Magic Minnesota Sports Weekend

For a Minnesota sports fan, it doesn't get better than what we just experienced over the past long weekend.  Consider:

• On Wednesday night, Gopher hoops took down a very good Washington team on their last shot, and the Wild got past Ottawa
• On Friday, the Wild came back from being down 2-0 in the third period to beat nemesis Winnipeg 4-2
• On Saturday, Gopher football beat Bucky at Camp Randall, SJU won its playoff game, and the Irish (not Minnesotan, but everyone loves the Irish) came back from a 14 point deficit to take care of USC
• Sunday night the Vikes took care of the Packers on Sunday Night Football

What are the odds of this?  Let's do some math!

• Gophers over Washington 40%
• Wild over Ottawa 66%
• Wild over Winnipeg 50%
• Gophers over Bucky 20%
• SJU wins 90%
• Irish over USC 85%
• Vikes over Pack 66%
• Total chance of this happening - 1.33%!

Lots to give thanks for, indeed!

End the Suffering

I have been a Minnesota sports fan my entire life.  I've seen a vast swath of championship performance:

• I've seen the Twins win two World Series and celebrated the second one at Bullwinkles on Seven Corners.  When Larkin hit that ball, the place went absolutely ape.  It remains my happiest sports moment of all time.
• I've seen the Met host a Stanley Cup final, but I did leave the game early as I couldn't bring myself to watch Lemieux skate around my beloved ice holding the cup over the Stars' heads.
• I enjoyed the dominance of Gopher hockey and watched it parlayed into a gold medal for the USA when, as a country, we desperately needed it.  I've then watched them parachute to hockey irrelevance.
• I've hopped around my living room, watching SJU on ESPN winning one of its myriad NCAA D3 Championships.
• I've watched too many talented Gopher basketball teams content to win NIT championships.
• I've watched the Wild be happy about making the playoffs, and then get thumped by a clearly more talented team. 
• I've watched the Gopher football team consistently suck, and happy to make it to lower-tier bowls.
• I've watched great Vikings teams - truly great by any measure - lose in the playoffs or in the Super Bowl.

Of all the highs and lows, the only thing I truly care about anymore is the last bullet.  I'm tired of feeling like this team has a curse.  I'm tired of having some incredible teams and having nothing at all to show for it.  I'm tired of having to put up with the jokes and ridicule.

As it comes to sports, I've seriously never wanted something more in all my life.

Come on, Vikings.  It starts today.  End the suffering.

Skol! 

Being PJ Fleck

ESPN has a program running that follows the Minnesota Gophers new head football coach.  It is absolutely fascinating.

When PJ Fleck came into town with all of his bluster, I felt for sure that it had to be a show.  It was a show we had seen before, too.  Glen Mason had a ton of that motivational talk, and he took the program nowhere.  Hence, I felt Fleck was a total reach, especially with a guy like Les Miles out there looking for work.

Oh, I knew what Fleck did in four years at Western Michigan, and it was damned impressive - from one win his first year to an unbeaten season at year four.  Still, that was Western Michigan.  The Gophers play the real Michigan schools.  Would this schtick play in the Big Ten?

Based on a buddy's recommendation, I watched the first episode of Being PJ Fleck and was instantly enthralled.  A few things that I found astonishing:

• He has an incredible motor.  I've never seen another human being like it
• He's like that all the time.  It does not turn on or off.  It really is part of his DNA
• His passion and enthusiasm are contagious as hell.  I haven't played football since high school, and even just watching these episodes made me wish to be able to go out there and play.  I haven't felt that way in years.

We'll find out where it all leads, starting with Gophers' first game tonight.  Likewise, once past the creampuffs, the Big Ten comes calling, and it is about as friendly as a Big Ten schedule can be, as we'll be missing #2 Ohio State and #6 Penn State.  Hence, if Fleck is going to make a big splash, he has the opportunity.

I've not been this excited for Gopher football since Lou Holtz.  If Fleck does what I think he can do, Saturday games look like must see TV.

Row the boat!

