Tuesday Trash: EA Sports

Now for a new bit that I want to try called "Tuesday Trash" where I will dish out some dirt on something that I think is terrible or needs to be changed. For my first entry EA Sports is my target.

EA Sports, you are suppose to be a major producer in sporting video games...why do all of your games suck besides the football ones? I will admit the Madden and NCAA Football franchises are just fine the way they are but really? That is all you are going for? Do you care about other sports at all? You cannot say that this is the best you can come up with for a basketball game? And what about NHL 09? Nothing can possibly go wrong in this game, right? Don't even get me started on MVP 09...wait, EA Sports doesn't even make a baseball game and so the leave it to 2k sports to mess everything up. I'm not asking for much, just for your video games to not make me want to throw my controller at my TV in anger. That's all really. Take some of that money that you make from Madden and put it towards other games in your lineup. Maybe then you will improve on your products and I wont have to bash them. Now if you excuse me "For Love of Ray J" is on...

What ever happened to music television?

What ever happened to music video's? Music Television or MTV has no programming devoted to just that, music. While looking at the schedule from now (Monday night at 7 pm) until Wednesday at midnight you can watch a total of 0 minutes of music video's. What you will see is a lot of The Hills, T.I.'s Road to Redemption, From G's to Gents and a few Made's sprinkled in there. What happened to Making the Video or TRL? Do musicians even make music video's anymore?

And don't even get me started on what used to be VH1. At least you can watch music video's on VH1, that is if you want to wake up at 5 am to do it. Otherwise you get a full slate of crappy "reality" shows that continue to get trashier as they continue. The sad thing about it is that I watch most of these shows, one because they are entertaining in a pathetic way and two it makes me feel so much better about myself. Seeing the same "reality" stars over and over in the same show because they need money gets very old but makes my life that much better because I am not one of them. Maybe someday...

Monday Montage is back in full effect

You know the drill, if not check the archives.

Who is doubting Arizona being in the tournament now that they advanced to the sweet 16?

Who isn't excited to watch golf now that Tiger is back?

How long will it take TO to break the will of Trent Edwards?

Is there someone out there that wouldn't trade places with LeBron James if they had the chance?

When will I get my hair cut?

If I could be any non-athlete, I think I would want to be Rob Dyrdek.

Will Joe Mauer go a year without getting injured in some way?

Why did Ryan Stoa sign with the Avalance? We were going to be so good next year

When will Floyd Mayweather fight Manny Pacquiao?

Why did I pick Pitt to win the National Championship?

How long has Scottie Reynolds been in college?

Is Guitar Hero the greatest video game of all time?

When will McDonalds pull that damn Filet o' Fish commercial?


Enjoy your Monday everyone

Bracket Busted

The Final Four is now set. Congrats to the Connecticut Huskies, Villanova Wildcats, Michigan State Spartans and the North Carolina Tar Heels. And a big thanks for nothing to the Pittsburgh Panthers, Memphis Tigers and the Louisville Cardinals for killing my hopes in becoming the back to back champ in my bracket pool. I am a college student, I need that $200 more then most. I could have bought a lot of beer with that money, and mom if you read this, by buying a lot of beer I really mean paying for my utility bill and groceries.

The biggest shock to the elite eight weekend was the upset of top seed of the tournament Louisville to a Michigan State team that the experts thought couldn't run with the uptempo and constant pressure style that Louisville plays. Well so much for that argument. While Michigan State only scored a very Big Ten like 64 points, their half court defense was stellar and forced Louisville into a lot of bad, quick shots, something that I guess is in the realm of the Cardinals offense according to the announcers. While many view this as an upset (as do I), but let's take a deeper look into the Cardinals season and we may uncover some interesting things.

First let's take a look at the Cardinals schedule...
Good Wins: @ Villanova (61-60), vs Pitt(69-63), Villanova and Syracuse in the Big East Tournament

OK Wins: @ Syracuse (67-57), vs Marquette (w/out Dominic James), would Arizona in the tournament count?

