College basketball contest tonight
Posted on January 17th, 2008 – 5:41 PMBy Michael Rand
In what certainly qualifies as the biggest game of Tubby Smith’s Gophers coaching career to date*, Minnesota takes on Indiana at 8 tonight. Conveniently broadcast on ESPN, instead of the Invisible Channel, this game will feature Williams Arena at its non-robotics best. If any RandBallers would like to use this as a venue for running commentary, that would be rad. We’ll have an eye on the game tonight from the office and will be offering some whimsy as we see fit.
*Tubby obviously has coached in bigger games, which brings up one of the funnier on-the-job stories that we can share: It was, we think, 2002, and we were covering a smattering of Twins games for the Star Tribune. Doug Mientkiewicz had a big hit in one of the games — we don’t remember exactly, but we think it was a game-winner — and we asked him where it ranked among his all-time biggest hits. His response, and this is as close to verbatim as we can recall: “Well, I did help win a gold medal for my country.” What we didn’t say: “Yeah, but nobody cares about Olympic baseball.” That’s what it means to be a professional.
20 Responses to "College basketball contest tonight"
“Well, I did help win a gold medal for my country.” What we didn’t say: “Yeah, but nobody cares about Olympic baseball.” That’s what it means to be a professional.
Rand, you’re such a [redacted] in your mind…it’s a good thing you’ve got a filter.
Along those lines…Yeah, but who can’t win at Kentucky?
Tubby’s bobblehead looks like that dude from the Today show…you know, whatshisnuts…that guy.
Matt Lauer?
Meredith Vieria?
RE: Dougie Baseball.
Yeah, well the jerk store called, and they’re running out of you!
Rand, Stu, those were good guesses…
I went to the Today show site for the first time in my life in order to figure it out. Lester Holt.
The Hoosiers…the name itself means basketball, and me with these stinkin’ rabbit ears..
Apparently you can watch the game on espn360.com until it comes on TV…if you have one of the 3 ISPs that gives you access…which Comcast does not. I’m going to write or call them to say that “I want espn360.com!…and the NFL Network!…and the Big 10 Network…. and… am I forgetting anything?
ESPN360 is on channel Q. Sheesh, doesn’t anyone know that. … 8-5. Not a bad start.
You jinxed it, Rand. Sheesh. Not a bad start.
I like Al Nolen. Also, pie.
Lawrence McKenzie can slow the tempo down anytime now.
You know, if Minnesota would be making their shots, they’d be ahead by a dozen.
Let me revise and extend: MAKE YOUR (REDACTED) FREE THROWS, SPENCER.
This is the most basketball I’ve watched in about 3 years. Good stuffs.
Allow me to reiterate: PLEASE MAKE YOUR (REDACTED) FREE THROWS, SPENCER. I AM BEGGING YOU.
Tubby just wears the glasses so he can whip them off dramatically.
We lost by less than the margin of Spencer’s missed free throws…it’s his fault.
My goodness, but the Barn was loud. I have pretty much been hoarsely yelling everything I say since I left, given that I have neither voice nor eardrums.
The air just went out of the place at the end… even when the Gophers went behind with less than a minute left, everybody in that place thought they were still going to win. So when McKenzie’s wide-open three didn’t go down… just utter dejection.
I vow here and now: if they ever try to build a new arena to replace the Barn, I will torch every attempt at a new building.
I don’t know whether to be satisfied that the Gophers gave a clearly more talented team all they could handle, or depressed that they could’ve won the game going away.
I do know that both games I’ve watched start to finish, they’ve lost. (Redacted) jinx.
