Gopher Teams’ Collapses Testing One Fan’s Psyche

(Posting on both Football and Basketball boards)

This epidemic of Gopher teams collapsing down the stretch is getting very, very, stale – and is testing the boundaries of my patience. I am an alum, and a life long, die-hard Gopher fan – an apologist, really. Yet, with the basketball team, here we are again - seeing a very promising and enthusiasm-building beginning of the season deconstruct into another kick-in-the-groin buzz kill. I have peripheral friends and acquaintances, who have always held back jumping into the deep end of Golden Gopher Fandom pool for exactly the kind of reasons we have seen just with “The Big Three” men’s sports just in 2008-2009 . . . . Fear of getting your investment of both energy and dreams crushed in the cruelest of ways. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not jumping off the S.S. Goldy, but it’s damned hard to recruit new plebes that aren’t alums or otherwise predisposed to allegiance to the “Ol’ Maroon and Gold” (as proudly sung in the Minnesota March).

My solution ?!?!?!

Let’s Stop Playing After 2/3 of the Schedule is Done!!!!

To wit . . .

Would that be the case, our football team would have been at a .875 winning percentage (7-1) thru 8 of 12 games, our basketball team at a lusty .850 winning percentage (17-3) thru 20 of 30 scheduled games, and our hockey team at a .659 winning percentage (12-5-5, or 29 out of a possible 44 points)! A collective .770 winning percentage through 2/3 of the schedules played. Since hitting the 2/3-of-the-way mark: the football team went 0-4 (not counting the bowl game loss), the basketball team is 2-4, and the hockey team is 1-4-1, or a collective 3-12-1, or a collective .219 winning percentage. While of course the early parts of all three teams’ schedules contain “winnable” non-conference foes, you would expect – no, demand – that the second number is .500 or higher.

Let’s hear your thoughts, or other words of wisdom and healing for a bruised and battered loyalist in need of bucking up.

In Goldy We Trust

Your an IDIOT!!!!!

littlebigboy said:

Your an IDIOT!!!!!

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You do realize that he was just venting right? I'd question the sanity of any fan who didn't get at least a little frustrated by some of the epic late season swoons our beloved Gophers have put together!

I think it only seems as though this is emblematic of gopher BB and FB because of this year's promise and because of our easier NC schedule. For most of the last decade we just weren't that good. So we did well early and stunk it up against the more talented conference teams.

This year is different. This year we are seeing typical effects of youth/inexperience. Relying on guys who have never been through such a grueling grind before (exception Canada). You get inconsistency and hitting a wall. In BB teams can work through it hopefully not sustaining too much damage in the mean time. In FB you can't really recover from 2-3 bad games.

And

put hockey in the same boat.

re

So, just play the cupcakes??

No, get better coaches, better players (which we're in the process of) and deal with the ups and downs of youth and inexperience during the change over. It may not be the darkest it can get before the dawn. So brace yourself and try to keep a longview so you can enjoy the ride.

Sorry, I am confused to the "get better coaches" comment. Tubby has won a national championship and is one of the most respected coaches in the nation. Lucia has won multiple WCHA championships and national championships. Say what you want about Brewster cause I don't want to open a can of beans of Brewster backers vs Brewster haters, but you can't argue with the other 2 coaches...I may have taken that as the wrong way also, so if that's the case, I appologize.

Eloquent response LittleBoy

littlebigboy said:

Your an IDIOT!!!!!

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Nice use of the English language and proper grammar.

Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Mark Twain

DuluthGopher said:

Sorry, I am confused to the "get better coaches" comment. Tubby has won a national championship and is one of the most respected coaches in the nation. Lucia has won multiple WCHA championships and national championships. Say what you want about Brewster cause I don't want to open a can of beans of Brewster backers vs Brewster haters, but you can't argue with the other 2 coaches...I may have taken that as the wrong way also, so if that's the case, I appologize.

