Gopher Football Hire and the Big Ten

Look this wekeend for a breakdown of the Gopher Football hiring process and my opinion on the lame names for the Big Ten divisions in football.

Favre Calling it Quits?

Remember back in August when many folks in the media "broke" the news that Favre was not coming back? Who told you he was, even when ever person in the know had said it was over? ESPNTWINCITIES.com did. Sure we don't specifically focus on sports, we also know more about cereal than we should and try to inform you of the best in Thai in town, but sometime we just happen to get the scoop from real sources. We don't jump on ever rumor out there unless we believe what we here to be true.

So, I'm sorry to inform all of you Favre fans out there but Brett Favre has played his last football game in the NFL. That is right, Brett Favre is calling it quits. I know that as of now there is speculation he might be back, after all the Vikings are not putting him on the IR for now, but I have been told that the circumstances in front of Favre and the Vikings is enough to end one of football's greatest players' career. First of all, Favre is hurt, and hurt bad. If you saw that hit you know. Remember when Kurt Warner got hit from behind against New Orleans last year? You knew he was done the second that hit happened. Favre's wasn't quite as telling, but after hearing what the MRI showed, seeing the hit again and then seeing Favre unable to start it looked like it could be over. Throw in that the Vikings will be hosting the Bears on Monday night at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Gophers, in an outdoor game and throw in the whole situation with and Sterger and this has become too much for the old gunslinger to overcome.

My source with the Vikings has told me that Favre is done. It is just a matter of how the Vikings.....wait, this if Favre we are talking about. It's just a matter of how Favre wants to handle the exit.

Moss Will be Growing in Lambeau Once Again

I have just heard from my contact in Boston and great news for Viking fans - it sounds like the report that foxsports.com and ESPN have been talking about tonight with Moss being traded to the Vikings is a done deal.

There are still sticking points that need to be ironed out, but Randy Moss should be at Winter Park by the end of the week.

The Pats seem to be comfortable with Wes Welker's health and the progression of their wide receiving core. How could they trade a guy like Moss? Well, they won s Super Bowls before him, and none with him. The Patriots seem to think that getting more building blocks for the future is More important than one player, which they have shown more than one time in the past.

What the Patriots want in the end is yet to be known, but I am hearing perhaps two second round picks and a later pick could land Moss back where he started his Hall of Fame bound career.

Brett Favre may be the happiest person with these rumors floating around, he made it no secret three years ago he would love to have Moss in Green Bay. Well, it sounds like he will be getting his wish now, just in time for the Vikings to turn their season around.

NFL Update

I have never been an Eli Manning fan. In fact, I think he might be the most overated player in the NFL. He won a Super Bowl thanks to the best highlight catch ever in the Super Bowl and all of the sudden he was a star. He was nothing. Trent Dilfer could have QB'd that offense better, and he is unanimously the worst QB to ever win a Super Bowl. Sorry, but Eli Manning has never shown me anything. If you want proof, just look at his QB Rating. It has never been anywhere near what Jeff Garcia has done in multiple seasons. Eli rode an amazing defense and a lucky play to a big contract and a lot of fame.

That being said, look for the Giants to win against the Bears tonight on Sunday Night Football. The Bears are like Eli Manning. Lucky. They lost to the Lions. Period. the ruling on the field was crap for the Calvin Johnson catch, and everyone in the world knows it. The victory against the Packers was thanks to more penalties than Shawn Kemp has kids....named Shawn...which is also too high of a number. The fact is the Bears are just lucky right now.

My prediction for the NFC Central: Packers 12-4, Vikings 11-5, Bears 8-8, Lions 4-12.

Just Remember, in the End, a Win is a Win

I know the Gophers overall performance on Thursday night wasn't overly impressive, but getting greedy during week one is often unnecessary. It is important to look at the good things that came out of our first win of the season. Most importantly, the Gophers seem to have found a running game and they stuck with it the whole game. I know it got a little stressful during the second and third quarters, but by running the ball we wore down the MTSU defense and were able to roll over them in the fourth quarter and run time off the clock on our way to the victory. It was good to see that we were able to push their line around. It was nice to see Webber make big plays in the second half when we needed him to. It was also great to see that we did not panic when we fell behind. All of these are things to look at as positives. Oh, and that whole penalty problem we had last year seemed to disappear, a much overlooked flaw to our seasons past.

I know some people including myself wanted a blow out, but we went on the road against a 10 win team from a year ago returning most of their starters and won. If you think just winning isn't important, ask Ole Miss what they think. Granted their 'savior' at QB, Massoli was allowed to play just one day before the season began. Ole Miss jumped to a commanding lead, only to watch Jacksonville State (who???) win in double overtime - AT OLE MISS! I guarantee Houston Nutt and Company would gladly have won on a bad call by the refs, a lucky play or any other way to win possible.

It is different for some teams when they are competing for a National Title. Take Oklahoma for instances. At home, ranked number 5 in the country and playing Utah State - who I don' think anyone compares to Middle Tennessee State - Oklahoma struggled to win. Their fans have a reason to be upset, but still have to be happy with the win. Remember Iowa needed 3 field goal attempts to win at home against Northern Iowa last year, and they were one play from playing in the Rose Bowl with a loss at OSU. Not bad.

I know Gopher fans have a lot to nit pick about, but leave that to the coaches, just be glad we are 1-0. You can't win all your games if you don't win the first.

Delmoney Young

Matt Garza has been great for the Rays since day one when he was traded for Delmon Young two years ago, but the same was not said of Young who struggled the first half of both of his first two seasons with the Twins. The critics were hard on Delmon for many reasons - he had no power, he swung the bat too much, he was lazy in the outfield and of course he had to play as well as Garza was pitching if he wanted to be remembered for something other than the Twins worst trade in recent memory.

He had reasons for struggling though. First of all, the tragedy of losing his mother last year and all that led up to it. He was close with his mother and it obviously was hard on him off the field as well as on it. He also seemed to have a hard time fitting in with all of his teammates. Most importantly though, as well as the most overlooked reason for his struggles, was his age. Delmon is STILL only 24. Sure he has played in the majors for a long time, but he is still younger than many players are when they are rookies. This was overlooked by many, but not by me. Its time for me to toot my own horn.

As you may remember before the season I told you that Delmon was primed for a breakout season. He came into spring training leaner, with a better attitude and with another year of experience under his belt. He was ready to turn his good finishes into good years. I told you I thought he could break out and be the hitter we all thought he would become when the Twins made the trade with Tampa and Garza. Well, look at him now. Look at him now. Delmon is hitting .335 with 14 homers and 81 runs batted in. He is 4th in batting average, 4th in RBI and second in home runs for the Twins behind only Morneau. Not only that, but he is a legitimate MVP candidate. Sure his numbers don't stack up with Hamilton's and Cabrera's because of their home runs, but he is getting as many runners in and scoring as many runs, and runs are what matters. Not to mention he has been playing his best with Morneau injured, who before his concussion was near the top in average, home runs and RBI himself.