The Sad State of Minnesota Sports

With our impending return to the state, Minnesota is suffering from sports futility.  How bad are things?  Let me count the ways:

• Despite being one of the best teams in the NHL for much of the season, the Wild have backslid and now are looking up at Chicago in the rankings.  We'll make the playoffs, but our fate will be ended at the United Center, if we even make it that far
• Despite having one of the best young teams on paper, the Twins will continue to suffer.  How bad is it?  Bung Ho Park has a good chance at making the club.  I'm not kidding.  This team is looking at another 100 loss season.
• Despite a resurgent season the the Big Ten coach-of-the-year, the Gophers went one and done in the NCAA tournament as a 5 seed, losing to a 12.  Sure, they were impacted by injuries, but holy cow, Middle Tennessee?
• Despite making multiple moves in free agency, the Vikings are not appreciably better.  Their offensive line, a massive need, was only upgraded slightly, and other adds have been marginal.  Likewise, losses of Mudderlyn and Patterson are going to hurt a whole lot.
• Despite being located in The State of Hockey, the Gopher Hockey team continues to disappoint.  They did make the NCAA tournament, but as far as the Big Ten tourney went, they placed exactly zero players to the All Tournament Team.  One and done for them as well?

Ugly?  Yep.  But it's home. 

White Bear Mitsubishi Gopher Commercial

Whoever the guy is in the bear suit, he's not being paid nearly enough:

How Good Are the Gophers in Basketball? We're About to Find Out

The latest iteration of the Gophers men's basketball team appears, on paper, to be a sea change from previous seasons.  Refreshed by a youthful team (we're starting two freshmen, and zero seniors), the team has hustled and shot its way to a perfect 6-0.

Unfortunately, they've done it against dubious competition.  They've also done it in the friendly confines of Williams Arena.

Tonight, our boys head down to Florida State to face a strong Seminole crew that was ranked in the top 25 last week.  While the competition is not as tough as some that will be faced in the Big 10, the Seminoles represent the best test yet this season of how good these Gophers truly are.

Regardless of the outcome, up to now it has been an entertaining season.  This team plays hard - really hard.  Amir Coffey is the real deal, and has flat dominated some games as a true freshman.  Finally, Richard Pitino appears to have a team that is executing to his program's expectations.

We'll see tonight if it is real or a mirage.

Gaelin Elmore - How a Community Helped Build a Man

Here is a great story.  It is one that could have headed a lot of different directions - most of them very bad.  See for yourself how it shakes out:

Gophers Basketball in Freefall

Coming off their worst season since I can remember, the Gopher Men's Basketball program appeared to have nowhere to go but up.  However, with the recent jailing of Reggie Lynch on sexual assault charges, things just got worse.

It is astonishing how far this program has fallen, and it has everything to do with the type of men that have been entered into the program.  Consider the following, all during Coach Pitino's tenure :

• 2 players arrested
• 2 dismissed from the program for conduct issues 
• 3 others suspended following the release of a sex tape on one of the player’s social media accounts 

These are some pretty incredible stats.  One would like to believe that they reflect an outlier in behavior, however their propensity is far from an outlier.  This looks to be a pretty damn big issue.

Ultimately, this falls on Pitino.  Sure, he's not the one committing these acts.  But he is the one finding, coaching, and ultimately responsible for the guys committing these acts.

Nobody wants to be a part of a team of thugs and criminals.  Nobody wants to be part of a team of bad players either.

Pitino has both.

Joey King and What's Great About College Sports

After their massive victory against #6 Maryland last week, Gopher senior Joey King took an interview:



I'm pretty sure that's the reason they call them Golden Gophers...

Minnesota's Best Athlete?

Occasionally I'll get sucked in by one of those stupid "click aggregator" sites.  Oh, you know the ones: They'll usually have some outrageous list or scantily dressed woman and the headline "You won't believe what happens next!"

I usually have enough fortitude to put off clicking on them, but if something really gets my curiosity, I'll weakly wade into it.  That was the case last week when presented with a list of "The Best Athlete by State."

