Before I get started here, I’d like to take a second to allow myself to introduce… myself (Austin Powers joke at the very beginning… not a good start). My name’s Erik, but I’m known as Silky J around these parts. I’ll be contributing things on here from time to time, hopefully with a voice and perspective distinct from Bruff’s. I will often defer to him because he’s not only more knowledgeable and more passionate than I am (Which is saying a lot; I’m neither stupid nor apathetic.) but he’s also much more eloquent with the written word than I am. (Editor’s Note: Full Disclosure--I paid Silky $16,535.00 to say that.) All that said, I’m sure I’ll find my niche, and I’ll end up contributing posts that are as rewarding for you to read as they are for me to write.
So Da Goofers played in the NIT Championship Game last night. I say “Da Goofers” as a blanket term for all University of Minnesota sports for a number of reasons. First, let’s be honest, when some of us say “The Gophers” it sounds like “Da Goofers.” It’s a fact. We’re Minnesotan. We kinda sound funny. To an outsider. I guess. Just play along with me on this, ok? Secondly, and most importantly, we kinda goof a lot. Which makes us “ones who goof.” Goofers. We build a new stadium on promises of “Rose Bowl trips” and fill it with sub-.300 football. Goof. We stack the ice with the best hockey players the State of Hockey has to offer, and then underperform. Goof. We make an impressive run to the NIT Championship Game, only to get blown out by 24 points. Goof.
Sorry to spoil that for you, if you were looking for a better recap. We lost 75-51. It wasn’t pretty.
We had 22 turnovers to our 19 field goals. Goof. I don’t feel the need to say much more.
If this basketball team is going to grow out of the current “Goofers” moniker I have bestowed upon them, it starts there. Convert more field goals, commit fewer turnovers. Learn how to deal with pressure defense, like we saw today. Create, and hit, open shots. Adapt to horrible officiating*.
Last night’s game was yet another example of a Minnesota team underperforming on a national stage. But, this late march in late March gave us something to look forward to next year. And after all, isn’t that what Minnesota sports is all about?
SilkyJ
*Footnote: As a Minnesota sports fan, I complain about officiating a lot. I mean, a lot. Like, Da Vinci Code levels of referee conspiracies against us. I understand this is ridiculous. I’m going to keep a counter in all of my posts, tallying how much I complain about officiating. It is now at 1.
No comments:
Post a Comment