Suddenly, a new leader has emerged in insulting your sports intelligence - Dim Jim shoots from the hip.

Not content to let Fat Pat be the only writer to get his jabs in at the Gophs, Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan has produced his own form of hot, steaming compost over the last few days.  Oh good. I haven't read an article explaining why we shouldn't really care about Golden Gopher basketball or anything else with the block 'M' attached to it in awhile.  Wait a minute, yes I have.  I won't get into too many of the details, as 'The Daily Gopher's' PJS does a outstanding job dissecting the latest nonsense that passes for sports opinion these days.  This is a must read, as it brilliantly takes a part Souhan's laziness and utter disregard for actually KNOWING something about the topic he decided to tackle.  Read Souhan's mess of an editorial first though, before seeing it sliced apart.  Its worth the reaction.

Next, after creating his little piece of bulletin board material for the Musketeers, and being thanked by Xavier coach, Chris Mack (whom he ironically - see Souhan's own picture above - refers to as 'Whiny McBaldwhimp'), he churns out a truly insulting post in his blog that suggests that Jamie Dixon would 'eat him (Mack) alive' in the next round, among other things.  Hmm.  How'd that work out for Chris Mack last Sunday?  And 'Whiny McBaldwhimp' - what the hell is that?  Souhan looks like Harry Shearer's (see other pic) estranged kid brother (sorry Harry, I love ya, but neither of you are exactly tough guys).  But hey, all I know is that Chris Mack guided Xavier into the Sweet 16 in his first season, and definitely proved that they deserved that #6 seed.  Clearly making the Gophs underdogs, both conventionally (the Selection committee saw it this way), and posthumously - the #6 beat our #11.

Worst of all, one of his 'favorite moments' at the Bradley Center was an exaggerated (to the benefit of Wisconsin Badger fans no less), somewhat pointless slice of Session 1. His moment? "Wisconsin fans roaring throughout the Bradley Center when the Badgers came back against Wofford.  Even though Pitt was playing Oakland in the Bradley Center, and the Wisconsin game was available only on TVs in the corridors."  Huh?  It wasn't as if the place was packed with Badger fans (it wasn't), there was hardly a roar in the place (a dull cheer at best). More like a sigh of relief after Jon Leuer hit the game clinching free throws.  I know, cause I was standing out there in the concourse watching it.  It had become more compelling than the game going on 10 steps away. Really by the time this all happened, the Bradley Center was over half empty, as Pitt had Oakland well under control, and most of the Gopher and Xavier fans had emptied out onto the streets.  Why exaggerate this, if not to somehow juxtapose Badger fans loyalty versus Gopher fans?  Ah, but I'm sure I'm just being hyper-sensitive. 

What it really comes down to with Dim Jim and Fat Pat is that I'm starting to believe that these two are just writing this crap in an effort just to see how many people who unapologetically follow the Gophers through thick and thin, they can drive insane. Congratulations guys, its working (on me at least).  Somebody more levelheaded than me please tell me I'm wrong, and that these guys are just calling it down the middle.  Maybe I'm too 'duckies and bunnies' on the U.  I'm fine with that if I am. And I certainly won't pretend to be something I'm not.  But I also don't think everything the athletic department does is beyond criticism either though (my disdain of Jedd Fisch in 2009 for example). 

Then again, maybe these two (Souhan and Reusse) are just complete douchebags, working for a dying medium that frankly, deserves to die if these are the best opinion writers they can employ.  Hey guys, guess what? I might read your columns for the sake of sado-masochism, but I don't buy your newspaper, and I generally don't support your advertisers.  Maybe if you actually played things down the middle once in a while and weren't so goddamn lazy in your research, you'd help circulation pick up.   Try it.  It couldn't hurt, could it?  Its not like the paper is tanking or anything.  Oh, wait...

Now, before your head explodes - get over to the Daily Gopher for that great dissection of the crap Souhan has been churning out.

Gophers can't top Musketeers - the 2009-10 season comes to a close.

