Minnesota passion hard to contain Tuesday

It has just about 24 hours since 2 big wins by Minnesota teams. The way both teams won is one of the major reasons I am so passionate about Minnesota sports. Yes, sure there have been disappointments over the years but the way Tuesday night went it makes a person appreciate the efforts and not giving up of my favorite state teams.

The Minnesota Gophers have looked terrible the last 2 road games especially in the second half of both games. The halftime scores were close and then the bottom fell out both games as the team loses big.

The thought process is easy to get negative with the number one team in the country coming to the Barn. The Indiana Hoosiers are in town and who knows how the Gophers would fare. I have heard so much fire Tubby talk lately and it does get old.

I have been hoping the senior leadership would take over at some point with Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams leading the way.

My hopes at least for Tuesday night were fulfilled. Mbakwe played huge and the leaping of Williams came to play.

It was nice to see a glimpse of the next 2 years with sophomore Elliot Eliason playing a huge role maybe playing his best game of his career.

This team has been under such heat as the season is winding down. I am so happy for these kids and the heart they showed against number one.

The first victory since 1989 over a number one team is unbelievable. I have watched so many games throughout the years and seen so many fans from different schools rush the court after a major upset. It was nice to see the home state get a chance.

Congrats to Coach Smith and the team who did not quit.

The Minnesota Wild hosted the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night and for the first 56 minutes it was concerning seeing the struggle. The power play 0-6 for the Wild, along with a couple of hitting the post was so frustrating.

The Wild had to kills off a double minor and did a great job as they bottled up Calgary very nicely. It is my opinion that the penalty kill by the Wild was the kick in the butt they needed to get going.

The tying goal by Jason Zucker was one of beauty with a little over 4 minutes left. It seemed after that goal the Wild had the momentum they needed. They played right up to the end of regulation with zip and energy. Calgary did take a penalty which carried into overtime. I just left a 4 on 3 in favor of the Wild and with the momentum on their side things were looking better.

It took 27 seconds into overtime as Zach Parise ends it with a backhanded that beat the Flames goalie.

My stars for the night were Elliot Eliason, sophomore and Jason Zucker, rookie. It shows no matter what age you are that when you are given an opportunity you make the most of it.

The same can go for the elder statesman for both teams with Trevor Mbakwe playing like a senior with a double double and veteran Zach Parise getting the game winning goal. It is nice to see the guys who are the leaders show why they are the leaders.

A great night to be a Minnesota fan!!!

Thanks for

Youthful Wolves start strong only to fall short

The Timberwolves last 2 home games have looked mirror image the way they started out to big leads. The Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday worked their way back from a big deficit only to lose to the Wolves. It was a nice win by Minnesota showing resiliency, and not quitting even after blowing a big lead.

Sunday the Timberwolves came out hot as they had a double digit lead over the Golden State Warriors in the first half.

The play of Derrick Williams is getting better each game. Sunday he had a reverse dunk that he even looked back to make sure it went in as he had defenders all around. It was one of the nicest dunks I have seen all year by the Wolves.

Ricky Rubio is playing out of his mind and the steals he is coming up with is great. He seemingly is getting better each game with the steals and the timing of the steals.

Rubio passing leaves me in shock with what he can do. A fast break and between the leg pass to Nicolai Pekovic who scored and was fouled on the play for a potential 3 point play. A missed free throw seemed to happen too often Sunday.

A lob pass from Rubio to Derrick Williams for the slam was one of beauty. Rubio had a drive in the lane where he went around his back with the ball only to miss a layup.

It seemed everything was going the Wolves way but yet found a way to lose a heart breaker. I believe one of the turning points of the game came when Warriors player Jarret Jack gave a shot to Greg Stiemsma’s chest which seemed to come out of nowhere. The announcers had thought Jack should be thrown out of the game for this. As it turned out Jack was only given a technical. The sharp shooting Jack displayed during the game would have really changed the game I believe if he would have been ejected.