Yes, its time to admit you were wrong and I was right. Delmon Young has broken out of his shell. Now we just need to hope he can continue to do so because Morneau and Mauer are both banged up. I have faith though, do you?

Trix - They aren't just for kids anymore

It has been awhile since I posted on cereal, but until now I haven't had a reason to. However this week I decided to try Trix for the first time in years. You see, I used to love Trix as a kid. Fruit loops in a ball. They were great! Then they changed though, and not for the better. In 1992 Trix became fruit shapes, fun exciting shapes. The problem was with the change from balls to shapes the flavor also changed - for the worse. The "new" style of Trix were terrible. I'm sure they appealed to kids more because it was something fun - like they were eating fruit (of course we might be healthier as a society if kids actually did eat fruit - and runts don't count). I tried a couple times over the years thinking maybe it was my imagination that the flavor changed, but every time I was more disappointed. Sometime in the last few years they must have changed back to the little round balls, but because I disliked the cereal so much I did not notice. This week I did - and I noticed the flavor changed again too. Wow was I surprised. Trix are great again. Sure they might not have the same appeal as they did with little shapes of fruit, but they taste good again, and that is what should matter most.

iPhone 4G going to go faster than you think

I know that all of people are excited for the new iPhone 4G, but the number of people interested is a lot more than you realize, and more than Apple and AT&T predicted. All of this leads to one thing, come Friday morning if you don't have one yet, you aren't going to get one. A source with AT&T has informed me that they expect all of the iPhone 4G's in the Twin Cities to be sold out by closing Thursday night at the latest, possibly even by dinner time. The rush was expected to be big, but the problems that have arisen in the pre-ordering were much more than they could handle.

So, if you want a new iPhone, get there early Thursday. Maybe even Wednesday, otherwise you will have to wait.

The Big 10 CAN Make New York a College Sports Town

I know that everyone thinks the Big 10 wants Rutgers only for the New York market and guess what, they are right. New York, however, is not a college town. They enjoy their pro sports teams and have never been interested in the colleges around them. Part of the problem is they have multiple pro teams, the bigger part of the problem is that they have never really had anyone to cheer for. Rutgers and St. Johns are the only two teams that they have had to cheer for, and St. johns does not have a D-I football team. Rutgers does not look like they are going to become anything special anytime soon which means they are not going to attract fans either, but that doesn't mean the New York market can be turned into more of a college fan base. They can, and the Big 10 can do it.

It might not be easy to get fans their into college football, but there is a way that they sure could get the attention of New York and that is by inviting Rutgers into the conference and then immediately having the conference championship game in the new Meadowlands. That is the easy part. The hard part is getting the right teams into the championship game. If Iowa and Penn State are facing off for the title the Big Ten would be in trouble, its just not a sexy match up that would draw casual fans in. If, however, Nebraska and Ohio State were to face off in New York in December on a Saturday for a place in the title game or a place into a playoff people would watch. That is not an ordinary game. First of all you would have big crowds from both schools. Both teams travel well and both teams have huge fan bases. You would have a great mix of fans from both teams and also a mix of fans from New York who want to see two elite programs face off. It could instantly draw attention to college football, the Big Ten, and even Rutgers with some savvy marketing. Eventually Rutgers would have to start winning for the Big Ten to get what they want out of New York, but they can also draw in fans by showcasing great teams. Think of how many people wear Yankees caps around. Are they all from New York?? No. They just wear the hat because its New York. Nebraska and Ohio State are both programs with great traditions. Ohio State is elite, and Nebraska seems to be on its way under Bo Pelini. They can make fans with a great game, even if they have no affiliation with either team. Notre Dame has fans all over the country who have nothing to do with the school because of their exposure back when not much was on tv because they were great. They also would help the Big Ten a lot with breaking into the New York market. Without them though, the conference still can do it, it will just take some planning and of course some luck.

It may sound crazy now, but there is a reason Delany has been looking at expansion and there is a reason Rutgers keeps coming up, and it is not because of their football team's success, it is because of the 17 million people who live there.

Selig Screws us all again

Bud Selig. A commissioner who will be remembered for many things, including bringing baseball back after the strike to a sport that once again is making a ton of money. To me though, he will forever be remembered as a stubborn idiot who has tried to take away, and has now successfully taken away great moments from MLB fans. We all remember when he tried to contract the Twins and Expos because they wouldn't use tax payers money to fund stadiums for billionaires. Luckily, he was unsuccessful. I do not understand why he was invited to Minnesota for the stadium opener though, nor do I understand how he wasn't booed out of the building. Now though he has continued to screw fans over. There are numerous terrible calls by umpires every year, including last year when Joe Mauer hit a ball fair by about three feet that was called foul in the playoffs and this year on a missed call at second that cost the Twins the game last week. Worse than those though is what happened to Gallaraga, throwing a prefect game that will not go down in history as a perfect game because there is no replay. For shame. For shame. The 21st time in baseball history someone throws a perfect game and it doesn't count. I can't be mad at the Joyce though, he's human. We make mistakes. Cameras would tell the truth. It's time for replay Selig. You are, in my opinion, the worst commissioner EVER.

Super Conferences

With all of the talk about what could happen with the Big Ten expansion and what would follow I think its time to talk about what I would like to see happen. I know this will affect every sport, but all that matters in college athletics at the end is football and men's basketball. We know how big hockey is Minnesota and a few other select areas, but expansion will not affect hockey at all. No offense to women's basketball, but other than a few select teams, not many people follow it, the money is all in two sports, and money talks. That being said, when expanding conferences we have to remember that while this is being done mainly for football, with basketball in mind, every sport will be affected. This is why I think it is crazy when I hear that Texas is being considered, and even more bonkers when I hear other schools from Texas being mentioned too. Is it worth the extra money a team like Texas would bring in if we had to pay for baseball, softball, soccer, gymnastics etc. etc. etc. to have to fly down to Texas for regular season games and meets? Is it really better for student athletes to have to fly to Texas instead of Indiana for a game? No. I know that part of the reason they are talking about those teams is because if they added four teams from the Big 12 they could be their own division and compete more in division to keep traveling down, but part of what I love about college sports is the regional competition. I love being from the Midwest and competing against the West Coast, the East Coast, the South. I love being called the meat and potato teams, the tough teams. I love going against the "speed" of the SEC, it makes for better conversations. So in my perfect world, the conferences would look a little like what follows.