Despite the outcome, still had a great time at the BC for the Milwaukee NCAA regional.  Attended the pre-game for Minnesota fans at Bootleggers, and it was Gopherrific to see so much Maroon and Gold in one place, all unified and postive.  The bartenders were kept very busy all morning.  After a couple hours of imbibing, I headed into Session 1 with my bud TKL who is a NU and IU alum, and Big Ten thru and thru.

A number of observations/comments:

• Since it was a weekday and before 6pm, the parking situation around the BC was not real good.  All on-street parking on side streets were 3 hour max or less.  I ended up in a ramp that raked you to pay for parking during both sessions 1 and 2.
• On my 9:30 am walk from the ramp to Bootleggers, I walked past not one, but two separate Iowa Hawkeye fans.  By the second one, I was so bewildered at the sight of them that I said to him "What are you guys here shopping for a coach?"  He ignored me.
• Bootleggers was full up of Maroon and Gold.  Pretty awesome.  They had two huge U of Minn Alumni flags hanging from the rafters. The Rouser spontaneously broke out a few times, and spirits were high.  At one point, a large banner was unfurled that said "It's Tubby Time - Let's Dance" or something like that.  Very cool.  
• A group of Oakland fans swung into Bootleggers, and were definitely enjoying themselves.  A fun bunch.
• The BC got pretty full up by midway through the 1st Half, when the corner upper deck seats get filled up, good to see, since a number of the Thursday regional games had a lot of empty seats.
• Xavier and Minnesota brought vocal crowds, both were on top of the game and rallied around their teams at the right moments.
• No beer sales in the BC, no doubt due to NCAA stipulations.  Stuck with Pepsi products.  Got bad gut-rot from a soda.  A little beer will put out that fire.
• Headed back to Bootleggers after Session 1, with a pit stop at the Calderone Pub first.  Nice mix of fans from all the teams in the regional there.  
• Bootleggers was no longer the Gopher haven it was when I left there that morning.  Badger fans had decended upon it, and the Gopher fans started to disperse.  Still our banners were up and we were flying the flag
• Finally the Bootleggers staff start to take down the huge 'Welcome M Alumni' flags.  I offer to buy  one off the guy taking it down, but he states that these belong to the Alumni Association, to which I reply "I'm in the Alumni Association! Sell it to me!"  No dice.

Panoramic view from our seats in Sec 221.

Obstructed view, but close enough that I didn't care.

Goldy keepin' it real, while the Musketeer looks on.

Goldy and the bench look on in the 1st Half.

Tubby paces the sidelines.

For some reason my camera chose to focus on Blake - I thought it kinda made this pic cool.

LW inbounds during the second half.

Gopher Nation stands to acknowledge the seniors, Westbrook, Johnson, and Bostick.

Its over, its all over.

Gopher Bandanna Guy and TKL just glad to be a part of March Madness.

Ralph Sampson the 2nd.  Certainly the tallest man currentlyin the building. Very likely the tallest man currently in the State of Wisconsin. And quite possibly the tallest man currently in the upper Midwest.  Also see Bryant Allen sitting with friends, and Paul Carter sitting with sister on the bottom of photo.

Game 2 - Pitt brings out their lovely cheerleaders, and apparently one grouchy one.  Smile dear, you're at the Big Dance!

The Oakland Golden Grizzly.  I thought he was pretty cool.  Huge head, might be one of the biggest I've ever seen on a mascot.

Pitt sets up the offense.

With Pitt firmly in control, the stands empty out, but the Oakland Grizz faithful stick to the end.

Gone Dancin' - Gopher Bandanna Guy is out for the Big Dance.

Big Dance here I come! Okay, so admittedly its not a very long trip.  Really just a 35 minute drive from my home, and even less from my office.  Its in my backyard, and I'm no stranger to the Bradley Center (affectionately known as 'the BC') or the surrounding scene, being a Bucks Season ticket holder. And I'm also no stranger to attending NCAA Tournament games.  But this will be the first I attend where the beloved Maroon and Gold are playing for something (I can't count the 1997 Final Four, as I didn't get in the RCA Dome).

