned out to be a bust, injury plagued decision that cost New York millions (never mind that they can afford it). The Twins have built a good relationship with Pavano and he might just decide to stay in Minnesota where he has a loyal following and a good thing going to finish his career. Plus, his mustache has reached legendary status and has its own separate following. The other big free agent decision is 40 year old Jim Thome and his 589 career home runs. Although he only spent 1 season in Minnesota, you can tell Thome and the Twins got a long really well and he was more than just a good character guy, he was a force at the plate, leading the team in Home Runs and providing clutch hits in about half the at bats as the regulars. If the Twins bring back these 2 veteran free agents, optimism for 2011 will grow steadily.

HANGING BY A THREAD
The team that never stays far from the headlines, whether good or bad, is producing another roller coaster season of emotions. Vikings fans are standing on the edge of the cliff. One win gets you one step closer to safety, one loss pushes you one step closer to going over the edge and landing at the bottom of the gorge where dreams are squashed and the next best thing is the NFL draft. Last Sunday's game versus the Cardinals epitomized these feelings. The Vikings eventually won the game in overtime, but not before pulling out the teeth and hair of all its fans by giving up 2 special teams touchdowns and losing by 14 points with 7 minutes to go. A win is a win, but nothing is easy this year. The team is fighting to stay sane with a litany of negative press, mainly aimed at one man, Brad Childress. The guy who played Major Dad and Buffalo Bill (ok not really), never gained the support of the fans in Minnesota, and now has the entire fan base and according to reports, his own players against him. His fate is already likely sealed, even if the team starts winning again, its likely the Vikings will blow up and look quite different next year and a new head coach is just what a re-building team needs. Oh, did I forget something? Randy Moss. There I said it. Are you happy now?

STANDING OUTSIDE A BROKEN PHONE BOOTH WITH MONEY IN OUR HANDS
Gophers Hockey epitomizes this statement, which is actually a song by the Primitive Radio Gods and can be found on the Cable Guy soundtrack. The team is 5-4-1 on the season, including 3-4-1 in WCHA play. The Gophers have loads of talent, but can't seem to skate their way past a WCHA conference that has caught up to the Gophers over the past couple years in terms of competition and talent. In fact, the Gophers are no longer the best team in Minnesota, at present time, that honor goes to the University of Minnesota Duluth, who's only blemish on the season comes at the hands of perennial favorites North Dakota in Grand Forks. The Gophers have a 13 day layoff between games, and will pick up action again on November 19th against Michigan Tech, maybe just the opponent they'll need to pick up some momentum as MT often occupies the cellar of the WCHA.

GLIMMERS OF HOPE AMONG SEAS OF DESPAIR
I started writing this edition a few days ago, but life got in the way and I had to shelve my thoughts for a bit. In that time, the Minnesota Timberwolves created a new category and buoyed themselves from utter despair for the time being. Last night I couldn't sleep, so I stayed up and watched the Wolves-Kings late night west coast game. I couldn't believe it, but I saw a very competitive 1-7 team play like they knew what they were doing. The T-Wolves beat the Kings last night to improve their record to 2-7 and for the time being hold a slightly better record than 3 other teams (Raptors, Rockets, Clippers). This team likely needs to savor its victories, because they'll probably be few and far between. But I place them in this glimmer of hope category for a 2 reasons: Michael Beasley and Kevin Love. I watched Beasley toss up a career high 42 points last night and take over in the 4th quarter the way all-stars do. Beasley was dominant, albeit against the Kings, but non-the-less, he's a go-to-guy at the end of the game that this team has sorely lacked since the days of you know who. The other T-Wolf that you got to love, is coincidentally named Love. Kevin Love pulled down a whopping 24 boards and put up 23 points. Love is a rebounding machine the likes of Dennis Rodman, but with far less tattoos and a better jump shot. He's 2nd in the league in rebounds and the Timberwolves are the best rebounding team in the league. Love and Beasley are just 22 and 21 years of age respectively, so they have much developing to do, but if they can produce like this now, can you imagine what they'll be like in 2 to 3 years?

COMICAL DEPRESSION
The Gophers football team hasn't had much to hold itself up against. The team is staring at its 2nd 1-11 season in just three years. Not what Tim Brewster had in mind when he stated the Gophers would make history upon his arrival in 2007. He's now gone, but not much has changed. The Gophers have lost all 3 games since Brewster left by a combined 116-39. You can circle November 28th on your calendar if your a Gophers Football fan, that's the day after the last game of the season, when the carnage of 2010 comes to an end and we can all ice our backs for the rest of the season. The Gophers football team does have a distinction though that the basketball team can't say yet. They have been featured in weekly rankings on ESPN.com. Unfortunately however, these aren't the rankings you want to be in. The Bottom 10 features the worst teams in College Football and out of the 11 weeks, they have found themselves on the list 5 times and on the waiting list 4 times. Ouch. The Gophers can at least thank the Zips of Akron for their winless season thus far, making the Gophers only the 2nd worst team in all of college football by record.


That's it for this Month's edition of the Minnesota Sports Misery Rankings. Yesterday was the last 60 degree day in 2010 and today is likely the last 50 degree day this year. Therefore I hope you got a cup of hope with your misery coffee today and see the bright lights in the dark cold that awaits the Minnesota landscape for the next 6 months.

Until next time, remember that guns don't kill people, but people with guns often do.

bsv
the courtesy wave

The Virtual Tourist

I've traveled all over the world. I've been driven from Bangkok to Bangladesh, I've sailed from South Africa to South Korea, I even took a hot air balloon ride from Guinea to Equatorial Guinea, with a pit stop in Guinea Bissau. And I've done all this from the confines of my desk. Technology has allowed me to become a virtual tourist with the ability to see the world virtually through the screen in front of you.



Like most things in life nowadays, Google is at the center of virtual travel. You can pinpoint a location down to the foot. In fact, you can even end up on the map itself if you happen to be lucky enough to have the street view cam car catch you. I'll get to that in a little bit. Google's map features are so incredible they make you forget that Mapquest even existed. I can vaguely remember the days when someone asked me where something was and I told them the address and said to mapquest it. Little did I know that google would swallow Mapquest, as they did Yahoo and everything else in their path. On top of being able to search for any address in the world, Google gives you the option to view the maps politically, via satellite, the terrain, in real traffic time, and maybe the most visually impressive, Google Earth. The Google Earth view allows you to view the landscape and terrain of any spot on Earth with buildings and other landmarks projected in 3D. However, I rank the Satellite view as the most appealing feature.

I consider myself to be a connoisseur of geography. Next to sports, I eat up all the information I can get on world geography. Maybe that's odd, but I just find it interesting to learn about the different countries and cultures there are out there. And to realize that life exists in many different ways outside of the US. Back to the satellite view. Have you ever wondered about those tiny dots on the globe that you need magnifying glasses to see in many cases? Well often times those dots are tiny countries, islands, and ultimately someones home land. I implore you to pull up Google maps and find one of those tiny dots, then hit Satellite view and zoom in. You may be interested to find houses and roads exist in the craziest of places. Yesterday, I took a jaunt through the Tanzania, I had heard of a spot where the highest density of elephants in the world was, the Tarangire National Park, I saw mainly desert for most of the virtual trip, but then all of a sudden I stumbled onto a huge pack of elephants.

The Street view option is amazing too. It's like someone has given you keys to a car that can drive anywhere in the world without the need of a passport. Almost every major city in the world has its city streets street viewed by Google. Just drag and hold the little yellow man on your left, if the street or road lights up blue, you're good to go. Plop the yellow man (or woman) down and begin sightseeing. A couple months ago I took a trip up the Highlands in Scotland, I've always wanted to go there, and still do, but for now I'll settle for the virtual trip. I've never been to Australia, but would love to go someday, in the meantime, I visited Ayers rock a couple days ago. I drove as far as I could, then used pictures to get to the large sediment rock in Western Australia.

