Sporting the Twin Cities:
Freaky February

-- Andrea Jackley

Perhaps the galaxy shifted when Tony Romo floundered the snap during the Texas Cowboys’ game-winning field goal attempt, which permitted the Seattle Seahawks to walk away with an unimagined 21-20 win. Or maybe it was when the Gopher men’s basketball team ignited against Purdue to win their Big Ten opener 65-59 after a particularly dismal season’s beginning (just ask former Coach Dan Monson).

Or when the Minnesota Lynx passed up hometown hero and lauded fan favorite Janel McCarville in the WNBA’s dispersal of the Charlotte Sting. Or maybe, just maybe, it was when the Florida Gators—who, according to many college football gurus didn’t even belong on the field for the first Bowl Championship Series’ national championship game — beat critics’ favorite Ohio State Buckeyes 41-14 in what can only be described as a Division I trouncing.

All I know is that the sports universe I woke up to in mid-January is a dramatically different place than it was in late 2006.

The Vikings
I will spare my readers a grisly recap of a Vikings’ season that deserves to be buried deep in the record books. But there is one bright little light at the end of the tunnel. And no, I’m not talking about the first annual www.vikings.com awards.

After finishing 6-10 and second-to-last in the NFC North just ahead of Detroit, the Vikings will pick seventh overall in this April’s NFL draft. And while I witnessed the Vikings’ predictable obliteration by the Saint Louis Rams on New Year’s Day at the Dome, the league’s attempt to balance the best and the worst of teams (pardon the pun) was my only solace — well, that and the Leinenkugel’s stand conveniently located right outside the entrance to Section 227.

Gopher SportsIt wasn’t a stroke of genius to come up with this month’s topic for Gopher sports coverage. The firing of Gopher men’s football Coach Glen Mason truly, despite previous ranting and ravings, came as a surprise. And not because I didn’t think it was warranted or even long overdue; it was the timing that had jaws dropping in the world of college football.

The Gopher men’s football team finished the season slightly under .500 and yet still earned a spot in the 2006 Insight Bowl against Texas Tech. With 7:47 left to go in the third and a healthy 38-7 lead, the Gophers seemed a sure bet. It was after that reassuring moment the Red Raiders came back with 31 unanswered points, in less than 20 minutes, to win the game 44-41. And with that, the 10-year tenure of Mason finally ended.

The problem isn’t public support — it’s finding a replacement before the rapidly approaching 2007 signing day for college football coaches on Feb. 15. Some names that have been casually thrown around include Indianapolis Colts’ Head Coach Tony Dungy and former Vikings’ Coach Mike Tice. A few of the more realistic choices include Gary Patterson of TCU, Lane Kiffin of USC and Notre Dame’s Offensive Coordinator Michael Haywood.

"[Signing day] will certainly make us hurry the search, but I don’t want to do it so quickly that we don’t hire the best long-term fit for the University of Minnesota (U of M)," Joel Maturi, U of M athletics director, commented.

The Gopher men’s basketball team, after an unexpected win over Purdue in their Big Ten opener and a very brief stint at first place in the conference, boast a 7-9 record post-Monson. The combined buyouts for dismissed coaches Monson and Mason will reportedly cost U of M $4–$5 million, a fact that rankles state legislators and may put a kink into the much-hailed plans for the new TCF Bank Stadium. Mason was one of the most avid and outspoken proponents for the stadium’s development.

Gopher women’s basketball sits comfortably at 10-6 after a big win against Wisconsin. The win also secured an even 2-2 record with the Badgers in the Big Ten. Senior Kelly Roysland carried her expected weight with 20 points on the board.

The Gopher men’s hockey team is crushing the competition not only in the WCHA Men’s, but in the nation. The Gophers are currently (please note my Jan. 10 deadline) coasting on a 22-game winning streak and have been ranked number one in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and the USCHO/CSTV polls. Approaching Border Battle weekend against the archrival Badgers, the future continues to look bright for our favorite skating (male) rodents.

The Gopher girls are cruising along nicely in second place in the WCHA, eight points behind Wisconsin, and are ranked fourth overall by both U.S. College Hockey Online and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls.

The Timberwolves
Three words: Garnett, Garnett, Garnett.

Kevin Garnett and his signature jump shot have been the name of the game for the Timberwolves for… well, 11 years now. Only this time "The Big Ticket" did something different: He missed. He missed his jump shot at the end of regulation against Philadelphia and then hit it in OT to win the game. He missed at the end of regulation against the Houston Rockets and the Timberwolves came back to win in OT. Then he missed it again against the Los Angeles Clippers, only this time, unfortunately for Minnesota fans, the third time wasn’t a charm.

While KG continues to impress crowds with his steady, graceful and reliable play, die-hard Minnesota basketball fans continue to yearn for a championship. With the Timberwolves hovering barely above .500, in second by a six-game margin, we (justifiably) have our doubts.

And while the NBA season will drag on for another five long months, the question is, will the attention spans of Minnesota fans last that long? Please see the results of last month’s Minnesota Sports Fan Question of the Month.

The Wild
I can only attribute our beloved Wild’s recent trials to the backward energy flowing through this month’s sports universe. After the return of Marian Gaborick—which by all accounts should have boosted the team’s ego — the Wild are in fourth (out of five) in the Western Northwest.

And while the hockey state suffers, the ice is smoking out West with the Ducks and Sharks dominating the NHL. All I have to say is that the season has gotten longer, and the DL should do nothing but get shorter.