How much is Nick Saban worth to Alabama? If he goes to Texas, we will find out....And the Gophers should listen

IF, and that is a very big if, Texas is able to persuade Nick Saban to leave Alabama, how much will it cost?  That is, how much is Nick Saban actually worth to Texas, and to Alabama.  Having a top team in college football means more fans, more team gear sold and most importantly more donations.  Whether it be mandatory donations for seats or voluntary donations to a school because the program is getting exposure, in the end donations are donations.  And the Minnesota Gophers need to watch and learn.

Nick Saban already makes an amazing amount of money, and it probably is not enough.  Texas would easily be able to justify a 7, 8 or even 10 million dollar salary if Saban was able to do at Texas what he is doing now at Alabama.  As for Minnesota, if they were willing to pony up 3, 4 or 5 million for a football coach, they would also easily be able to justify it.  How???  Donations.  For instance, right now you can sit inside the 20's at TCF Bank stadium for as little as $100 a seat in donations.  How much is it at Texas, Ohio State and Alabama?  Well over $1,000.  That is a difference of $900 for some 10,000 tickets.  You do the math.  That is $9 million a year in donations, at the very very least.

I hope Jerry Kill can earn that kind of money, and if he can, we should pay him.  If a few years down the road we find out he can't take us to the top, then we need to really see what the great schools do, because if you get a good coach he will be worth every penny.

Congrats to Drew Horwood

Who is Drew Horwood you ask?  Drew is one of only nine Jeopardy contestants to ever win eight consecutive days in a row and is a local Minnesotan who grew up in Maple Grove, attended the U of M and lives in Minneapolis.  His amazing run was a lot of fun to follow as every game he won depended on a bold Daily Double or smart Final Jeopardy clue.

Congratulations to our new home town hero Drew!

Flipping Awesome

Talked with one of my insiders tonight. Word on the street is there is a good chance Flip takes the job as the next coach of the Gophers. I still can't confirm the rumors,  but it would be a great hire if we get a guy who loves Minnesota and wants to be here. My insider also is so confident in Flip that he guarantees a B1G championship in the next 4 years if we hire him.  He thinks all of the worries with recruiting and the difference coaching guys in college in the NBA is "hogwash" because Flip can flat out coach, he is a guy that people like and his experience coaching in the NBA is a huge selling point since he knows what kids need to do to improve their game and become a next level player.  Stay tuned. I am holding his reputation to it.

A late, but heart felt goodbye

I know that it has been a few months now, but I was so heart broken that King and I Thai, home to one of my top 3 Pad Thai's in the Twin Cities, closed, that I have been unable to write about it until now.  I still remember the first time I went there with my eldest son, the warm atmosphere, comfortable booths, and of course the delicious peanut covered Pad Thai dish served to us with a perfect blend of spices.  I am not sure if it is tears of sorrow or tears of spice, but either way I shed I tear for a great restaurant that is no more.

Cheech Harvin is officially gone.....

I know Percy Harvin has had some difficult times in Minnesota with the migraines, injuries and problems avoiding weed when an imminent test is coming (like the combine), but for all the problems he had, he made up for it in explosive plays.  His blazing speed, ability to juke any defender and all out effort that allowed him to plow over defenders was something special that we will not be able to replace.  Let's hope the Vikings use the pick wisely because we only have so many years of All Day left, and we don't want to waste any more building for the future when we have quite possibly the best running back to play the game.

Thai it - in Ireland!

On a recent trip to central Ireland I was surprised to find that the superior taste of Thailand does in fact live in other parts of the world other than Thailand and the Twin Cities (disclaimer:  I have yet to find good Thai food in all my other world travels).  However in the small town of Athlone, Ireland I was amazed to find Kin Khao, a Thai restaurant located off the beaten path that is well worth the trip.  I ordered the fresh spring rolls and Pad Thai and was amazed to find cuisine that was comparable to Pad Thai, King and I Thai, Ruam Mit Thai and the other amazing restaurants of the Twin Cities.

Is Tubby Time over?

After another brutal showing from the Gophers it is time to think of what we once thought was unthinkable: do the Gophers need to fire Tubby Smith?  It seemed impossible, especially after Tubby took a bottom of the conference team and turned them instantly into a middle of the road bunch of overachievers.  The talent was not there the first few years he was in town but we found ways to win games.  Now with the likes of T Bak, Dre, Austin Hollins and Rodney Wiliams we are still looking like a team that will be one and done.  We gave Tubby a pass when Royce White had his personal problems.  We gave him a  pass on Devoe Joseph.  We gave him a pass when MBakwe got injured last year.  Now though, what is our excuse?  We are goo enough to win against MSU, to come back against Indiana and make a blow out a one possession game (if we could grab a rebound) and good enough to win at Illinois when they are ranked in the top 10.  However, now we can't beat anyone, and most importantly we can't beat a zone.  Northwestern beat us while playing bad themselves, Iowa and OSU just completely embarrassed us and we have IU next week.

I think Tubby's only hope is to win the three games of the season against the bottom feeders of the conference.  If he can't, he might want to update his resume.  I for one have enough of one and done and high hopes.  I am ready for a change if he doesn't because I believe the talent is there.  He just needs to change his style to fit the talent.