Brewster" "Next OC...an obsolute knockout! An obsolute killer shot!"

[Bayfieldgopher]

I enjoy Tim Brewsters enthusiasm and positive outlook. But there are times when I wish he would just zip it.

The new hire(s) will likely be "who is that" to 90-95% of Gopher fans. Show us the money two years down the road.

[gophermartin]

I agree on the bubbly enthusiasm at times.

I like it over all...especially with the recruiting.

GM

[Maximus]

Translation: Hey Brew, quit being yourself!

[harrys ghost]

He has to be with his job. While others take issue with it, I prefer it to Mr. Apathetic.

[minngg]

His comments are not always for the "Gopher fans". Many times they are directed at recruits.

[#93fanclub]

Who would you rather work with every day?

[Inigo Montoya]

nm

[GoAUpher]

He has to be with his job. While others take issue with it, I prefer it to Mr. Apathetic.

I'm ALL for enthusiasm...but there is a very easy middle ground. There are very positive things that he could say that wouldn't raise the kind of ruckus this comment will. I'm hoping that over time Brewster gets a little more PR savvy and realizes that this kind of comment rubs a lot of people the wrong way. Thinking that this might be an ill-advised comment doesn't mean I want apathy...it means I want well thought out enthusiasm. :rolleyes:

[sonnygarcia]

Man, we get a guy in here that is trying his damndest to get people excited over the Gopher football program for the first time since Lou Holtz was here and people bash his for it. Who cares if he exaggerates from time to time, for christ sakes the guy is selling our program to the rest of the country who laughs at us. For some of you this may come as a surprise, but there are a lot of people out there who like to be around over-positive people!!! Surprise!!! Let Brew do his thing. For the first time in two decades people acknowledge UMN has a football team from Brewster's selling...... that in itself is progress!!!! Not to mention he got 6 of the top 7 MN kids to stay this year and will continue that in the coming years..... something that hasn't been done in decades. Not to mention we had a recruiting class that garnered national attention last year and probably will this year, and especially will next year when he has an actual tangible stadium to sell kids on. Give the damn guy a break. I'm 30 and have NEVER followed the Gopher football program since I was a little kid because there was never anything to be excited about....... I actually joined this board and started backing the Gophers (have always followed College FB) because of Brewster!!!!

[Noonan]

Well said Sonny. I think too many times people mistake Brew's enthusiam for marketing. This is obviously how this man is wired. No one could keep up this type of hype for this long without it being genuine.

I also think it is nice for some of the long time fans on this board to get the perspective from a new fan, or the casual fan. These are the people that need to jump on board in order to make this work long term. Thanks for your insight.

[MNfootballfan]

Man, we get a guy in here that is trying his damndest to get people excited over the Gopher football program for the first time since Lou Holtz was here and people bash his for it. Who cares if he exaggerates from time to time, for christ sakes the guy is selling our program to the rest of the country who laughs at us. For some of you this may come as a surprise, but there are a lot of people out there who like to be around over-positive people!!! Surprise!!! Let Brew do his thing. For the first time in two decades people acknowledge UMN has a football team from Brewster's selling...... that in itself is progress!!!! Not to mention he got 6 of the top 7 MN kids to stay this year and will continue that in the coming years..... something that hasn't been done in decades. Not to mention we had a recruiting class that garnered national attention last year and probably will this year, and especially will next year when he has an actual tangible stadium to sell kids on. Give the damn guy a break. I'm 30 and have NEVER followed the Gopher football program since I was a little kid because there was never anything to be excited about....... I actually joined this board and started backing the Gophers (have always followed College FB) because of Brewster!!!!

You are so right on everything you say!

[BuckBravo]

No offense intended, but Minnesota culture differs from much of the rest of the country in that enthusiasm and stated confidence are not always considered positive attributes here. People (and probably recruits) from other parts of the country, just based upon my own personal experience with having lived different places, are not always impressed by the Bud Grant style of humble, simple and quiet strength. In fact, friends and relatives of mine from New York/New Jersey have such a different culture that they misinterpret "Minnesota Nice" and "the quiet humble leader" to be signs of naiveness and vulnerability. I agree that the enthusiasm can seem to be at the Tony Robbins level at times, but to be a national program you must speak to the whole nation and overpower competing voices.

[Jike Spingleton]

Next OC...an obsolute knockout! An obsolute killer shot!"


Absolute, or obsolete? Hopefully the former....