My Dad got me hooked on Tourney Time when I was just a freshman in high school, when he pulled me out of school to accompany him to the 1992 Milwaukee Regional.  By the end of the 6 games, it ended up as one of my favorite sports memories ever as a kid. The regional was chalk until the 2nd round.  I'll never forget the end of the game matching #7 seed Georgia Tech vs.  #2 seed USC.  Matt Geiger inbounded to James Forrest with 0.8 seconds left for a game-winning catch and shoot.  You've surely seen that moment before on many a 'One Shining Moment' montages from years past (and if not, the link will show you - its only 40 seconds).  I was there, and loving every second of it.  But what only people who were there know about that game, was that the supposedly neutral crowd became very pro-Georgia Tech early on. Mid-first half,  the crowd turned on USC and their star player, Harold 'Baby Jordan' Miner, after he displayed his showpony pre-freethrow routine by obnoxiously passing the ball through his legs and around his back.  Boos rained down from there on, and the Milwaukee crowd got solidly behind Bobby Cremins' crew.  That's one of the things that makes the Big Dance so great, seemingly neutral basketball fans or fans of other teams not involved, can and will rabidly turn against the favorite, or the team of a player that simply turns everyone off.  Since then, I've enjoyed so many great tournament games, as I'm sure all of us have.  This just reinforced my love of this, the greatest of American sporting events.  Screw the Super Bowl.  Tourney Time is where it's at. No doubt about it.

And since that regional, I've been sold on the glory that is attending the NCAA Tournament in person.  I took in the 1st/2nd round Milwaukee '96 when Tim Duncan came to town, the '97 Final Four when the Clem and the Gophers stormed Indianapolis (although we didn't get into the game, as it was cost-prohibitive), the '02 3rd/4th round games in Madison when 4 big progams laden with NBA talent (much of it marginal, admittedly) rolled into town - Texas, Illinois, Kansas, and Oregon. And lastly, I fulfilled one of my minor goals in life by taking my Dad to the Final Four in Detroit last year, as my way of thanking him for pulling me out of school for a life experience 17 years earlier (Thank you Dad -did I mention that he was also the Principal of my school at the time?).

That brings me up to the present.  Ever since I nabbed my Session 1 tickets (almost immediately after seeing we landing the #11 seed in the Milwaukee regional last Sunday afternoon), I've been absolutely jacked up for this game against Xavier.  The chances for the Gophers to land in a Milwaukee regional are pretty slim on any given year, due to the fact that, a) Milwaukee only hosts about every 4-6 years, and b) the Gophers don't make the tournament all that frequently (that's changing though...).  This is could quite literally be a once-in-decades opportunity.  And so I'm seizing it.

Over Friday (and hopefully Sunday) Gopher Bandanna Guy will be running around 4th and State, photo documenting the fun, and the game itself.  Check back, as I'll have pics, musings, and reflections on the general vibe of the event.  I plan on spending my pre-game Friday morning over at 'Bootleggers' on Ye Olde Worlde Thirde Streete, which has been designated 'Gopher Nation headquarters' by the UMAA.  Then heading into Session 1 for the Minnesota-Xavier and Pitt-Oakland games.  After that its up in the air - scalp back in for the Session 2 Ohio State-UCSB and Georgia Tech-Oklahoma State games?  Meet up with some friends and settle in on Water Street?  Will Gopher Bandanna Gal shut down all the fun and call me home? Who knows?  Win or lose, the day should be memorable.

As far as a breakdown on the game vs. the Musketeers goes, frankly I'm too excited to think rationally and critically on this one, and there are plenty of other speculators out there you can turn to.  I'll just give my prediction and leave it at that.
Gophers pull the upset 71 - 66, on the strength of DJ's defense and some hot Westbrook shooting.


