No soul? That's a bit much.

One of the Star Tribune's resident ass-hats says that the Twin Cities lack "baseball soul", whatever the hell that means. Judging from the column, it apparently means that not enough suburban residents go to Twins games. I originally sat here and picked apart every asinine paragraph of his column, but then I decided writing about that would not do us any good. Instead of making my own nonsensical rant against Mr. Reusse, the Star-Tribune, and the mainstream media, I thought I'd get back to the issue and go over a few factors that affect attendence at the ballpark.

Some many games, so little time

Baseball has the most regular season games of the big 4 sports(baseball, football, baskeball, and hockey) in America. It's easy to sell out football stadiums when you only have 8 home games spread out over four months. A MLB club will have eight home games in eight straight days and then maybe 3 or 4 more. Their marketing department has to keep promoting and making sure the fans are informed when they are playing at home and also figuring out ways to keep them coming to more and more games.

The club also has to market to a larger base of attending fans. Operating at only two-thirds capacity, the Twins would average around 30,000 fans a game at the Metrodome. This would draw almost 2.5 million fans for the season. Compare that to the Vikings, who at 100% capacity would draw about 65,000 fans per game for only 520,000 fans total for the season. Or even the Timberwolves, if they sold out every game at around 19,000 fans per game, they would only have 779,000 fans total for the season.

As a fan, it's easier to catch an entire football season, either by going to all the home games or seeing them all on TV. Even in basketball or hockey, you can still follow pretty closely with a home game once or twice a week. With baseball, there many consecutive days of home games and a game on just about every day if you follow them on TV. This takes a very dedicated fan to follow a team that closely, and there just aren't that many in any city. You need the casual fan (bandwagoner, fair-weather, or whatever else you want to call them) to sell tickets and increase revenues.

It's the economy, stupid

This reason was briefly mentioned in a quote from a Cleveland reporter in Fat Pat's column. Unfortunately he just breezed by it and continued to lament how it's so much worse here in Minnesota (I don't have a world's smallest violin to play, I'm digging out my old trombone and playing a "wah-wah-wah" instead).

Now, my perception is that Minnesota's economy, made of many diverse companies and industries, may be a bit more stable then in cities like Cleveland and Detroit, which are built more around manufacturing. However, rising gas prices and food prices are causing inflation everywhere, which leads to less disposable income for all people. With everything costing more, you have to cut back on some of the unnecessary items, which includes entertainment. If you are a parent with 3 kids and short on disposable income, what option sounds best:

A) Go to a Twins game where you have to pay for parking, tickets, and high priced food and snacks.
B) Go to the movies where you can get free parking and discounted tickets for children and pay high prices for snacks.
C) Go to a public pool or beach where you can get free parking, free or cheap admission, and bring your own cooler with cheap snacks from home. Hell, you can even bring a radio and listen to the game while you bask in the sun.

This is tough on the MLB who has lots of games and lots of seats to fill. They need lots of fans from a wide array of income brackets to drive up their attendence and revenues. Other sports leagues can narrow their target market to the upper-middle class because they don't need to fill as many seats throughout the course of the season.

If only they all could be Wrigley

I first came to the Metrodome back in 1992 to see the Twins play the White Sox. I was amazed. It was my first Major League ballgame and it blew my frickin mind. I didn't dwell on things like aesthetics of having folded up seats in right field, the artificial turf, or the fact that we were missing a beautiful day while watching a game underneath the teflon roof of the Metrodome. I was at a Major League baseball game, and that's all that mattered.

This all changed around 1995 for a few reasons. One was that the Twins had pitched plans for a new retractable roof stadium to be built by the Mississippi River. After seeing pictures of that model, I could never look at the Metrodome the same way again.

Another was that I was at the time in a young man's life when he is constantly watching ESPN's Sportscenter. After watching all these baseball highlights and seeing all the different ballparks, I started to cringe at footage from indoor domes (Kingdome, Astrodome), outdoor fields with artificial turf (Veteran's Field, Three Rivers, and Riverfront Stadium), and multi-purpose facilities that housed both football and baseball teams (Candlestick Park and many of the above-mentioned stadiums). I tended to prefer the vintage look of places like Wrigley, Fenway, and even Tigers Stadium.

Finally, this was the time that the new stadium boom hit. Camden Yards and Jacobs Field began to set the trend when designing and building new ballparks. The ballpark became just as big of an attraction as the team. I started wanting what every other kid on the block had: a new ballpark.

Here in Minnesota, after hearing our Metrodome described as an inadequate, outdated, baby-eating, puppy-kicking facility for the last decade, we all really believe it. It makes it hard to go support your home team when you have such a negative perception of their stadium. You want to go cheer on the Twins when they are playing, but that means you have to sit inside the dim Metrodome with no sunlight and put up with narrow, crowded concourses as you try to make it to the long bathroom line. Again, why not just tune into the game on the radio while you relax in the sun by the lake.