I'm not going to list the losses from earlier in the year because that was a different Louisville team, but do these wins really make a team the #1 team in the nation? The best win that this team had all year was to Villanova in the Big East tournament because that was at least on a neutral court. They also had the easiest road to the elite 8 out of all of the teams that remained as they faced a 16, 9 and a 12 seed in route to facing a 2 seeded team in Michigan State. The Spartans on the other hand was battle tested since the beginning as they beat Kansas and a hot USC team before facing Louisville. So in hindsight this wasn't much of an upset at all as we maybe overrated Louisville because of their cushioned schedule down the stretch and other teams knocking each other out. This is a team that played Villanova, Pitt and UCONN only once each this year and had the easiest conference schedule. Better luck next year to Rick Pitino and his guys.

The other big shocker of the weekend was also the best game of the weekend. This matchup was especially tough for me as I had Pittsburgh winning the championship game but all of that was taken away as Scottie Reynolds' layup with .5 seconds to go sank the Panther's title chances. What a dog fight this game was. Back and forth, back and forth. First Pitt would be up by 4 with 2 minutes to go and then it was Nova up 4 with less then a minute (which regretfully I had changed the channel, I didn't want to see my championship pick go down in flames). Nova then turned the ball over with a ridiculous full court pass that someone thought would be a good idea to try at that time. Big Time Levance as I have come to call him then hit 2 free throws to tie the game with 5.5 seconds to go and it looked like overtime. Jay Wright called a beautiful inbounds play to get that ball into the hands of his best playmaker and it worked out perfectly. Reynolds took the ball the length of the court and made the layup even after getting bumped rather hard. Reynolds is one of those players that seems like he should have graduated years ago but somehow is still not even a senior in college yet. Nova is a team that is peaking at obviously the right time and will be a very tough matchup for the Tar Heels in the Final Four.

Speaking of those Tar Heels, they pretty much dismantled Oklahoma. Everyone saw this happening as I mentioned before the game started the the Sooners had no chance of running with the Heels which drew the response of "Nobody can," from a friend and Carolina fan. Hate to say it but I have to agree with the fact that North Carolina can run teams out of the gym. Should be a fun game to watch between the two.

Not much to say about UCONN besides that AJ Price now gets more face time and Hasheem Thabeet is really tall. I will have more in depth breakdown of the Final Four when the time draws near (say thursday?).

We are all witness's

LeBron James is the best basketball player of all time. There I said it. I don't care that I never saw Pistol Pete Maravich score 44 points per game in college. I wasn't alive when Wilt scored 100 points in a single game. Magic Johnson played just before my time on this earth and I grew up in the Jordan era. We can forget about the Kobe/Jordan comparisons, it was fun while it lasted. King LeBron is just that, the King. It is only a matter of time until he wins his first championship, which could come this season. I've said it for a long time but after LeBron wins his first, watch out. He has Jordan type competitiveness where one is not enough. King James will win multiple championships and if he doesn't he will be considered a bust.

Just to show that I am not the only one that feels this way, LeBron's next 4 games (including today) are all televised and you can bet that I am going to watch all 4. LeBron is the type of player that makes casual basketball fans turn hardcore and he makes those who do not watch the NBA into witness's. My roommate doesn't watch any basketball unless it is the Gophers or I have free tickets to a Timberwolves game and even he will watch a game if LeBron is involved. There are plenty of stats out there that you can look at and compare between players but none of them will do LeBron justice. Even when his season numbers are "down" he is still averaging 27 7 and 7. It is only a matter of time where we see LeBron average a triple double in a season which is unheard of in today's game. He makes all of his teammates better because they all love him. He is the Anti-Kobe as a teammate. He's amazingly down to earth and personal which makes it hard to root against him. I love LeBron. He loves me.

I know people don't like to call LeBron the G.O.A.T. because he hasn't won anything yet. He doesn't have a MVP award (until april that is) and he hasn't won an NBA championship (although in his 3rd year he led the Cavs to the finals and pushed the Celtics to 7 games last year). My not so bold prediction is that both happen this year. I just cannot see anyone taking out the Cleveland LeBron's in a 7 game series but watching him and Kobe (hopefully) duking it out for a NBA championship is going to go down as one of the better finals match up's of all time.