I also believe Pekovic was fouled a number of times down under which were not called. It seemed to frustrate Pekovic. This guy has been so valuable for the Wolves this year with his play I hated to see him have looks of disbelief on his face as he was trying to get back on defense.

To credit Golden State for coming from way back to win but it just seemed it was going to be a Minnesota day.

The Wolves did have one final desperation as we watched Luke Ridnour put up a floater only to come up short and the Wolves lose by one.

I am not giving up on these guys. They are a team going through learning pains. Kevin Love who has been out for some time yet the young Wolves are still playing some exciting basketball.

Rubio and Derrick Williams seemed to have learned to play with each other and the results have been fun thus far.

Go Wolves

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

Wednesday basketball with much to say

The game of basketball is full of bounces and on Thursday was no different. I was so pumped to get my share of basketball in with the Gophers-Ohio State game on a 6 and the Timbewolves-Philadelphia 76ers on at 7.

The Gophers game looked like a copy and paste game of the Iowa debacle. The score at halftime was respectable being only down by 6 to Ohio State. The second half of both games has been nothing but tough to watch. The turnovers are incredible with lazy passes and guys just making bad decisions.

One major flaw I trouble understanding is seeing the big men come towards the point trying to handle the ball like a point guard and there goes Ohio State. I don’t have trouble with them rotating but please don’t put it down and try to dribble out of trouble. The show of panic is evident with passes thrown that have no chance unless the guys are 8 feet tall. It is just plain disappointing but still hang on a small hope things can get better.

I saw something I have never seen in all the years I have watched basketball and that was seeing the refs whistle break and he stood there trying to fix it which he eventually did. Is this just another sign of the Gophers struggle when even a whistle gets broken? The other evidence of things going south quickly was seeing Trevor Mbakwe go for a dunk and the ball hits the back of the rim and bounces out. It is just not meant to be.

The number one team in the nation, Indiana is coming to the Barn on the 26^th so hang on followed by another home game and then the last 2 on the road.

The Timberwolves come out of the All Star break with as fast as basket as a game could start the game. The team scores the most points in opening quarter which was the most in any quarter in any of the games this season scoring 35.

Ricky Rubio gets his 500^th assists in his first 67 games. I pray this is only the beginning for this super star. He is worth the price of admission alone.

The first quarter sees the Wolves get 35 and in the fourth quarter only manage 1 made basket and yet the team still won.

The play of Derrick Williams and Nikolai Pekovic is only getting better and even better is the consistency.

One thing these 2 games had in common comes in the form of a player, Evan Turner who played for Ohio State and was the number 2 pick overall by the 76ers.

The Gophers season is in trouble but not over yet by any means and the youthful Timberwolves are getting better and fun to watch.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

 

 

Ups and downs in Minnesota sports

On Sunday February 17 was to be a day of loving Minnesota sports as the Gophers men’s hockey and basketball as well as the Minnesota Wild were in action in the early evening.

The day turned out bad for the Minnesota college teams and very good for the lone Minnesota pro team in action.

It was just last week on Thursday during rivalry week the Gophers basketball team hosted the Wisconsin Badgers. The game starts out 10-0 Badgers and making it look like it could be an awful night for the home team. As we know the Gophers caught up sending it to overtime and eventually winning.

The Gophers traveled to Iowa on Sunday coming into Iowa City having 3 in a row in Iowa City. I really thought the overtime win against Wisconsin could give the boys a boost. The game Sunday even starts out Minnesota up 21-5. We finally are going to get a road win so I thought, but disaster. I spent all day Monday listening to the radio and heard opinions of all sorts. It seemed pretty one sided that Coach Tubby Smith needs to go. The name Shaka Smart has been popping up. I for one do not want to hit the panic button and see just what happens in Ohio State. Did this embarrassing loss ignite the desire to not let this happen again? Who will step up as a player and take charge? Trevor Mbawke came back for one more season after being injured last year. Can Trevor take this team on his back as they head to the Big Ten tourney?