Starf*ckers, Inc.

It takes more than just a winning record to draw fans. They also want to see players who are not only talented and exciting to watch, but also players they are familiar with. That may be part of the reason why Cleveland hasn't completely come back to the record attendence numbers they were hitting back in the 90's. They won the Central Division last year with future stars in guys like Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, and CC Sabathia, but it may take another season or two before they are as recognizable as guys like Albert Belle, Jim Thome, and Manny Ramirez were.

The Twins have done a pretty good job of marketing their players to the fans. They had that great "Get to Know 'Em" ad campaign years ago when this team just started winning division titles. They've also recently resigned two of their stars, Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, to contract extensions. Both of these players are popular in Minnesota not just because of their playing ability. Mauer grew up in the St. Paul and was a multi-sport star at Cretin-Derham Hall. Morneau is Canadian, a hockey fan, and even played goalie when he was in high school. Minnesota folks can relate with that.

Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing...well, maybe not

At last, winning always helps boost attendence. People don't want to go watch their hometown team suck. They want to win and feel good about themselves, their team, their city, and their state. They want to go out and celebrate after games and punch a Packer fan in the face not because they're bitter and angry after a loss, but because they're pumped about winning and want to further demonstrate their dominance.

Yes, winning will do a lot of good things, but it won't always completely sell out stadiums. If this were the case, then the hottest tickets in town would be for Gophers volleyball, wrestling, baseball, and women's hockey. You need a good combination of the above factors to fill out your stadiums and arenas.

So instead of writing incoherent rants about how it's suburbanites fault that baseball attendence isn't up to his standards, maybe he could explore real reasons or even-*gasp*-solutions as to how to drive up ticket sales. As a memeber of the media, maybe he should work harder to get fans informed, interested, and excited about going to Twins games, instead of finding something to piss and moan about every sports team, owner, coach, athletic director, or general manager in the Twin Cities.

I found a good way to kill some time today

Through The Wizard of Odds, I was lead to this fun little site that wasted a good two hours of my day: What If Sports.

Basically, the site gives you a chance to simulate matchups between sports teams. I'm not sure how they determine these outcomes, but it gets pretty addicting. You can pick current or past rosters, home or neutral sites, and even adjust the depth chart. With the football sims, you can even pick weather conditions and choose a basic playbook.

My curiosities got the best of me, so I started going through simulations to see "what if" the Gophers football team scheduled some bigger cupcakes last season. The reason is that the nonconference schedule, while filled with four games against smaller schools, was still filled with quality teams. Here they are, in case you forgot the horror that was last season:

Bowling Green - We lost to BGU 32-31 in OT at the Metrodome. They went on to have a solid season, finishing 6-2 and on top of the MAC East Division. This earned them a trip to Mobile, AL, for the GMAC Bowl.

Miami (OH) - We won after two rounds of OT, 41-35. Miami struggled against a tough nonconference slate of Colorado, Vanderbilt, and Cincinnati, but still finished a respectable 5-2 in the MAC.

Florida Atlantic - Despite the close score, this 39-42 loss was the worst game I believe I've ever witnessed. Thank god it was on ESPN 360, so nobody really saw it. The Owls went on to win the Sun Belt conference and beat Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl.

NDSU - We lost this one 21-27 to a Division 1-AA team, although it was a Division 1-AA team that spent the majority of the season ranked #1 in the D1AA polls.

Sure, these teams shouldn't be beating us. But when you are bring in a new coaching staff, install new defensive and offensive systems, break in a freshman quarterback, and lose your best defensive player from a defense that was terrible to begin with, maybe you should look to soften up that schedule even more.

I went through every small conference team and a few other BCS bottom feeders and matched them up with the Gophers. Here are my controls for this highly sensitive scientific experiment:

• Gophers are always the home team. This is usually the case with most nonconference games anyhow.
• Playbooks are set to default. The playbooks give you four options: Balanced, Favor Run, Favor Pass, and West Coast. The Gophers' default playbook was West Coast.
• Rosters and depth charts are left at default settings. There may have been injuries or other roster changes during the season, but I left it the way it is to make it simpler.