Twins Preview 2009: Bullpen

Twins Preview 09

It's fitting that I preview the bullpen last because they are the players that come in last to finish out the game and the Twins have one of the better stopper in the entire major leagues. The rest of the bullpen is a question mark with side arm slinger Pat Neshek out for the season after surgery. The key to the Twins season is this bullpen and if they can compete and pitch effectively the Minnesota Twins will be AL Central Champs again.

Joe Nathan - Closing Pitcher
Nathan has become a top closer in the major leagues after the Twins aquired him in the AJ Pierzynski trade (thank you San Fransico). In fact, I believe that only Mariano Rivera has more saves since 2004, Nathan's first year as closer. Not only is Nathan an outstanding closer, he is coming off a career year. While his save numbers were down his era was under 1.5 and pitched his least amount of innings so he must be fresh for this coming year. It is nice to not have to worry about blowing a game when it is crunch time. Stand up and shout!

Jesse Crain - RHP
First, I want to say that I was a Jesse Crain fan for oh, one year. After that he has been on my "not so much" list. He has a nice fastball (95 mph range) but it's not so nice when it is straight and hitters have an easy time picking it up. Crain used to have a nice slider but after he was injured the slider has not came back and you need more then a fastball to be a major league pitcher. I hope he can be productive and revert back to the young Jesse Crain because he will most likely get the first crack at being the 8th inning setup guy.

Matt Guerrier - RHP
What can be said about Matt Guerrier? In the first half of the season he looked very good and got some big outs for the team. In the 2nd half of the season he couldn't get a guy out and ended up with a 5+ ERA. In Guerrier's defense he did pitch the most innings for the Twins out of the bullpen last year but it is not like he has never pitched 76 innings in a season before whether it be in the minors or in high school. Guerrier needs to rebound in the worst way this season and we'll see how Gardy decides to use him this year.

Craig Breslow - LHP
Breslow was a mid-season pickup for the Twins and he became one of the better pitchers in the bullpen last season. Doesn't have overpowering stuff but picks his spots and its very crafty. Although he is a left handed pitcher, he can also get right handed hitters out with a swooping breaking ball and a sneaky fastball.

Luis Ayala - RHP
Ayala is the Twins new free agent pickup. He is a good arm out of the bullpen that has closer experience. His ERA was a bit high for my liking last year but he has not been in the league long and hopefully working with Rick Anderson he can correct this problem

Brian Duensing - LHP
Duensing is on track to make his first big league roster. The Team USA pitcher is a nice young left handed arm that knows how to pitch and pitches well. Formerly a starter in the minor leagues, Duensing will first get his shot in the Twins Pen. He could develop into a 4th or 5th starter later in his career whether it be with the Twins or not.

Well there you have it...your 2009 Minnesota Twins preview. Now I can get back to other topics such as the NCAA Tournament (bracket busted) and possibly some NBA talk to go along with a MLB season preview

Twins Preview 2009: Starting Pitchers

Twins Preview 09

The starting pitching has become the backbone of the Twins organization. Guys like Brad Radke, Carlos Silva (for a two year stretch), Kyle Lohse, Joe Mays, and who can forget Johan Santana. The only star of the players just mentioned is obviously Santana (he could end up as one of the premier lefties of all time) but the rest were solid pitchers that attack the strike zone and put the pressure on the hitters. In the case of Silva, the hitters won more then he did. Anyway, this years group could go down as one of the better starting staffs that Rick Anderson has had in his years as the Twins pitching coach. Without further a due, here is your 2009 Starting rotation...(Stat Line: Wins, ERA, WHIP, K)