That's it for now - check back Saturday night for Friday's recap.  GO GOPHERS!!!

Surprise, surprise - Fat Pat Strikes Again.

Saturday was another great day to be a Gopher basketball fan.  It was Tubby Time at its finest.  After pounding the Nittany Lions into giving up basketball until Fall on Thursday, and then wrestling a win away from the always tough Izzo-led Spartans on Friday evening, the Gophs came out hot and absolutely BURIED Purdue.  Now tomorrow we're in the Tournament Championship vs. Evan Turner and his Buckeye friends.  Pretty exciting stuff, and the team is peaking at the right time.

Who cares if the motivation behind the team's success is from the disrespect they were shown by the media and coaches in the conference awards, or if they're just gelling when they need to?  Winning is winning - and it counts whether Robbie Hummel or Chris Allen plays or not.  Well, not to our good friend Patrick Reusse.  Not content to write the standard congratulatory editorial (the kind you'd see in the 10 other Big Ten towns), complementing Tubby for getting the team to play their best ball now, and look past the troubles they've dealt with (and to a large degree overcome), Reusse delivers another series of paragraphs that backhandedly compliment the Gophs, and downplay the recent hot streak.  Its clear to me that this is just another article designed to get the casual fan who might be suddenly interested in watching the Gophers take on OSU or a 1st round opponent in the Big Dance, to be dissuaded from caring about this team because he needs to remind everyone that they underachieved.  Ironically, Just Jake and I were conversing via phone after the win, and I (somewhat rhetorically) asked him how long he thought it would be until Reusse spun this negative.  He laughed and said 'not long'.  I agreed, but even I was stunned to see that it took less than 6 hours after the win for him to take another sucker punch at Tubby and Company.

Why the hell is this guy so motivated in making people jaded on the Gophers?  I have no idea, but Reusse seems to be committed to tearing down any good feelings that might generate around the football or basketball programs.  We (the fans who follow the program) all know the team has underachieved this season.  We all acknowledge that they've had some character issues (Mbakwe and White).  We realize the Nolen suspension was unfortunate.  We get that Sampson and Iverson are still developing, and we knew there would be growing pains along the way.  Yup. We get all that.  But I guess if we're to listen to this hack, we shouldn't enjoy the success now, knowing that.  Thanks for setting us straight Mr. Reusse.

Devoe All Growed Up

Well, Devoe Joseph ain't all growed up yet, but he's taking some big steps. His stone-cold shooting in OT was marvelous to behold; not only for the results (obviously) but just as much that someone OTHER than Larry "Don't Call Me Bryant" Westbrook had the brass tacks and cojones to take big shots with a defender in his face in crunch time. He sure doesn't seem to like our half-court sets; then again, NO ONE on our teams seems to like the half-court sets. Hope he can rectify that in the off-season. Funnily enough, I got a vmail from a buddy at the end of regulation who declared Devoe, and I quote, "Devoe Joseph is a F'n Mess. He is one of the worst point guards I've EVER SEEN on our team..." That's the sort of positivity I love from fellow Gopher fans! Personally, I'm excited to see Devoe continue to grow tonight and in the post-season (NIT or NCAA). It's gonna get real interesting when Nolen is back next year, and if we can land Devoe's little bro (and supposedly superior guard) Cory next year. That will be a stacked guard rotation.

It's been nice these first to conference tourney games seeing the Gophs morph into the team we all saw they had the potential to be earlier this year. The sheer domination of PSU was a prime example of our depth, talent, and determination (DJ especially in his FU to the moron coaches who kept him off the all D team), and last night's MSU game was a study in mental and physical toughness. Once the refs decided they'd only randomly called soft fouls, we got down to the business of banging around -- a big thanks to a guy I've been up and down on these last 2 years -- Colton Iverson. His clear out box-out (at the 0:28 mark) that led to a DJ dunk was a prime example of that. For better or worse, it appears that in big games this year, we really need a whole lotta of Iverson time (Butler earlier, MSU, etc) to win big games.