The Gophers hockey team took a tough loss to the Badgers on Sunday falling short 3-2. I have seen the Gophers enough this year to know it will be alright. This is a team that has the ability to bounce back. As a lover of sports I cannot think of a better sight that outside hockey. The sight of cold air being breathed out by the players you just do not get the pleasure to see any more. The 52,000 fans is a credit to people’s love of hockey sitting outside at Soldier Field and sitting through the cold. I know Chicago Bears fans are used to it but this is college hockey. It was history as Minnesota played its first outside hockey game. It is too bad a loss occurred but did like to see the Gophers quit.

The Minnesota Wild‘s play Sunday night went from oh on here we go again to wow that was awesome. Minnesota rookie goalie, Darcy Kuemper getting the call 5 minutes before the start of the game against the might Detroit Red Wings was quite the shock.

The way the game started falling 2-0 and again hearing boo birds is not fun. This team finally came out and showed what they can do. Kuemper played so well after allowing 2 goals keeping the Wild game.

I could not be happier for Jason Zucker who showed why the Wild think so highly of him by calling him up. The speed he showed racing from one end of the rink to the other and scoring was just the emotional lift this team needed. It is his first career goal and the victory gives goalie Kuemper his first win in the NHL. A goalie gets his first win and a rookie gets his first goal and they both are against longtime rival even going back to the Minnesota North Stars days, the Detroit Red Wings. Congrats to both!!

The Timberwolves are on All-star game break but I did manage to find an interesting number regarding the Wolves. The Wolves popularity is up the most in all professional sports with a gain of 42 percent. The next is LA Clippers ( NBA 38%), Nashville Predators (NHL, 30%) Phoenix Coyotes (NHL 25%) and then Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA 22%)

The Wolves are young with the likes of Ricky Rubio and Alexi Shved along with Derrick Williams leading the way. I know the playoffs are not likely in 2013 but I am sure excited to see how the team finishes going into next season.

The Twins first spring training game is this Saturday, February 23^rd which is hard to believe. It was Saturday the 16^th that tickets went on sale to the public. I did find some numbers with the renewal numbers of tickets at 81 percent in 2013. I am very impressed considering the team has lost 90 plus games the last 2 years.

In 2012 the renewal was 85 percent and in 2011 it was 95 percent. The Twins have sold 1.8 million tickets for 2013 and projecting 2.5-3 million for the year. It was last year at this time the team had sold 2.2 million.

This is a young team with many new faces so the only thing we know is the team is 0-0. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are healthy. I am going to be an optimistic fan and hope the team can find pitching.

Sources: bizjournals.com

Scarborough research

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

Busy Minnesota sports week

This past few days has been truly up and down for the Minnesota teams I follow. We saw a youngster get his first shot in the NHL and a veteran hang up his skates along with a basketball star looking a little more like his last year self just amongst a few of the headlines.

The Wild coming off a big road victory Monday in Calgary go to Vancouver the next night and fall just short. The Wild faced Vancouver last week at home and got beat 4-1 and with that came fans showing their displeasure as the boos rang throughout Excel Center. Tuesday the Wild did lose on the road to the same team but this one was a more respectable even though still a loss. The excitement for me was the start of rookie goalie Darcy Kuemper for the Wild. A young man’s first ever start in the NHL and it was on the road. I thought giving up only 2 goals was a very nice night for this rookie goaltender to this powerful Canucks team.

Wednesday former Wild player, Andrew Brunette announced he was retiring. He played 6 seasons for the Wild. He played 2001-2004 for the Wild left for Colorado for 3 years and then back to Minnesota. I will always remember the year the Wild’s playoff run in 2002. The Wild were down 3 games to 1 against Colorado and came back to win 4-3. Who will ever forget that Brunette scored the winning goal in game 7 against Avalanche goalie Patrick Roy? It was the last goal Roy ever gave up because he retired. What a year that was for the Wild.

Thursday the Wild hosted Colorado and lost in a shootout. I really thought when Mikko Koivu scored the goal ahead goal it was just a matter of playing defense and winning 3-2. The sad part as a minute later Colorado scored to tie it up. It seemed the Wild were so fired up then came bad luck watching the puck go off the Wild defensemen’s skate into the goal and tie the game. What a heartbreaker of a game.