Big Ten



The Big Ten is making the first move, so they should get to do pretty much what they want to. I've heard everything from adding four Big Twelve teams and Notre Dame to adding UConn, Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt and Notre Dame. Neither of these scenarios makes any sense and neither do much for me. As I said, I love the regional feeling to conferences. I would however be open to one team stretching the conference if it were for a good reason. I would love to see the Big Ten add Notre Dame, Missouri, Pitt, Iowa State and then either Rutgers or Nebraska. Why Iowa State? Three reasons. First of all, it keeps the Big Ten more compact. It also keeps other conferences closer together. Iowa State is also a great educational university, something very important to the conference. Third, something that should not be overlooked, is Iowa State is a bit of a pushover. I know that everyone wants to be the best, but when you have 16 teams competing it is nice to have a few teams that are only going to compete every decade or two. It allows the powers of the conference to have a game on the schedule that they know will help propel them to a better chance at making the Championship game or eventually an at large bid into the tournament. I think Notre Dame is an obvious choice, Missouri brings a good market and solid football and basketball program in, Pittsburgh also has great programs and the location is ideal, then comes the choice between the New York market (which is not a big college market but is New York) and the prestige of Nebraska football. Personally I want Nebraska to bring another power into the conference. Sure the thought of New York is riveting, but real college football fans will turn on Nebraska vs OSU over Rutgers vs anyone, unless Rutgers was competing for a title. I know you can make the argument that in that case Rutgers should be taken over Iowa State, but again the location drives that addition. Also, if the Big Ten takes Nebraska and Missouri, Iowa State is almost out on an island, which means for the good of all conferences they should join. I know it's all about money, but I want what is best for all of college football and basketball, it would not be as compelling without the debate over which conference was the best, and of course if you add Notre Dame, Nebraska, Missouri and Pitt, the Big Ten would be the best conference, and Rutgers does not add anything but television sets. Unfortunately I think Rutgers will make it in, leaving Iowa State in the Big Twelve.



After the Big Ten adds Notre Dame, Missouri, Nebraska, Pitt and Rutgers the race would begin, and I think it would end with five Super Conferences.



The SEC would be next in line to choose teams, after all ESPN and the rest of the media has us believing that the Dolphins and Jaguars would be lucky to get an invite from the SEC. The SEC would take over Florida by adding South Florida, Miami and Florida State. They would then add Georgia Tech, East Carolina and Louisville, (I know, that's six, but Arkansas is making a move too)


The ACC and Big East would then be forced to join forces and become the dominant basketball conference, at least initially. Duke, North Carolina, Virginia, V Tech, West Virginia, Clemson, Boston College, Wake Forrest, Maryland, NC State, UCONN, Syracuse, Cincinnati, Memphis and Central Florida would become the eastern conference, whatever they want to call it. They would still need one team which could come from telling a school like Villanova to move their football program up to the FBS division, or from getting a smaller school like FIU or Southern Alabama to join.



The Big Twelve, having lost Nebraska and Missouri would add Arkansas, TCU, Houston, Colorado State, New Mexico and New Mexico State. Sure they would drop down a notch, but what can they do at this point but hope these schools can step up their level of competition.



The Pac Ten would be the final conference and would add BYU, Utah, Boise State, UNLV and Air Force. Sure they would like to add teams from the Big 12, but when your conference has the least to offer you end up picking up the scraps. Sorry Pac 10, but you will never be what the Big 10 and SEC are.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch vs Cinnamon Toasters

So I had been buying CTC (Cinnamon Toast Crunch) for a few weeks because it was cheaper than Cinnamon Toasters at Wal Mart, but then I decided I needed to know which was better, once and for all. So I bought both and mixed them together to see if I could tell a difference. I could. It was not even close. Cinnamon Toasters have a little more puff to them, which makes them a lot more fun to eat, and they have a more even spread of cinnamon and sugar, which means they are not as overwhelming as CTC and just plain better. I always thought that Cinnamon Toasters were just as good, but once compared together I realized that Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a FAR inferior cereal. Give up on the name brand this time, go for the Malt O Meal knock off, you'll like it more and save money.

As for Cheerios and its family, stick to the name brand. Wait for the sale. Off brands do something wrong there.

The Timberwolves have Four Chances to Win Tonight, Not One

I know that it seems like the Timberwolves have only one, maybe two chances to really win tonight at the NBA draft lottery, but if you look a little deeper they actually can win big four ways, maybe more if Kahn can be creative enough. The sure ways to win are to land the number one or two pick in the upcoming draft. John Wall is good. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. He is a game changer, and will be for many years to come. Evan Turner might not have the start potential Wall has, but he is a guy who will come in and be productive from day one. He is a guy who can play multiple positions well, and is still improving in aspects of his game. He can score from anywhere on the court, but most importantly by driving to the basket. This is the most important aspect of his scoring in my opinion because in the NBA when you can get to line and get big guys in foul trouble you are doing more to change the game then when you are hitting threes, just ask Kobe. His biggest games in the Playoffs usually come with 12, 15 even 20 free throw attempts, and the Lakers do not lose when he scores from charity stripe. Turner can also rebound, pass and is working on his ball handling.

The other ways the Wolves can win are not as obvious but I think are sure fire ways. If they do not land the first or second pick they need to hope that the Knicks or Nets land the number two pick. Why? Landing Turner is not going to be enough to land Lebron. However if they trade what will become Turner to the Wolves they can get a lot in return. A package of the number two pick and David Lee from the Knicks for Rubio and Al Jefferson would look great for the Knicks. They would then be able to get Lebron and another star (Bosh?) add in Al Jeff and a point guard. Heck, they might consider trading Wall for those two so they can have an immediately dominant front court and a young rising star at point. I personally think they would take Wall in an instant, but you never know. For the Wolves David Lee would pair nicely with Kevin Love down low and Flynn, Turner and Brewer would round a solid young core. Then with the 16th pick they could hope to get a guy like OK States James Anderson if he fell, or they could trade up a few spots and grab him to give them more offense.

As for the Nets, they think they have a chance at Lebron too. Again with the prospect of getting Rubio and Jefferson they might be willing to part with either of the first two picks. They don't have as much to offer back, but if they feel that Devin Harris' upside is not what Rubio's will be, and that adding Al Jefferson also would help, they might pull the trigger.

The dream scenario would be if the Wolves somehow broke the lottery curse and got the number one pick, and New York landed the number two pick. New York can probably get Lebron and Bosh and adding Turner would be nice, like I said. However David Lee and Bosh play the same position, and Al Jefferson is more of a scorer who I think would work well with those two since he can also stroke the 15 foot J. Rubio is the difference maker in my opinion though with the Knicks. THey still want him, and I think they would trade for him. That would give the Wolves an amazing young group of guys in Wall, Brewer, Turner, Love and Lee, with Flynn coming off the bench as a sixth man, a very effective sixth man.