I could go on and on about places I've been. I love to travel, but current economic times put discretionary spending on travel as a low priority. If you find yourself in this situation, don't fret, always keep your goals in front of you and if you really want to get there someday, determination will see that you do. But for now, take a virtual tour, its free and you just might find or stumble upon something you had no idea that existed. And maybe that makes you more worldly or you find it interesting like me. Or maybe you can take a virtual break from a stressful reality. Whatever your choice may be, I hope your travels bring you joy and a new sense of awareness of the world around you.

That's all for now. Happy traveling and don't forget to bring 2 forms of ID with you when you travel!

bsv
the courtesy wave

Weekend Sports Guide Nov 5th-7th

November? Really? Another year is flying by with only 2 months left in 2010. Although we never want to wish away time, if your a sports fan like me and living in Minnesota, it figures to be a long winter and part of me just wants to hibernate until spring. But for now I'll enjoy the rest of what the sports world has to offer. If you're a college football fan, there's plenty to thirst your appetite this weekend with 10 ranked teams going head-to-head and plenty of rivalry games too. Since there's a lot to get to, lets get this started. Enjoy the read and happy viewing!



COLLEGE FOOTBALL

TOP 25 FACEOFFS
3 TCU (9-0) at 5 UTAH (8-0) 2:30p
As close to a playoff college football game as you'll get. The winner of these 2 undefeated programs from the Mountain West conference gets a chance to finish in the top 2 in the BCS and land a national title. The loser will have zero chance barring a miracle. Its hard to determine a clear favorite, as both teams are excellent. If we look at common opponents this year, each team has faced UNLV, Wyoming, Colorado State, and Air Force. Utah outscored those four 155-45, while TCU outscored them 15-13. The key in this game will be defense and TCU has the best defense in college football, followed closely by Utah. These teams are used to scoring 40 plus a game, that won't be the case on Saturday. Tough game on the road, but I think its the Horned Frog's year.
TCU 24-21

6 ALABAMA (7-1) at 10 LSU (7-1) 2:30p
Now on to a more traditional top 10 matchup between two storied universities. In what's been dubbed the Saban Bowl due to the fact that current Bama head coach Nick Saban also coached and won a national championship at LSU. Like the TCU/Utah game this one is proabably an elimination game for the national title. Preseason favorite Alabama has bounced back from their loss at South Carolina with 2 convincing wins since. LSU is coming off a tough road loss at Auburn. In games versus Tennessee and Florida, LSU squeaked out victories by a total of 5 points. Whereas Alabama blasted both teams by a total score of 72-16. The Crimson tide have the momentum back and are poised to make another title run. Like TCU above, tough one on the road.
ALABAMA 34-26

13 STANFORD (7-1) vs 15 ARIZONA (7-1) 7p
These two teams are playing 2nd fiddle in the PAC 10 this year next to Oregon, who's not slowing down and definitely not losing this week at home versus struggling Washington. Stanford has already lost their chance against Oregon this year, but Arizona has a shot at them on the road November 26th. However, all eyes should be staring down the Cardinal this week, and especially at the guy behind center, Andrew Luck. In fact, the Wildcats might need a little luck to go with talent this week.
STANFORD 31-24

17 OKLAHOMA STATE (7-1) vs 21 BAYLOR (7-2) 11:30a
Well the Cowboys have burned me the last 2 weeks, I picked for them vs Nebraska and against them versus Kansas State, and they proved me wrong each time. Now they face a Baylor team who's spent the last 2 weeks in the top 25, equally the same amount spent the last 17 years. Both teams will beat you on offense before they do so on defense. And I've always like the 3 headed monster of QB Weeden, RB Hunter, and WR Blackmon. I'm going back to the Cowboys this week, hoping for better results.
OKLAHOMA STATE 45-34

18 ARKANSAS (6-2) at 19 SOUTH CAROLINA (6-2) 6p
Two of the top 10 rated QB's face off in this one as the Razorbacks Ryan Mallet duels it out against the Gamecocks Stephen Garcia. Mallet throws early and often and has talented wide receivers, but he doesn't have Alshon Jeffrey, the Gamecocks 6'4" 230 WR should pass 1000 yards receiving and already has 7 touchdowns on the year. South Carolina came up big against Alabama, where Arkansas came up short. Look for similar results in this one.
SOUTH CAROLINA 31-28

RIVALRY GAMES
WESTERN MICHIGAN (3-5) at CENTRAL MICHIGAN (2-7) Friday 5p - CANNON TROPHY
The trophy has been given out only since 2008, but the series dates back another 100 years to 1907. Western Michigan leads all time 43-35-2. The trophy represents the cannons that are fired at both CMU's Kelly/Shorts Stadium and WMU's Waldo Stadium, it sits atop the trophy and each of the schools' wins are noted on both sides. Keep an eye out for the Broncos (WMU) Jordan White, who's 5th in the nation in receiving yards, including 348 in their last 2 games. That being said, there's nothing else to watch here. These 2 teams have combined to beat 3 FBS teams, Ball State 2-7, Eastern Michigan (1-8), and Akron (0-9).
WESTERN MICHIGAN 31-21

25 NORTH CAROLINA STATE (6-2) at CLEMSON (4-4) 11a - TEXTILE BOWL
Why textile? Apparently NC State and Clemson are two of the biggest and best Textile schools in the country. They'll be weaving against each other again this weekend in a game that dates back to 1899 and trophy game since 1981. Clemson leads all time 50-27-1 and has a current 6 game winning streak. They seem to be in a down year, yet all 4 of their losses have been by less than 10 points. NC State has struggled on the road, losing at East Carolina a few weeks ago. This game is also my UPSET SPECIAL as the Tigers will look to continue their dominance over the Wolfpack.
CLEMSON 28-25

AIR FORCE (5-4) at ARMY (5-3) 11a - COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF'S TROPHY
The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is awarded to each season's winner of the triangular college football series among the United States Military Academy (Army Black Knights), the United States Naval Academy (Navy Midshipmen), and United States Air Force Academy (Air Force Falcons). In the event of a tie, the award is shared, but the previous winner retains possession of the trophy. Air Force leads all time with 16 wins, but none since 2002. If they win on Saturday, that 8 year losing streak will end. You can put away the plane tickets and take out the car keys because this game will be decided on the ground. Two of the nation's worst passing teams and not coincidentally two of the best rushing teams. Although the records are similar, the guts of the schedules are not. Army's best win of their 5 comes against 3-5 Tulane. While the Air Force is lacking a signature victory, they have faced 3 top 10 teams this year and came close versus Oklahoma (27-24) and Utah (28-23). Falcons have the experience and will become bowl eligible after this weekend.
AIR FORCE 34-24

SOUTHERN MISS (5-3) at TULANE (3-5) 2:30p - BATTLE FOR THE BELL
These 2 teams are separated by 110 mile stretch of interstate and have been battling for the bell since 1979. Southern Miss has dominated the series 22-7, including the last 5. This one is in New Orleans, and while on paper I like the Golden Eagles, I have little other information and knowledge on this game and will say that the Green Wave of Tulane has victories against decent teams Rutgers and UTEP, so maybe they can pull out another one.
TULANE 38-35

GOPHER WATCH
MINNESOTA (1-8) at 14 MICHIGAN STATE(8-1) 11a
Get ready for a bloodbath. The Spartans are coming off an ugly loss to Iowa and will be looking for revenge as they still are in the driver seat for a Big Ten Championship. This one with get ugly early as the Gophers just don't have the talent to stay with anyone in the Big Ten.
SPARTANS 52-10

NFL

BUCCANEERS (5-2) at FALCONS (5-2) Noon
You could make a solid argument for the Falcons being in this position, but not so much for the Bucs, who were thought to still be in rebuilding mode this year. But as the story with the NFC goes, nothing is normal this year. Tampa Bay has a future all pro Quarterback in Josh Freeman, really keep your eye on this guy, in my opinion he's just a few steps away from being an elite QB. The LeGarrette Blount project is in full swing too as the troubled Oregon running back has emerged as the go to guy in the ground game. His 222 yards are just 10 yards more than Cadillac Williams, but blount has gotten there in 43 carries as opposed to Williams' 84. On the other side, the Falcons are no longer a 1 man show now that QB Matt Ryan and WR Roddy White have formed a top 5 combination. While Tampa has improved, they're not contenders yet until they can prove to stop the run, currently the worst defense against the run. They won't stop Turner or Ryan/White for that matter this Sunday.
FALCONS 27-17