[sonnygarcia]

Well put BuckBravo.

On another note, from Brewster's comments it sounds like he already knows who the OC is?? What is keep the University from reporting it?? Do they usually wait until the contract has an actual signature before they release a statement??

[cheeseheadgophfan]

Brewster: "My next hire for OC will be a retread/newbie whom nobody has heard of, recruits will hate, and will ultimately lead us to a a winless season."

Happy?

[GoAUpher]

Man, we get a guy in here that is trying his damndest to get people excited over the Gopher football program for the first time since Lou Holtz was here and people bash his for it. Who cares if he exaggerates from time to time, for christ sakes the guy is selling our program to the rest of the country who laughs at us. For some of you this may come as a surprise, but there are a lot of people out there who like to be around over-positive people!!!

I'm not bashing him. I love his enthusiasm and passion! I'm 100% behind what he's trying to do and I'm glad that his passion has brought new fans to the Gophers. But in my opinion exaggeration is not really something that should be embraced full force. You say that the "rest of the country laughs at us"...no offense, but I'm betting this type of quote gets more than its share of snickers.

I LOVE being around optimistic people. I'm the glass half full guy and I find positives in almost everything...heck, I had positives that I took away from the Iowa shellacking! I myself have a tendency to exaggerate. But guess what I learned? That it doesn't always go over real well...especially if people take your exaggeration as a promise, prediction, or guarantee. If you don't live up to it then you get a rep...and its not a good one. Do I still exaggerate? Of course! But I also know when it might be important to pause for a second and tone it down. I don't think that hoping our coach gets even slightly more PR savvy makes me "hater" or a Ruesse clone. Look, I don't expect him to change who he is and if we start winning like I believe we can under Coach Brew then he becomes a Mike Leach...not everyone's cup of tea but a winner (so no one cares).

I also think that Buck makes a nice point about how conservative MN behavior is seen around the country. But I still think that exaggerations and bold predictions have a time and a place and that sometimes the best move is to tone it down just a notch.

[sonnygarcia]

Brewster: "My next hire for OC will be a retread/newbie whom nobody has heard of, recruits will hate, and will ultimately lead us to a a winless season."

Happy?

I think you just made a lot of angry and depressed Minnesotans happy with that comment, seems like many on the board thrive off that stuff ...........

[GoAUpher]

Brewster: "My next hire for OC will be a retread/newbie whom nobody has heard of, recruits will hate, and will ultimately lead us to a a winless season."

Happy?

Why not "I believe we've found a great hire for our OC who will make us more successful on offense, be strong recruiter, and be a great leader for our players. I'm confident that Gopher fans will be just as excited as I am when the hiring is complete."

That comment has just as much of a chance to be mocked if it turns out to be wrong, but you won't have so many people groan when they hear it.

I loved "Get your dag gum chili HOT!" when I heard him say it. Call me crazy, but announcing the search for a major coordinator is prob not the time for the same off the cuff comment.

[sonnygarcia]

I'm not bashing him. I love his enthusiasm and passion! I'm 100% behind what he's trying to do and I'm glad that his passion has brought new fans to the Gophers. But in my opinion exaggeration is not really something that should be embraced full force. You say that the "rest of the country laughs at us"...no offense, but I'm betting this type of quote gets more than its share of snickers.

I LOVE being around optimistic people. I'm the glass half full guy and I find positives in almost everything...heck, I had positives that I took away from the Iowa shellacking! I myself have a tendency to exaggerate. But guess what I learned? That it doesn't always go over real well...especially if people take your exaggeration as a promise, prediction, or guarantee. If you don't live up to it then you get a rep...and its not a good one. Do I still exaggerate? Of course! But I also know when it might be important to pause for a second and tone it down. I don't think that hoping our coach gets even slightly more PR savvy makes me "hater" or a Ruesse clone. Look, I don't expect him to change who he is and if we start winning like I believe we can under Coach Brew then he becomes a Mike Leach...not everyone's cup of tea but a winner (so no one cares).

I also think that Buck makes a nice point about how conservative MN behavior is seen around the country. But I still think that exaggerations and bold predictions have a time and a place and that sometimes the best move is to tone it down just a notch.