Scott Baker - RHP
Baker has been around for long time it seems but he is entering his 3rd season as a regular starter for the Twins as is becoming the pitcher that the Twins always thought he could be. Baker is a solid pitcher that attacks the zone and because of this doesn't walk too many batters. He is not a typical #1 guy because his stuff is not #1 material but he is a hard worker and is very mentally tough, there is not a lot of things that will rattle him. Relies more on location then velocity to get the batter out and tends to be a fly ball pitcher which can get him into trouble. I expect a lot from him this year and I think he will deliver.
Stat Line: 15 / 3.42 / 1.13 / 150

Francisco Liriano - LHP
Liriano is the heir apparent to take over the Twins staff after Johan was traded. After Tommy John surgery after the 2006 season, Liriano was on the DL for the entire 2007 season. Last year Francisco came back but it looks as if he came back too soon as he stumbled out of the gate and was send down to Rochester to get stronger and to get his slider back. After a stretch of 10 straight wins in the minors Liriano was called up and looked great. He has a devastating slider but he tends to lean on it and throw it too often allowing hitters to recognize it coming. If he can get his fastball back up in the 95-96 MPH range watch out for Francisco this season.
Stat Line: 18 / 3.12 / 1.21 / 187

Kevin Slowey - RHP
Sloweyano is primed for a breakout year. Slowey has some filthy breaking stuff and sneaks the fastball by more then his share of hitters. The mold of how Rick Anderson wants his pitchers to be. Slowey will probably only walk 3 guys this year so as a hitter you have to be ready every time you step up to the plate. He will pick up a good share of wins this year because he will be pitching out of the 3-4 spot most of the year and I believe that he is one of the better #3 guys in the majors.
Stat Line: 16 / 3.31 / 1.08 / 168

Nick Blackburn - RHP
Blackburn is the perfect Brad Radke mold. He is a steady pitcher that attacks the zone, doesn't walk a lot of guys, and does not have overpowering stuff. Blacky will use his accuracy to paint the black of the plate and pick his spots. Will get into trouble at times and struggles with runners on base because of his lack of a go to pitch to get batters out.
Stat Line: 12 / 3.75 / 1.28 / 115

Glen Perkins - LHP
Perkins is a local boy from the Twin Cities Metro Area and I'm sure it is a dream of his to play for the hometown Twins. Perkins is a solid pitcher, and perfectly suited for the 5th slot in the starting rotation. It is like beating a dead horse but here is another guy that attacks the strike zone without overpowering stuff. He just goes on the mound and gets the job done. Like Blackburn, he does get into trouble and his average fastball and breaking stuff leads to crooked numbers. Would it surprise you that Perkins was 12-4 last year?
Stat Line: 13 / 3.97 / 1.31 / 95

Twins Preview 2009: Bench

Twins Preview 09

For this post we will take a look at the Twins bench and a few minor league guys that have a chance to have an impact on the season. The Twins are not known for their bench and this season is no different. Although, at the same time this unit always produced in the past and they fly under the radar in most seasons. It is a scientific fact that someone will get called up from Rochester and proceed to pick up clutch hit after clutch hit. It’s how the Twins roll, I’m sorry if you don’t like it. Onto the previewing…(in no particular order)

Denard Span – Outfield
I start with Span because be is one of those players that did get the call and respond by playing out of his mind for a few months. Last year Span was great as a leadoff hitter and he became a leader in the outfield, sparking the 2nd half run that took the Twins to within a win of the playoffs. The reason why he is on the bench is because I believe it was a flash in the pan type of deal. Nothing against Denard, but there is a reason why it took him so long to break into the majors. Also who was the key guy in the trade where your organization traded the best left hander ever? Do you think they would have wanted an outfielder so bad if they were in love with Span? He is again the odd man out in the outfield but at least he stays on the big league roster this time. Also he has the ability to play all outfield position so he will be a semi-starter of sorts. He will probably get 200+ ABs.
Stat Line: .270 / 46 / 6 / 37 / 11

Brendan Harris – Infield
Harris has the ability to play all infield positions if needed but spends most of his time at 2nd, 3rd and Short. He will spell Nick Punto at short for a major portion of the season and might even steal the spot outright if Punto can’t hit. Harris has a little pop in his bat and it a dependable fielder. I still miss Jason Bartlett.
Stat Line: .278 / 54 / 6 / 39 / 2