CARDINALS (3-4) at VIKINGS (2-5) Noon
The Randy Moss experiment is now officially over. Just a month ago, Vikings fan were praising the move and ready to buy their playoff tickets. Now, Vikings fans just assume burn their Moss jerseys and are calling for Childress' head. It's a must win scenario this weekend for a couple, one the fan base desperately needs it and two if they lose it stands to be a long season and this core of veterans will be blown up for a rebuilding year or years to come. The Cardinals are not good this year, their Derek Anderson experiment has gone completely awful. Fitzgerald is only effective when he gets the ball, and he hasn't gotten enough this year. Although Arizona did somehow pull off a shocker versus New Orleans this year,Minnesota knows what the stakes are and should pull off the win.
VIKINGS 34-21

GIANTS (5-2) at SEAHAWKS (4-3) 3p
A possible playoff preview takes place in this battle of Division leaders. The parity of the NFL shines brightly in Seattle where the Seahawks weren't expected to compete. It could be a product of their division however as the NFC West is arguably the weakest division in the NFL. Seattle doesn't even do anything that great, they are near last in rushing, passing, and pass defense. Their top 10 pass defense is the only thing to hold a candle to. The Giants on the other hand are well deserving of their record. Of the 4 categories mentioned above, the Giants hold a top 8 ranking in each. Manning, Bradshaw, and Nicks will roll this weekend.
GIANTS 38-24

CHIEFS (5-2) at RAIDERS (4-4) 3:15p
Like the Seahawks, the Chiefs and Raiders have been a surprise this year, the Chiefs especially, proving that their opening day win versus San Diego was no fluke. Its #1 vs #2 on Sunday at the Black Hole. That's the #1 rushing team in Kansas City, vs #2 Oakland. The Chiefs Jamal Charles and the Raiders Darren McFadden are very familiar with each other, both being taken in the 2008 draft, both with mediocre rookie seasons, and while Charles exploded last year, McFadden is on pace this year. The Black Hole is a tough place to play as the Seahawks found out last week, and the Chiefs are without a road victory yet. This game is always charged up with it being a division rivalry, but this year has possible playoff implications. If the Raiders win, we'll have a dogfight battle for the AFC West on our hands.
RAIDERS 27-25

COLTS (5-2) at EAGLES (4-3) 3:15p
The Hank Bassett Bowl takes place on Sunday afternoon as Bassett's former teams play each other. I suppose most wouldn't call it that way, but since he's now on the Vikings and when Brad Childress was asked by the media what impact it would have on the receivers, he mentioned, "we still have Hank Baskett". Whew, thank god, right? Anyways, Vick returns well rested and ready to gunsling again. Should be a good matchup vs prime time QB's Vick and all-world Peyton Manning. The Eagles have a balance run/pass game, the Colts rely more on the passing. A toss up matchup, I'll go with the Vick returning, home game for Philly angle.
EAGLES 28-20

NBA
Its too early for the NBA, long season and hard to get excited for anything now.

NHL
Same thing as NBA, I'll try to make some futile attempts at this later in the season. No promises though.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Starts on Monday! Look for previews of top matchups next weekend!

Well thats it for now, hope you enjoy this first weekend in November and don't forget to turn your clocks back on Sunday!

bsv
the courtesy wave

Weekend Sports Guide Halloween edition

If you haven't got your costume yet for this weekend, then you're way behind the 8 ball. Halloween weekend is upon us and what was once a predominately kids holliday, has turned into a billion dollar adult consumer binge weekend. According to a couple surveys, the Average American spends $56-$70 on Halloween related things. Well if you want to shutter yourself in the rest of the weekend and save some dough. You can catch a few exciting games from this weekend's edition of the TCW Weekend Sports Guide.



MLB
Games 1 and 2 are in the books and its all Giants so far as San Francisco has claimed a 2-0 lead in the best of 7 series. The National League finally won an all star game and gave the Giants the advantage by opening up at home. All was thought to be lost on that advantage when Cliff Lee took the mound for the Rangers. But the dominant and nearly flawless postseason Lee didn't show up for the World Series and the Giants capitalized taking game 1. Then following the momentum and success of Lincecum, Matt Cain turned in a dazzling game 2 performance, shutting out Texas in an eventual 7-0 route. The Giants can relax a little as they head to Arlington.

WORLD SERIES GAME 3 - LEWIS (TEX) vs. SANCHEZ (SF)
If you're a casual fan, I will understand if you've never heard of Colby Lewis, but if you've been following the postseason, you should definately know who the other C.L. from Texas is. Lewis is having a remarkable postseason, dominating the competition with a 2-0 mark and a 1.45 ERA. Not unprecedented, but utterly shocking coming from a journeyman pitcher who spent the last 2 years in Japan. A 12-13 mark on the season and career 24-28 W/L record, there was no reason to think that Colby Lewis would be a big advantage for Texas, but here we are. He's starting game 3 in the most important game of the series. He pitched them into the World Series, not he has to keep them in it. He's got a tough opponent to do so though in Jonathon Sanchez, a power pitcher who has racked up 24 strikeouts ins 15 plus innings this postseason. He throws a lot of pitches though and tends to walk a lot too. If the Rangers are patient, they can get to Sanchez and knock him out by the 5th. That's going to be tough though, the Rangers bats have been held silent and they are going to come out swinging to prove why they are considered the better team offensively in this matchup.
RANGERS take game 3 and make it an interesting series.


WORLD SERIES GAME 4 - HUNTER (TEX) vs BUMGARNER (SF)
The game 4 starters have been announced as Tommy Hunter versus Madison Bumgarner. However, this has to be listed with caution. If the Rangers win game 3, then the formula will stick and Hunter will start. If they lose game 3, look for the Rangers to start Cliff Lee instead as deperation mode will set in. This would still line up Lee for a Game 7 start if possible. For now, we'll discuss the 2 scheduled starters. 45 years. Thats the collective age of Bumgarner (21) and Hunter (24). Most guys that age are still partying in college or living with their parents. These guys are starting game 4 of the World Series. Hunter is older, but has not pitched in the postseason as much as Bumgarner. He had a decent 13-4 year, but doesn't have dominating stuff and relies heavily on his defense behind him. Bumgarner, the 10th overall pick in the 2007 draft has raw talent and a blazing fastball. However, he's never been on a stage this huge before and at 21 its hard to fathom how he'll be able to control his emotions. Look for Hamilton, Guerrero, Cruz, and Young to take charge offensively in games that could be high scoring.
RANGERS take game 4 and even up the series.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Last night saw another top 25 defeat by an unranked opponent as North Carolina State took advantage of a late fumble to upset 16th ranked Florida State. Which brings me to my next point. Predicting outcomes in College Football is easier said than done! After going 7-1 a couple weeks ago, I've gone 10-13 since, which has not only humbled me, but made me search more in depth on a team's potential. We'll see how I do this week.