I am in hopes of the first line staying in tack with Koivu, Zach Parise and Dany Heatley. I really like how they played Thursday night.

The Twins opened Training camp Wednesday and have a lot of new guys so it will be interesting to see how the year will go. The vets Mauer, Morneau and Josh Willingham are going to need a big offensive year. The pitching is a big question make. I think even a bigger question is who will play centerfield this season? I was shocked when Denard Span was traded to Washington and even more shocked when Ben Revere went next. I loved Revere and Span’s speed as it was such a joy to watch these guys track down balls where many players could not have come close. I wish both ex-Twins a lot of luck in the future and am thankful for what they did in the Twins outfield when they played.

The Timberwolves won Monday on the road and then Wednesday night lost at home to the Utah Jazz. It was the last game before the All Star break. The team has a losing record but I am psyched for the future to see what these men can do in the second half. I am not saying playoffs but I do believe this team will compete better.

The Wolves were down 11 with 2 minutes left and thanks to the hustle and no quit the team just about stole a game from the Jazz. Ricky Rubio played like a man possessed. The hustle was so impressive and to see him 1 rebound from his first career triple double is mighty impressive. Derrick Williams is playing much better as he grabbed 16 rebounds which is a new personal high. He had 23 points to go along. I love the play of Nikolai Pekovic with his steady play. I believe assuming the team stays healthy this second half will be much more enjoyable to watch. Go Wolves!

The Minnesota Gophers basketball team got a much needed win against border rival Wisconsin. The way the game started out I thought it was going to be a long night for the Maroon and Gold. It was nice to see even though the team started out slow it just did not quit. This is a huge win for not only the Big 10 standings but for a hopeful invite to the big dance.

I was shocked when I read it was Wisconsin’s first loss in 50 games when leading with 5 minutes to go in the game. That is a heck of a streak the Gophers ended.

We are going to need the seniors, Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams to take the leadership in driving the team to the goal of March Madness. The team cannot be too over confident because now they go on the road to Iowa where it is never easy.

This Minnesota team had a top 10 ranking for a while and are now out of the top 25. It is not too late just need better consistency in scoring.

A win over Wisconsin and a loss to Iowa will be devastating so the team needs to come out and take command on the road. The team has good players and players who are capable of big things. It is February with March coming fast so come on Gophers show us you want big things.

This week had highlight goals, passes, dunks and low lights with home losses but still have no regrets of being a Minnesota fan. It seems every night of the week you can watch one of the teams. I have Minnesota sports fever.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

 

2 for 2 on Monday

Oh what a night to Minnesota fan as the Timberwolves and Wild both went on the road and won. Yes, I said won. It was so nice to see smiles on the faces of the players after each being successful.

The Timberwolves played a very good game in beating Cleveland Cavaliers 100-92. The thing about this game was the shooting by the TWolves and more specifically guard, Luke Ridnour. There are a lot of super stars in the NBA but I do not know if there is a quicker release than Ridnour’s. It wasn’t the fact he made the baskets it was how clean they went through the net. You have to be happy for a guy like this who has been with the Wolves for a while. The team has a magician in Ricky Rubio and JJ Barea so to see Ridnour be so successful in is playing time was refreshing to see.

It was amazing to see the Timberwolves coming out of timeouts and being productive and getting a basket. It was also nice to see smiles in the huddles towards the end of the game.

It is only one game and no, we did not beat the Miami Heat, but the Timberwolves did end an 8 game road losing streak. These guys did not quit even towards the end when Cleveland made a final push the Wolves came through and finished a game.

The Wild get their first road win of the year as they won in a shootout. It was Mikko Koivu’s 500th NHL game Monday.

I loved how Wild goalie, Niklas Backstrom played in the nets keeping the team in the game. He is starting to play better which is encouraging.