Here are my findings:

• We won some games! The following opponents would have been defeated by the Gophers if we had invited them to the Metrodome last season: Army, Buffalo, Colorado State, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe, Marshall, Ole Miss, North Texas, Temple, Troy, Alabama-Birmingham, UNLV, Utah State, UTEP, and Wyoming.
• If A is greater than B, and B is greater than C, than A is greater than C...except in sports. We beat UL-Monroe, who beat the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Wanting to test the transitive property, I simulated a match-up between Minnesota and Alabama. Alabama won 51-3.
• Suck it SEC! Minnesota, the worst team in the Big Ten, beat Ole Miss, the worst team in the SEC. How's that for your SEC speed, ass-hats?
• Notable losses: Notre Dame, Iowa State, Idaho, Northern Illinois, Fresno State in 4 OTs, and a 90-24 thrashing by Ohio (not Ohio State, just Ohio).

Again, I'm not sure what they are really using to generate these simulated scores. After seeing a score where the Gophers edged Wyoming in a double OT battle, I hit the "Play Again" button and they beat us by about 30 points. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this entire experiment has been a waste of time, and you are all now dumber for having read this post. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

NCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Year: White Guy vs. Black Guy

ESPN.com has an article debating who's the NCAA basketball player of the year; Tyler Hansbrough or Michael Beasley. There were 11 different writers making their case for their pick. After reading the first writer's case, I immediately thought, "OK, they're all picking Hansbrough because he's that hard working white guy that isn't as talented as Beasley, but he has more 'heart'." As I read along, my gut feeling was right.

Here are some of the phrases that these writers used to describe Hansbrough's intangibles:
"unyielding leader of a title-contending Tar Heels team"
"the toughest and most relentless player in the country"
"the ultimate teammate that will do anything to win"
"his will exceeds his considerable skill"
"Hansbrough's heart is bigger"
"Hansbrough has had the bigger impact"
"the only player in the country who plays hard all the time"
"He is what college basketball is all about"
"player who has worked insatiably to improve himself and maximize his potential"
"simply plays harder than anyone else"
"continued to play with even more passion and purpose (if that's possible)"
"he always seems to make the plays when they matter most"
"He is tough, committed to the cause of the Tar Heels winning and desperately wants to be in a Final Four and compete for a national championship"
"Hansbrough has been too valuable, too genuine and too dominant to deny him this honor"
"Nobody in the country plays harder or better in the biggest games than Psycho T"

If I presented this to my ex-girlfriend, she would immediately start hollering that all these writers were racist. Everybody and everything always seemed to be racist to her. I'm not sure how, but she could probably also argue that this article was sexist, too. Based on the quotes I provided above, I would have to agree that it feels like race is a factor, but I'm not going to label these writers as racist. They're just kind of lazy. Instead of them all defining what makes a NCAA Player of the Year, they just keep repeating the same nonsense: both of their stats are similar, and Michael Beasley is the more talented player, but Tyler Hansbrough "plays harder" and therefore is the winner.

As I mentioned earlier, all of these statements comment on traits that are intangible. This means that it is harder to prove these statements one way or the other. However, after reading through every writer's comments, I began to see some proof. Instead of just saying that Tyler Hansbrough has more heart and hustle, Dana O'Neil lays it out like this:

But the player of the year isn't the guy with the most prodigious talent. It is the player who lives the cliché, who puts a team on his back and carries it to greatness. This year that player is Tyler Hansbrough. Down to its third point guard, North Carolina dropped just two games and while the Tar Heels were waiting on Ty Lawson, Hansbrough shone. In the six games without Lawson, Hansbrough averaged 29 points and 10.7 rebounds. Despite Beasley's Herculean efforts, Kansas State remains at best an NCAA tourney bubble team. Carolina, on the other hand, has hovered in the top five all season, and Hansbrough has never had a bad night, reaching double figures in every game and recording double-doubles in 16.

Mark Schlabach further sways me with this:

How valuable has Tyler Hansbrough been for the Tar Heels this season? After point guard Ty Lawson went down with a severely sprained ankle in early February, Hansbrough stepped up and prevented North Carolina from taking a big step back. In the six games Lawson missed, Hansbrough averaged 29 points and 10.7 rebounds. North Carolina won five of those contests, even as their big man was constantly facing double and triple teams.

These actually give some good, hard evidence as to why Tyler Hansbrough should be the player of the year. They cite stats and W-L record during a stretch of games when another key teammate was injured and also use the team's record as part of the selection criteria. It's kind of like how a lot writers vote for the MVP in the NBA. Kevin Garnett won the MVP in 2004 when the Timberwolves were the top seed in the Western Conference, and there is talk he may be an MVP candidate this year with Boston sitting on top the Eastern Conference. The three years in between, there was not any serious consideration for the award. It's not like he was playing any different. He putting up similar stats, but his team was failing to make the playoffs. How "valueable" can you really be then? You could have taken KG out of the lineup those years, and I'm pretty sure we would have gotten the same result: no playoffs.