Tonight's game with the Boilers is gonna be fun. I personally hope we see a lot of RSIII as I think his game matches well with Purdue's long athletes. I really want to beat Purdue, especially since the slow, white hack that is Chris Kramer irritates the hell out of me. Defensive Player of the Year my arse.

Prediction: Gophers 73 - Purdue 68

NCAA Tournament here we come?

Probably not unless we win 2 more games.  However,  I get this weird feeling that if we can get by Michigan State tomorrow evening, we will win the entire Conference Tourney.  And if that happens - Damian Johnson will be crowned tournament MVP.  Book it.

I am probably completely off base here, but I wanted to throw this out here so I'm on record.  Either way, a solid tune-up win vs. Penn State.

GO GOPHS!  BEAT SPARTY!

Big Ten Men's Basketball Awards a Big Time Snub.

Today the Big Ten revealed their Men's Basketball All-Big Ten teams, and for the most part it appeared they got it right. McCamey, Lucas, Turner, Hummel, and Moore got 1st team.  Fine, a great group that seems right to me (maybe Shurna over E'Twaun?).  2nd team? Sims, Shurna, Battle, JaJuan, and Hughes.  Yup. Seems OK.  3rd team?  Harris, Green, Morgan, Buford, Bohannon. Whatever, things get pretty subjective down on the 3rd team, and I'm not a fan of Bohannon at all, but that's fine.  Player of the Year - Evan Turner.  Very good, definitely deserved it.  So where's the snub you ask?

Gopher senior forward Damian Johnson, affectionately known as 'DJ Swat' in the Gopher blogosphere came up completely empty.  Not making 3rd team or even honorable mention was one thing.  But not making the All-Defensive Team?  This is a snub in the truest sense of the word.  Damien led the Big Ten in steals (58 at 1.9 spg), and was third in blocks (57 at 1.9 bpg, and arguably inch-for-inch the best shot blocker in the conference, given his height relative to the other leading shot stuffers in the conference.

Members of this 2010 All-Defensive team include: Nash, Lauderdale, Jajuan, Kramer, and Hughes.  So who should Damian have supplanted?  Either Lauderdale, Nash, or JJ in my opinion.  Damian is a better all-around defender than any of these guys, and his numbers prove it (at least in the case of Lauderdale and Nash).  Both Lauderdale and Jajuan were slightly better shot blockers, but neither show up anywhere near the top 15 in steals.  And while its true that DJ is not quite as good a rebounder as those two, DJ's ability to defend on the ball, in the post, or on the top of the zone makes him a far more versatile defender than either of these two.  He's also probably the best help side defender in the conference.  Damian's combined rebound, blocks, and steals per game average is 8.2, while JaJuan Johnson is at 10.0, but heavily weighted towards rebounds (7.2 rpg).  Lauderdale is at an 8.0, with 3 times fewer steals per game.  Nash is at a paltry 6.1, and probably played more zone defense than anybody else on the list.  Clearly, DJ Swat's multi-talented approach to defense is not appreciated by the coaches or media.  Which seems odd to me, because he causes all kinds of matchup problems for opposing teams. 

What's even more frustrating to me though is that Larry Westbrook was the Gopher's lone representative on the awards sheet, as an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention. Not because Minnesota only got one award winner (I'm fine with that given the team's balance and depth), but because this award was clearly given to Westbrook because some media writer opened the Gopher's statbook, and saw that LW led the team in scoring (and only by a slim margin).  Westbrook contributed little more than scoring this year, while Johnson did everything.  Case in point, Senior Night was an analog for his entire career of filling up the stat sheet in ways other than just scoring - scoring 10 points while dishing out 11 assists, 5 boards, 3 blocks, and 3 steals.  In 23 minutes.  At least give him a slight modicum of recognition.  

