Monday edition: Wha’ happened?

Posted on March 19th, 2007 – 7:21 AM
By Michael Rand

1goodtimes.jpgSweet goodness, it’s been a long past five days. You might not know it considering Jon has been doing almost all the work around here, but trust us: It’s been pretty much non-stop around here. But we’re happy to announce we’re back to regularly scheduled programming, at least for a few days. And once the hoops rolls around again Thursday, we’ll actually be in town and capable of sprinkling in some thoughts and some other posts — as well as, hopefully, organizing a RandBall viewing party either Thursday or Friday afternoon. Or both? As for Wha’ Happened, allow us one more indulgence: A reprinting of five things we wrote for the newspaper of the Twin Cities this morning. After that, followed by a shower and a real cup of coffee, and then a special edition of “Dispatches,” we’ll be as fresh and new as J.D. Drew getting out of his oxygen chamber.

But first: Best weekend ever?

*Gophers wrestling: It wasn’t always pretty, but Minnesota brought home an NCAA title in an athletic season that has had its share of downs, including the firing of coaches in the school’s two most high-profile sports. It was suggested by someone we know a while back that they rename the Sports Pavilion in honor of coach J Robinson. Hey, why not?

*Gophers men’s hockey: Perhaps the biggest drawback to being in Auburn Hills, Mich., all weekend was missing the WCHA Final Five. Some of us just saw Blake Wheeler’s goal against North Dakota at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, though the “wow” factor is still there. So: The Gophers are regular-season and playoff WCHA champs, and they have the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Wasn’t this team slumping?

*Wild: The white-hot squad won in Calgary for the first time since Nov. 7, 2003. Perhaps more important, it is looking like a team that A) could leapfrog Vancouver to win the division title and/or B) could be a playoff force regardless of what seed it ends up with. Oh, and could Brian Rolston’s shot be any harder? Will teams soon be questioning its legality?

*Wisconsin men’s basketball: And now we descend into the shameful world of taking pleasure in a rival’s misery. The Badgers are in many ways a likeable team, the type Gophers fans would be happy to root for if they wore maroon and gold. But they wear red, so Sunday’s loss to UNLV probably set off a fair share of Twin Cities celebrations. Go ahead, admit it: It made your day, right?

*Packers/Moss rumors: Here are the two things that can happen with this: 1) Green Bay will fail to make a deal for Randy Moss, and Packers fans who were eager to see the Favre-to-Moss show for a year or two will be angry. 2) The trade involving Aaron Rodgers will go through, Moss will get hurt, and the Packers will be left without a quarterback once Favre retires. Either way, Vikings fans win, right?

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