So I'm going to go ahead and agree with the writers who anoint Hansbrough as the player of the year. After sifting through some of the nonsense, it becomes clear. These are both players who put up exceptional numbers and were leaders of good teams. One team is looking at a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament and the other is on the bubble. One team plays in arguably the toughest conference in the country, while still posting a 30-2 record, while the other team is in an arguably weaker conference and posts a 20-11 record. Yes, you could argue that North Carolina has more all-around talent to push the team to greater heights, but Hansbrough still puts up stats that are similar to Beasley's. If there were more talented players surrounding him, you'd think he would have less impressive stats, mostly points per game. But he doesn't.

Lastly, out of the three writers who voted for Beasley, none of them really gave me a good reasons to think that he was indeed the player of the year. One of the writers basically just put together an NBA scouting report:

Beasley is the nation's third-leading scorer (26.9 points per game) and top rebounder (12.6). He has 12 30-point games, three 40-point games and leads the nation with 25 double-doubles. At 6-foot-10 and 235 pounds, Beasley is as skilled as a 6-5 wing. He can score inside with either hand on turnaround jumpers or on power moves through contact. He can drive from the wing and shoot the 3 with ease. He is a terrific rebounder because he can rebound out of his area, and he will not accept box outs when pursuing the basketball. Also, Beasley possesses great confidence and toughness. He competes at all times and has a tremendous basketball IQ. Many times during the course of the season, Beasley received the ultimate compliment from opponents by facing junk defenses, which might slow him down, but still couldn't stop him from recording staggering numbers.

This tells me that he is indeed a great ball player and will probably be an exceptional NBA prospect, but it does nothing to convince me that he should be the NCAA Player of the Year. Tyler, you have my vote, and not just because you are a white guy who "hustles" and "plays with heart".

*****

Good night for Minnesota basketball: Gophers win on a Blake Hoffarber buzzer-beater to advance to the semi-finals in the Big Ten tournament, and the Timberwolves get a win on the road against the Oklahoma City...I mean Seattle Supersonics.

You think you know the U of M?

Jon at TNABACG posted about a recent Sports Illustrated On Campus visit to the University of Minnesota. I agree with him that it's good to get a more experienced opinion on these matters, but I disagree with some of his assessments as well as SI's. Instead of posting disagreements on his blog, I figured I'd retreat to my own safe haven and share my two cents.

Best Sports Arena

SI: Mariucci
TNABACG: Williams

Me: I have to agree and go with Williams, mostly because I've never really been past the ticket office in Mariucci Arena. I've been intrigued with Williams Arena ever since watching the Final Four season a decade ago. The catchy and unique features give our campus something to be proud of. If the horrible day ever comes in which they decide to bulldoze this arena for a new facility, I can only hope they design a new venue that pays tribute to Williams Arena. Keep the unique features like the raised floor, barn "lofts", and obstructed view seats, while also expanding the seating capacity and upgrading to more modern lockers rooms and concourses. No, I will not cry the day they get rid of Williams Arena unless they replace it with a stale, soulless venue like the Kohl Center.

Best Pizza Shop

SI: Campus Pizza and Mesa Pizza
TNABACG: Papa John's

Me: Papa John's? WTF? Look I understand that it is a very cheap option, and yes, I also ordered from them plenty of times during my freshmen days in Bailey Hall. But then I grew up. I became a sophomore and my palate matured. I did enjoy Campus Pizza, and while Mesa Pizza didn't come about until after I graduated, I have been there a couple times since.

My choice would have to be Duffy's Pizza, just around the corner from Burrito Loco. I'm not even sure if they are still open, but it combined the best of both Campus and Mesa Pizza. Like Mesa, it was a small shop that was open late after bar close and served pizza by the slice, but like Campus, it focused on the basics and not a bunch of gimmicky pizza toppings. And it was still cheap. You could get a slice of cheese pizza for $2 or pepperoni for $2.50. It also helped that I lived only one block away from this joint, too.

Best Outdoor Studying Area

SI: Northrop Mall
TNABACG: Tie between Northrop Mall, Superblock Commons, and St. Paul quad

Me: Northrop is hands down the best place and really fits the ideal campus picture. There are many general classroom buidlings nearby, there is a plaza area with tables and chairs, large trees to provide shade, and plenty of hustle and bustle. If you happen to sit down there on a day where some fat guy in suspenders and a tie is preaching and telling everybody they are going to hell, then I recommend packing up and heading down the steps behind Coffman to the river flats. This will provide a more serene and peaceful atmosphere. The only downside is you will eventually have to walk your fat ass back up those stairs.