Brian Buscher – Corner Infield
Buscher was another guy that came up with big 2 out hits for the Twins last year. Apparently Gardy doesn’t trust the Tag Team that is Buscher and Harris at 3rd and opted to go out and sign Joe Crede. The big guy is more then capable when needed fill in when needed to give either Crede or Justin Morneau a day off.
Stat Line: .288 / 24 / 4 / 29 / 1

Mike Redmond – Catcher
The always reliable Mike Redmond is back for another go round with the Twins. Nothing that I can write will accurately describe what Redmond means to this Twins team. He is basically Jake Taylor from the Major League movies. I hope he stays in the Twins system as a hitting coach in the minors or something. Keep Mike Redmond around.
Stat Line: .277 / 17 / 2 / 19 / 0

Drew Butera/ Wilson Ramos – Catcher
One of these guys will make the opening day roster for the Twins because of the back injury to starting catcher Joe Mauer. Ramos is the guy with the larger upside but has not played above A level. My guess is that Butera gets the nod but do not forget about Ramos. Possibly the catcher after Joe moves to another position or somewhere else.

Matt Tolbert – Middle Infield
Tolbert is a player in the Nick Punto mold and produced last year when given the chance. A dumb slide into first base cost Tolbert his season early into last year. Hopefully he can do the same this year when injuries happen.

Jason Pridie – Outfield
Pridie is a steady hitter but does not have much power. Pridie is the generic Twin that everyone knows. White, tries hard, gets dirty, plays the game right. Check, Check, Check and Check. He will play most of the season in Rochester with a September call up.

Twins Preview 2009: Starting Hitters

Twins preview 09

It’s time to dust off that baseball glove and put on your eye black because baseball season is back ladies and gents. For those who do not know me I am quite the Twins fan. They are my team and I live and die with every Francisco Liriano pitch; every Nick Punto diving play; every Joe Mauer 6-4-3 DP. All said; here is your 2009 Minnesota Twins preview. (Starters in batting order. Projected Stat line as follows: Average, Runs, Home Runs, RBIs, SB)

Carlos Gomez – Center Field
Go-Go burst onto the scene with a great beginning to his major league career, topped off by hitting for the cycle vs the White Sox in early May (after which my Gomez jersey t-shirt was purchased). His free swinging ways caught up to him as he posted the lowest OBP of any leadoff hitters prompting Gardy to switch him and Denard Span in the order. Gomez finished strong and is by far the Twins most exciting player. He is still young and will have a much better year this year with the work he put in the off season.
Stat Line: .270 / 90 / 11 / 65 / 40

Alexi Casilla – 2nd Base
After starting the year in the minor leagues, Alexi took over the 2nd basemen’s job midway through the season and never looked back. With his slick fielding and steady hitting, Alexi became the player that Terry Ryan always knew he could be. Perfectly suited for the 2 spot because of how well he handles the bat.
Stat Line: .280 / 80 / 8 / 60 / 18

Joe Mauer – Catcher
Joey baseball is the face of the Twins and will start the season most likely on the DL. He is feeling some pain in his back so that is no good. We all want Joe to get well asap but this is a guy that you cannot rush back into the lineup. Playing catcher doesn’t help his durability either. Everyone knows that he is the best average hitter in the league and he is one of the toughest guys to strike out. He is just a great player all around and his hitting overshadows his brilliance behind the plate.
Stat Line: .320 / 98 / 12 / 85 / 3

Justin Morneau – 1st base
Morneau provides the pop in the Twins lineup. The former MVP and last years runner-up will look to continue to drive in runs and play stellar defense at first. His glove gets lost in the shuffle when speaking about Morneau and his abilities. I think Morneau will produce once again and set the pace for the rest of this team.
Stat Line: .305 / 100 / 33 / 137 / 0

