As Minnesotans we suffer through hard winters, for several reasons 4 million people seem to stick around. One of those reasons for me is this thing called the State Hockey Tournament. As a youth, my Mom would let me come home from school early to watch the games starting in Kindergarten all the way through high school. From my earliest memories as a child, this tournament has always been very special to a lot of people in this state. Neal Broten, former Gopher Hockey star, Hobey Baker winner, NHL Great, 1980 Olympian, and Stanley Cup winner once said winning the State Tournament would have been more exciting than winning the Olympics (his best finish was 3rd).
To put things in perspective on Saturday night 40 High School kids from Minnesota outdrew every pro and college team in the world (SRO 19,000 fans). And this has been going on for decades here. The tournament always draws over 100,000 people and the games are always very exciting.
The section tournaments to get to state are sometimes even more exciting with a ton of geographic rivals facing off in the section finals for a shot at the tournament. Of the 16 section finals, 5 were decided in overtime (Lakeville North, Duluth East, Eden Prairie, White Bear Lake, and Breck all advanced in miraculous fashion) and 7 were decided by 1 goal.
My personal highlights this year:
* Edina losing (actually didn't see it).
* My nephew David scoring the game winning goal in overtime in both the Section Semifinal game and Section Final to send his team Breck to the Big Dance. Couldn't have happened to a nicer kid.
* Watching a great kid like AJ Reid win a state championship and then win the Herb Brooks Award for being a credit to his school, peers, and community. I'll bet his dad is proud.
* My nephew David during his player introductions on TV, greets my son Jake with a "Happy Birthday Jake, " to which my cell phone goes bonkers!!!
*5 championship round games decided in OT, including all 3 for Duluth East and both Title games.
*My nephew David places #2 on the All Hockey Hair team.....check this video out, it is hilarious. Yeah, he's kind of a big deal.
One more highlight....this one borders on odd:
At the conclusion of each medal ceremony, the High School League hands out the Herb Brooks Award (see above). For the Girls winner, Herb Brooks' daughter presents the award and for the boys his son presents the award. To set the scene, I'm watching the girl's final and Herbie's daughter comes out to present and she's wearing a very revealing red sweater. To which my wife Debi says, "what is SHE wearing?" Two weeks later, Herbie's son shows up to the AA award ceremony in a black leather jacket he must have stolen from one of the Pet Shop Boys...to which I replied, "what is HE wearing?"
I can only conclude that Herbie had those two doing pushups, stairs and "Herbies" their whole life. This is their way of getting back at him, while he sits up in Hockey Heaven.
Congratulations to St. Thomas and Eden Prairie. By all accounts this EP team won a PeeWee State Championship, 2 Bantam State Championships and 2 state Championships. An amazing run.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
SunMart Arena
My son's hockey team had the pleasure of traveling to the Fargo Flyers International hockey tournament in Fargo, ND this past weekend. It was North American youth hockey at it's finest.
Over a thousand kids from all over the place playing their guts out for 4 straight days. On top of the hockey, the kids come equipped with their team pins to exchange at face-off and to trade in between games. On top of the trading the kids enjoy time with their teammates and make new friends from other teams.
Upon arrival home Sunday night, my son Jake says to me, "Dad, I just wish life were like FARGO all the time..." Don't we both young man, don't we both.
As we winded between rinks and games all weekend we happened across one of the most unique rinks I've ever seen. In all my years of hockey I've seen hundreds of rinks. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Some are cold (Minnehaha), some are new (Dakota), and some are oozing with tradition (Braemar and Wakota). Some I love (Richfield), some I hate (Bloomington 2), and some are filled with childhood memories (Parade and Augsburg). But for the most part, every hockey rink has 4 similarities: ice that is resurfaced by a zamboni, chilled by underground refrigeration, enclosed by fiberglass boards and plexiglass, and the rink size is usually 200' X 80'.
On Saturday afternoon, my life forever changed when I stepped into SunMart Arena. I knew this rink was special even before we got there -- as we approached the rink somewhere deep in the bowels of the Fargo warehouse district, Jake said to me, "where are you taking us dad?" As if to say, rinks aren't made out of single level warehouses.