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sorry, sometimes in trying to be concise you don't make yourself clear. Being in the process means we've hired the coaches, we've added some of the recruiting classes. I wasn't inferring that we need to replace the coaches we have now. I assumed it was understood that we are on the journey and not needing to start it, just needing to endure the ups and downs. My mistake.

I guess I assumed that after a stupid amount of posts people would know I'm a big fan of both Brew and Tubby. I don't care much about hockey.

Schnoodler said:

sorry, sometimes in trying to be concise you don't make yourself clear. Being in the process means we've hired the coaches, we've added some of the recruiting classes. I wasn't inferring that we need to replace the coaches we have now. I assumed it was understood that we are on the journey and not needing to start it, just needing to endure the ups and downs. My mistake.

I guess I assumed that after a stupid amount of posts people would know I'm a big fan of both Brew and Tubby. I don't care much about hockey.

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Ok my bad then. I agree with what you are saying now that we have cleared up the confusion on my side.

It's pretty simple

We are seeing the problem of playing true and redshirt freshman. Necessary now but will pay off in the future. We have to endure it, tuff as it is.

Schnoodler said:

No, get better coaches, better players (which we're in the process of) and deal with the ups and downs of youth and inexperience during the change over. It may not be the darkest it can get before the dawn. So brace yourself and try to keep a longview so you can enjoy the ride.

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Pretty much this sums it up. You don't turn around overnight. You show flashes, you have ups and downs, but in the end, if you stay the course, you'll likely at least get close to where you wanna be.

re

Schnoodler said:

sorry, sometimes in trying to be concise you don't make yourself clear. Being in the process means we've hired the coaches, we've added some of the recruiting classes. I wasn't inferring that we need to replace the coaches we have now. I assumed it was understood that we are on the journey and not needing to start it, just needing to endure the ups and downs. My mistake.

I guess I assumed that after a stupid amount of posts people would know I'm a big fan of both Brew and Tubby. I don't care much about hockey.

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Sorry, but 'brew' has shown nothing that would indicate he is "the coach" in FB.

Nervous Gopher said:

Sorry, but 'brew' has shown nothing that would indicate he is "the coach" in FB.

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Says you, not Schnoodler. Great contribution to the discussion though.

norman dale said:

Nice use of the English language and proper grammar.

Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

Mark Twain

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Thanks for having my back n.d.. Alas, my Jonathan Swift-esque satire re: playing only the 1st 2/3s of the schedule eluded some. Knowing your keen eye and Saharan sense of humor, I was not surprised to see your response.

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, O my brother - 9/12/09 approacheth.

GoAUpher said:

Says you, not Schnoodler. Great contribution to the discussion though.

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Keep in mind, Nervous Gopher was the tool who was trying to sell his tickets to this year's MN v. Whisky game at TCF to Becky fans. I wouldn't expect much in the way of meaningful contributions from him.

It just appears the team is young, tired and are in a pressure cooker they are not familiar with. It has little to do with coaching other then Tubby has to figure out how to get a little more juice out of them. Maybe they were playing a little over their heads earlier this year as well! Tubby has raised the talent level already, but the team has some more to go!

Two words ...

Big Ten

It's not getting any worse, despite what some might have you think.

Good years not Great

Before this school year started I predicted the Football, Basketball, Hockey, Wrestling, and Baseball team would be good this year but not great. So far that has been the truth. This coming school year has the potential to be a very, very, very, very good school year for Gopher Men's athletics. It might turn out to be the year of the Gopher!

ChickenLittle2011 said:

Keep in mind, Nervous Gopher was the tool who was trying to sell his tickets to this year's MN v. Whisky game at TCF to Becky fans. I wouldn't expect much in the way of meaningful contributions from him.

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Now he's brought his I'm a gopher fan but I'm negative about everything act over to the KFAN board too.....got to love these serial "fans" who happen to pop up on every blog/ message board and spout off...