Reusse: Forgettable Gophers football season ends with victory in Basement Bowl

I kind of despise this line of thinking. So we have a morbidly obese shut-in who says stupid shit, but he somehow "wins" if you comment on his obesity or disagree with the shit he says?

As to your last point, well yeah. Do you think anyone here watched a 5-7 Gopher team play Bowling Green at noon on a workday and thought we weren't playing in a terrible bowl? Does he think any Gopher fan thought this was a memorable season? Of course not. There isn't some realization that deep down there might be a glimmer of truth to what he is saying. He said the obvious to troll people, which is fine. However, it also means the response isn't going to be some kind of debate or discourse into the merits of his argument - he's trolling. Unfortunately for him, he's not anonymous, so pointing to his faulures in real life is really the best way to combat trolls.

So he writes articles to troll a fan base and we respond by pointing out that he lives his life in compression socks fantasizing about his next meal while shoving his face full of fast food.
Yup. And it's pretty clear why he liked Claeys and hates Fleck.

I'm surprised Reusse is still working (if you can call it that). He looked like he was on his last legs 30 years ago.
 


Most of what Pat writes is from a basement. Dude never gets the top assignments at the paper, hasn’t for a decade. They all go to Chip.
He's a columnist.
Pat's been part time, 2 columns per week (sometimes 3) for the decade you are referring to, and 1 of the columns is released on Sunday morning, so there is no point for him to cover the Vikings later that same day for the most part. Plenty of other stuff besides the Gophers on most Saturdays too.

Just by volume alone the bulk assignments are going to go to the other 3 columnists, Neal, Souhan & Scoggins.

As for not travelling to the plum assignments, Olympics, Super Bowls & Final 4s not in Mpls I am sure it's a case of "been there done that". I do get the sense he would be up for going to a World Series or Masters, but newspapers in general don't send columnists to those events anymore unless there is a overwhelming local angle.
 

Jack Minds, an epic coach name on many levels.

Reusse mirrors his demographic, cynical burned out sports fans pining for the old days, and better teams. Tough sledding for MN fans. Tough reading for the ultra-homer demographic and nothing makes him cackle more than eliciting reactions. As with all things if there weren’t a grain of truth to his columns Reusse would have been booted decades ago.
Pat has the talent to be the anti-homer and succeed at it. Souhan has tried it and doesn't land it at all.

I agree that Reusse is a relic in the industry. The type of guys he liked covering-- Billy Martin, Billy Gardner, etc.--were all colorful characters and Reusse could play off that very well. When sport went from a diversion to an industry, I think Reusse got a bit left behind. He clearly has a healthy disdain for the jockocracy.

Whether it's the broadcast media or the newspaper/internet, homerism has become the order the day. Reusse reminds me a bit of the late Skip Caray (son of Harry Caray) who called Braves' games on the Superstation back in the day. If the Braves made a stupid play (and those lousy Braves' teams made a lot of stupid plays), Skip wouldn't hold back. Nowadays, you get Dick Bremer wanting to verbally spoon with all the players. Not a shot at Bremer because I am sure he got the memo. There used to be one Sid and a cadre of the clear-eyed. Now it's just Reusse in print and Barreiro on the airwaves surrounded by a bunch of company voices.
 

just to point out - Reusse did praise Darius Taylor:

Darius Taylor, the freshman running back, returned from injury and was his dynamic self, using those great feet to turn the smallest opening into instant 8-yard gains.

and yes, he commented on the Katie show:

There was conversation that Kramer was involved in events for an upcoming wedding in February, although these pending vows could not be confirmed Tuesday if you happened to miss the eight to 10 minutes in the 3 ½-hour telecast when the ESPN staff avoided the subject.

and he pointed out something I was unaware of. going into this season, MAC teams had won at least one game over a B1G opponent in 17 consecutive years. that streak was snapped this year as the MAC went 0-9 against the B1G, including two wins by the Gophers over Eastern Michigan and BG. (counting those two games, 6 of the losses were to B1G West teams).
 


Pat's been part time, 2 columns per week (sometimes 3) for the decade you are referring to, and 1 of the columns is released on Sunday morning, so there is no point for him to cover the Vikings later that same day for the most part. Plenty of other stuff besides the Gophers on most Saturdays too.