After parking 5 blocks from the arena, I finally arrived. As I stepped into this old warehouse, I'm not sure if my first memory will be the smell (imagine outhouse combined with diesel fuel) or the sight of a hockey game played in the dark -- almost as if I was at a back alley dog fight, sans the rif-raf. The lighting and smell were just the beginning. The single sided stands held possibly 125 people comfortably, the rest of the patrons were asked to stand wherever you could find a view. The opposite side of the rink broke all rules of decor....no plexiglass, just some more white fiberglass and an occasional local business sponsorship (I was surprised to find there wasn't a local manure salesmen sponsoring the rink). Not to mention, the rink was 160' X 70' making the neutral zone about the size of a walk-in closet.
I had the pleasure of walking into the rink when it was jam packed (a local team was playing a hated team from the Cities)...which made it seem like I had just walked onto the movie set of Hoosiers. The passion, the excitement and the energy was remarkable. Editor's Note: The team from the Cities won 12-0....sending the local faithful to their cars parked 4 Blocks or less after the second period.
The clincher for me to write this blog had to be my visit to the bathroom....a scary proposition. Before I entered the abiss....it was difficult to decipher Male/Female because whichever 6 year old they let paint the door and the frame decided to paint over the Male/Female sign. Upon arrival to the Men's room I found possibly the worst smell known to man (combine 77 years of non flushed urine with a dash of odor of a minty urinal puck)...you know the kind of smell that forced me to hold it.
As I put the finishing touches on this blog....I'm still not sure if I loved this place or hated it. So I asked Jake if he liked it, to which he replied, "it was awesome -- I just wouldn't want to play there everyday." True that brother, it was the microcosm of our visit last weekend to Fargo -- an awesome experience, but not a place I'd want to live everyday.
Congratulations to the Edina Squirt A team for their impressive run through the tournament (outscoring their opponents some 59-2). Editors Note: Jake does not play for Edina.
Over a thousand kids from all over the place playing their guts out for 4 straight days. On top of the hockey, the kids come equipped with their team pins to exchange at face-off and to trade in between games. On top of the trading the kids enjoy time with their teammates and make new friends from other teams.
Upon arrival home Sunday night, my son Jake says to me, "Dad, I just wish life were like FARGO all the time..." Don't we both young man, don't we both.
As we winded between rinks and games all weekend we happened across one of the most unique rinks I've ever seen. In all my years of hockey I've seen hundreds of rinks. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Some are cold (Minnehaha), some are new (Dakota), and some are oozing with tradition (Braemar and Wakota). Some I love (Richfield), some I hate (Bloomington 2), and some are filled with childhood memories (Parade and Augsburg). But for the most part, every hockey rink has 4 similarities: ice that is resurfaced by a zamboni, chilled by underground refrigeration, enclosed by fiberglass boards and plexiglass, and the rink size is usually 200' X 80'.
On Saturday afternoon, my life forever changed when I stepped into SunMart Arena. I knew this rink was special even before we got there -- as we approached the rink somewhere deep in the bowels of the Fargo warehouse district, Jake said to me, "where are you taking us dad?" As if to say, rinks aren't made out of single level warehouses.
After parking 5 blocks from the arena, I finally arrived. As I stepped into this old warehouse, I'm not sure if my first memory will be the smell (imagine outhouse combined with diesel fuel) or the sight of a hockey game played in the dark -- almost as if I was at a back alley dog fight, sans the rif-raf. The lighting and smell were just the beginning. The single sided stands held possibly 125 people comfortably, the rest of the patrons were asked to stand wherever you could find a view. The opposite side of the rink broke all rules of decor....no plexiglass, just some more white fiberglass and an occasional local business sponsorship (I was surprised to find there wasn't a local manure salesmen sponsoring the rink). Not to mention, the rink was 160' X 70' making the neutral zone about the size of a walk-in closet.
I had the pleasure of walking into the rink when it was jam packed (a local team was playing a hated team from the Cities)...which made it seem like I had just walked onto the movie set of Hoosiers. The passion, the excitement and the energy was remarkable. Editor's Note: The team from the Cities won 12-0....sending the local faithful to their cars parked 4 Blocks or less after the second period.
The clincher for me to write this blog had to be my visit to the bathroom....a scary proposition. Before I entered the abiss....it was difficult to decipher Male/Female because whichever 6 year old they let paint the door and the frame decided to paint over the Male/Female sign. Upon arrival to the Men's room I found possibly the worst smell known to man (combine 77 years of non flushed urine with a dash of odor of a minty urinal puck)...you know the kind of smell that forced me to hold it.