Point taken, but I would like to add something to your comments. Brewster's "exaggerations" aren't facutal points, such as "Norm Chow will be our next OC and he is awesome!!!", or declaring after the regular season "I have no doubt in my mind we will be invited to the Capital One Bowl". These types of exaggerations would ruin one's reputation as they are making factual statements that would have never came true. I find nothing wrong with exaggerations like "Minnesota will be back in the Rose Bowl, and I am going to make sure of it" or "our next OC is going to be huge homerun!!"; will he ever make it to a Rose Bowl here??? Most MN's would probably not believe him (which is sad) so they call him an exaggerator, or will be ever get a big time name like Norm Chow to be our OC....... probably not, but we'll get one that Brew apparently thinks is "a homerun", and if he thinks that and his job is on the line with the coordinators he hires, well then lets believe the man that our OC may indeed be a homerun.

My main point here, don't think that Tim Brewster owes you anything other than his best effort. If he says MN is going back to the Rose Bowl, don't hold him to it, just take comfort that we finally have a coach here who acknowledges we are able to get there. If he says our OC is a homerun, don't hold him to bringing Mike Shannahan on board, then call him a liar and exaggerator when we get someone lesser, take comfort that he is putting forth a "national" search for the best man..... something probably not performed during the past 2 decades.

[Goldmember]

Settle down.

Ted Roof was very likely only ever going to be available to us for one year -- two MAX. Roof has been a candidate for multiple SEC head coaching jobs in the past. It was very unlikely that he wouldn't either pursue another HC position or find a long-term gig driving distance from ATL. But when a team (with a defense like ours in 2007) can geta DC like Roof, you take him, even if he will only give you a year.

Just last week there were a lot of posts suggesting Roof should be blamed for the defense completely crumbling at times when the offense struggled to sustain lengthy drives. I'm willing to wait to see who the new DC is before I assume he will be unable to help fix that problem.

Regarding Dunbar: Brewster clearly made the descision to compromise Dunbar's absolute spread, knowing that Dunbar would take issue with it. But was there really any other choice? Dunbar's style of offense was totally insufficient against the top-tier of the Big Ten (and apparently the Big 12).

[GoAUpher]

Point taken, but I would like to add something to your comments. Brewster's "exaggerations" aren't facutal points, such as "Norm Chow will be our next OC and he is awesome!!!", or declaring after the regular season "I have no doubt in my mind we will be invited to the Capital One Bowl". These types of exaggerations would ruin one's reputation as they are making factual statements that would have never came true. I find nothing wrong with exaggerations like "Minnesota will be back in the Rose Bowl, and I am going to make sure of it" or "our next OC is going to be huge homerun!!"; will he ever make it to a Rose Bowl here??? Most MN's would probably not believe him (which is sad) so they call him an exaggerator, or will be ever get a big time name like Norm Chow to be our OC....... probably not, but we'll get one that Brew apparently thinks is "a homerun", and if he thinks that and his job is on the line with the coordinators he hires, well then lets believe the man that our OC may indeed be a homerun.

My main point here, don't think that Tim Brewster owes you anything other than his best effort. If he says MN is going back to the Rose Bowl, don't hold him to it, just take comfort that we finally have a coach here who acknowledges we are able to get there. If he says our OC is a homerun, don't hold him to bringing Mike Shannahan on board, then call him a liar and exaggerator when we get someone lesser, take comfort that he is putting forth a "national" search for the best man..... something probably not performed during the past 2 decades.

I agree that I'm not owed anything. And I never doubt that Brewster is ALWAYS doing his best to win.

I think the difference is about how the expectations are set. Coach Brew wasn't setting a time frame for the Rose Bowl or even guaranteeing it. What he was doing was setting an expectation that the Rose Bowl is ALWAYS the goal. I love that. I played college bball for a coach that was the same way and I think that mindset is a key to success.

I don't have any problem with him setting high expectations for his coordinators and saying as much in his statements. However, how you say things is as important as what you say. Language matters. Saying things like "absolute knockout" and "absolute killer shot" are more likely to come back at you than enthusiastic statements that don't use such loaded language. Loaded language is what builds a rep as a big talker. And a rep as a big talker plus struggles on the field (which we will still have...we're not all the way there yet) is what gets you the bad rep. You can say the same thing in a way that sets a tone/expectation without getting the same blowback if you fail to meet your own goals right away.

[sonnygarcia]

I agree that I'm not owed anything. And I never doubt that Brewster is ALWAYS doing his best to win.

