Something To Be Proud Of

While our football team might be languishing in the cellar of the Big Ten, our cheerleaders are still the best around! The young lady below earned the nod of Cheerleader of the Wek from CBS Sportsline in Week 5.

Thatta-girl!

Mostly Not Useful Tidbits About Florida Atlantic

While the reporters in Minnesota pump out stories about the Gophers preparing for the Florida heat and how Florida is a key for recruiting, I instead will provide you with some random tidbits about Florida Atlantic University. These tidbits will be almost completely useless pieces of information. I'll follow-up sometime in the next day or two with a look at FAU's football team.

Location: Boca Raton, Fla.
Coach: Howard Schnellenberger, formerly of the University of Oklahoma, University of Louisville, University of Miami and the NFL's Baltimore Colts.
Program: Schnellenberger started the football program in 2001 and had the Owls playing at the D1-AA level until 2005 when the Owls moved the D1-A in 2005 as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
Record vs. BCS Teams: 0-11. Our Mole Rats certainly don't want to have the distinction of being the Owls' first victim.
Series: Minnesota leads 1-0 after a 46-7 drudging in 2005 in the Metrodome.
Nickname: Owls. I'd like to have a contest here to come up with a new nickname to mock the Owls considering a Sun-Sentinel writer is referring to our lads as Mole Rats.
Highlight Video: Brought to you by the FAU fan club known as the prOWLers. Not bad, actually. Notice in the video that there are about 7 people in the stands during last season's game at Dolphin Stadium--where the Gophs will face the Owls.



If You're Going To The Game And Want To Party With The College Kids: Here's a suggestion.
Suggestion #2: Avoid this guy.



Alumni/Former Students: According to Wiki, former California gubernatorial candidate and porn star Mary Carey attended FAU. She was apparently on the FAU dance team briefly before starting to work as an exoctic dancer. Carey told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann that she was a theater major before, um, taking a different direction. Comedian Carrot Top also attended FAU. I have decided to give you a picture of Mary Carey instead of Carrot Top. It was a tough decision.

I told you I was enjoying Florida Atlantic week. And for those of you who like actual insight into opponents, I'll bring that soon. But I'm still not going to write about the Gophers turning up the heat to prepare for the temperatures in Florida!

Mole Rats And FAU's Dance Team

I'd like to start a series of random tidbits today with my new favorite blogger. His name is Ted Hutton and he blogs on Florida Atlantic football for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. I've previously stated that this little jaunt to Florida was kinda, well, weird. But I'm really beginning to like the idea of an annual trip to face the FAU Owls. I think it's fair to state that Hutton is enjoying the Minnesota game as well. He's even come up with a new nickname for our lads.

OK, since Minnesota is 1-1, they lose the right to their nickname, and are at the mercy of yours truly. I have a good friend who lives in Minnesota, and have done made two trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in the far north of the state, so I hold no grudge.

But, I couldn’t overlook the resemblance between gopher and its smaller version, the naked mole rat. So, the Burrowing Birds will be taking on the Mole Rats this Saturday at Dolphin Stadium.

Mole Rats. That's cool. Here's a Mole Rat in case anyone hadn't seen one before:

Attractive son of a bitch, isn't it?

While I found the nickname kinda funny, it was something else that has drawn me to Hutton's writing. Coverage of the Dance Team! In two separate Hutton posts on the Gophers, he's kindly included some eye-candy to offset the Mole Rat imagery. Here's a sampling:

Ahh, if only Chip Scoggins could be so kind to use his access to the Gophers to produce such, um, meaningful coverage.

Now on to less eye-pleasing matters.

** This letter to the editor from the Rochester Post-Bulletin makes a succinct point: "Why would a blue-chip recruit stay here to play? Both Oklahoma schools are televised in Minnesota but not the Gophers?" Oh, that darned BTN. Working great so far isn't it?

** Minnesota quarterback Adam Weber has been named Big Ten co-Big Ten offensive player of the week. Congratulations are in order for Weber, who struggled in his first half of college football but has recovered to post six consecutive quarters of solid football. This Star Tribune article tells us that Weber leads the Big Ten in total offense through two weeks. In other Weber/Star Tribune news, curmudgeony columnist Sid Hartman has compared Weber to Fran Tarkenton. Um, sure, Sid. I like the Weber kid and all too, but let's not go suggesting Weber is a future Hall of Famer. Here's Sid:

"Yes, I'll be ridiculed for this comparison. I am not saying that Weber is close to Tarkenton yet, or ever will be. But on Saturday, in his second college start, Weber rushed 16 times for 97 yards and one touchdown and completed 26 of 40 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns, including two to sophomore Eric Decker, who also has a great future in football. Like Tarkenton, Weber can run the ball, and he is running a tough offense."

Being fast and on a Minnesota team doesn't mean that Weber is the next Tarkenton. Amazingly, Sid goes on to compare Weber to Vince Young. You're right, Sid, you deserve to be ridiculued for that.

** Week three of Brewster-ball brings more changes to the depth chart. Thankfully, Jason Giannini will no longer be kicking field goals. His three missed chances last week earned a demotion. And senior safety Duron Cooley, who was thorougly embarrassed on a couple occassions last week will be replaced in the starting lineup by true freshman Curtis Thomas. That means 13 freshman are now playing in our secondary.