As I put the finishing touches on this blog....I'm still not sure if I loved this place or hated it. So I asked Jake if he liked it, to which he replied, "it was awesome -- I just wouldn't want to play there everyday." True that brother, it was the microcosm of our visit last weekend to Fargo -- an awesome experience, but not a place I'd want to live everyday.
Congratulations to the Edina Squirt A team for their impressive run through the tournament (outscoring their opponents some 59-2). Editors Note: Jake does not play for Edina.
Monday, February 14, 2011
It's Tubby Time
For those that were screaming for Tubby Smith's ouster on Thursday night, this is a "calm down people" Sports Blog.
First and foremost, I was as angry as a fan can get after the Illinois game, but I came to realize that Tubby Smith is a giant upgrade from Clem Haskin. Haskin was greats for the Gopher and Dan Monson was great too - for my season ticket move from the baseline to center court.
But here is why Tubby is the best Gophers' coach (by far) in my short 40 years as a fan.
Good recruiter...he can identify talent (some high profile, some under the radar) and get them to come here and play. In 2 years, he closed off the borders and made Minnesota his home base for recruiting.
Good practice coach.....Tubby is very good at building a team of 7-9 guys that will get after you, get after rebounds..and as a rule his players get better after 4 years in the program. Right now, pretty sure Rodney Williams and Ralph Sampson are breaking this rule....hence his frustration.
Good man...he tells his kids the truth, he helps his kids graduate, he holds kids to higher standards than the NCAA will, and he won't be in trouble with them ever. I'm not saying he's perfect, he just strikes me as a no bull type of guy.
Repeat: by all historical accounts he won't be in trouble with the NCAA, kids won't be in trouble with the law (and stay in the program) and they will win a lot more than they lose. Will he bring us to the promise land of college hoops? Probably not. Has he made the Gophers relevant and much better than even Haskin ever dids? Yes.
Repeat: by all historical accounts he won't be in trouble with the NCAA, kids won't be in trouble with the law (and stay in the program) and they will win a lot more than they lose. Will he bring us to the promise land of college hoops? Probably not. Has he made the Gophers relevant and much better than even Haskin ever dids? Yes.
So if you read this garbage yesterday by Jim Souhan and you started to second guess Tubby's prowess as a coach, consider this:
Tubby lost the best point guard in the Big Ten to injury and kicked his second best Guard off the team. On top of that, lost a promising big man to injury in December. Leaving him on the island of misfit toys:
Rodney Williams (aka the gun that shoots jelly) - if dunks counted for 10 points he'd lead our team in scoring.
RS III (aka the boat that sinks)- he plays with the same emotion as the Mona Lisa
Colton Iverson (aka the cowboy who rides an ostrich)- we could use him on the gridiron or ice, but he just lacks consistentcy
When and if Al Nolen returns, this is the 2nd best team in the Big Ten. Hopefully they will return to the B10 title game this year and prove it...and prove to the naysayers that Tubby is a great fit for Minnesota.
Oh and Souhan, before you choose Tubby for your weekly bloodbath, please look at the facts:
-Sold out arena
-3 straight NCAA appearances (first time ever for MN)
-Top recruiting classes
-Tough love for players
-Respectability to school and Big Ten
And most important a better product than we've ever had here at the U. Comparing Kentucky basketball's expectations to Minnesota is like comparing Yankees and Twins (did I just say that?).
Z
Z
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Who wants it more at your house?
Note: Youth Hockey in Minnesota is a disease and the author has some of the classic symptoms (dry mouth at the sight of a youth game, nausea at the thought of missing a game, chronic irritable bowel syndrome during a practice or game).
Was at the rink this week and ran into an old sage of a youth hockey coach. This guy has successfully coached in the same system for 20+ years and still enjoys it. If I weren't so wordy, that might be a good blog post in and of itself. While he and I see eye-to-eye on a ton of topics...he and I are two totally different beasts. He is a non-parent volunteer...I'm a hockey dad.
For the record, non-parent volunteers can see the landscape a lot clearer than any hockey dad...no matter how smart the hockey dad thinks he is, he usually only sees things through the lens of his child/children.
So while talking over the many issues related to youth hockey (and youth sports for that matter), the old sage said the magic words (almost like an knife right through my heart), "You know Z, a parent can't want success on the ice more than their kid....it just can't happen, no matter how hard you try."