For Minnesota, my first thought was, to me, the obvious choice (we'll get to that in a second).  As I waded through each state alphabetically (cranking up the clicks that the site owner will attempt to justify as value for their advertisers) , I finally made it to my home state and found that they had selected Kevin McHale.

Wait, what?  Kevin McHale?  WRONG!

For me, the obvious choice was Dave Winfield.  Consider the following achievements:

• 1973 college world series MVP (as a pitcher!)
• Drafted by four different pro teams in three different sports
• College baseball Hall of Fame
• 12 time MLB All Star
• 7 time MLB Gold Glove
• 6 time Silver Slugger
• MLB World Champion
• MLB Hall of Fame

It doesn't get much more athletic than that.

That got me to thinking as to who else could have been considered Minnesota's best ever athlete (beyond, of course, Kevin McHale).  There are a lot of great athletes that have done very well, but none stack up to Winfield, with the exception of one.

A compelling case can be made for Roseu's Neil Broten.  Consider his bona fides:

• NCAA hockey champion
• Hobey Baker award
• Olympic gold metal winner with 1980 Miracle on Ice
• NHL World Champion
• 2 time NHL All Star
• US Hockey Hall of Fame

While Broten does get close, Winfield is still too much a stud to not be considered the clear winner here.  

The only thing that gets  Broten closer is that he is one of the few in the NHL that kicked Wayne Gretzky's ass.

Look out with who you're messing with, Great One:

Gopher Football Overachieves - Big Time

I have to hand it to the Minnesota Gophers football team.  In the past, I've come down hard on the futility that has been Golden Gopher football, but this year has been a big surprise.  Huge wins included a 30-14 route of Michigan at the Big House, a 51-14 drubbing of Iowa, and a 28-24 win at ranked Nebraska.

Unfortunately, the Gophers couldn't pull off the miracle season, with a final game loss to Wisconsin at Camp Randall.  Despite no chance at a Big 10 championship, it still was a fantastic season.  One that earned the team a lot of warranted attention.

Now the Gophers will go on to play in one of the better bowls in which they've played in nearly 50 years.  And I'll actually be watching.

Go Gophers

Great First Year for Richard Pitino

When they called the names for the big dance, the Big Ten came up a team short.  Thus, it is off to the NIT for Minnesota, where they'll be a #1 seed there and will hopefully rock the barn a few more times this season. 

While the Gophers did not make it to the NCAA Tournament, nobody can call Richard Pitino's first year as head coach anything but a success.  Consider the following:

• In his first year the team lost no momentum.  The Gophers finished the season with a 20-13 record, and is poised for a deep run in the NIT
• In fact, the transition at coach did not result in a step back from a performance standpoint.  That can be seen in the record, and in how the team changed its method of play - hustling, moving without the ball, and playing aggressive defense.
• Even the players that stayed within the program changed.  Mo Williams lost a massive amount of weight, and became a true athlete under the boards.  His position-mate Elliott Eliason put on some muscle, and became a shot blocking presence.  Clearly Pitino and his staff asked these players to change, and they stepped up and did it.

There is still a long way to go for Minnesota to regain basketball prominence it once enjoyed.  However, with Coach Pitino at the helm, they appear pointed in the right direction.

Here's wishing them the best of luck in the NIT.  

Minnesota Misery

I can't remember a worse time for Minnesota sports.  Consider:

• The Twins are in free-fall, having traded Morneau for a bag of batting practice balls, and having zero prospects in the minors to point to a bright future.  They appear to be able to flirt with 100 loss seasons for years to come
• The Vikings quarterback woes are well documented, and have led to their current losing record.  Being able to pull out of the nose dive with enough time to make the playoffs appears to be a pipe dream
• The Wild did nothing in the off season to improve their talent, and are off to a very weak start and with scant prospects for betterment
• The Gopher football program can't compete with ranked talent, and will at best be middle of the pack in Big Ten play
• Gopher basketball, rebuilding under new coach Pitino (no, not that one, it's his son), look to be in for a tough season
• We won't review the Wolves' prospects, as the NBA isn't really a sport

There is not a lot of which we can be optimistic.  It is damn tough to be a Minnesota sports fan...