I think the difference is about how the expectations are set. Coach Brew wasn't setting a time frame for the Rose Bowl or even guaranteeing it. What he was doing was setting an expectation that the Rose Bowl is ALWAYS the goal. I love that. I played college bball for a coach that was the same way and I think that mindset is a key to success.

I don't have any problem with him setting high expectations for his coordinators and saying as much in his statements. However, how you say things is as important as what you say. Language matters. Saying things like "absolute knockout" and "absolute killer shot" are more likely to come back at you than enthusiastic statements that don't use such loaded language. Loaded language is what builds a rep as a big talker. And a rep as a big talker plus struggles on the field (which we will still have...we're not all the way there yet) is what gets you the bad rep. You can say the same thing in a way that sets a tone/expectation without getting the same blowback if you fail to meet your own goals right away.


I hear what your saying in general, i just feel we should look at it differently with Brew and the current situation, I think the MN job is one of those where it needs that kind of language to pump some life into it....... he probably wouldn't go over somewhere like OSU where its "dude, we've been there done that, shut your mouth and get us NCs". I just think we should embrace how he is selling the program, even if it turns a few off, this program needs to get oversold to the public. but again, i hear your point for normal situations.

[btowngopher]

What exactly is his enthusiasm hurting? I realize some fans don't like it, but as long as it isn't affecting his job negatively then what's the big deal? Seems to me like the recruits like him, and recruiting is a big part of the job. Pleasing fans is a very small part if a part at all.

[calminnfan]

Man, we get a guy in here that is trying his damndest to get people excited over the Gopher football program for the first time since Lou Holtz was here and people bash his for it. Who cares if he exaggerates from time to time, for christ sakes the guy is selling our program to the rest of the country who laughs at us. For some of you this may come as a surprise, but there are a lot of people out there who like to be around over-positive people!!! Surprise!!! Let Brew do his thing. For the first time in two decades people acknowledge UMN has a football team from Brewster's selling...... that in itself is progress!!!! Not to mention he got 6 of the top 7 MN kids to stay this year and will continue that in the coming years..... something that hasn't been done in decades. Not to mention we had a recruiting class that garnered national attention last year and probably will this year, and especially will next year when he has an actual tangible stadium to sell kids on. Give the damn guy a break. I'm 30 and have NEVER followed the Gopher football program since I was a little kid because there was never anything to be excited about....... I actually joined this board and started backing the Gophers (have always followed College FB) because of Brewster!!!!

I am not saying this as a criticism of Brewster by any means because his enthusiasm and belief have been desperately needed and need to be strong in spite of all the negative "fans" and media, but the big difference is that Holtz had a proven track record whereas Brew really has not had any!

Here's to Brew developing a track record of progress at the UofM!

[Bayfieldgopher]

So what does an "obsolute knockout" and "an absolute killer shot" mean to the informed CFB fan? To me, it means that I can expect a #10 on the scale of 1-10; not an 8 or 9. Thus we will soon see a highly successful, highly qualified, respected and experienced coordinator join our staff. Maybe even two. Super!!!!

[calminnfan]

What exactly is his enthusiasm hurting? I realize some fans don't like it, but as long as it isn't affecting his job negatively then what's the big deal? Seems to me like the recruits like him, and recruiting is a big part of the job. Pleasing fans is a very small part if a part at all.

The letdown if he is unable to produce! It is a little harder to rebound from each time. That said, I do believe, given many of the moves he has made and what has been accomplished over the past couple of years, he should be supported a whole lot more than he is!

[GophersInIowa]

All I know is that I've heard a lot of recruits mention how they really like Brewster's and the other coach's enthusiasm. If him being overly upbeat all the time helps at all in recruiting, then I'm all for it.

More than anything, he just seems to genuinely love his job.

[Gopher07]

Maybe it's Jeff Jagodzinski :P

[sonnygarcia]

So what does an "obsolute knockout" and "an absolute killer shot" mean to the informed CFB fan? To me, it means that I can expect a #10 on the scale of 1-10; not an 8 or 9. Thus we will soon see a highly successful, highly qualified, respected and experienced coordinator join our staff. Maybe even two. Super!!!!

I don't think it has to mean any of that (highly successful, highly qualified, highly experience, etc)!!! It can mean we hired Long who could be a knockout cause he is good and came from Iowa so we got one to defect, it could mean we got Huepel who is a winner and is an up and comer who will work his tail off.......... it could mean a number of things, but most importantly...... it means it will be someone who will help take our offense (and team) to the next level.