Best Bar

SI: Blarney's
TNABACG: Stub and Herb's

Me: Blarney has gotten better since most of the douchebags and the women who love them have migrated to the Library, but it's still not the best. I also liked Stub and Herb's when I first turned 21 and didn't know any better. It's too far away from where most everybody lives and is always packed on game nights, which is about 3-4 times a week during the winter.

If I'm going to make such a long journey, I'm heading over to the West Bank and getting a table at Bullwinkle's. They got cheap beer and burgers, bubble hockey, the most action on a Thursday night, and the bartenders play music from a vast collection of burned mix CDs. I always seem to hear kick ass music there, such as the Pixies, Rancid, Elastica, Oasis, David Bowie, and the Violent Femmes.

Best Spot for Weekend Breakfast

SI: Al's
TNABACG: Al's

Me: Yeah, I understand that Al's is an institution and that everyone should go there at least once, but when I went, I had to stand in line for 20 minutes, got asked to move down a seat twice during my meal, and ate with a bunch of people standing over my shoulder and breathing down my neck. I had the eggs benedict and it was OK. I really feel the only reason to eat there is so you can tell people you ate at Al's.

I would even tell people to go to Al's if they asked for a recommendation, but if I were going out for breakfast, I would go across the street, step over a sidewalk caked with cigarette butts, and head down a stairway littered with concert fliers to the Dinkytowner. It's a nice dark basement with vinyl booths and a make-your-own-bloody-mary bar. That's right, you can get booze at this place, and you can even dine with a group of more than three people. It's hard to do that at the lunch counter across the street. It's the perfect place for a college student to meet with a group of friends, relax for a couple hours, and tell tales of drunken debauchery from the night before.

Best Laid-Back Student Hangout

SI: Coffman Union
TNABACG: St Paul Student Center

Me: I have vague recollections of Coffman before it was renovated, having only been in it once during my older sister's freshmen orientation. After the renovation, I'm happy to see it provides lots of different services, but it's anything but laid back. It's a constant hub of activity with people coming in and out for various reasons. The thing that bothers me the most though is the lighting. Too much harsh fluorescent lighting.

I will second the St. Paul Student Center. It offers many of the same services with less noise, less people, and a cozier setting. If you don't want to go all the way to the St. Paul campus, I recommend grabbing your books, lunch, and coffee and try to get into Northrop Auditorium. Sometimes it is unlocked for various reasons and you can sit in one of the cozy seats to study or take a nap. The silence in that place is eerie and soothing at the same time.

Best Student Section

SI: Williams Arena
TNABACG: Williams Arena

Me: I also have to agree. Seeing the Barnyard on TV as a teenager made me want to come here in the first place. The Monson years didn't give me a whole lot to cheer about during my years as a student, but I do recall the section still being pretty rowdy and entertaining at games.

Best Pre-Game Spot

SI: Sally's
TNABACG: Stub and Herb's

Me: I only have season tickets to football, so I would pick Bullwinkle's as my favorite pregame spot. When I do go to basketball or wrestling events at Williams Arena, I avoid the obvious choices in Stadium Village go to the Steak Knife in Dinkytown. It's deceptive because it just looks like a little eatery, but they do have a couple beers on tap and bottles in the cooler. I can always get a table, good food, 2-for-1's every night, and they don't revoke their drink and food specials on game nights like some places do.

Biggest Reason for Excitement on Campus

SI: TCF Bank Stadium
TNABACG: Tubby and Timmy

Me: I'm going with a combination of the stadium and Tubby. I don't think the majority of the students will get to excited about Tim Brewster until he starts putting some wins on the board.
Tubby has already been a defibulator to the heart-attack victim that was Gophers Basketball. The games I saw in person and on TV this year were way more amped up then anything I saw during my years as a student.

TCF Bank Stadium is also going to create a new excitement never seen before. Most incoming students hardly know about Minnesota football and don't really care to get tickets at the Metrodome. If they actually went to the Metrodome and saw the pre-game tailgate atmosphere and watched a game from the student section, they'd buy season tickets in a snap. With the new stadium just a short walk from the Superblock, hopefully more students will get on board after they see what Big Ten football is all about.

Best Week to Visit Campus

SI: Spring Jam
TNABACG: No comment

Me: Definitely Spring Jam. It's a lot like homecoming, except there's really no varsity sporting events or parades involved. That leaves just one big buildup to a Saturday full of drinking and fun with no other commitments. Residents of Dinkytown get up early in the morning to fire up their grills, stereo systems, and beer pong tables. The concerts are hit or miss, as is the weather, but after a long afternoon of partying, you're pretty much up for anything that night.

Best Off-Campus Hangouts

SI: Downtown - Hennepinn Ave
TNABACG: Como Ave and 22nd

Me: I still consider Mannings and Sportsmans part of the campus scene, and I don't know what the SI people were smoking when they dropped this little quip:

On the weekends, check out Brothers Bar & Grill or Bootleggers. Both are in the Hennepin Avenue area and are within walking distance to the Target Center. For those who enjoy more a fraternity setting, The Lodge is the spot for you.