Me? Wanting my kids success more than they do. No way, that's not me. I deny that all day long...as does just about every parent.
As I prepared for this blog (prep = culling through the refrigerator looking for that lost piece of chocolate cake), I discovered there are 3 types of hockey dads.
1. That Guy - you know the guy who stuffs his kid into every possible sheet of ice, all star team, camp, etc and talks about it 365/24/7...and isn't one bit shy about telling you how great his kid is, what AAA team they play for, etc.....heck some of the That Guys wear the AAA jacket of their kid's team and they don't coach the team...but they are just bursting with pride that Johnny/Jenny plays for these teams.
2. I Don't Care Guy - the guy who does just about the same stuff as "That Guy"-- lotsa hockey, lotsa training, and lotsa talk. The difference between "I Don't Care Guy" and "That Guy" is his kid probably isn't that good (yet)....so he uses the always famous line, "I don't care how good Johnny/Jenny is, just as long as they are having fun...."
3. No Clue Guy - Here is the guy who never played, he's never engaged in the "how good a kid" is conversation...generally doesn't hang out with the other dads...and as a rule their kids aren't that good or their kid doesn't really care how good he is at age 10.
Numbers 1 and 3 add up to about 10 percent of hockey parents...which puts most parents in the "I Don't Care" category (me included).
So as of today and maybe tomorrow...I vow to be more like #3: when I act like I don't care, I will mean it...when the "how good a kid is" conversation appears, I will run faster than Lumpy Rutherford did to a Buffet Line and most important, I'm gonna drop the act that I don't care. I do care if my kid is a good hockey play. Okay I said it.
But from now on...I will remember that the sport is still my son and daughters and I can't want it more than them and be happy.
Was at the rink this week and ran into an old sage of a youth hockey coach. This guy has successfully coached in the same system for 20+ years and still enjoys it. If I weren't so wordy, that might be a good blog post in and of itself. While he and I see eye-to-eye on a ton of topics...he and I are two totally different beasts. He is a non-parent volunteer...I'm a hockey dad.
For the record, non-parent volunteers can see the landscape a lot clearer than any hockey dad...no matter how smart the hockey dad thinks he is, he usually only sees things through the lens of his child/children.
So while talking over the many issues related to youth hockey (and youth sports for that matter), the old sage said the magic words (almost like an knife right through my heart), "You know Z, a parent can't want success on the ice more than their kid....it just can't happen, no matter how hard you try."
Me? Wanting my kids success more than they do. No way, that's not me. I deny that all day long...as does just about every parent.
As I prepared for this blog (prep = culling through the refrigerator looking for that lost piece of chocolate cake), I discovered there are 3 types of hockey dads.
1. That Guy - you know the guy who stuffs his kid into every possible sheet of ice, all star team, camp, etc and talks about it 365/24/7...and isn't one bit shy about telling you how great his kid is, what AAA team they play for, etc.....heck some of the That Guys wear the AAA jacket of their kid's team and they don't coach the team...but they are just bursting with pride that Johnny/Jenny plays for these teams.
2. I Don't Care Guy - the guy who does just about the same stuff as "That Guy"-- lotsa hockey, lotsa training, and lotsa talk. The difference between "I Don't Care Guy" and "That Guy" is his kid probably isn't that good (yet)....so he uses the always famous line, "I don't care how good Johnny/Jenny is, just as long as they are having fun...."
3. No Clue Guy - Here is the guy who never played, he's never engaged in the "how good a kid" is conversation...generally doesn't hang out with the other dads...and as a rule their kids aren't that good or their kid doesn't really care how good he is at age 10.
Numbers 1 and 3 add up to about 10 percent of hockey parents...which puts most parents in the "I Don't Care" category (me included).
So as of today and maybe tomorrow...I vow to be more like #3: when I act like I don't care, I will mean it...when the "how good a kid is" conversation appears, I will run faster than Lumpy Rutherford did to a Buffet Line and most important, I'm gonna drop the act that I don't care. I do care if my kid is a good hockey play. Okay I said it.
But from now on...I will remember that the sport is still my son and daughters and I can't want it more than them and be happy.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Joel Maturi's has done it again
Everybody has made mistakes. Just look at my sweet mullet I wore in HS as evidence. But how can one guy make so many public mistakes and still keep his job.