Chances are the Wolves will not move up though, they never do, and they will have to settle for a guy that might be great but might not. Hopefully they can stay in the top two though, or at the very least someone who would really want Rubio would get a top pick so we can move him and build again this year.

All I know is the Wolves have two of the top 16 picks in a deep draft, they better make the most of it this year.

KG's "Advice" for Lebron

As I am sure you have heard KG gave Lebron some advice after the Celtics finished the Cavs this past week. He told Lebron that "Loyalty is something that hurts you at times", of course in reference to his loyalty to the Minnesota Timberwolves when he stayed in Minnesota instead of leaving to become a free agent in a place where he would have a better chance to win a title.

I think are two things to look at here, first the positives. KG is probably my favorite NBA player of all time. He loved Minnesota, he worked as hard as anyone, and he didn't blame anyone for the Wolves not winning out loud, something many stars are not able to do. KG also never said that if he had to do it again he would leave Minnesota, after all he still got his ring, is on pace to win another this year, and of course there is no lack of great power forwards to not win a ring while they were stars. Malone, Barkley and Wilkens were perhaps the three best at their positions from the mid 80's through the late 90's. None won a ring. None have to be ashamed of it. KG also wasn't telling Lebron to leave Cleveland, after all with Shaq's expiring contract, a few other players whose contracts expire in the new future and some savvy veterans who will be free agents the Cavs still have a chance to make themselves the best fit for a championship caliber team. If the Celtics decide to go young, Ray Allen might want to win another title, and if he would sign for less with the Cavs he would give Lebron the pure shooter he has lacked. Delonte West only has 1 year left and is earning almost five million, Antwan Jamison has two left at over 12 a year, something that might look good to a team with cap space or needing a player like him coming off the bench. Mo Williams and Anderson Varejo are hurting the cap the most in Cleveland, but being a Timberwolves fan I know there is always a GM out there with his head in the sand who might make a dumb move. The point is KG could have been telling him to wait and see what the Cavs can do, then make your decision.

There is that side of all of us though that think KG was saying something else, that he was essentially saying he made a mistake by not leaving earlier. I know he might think that now, but hopefully when he looks back he will realize that he couldn't have done things much better, and he really has no reason to think loyalty hurt him. First of all, he may have been loyal, but he also received max contracts every step of the way, something he would not have received in other cities. Sure money isn't everything, but why then didn't he offer to play for $10 million so Taylor could sign another star? HE also was given the chance to become a legend. Something Malone never would have become. Malone was never alone, it was always Stockton and Malone. KG had a chance to be KG. There was not going to be a KG and Wally, or KG and Gugliotta, or KG and Sam I Am. It was his team, and whether he admits it or not he wanted it to be HIS team more than anyone because he is that much of a competitor.

KG also forgets that despite what happened, the Wolves showed him loyalty too. Once Da Kid left town, the franchise had no where to go but down, way down. Instead of stringing him along another few seasons, or trading for what McHale and company thought was the best for the franchise, we made sure that we also got Garnett to place he had a chance to win at, a place it was almost impossible for him to lose at if they stayed healthy.

Finally, though I don't like to bring it up because I love KG so much as a player, we have to remember that there are also two flaws to KG himself that contributed to his "Loyalty" keeping him from a title. First of all, his play in crunch time. We can't forget that against Tim Duncan KG usually was outmatched. He never had a bad playoff run, but he also wasn't able to completely change a series on his own. I'm not saying he wasn't ever the best player for the Wolves, there were just times he wasn't the best player on the floor. Mostly because of his offense, much like Dirk doesn't change games with his D even though his offense is usually great. The other flaw that isn't as obvious is the fact the KG was a bit of a GM himself. He often told the management what he wanted, and like many star players he got what he wanted. He should have let the people with experience make personnel decisions and stuck to doing his best of the court.

Lebron is at fault in this last way too, it seems. He likes Mike Brown, the problem is he doesn't respect him in the way that he should. Mike Brown is afraid to call Lebron out, he thinks that best way to handle his star is to let his star help with the coaching. Phil Jackson isn't possibly the best coach of all time because of his coaching ability, its because of his management. Remember NBA players are not working professionals with advanced degrees for the most part, they are kids, kids with a lot of money and no one to tell them its my way or the highway. Jackson doesn't care who you are, you play by his rules. Sure players do not like this at times, we saw Kobe crying about it a few years back. You know what though, Phil didn't give in to Kobe and eventually he sat down and thought it over and realized that Jackson was a winner, and without him Kobe hasn't won a thing. Lebron wants to go somewhere where he can win, but it seems like he also wants to help pick the coach, he might want some say in the personel it looks like too. The problem is players don't win games on their own. Remember, as great as they are, a guy like Phil Jackson has seen the same guy with a different number for the last 50 years or so playing, much longer than these guys have even been alive. Even a guy like McHale, who I like to rip from time to time, knows more about basketball than we can imagine. He played the game at an elite level. He has seen the game from the inside and out and knows more than we think. He might not have been a great GM overall, but then again when you are selecting late in the draft many GM's aren't.

The point is Lebron needs to take KG's advice to heart, if Cleveland doesn't look like a place he can win then it might be time to move on. He needs to remember though that loyalty goes both ways, and he needs to be loyal to his team and let them make the big decisions. He also needs to remember that if he wants to be a legend, he needs to win on his own. Kobe is great, but without Shaq and without Gasol (who people seem to forget has been a dominant big for years now) he has not won on his own. Lebron has the talent to be in the same conversation as Jordan, but right now he doesn't have the direction.

Forget Notre Dame

I want Notre Dame to join the Big Ten. It makes sense for them to join the Big Ten. However, I can't take much more of their arrogance and I think its time that the Big Ten give them an ultimatum. I am not much for ultimatums, but I just can't take it anymore. For some reason Notre Dame thinks that it is better than every other school and that they can do what they want. The fact is though, college football has changed. Notre Dame hasn't won a title since 1988, that's 22 years. They have won only two in the last 36 years. Florida, USC, Oklahoma, Miami and Nebraska have all won three or more in that time. Florida State, Penn St and LSU have all won two. Miami has won five since 1983 actually, Notre Dame has won one, in 1988.