Justin Kubel – Designated Hitter
Kubel was the only other Twin hitter to amass 20 homeruns or more (Morneau was the other) and he looks to improve on the 20 he hit last year. Once the best hitter in the Twins minor league system, Kubel is finally 100% healthy after knee surgeries and showed what he can do in last year’s season. Kubel can be the DH that the Twins have desperately needed for decades.
Stat Line: .275 / 70 / 24 / 82 / 0

Michael Cuddyer – Right Field
Cuddy looks to return to 2006 form while trying to stay healthy for the 2009 season. His 08 season was cut short by numerous injuries and most of them of the bad luck kind. Cuddyer has to improve his power numbers if he wants to stay in the lineup because Span did more then fill in for him last year. You could see Cuddy moved by the deadline.
Stat Line: .270 / 55 / 15 / 67 / 9

Delmon Young – Left Field
Delmon gets the starting nod in my starting lineup because of how he has rededicated himself in the off season and he is tearing the cover off the ball so far this spring. Young is still only 24 years old and will continue to improve each game. He is a liability out in left field but so is Manny Ramirez. Look for Delmon to break out this year and become the feared hitter the Twins hoped for when they made the trade and possibly become a 20/20 player.
Stat Line: .296 / 82 / 21 / 88 / 20

Joe Crede – 3rd Base
The Twins are continuing the theme of signing players that killed the Twins (Craig Monroe, Rondell Black, Dustin Pedroia in 2017) with the signing of Joe Crede to fill the 3rd base “hole”. At first I was very skeptical of the signing but the more and more I think about the power upgrade we get at a power position. Not to mention the gold glove caliber defense he plays. It will be tough to get balls past this infield.
Stat Line: .263 / 68 / 19 / 68 / 0

Nick Punto – Short Stop
A fan favorite, Nick Punto continues to find a place on the field to play baseball. Whether it be at 2nd, 3rd, or short, Punto plays gold glove D and loves to dive and get dirty. Punto at the plate is a different story. After batting .290 in 135 games for the 2006 season, Nicky battled the Mendoza line for much of the 2007 campaign finishing at .210 (in 150 games). Punto rebounded from the career low and hit a respectable .284 (99 games) last year. Which Punto shows up this year? I don’t think it matters, Nicky is the man and plays mean defense.
Stat Line: .271 / 57 / 2 / 25 / 20

To be or not to be (a Gopher fan)

Of course. I don't think it could have happened any other way. If you have lived under a shell for the past few days both of my beloved Golden Gopher teams lost and are finished for the year. First Tubby's Squad blew a double digit early lead and the game was over with 12 minutes to go as AJ Abrams (the only guy that the gophers had to guard) hit 3's on four straight possessions and hit 8 3's overall in the game. Westbrook then thought that he can handle the ball and proceeded to turn the ball over seemingly every time he touched the ball and throwing up junk in the last 10 minutes. Damian had another good 2nd half with all of his points coming in the 2nd half. Little disappointing because I wished they could have at least won one game in the tourny. Next year my friends, next year.

The more shocking loss for me was the hockey loss. After how well they played last weekend for them to come out and lay and egg like that is very disheartening and was a bummer. Kangas had to be replaced after the 1st because he was battling the flu all week and our season rested on the shoulders of a freshman goalie with little playing time. It didn't matter as Duluths goalie Alex Stalock was unreal and his hot streak continues as Duluth is currently playing in the Final Five Championship game. It is hard to go up against hot goalies and it seems like those are the only goalies that the Gophers saw all year. They have had troubles scoring and the troubles did them in for the final time. Again it's wait until next year for these Gophers unless they luck out and sneak into the tournament. If that happens, watch out for these guys. They are a good team but haven't received any brakes what so ever. Maybe they can catch one if they get in.

Now that is over it is baseball season and in the coming days I will have an extensive preview on the Twins to begin with and then eventually get to a team by team deal with predictions. Also the next post will include a recap of the first 2 NCAA rounds (thank you Cleveland State)

The love we lost

It has been a very long time since I have dusted this thing off and I've decided that this year's NCAA tournament would be a good time to write again. Eventually I will become disciplined and write, or not we'll see.