Just by volume alone the bulk assignments are going to go to the other 3 columnists, Neal, Souhan & Scoggins.

As for not travelling to the plum assignments, Olympics, Super Bowls & Final 4s not in Mpls I am sure it's a case of "been there done that". I do get the sense he would be up for going to a World Series or Masters, but newspapers in general don't send columnists to those events anymore unless there is a overwhelming local angle.
I'm a bit surprised that the Strib still has three columnists. I used to religiously read the sports and outdoor pages and had a subscription more or less for that section although I would allow the other sections to enlighten me from time to time and would read the front page stuff and the opinion pages. But getting a daily delivery of the Strib outstate isn't easy to do, unless by mail, in which case you're getting old news. I continued for some time reading the Strib online but Journalism isn't what it used to be and particularly in the sports section. As for the current columnists, Scoggins isn't bad, but Neal and Souhan are terrible columnists.
 

Town ball. All town ball.
Even his recipe for those articles is getting redundant...Small town with a Catholic church and a bar; a multi-generation family that play on the team; a crusty old-timer that is supposedly some kind of mentor who used to play but now mows the grass and takes care of the infield.
 

Even his recipe for those articles is getting redundant...Small town with a Catholic church and a bar; a multi-generation family that play on the team; a crusty old-timer that is supposedly some kind of mentor who used to play but now mows the grass and takes care of the infield.
Dundas does not have any Catholic churches. 2 bars, and a brew pub though called "Chapel" though, so close.
 

Even his recipe for those articles is getting redundant...Small town with a Catholic church and a bar; a multi-generation family that play on the team; a crusty old-timer that is supposedly some kind of mentor who used to play but now mows the grass and takes care of the infield.
That would be Miesville, home of the Mudhens!
 





The headline is the truth. This season flopped.

But I actually enjoyed the bowl game.

With a new QB coming in, I'm feeling like the season ended in victories. I sense a move to the upswing.
 

Dundas does not have any Catholic churches. 2 bars, and a brew pub though called "Chapel" though, so close.
Chapel brewing is pretty decent. It's one of the smallest in Minnesota.
 



Chapel brewing is pretty decent. It's one of the smallest in Minnesota.
Only time I have sampled was when they had a special beer for the 2022 State Amateur Baseball Tournament at the Dundas ballpark. It was good stuff.
 

Per Pat:

(The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game in Detroit. The writer is grateful for that.)

The avalanche of bowl games that has made it more difficult for an FBS team to miss one (38%) than to make one (62%) has led to a tradition for college football reporters at various outlets.

When the opponents for these games are announced in early December, the experts will rate the appeal of the 41 bowl matchups, starting with the College Football Playoff semifinals — this time the Rose Bowl (Alabama vs. Michigan) and Sugar Bowl (Texas vs. Washington) on New Year's Day.

Tuesday's Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit had the advantage in derision by hosting the Gophers as the only losing team among the 82; invited not on strength of their performance but on their tutorship.


Go Gophers!!
It's not what you say, but how you say it. Life is too short to be miserable. Yes, the Gophers had what I would consider a disappointing and bad season. They didn't qualify for a bowl game because of what happened on the field. Instead, they qualified for what they did in the classroom. Admirable but not what gets us fans excited.

Instead, I had something to watch on a Tuesday afternoon at 1:00. It is what it is. I wish it was better, I know New Years Day was a lot more fun watching us run and throw up and down the field on Auburn and hopefully we will be back to that soon.
 

It's not what you say, but how you say it. Life is too short to be miserable. Yes, the Gophers had what I would consider a disappointing and bad season. They didn't qualify for a bowl game because of what happened on the field. Instead, they qualified for what they did in the classroom. Admirable but not what gets us fans excited.

Instead, I had something to watch on a Tuesday afternoon at 1:00. It is what it is. I wish it was better, I know New Years Day was a lot more fun watching us run and throw up and down the field on Auburn and hopefully we will be back to that soon.
They were talking on KFAN about starting a group chat for people who just want to complain about bowl season. This years theme was the toilet or participation bowl for the Gophers. I appreciated Gaards saying that while he gets the sentiment he prefers to enjoy it when the hometown team wins.
 