TOP 25 FACE OFFS
5 MICHIGAN STATE (8-0) at 18 IOWA (5-2) 2:30p (CST)
The Spartans are in uncharted waters. The last time Michigan State was undefeated this late in the season was in 1966 when the team went 9-0-1 and claimed the National Championship under legendary coach and awesomely named Duffy Daugherty. Surviving a scare from Northwestern last week, Michigan State finds an even tougher road opponent this week in Iowa. Ricky Stanzi and company are coming off a heartbreaking last minute loss to Wisconsin and are in a must-win mode to fight for the Big Ten Championship and stay in Rose Bowl consideration. Iowa has 2 losses, but only 1 Conference loss, meaning taking down the Spartans would even up the standings in the loss column, along with Ohio State, and Purdue. They'll take that motivation with them and send the Spartans home disappointed.
IOWA 28-24

6 MISSOURI (7-0) at 14 NEBRASKA (6-1) 2:30p
The fight for the Victory Bell could not have a more polarizing QB matchup in college football than what will take place this saturday in Lincoln. Taylor Martinez is a run first, pass 2nd QB and Blaine Gabbert from Missouri is the exact opposite. Martinez is 10th in the nation in rushing at 870 yards, Gabbert has rushed for a total of 0 yards. Yep, that's not a typo, there he's netted exactly nothing this year. Gabbert may not be a household name, but his Tigers are ranked in the top 10, whereas the Huskers are not. (for now). Both teams are coming off upset victories over Oklahoma teams (OU for Missou and OK State for Nebraska). The Tigers are stout on defense which has kept their opponents at bay. But even if they shut down Martinez on the run, he may be showing tha he can throw too as evidenced in last week's 5 touchdown, 312 yard performance through the air. A home game for Nebraska, this will be a tough game for Missouri.
NEBRASKA takes it 31-24

RIVALRY GAMES
One of the joys of College is the traditions that each school is rooted in and a lot of those traditions take place on the battlefield between rival universities. Geography, history, symbolism, and former players/coaches all can take into consideration the traditions of a matchup. In many cases a Rivalry game is 2nd to a Conference championship, and it can provide entertainment in those years that desperately need it. Here are a few highlighted Rivalry Games this weekend.

PURDUE (4-3) at ILLINOIS (4-3) 11a - Purdue Cannon
This historic rivalry started back in the early 1900's when a group of Purdue students took a cannon to Champaign in anticipation of firing it to celebrate a Boiler victory. The Boilermakers won, but the Cannon was discovered before the Purdue students could start their booming celebration. The Cannon was moved to a farmhouse near Milford, Ill., where it survived a fire and gathered dust until it was suggested the cannon be used as a trophy in the football series between the two schools when the rivalry was resumed in 1943 after a 12-year lapse. Purdue holds the series edge 30-26-2, winning the last 5 and 8 out of the last 10. Both teams struggle on offense, especially in the passing game, where both teams are in the bottom 15 in the country. They'll rely on the ground game and defense. Where the Illini have the edge. Each team is coming off blowouts, Illinois over Indiana 43-13 and Purdue in a loss to Ohio State 49-0. The Fighting Illini are are home and will use last week as a momentum to grab back the Purdue Cannon after a 5 year hiatus.
ILLINOIS 27-21

FLORIDA (4-3) vs GEORGIA (4-4)in Jacksonville - Okefenokee Oar
Officially the game is titled the Florida vs Georgia Football Classic, but with all the tailgating and other events associated with it, it has also been named the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party". Although this series dates back to 1915, this is only the 2nd year a trophy has been presented to the winner. The Oar was crafted from a 1000-year-old cypress tree that once grew in the Okefenokee Swamp that straddles the Florida-Georgia border. This year's game will feature a rare sight, neither team is ranked at this time. But that will be a moot point as rankings don't mean a thing between these 2 teams. On the field the teams are going in opposite directions. The Bulldogs are gaining steam after starting the year 1-4, they've won their last 3 games, scoring 40 or more points each time against SEC mid-level competition. The Bulldogs have a chance to salvage there season and finish with a trip to a bowl game. They'll take a win over Florida over anything else however. The Gators are heading the other way after losing 3 straight, all to teams that are currently in the top 25 though. If they can right the ship, a win over Georgia sets up a big matchup against SEC West leader South Carolina, the winner of that game could be headed to the SEC championship game. Both teams have a lot at stake, and neither team has a definite advantage.
I'll take GEORGIA in a tough game in Jacksonville 27-24

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL (2-4) at FLORIDA ATLANTIC (1-5) 3p - Shula Bowl
The Shula Bowl is named after former Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula, to whom each school's first head coach has previous ties. FAU's head coach Howard Schnellenberger was an assistant of Shula in the 1970s and FIU's former head coach Don Strock was a player under Shula in the 1970s and 1980s. Consider this game as a best of the worst matchup. As FAU and FIU are consistently 2 of the worst college football teams in the country. The series has been one-sided with Florida Atlantic holding a 7-1 edge. The Golden Panthers of FIU might have the edge though this year, coming of 2 straight wins (albeit against doormats Western Kentucky and North Texas). The Owls of FAU hold a lone victory against UAB, but did lose by just 13 to now #5 Michigan State earlier this year. Despite the 2-4 record, FIU is tied for first with Troy as the only undefeated Sun Belt teams. They have to hold on to the hope that they can sustain this winning streak and put them into contention for FIU's first ever bowl game. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL 31-17

UPSET SPECIAL
KANSAS STATE (5-2) vs 17 OKLAHOMA STATE (6-1) 11a
These 2 teams have one big thing in common, Nebraska and not because you have to drive through Kansas to get to Nebraska. Both teams got scored on at will by the Cornhuskers giving up atleast 48 points to them. The CW put a lot of faith in Oklahoma State last week, but was burned by a suprisingly pass efficient Taylor Martinez. This week the 3 headed monster of Weeden, Hunter, and Blackmon is down to 2 after Blackmon's DUI cost him from suiting up this week. That puts a big emphasis on Hunter, who's 3rd in the nation and might rise to the challenge and prove he can handle the load if needed. K-State is coming off a close high scoring loss to Baylor, that vaulted the Bears from Waco into the top 25. The Wildcats have average 51 points in their last 3 games, and up until last week, had shown a very stingy defense. With Blackmon out, K State will rush the box more often and force Weeden to find other receivers. The Wildcats are no slouch on offense either, they'll the 7th best rusher in the country in Daniel Thomas to pull off the upset in Manhattan.
KANSAS STATE 42-28

GOPHER WATCH
It was hard to do, but I found something the Gophers do better than the Buckeyes, other than finding ways to lose games. The Gophers are actually ranked 1 spot higher than the Buckeyes at 41st in the nation in pass yards per game 246 to 244. This edge is likely to keep the Gophers in the game until the Buckeyes get off the bus at TCF Stadium. The Gophers haven't beat Ohio State since the Middle Ages, but in a silver lining, at least theyre not facing the them in the Metrodome, where Ohio State went undefeated against Minnesota. The last time the Gophers beat Ohio State at home, I wasn't even an embryo (1981). After last week's desperate hope post as an upset special vs Penn State, I know much better now.
OHIO STATE 42-21

NFL

GREEN BAY (4-3) at NY JETS (5-1) 12p
The battle of the green jerseys takes place on Sunday at the New Meadowlands stadium. Green Bay takes its show on the road after their big Sunday night win against the Vikings and Brett Favre's last return to Green Bay. At 4-3, the Packers are tied for the best record in the paltry NFC North. Aaron Rodgers is keeping the injured Packers afloat with steady and productive play, but he'll face a tough corner in Darrell Revis this weekend. On the other side, LT is making all the writers and experts rip up their predictions that he was riding into the sunset. He's back to being the man behind the offense, leading a powerful 1-2 punch of Tomlinson and Shonn Greene. With Sanchez offering enough efficiency to get the ball to them, Braylon Edwards, and Dustin Keller, the Jets have a balanced offensive attack. Coming off a bye week, New York is well rested to face a Packers team that played Sunday night and is duct taping their roster together.
JETS take this game. 34-24

MINNESOTA (2-4) at NEW ENGLAND (5-1) 3:15p
The magic that was last year for the Minnesota Vikings has seemingly lost its luster. After another long offseason of will he or wont he, Favre came back to much fanfare in Minnesota, but has yet to deliver anything remotely consistent to last year. The Vikings 2 wins this year come against 1-5 teams, so despite being in the NFC North, where 9-7 could win the division, the panic button should already have been pushed for the Vikings. Add in the fractured ankle that Favre suffered last week, we don't even know if Favre will be playing this week. Either way, I wouldn't bet on the Vikings right now, especially on the road against New England. Trading Randy Moss and Laurence Maroney have only seemed to help the Patriots, despite lacking a true "star" running back or wide receiver. Brady makes up for that though. He's only tossed 4 interceptions all year and consistently hooks up with Welker on 3rd down.
PATRIOTS overcome a Viking invasion in New England 28-21