For the out-of-staters: Joel Maturi is the AD at the University of Minnesota (aka The U...hey Michael Irvin, I'm taking the nickname of my school back, you've been using it for too long). Joel is from Minnesota (Chisholm to be exact) and has been AD here since 2002. Prior to Minnesota he held the same post at Miami of Ohio and the University of Denver. He cut his teeth in Madison, WI as an assistant AD from 1987 to 1996 at the University of Wisconsin. He graduated from Notre Dame. The UW and ND association alone were red flags for me...but once you see this list of facts....his past was nothing compared to the path of destruction he has led us through.
Below is a list of Maturism's we Gopher fans have had to endure since 2002 (and the hiring of Jerry Kill is not one of them....I actually like that choice).
10. "We Are Minnesota" - at his press conference announcing his hire...Joel said he had a "new" cheer that he wanted to bring to Minnesota. One side of the stands would yell "We Are" and the other side would say "Minnesota". I can't make it up. Apparently he had never been to a Penn State game or he had and he just wanted to copy them. Thankfully the cheer never took.
9. "Dan Monson, you're fffff...iiiiiii....fine until next year." In the Spring of 2006, Joel had his marching orders to fire the overmatched Dan Monson as Head Basketball Coach. In fact, he got on a plane to Cincinnati to go dismiss him after their first round NIT loss. Mr. Nice Guy Joel couldn't pull the trigger. Instead, he waited until the following season and did it a few games in to the 2006-2007 campaign (do you see a pattern here?) and then watched the once full Williams Arena sit empty for another long season.
8. "Barry will you coach the Gophers?" True Story. In his many interviews with the press yesterday, Joel told Bob Sansevere (Pioneer Press) that one of the people he offered the job to was Barry Alvarez. Barry has a statue of himself outside of Camp Randall Stadium, has been offered jobs at Miami, and several others in the NFL...and somehow Jamming Joel thought he may want to come here??? That's not the most shameful act of this whole thing (offering). In my opinion admitting that we offered our job to our biggest rival's former coach should be the last straw for his employment at the U.
7. "Don Lucia is my guy." Don Lucia has the easiest job in college sports. He coaches the U's hockey team. Our state produces the most American bread college and pro hockey players. Hockey is to Minnesota what Basketball is to Indiana. He is sitting in the middle of the cabbage patch and can't manage to figure out how to win more than he loses. Last week we were swept by a sub-rival called Minnesota State Mankato. I could have sworn there was rule in the Athletic Department at the U...fail to make NCAA tourney, you're fired. Hopefully, JM can pull the trigger this Spring once The Don fails his (shrinking waiting list only) season ticket holders, again.
6. "Dave Mona" One of The U's biggest supporters is local PR guy Dave Mona. By default, Dave is one of the color commentators for the football team. This obviously made him qualified to help the U pick a new coach. Well, at least that's what Joel thought anyway. On top of hiring Mona, he asked other Athletic Directors who they thought might be good hires. Dude, are you serious? Asking your competition who you should hire is about the same as giving them your playbook. Didn't we hire a PR guy to help manage the new coach selection...huh?
5. "First Lady of Gopher Football" At yesterday's press conference he introduced Jerry Kill's wife, Rebecca, as the First Lady of Gopher Football. Really, Joel....you're an embarrasment.
4. "You're Number 7" In the press conference yesterday he admitted that Jerry Kill wasn't his first choice. What a complete imbecile. Where was the PR guy when we needed him? FYI Joel, don't introduce a guy with a backhanded compliment....much less just a backhand.
3. "I'm not talking" During the recent coaching search....Joel declared he was going to hire a Search Firm and keep the hiring process very private. Joel loves to see himself on TV, hear himself on the radio and see his name in print. Can you blame him? He's from Chisholm where they just got a printing press. In the 51 day search, we heard more Joel quotes than we care to ever hear. Hint: see number 1 for the most damaging.
2. "Cast a wide net" Late in the search, Joel in one of his many media appearances said, "we cast a wide net, and we just kept coming back to Jerry Kill." What he fails to say in this preposterous statement was, "we offered the job to just about everyone else and they wouldn't take it because I was the AD. The net was really wide, but we also ignored the 1,000+ pleas to hire Mike Leach the job because I was born with a vagina..." He goes on but I'm running out of space.