While it may be debatable that The Lodge is more fratty then Brothers and Bootleggers, the latter two are also considered pretty frat-tastic.

If I had known then what I know now, my favorite off-campus area would be Lyndale Avenue South. Check out this bar lineup:

Rudolphs: 2-for-1's every night and excellent cheap appetizers such as mini pulled-pork sandwiches.

Mortimer's: Pinball, air hockey, foozball, darts, and booze; it's like a Chuck-e-Cheese for adults.

Red Dragon: Wanderous Punch. If you don't know, then go find out.

Leaning Tower of Pizza: It's got pizza and beer; what else do you want?

Bulldog: If you want to fill your stomach with 100% pure delicious, order the Double Dog Dare.

CC Club: Cool dive bar with Old Style on tap. Play Journey or Bon Jovi on the jukebox to piss of the hipster dorks.

VFW: Karoke hosted by this adorable elderly couple who sing God Bless the USA to close out the night.

Herkimer: They make their own microbrews

Country Bar: Probably the diviest bar I've been to. They have fried chicken wings and a ghetto karaoke setup.

Pizza Luce': Because after a night on this street, you may be hungry for more pizza, and they are open after bar close.

Bubble Burst

With the Gophers 55-69 loss to Indiana tonight, the bubble is really burst now for the men's basketball team. In my opinion, I thought it was over with the loss to Purdue last week. Others were still convinced that we still had an outside chance if we won against OSU, Indiana, and Illinois, and then beat Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament. I'm sure there will still be others out there saying we can still get in if we pull off two wins in the conference tourney. I'm preparing for the NIT.

I'm very impressed with their season overall. This is the most interesting season since the 1997 Final Four season that I'm pretty sure happened, but I can't find any official record of it. Sure, there was the 2005 season when Vince Grier led us to an NCAA bid, but they caught everybody by surprise after the horrid season with K-Hump the year before. I didn't really take notice until the end of February. This was just in time to get all hyped up just to see them fall to Iowa State in the first round.

The buzz has been growing ever since last March when Tubby Smith was announced as the new head coach. Bringing in a coach of this caliber will do that. Nobody knew what to expect. This was a team that only managed nine wins the season before, so the bar was set pretty low. I'm guessing we would have all been happy with a .500 season, but that was being cautiously optimistic. We were led by 3 seniors who were all solid but unspectacular. We lost two players who decided to transfer out. We had one incoming freshman who was thought to be nothing but a three point shooter and another incoming freshman who almost didn't make it into school. To be sitting here with a chance to finish with a .500 season in the Big Ten is a very promising improvement.

I look forward to seeing these last few games against in the Big Ten and then presumably the NIT. I look even more forward to the next season where we'll get to see Tubby's first recruiting class in action. So far, we have a well rounded class with 3 high schoolers and 2 JUCO's. It doesn't end there, either. Tubby is recruiting two more high school players to round out the class. There will be anywhere between 5-7 fresh faces wearing the Maroon and Gold next season. I hope to party like it's 1997 all over again, which means I'll be strapping on my Doc Martins and cargo pants while grooving to the catchy sounds of Savage Garden on my Sony Discman.

Since everyone else is doing it...

I guess I'll give my two cents on the retirement of Brett Favre, since that's all anybody else wants to talk about.

I'm a native North Dakotan who has transplanted himself to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Growing up, I never really pledged allegiance to any single NFL team. In fact, I was more apt to have a team that I truly hated and would always root against, rather than find a team I loved and always rooted for. Early on, the hated team was the Cowboys. It later became the Ravens after giving me the worst Super Bowl I have ever seen. It was so bad that my friends and I left the sports bar and went to a movie after the first half.

When I moved down to the Twin Cities for college in 2001, I didn't really pick up on the Vikings right away. I followed them and was glad when they were winning, but I never really cared if they lost. However, my perpetual hate had shifted to a new a team: Green Bay. It didn't really have anything to do with the team or players. It had to do with the fans. Living in Minneapolis-St. Paul, there are plenty of Wisconsin transplants. Like me, they moved here for better schooling or job opportunities because their own homestate doesn't provide any.