Oh, by the way 2 players from Iowa managed more accolades than Damian. Yeah, that seems about right. Thanks for nothing coaches and media members.  You all suck.

If Dr. Tom was dead, he'd be spinning in his grave: Gophs destroy Hawkeyes

Ain't it fun playing the Squawk-eyes?  They truly are terrible.  Unathletic, slow, and pale.  The maroon and gold had their way on Sunday, and it was fun to watch.  Pretty much every minute of it.  My only gripe were Wayne Larivee's continued insistence that this was each of the Gopher seniors' last game in Barn.  Wayne, did anybody bother to mention to you that at this point we're pretty much a lock to host an NIT game or two?

It was great to see Westbrook and Johnson go off on Senior night.  Hell, even Bostick got some love.  I know LW has been the subject of a lot of criticism throughout the year for his pouting and temperment, but I still love the guy for how he can light it up some nights, and has the fearlessness take any shot.  DJ played a game that was an analog for his entire productive career at Minnesota. 10 points, 11 assists, 5 boards, 3 steals, and 3 blocks in 23 minutes.  Yeah, I know Iowa is horrid, but that's serious production in limited time.

What's really a shame is that he won't be recognized as Big Ten Defensive POY, an award I think he deserves. Chris Kramer and David Lighty are nice defenders (and my guesses for Def-POY), but in my opinion they don't contribute to the defense the same way DJ does. DJ may not be a true shut down defender, but much of his defense is played coming from the help side.  Damien steals and blocks, and as such creates offensive opportunities for his teammates.  He's inch-for-inch the best shot blocker in the Big Ten, ranked 3rd in the Big Ten, and with nothing but centers around him statistically.  He leads the conference in steals. He constantly deflects balls in the passing lane.  And he's a nightmare matchup in a zone.  What more can the kid do?  Come on writers - give DJ Swat a little love (great nickname from 'The Daily Gopher', along with a nice summary of the graduating seniors).  He deserves this award.

What's really disappointing about today is that had we not laid an egg against Michigan or won one of the last second heartbreakers, we'd have taken 5th place in the standings, as Illinois got taken apart by Wisconsin. That would have made our tourney hopes look a lot better right now.  Such is life as a Gopher fan.  Its hard to figure this team out. They can be so sharp some nights, and like absolute dogs the next. Inconsistency is our middle name.  Still, I think a win over Penn State (who look like a very dangerous team to face right now) and then a win over the Spartans in the second round will put us in, unless some dark horse wins the B-10 tourney (the B-10 tourney bracket came out a few hours ago).  Anybody else agree?

Real Men of Reproach - Steve Alford

Here's a new feature at GEGH - 'Real Men of Reproach'.  We'll focus on someone in the sports arena, typically Big Ten related (even Gophers) who deserve criticism and attention drawn to their idiotic or scum-baggish behavior.  So, here's the inaugural post:

Say what you will about Golden Gopher AD Joel Maturi, but let’s all be glad he is sharp enough to have not hired a scumbag on par with Steve Alford. Brewster is by all accounts, a pretty honorable guy. And Tubby, well he’s always been above reproach. Okay, maybe that's not saying much.  Either way, let's tip our hat to the Hawkeyes. You are now enjoying your own ‘Monson Era’ with Lickliter, thanks to Mr. Alford.

Check out Alford’s latest d-bag level behavior, getting into a rather juvenile post-game argument with BYU player, Jon Tavernari, that is culminated with his calling Tavernari an 'asshole'. Nice to see the person who I would guess is the highest paid public employee in the State of New Mexico keepin' it real. The genesis of this moment comes from some chippy play in last minute of a very tight game, where Tavernari received an elbow. Granted, no player should be mouthing off to another coach before, during, or after a game, that's a rule we all learned playing team sports very early. But he’s 20-years old, for crying out loud. He doesn't have the judgement of an experienced Division I head coach, especially one who just won the game.  Of course, if I were a player who knew anything about Alford's history at Iowa, I might also be disinclined to be more respectful.