All of this shows that college football has changed, and Notre Dame is not what it once was. This is why I can't stand their arrogance. They are not the super power they once were. Sure the Big Ten would be lucky to have them in the conference, but they can't let Notre Dame call the shots. Its time for Jim Delaney and the Big Ten to tell Notre Dame they can either be in or out. If Brian Kelly and Captain Jack Sparrow or Swarick or whatever his name is love being independent, fine, then live with it when you are getting steam rolled by the big conferences. They can play in the Big East/ACC or whatever becomes of the conferences once the Big Ten and SEC are done picking their schools. Or they can stand alone and watch from the inside out as a tournament comes around. I don't want the Big Ten to go to 14 teams if Notre Dame isn't ready, then we have a chance of losing the last team we want. Its time to go big or go home. Otherwise we are going to end up with Iowa State or something, and the SEC is going to end with a team like Georgia Tech or Clemson as their worst addition.

Its time to chose. Enough dicking around Jim Delaney. Make them choose, they can go to the prom with the King, or they can go with the tuba player. Its their choice.

Big Ten Expansion: Part 1

I thought about doing one big article on the probable expansion of the Big Ten conference, but there is just too much to talk about to try and capture it all at once. Instead, I'm going to break it up into a few posts, including focusing on what would happen to all of the collegiate conferences if the Big Ten expanded to 14 or 16 teams. For now though, I'm going to focus on what should happen, that being that the Big Ten should add Notre Dame and call it good, and how college football should move forward after this.



I know that some people out there still think that Notre Dame is Notre Dame and can be independent and all will be good. They of course are naive and most likely Irish supporters. The fact is that college football has changed. It no longer is only a select few games on NBC, ABC and CBS. The Big Ten has its own network, the SEC has every game showing on ESPN/ABC and affiliates, and even teams like Boise St., East Carolina and Utah can found on TV almost every weekend. Notre Dame was able to survive as an independent because for the longest time they were one of the only teams that was on TV every week. You grew up wanting to play for Notre Dame because you knew you would be on TV every week. Its not just the money like many people talk about though, its also the exposure. Now that you can be seen on TV every week no matter where you play you don't have to go to Notre Dame, you can go anywhere! This means your decision comes down to going somewhere and holding the clipboard for two or three years and hoping the next Peyton Manning doesn't come to your school your junior year, or going somewhere else and starting from day one, which might also be close to home where your family can see you too.



There also is this thing called the BCS. Now hopefully the BCS changes and instead of keeping the same format they have an actual tournament soon, but even if they don't Notre Dame is now at a big disadvantage for a National Title. They still have a good chance to play if they can run table for now, but one loss and all of the sudden you are competing with the SEC or Big Ten champ who probably might also have one loss but play in a big conference. THe Big Ten doesn't have the playoff to propel a champ further yet, but once the twelfth team arrives they will. And you can bet that the team, if not Notre Dame, will be a very good team like Pit, Missouri or Nebraska. There is no way that a one loss Notre Dame team can compete with an OSU team that has one loss and finishes the season with a win against a one or two loss Big Ten school from the other division. The SEC is already on a pedestal and any one loss team is a shoe in.



So, I believe that if the Big Ten expands only one team it will be Notre Dame. This is the best case scenario in my mind for Notre Dame and the Big Ten. Twelve teams is great because you have two six team conferences which means you get play the same five teams every year and can rotate three teams from the other division. The conference will most likely go to a North and South division. IT is not ideal for travel, but would probably put Purdue, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and then my guess would be Iowa in the same division. I know Michigan and Notre Dame have a long standing rivalry, but something would have to give, and Minnesota has to play Iowa and Wisconsin every year, they are too big of games for all three teams, and Minnesota is the only conference rival of both. Oh, and the "tradition" of the Michigan and Notre Dame Rivalry is only 37 games deep, so if that is tossed aside its not that big of a deal. Notre Dame could then play Army, Navy, USC and Stanford out of conference. Sure its not the easiest schedule, but then again once the new format goes into effect all that matters for them is winning the division, so they are just good tune up games. This allows Michigan and OSU to play every year. I think an East and West division would be best with Minnesota, Wisonsin, Iowa, NW, Illinois and Indiana or Purdue, but the conference won't want Michigan, Notre Dame, PSU and OSU in the same division because they are four of the best six teams the last 25+ years.

I think the NCAA then should of course move to an eight team tournament with one team from each of the big six conferences and two more. I think there are many ways to find out who is the best of the rest, but I think that a great way to make sure everyone has a chance is to add another championship game, we can call it the Best of the Rest championship game. The top two teams from a non big six conference can play with the winner getting a spot. Then the eighth spot would go to the top team left. If we had a situation where there were three teams who all were undefeated, maybe Boise St, TCU and East Carolina all go undefeated, then I think the only fair way to go would be have the top team get a spot and the winner of the other game get the other. This most likely won't happen, but if it did I don't think any team that didn't win their conference has an argument, take care of your business when you have the chance.

I admit it, I was wrong

Three years ago this June I proclaimed that Portland would be stupid not to take Greg Oden first overall in the NBA draft. I was very confident with what Oden could do for any team, especially one with a lot of young talent like Portland. They already had Brandon Roy at the 3 and Aldridge at power forward. Sure they had Pryzbilla at center, but Oden was the next sure thing. He had the height, he had the low post moves and he was athletic for a guy his size. He also was low key and would stay out of trouble. I got into many arguments over him and Durant, and it turns I was wrong. Very wrong. Durant may not be able to lead his team past the Lakers this year, but it might be the last year he will not be able to. The Lakers are loaded, Kobe is still probably the second best player in the NBA, Gasol is among the best big men, Artest can still play D, Lamar Oden may not have evolved into LaMarvelous, but he is good. Durant's supporting cast meanwhile could still be in college.

I was wrong about Oden, but I think I was more wrong about Durant. Next year I think he moves into the spot as the best player not named Lebron. Next year I think the Thunder represent the West. Maybe next year we will get to see what Oden can do. Next year the Timberwolves will still be competing with the Thursday night men's rec league for the biggest attendance.

MLB Contracts

Ryan Howard was just signed to a 5 year $125 million extension by the Philadelphia Phillies yesterday. This will make him the second highest paid player in MLB, following only Alex Rodriguez. Looking at the last four years it is easy to justify that he is worth it for a team that can afford to pay players big money. He has more home runs and RBI than anyone in baseball over that span, including Albert Pujols. In fact, he is the only player to hit over 45 home runs and have over 135 RBI in four straight seasons, the other being Babe Ruth. He also has done everything the Phillies have wanted over the last few years including working on improving his defense and losing some weight. He is only in his 7th season and has reached 225 home runs in fewer at bats than anyone in history. So, he should be paid as much as anyone in baseball right? He also should be worthy of a 5 year contract, after all most stars are now getting six, seven or in A Rod's case ten years.



Well, look closer and you will see that this contract in fact is NOT a good deal for Philadelphia, and more importantly a potentially damaging deal for the St. Louis Cardinals.