PITTSBURGH (5-1) at NEW ORLEANS (4-3) 7:20p
The battle of the last 2 superbowl champions takes place Sunday night at the defending champion's home stadium, the Superdome. The Steelers are just a minute's worth of time away from being undefeated on the season, despite playing the first 4 games without all-pro Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers have gotten the job done they way they always do it, by rushing and defense. Mendenhall has been effective enough to offset back-up QB's Batch and Dixon, and the defense is #1 against the run. The Saints have played good but not great and definitely not consistent, trading wins and losses in the last 6 games. They have gotten it done through the air as expected with gunslinger Drew Brees behind center. Injuries to Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush have hurt the running game, a recent surge by Chris Ivory is positive though. I like Pittsburgh on the road, as they seem to be gelling with Roethlisberger and settling in for another deep post-season run.
STEELERS 28-27

Well that's it for now. Have a safe and happy halloween weekend and don't forget to throw out the orange peanuts and never take candy from strangers unless your in a costume.

bsv
the courtesy wave

TCW Weekend Sports Guide Oct 22nd-24th

Checked the forecast and still couldn't believe it, but we're headed for another 70 degree day here in Minnesota. It's been an amazing fall with record temperatures left and right, but as I was checking the 10 day forecast last night, I was a little humbled to see the high of 40 and a chance of snow on Thursday. So I'll enjoy this day, probably the last time we see 70 until April. Onto the previews and predictions!



MLB
For the first time since 2004, both League Championship series will go to a game 6 in the MLB playoffs. Roy Halladay was just good enough, not dominating, to send his Phillies back home to finish the series. And thanks to the Rays for beating the Yankees out in the AL East this year, the Rangers have the home field advantage and will finish up in Arlington for games 6 and 7 if necessary.

NLCS GAME 6 - LEWIS (TX) vs HUGHES (NYY) Friday 7p (all times CST)
Colby Lewis was and still is a relatively unknown pitcher from the national perspective. A journeyman already who's bounced around starting with Rangers, then the Tigers, A's, a stint with Hiroshima Carp of Japan's Central League, then back to Texas this year. He has a chance to become quite memorable though tonight if he can pitch the Rangers into their first ever world series.
Lewis went 0-2 with a 6.89 ERA this year against the Yankees, however, don't count against him now, Lewis has a 1.69 ERA this postseason in 10 plus innings. He won't overpower you, but he's a smart location pitcher. His opponent will overpower you. Phil Hughes, an 18 game winner has nasty stuff when he's on as evidence in his 7 inning shutout vs. the Twins in the ALDS, however he was quite off in Game 2 giving up 7 runs in 4 innings. Which Hughes will we see, probably less of the latter, but still I like Texas at home to end the series and send a fan base to a place they've never been before. I'm sticking with the Rangers if there's a game 7 and Cliff Lee, the most dominant playoff pitcher of the last half century, would start. Not a bad guy to have in your back pocket.
RANGERS take game 6. If not, they definitely take game 7.

NLCS GAME 6 - OSWALT (PHI) vs. SANCHEZ (SFG) Saturday 3:30p
The series heads back to Philadelphia with a swing of momentum for the Phillies. Facing elimination again, the Phillies turn to their mid-season all-star acquisition in Roy Oswalt to try and force a game 7.
Oswalt has the upper hand with the experience and playing at home, but Sanchez has been terrific this postseason, allowing only 4 runs in 13 plus innings. So there's not a huge disparity in the pitching matchup, unless you count Oswalt's 5 all star noms and 1 NLCS MVP award. Oh that might be a little of an edge. The Giants bats have been sparked by youngsters Ross and Posey, they'll need more of that against Oswalt. The Phillies need Howard to step up, and hope that Jayson Werth continues with momentum from his big homer last night.
PHILLIES take game 6. Game 7 would feature Hamels vs Cain. Hamels has been great, allowing only 3 runs in 15 innings this postseason, but Cain has been even better, with 0 runs in 13 plus innings.
If it goes 7, I'll take the GIANTS, propelling them only 4 games from winning their first world series since 1954.

COLLEGE FOOTBALLOregon kicked off week 7 in college football last night with a 60-13 ass-kicking of UCLA. A Bruins team that had beaten 2 ranked teams this year, so no pushover. But the Ducks are flying high right now, 7-0 with the 2nd leading rusher in the country. Oregon is primed for the BCS National Championship game if they win out, and their schedule is favorable for them to do just that.

TOP 25 FACE OFFS
1 OKLAHOMA (6-0) at 11 MISSOURI (6-0) 7p (all games Saturday)
The #1 ranking carousal lies in the hands of the Sooners this week, who are no strangers to this position. In fact, Oklahoma has held the #1 ranked spot in college football more times than any other school. Coming in just ahead of Notre Dame. They've steamrolled their opponents by an average of score of 36-19 this season, and their coming off a 52-0 dismantling of Iowa State. They'll battle Missouri for the Tiger/Sooner Peace pipe, The Tigers will be their highest ranked opponent this year. History says the odds are stacked against the Tigers. Missouri has lost seven straight and 19 of the last 20 in this series and hasn't beaten Oklahoma since 1998. Overall, the Sooners hold a 66-23-5 advantage in the series, including a 31-15 edge in games played in Columbia. Missouri will rely heavily on their 2nd ranked defense to stop the balances offense of Oklahoma. Too much Sooners in this one, but Missou will put up a fight.
OKLAHOMA 31-24

4 AUBURN (7-0) vs 6 LSU (7-0) 2:30p
I'm going to go out on a limb and say with 100% confidence the Tigers will win this game. Ok that was a joke, both teams have Tigers as their mascot, and the game is often referred to as the Tiger Bowl. For a team that's given up 77 points in their last 2 games, it's hard to figure that Auburn won both of those games to keep their season undefeated. Well one of these teams will notch a 1 in the loss column. But it won't be Auburn, they'll ride high-flying Heisman candidate Cam Newton into the end zone a few times again, not as much as last week, but enough to overcome LSU. The Tigers from the Bayou must establish their rushing game behind Stevan Ridley, if he's shut down, the passing game can't get the job done alone.
AUBURN 41-28

13 WISCONSIN (6-1) at 15 IOWA (5-1) 2:30p
Both teams are coming off statement wins. Iowa on the road against Michigan and Wisconsin at home over then #1 Ohio State.
So both teams are riding momentum into this one, which team will continue and which one will have another speed bump towards the Big Ten Title. Iowa is a defensive minded team, where Wisconsin relies on their backs John Clay and James White. Wisconsin's has 50 rushes of 10 or more yards in 2010, but Iowa is tied for second nationally in fewest rushes of 10 or more yards allowed with 11. There's a great QB matchup between Tolzien (WI) and Stanzi (IA), 2 of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation. Benefit of the doubt will go with Iowa at home looking to retain the Heartland Trophy for the 3rd straight year.
IOWA 24-17

14 OKLAHOMA STATE (6-0) vs 16 NEBRASKA (5-1) 2:30p
There are 2 things that are guaranteed certainties in this game. 1) Nebraska will run, and 2) Oklahoma State will pass. Each team is in the top 4 in the nation in those respective categories. Nebraska's Quarterback Taylor Martinez is bringing comparisons of old husker QB Eric Crouch. A QB that thinks run first, run 2nd, then pass 3rd. If you want to shut down Martinez, make him throw, he has little value then and was even replaced in the 2nd half last week because of his inability to rush against Texas. Still Martinez rushed for 126 and is probably the best freshman in the country at this point. The Cowboys have their own Heisman capable player in WR Justin Blackmon, a guy that grabs comparisons to Michael Crabtree and one that QB Brandon Weeden finds early and often. Weeden and Blackmon will face a top 10 defense in Nebraska though and will need RB Kendall Hunter, a top 10 back, to provide a bulk of the offense too. OK State just has too much offense for Nebraska to keep up with, and Martinez will not be effective enough for this one.
OKLAHOMA STATE 42-34