A lot has happened since the last time I posted. The Arizona Cardinals were in the super bowl. The Tampa Bay Rays (minus the devil) had a winning season. Oh and they also made the world series, not sure if you knew that. The New England Patriots blew a perfect season in the super bowl to finish 18-1 and my Gophers continue to break my heart.

I really want to talk about the Gophers as they have two teams in action today. The Tubby's have had an interesting season thus far. First they race out to a 18-1 record, beating #1 overall seed Louisville on a neutral court, beating Wisconsin on the road (something that the Gophers have not done in 14 years)and being ranked as high as 18th in the country. Now, I am a realist when it comes to my teams. I love my teams but I'm not a homer. The Gophers are not a top 20 team and they never were. They are still a very young team and they do not have the go to scorer that you need in college basketball. For those of you that think Lawrence Westbrook is that guy, just remember he hates Wisconsin and so he tries extra hard vs them. I dont know why but trust me. After baiting all of Gopher nation that this team was something that it wasn't, they proceed to drop 10 of the last 14 games, losing to the likes of Northwestern and Penn State (both on the road) and the last game of the year when they blew a 12 pt 2nd half lead to Michigan to put them on the bubble. This version of the team would not score at all and looked lost for much of the stretch. It was strange because this isn't how a Tubby team plays. It is anyone's guess which gopher team will show up for the first round game. Will it be the 1st half team of Devoe training open 3's in transition? Will Bostick step up and hit 3's as well? Will Hoff get out of his funk he has been in all year and take us to the sweet 16 (something I said in January)? Or will the team of the 2nd half show up? Will Al Nolan forget how to play basketball and the point guard position again? Will Lawrence stop thinking he is the best player on the team? (btw everyone knows that the best player is Damian Johnson, i mean seriously. I used Damnianized in every day talk when someone or something gets rejected or defended, it's true) This issss our first tournament game since I have gone to school here, I'm a senior now. Yeah it's been that bad.

All of that said, I like the Gophers for the opening round upset of Texas. Lots of reasons why too. First off, Texas is not good. No DJ Augustin and Kevin Durant will do that to your program. AJ Abrams? Are you kidding me? Tubby will find a way to trap him and not let him get off his shot. What the Gophers do lack in playmaking ability they make up for in Tubbyness. The guy is a legend coach and does a lot of things right. He is very fun to watch and his stare even gives me shivers. Orlando, as I like to call him sometimes, has won 13 straight opening round games I believe and I don't see that ending today. The Gophers can open it up and spread the floor and they can also bang down low with our version of the twin towers. I think Tubby will have everything rolling for one game and we win our first tourny game in a long time, and then they can lose to Duke. That is a win for me, just give me one win in the tournament Tubby. Please.

Now Let's. Talk. Hockey!
My oh my what a year for the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Men's hockey team. Another team of two seasons. First half of the year they were the best team in hockey, ranked #1 and looking like one of the best teams that this program has had. Kangas was flopping all over the place making save after save after save and the offense looked very explosive. Our freshman were brilliant with freshman of the year Jordan Schroeder leading the way setting up seemingly every goal. Stoa was banging in front and Hoeffel was scoring short handed all the time. It was great...and then it happened. Our D got sloppy and Kangas started letting goals in. It got worse and worse and our offense suffered and then our team suffered. They had such a bad 2nd half that they are in danger of missing the NCAA tournament. What, you say? The State of Hockey's own Golden Gophers missing the NCAA tournament? Yeah, it could happen if they don't win tonight, and then win tomorrow night vs that team in North Dakota. I think that is what is needed. We are on the bubble. Again I have to believe in the Don and his guys. They played awesome last weekend vs St. Cloud when they HAD to sweep those games. I think they keep it rolling and do some serious damage in the NCAA tournament. Remember this team was ranked #1 for a long time at the beginning of the year. Kangas is back and ready. We will go only as far as he can take us and he knows that. Go Gophers, eat bulldog babies.

This post just got Damnianized!