I think Philadelphia reached quite far on this deal. Sure Howard has been great and put up great numbers, but a look closer and you will see that they are not as good as they seem. First of all Howard is already 30 years old even though it is only his 7th season. He also still has two years left on his current contract, meaning he will be turning 37 years old less than a month after his contract is up. Other than Barry Bonds (who may have had a little help keeping fit) no one in recent history has been anywhere near as productive as they moved into the middle of their 30's when it comes to power numbers. Howard, despite being intentionally walked often, still only has an OBP of .380 over the last 4 years and a batting average of about .270. He is helped greatly by the lineup he hits in. With guys in front of him who get on base and guys behind him who help protect him he is pitched too more often than most great hitters in the league. What will happen if Philly has to let a few guys go in order to keep to their budget. What happens when after losing one or two guys someone gets injured? A lot can change.



I look at this as a reach because I compare him to other players with huge contracts and wonder if he is worth it. Alex Rodriguez is the highest paid player in MLB. Sure he hasn't been able to live up to his contract, but he still puts up great numbers and plays 3B, a much more difficult position than Howard plays, and one that has very few great hitters at it. A Rod also is coming off of an injury and a lot of off the field problems. I'm not saying A Rod is worth more than Howard, I'm just saying. Joe Mauer is next on the list. Sure I'm a homer, but I have to think Mauer is worth a lot more than either of those guys are. He doesn't have the same power the other guys do, but last year his OPS was 1.031, Howards was .931. That's a big difference. A Rod's, if you were wondering, was .933. Most importantly, Mauer plays C and is in my opinion, and many others, the best combination of a defender and game caller in baseball. He also is making less than Howard is, but a lot of that is because of the home town discount he gave the Twins.



Then you look at the best hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols, who is also about to become the highest paid player whether with the Cardinals or not. Pujols' numbers are sick. They are video game numbers. To put it in perspective, Ryan Howard's best OPS was 1.084, A Rod's 1.067, and both in the middle of lineups filled with all stars. Albert Pujols?? Well he has had four season with a higher OPS than Howard's 1.084 in the last 7 seasons, and two more over 1.039. His down year was a terrible .997, which of course is still somehow .063 points higher than Justin Morneau's best year. Think of that. All of this while hitting in a lineup without anywhere near the help. Pujols also is a very good first baseman, and a few months younger than Howard.

All of this leads to the big question: Will St. Louis be able to re-sign Pujols? Its a valid question, especially with what Howard just got paid. After Mauer signed it looked great for St. Louis and Pujols. here was a kid who wanted to play where he was comfortable and was willing to give a discount because the fans loved him and he is Minnesota. Pujols may not have been born in St. Louis, but he has been there since he was a teenager. It looked like Pujols would be able to sign for a little less with less pressure from the players union to get paid. It looked like he would be able to get paid fairly, when compared to Mauer. It looked like St. Louis wold be able to follow in Minnesota's foot steps and find a way to keep their guy. We were thinking maybe $28 million a year, making sure he was the highest paid player while not breaking the bank for St. Louis. Now though? Well he is a better hitter than Howard, will be able to continue to be very effective as a hitter even if his power goes later in the contract because he is a great contact and gap hitter, he is better in the field, and he is in better shape, leading us to believe he will play better longer. Now it looks like St. Louis would be lucky to get him for $30 million a year.

I really hope that St. Louis finds a way. Whether they take the hit as a team to try and win, raise ticket prices a few dollars to make up the cost (remember, 3 million people go through the gates every year, money can be made up fast with small increases in ticket and/or concession prices) or cut their payroll elsewhere St. Louis needs to keep Pujols, not just for their sake, but for all of baseball's. We need more players staying in their cities instead of going elsewhere for paydays with the same teams. It will be better for baseball.

Howard is great hitter, don't get me wrong. He is probably worth it for the first couple years of his contract too, especially if Philadelphia can win another ring. In the long run though, I see this ending much in the same way as Mo Vaugn's huge contract with the Mets. Big guys tend to break down early. Its hard on their knees and the rest of their body. Big guys are more injury prone, Vaugn, Frank Thomas, David Ortiz and many others all started to break down as the moved towards their mid 30's. Its one thing for a guy to continue to play great if they are a defensive star or a great average hitter, that is more about hand eye coordination and instincts. Power is about, well, power. I think Philly should have waited to extended Howard, or maybe only extended him 3 years. That's me though. I watch from my couch. I also thought Oden was going to be better than Durant. I'll apologize for that one day. For now, I'll just give another opinion.

NFL Draft Part 2

Well, so far the draft has been about as much fun as I can remember. This is just crazy. Jacksonville taking a guy that was supposed to be around late in the first round, if not in the second. Two running backs going in the top 11 when some thought Seattle could get Spiller at 14. Now Seattle is about to pick again, and while I thought Clausen would go I now think they will take Earl Thomas. That means the Vikes still have a chance to have Clausen fall close enough for them to get him. That would be great!

NFL Draft Part 1

Well, looks like my bold prediction is going to be wrong. I thought the Steelers would shock everyone by trading Big Ben to Oakland for their pick, McFadden and Russel, but with their pick one away it looks like I was wrong. Oh well, can't pick them all. Or in my case, most of them.

Anyway, onto Minnesota. I saw that one "expert" had TD Jimmy falling to the Vikes at 30. Now I'm not a huge Clausen fan, but if he was around at 30 I would take him in a heartbeat. If he was around in the 20's I'd try to find someone who would take a fourth this year and next, maybe a third, and move up and get him. That is not gonna happen though. Especially now that Seattle had Okung fall to them at 6. I'm guessing Clausen is gone by pick 14 to Seattle.

Now that we got Lito, we don't need to get a CB. That allows us to take the best player available.

Delmon Young

For those of you who don't know, Delmon is my guy. For some reason I am not willing to give up on him. I know he has underachieved with the Twins, and that may be an understatement, but give him a chance. He is still only 24 years old and still has more raw talent than most MLB players. His problem has not been talent, but a work ethic. I don't know this from any inside sources, but you can tell from whispers you hear. His own brother told us 3 years ago that he has all the talent in the world but needs to focus on using it. Dmitri was the same way, according to his own words, but without the talent Delmon has. I think the most showing stats are the way his seasons have progressed. He has started off poorly the last two seasons and has finished great. In 2009 he finished with 9 HR and 33 RBI while hitting over .300 in from August 1st on in just short of 200 at bats. Projecting that over a season at that pace he would hit close to 30 HR and finish with about 100 RBI, which is what we expected him to eventually hit. Unfortunately he finished with 12 HR and 60 RBI hitting .284, only getting a little over 400 at bats because of his inconsistency to start the year.