OTHER BIGGIES
5 TCU (7-0) vs AIR FORCE (5-2) 7p
If the Horned Frogs wants to test their #1 defense in the country, then they can look to Air Force, ironically with the best rushing attack in the nation at 347 yards/game. As good as their rushing game is, the Falcons' passing attack is as brutal with the 5th worst yards/game through the air. TCU can't shut down the run, but they can slow it down and make Air Force throw the ball. This one will be close for about a quarter, TCU is bigger, faster, and more offensively balanced with Heisman worthy candidate Andy Dalton behind the center.
TCU 45-28

7 MICHIGAN STATE (7-0) at NORTHWESTERN (5-1) 11a
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you with the Big Ten's only undefeated and best record, Michigan State Spartans. A team that is usually good but hardly ever great. They are basking in their best season in decades with eyes on their first Rose Bowl since 1988.
The Spartans are one of the most offensively balanced teams in the nation led by QB Kirk Cousins, RB Edwin Baker, and WR tandem Mark Dell and BJ Cunningham. The Wildcats offense flows through QB Dan Persa, who also leads the team in rushing, since they lack a viable RB. NW is coming off their first loss of the season to upstart Purdue. This is a huge game at home to determine if the Wildcats are for real this year or just a product of a soft schedule (biggest win at Vanderbilt who is currently 2-4).
MICHIGAN STATE continues its march to Pasadena, 31-17

10 OHIO STATE (6-1) vs PURDUE (4-2) 11a
The Buckeyes got a gut check into reality last weekend after they're upset loss at Wisconsin. I mentioned last weekend how Ohio State hadn't really faced tough competition, and Wisconsin poked holes in their defense all day. Now that Purdue knows Ohio State has weaknesses, tbey can try to push their 2 headed rushing attack of QB Rob Henry and RB Dan Dierking into pay dirt on Saturday. But Ohio State is not going to lay on its back after a demoralizing loss last week, they weren't ranked #1 just on reputation. Look for a lot of Terelle Pryor through the air and on the ground in this one.
OHIO STATE 35-27

20 WEST VIRGINIA (5-1) vs SYRACUSE (4-2) 11a
The battle for the Ben Schwartzwalder Trophy, named after former WVU football player and Syracuse head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, who had died in March 1993 and whom is highlighted in the movie, The Express, takes place in Morgantown tomorrow.
It hasn't been much of a rivalry lately as the Mountaineers have taken the last 8 games. Cuse will again be pushed against the wall this weekend on the road, and is coming off a 45-14 whooping by Pittsburgh at home nontheless. West Virginia knows it has a promising schedule ahead to run the table, and will look to put away Syracuse and pile on some numbers to make the victory more satisfying.
WEST VIRGINIA 42-21

GOPHER WATCH & UPSET SPECIAL
MINNESOTA (1-6) vs PENN STATE (3-3) 11a
The battle for the Governor's Victory Bell, awarded annually between these 2 teams since 1993 takes place Saturday. It was first presented to commemorate Penn State's entry into the Big Ten Conference, with their first league game coming against the Golden Gophers. The series has been streaky on both sides. The Nittany Lions took the first 4 from '93-'98, the Gophers then grabbed the Bell for 4 straight from '99-'04, and Penn State has owned it the last 3 games from '05 to '09. So if each team has it for 4 straight victories, then you should put your chips on Penn State. However, the Nittany Lions don't come into Minneapolis with as much swagger as their accustomed to. They have been ranked for 6 of these matchups, but are only 3-3 this year, and like Minnesota, still looking for their 1st Big Ten win.
Don't expect a whole lot of offense in this one, but if there is, it'll be ugly, these 2 teams do not have efficient offenses with neither in the top 50 in passing or rushing. Penn State wants this game, but Minnesota needs it in so many more ways. First and most obviously, it's the Gophers' first game without Tim Brewster, a mid-season firing that came with a lot of support from boosters and fans. The players desperately want to make a statement that they are better than their record. Lost in all the Brewster and head coaching search news this week has been Adam Weber, the Gophers quiet leader. If Weber throws for more than 100 yards, he'll become just the 5th quarterback in Big Ten history to pass for more than 10,000 career yards. The others: Iowa's Chuck Long (10,461), Northwestern's Brett Basanez (10,580), Purdue's Curtis Painter (11,163) and Purdue's Drew Brees (11,792). The Golden Gophers are my upset special this week, taking advantage of an uncharacteristicly weak Penn State team, and riding the emotions from the week that was.
GOPHERS 24-21

NFL

RIVALRY GAME
VIKINGS (2-3) at PACKERS (3-3) 7:20p
Arguably the biggest rivalry in the NFL, and definately the biggest border state rivalry in pro football will take place in primetime on Sunday evening in Green Bay as the Vikings travel east to face the hated Packers (you can switch around that sentence if your a Packers fan). If you happen to be a cheesehead, you've been looking forward to this matchup since the season ended last year, especially when you found out Brett Favre would be back and make another trip to Lambeau. Favre was victorious in both games vs the Packers last year, leaving a bad taste all around Green Bay last year. The team and their fans desperately want to see Favre and the Vikings lose at Lambeau and get a little revenge and redemption from last year and from Favre's move to the dark side (Minnesota).



Adding flavor to a rivalry that already has enough spice, is the fact that Randy Moss will make his first return to Lambeau field since the infamous Moss mooning in the NFC wildcard playoff game on January 9th, 2005. Rest assured, 5 years is not long enough to displace the memory from the fans there. The boo birds will be out in full force Sunday night. On the field, where the fans cant play, each team is desperate for a win even in the soft NFC, neither team wants a losing record at this point, which is just what the loser will find themselves with after the game. The Vikings are coming off a big must-win game against Dallas last week and are in must-win mode again to get back to .500. On the other side, the Packers are reeling from 2 straight OT losses. In fact the Packers have lost each of their 3 games by exactly 3 points. Their 1 win in the last 4 games came against Detroit by just 2 points. So this team has played in pressure packed tight games all season, and won't be afraid if they fall behind early. The Vikings are hoping for a nostalgic Favre and Moss performances to get past their bitter rival. It's a tough call, but I'll go VIKINGS 24-21.

There you have it folks, I try to keep it short, but find it important to write on instinct and without hesitation. Looking to improve on my season predictions after a let down last weekend.

Until next time, remember that to file your tax returns before April 15th.

bsv
the Courtesy Wave

Gophers search for the "elusive" Golden coach

I love Sunday mornings almost as much as I love Saturday mornings. It's the instant your mind tells you it's not Monday and then you know you have options. The option to sleep in, watch a movie, go for a run, read a book, anything but head to work (unless you love working, in which I may or may not envy you depending on the day). I picked the option to get up and read the paper, except it's 2010, so my paper is online. I opened up my laptop and went straight to the Star Tribune to get the latest local news. Knowing it was Sunday morning, I was already in a good mood, despite another Gophers loss the day before and my fantasy team sporting both starting running back's as questionable. The page popped up and it hit me in the face: BREAKING NEWS - Gophers Fire Brewster. Christmas had come early.



I've been a Gophers fan since I was a kid. I was too young to remember the Lou Holtz short lived era, otherwise known as the last big name coach to wear the maroon & gold.I have really faint memories of the John Gutenkunst stint and I can clearly remember the Jim Wacker days and continuing on with Glen Mason, Tim Brewster, and now the interim fill-in Jeff Horton. So if you're counting at home, after Lou Holtz left, to present day, the Golden Gophers are 124-162-2, a .434 winning percentage, not great, not good, not even average, they've been mediocre at best, routinely finishing in the bottom half of the Big 10, providing the occasional hope and the premise that better years are just around the corner. It's hard to imagine that the Gophers were great at anytime, let alone my lifetime, but in 125 years, the Gophers actually hold a career .575 winning percentage (641–468–44). That means, if you take out my era of watching Gophers football, the team would be left with a 517-306-42, or a .628 winning percentage, which would make them the 18th most successful Division 1A football team behind Miami(FL). Instead, the Gophers are 42nd, just ahead of Troy College.