Anyhow, I grew tired of being around these self-righteous "cheeseheads", as they call themselves. Their dangerous mixture of ignorance and arrogance is like nothing else I've seen this side of the Mason-Dixon line. I began to take joy in watching their beloved team fail year after year. I laughed a boisterous laugh when top players held out of training camp, bashed the organization, and then left for greener pastures. Finally, I giggled with the glee of a little schoolgirl who just got a life-sized My Little Pony when their Messiah, #4 himself, would throw an interception to end the game. It made my heart pound with excitement when they would show the replay over and over again and then the cameras would catch old Brett looking up with his sad puppy-dog eyes at the jumbotron and see the same replay.It's sick and sadistic, I know. I really wish no ill will on him personally. He has my respect. I'm just glad to see him leave the Packers organization. The times will grow dark again in Green Bay. There's really nothing there that would attract high profile free agents. They will have to rely on the draft to build their teams, and they will only get so far until those players they drafted pick up and leave for more money or simply just a better city to live. Green Bay can now become the Buffalo Bills of the West. Hopefully Bret Bielema fails at UW, too. Then we can go back to pre-1990's Wisconsin; before Brett Favre and Barry Alvarez gave those people something to cheer about.

Evidence that there is a God, and he truly is great

I don't really care much for bacon, and I am not much of a vodka drinker. If I were, however, then you can bet your ass I would try this.

Sid Strikes Again

I'm a little behind as there was another New Sid Column Day yesterday. In it he gives a list of walk-ons who "committed" to the Gophers football team:

Mike Rallis, the highly touted linebacker from Edina, is among a group of walk-ons who have committed to Minnesota. Six offensive linemen will walk on at Minnesota this fall -- Curtis James of Edina, Andrew Kersten of Minneapolis Washburn, Mike Harbin of Greenway of Coleraine, Alex Luhring of Metamora Township (Ill.), Connor Lee of Trabuco Hills, Calif., and Austin Hahn of Hartford, Wis. Other walk-ons include Jake Ferris, a running back from Arrowhead High in Hartland (Wis.), kicker David Schwerman from Kettle Moraine (Wis.) and linebacker Jarid Jackson from Champlin Park.

This sounds all fine and dandy, except that reports started surfacing on internet recruiting sites that at least three of these players have not committed to the Gophers.

According to GopherIllustrated.com, Minnesota's Rivals.com channel, Mike Rallis has yet to make his decision and is taking some more campus visits first.

On another message board at GopherHole.com, one poster claimed that Jarid Jackson has signed on to play at Concordia in St. Paul. Another poster shares a link saying that Connor Lee has signed scholarship papers to play at MSU-Mankato.

Wow. This is what makes his column fun.

It Takes Brass Balls

Last week it appears the Republican Party of Minnesota suffered a blow when Gov. Tim Pawlenty's veto of a transportation bill was overridden. Six Republican house members crossed the party line to override his veto. Since then, these "rogues" have been stripped of committee leadership positions and threatened with less party support come election time.
They have also been met with praise from many DFL supporters, a few GOP supporters, and lots of free thinkers in general for their guts. Going with their conscience and not with their party definitely takes some balls. I am also praising them. I am a supporter and big believer in mass transit programs, and one who doesn't get too wound up over taxes that add up to a couple pennies for each purchase I make.
Let's break down this $6.6 billion:

• Gas Tax - According to a Star Tribune article, the gas tax will rise in increments up to 8.5 cents over the next 4 years. With the way gas prices are going, these 8.5 cents are going to be like dumping a glass of water in the ocean. It won't make a difference to consumers. I feel better knowing that at least a small portion of the constant gas price hikes are going to fund and support our state's transportation infrastructure instead of further lining the pockets of some rich oil tycoon.
• Sales Tax - The .25 percent sales tax is not even set in stone yet. The seven metro-area counties must first need to approve it through their county boards. If you, the citizen of Minnesota, are really that against this tax, you still have time to make your pissing and moaning count for something. The remainder of the out state counties in Minnesota also have the option of raising their sales tax up to .5 percent, but give the people even more power by approving it through a voter referendum. Ultimately, I think this sales tax is a good thing, too, and doesn't weigh too much on the everyday consumer. Here's some quick math for you, Minnesota: a .25 percent sales tax increase equals an additional nickel for every $20 you spend. I understand our state can't keep raising the sales tax little by little for every funding need, because eventually we are going to really feel that impact. The nickel for every $20 can quickly become a dime or a quarter, and I like dimes and quarters. I like dimes because their combination of size and buying power makes it the most efficient piece of coinage, and I need quarters for things like parking meters and laundry. However, our state's transportation has become so underfunded over the years that we had to suffer embarrassments such as the Hwy 62/I-35 crosstown project being delayed for a year because we did not receive a single construction bid when we wanted to start work back in 2006. Why didn't we receive a single bid to work on this huge, lucrative project? The state did not have any money to make an upfront payment. We were just hoping some company would come along and start working on some sort of gentleman's agreement to pay them later. Also, we were mocked for rejecting federal funding in The Onion, America's Finest News Source. When The Onion is making fun of you, it's time to take notice.
• Registration fees: I haven't really found any definite numbers on the registration fee increase, but I heard it was going to be on luxury cars and SUVs. This makes sense. If you have the money to go buy yourself a new Lexus or Cadillac Escalade, then you can fork out the extra dough to that register that vehicle, too. I don't care what condition our economy is in: if you can afford to pay for luxury vehicles, than you can afford to pay for luxury registration fees.

