Sporting the Twin Cities

-- Andrea Jackley

It’s one of the most exciting sporting events of the year unless, of course, you’re a Golden Gophers fan. Yes, the NCAA college basketball tournament—otherwise known as March Madness, Hoops Hysteria, Basketball Balderdash (OK, I made the last one up)—marks one of the largest losses of worker productivity of the year, an estimated $1.2 billion, according to the Star Tribune. It also marks the first time in five years that neither of the University of Minnesota’s Division I basketball teams, men or women, will be a part of the tournament.

But alas, with or without the Gophers the show must go on. Williams Arena will host the first and second round of the women’s NCAA tournament beginning March 19, undoubtedly to a packed house. The men’s tournament boasts few surprises other than some peculiar placement of teams’ playing grounds. The Florida Gators, one of the tournament’s top seeds, will play in the Midwest regional games in St. Louis, Miss.; while Ohio State Buckeyes, another top seed and overwhelming media favorite, was placed in the South regional and could end up in San Antonio, Texas.

Overall, the NCAA men’s tournament is perhaps the biggest college event, attracting fans from around the nation and viewers that scarcely watch college basketball any other time. Gamblers scramble to get their brackets completed on time, hyping their favorite teams and taking chances on a potential "Cinderella story," such as that of George Mason in last year’s tournament. This year underdog bets are on Southern Illinois and Winthrop. At least, that’s what some amateur college sports columnists think...

On the flip-side, girl’s high school basketball has been getting its due in recent days. St. Paul Central’s play in the state tournament has every journalist in town, and every opponent they face, in awe. They are the only team to ever enter the state tournament with a perfect 29-0 record. The hard-working team, led by Head Coach Willie Taylor, showcased their ominous presence against Edina in a 79-41 win. The team boasts a rumored seven Division I-ready players. With unprecedented dominance, the Minutemen forge onward.

And now that we’ve discussed greenhorn sporting events it’s on to the hard news. At the forefront of most Minnesota sports fan’s minds is the contemplated move of Randy Moss from Oakland, Calif. to Green Bay, Wis. (does anyone note a hint of sarcasm?) It seems that many Wisconsin transplants are of the opinion that the former Vikings receiver’s trade to the Packers would hit a sore note with Minnesota fans. While the issue may turn some heads, does anyone really think the clubhouse sour-puss would be a valuable asset in Green Bay, let alone jealousy-provoking entity for Minnesotans?

The Twins
As usual, the Twins are experiencing some spring training pains. Some have said the ball club is in a slump. Yet, die-hard Twins fans know this is simply warm-up for a team that doesn’t know the meaning of the word "quit."

For the 2007 Twins it’s all about pitching. And with that thought, Glen Perkins pitched a beautiful game against the Toronto Blue Jays, throwing 47 pitches resulting in 30 strikes and allowing only one unearned run against the Toronto Blue Jays in an 8-5 win. It seems Perkins has taken his potential starting-rotation role seriously. He has been developing his sinker pitch, and throwing inside more often in an attempt to deceive batters and improve his percentages.

Boof Bonser pitched an almost flawless game against the Florida Marlins in a 9-1 win for the Twins, with four shut-out innings without a hit or walk. Bonser struck out three and left Jesse Crain to give up the lone run. The Twins’ bats woke up as each of the nine starters produced a hit, and Tori Hunter going three for three, Justin Morneau with two runs and Nick Punto three for four.

A name that’s been circulating: Dave Winfree, 2005 minor league player of the year Class A, Beloit, reportedly has Gardy watching through the corner of his eye. While the minor-leaguer still needs to work on his fielding, he commanded $300,000 this year as a 13th-round draft pick. Someone must think he’s worth it.

Gopher Sports
The past few years have been truly exciting for the Gopher ladies. And after losing a barrage of senior talent, their appearance at the WNIT is hardly a disappointment. The Gopher ladies more than held their ground in the first round against University of Illinois—Chicago, with a forceful 97-54 win. Sophomore Emily Fox led the pack with 19 points, 11 assists, seven rebounds and five steals. Freshman Korinne Campbell hit a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Gopher ladies move on to the next round to face Western Kentucky. If nothing else, sole senior and team captain Kelly Roysland got her wish for post-season play in her final year with the Gopher ladies. However, the question still remains how Head Coach Pam Borton has accomplished letting the NCAA-quality team fall from grace.

The Gopher men’s basketball team is a much different story. After losing an embarrassing exhibition game to reigning Division II champs Winona State in the beginning of the season, a humble 49-40 loss to Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament to end the year seems a little like a blessing.

Golden Gopher hockey is impressive, as we’ve come to expect. The Gopher men advanced to the WCHA Final Five after defeating Alaska -Anchorage Seawolves. They then dominated the Wisconsin Badgers with a 4-2 win; the last goal sliding into an open net. Ranked second overall, the Gophers are steadily skating toward the national title.

The only thing missing from this story is, surprisingly, the media. With local news stations and hometown papers the Pioneer Press and the Star Tribune preoccupied with girl’s high school basketball and NCAA tournament coverage, its appears they have dismissed the major hockey tournament flooding the streets of St. Paul with visiting fans.

The Gold Gopher football team is far from news-worthy in its current state, but new-hire Head Coach Tim Brewster has made big promises to change all that. The list includes a top-20 recruiting class as of next year, a conference championship and stepped-up in-state recruiting. We’ve heard all of these things before, even out of the likes of Jim Wacker. Only this time, the source seems almost credible.

Brewster’s already been busy doing what he does best: Recruiting. He has put together a very good coaching staff including new Defensive Coordinator Everett Withers, former Texas Longhorns defensive backs coach who took the team’s passing defense, ranked 75th in the nation in 1997, to first place in 2000. Brewster also managed to convince new Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Mike Dunbar to relocate to Minnesota from California of all places where, as offensive coordinator, Dunbar’s total offense was ranked 12th in the nation. If Brewster can recruit kids like he recruits coaches, then we’re listening.

The Wild
After a 5-0-2 road trip, the Wild should be feeling good. But the final test, a trip to the not-so-friendly atmosphere of Calgary’s Pengrowth Saddledome where the Wild remain winless since November 2003, will be the biggest. And there’s one other problem: Every time the Wild win, so does Dallas, San Jose and Vancouver.

"I don’t know if it’s making it more exciting or more frustrating to see how all of us have been playing so well," said Captain Mark Parrish. "It’s amazing. You look at the standings after you win, and nobody else seems to lose."

The Wild are in second place in the Western Northwest at 41-24-7.