Some would argue that the program has gotten better and would point to the fact that since 1999, the Gophers have gone to 9 bowl games. Sure, the Gophers have gone to 9 bowl games since then, 3 Insight Bowls, 3 Music City Bowls, 2 Sun Bowls and the Micron.pc bowl game. Not exactly high caliber bowls, even so, the Gophers are 3-6 in those Bowl games playing teams that actually went on to success (Oregon, Texas Tech, Alabama) instead of heading backwards. Those bowls are supposed to be stepping points in a program, not ultimate destinations. Seven of those Bowl games came in the Glen Mason era, who now deserves a lot more credit and is probably secretly grinning from ear to ear after yesterday's announcement, in a sense vindicating his coaching career at Minnesota. Mason was booted out and fired with almost the same support of Brewster's firing if not more. The guy turned the program from unwatchable to watchable and even competitive, churning out stars like Marion Barber, Laurence Maroney, and Matt Spaeth. But Mason could not get over the proverbial hump and catapult the team into the top 5 in the Big Ten among powerhouses Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Penn State.

Brewster was ushered in as the savior of the program, but the savior of what? To bring the team consistency? Mason already provided the consistency, they were consistently average to slightly above average. No, Brewster was brought in to bring the team to the top of the Big Ten and establish the Gophers as a competitive force against the top half, as they had proven legitimate superiority versus the bottom half in teams like Indiana, Northwestern, Michigan State and Illinois. Brewster, an unknown and unproven coach somehow wowed over Joel Maturi and the brass at Minnesota that he was the guy destined to take the team where it hadn't been since the 60's. He promised that the "Gopher Nation" was headed to Pasadena and the Rose Bowl during his tenure. That's a pretty big promise, how bout starting somewhere more realistic, like "I promise I'll keep the team afloat during my first ever stint as a head coach (other than high school)."

Brewster sold us all in the ability to recruit, that coaching was secondary to a talented team, if he could just keep the best talent in the state from leaving, the program would right its own ship and the rest would fall like dominoes, or at least that was the plan. If he didn't know it then, he knows it now, recruiting the top players in Minnesota is difficult, it can be done, but the odds are stacked against you. First off, the best players want exposure. They all have dreams that football will lead them to the promise land, aka the NFL, and that life will be grand and taken care of after then. To get there, they need exposure, national TV spotlight. The Gophers don't have it, they might accidentally end up in the national spotlight, but only by way of their opponents in the Big Ten, the Ohio States and Michigans of the world. Yes, the Big Ten has its own network, but who's clamoring to see Minnesota play Northwestern outside of Evanston and Minneapolis? So Brewster instead had to sell the other things, like playing in the brand new TCF stadium, back on campus for the first time in nearly 30 years. That's not an easy sell though, if you're a Minnesota kid, you're thinking I've got offers from Florida and USC, not only can I get the national exposure there, I can play in warm 70 degree weather, instead of the the 50's, 40's, 30's, and unpredictable Minnesota weather. Or try telling that to a kid from Florida who's never lived in a cold climate, ask him to come play here and sell the outdoor stadium, you have to be a pretty good salesman then. But weather isn't a factor at Wisconsin, only 5 hours to the southeast, that's because reputation trumps weather and all else. The Badgers can sell the fact that there will be 70,000 fans at every home game and almost a guaranteed mention on Saturdays on ESPN. The Gophers have a new stadium, but only half the student body section shows up and often the team is booed. Try telling a recruit that there's no guarantee the fans are going to even like you.

Knowing that recruiting doesn't necessarily churn results right away, let's turn to the football field and product on hand. Brewster was actually given a decent squad to work with, having Eric Decker, Adam Weber, Gary Russell, Dominique Barber, and Nate Triplett as holdovers from the Mason era. Brewster made the claim that the Gophers would make history that year, unfortunately it wasn't the history he had in mind. The 2007 Gophers went an unprecedented 1-11 with their only win in a 3OT game vs Miami(OH). Their first 11 loss season and their first win less Big Ten season since 1983. But everyone gave Brewster a pass, saying this was the first year and that change can take time. Yes it can take time, but going in the complete opposite direction instead of at least staying the course was not the change the program needed. Regardless, the team stayed the course with Brewster chalking up the season as motivation for the next one. 2008 went better than '07, but that's hardly an accomplishment. A 7-5 record earned them another Insight Bowl game loss. 4 of their 7 victories came against Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Montana State, and Florida Atlantic. They finished out the Metrodome history with a 55-0 beating by the hands of Iowa. Still Brewster was praised for bringing the Gophers back, including a brief ranking in the top 25, but really he was just bringing the team back to its Mason state of mediocrity.

In 2009 we saw more of the same Gophers we've seen for the past 3 decades, a team that can beat the lower half of the Big Ten but can't hold a candle to the top. A 6-6 season earned yet another trip to the Insight Bowl and a loss to 6-6 Iowa State in what could be described as the worst Bowl matchup ever and a reason why there are far too many bowl games. It was the first year at TCF though and fans were more excited about the new stadium and more apt to give the team a pass, and celebrate the victory of coming back to campus. 2010 changed all of that momentum however. The new stadium stigma wore off quickly after 4 consecutive home losses to South Dakota, USC, Northern Illinois, and Northwestern, another history maker in the Tim Brewster era. The nail was already in the coffin, Brewster was just waiting for the pink slip and if finally came after another lackluster defeat to Purdue on Saturday. Thus ended another dissappointing coaching career at Minnesota. Brewster went 15-30 in 3 plus years. His biggest signature win arguably was a 2009 victory on the road over Northwestern 35-24, a Wildcats team that finished 8-5. Yep, that's the best I could find. In fact the only other Big Ten teams Brewster beat were Illinois, Purdue, Indiana, and Michigan State, otherwise known as the bottom half of the Big Ten (kudos to the Spartans for a great 2010 so far).

Now the Gophers search for that new coach that will lead the team back to glory, but what kind of glory? Are we just desperate to get back to the mediocrity? Or are the fans going to jump on the new guy's back and ride all of their hopes and dreams to, dare I say, a bowl worth mentioning, a top 20 ranking, the top half of the Big Ten? What can the fans expect? The Gophers might be best to mirror the strategy by which the Men's Basketball team took in 2007. In the same year Brewster was hired, a guy by the name of Tubby Smith was introduced as the new Head Basketball coach, he had a little thing on his resume called a National Championship, a lot bigger bargaining chip then say a Tight Ends coach for the Broncos. Tubby didn't need to sell himself as a recruiter, he was the selling point. The Gophers immediately brought in talent and posted three straight 20 win seasons including 2 trips to the NCAA tournament. While it's argued that the basketball team still has a ways to go, Tubby has not gone backwards one bit and has only strengthened the program. If the football team wants an edge on recruiting in a tough state and conference to keep top talent from going elsewhere, they would be best served to bring in a guy with nationally recognized talent, who would in turn bring national exposure, who just might keep 1 or 2 star recruits from leaving the state, which could turn 5 or 6 wins into 8 or 9.

That's the theory of course, as a Gophers fan speculation and hope is all you can rely on, proven strategies have fallen by the wayside before in Minneapolis. Will the next coach bring us to the Promise Land, or just grant us more promises for next year? This fan hopes and dreams for the former, but won't be surprised to see the latter.