In 2008 he finished with a .290 average and 10 HR to go with 69 RBI....in 575 at bats. Not good. Especially considering he had 8 HR and 41 of his RBI while hitting .300 in July, Aug and September.

I think he finishes so strong because he is able to get in the swing of things as the season goes on. During the off season he is doing something wrong. Maybe he hasn't worked hard enough, maybe he hasn't had the attitude, and maybe he just doesn't know what he needs to do. This off season I think he dedicated himself a little more though. He came into the season looking good and with what seemed like a better attitude. He seemed to be having more fun. That is why this year is the year he will break out. I don't know if he will become the .300 30 100 guy we all want him to be, but look for him to make the next big step by getting over 20 HR and over 80 RBI. It might not be what everyone wants, but its a big step up. Remember, he turns 25 at the end of the season. Justin Morneau hit 22 HR and had 79 RBI in 2005 when he was the same age Delmon is now. Ryan Howard was a rookie in 2005, at the age of 26. Most players don't break into the league and do anything until their mid 20's.

You heard it here, Delmon is going to be a big factor this year. Expect him to hit .295 with 21 HR and 85 RBI. Expect the Twins to win.

The Greatest Commercials Ever

I know there a lot of great commercials that have been made, but the greatest ever is obvious. Round Up may be one of the best songs ever. Do you know Sam Spence? Well you should. If you don't, you don't watch enough of NFL Films. Once you hear it, you'll know it. Once you watch the commercial, you will want BK. The King scores on this one. In more than one way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGriO85UGLg&NR=1

The only thing the commercial (and song) are missing are a little more trombone. and some tuba.

The Lonely Island Boys

Its been awhile since I have went onto YouTube and watched some of The Lonely Island Boys videos, so I decided to do that tonight. I was surprised to see that only 12 million people have seen On A Boat and only 4.4 million have watched Jizzed in My Pants.

It may seem like a lot of views for the videos, but I really do feel bad for everyone who hasn't seen these videos. They are a rated R Weird Al. If you haven't seen the Lonely Island Boys yet, do it. do it.

This is what it's all about!

This is what March Madness is all about! I know in a perfect world we all would get Thursday and Friday off the opening weekend of the tournament, but its not a perfect world. It is, however, still great! That is because on the day your team plays it is almost expected by everyone, including your co-workers, that you be home on time to watch the whole game. The excitement that comes along with it is like waking up on Christmas morning as a kid knowing that Santa visited last night.

I was driving and heard the phone ring, I didn't need to look to see who it was, I already knew. Sure enough it was one of the boys also cruising home from work, just as excited and ready to go. Its almost like we are there, sure we don't get to watch it live and join in on the pre-game partying with those who are lucky enough to be pumping it in Milwaukee, but its a different feeling of excitement getting out of work early to sit on the couch and cheer on the Gophers while your co-workers are stuck in the office. A feeling like you are once again a kid in a candy store.

Yes, this is what its all about.

Ski U Mah!!!

NCAA Tournament Expansion

I am 100% against expanding the NCAA tournament. This is March Madness, not kindergarten where everyone's a winner. I was watching some of the games scroll by the last two days of the teams playing in the NIT, the teams that would have made the dance with an expanded tournament. I got a little excited, North Carolina was playing, and William and Mary kept it close...then I realized that North Carolina lost earlier in the season back to back to National American University and University of Phoenix. UCONN was playing, they were good right?? Oh yeah, they finished something like 13th in the conference. Illinois St. played at Dayton, Stony Brook, Troy, Tulsa, Webber St.....half of the teams came from conferences that haven't ever sent more than one team to the tournament. Memphis? St. John's? Come on. Sure Virginia Tech, Illinois and Ole Miss were close, but they had opportunity after opportunity to make the dance. Illinois could have beat Minnesota at home and they would have been in. Virginia Tech lost to Temple at home, the only good foe they played out of conference. Ok, Seton Hall is decent, but that too was a home game. Penn State was supposed to be good, but so was North Carolina. They played Duke, G Tech, Maryland and Wake Forrest each once, the four best teams in the conference. Ole Miss played in the SEC. The SEC was terrible this year! KY was great, Tennessee and Vandy were good. Mississippi St looked pretty good, but they played in a bad conference. Ole Miss just wasn't that good.

Just face it, there aren't 4 more teams that are deserving to be in, let alone 32. This is the National Championship Tournament, not the Stroke Everyone's Ego tournament. It should be special to get in. Did you see Ohio go crazy when they won? Did you see the excitement when Minnesota got in? Right now its special because you know you have to have had a great season or a great run to be in. If 96 teams were invited would it fun to be in? No. Think of how many teams would make it EVERY YEAR. This is supposed to be for the teams who proved they might be able to win it all, and even now half of the teams have no shot.

The NIT's this year might as well be called the Kohler tournament because that's what it is, a toilet bowl.

Keep the tournament at 64 teams and keep the greatest sporting event just that.

Is Notre Dame Hitting the Panic Button????

I know this may be hard for some swallow, but Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick's comments last week about the possibility of having to join a conference in the future was much more than a thought, it was a plea.

What is the plea for you might ask? It is a plea for the Big Ten Conference to recruit Notre Dame hard to join when they expand, and equally important it is a plea for the Big Ten to only expand by one team this time around.

I know this sounds crazy, but there is a lot to be lost by Notre Dame if they do not eventually Join. First of all, and some would say most importantly, the money would be a lot better in the Big Ten than as an independent. Remember, the Big Ten Network brings in a LOT of money. The Big Ten also has a contract with ABC/ESPN bringing in a good chunk of money. When the conference expands, it will only bring in more too. If the conference adds Pittsburgh, Missouri or Nebraska, they add a nice following of people to the conference. If they add Rutgers, they have a chance to try and tap the city of some college fans. Sure its hard to get people to watch Rutgers when they host South Florida, but if OSU came to town, people would watch. The Big Ten will also add a conference Championship game, which we know brings in a large sum of money.

Notre Dame does do pretty well with their NBC deal, and if they make a BCS game they get to keep all of the check right now. Not to mention they really do not need money, they are Notre Dame. The fact is though, no matter how well off they are they can always use more money.