1. "Tubby Hire" On October 17, Joel makes the critical statement about the hire....."we want to make a Tubby Smith type hire....here at Minnesota". He even commits more HR errors than Austin Powers by telling the media how much he's willing to pay!!!!!!! Oops Joel, you forgot to mention the Tubby hire was less of a hire and more of a get out of jail card for Smith at Kentucky. Joel had as much to do with Tubby coming here as I did with the 5 inches of snow we got last Saturday.
As I said earlier in the post, I LIKE THE JERRY KILL HIRE. I just don't think we needed 51 days, 5 to 10 job offers to people who weren't ever going to accept the job, and even worse several "I can't believe this guy still has a job" media appearances by Joel Maturi.
Go Gophers.
For the out-of-staters: Joel Maturi is the AD at the University of Minnesota (aka The U...hey Michael Irvin, I'm taking the nickname of my school back, you've been using it for too long). Joel is from Minnesota (Chisholm to be exact) and has been AD here since 2002. Prior to Minnesota he held the same post at Miami of Ohio and the University of Denver. He cut his teeth in Madison, WI as an assistant AD from 1987 to 1996 at the University of Wisconsin. He graduated from Notre Dame. The UW and ND association alone were red flags for me...but once you see this list of facts....his past was nothing compared to the path of destruction he has led us through.
Below is a list of Maturism's we Gopher fans have had to endure since 2002 (and the hiring of Jerry Kill is not one of them....I actually like that choice).
10. "We Are Minnesota" - at his press conference announcing his hire...Joel said he had a "new" cheer that he wanted to bring to Minnesota. One side of the stands would yell "We Are" and the other side would say "Minnesota". I can't make it up. Apparently he had never been to a Penn State game or he had and he just wanted to copy them. Thankfully the cheer never took.
9. "Dan Monson, you're fffff...iiiiiii....fine until next year." In the Spring of 2006, Joel had his marching orders to fire the overmatched Dan Monson as Head Basketball Coach. In fact, he got on a plane to Cincinnati to go dismiss him after their first round NIT loss. Mr. Nice Guy Joel couldn't pull the trigger. Instead, he waited until the following season and did it a few games in to the 2006-2007 campaign (do you see a pattern here?) and then watched the once full Williams Arena sit empty for another long season.
8. "Barry will you coach the Gophers?" True Story. In his many interviews with the press yesterday, Joel told Bob Sansevere (Pioneer Press) that one of the people he offered the job to was Barry Alvarez. Barry has a statue of himself outside of Camp Randall Stadium, has been offered jobs at Miami, and several others in the NFL...and somehow Jamming Joel thought he may want to come here??? That's not the most shameful act of this whole thing (offering). In my opinion admitting that we offered our job to our biggest rival's former coach should be the last straw for his employment at the U.
7. "Don Lucia is my guy." Don Lucia has the easiest job in college sports. He coaches the U's hockey team. Our state produces the most American bread college and pro hockey players. Hockey is to Minnesota what Basketball is to Indiana. He is sitting in the middle of the cabbage patch and can't manage to figure out how to win more than he loses. Last week we were swept by a sub-rival called Minnesota State Mankato. I could have sworn there was rule in the Athletic Department at the U...fail to make NCAA tourney, you're fired. Hopefully, JM can pull the trigger this Spring once The Don fails his (shrinking waiting list only) season ticket holders, again.
6. "Dave Mona" One of The U's biggest supporters is local PR guy Dave Mona. By default, Dave is one of the color commentators for the football team. This obviously made him qualified to help the U pick a new coach. Well, at least that's what Joel thought anyway. On top of hiring Mona, he asked other Athletic Directors who they thought might be good hires. Dude, are you serious? Asking your competition who you should hire is about the same as giving them your playbook. Didn't we hire a PR guy to help manage the new coach selection...huh?
5. "First Lady of Gopher Football" At yesterday's press conference he introduced Jerry Kill's wife, Rebecca, as the First Lady of Gopher Football. Really, Joel....you're an embarrasment.
4. "You're Number 7" In the press conference yesterday he admitted that Jerry Kill wasn't his first choice. What a complete imbecile. Where was the PR guy when we needed him? FYI Joel, don't introduce a guy with a backhanded compliment....much less just a backhand.
3. "I'm not talking" During the recent coaching search....Joel declared he was going to hire a Search Firm and keep the hiring process very private. Joel loves to see himself on TV, hear himself on the radio and see his name in print. Can you blame him? He's from Chisholm where they just got a printing press. In the 51 day search, we heard more Joel quotes than we care to ever hear. Hint: see number 1 for the most damaging.