Until next time, remember to test your smoke detectors.

bsv
the courtesy wave

TCW - College Football Couch Guide 10/16

Watched Nothing But Trouble last night. It's an old movie starring Chevy Chase, Demi Moore, John Candy, and Dan Aykroyd, mostly off the radar film, hadn't seen it since I was a kid. I found out it actually is more of a comedy than a horror. The same thing happened when I watched Edward Scissorhands many years later and found out it too was actually a dark comedy. Akroyd's character in NBT, scared the bejesus out of me as a kid, but as an adult, he was hilarious. The movie is B quality, but still it was a treasure find on Encore last night, but I digress to today's topic. Since I highlighted the MLB playoffs yesterday, today's post will be on Saturday's College Football key matchups. Let's see who should come out on top and who might have nothing but trouble.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
(all times CST)

RANKED MATCHUPS

#1 OHIO STATE (6-0) at #18 WISCONSIN (5-1) 6pm
The new number 1 in the land after Alabama's loss last weekend, Ohio State has a difficult matchup to try and avoid going 1 and done at the top of college football. The Buckeyes have steamrolled all 6 of their opponents so far this year, but other than a previously ranked Miami squad, Ohio State hasn't faced the toughest competition, until now. The sea of Red fans will be nothing new to the Red White and Silver Buckeyes, but the 11th ranked rushing offense, led by John Clay (8th in the nation) of Wisconsin will be. Throw in top 20 Quarterback Scott Tolzien, the Buckeyes will have to be on top of their game defensively. Good thing for them, they are already, having the 7th best defense in the country. Offensively they are in great shape too, coming in 6th in the nation in scoring behind all-star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who boasts the 6th best QB rating in the country. This is a tough one to call, but I;ll go with the team who's been at number 1 before and should find a way to win. OHIO STATE 27-24

#7 AUBURN (6-0) vs #12 ARKANSAS (4-1) 2:30pm
Where one team runs, the other passes. A style of two very different offenses will be showcased in Auburn on Saturday. Arkansas will take to the air with pro-Quarterback-in-waiting Ryan Mallet. Mallet is 3rd in passing and 7th in QB rating in the country and has 2 go-to receivers in Joe Adams and the 6'3" Greg Childs. Auburn's strength is also in their quarterback, but where Mallet throws, Cam Newton runs. Newton is 12th in the nation in rushing (not the top QB though...we'll get to that). Auburn's 2nd leading rusher and their feature tailback, Michael Dyer is just 5'9" and a freshman, yet he's out rushing Arkansas's best runner by 187 yards. Newton doesn't throw much, but he is efficient, having the 2nd highest QB rating in the country at 181. If they trade points on the pass/rush game, then which defense will step up to make the difference. Auburn has allowed 24 or more points in 4 of their 6 games, including 34 last week to reeling Kentucky. Arkansas has not allowed more than 24 points in ANY of their games this year. Their only loss came to then #1 Alabama, losing late in that game. Arkansas needs this game badly to make a statement and stay in the SEC race. Auburn could be ready for a letdown. Arkansas scores quicker on the pass and stops Newton. ARKANSAS 31-24

RIVALRY GAMES
#5 NEBRASKA (5-0) vs TEXAS (3-2) 2:30pm
111 out of 120. That's Nebraska's ranking in the passing game. That's right, the 5th ranked Cornhuskers have thrown for less yards than Akron, Ohio, Temple, Tulane, Florida International...I could go on all day. So they can't get it down through the air, they dominate in the running game as you probably guessed. The Cornhuskers are 2nd in the nation in rushing at 337.6 yards per game, trailing only, ironically, Air Force. Like Auburn above, Nebraska is led by there fleet of foot quarterback, Taylor Martinez, who comes in 6th in the country in rushing (yet still does not lead all quarterbacks in rushing...just wait, we'll get there). Texas is coming off a bye week after a tough loss to their biggest rival Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout/Rivalry. They are an average team by most standards, not a typical Longhorns squad that usually boasts multiple NFL superstar talents. They've failed to break the top 50 in passing and rushing, and could use a signature victory to bring them back into the top 25 discussion. Nebraska needs this game more however, they're top 5 ranking has been scrutinized with a soft schedule, owning victories over Western Kentucky, Idaho, Washington, and a non-impressive win over South Dakota State, the Cornhuskers need to prove their top 5 ranking is legit. NEBRASKA 42-24

#8 ALABAMA (5-1) vs MISSISSIPPI (3-2) 8pm
How will the Crimson Tide react after losing their first game since 2008 last week at South Carolina. If your the red and white, you want to come home and face a team with a weak defense; which is just the recipe they have in this game against Ole Miss. The Rebels are in the headlines this week, not for their play, but for their new mascot change to the Rebel Black Bear (who's actually brown), their first change since abolishing the original old Southern Plantation owner mascot/logo in 2002. The Rebels don't make any headlines on defense, having allowed a combined 121 points to Jacksonville State, Fresno State, and Kentucky. If Alabama's Julio Jones is healthy, look for Greg McElroy to light him up early and often. Even if he's not ready, this should be a bounce back game for Alabama, a team that's faced 4 ranked opponents already. ALABAMA 35-28


#20 OKLAHOMA STATE (5-0) at TEXAS TECH (3-2) 2:30pm
If you're looking for a place to watch good fireworks this weekend, you might want to steer your remote or drive on over to Lubbock, Texas and watch these to gong show offenses go at it. The Cowboys of OK State have lit up opponents through a 3 headed monster of an offense. Quarterback Brandon Weeden ranks 11th in the country in passer rating, Running back Kendall Hunter is the 7th best rusher, and Justin Blackmon is 3nd in yards receiving and 4th in scoring. And even if the Cowboys can't reach the end zone, they have super kicker Dan Bailey, who's 4th in the nation in field goals made and a perfect 6-6 from 40 plus. Texas Tech can toss the oblong ball well too though, their QB, Taylor Potts has averaged 330 yards per game himself, but Texas Tech has been giving up points at will, 38 in the past 2 weeks to average at best Iowa State and Baylor each. They'll need a home cooking in this one to slow down and upset the Cowboys. OKLAHOMA STATE 48-35

CLOSEST BUS RIDE GAME
HOUSTON (3-2) at RICE (1-5) 2:30pm
Cougar fans won't have to go far to see their team play on the road tomorrow. In fact, toss the keys aside and skip the bus, its only 4 miles from one campus to another. I don't have a ton to say about this matchup other than the team's close proximity, my guess is if you're an alumni or a resident of Houston you would take interest, but that's about it. Houston came in this year with high hopes after a good season last year, but have only beat relative competition and failed in losses to UCLA and Mississippi State. The Owls 1 win came against North Texas 32-31 in a pillow fight. They will probably step up in this cross-town rivalry but only for the first half. HOUSTON 35-17

UPSET SPECIAL

#15 IOWA (4-1) at MICHIGAN (5-1) 2:30pm
When you're 5-1, playing at home in front of 100K plus fans, and have all-world quarterback Denard Robinson at your disposal, its hard to imagine that you'd be the underdog. But the AP has Iowa ranked and Michigan without a number beside it, so the favored team will be the black and gold Hawkeyes from Iowa. The biggest difference in why Iowa is ranked and Michigan isn't is probably from the Hawkeyes top 25 defeat of Penn State and the Wolverines top 25 loss to Michigan State. Otherwise these teams have beat up bad opponents in their victories. Back to that all-world talented Heisman Trophy candidate Denard Robinson, who leads the nation in rushing (unbelievable) and has the 12th highest passer rating (164.1). They'll need all the offense they can muster against the nation's TOP defense in Iowa, only allowing 10.4 point/game. Look for Michigan to bounce back this week and beat behind the strength of Robinson, who will be Iowa's toughest test this year. MICHIGAN 24-14

GOPHER WATCH
MINNESOTA (1-5) at PURDUE (3-2) 11am
If you absolutely have to watch and have nothing better to do on a cool fall day, then I suppose you can tune into this one if you get the Big Ten Network. I shouldn't be this hard on the Gophers, they are trying despite having an inept and still unproven coach 3 years into the Brewster project. The Gophers might just have a squeaker of a chance against a Purdue team with a questionable winning record. The Boilermakers 3 victories come against Western Illinois, Ball State, and Northwestern. The last, actually was a good road win against a then undefeated Northwestern team who has one of the best QB's in the Big Ten. If the Gophers O Line can keep DE Ryan Kerrigan (5.5 sacks) off of Weber, he might be able to get the ball to Marquis Gray, they're best weapon. But the Gophers have showed little in the ability to stop even modest offenses. Purdue is a decent running team and if the Gophers can't stop the run, they won't win the game. PURDUE 24-21

Well those are my Saturday picks, there's some more good matchups if your interested, USC/Cal, Illinois/Michigan State, Nevada/Hawaii, Missouri/Texas A&M, and Mississippi State/Florida should also tickle your fancy.

That's it for now, put your feet up and enjoy the weekend. Until next time, remember to close the shower curtain after use.

bsv
the courtesy wave