If You Keep It In Perspective ...

[Mulligan]

Despite my best efforts not to, I got up this morning bummed out by the basketball developments yesterday. Not a sure thing, but Mbakwe might be gone and the Wolves got the 4th pick after most everybody convinced themselves that we were destined to get either the 1st or 2nd pick. However, I've managed to cheer myself up by remembering all of the other things that have gone wrong with a Minnesota sports team since I've been a fan. Writing down this list makes a person realize that yesterday's developments barely register a blip.

-1962, my introduction to what it means to be a Minnesota sports fan. Bobby Bell gets called for roughing Ron VanderKelen in the last Big Ten game of the year; Murray Warmath gets another penalty protesting the call; and Wisconsin gets a winning touchdown instead of giving up the ball. Cost us the game, the Rose Bowl, and a possible national title.
-Lou Holtz gets our hopes up and the Little Phony follows his heart to Notre Dame.
-The dropped snap by our punter to give Wisconsin (again) another win.
-The Michigan game where we kicked the hell out of them the first half and then went into a shell and lost.
-Hearing about an incident in Madison on WCCO's morning show that wrecked a promising season despite the Iron Five's best efforts.
-Along the same lines, being all excited about being in the NCAA tournament and seeing the allegations by somebody named Jan Gangelhoff I think on the day we played our first game.
-Having an absolute beast of a team with mostly underclassmen and then Mark Lansberger transfers and Mark Olberding leaves early to follow our own John Calipari, Muss, into the pros. Believe me, losing Justin Cobbs isn't the same and possibly Trevor Mbakwe isn't the same.
-Hell, since I'm also a women's fan, watching another promising team disintegrate with 5 players quitting on Borton was way worst than yesterday. Negated most of what Whalen had built up in about a week period.

You can make yourself feel even better if you remind yourself of all the disappointments the pro teams have given us.
-Speaking of Bobby Bell, he signs with Kansas City instead of the Vikings.
-The Drew Pearson push off game. (Bell's roughing call still made me more pissed off) Darren Nelson's dropped pass in the end zone; Gary Anderson's missed field goal; and Brett's pass across the middle to end last season are some Viking contributions.
-Stephon Marbury decides he doesn't want to play second fiddle to Garnett and ends up playing in China eventually.
-Hearing the first reports about Kirby Puckett's eye problem and thinking, "This can't be good."
-Johan Santana wants out. Expected that but didn't expect the one-sided trade.
-The North Stars move to Dallas and win a Stanley Cup there instead of here.

There, I feel much better and this was just off the top of my head. If I really thought about it, I could be damn near ecstatic that that's the worst it was yesterday.

 

[howeda7]

Despite my best efforts not to, I got up this morning bummed out by the basketball developments yesterday. Not a sure thing, but Mbakwe might be gone and the Wolves got the 4th pick after most everybody convinced themselves that we were destined to get either the 1st or 2nd pick. However, I've managed to cheer myself up by remembering all of the other things that have gone wrong with a Minnesota sports team since I've been a fan. Writing down this list makes a person realize that yesterday's developments barely register a blip.

-1962, my introduction to what it means to be a Minnesota sports fan. Bobby Bell gets called for roughing Ron VanderKelen in the last Big Ten game of the year; Murray Warmath gets another penalty protesting the call; and Wisconsin gets a winning touchdown instead of giving up the ball. Cost us the game, the Rose Bowl, and a possible national title.
-Lou Holtz gets our hopes up and the Little Phony follows his heart to Notre Dame.
-The dropped snap by our punter to give Wisconsin (again) another win.
-The Michigan game where we kicked the hell out of them the first half and then went into a shell and lost.
-Hearing about an incident in Madison on WCCO's morning show that wrecked a promising season despite the Iron Five's best efforts.
-Along the same lines, being all excited about being in the NCAA tournament and seeing the allegations by somebody named Jan Gangelhoff I think on the day we played our first game.
-Having an absolute beast of a team with mostly underclassmen and then Mark Lansberger transfers and Mark Olberding leaves early to follow our own John Calipari, Muss, into the pros. Believe me, losing Justin Cobbs isn't the same and possibly Trevor Mbakwe isn't the same.
-Hell, since I'm also a women's fan, watching another promising team disintegrate with 5 players quitting on Borton was way worst than yesterday. Negated most of what Whalen had built up in about a week period.