Pride might be able to overcome the desire for a little bigger paycheck, and Notre Dame is VERY proud of being an independent. They are outright snobs about it. I don't like it. A lot of people don't. People who are fans of the team are though, whether we like it or not, so we have to deal with it. With the push for a Playoff in the future though to determine a National Champion, and with the Big Ten and Pac 10 looking at expansion (not to mention any other conference could at anytime) pride is also pushing Notre Dame to join a conference. If there is a playoff with eight teams I can GUARANTEE that everyone not named Notre Dame will make sure that the top team from each power conference and the next two best teams (most likely determined by the BCS ratings) get in. There will be no sweet deal like Notre Dame has now with the BCS where they get in when they should be playing in some bowl before New Years Day. The Power conferences are where all the money is it, lets face it. They will make sure that in a year like we just had Florida would still be in the tournament if Boise St or TCU had lost along the way. On top of that, Notre Dame will not be able to get as high in the BCS as the power conferences expand. Just look at last year. A one loss Notre Dame team would have been the second team left out. Florida would have finished ranked ahead of them because the SEC was too strong. When Michigan and OSU were undefeated going into the season finale the same situation would have arisen.

With all of this going on, there is just too much against Notre Dame to stay independent.

So, this brings us to the point of the story, Notre Dame is panicking. They now realize they need the Big Ten, whether now or int he near future. They are too proud to ask to be let in though, so they are putting it out there so the conference comes to them. If they are not ready to join yet, they can at least have discussions behind closed doors making sure the Big Ten knows they are intrigued. Right now Notre Dame is afraid that a scenario might arise where three teams like Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Missouri, Nebraska or Syracuse might all want to join. They might all actually try to get in, knowing the shift is going to happen (and knowing the Big Ten Network is growing bigger and bigger). If the Big Ten were to take three teams, that would almost definitely lock Notre Dame out for good. Then Notre Dame is stuck fighting for themselves against the mighty conferences or having to join the Big East in football, which they DO NOT want to do, especially if Pitt leaves. If the conference knows Notre Dame wants to join in a few years though, they will only expand by one team leaving the door open.

That is right, Notre Dame is panicking because they don't want to locked out of the Big Ten, but at the same time they don't want to swallow their pride and admit it, so by coming out with the statements he did last week, Jack Swarbrick is hoping that the Big Ten comes at them with what the school can say was "an offer they couldn't refuse".

For the record, for the good of the Big Ten my first choice for expansion would be Notre Dame, followed by Pitt, Mizzou, Nebraska, Rutgers and Iowa State. Texas makes no sense for all of the sports other than football and men's basketball. Finally, one team is enough. 12 teams is perfect because each team plays their division rivals every year and plays half of the other division every year. 14 teams is too many to keep the rivalries, even if they go to nine conference games a year.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cinnamon Toasters - and The Imposter

Cinnamon Toast Crunch is one of the best cereals out there when eaten dry. It probably has to be in the top 5. I am not as big of a fan of it in milk, in fact I can't remember the last time I ate it with milk because it is exponentially better dry. It is like eating an entire bowl of desert, one piece at a time, savoring every bite.

If you don't know me though, I am a guy who loves to find deals on food. Yeah, I am that fool with only 15 bags of frozen steam-in-bag vegetables in my cart because they are on sale and I will eat them....eventually. I also used to go to the store multiple times in one week and end up with about 15 boxes of instant oatmeal, 10 boxes of granola bars and 15 boxes of cereal because they were over 50% with coupons and that would last me a few months, until the next sale like that.

Of course, those sales are no more. So I look to the next best thing, off brands. Marshmallow Maties is of course, as everyone should know, much superior to Lucky Charms, and less expensive. When it comes to Cinnamon Toast Crunch off brands Malt O Meal comes through again with Cinnamon Toasters. It basically is Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I can't tell a difference. Sure Cinnamon Toast Crunch holds up a little better being in a box and all, but most places Cinnamon Toasters is cheaper (At Wal-Mart check the cost per ounce, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is cheaper if you buy the right box)

So I thought since Malt O Meal nailed the taste I would give Great Value Brand Cinnamon Crunch a try to see how it stacked up. Well, lets just say it was like going for a cold drink of water from the hose after some backyard baseball and instead getting that first hot burst of water that causes you to have to spit it right back out. It was not good. Sure it was a rice cereal with some cinnamon and sugar on it, but what a joke. Wal-Mart should be ashamed of itself for selling that. It belongs over the dog food isle, assuming you don't like your dog very much. I don't think it should be that hard to copy a cereal, but somehow they really dropped the ball on this one.

So if you are looking for something a little cheaper than Cinnamon Toast Crunch, go with Malt O Meal, you won't be disappointed. DO NOT however go with Great Value Cinnamon Crunch. If you do, its your waste of time, money and a good meal.

RPI

I know the RPI has its place in College basketball, and for the most part it is a pretty good gage, but we see this season the major flaw of the RPI and that is the Strength of Schedule. Cal has played one of the 10 hardest schedules in the country and has won 23 games, including the Pac 10 regular season title. They have an RPI of 31, meaning they should be the 31st best team in the country. However, they have only beat ONE, yes one team that is ranked in the top 50 in the RPI, and that was a win at home against Washington....who only made the tournament because they won they Pac 10 conference tournament. How can you be considered a good team without a quality win? Comparing them to the two Big 10 bubble teams isn't even fair. Illinois beat Wisconsin twice, once at the Kohl Center, which does not happen. They also beat Michigan State, won at Clemson and beat Vandy. Minnesota beat Butler on a neutral court, beat Wisconsin, OSU and now Mich St and Purdue in the tournament.

I hope the committee puts aside the RPI this year and looks at the quality of teams. Illinois and Minnesota both should be dancing over teams like Cal, Miss St, Ole Miss. Playing a hard schedule doesn't mean anything if you don't win, otherwise Providence should be in because they had to play in the Big East.

Put on the Dance Shoes!

After making Purdue look like a team that should be playing in the MIAC (no offense to the MIAC) there is no question in my mind that the Gophers have punched their ticket to the dance where anything can happen. The win last night against Mich St was impressive, but being a last second basket away from the worst beatdown in conference tournament history proved that we deserve a bid. The Gophers finally seem seem to have found their stride. Iverson is a beast underneath is getting better by the game. Devoe Joseph is proving that he will be a guy to reckon with the next two years, but he still would be better suited as a SG, which is why we NEED his little brother to chose us over Texas and UCONN. He would change the team dramatically and make us a legit top 25 team, regardless of Royce and Mbakwe's fates.

The biggest thing we saw today is how good Ralph Sampson III can be. He is a player who, when is confident, can take over on offense and alter shots on defense. His problem though is he can disappear at times.

Now we have OSU tomorrow, a team we split with, although an asterisk could have been put on the first game. Evan Turner is clearly the best player in America, and with him healthy tomorrow it will be tough. The biggest thing the gophers have going for them is depth. OSU is a 5 deep team, well PJ hill got a minute today so they went 8 deep, but playing 3 games in 3 days with 5-7 guys is a lot harder than 4 games in 4 days with 10 guys. Turner is great, but the rest of team can disappear at times, and the gopher should be able to match up well on D.

Prediction: Gophers 63 OSU 57