 

Bye, Tubby

The University of Minnesota actually showed some fortitude and fired Tubby Smith yesterday, thus ending a coaching tenure full of promise, but short on delivery.

Smith is a good man.  He appears to have run a clean program.  He was respected in the community.  But his winning percentage in the Big Ten was well below .500.  His most recent team - arguably his most talented - lost 12 of its final 18 games.  Their half-court offense was among some of the ugliest seen in Division 1 basketball.

With the firing, Tubby Smith, the man, will be just fine.  He has a $2.5 million buy-out, and will never need to work another day in his life.

Which is a good thing, because, based on his past performance, Tubby Smith the coach won't be working at all anytime soon, if ever.

Fire Tubby Smith

After salvaging their season with a win over #1 Indiana, the Minnesota Gophers went out and did the following:

• Crushed a weak Penn State team
• Lost at Nebraska against a Cornhusker team they should have beaten soundly
• Were crushed at Purdue; giving up 89 points to a horrible team
• Lost in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to a NCAA bubble team in Illinois.

Overall, this team is 5-9 over their past 16 games.  Their half court offense is embarrassing - 5 guys not moving every time down the court as the shot clock ticks down, and then the ball is either turned over or shot-put in a feeble attempt to hit the rim before the buzzer goes off.

Due to a strong RPI, this team will likely make the NCAA tournament.  But they're likely looking at being a 10 or 11 seed, and they will be destroyed on Thursday or Friday in front of a national audience.

This team has the raw talent to play with and beat the best teams in the nation.  They have the confidence, execution, and attention to basics of the worst teams in the nation.  And, unfortunately, raw talent could not carry them, and Tubby Smith could not correct their errors.

Why was Smith such a failure with this team?  Did they not respect him?  Does he watch film after games and assume his half-court offense is OK?  Does he not care about losing?  I'm not sure exactly what the issue is, but rest assured, there is definitely an issue.

Tubby has the body language of a loser, and the record to go along with it.  His accomplishments are to be respected, but resume bullets do nothing for the present.  And in the present, he's a loser.

A change is needed.  While it likely won't occur before Minnesota's "one and done" in the tourney, it needs to happen.

Gophers Are Golden Against #1 Indiana

The 2012-13 version of the Golden Gopher basketball team has been a frustrating one for fans.  The team lacks a leader, and particularly lacks a guard that wants the ball in his hands in the clutch. They can go through stretches where they lack any kind of fire, especially in the offensive zone, and multiple times have been caught guilty of five guys standing around and not moving.  They've turned the ball over way too many times, and in way too many high pressure situations.  

But they're also incredibly talented.  

They're beasts on the boards, especially in the offensive zone where they lead the Big Ten  And they have the weapons, that when they're firing on all cylinders, can allow them to go toe to toe with the best team in the land and beat them.  

And that is exactly what happened last night.  

The Indiana Hoosiers are arguably the best team in the nation.  Their depth, scoring, and three point shooting in particular are awesome, and they've held up very well in a tough Big Ten season.  Unfortunately, they happened to arrive at The Barn on a night when the Maroon and Gold were able to put it all together.  Add a rabid crowd to the mix, and Minnesota was able to beat their first #1 since 1989.  

The Gophers greatly helped their post-season prospects, as their season had begun to free-fall.  In fact, in the last polling, Minnesota received zero votes despite an 18-9 record with the #1 toughest schedule ranking in the NCAAs.  Now with a strong ESPN national win against the legit best team in the nation,  they'll receive some due attention.  

But their job is not over.  They'll need to close hard the rest of the season, and thankfully, their schedule should allow them to run the table: they'll be facing Penn State, Nebraska, and Purdue to finish, and all three teams have losing records.  

Now, that doesn't mean that the Gophers can't find a way to screw it up.  They've recently lost to Iowa in terrible fashion, and have lost to a brutal Northwestern team this season as well.  But if they can play like they did last night, March could be a fun one for Minnesota.  

This kind of fun:

Wrong About Gopher Basketball

Eight days ago I wrote about how this year's Gopher basketball team was different.