You can make yourself feel even better if you remind yourself of all the disappointments the pro teams have given us.
-Speaking of Bobby Bell, he signs with Kansas City instead of the Vikings.
-The Drew Pearson push off game. (Bell's roughing call still made me more pissed off) Darren Nelson's dropped pass in the end zone; Gary Anderson's missed field goal; and Brett's pass across the middle to end last season are some Viking contributions.
-Stephon Marbury decides he doesn't want to play second fiddle to Garnett and ends up playing in China eventually.
-Hearing the first reports about Kirby Puckett's eye problem and thinking, "This can't be good."
-Johan Santana wants out. Expected that but didn't expect the one-sided trade.
-The North Stars move to Dallas and win a Stanley Cup there instead of here.

There, I feel much better and this was just off the top of my head. If I really thought about it, I could be damn near ecstatic that that's the worst it was yesterday.

Well now you've just depressed me. I had repressed most of these (the ones I was alive for that is). And you didn't even mention the wost one, the day the Stadium bill went down in flames at the Special Session in the legislature in 1997 and the Twins announced they were moving to NC. Sure, it didn't happen, but no one had any reason to doubt it that the time. That sucked a lot worse then losing one basketball recruit ever will.

 

[tap]

Final Four that never happened.
Gopher BB team leading USC by 8 runs in final inning with Dave Winfield on the mound and the Roy Smalley USC team wins.
John Wooden would have been the Gopher coach except for a winter storm

 

[Jackson5]

this will make you feel better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqRfMPRJkY8

 

[MNbricks]

this will make you feel better

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqRfMPRJkY8

Thanks!

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

Final Four that never happened.
Gopher BB team leading USC by 8 runs in final inning with Dave Winfield on the mound and the Roy Smalley USC team wins.
John Wooden would have been the Gopher coach except for a winter storm

Point of note about Wooden. He went to UCLA in late 1940's but didn't experience NATIONAL success until the mid 1960's. His teams were competitive against West Coast sqauds in 1950's.

The growth of basketball talent in California and Sam Gilbert in the 1960's were major factors.

I don't think Minnesota had comparable basketball talent nor anyone like Sam Gilbert then.

 

[howeda7]

Point of note about Wooden. He went to UCLA in late 1940's but didn't experience NATIONAL success until the mid 1960's. His teams were competitive against West Coast sqauds in 1950's.

The growth of basketball talent in California and Sam Gilbert in the 1960's were major factors.

I don't think Minnesota had comparable basketball talent nor anyone like Sam Gilbert then.

Would John Wooden have won 10 national titles at Minnesota? Almost certainly not. Would he have won 1-2 and made some other Final Four runs? Quite possibly, as I think he was a great coach, Sam Gilbert or not. Would the program have been in MUCH better shape when he left in the 70's then when Bill Mussleman did? You can almost guarantee it.

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

Would John Wooden have won 10 national titles at Minnesota? Almost certainly not. Would he have won 1-2 and made some other Final Four runs? Quite possibly, as I think he was a great coach, Sam Gilbert or not. Would the program have been in MUCH better shape when he left in the 70's then when Bill Mussleman did? You can almost guarantee it.

You may be right. Wooden himself (in his book They Call Me Coach) might disagree. He says that talent determines how good a coach you are perceived to be. He became a much better coach in the 1960's and 1970's (with enormous talent) than he was in the 1950's at UCLA.

In essence, he said coaches can't win WITHOUT talent. And coaches who do win consistently over time are therefore good at acquiring talent.

 

[howeda7]

You may be right. Wooden himself (in his book They Call Me Coach) might disagree. He says that talent determines how good a coach you are perceived to be. He became a much better coach in the 1960's and 1970's (with enormous talent) than he was in the 1950's at UCLA.

In essence, he said coaches can't win WITHOUT talent. And coaches who do win consistently over time are therefore good at acquiring talent.

The 70's Mussleman teams had talent, obviously. I'd like to think Wooden could have gotten similar or better talent without the blatant cheating. But maybe not.

 

[Friend Of Tubby]

The 70's Mussleman teams had talent, obviously. I'd like to think Wooden could have gotten similar or better talent without the blatant cheating. But maybe not.

I really think the California talent level was a HUGE factor in his success. The California JuCo system supplied about 60% of his lettermen at UCLA. The occasional superstar (Alcindor) from out of state supplied the star power.

Alcindor and Walton brought half of Coach Wooden's NCAA titles (5 of 10) to UCLA.

Coach Wooden HATED recruiting. He rarely visited an out-of-state recruit. And players had to send him a letter asking to be recruited by UCLA or he wouldn't pursue them at all. (All of this from his book They Call Me Coach)