Devin Setoguchi got the overtime winner against Nashville and Monday he made a beautiful pass setting up the Wild’s only regulation goal. Devin could have easily shot but opted to make a pass to Kyle Brodziak, who made it count. What a sweet move Brodziak made on the Flames goaltender.

The shootout saw Koivu in his 500^th game get a goal in the shootout. Way to go Mikko!!

It was a great night to be a Minnesota fan as both won on the road. It is encouraging to see both teams not give up even after road struggles.

Thanks for reading

Purplestick

Tough week for the Minnesota teams

I have been a Minnesota sports fan all my life win or lose and unfortunately it has been more losing than winning.


It does not matter what sport, I love it all. Who can forget back in 1991 as we heard the call in Game 6 of the Twins-Braves World Series game at the Metrodome after Kirby Puckett hits the game winning home run to send the series to game 7, “and we’ll see you tomorrow night.
If that did not send chills through your body as sports fanatic I do not know what will. It has been so long since Minnesota has brought a championship to this state.


In 2011 we finally got a team to bring it home to the state and that was done by the Minnesota Lynx beating Atlanta in the WNBA Finals. I took my wife and kids up to the airport to be part of the mass of fans that were there to greet the ladies as they came home. It was one of the most unreal feeling to be part of this. These ladies are a true treat to watch at the Target Center.  The players that include Minnesota’s own Lindsay Whalen really play good ball and is worth the price of admission.


They made another run only to fall short this past year but again at least they made it to the finals.


I am such a big Twins fan even with the last 2 seasons ending up with so many losses. I am even a bigger fan of the beautiful Target Field. I paid the money to take a 2 hour tour of the stadium and was worth every cent and recommend it highly to you to take the tour.


I went to the first game in Target Field history but it was an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was so neat to be part of history.
I also went to my first Twins home opener in my life as I went in 2012 to watch the Twins- Los Angeles Angels and got to see my favorite Twins player in Torii Hunter as I sat in right field seats and he was right in front of me.


I do not know what to expect in 2013 but the one thing I know for sure is they are 0-0 with anything that can happen. I can’t wait for the season.


The Timberwolves I believe if they can ever get healthy will give the fans something to be hopeful in the future. I love the play of Ricky Rubio. The game Friday night home game against the New York Knicks the team looked so good for much of the game and then failed to put their foot down and claim the win. The play of Derrick Williams was inspiring. The team missed some critical free throws along with an 11 point lead blown. I saw hope but also know there is a ways to go. I will add I am a big fan of Nikola Pekovic and hope when it is time to give him money he is paid for his work.


The Minnesota Wild I have watched every game and the one for sure is Zach Parise is a worker. I love to see his hustle and never end work habit he brings to the rink.  The game Saturday against Nashville was the best I have seen this team play. I love the physical play they brought. It is a 48 game schedule so not much room for loses. The team seems so snake bitten to get a goal. The chances they had were unreal. I will say for once a Minnesota team finally got a win they deserved. I was so happy for Devin Setoguchi as he blasted the puck past the Nashville net minder in overtime. The team now goes on the road where road wins have been rare.


I will say the Minnesota men’s Gopher basketball team has been my most disappointment thus far. It was not too long ago where Williams’s Arena featured to top 10 teams squaring off with Michigan and Minnesota. The Gophers had such a chance to make a statement but failed. I watched the game Sunday against Illinois as the Gophers got out to such a nice lead. Illinois almost went 10 minutes in the first half before scoring an actual basket. It was such a much needed game. The Gophers had a chance to take a lead into the half but an Illini 3 pointer right at the half but the Illini up 31-30 at half.  The game is coming down to the end and with 18 seconds left the Gophers bad luck hit again. Illinois player, Tracy Abrams who has been cold tonight puts up a 3 pointer and puts the dagger in the Gophers heart. The season has a long ways to go but these games have to be won.


I will write a weekly column with my thoughts on each of the Minnesota teams. I know one day we as Minnesota sports enthusiast will once again be rewarded.
Thanks for reading


Purplestick