2. "Cast a wide net" Late in the search, Joel in one of his many media appearances said, "we cast a wide net, and we just kept coming back to Jerry Kill." What he fails to say in this preposterous statement was, "we offered the job to just about everyone else and they wouldn't take it because I was the AD. The net was really wide, but we also ignored the 1,000+ pleas to hire Mike Leach the job because I was born with a vagina..." He goes on but I'm running out of space.
1. "Tubby Hire" On October 17, Joel makes the critical statement about the hire....."we want to make a Tubby Smith type hire....here at Minnesota". He even commits more HR errors than Austin Powers by telling the media how much he's willing to pay!!!!!!! Oops Joel, you forgot to mention the Tubby hire was less of a hire and more of a get out of jail card for Smith at Kentucky. Joel had as much to do with Tubby coming here as I did with the 5 inches of snow we got last Saturday.
As I said earlier in the post, I LIKE THE JERRY KILL HIRE. I just don't think we needed 51 days, 5 to 10 job offers to people who weren't ever going to accept the job, and even worse several "I can't believe this guy still has a job" media appearances by Joel Maturi.
Go Gophers.
Monday, November 15, 2010
3 reasons to cheer against Auburn
Before I start, what is Auburn anyway? Who names their school after a hair color? Although.......auburn colored hair is similar to Auburn Football - it looks pretty good but you need to spend a ton to maintain it!
Auburn is #2 in the country, they have a fantastic quarterback, some impressive wins, and a legitimate shot at the BCS Championship game. All disturbingly true. However, you don't have to peal back the onion very deep to find reasons to cheer against them the next few weeks.
Reason 1: Watch this video...it serves as a great reminder that college football coaching hires can be very misleading See Video. Wonder if that guy still feels the same today about Gene Chizik...lol?
Reason 2: It will be proven Cam Newton received financial benefit to play at their school. Remember, Cam Newton turned down 6 figure money from Mississippi State to get a "free" education at Auburn (wink, wink). Sorry Cam, this type of "free education" will eventually make you ineligible, which will eventually make you give back the Heisman Trophy and that cool National Championship trophy.
Reason 3: Good teams like LSU, Boise, TCU, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Nebraska won't get a chance to prove they are worthy because Auburn is going to make a run for it despite fully knowing this run will most likely be foiled by the NCAA. Assuming they beat Alabama, Auburn playing in the title game will be about as valid as Milli Vanilli's 1990 Grammy Award.
College football is a great game. Too bad this great season has to be ruined by a school who wants it's day in the sun, despite knowing full well all of it's glory will eventually be taken away.
Go Bama, Go Carolina....we want to see the guy from the video one more time ("Booo Chizik....anyone except Chizik" "5 and 19, booooo")!!!
-Z
Auburn is #2 in the country, they have a fantastic quarterback, some impressive wins, and a legitimate shot at the BCS Championship game. All disturbingly true. However, you don't have to peal back the onion very deep to find reasons to cheer against them the next few weeks.
Reason 1: Watch this video...it serves as a great reminder that college football coaching hires can be very misleading See Video. Wonder if that guy still feels the same today about Gene Chizik...lol?
Reason 3: Good teams like LSU, Boise, TCU, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Nebraska won't get a chance to prove they are worthy because Auburn is going to make a run for it despite fully knowing this run will most likely be foiled by the NCAA. Assuming they beat Alabama, Auburn playing in the title game will be about as valid as Milli Vanilli's 1990 Grammy Award.
College football is a great game. Too bad this great season has to be ruined by a school who wants it's day in the sun, despite knowing full well all of it's glory will eventually be taken away.
Go Bama, Go Carolina....we want to see the guy from the video one more time ("Booo Chizik....anyone except Chizik" "5 and 19, booooo")!!!
-Z
Monday, November 1, 2010
How the mighty have fallen in College Football
I was born in 1967. My college football landscape includes some great moments, memories, and rivalries. On Sunday morning I woke up....and now my football front yard looks like a low budget Edward Scissorhands' project. It's a disaster. Things you could count on (Bobby Bowden grimacing at a wide right or Notre Dame coming from behind for a lucky last minute win) cannot be found anywhere. Here are just a few glimpses of what has become the new College Football:
Texas lost to Baylor at home. My neighbor Jeff T. is on suicide watch (can you imagine cheering for your team in the BCS Title game and then 10 months later watching them lose to Iowa State and Baylor at home in successive weeks?) And, Texas A&M is so bad that the only way the Texas/Texas A&M game makes national TV is if one of the A&M cadets builds a collapsable bonfire.