[sonnygarcia]

The letdown if he is unable to produce! It is a little harder to rebound from each time. That said, I do believe, given many of the moves he has made and what has been accomplished over the past couple of years, he should be supported a whole lot more than he is!

Come on Calminnfan!!! "The letdown if he is unable to produce" is no way to go through life!!! We need to have more self confidence than that up here in MN!!! I've been slapped and called an @ss by numerous women before, but guess what??? The next night I was back taking my best shot again :D Its like the guy who never chases bigger and better things cause he is scared........ usually you look back on it and regret it :)

[calminnfan]

At this time, I kinda got the feeling that among other qualifications, Brew does need to find someone with a sense of loyalty at the very least to the midwest if not MN. It would help anyway! We need a good DC that will be around a few years so the players can get into good discipline and habits, and a consistency!

[sonnygarcia]

Brew does need to find someone with a sense of loyalty at the very least to the midwest if not MN.


I second that!! It cannot be overlooked, must like the Midwest, no more big names that ended up failing at a job and needed a springboard (Roof).

[calminnfan]

Come on Calminnfan!!! "The letdown if he is unable to produce" is no way to go through life!!! We need to have more self confidence than that up here in MN!!! I've been slapped and called an @ss by numerous women before, but guess what??? The next night I was back taking my best shot again :D Its like the guy who never chases bigger and better things cause he is scared........ usually you look back on it and regret it :)

I was not saying that in regard to myself, and am not arguing with you on that, but for the fan base in general has a hard time trusting someone else. There is a reason some become cynical!

[Maximus]

What exactly is his enthusiasm hurting? I realize some fans don't like it, but as long as it isn't affecting his job negatively then what's the big deal?

Building up Harold Howell as the next Devin Hester before he stepped on the field against Bowling Green sure didn't help the young man. When he built up Curtis Thomas as the next Ronnie Lott only to watch a 240 pound fullback get by and then proceed to outrun him 70 yards sure didn't help the young man. Proclaiming he had assembled the "best coaching staff in the nation" in 2006 sure didn't help the program when he went 1-11 and had the nation's worst defense....and is now on to his second OC and third DC in a span of two years since being hired.

[sec105]

Proclaiming he had assembled the "best coaching staff in the nation" in 2006 sure didn't help the program when he went 1-11 and had the nation's worst defense....and is now on to his second OC and third DC in a span of two years since being hired.

Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

To borrow a phrase from Brewster's mentor (Mack Brown): Brewster = Big Hat No Cattle.

[calminnfan]

Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

To borrow a phrase from Brewster's mentor (Mack Brown): Brewster = Big Hat No Cattle.

That may very well have been a vote of confidence for the staff, which had very good potential, and not hype.

Gotta recognize who he is talking to sometimes IMO!

[Gold Rush]

Some interesting comments on here.

For the folks who praise Brewster's relentless optimism, I think Brewster needs to be careful about that, actually. I love the optimism and I am an optimistic guy myself, but when you are optimistic even in the wake of a 1-11 season, you start to sound like Jim Wacker RIP, NOT Lou Holtz. When you make those optimistic quotes, you have to back it up. People start dismissing everything you have to say and you lose credibility. Actually, Holtz knew when to be optimistic, but he was also very good at going completely the opposite, particularly before a big game. When he gave the "poor poor us" speeches, that was when that sneaky guy was getting ready to try to pull off a fast one.

I don't have a problem with Brewster saying this is going to be a blockbuster hire and I am eagerly awaiting it, as I am sure the recruits are as well, but he will have to back it up with a good hire now....

[6 Nov 1999]

Man, we get a guy in here that is trying his damndest to get people excited over the Gopher football program for the first time since Lou Holtz was here and people bash his for it. Who cares if he exaggerates from time to time, for christ sakes the guy is selling our program to the rest of the country who laughs at us. For some of you this may come as a surprise, but there are a lot of people out there who like to be around over-positive people!!! Surprise!!! Let Brew do his thing. For the first time in two decades people acknowledge UMN has a football team from Brewster's selling...... that in itself is progress!!!! Not to mention he got 6 of the top 7 MN kids to stay this year and will continue that in the coming years..... something that hasn't been done in decades. Not to mention we had a recruiting class that garnered national attention last year and probably will this year, and especially will next year when he has an actual tangible stadium to sell kids on. Give the damn guy a break. I'm 30 and have NEVER followed the Gopher football program since I was a little kid because there was never anything to be excited about....... I actually joined this board and started backing the Gophers (have always followed College FB) because of Brewster!!!!

sonnygarcia,

1. All I have to say is IOWA 55 - MINNESOTA 0. I think this says it all. If you think this is garnering respect from around the USA for Minnesota then KANSAS 42 - MINNESOTA 21 will really make them respect us. Personally, I enjoyed PENN STATE 23 - MINNESOTA 24 better.