Boy, was I wrong.

Since then, the team has suffered two humiliating losses to ranked teams; one at Indiana and one last night in the Barn against Michigan.  In both games the Gophers were out-disciplined, out-shot, out-hustled, and out-classed.

This team, while deep, does not have the talent level to take on top 10 programs while coasting.  It can't take nights off.  But that is exactly what they've done the last two games.

Coach Tubby Smith has a big task ahead of him in terms of getting this team's attention and stopping its sloppy, uninspired play.  Those last two losses were brutal, and the guys likely need to feel how brutal via some heavy doses of cardio via running baselines ala Herb Brooks.

This program is a hot mess right now.  Smith needs to fix it immediately, because his NCAA seed number is falling by the day.

This is Not Your Typical Gopher Basketball Team

With the recent Vikings and Irish losses, I was starting to get the feeling that my being a fan of a specific team was the kiss of death.  Thus, when the #8 Gopher men went into face the #12 Illini in Champaign, I was worried.  And immediately after tip off those worries were warranted.  The Illini were the biggest, quickest, and most athletic team the Gophers had played since the Duke game, and the game started in shaky fashion.

But no worries - this Gopher team plays fantastic defense, and between the contested shots and cold shooting by Illinois, the Gophers pulled away in the second half for an easy win against a top 15 team.  

Beyond their defense, which is really outstanding, this really is an impressive team on multiple fronts.  They run 10 deep - literally, as the first substitution that was made by Coach Tubby Smith last night had all five starters replaced.  And these 10 players are not just bodies either.  All can play and have specific  sets of strengths that compliment the rest of the team.  As evidence, all one needs to do is to look back at the box scores of recent games to see that on any given night one or two different guys are going to step up and carry the team.

Last night it was Trevor Mbakwe's double-double, and Hopkins native Joe Coleman going off for 29 points.  Against Northwestern last weekend, it was Austin Hollins' 5 three-pointers and Rodney Williams 27 points.  Against Michigan State, it was Andre Hollins' 7 free throws and 31 points that were among the leaders.

I've been a Gopher basketball fan since my folks had season tickets back in the 1980's.  I have seen some amazing players and amazing programs.  But in all that time, I have never seen a Gopher team this deep and multi-dimensional.  This is just the kind of team that can make a big run in the NCAAs, and it will be fun to see what they can do.

However, they're going to need to get through the Big Ten first, and that is only going to be made more difficult with their next game on the road against #5 Indiana this Saturday.  That will be a great indicator of exactly what this team is capable of producing.

Why University of Minnesota Students Ignore Gopher Football

Nadine Babu wrote an outstanding article posted on the StarTribue which offered explanations for the meager following of Gopher Football by U of M students.  First reason offered?  The Gophers lose.  A lot.

When you can't beat the pesky NDSU Bison on your home field, it's pretty tough asking a poor college kid to fork out nearly $100 to watch the ineptitude live and in person.

I encourage you to read the whole thing.  Great article.

My Speech at the Carlson School of Managment

Last week I was asked to speak to a class of junior and senior marketing students at the Carlson School of Management.  Attached is a terrible picture of about a third of the class. 

While the reason for the invitation was really based in the school fishing for a big charitable donation from me, it was still an honor to talk to the kids.  I spoke to them about my company, my career story, the ecommerce industry, and offered them advice as they begin their careers.  I felt the talk went fairly well, and I intend on building out some of my speech for content on this site - look for that coming soon. 

My overall impressions of the students were as follows: 

• I was impressed in their engagement, and how they really poked at me with questions.  I was clearly not just some blow off day; they really wanted to learn from me. 
• I was also impressed with the technology with which they were armed.  I would have loved to have been able to go to school similarly outfitted, although I likely would have wasted a ton of time on video games. 
• Finally, I was impressed with their intelligence.  They knew their subject matter well, and clearly were true students of business. 

It was really fun to engage with them, and since my company leveraged my speaking to conduct on-campus hiring, I'm might be engaging with some of them again in fairly short order.