Miami lost to Virginia. Yes, in football, not Lacrosse or being stuck up.
Florida State fumbled away a win at NC State on Thursday night. NC State use to be a stats game for FSU. What happened here people, what happened?
Michigan continues to tackle like a Big East team (optional in that league) and has lost 3 games. I remember the days when the only game they might lose was Notre Dame or Ohio State. They have sunk (or stunk for that matter) to a new low. Can someone please remind Rich Rodriguez that going 0 for rival gets you fired....even at Minnesota!
But my all time favorite came when Notre Dame, who scheduled Tulsa for what was suppose to be a mercy win, lost in about the worst way a team could lose. First, the fact that Tulsa played them close was a loss on it's own. Then when ND drove to the the Tulsa 18 yard line with :40 left and 1 timeout, they decided to throw a pass (why???????) and yep, you guessed it, picked off, game over. Brian Kelly = Hot Seat.
This is just a short list of Mighties. How about Colorado, Tennessee, USC, Penn State, Georgia, Washington (got beat by 40 by Stanford on Saturday), and UCLA? These teams have no shot of smelling New Year's day much less the Top 25!!!!
Who replaced them is even more depressing...Boise State, TCU, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin/Iowa.
Of the 10+ programs I mention, I only see Texas as the one who can get back to prominence fast (see "Texas Saved College Football" blog for why). The one I see farthest away is Colorado (no recruiting base, new large conference, no extra money to spend on a coach). They could make their own conference, call it the "We use to be 12"...They would have full stadiums, a great TV network, some great rivalries already in place. The beauty is one of these slug programs would still have a better shot at a BCS title than Boise or TCU (check back for my next Blog, "Why the non-BCS resembles Negro League Baseball")
No matter what, they have some work to do, or else Wake Forest or SMU might come calling (don't laugh, Boise State was a 1-AA not long ago my friends).
-Z
Texas lost to Baylor at home. My neighbor Jeff T. is on suicide watch (can you imagine cheering for your team in the BCS Title game and then 10 months later watching them lose to Iowa State and Baylor at home in successive weeks?) And, Texas A&M is so bad that the only way the Texas/Texas A&M game makes national TV is if one of the A&M cadets builds a collapsable bonfire.
Miami lost to Virginia. Yes, in football, not Lacrosse or being stuck up.
Florida State fumbled away a win at NC State on Thursday night. NC State use to be a stats game for FSU. What happened here people, what happened?
Michigan continues to tackle like a Big East team (optional in that league) and has lost 3 games. I remember the days when the only game they might lose was Notre Dame or Ohio State. They have sunk (or stunk for that matter) to a new low. Can someone please remind Rich Rodriguez that going 0 for rival gets you fired....even at Minnesota!
But my all time favorite came when Notre Dame, who scheduled Tulsa for what was suppose to be a mercy win, lost in about the worst way a team could lose. First, the fact that Tulsa played them close was a loss on it's own. Then when ND drove to the the Tulsa 18 yard line with :40 left and 1 timeout, they decided to throw a pass (why???????) and yep, you guessed it, picked off, game over. Brian Kelly = Hot Seat.
This is just a short list of Mighties. How about Colorado, Tennessee, USC, Penn State, Georgia, Washington (got beat by 40 by Stanford on Saturday), and UCLA? These teams have no shot of smelling New Year's day much less the Top 25!!!!
Who replaced them is even more depressing...Boise State, TCU, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin/Iowa.
Of the 10+ programs I mention, I only see Texas as the one who can get back to prominence fast (see "Texas Saved College Football" blog for why). The one I see farthest away is Colorado (no recruiting base, new large conference, no extra money to spend on a coach). They could make their own conference, call it the "We use to be 12"...They would have full stadiums, a great TV network, some great rivalries already in place. The beauty is one of these slug programs would still have a better shot at a BCS title than Boise or TCU (check back for my next Blog, "Why the non-BCS resembles Negro League Baseball")
No matter what, they have some work to do, or else Wake Forest or SMU might come calling (don't laugh, Boise State was a 1-AA not long ago my friends).
-Z
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