2. LIPSTICK + PIG = PIG

SKI-U-MAH!

[GoGoGophers]

How about the biggest bowl meltdown of all time? Did you enjoy that 6Nov? How about 4th quarter meltdowns in general? setting our sights on 3-5 conference records? Year after year of the most laughable schedules in the country?

I've got more...SKI-U-MAH!

[GoldenGo4Fan]

Well put BuckBravo.

On another note, from Brewster's comments it sounds like he already knows who the OC is?? What is keep the University from reporting it?? Do they usually wait until the contract has an actual signature before they release a statement??

I know nothing about coaching hires and possibilities, but could they be waiting to announce the new OC because he is coaching in the game tomorrow night? Is their anyone possible from those 2 teams?

[Gopho Sapiens]

I know nothing about coaching hires and possibilities, but could they be waiting to announce the new OC because he is coaching in the game tomorrow night? Is their anyone possible from those 2 teams?

Wow, interesting thought!

Josh Heupels (Oklahoma) as OC and Dan McCarney (Florida) as DC have BOTH been tossed around as possibles.

[CWCWCW]

Who would you rather work with every day?

I'd work with Reusse any day. Unless, of course, I was in sales, in which case, I'd be just like Tim.
I'd judge Reusse for myself. I have a feeling he'd be a hoot as a co-worker. Brewster? He'd tell the world how he is proud and determined to work for Company X and we have great assets, employees, etc. If things don't work out as he said, he'd sell you a new product, because doggone it, you can't talk about the past. It's all about the plan!
I'm glad that Brewster is moving from Dunbar's offense. I don't think it should have taken him two years to make the decision. He should've been Uzelac'ed in year one!

[Maximus]

Personally, I enjoyed PENN STATE 23 - MINNESOTA 24 better.



You left out the 28-7 win over Michigan in 2003. And the 24-0 win in the 2000 bowl game against NC State. Remember when Maroney led us to that 34-24 win at the dome vs. Wisconsin in 2005?What about that 35-7 win over Texas Tech...Insight champs, baby!

[lawrence21]

hey 6 NOV 1999, We are perceived better on a national level than we have been in decades. We are talked about on recruiting sites and on shows and have had hats on display with the top athletes at all star games, which never would have happened under Mase. So go relive 1999.

[Monty519]

Very true, from a national perspective, we are an up and coming program, and to me, that's more important than what some pessimists on these boards think of our program. If national pundits see the potential, then recruits are likely to see it as well, and it will only help the program.

[sonnygarcia]

sonnygarcia,

1. All I have to say is IOWA 55 - MINNESOTA 0. I think this says it all. If you think this is garnering respect from around the USA for Minnesota then KANSAS 42 - MINNESOTA 21 will really make them respect us. Personally, I enjoyed PENN STATE 23 - MINNESOTA 24 better.

2. LIPSTICK + PIG = PIG

SKI-U-MAH!

Jesus, 1999 you gotta quit living in the past. By your comments you sound like you are saying Tim Brewster will never get a victory over a Big 10 power if we would give him 10 years like Mason. Mason + Lipstick = Pig.

[Costa Rican Gopher]

There's a reason millions of people worldwide listen to and follow Tony Robbins, and a couple thousand locally read Pat Reusse. People like enthusiasm and negativity sucks.

I second the notion that people outside of Minnesota don't see humble, reserved and nice as good things. In the business world, most that I deal with see those quality's as weaknesses. They tend to think of Minnesota as the guy who gets out of the shower to take a whiz.

[GoAUpher]

They tend to think of Minnesota as the guy who gets out of the shower to take a whiz.

Completely OT, but you just reminded me of my favorite Rick Majerus quote. This was in an interview with Jay Bilas, who asked why Rick was wearing a polo shirt rather than the traditional Hawaiian shirt that most coaches wear at the Maui Invite:
"Jay, only a guy who gets out of the shower to take a piss would wear a shirt like that." :D