This really doesn't seem to affect me all that much. I will survive, and so will the rest of Minnesota. If the gas tax is too much for you, than find other solutions. Carpool. Ride your bike. Take the bus. Walk to where you need to go. I again solute the GOP members who dared to go with their gut and not their party. I think they'll be able to gain support and still win elections. It's not like the general voting public delve to deeply into important details of the laws they pass anyway. Lately it seems like everybody treats politics like cheering for their favorite sports team. They don't actually participate in the political process or read too much into the issues. They just pick a side so they have a position to argue when they are at the bar. To those steadfast Republicans who need some ammo to argue with their liberal friends, spin it this way: your team is still the manly one. You still got the big, brass balls. Six members of your party had the strength and courage to do what they felt was right. You should be proud of that. Conversely, there were two DFL members who originally voted against this bill, but when it came time to block the override of Tim P's veto, they folded and voted with their party. There you have it. You can blame this loss on those damn, pussy-ass Democrats who don't have the balls to stick with their gut. Tell your pansy liberal friends to suck on that one for awhile.

*****

Speaking of having some balls, I wished NBA organizations had a some bigger ones. This is the time of the year after the trade deadline when veteran players bitch and complain because they want to play for a championship contender and not play with a struggling team trying to rebuild. Now obviously, if their current team could trade their worthless ass, they would have before the deadline. Unfortunately, because nobody else wants these washed-up, overpaid hacks, they start pushing for a contract buyout.

Now I understand when a buyout makes sense. Take the Timberwolves with Theo Ratliff. Theo's contract ended at the end of this season, and the Timberwolves were most likely not going to resign him. He was injured for the entire first half of the season and therefore teams were not willing to give up anything in a trade to acquire his services. After the trade deadline the Timberwolves bought out his contract and it looks like he's heading to Detroit. This is what I consider a good buyout. The Timberwolves had really no use for him if they didn't plan on resigning him. They are not going to make the playoffs, so if he plays and helps the team win, he's really just hurting their chance at winning the draft lottery. They could sit him on the bench and let his contract expire at the end of the season, or buy him out for less than what his contract is scheduled to pay and let him go earlier. The Timberwolves win because they don't have much use for him and get to pay him less than what they owe him. Theo wins because although he has to give up a little money to leave his contract, he gets to sign on with a championship contending team.

I am a bit disappointed with the Clippers handling of Sam Cassell. Sam was bought out and is signing with the Celtics. I get pissed at this situation because Sam obviously had some trade value. You can get a look at his season stats here. On top of that, his contract was expiring in the summer. This guy is dripping wet with trade value. The Clippers had to have heard talks from his agent or just listened to rumblings from the media to know that he wanted to play in Boston. They should have worked a deal with the Celtics to get at least a draft pick or something. If the Celts are playing hardball thinking that Sam and his agent will negotiate a buyout, that's where the Clips have to put their foot down and let the Celtics or any other team know that if they don't make a trade for Sam, then he will remain with the Clippers for the rest of the season and they can bid for his services in the summer as a free agent. Sure, they weren't going to make the playoffs and Sam's contract was expiring in the summer, so much like the Timberwolves and Theo Ratliff, it may have made sense just to buy him out. The difference is that Sam Cassell had a lot more demand for his services than Theo Ratliff did. This was a lack of balls shown by the Clippers' front office.

This really pisses me off when teams fold like this. I know the players have a union that holds some clout, but the organizations shouldn't be pushed around like this. It made me sick when Alonzo Mourning acted like a little bitch and didn't even report to the Toronto Raptors when he was traded a few years ago. They ended up paying him somewhere around $11 million to buy him out, and then he got to ride the coattails of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O'Neal to an NBA championship.

Think about the real world and normal people in this situation. What if your company went through some organizational restructuring and decided to move you to another department in the company? You would still be receiving the same pay, but your role would be different and your desk or office would be moved. Would you refuse and demand a severance package? Maybe, but most likely you wouldn't have much of a choice. It would be either take this new position or quit with no compensation at all. Being an at-will employee, you don't have the option of pushing for a contract buyout. Maybe that's why you white collar yuppies should unionize. If basketball players with high school diplomas can figure it out, why can't you and your Ivy League MBA do it?