Fat Pat is irrelevant in life. Tough to read a once talented columnist. He’ll die a lonely angry man. He was far more talented when he drank.
 

It's not what you say, but how you say it. Life is too short to be miserable. Yes, the Gophers had what I would consider a disappointing and bad season. They didn't qualify for a bowl game because of what happened on the field. Instead, they qualified for what they did in the classroom. Admirable but not what gets us fans excited.

Instead, I had something to watch on a Tuesday afternoon at 1:00. It is what it is. I wish it was better, I know New Years Day was a lot more fun watching us run and throw up and down the field on Auburn and hopefully we will be back to that soon.
Good post. I also enjoyed being able to watch the Gophers one more time. Took the sting of the season down a notch for me. Plus Taylor’s performance and knowing Brosmer is coming in, gave me some reason for hope on next year. Win is better than a loss (and I realize it was Bowling Green…)
 

Good post. I also enjoyed being able to watch the Gophers one more time. Took the sting of the season down a notch for me. Plus Taylor’s performance and knowing Brosmer is coming in, gave me some reason for hope on next year. Win is better than a loss (and I realize it was Bowling Green…)
To go along with Gaardsy, there is no rule that if you are a fan, casual fan, etc you have to watch the bowl game. I consider myself a pretty decent fan and admit I was busy for most of the first quarter with the game on in the background.

I enjoyed watching the game when I was finally able to sit down and relax for a bit. Having a Gopher football game to talk about and bond with my 94 year old grandfather makes any game… Rose Bowl or Quick Lane Bowl worth it.

Was it the best football? No.
Did I get to watch my favorite college team? Yes.
Did my favorite team win? Yes.
Did I wish it was a better bowl in prime time vs a more quality opponent? Yes.
 



I kind of despise this line of thinking. So we have a morbidly obese shut-in who says stupid shit, but he somehow "wins" if you comment on his obesity or disagree with the shit he says?
Not somehow.

He was trying to provoke you. Trying to make you read it and force a reaction out of you. He won. You lost.
 

Most of what Pat writes is from a basement. Dude never gets the top assignments at the paper, hasn’t for a decade. They all go to Chip.
Seriously? You think at his age he cares about his assignments?
 

He's right about the season being one to forget but the bowl game was better than the regular season for a number of reasons:


1) Regardless of the opponent, it was a win. Those weren't easy to come by this season and this win kept the bowl winning streak alive.

2) Watching Kramer in his first and last start was more compelling than watching Athan for another game.

3) Got to see a number of freshmen who I knew little or nothing about (Stolsky, Brown, Bryan) play and they played pretty well.

4) We had 120 yards in kick returns. Brockington had two kickoff returns for a total of 66 yards. Redding had one for 19 yards. Redding also had two punt returns for a total of 35 yards.

5) You don't get to see a kicker try a two-point conversion run very often. He almost made it.

6) Last but certainly not least: I had no idea that Darius Taylor would be returning and starting. He looked like he had never been injured and had his highest rushing game total of the season.
 


To go along with Gaardsy, there is no rule that if you are a fan, casual fan, etc you have to watch the bowl game. I consider myself a pretty decent fan and admit I was busy for most of the first quarter with the game on in the background.

I enjoyed watching the game when I was finally able to sit down and relax for a bit. Having a Gopher football game to talk about and bond with my 94 year old grandfather makes any game… Rose Bowl or Quick Lane Bowl worth it.

Was it the best football? No.
Did I get to watch my favorite college team? Yes.
Did my favorite team win? Yes.
Did I wish it was a better bowl in prime time vs a more quality opponent? Yes.
This. Watched with my dad and was texting my brother the whole time. It’s another opportunity to connect and enjoy what we love.

Others have said it here, but football is always better than no football in my book.
 




Honestly I didn't read his article despite getting the online edition of the Tribune. I find his articles pathetic and stopped reading them long ago. The brass at the Tribune apparently doesn't realize that many people DON'T read his articles. What a waste. I'm sure someone else could do a much better job and would benefit the people of Minnesota.
 




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