** I know most Gopher fans probably can't stand Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune. But I happen to believe that, lately at least, Reusse is telling it like it is. Last week he essentially told Brewster to shut up and coach. This week, Reusse tells Brewster to win a meaningful game before yapping. Like last week, I agree. Here's Reusse on Brewster dedicating Saturday's win to the state of Minnesota:

That's it? After Brewster's nine months of blowing hard, what the citizens and the diligent football coaches of this great state have dedicated to them is a triple-overtime, official-assisted victory over a MAC team?

Mr. Brewster, in the name of all Minnesotans blessed with reason, and particularly for all the high school coaches who work endless hours for short money, I reject this dedication.

We've endured Gopher Nation, Rose Bowl, blah, blah, blah, and we certainly deserve more than our state university's 22nd victory in 26 all-time games against the MAC.

Listen, coach, if you're going to dedicate a victory to me, it has to be at least a Big Ten victory, and not against Northwestern or Indiana.

** While most of the attention lately has been focused on Brewster's team, Minnesota's other new coach has been busy on the recruiting trail. Last week, Ralph Sampson III, who is 7'4" and growing, joined South Dakota big man Colton Iverson on a tour of campus. Both, according to separate Rivals accounts (Iverson, Sampson), enjoyed their visits. Iverson's father told Rivals he could be making a decision within weeks and Sampson spoke glowingly of the campus, Tubby Smith and the players. And this weekend two JUCO athletes will be making visits to campus, according to Rivals. Devron Bostick, a 6'5 wing from Southwestern Illinois Community College, will visit along with Orlando Allen, a 6-10 big man from Paris Junior College in Paris, Tx. Allen would certainly be a project type. At 285 pounds, the big man averaged under 2 points per game and under 3 reboudns per game as a freshman. He's received offers already from the Gophers, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Bowling Green.

** I love Florida Atlantic week.

Celebrating #100

This is it ladies and gentlemen, post number 100 at PJS. We surged past the 10,000 unique visitor mark a while back without comment, but this means more to me. To celebrate, I bring you this wonderful photo below which I saw earlier today at Hey Jenny Slater. Enjoy. I did. Really, I did.

Nightcap

I aim to make my regular readers happy and honor their requests. Back Thursday with a more thoughtful, though less eye-pleasing update.

Theories On The Final Episode Of The Sopranos

It's with some sadness that I sit down to write about the series finale of The Sopranos. With two exceptions when I've been on vacation and the first half of the first season, I've watched the premiere of every Sopranos episode. This weekend, a Sunday staple, perhaps more entertaining than the NFL, comes to an end.

I'm going to lay out here a few theories on what might happen. These aren't all my own unique theories. Many of them are conglomerations of what I've read and hear other people predict for the Sopranos finale. I'll lay out a couple theories I find realistic before making my own prediction.

If you haven't seen the most recent episode this season and plan to, stop reading now. What follows will spoil all but the Sopranos finale.

** Tony's son, AJ, goes ballistic. After Tony gets revenge for the death of Bobby and (presumably) Silvio, AJ gets his own revenge. As part of Tony's other family, it has been AJ who has his father's depression. He's been shown a door into his father's world. AJ didn't like what he saw, became even more depressed, and tried to take his own life. While Tony saved AJ from his suicide attempt, he also gave AJ--in my opinion a much deserved--beatdown last week. After Tony gets revenge, and with his mob kingdom now intact again, his real family deserts him. AJ kills Tony before killing himself.

** For what seems like forever, Paulie has been on the outs with Tony. David Chase made it clear in an episode earlier this year that Tony, at least partially, wanted to do away with Paulie. In previous seasons, Paulie flirted with joining the New York crew. Paulie eventually realized he was being played. But Phil Leotardo's decision not to go after Paulie, and instead target just Bobby, Tony and Sil, leaves open the possibility that Paulie could be playing both sides. Paulie turns on Tony, and kills him, leaving Tony's real family in disarray. News of Tony's death gets infuriates AJ and Meadow. One of the two plot revenge for the New Jersey family.

** Carmella's house, which we've learned could fall down at any time, collapses and kills her.

What I think will happen?
For two seasons, David Chase has went out of his way to foreshadow a potential terrorist attack. Tony has worked with federal agents, tipping them off to sucspious activity. At the same time, the feds who were putting together a RICO investigation on Tony have been nowhere to be found during this final season. So, while the war between New York and New Jersey heightens, perhaps the only innocent character left in the show--Meadow--dies in a terrorist attack in New York. The deaths hit home to others as well, making the feud between New York and New Jersey seem relatively meaningless. Tony may or may not take out revenge on Phil before or after the terrorist attack.

I think Chase has spent too much time playing up a potential terrorist attack without following through. It would make sense for Meadow to die, however, considering the show has been about Tony's two families and his relationships with them. Killing off Tony would be too predictable. But giving the famlies a reason to come together, short of a complete mob-on-mob showdown, would make sense.

The show ends with Tony looking off into the distance, much like the photo above. His empire is intact, but his daughter is gone. Solemn ending.

This theory also allows me to use this picture of the gorgeous Jamie-Lynn Sigler.

What I'd really like to see?
A spin-off, with Meadow taking control of the Jersey mob after Tony's death. It'll never happen, so I'll just have to be content with what Chase offers us. Chase is directing the finale. I can't wait, but then again, I almost wish it wasn't happening.

Top 4 Reasons Billy Donovan Went To Orlando Before He Didn't

4. Billy Donovan has intimacy issues stemming from a rocky childhood in which his Dad ignored him and his Mother smothered him with attention.

3. Donovan's wife Christine was taken aback when she learned the Orlando City Council is run by all Democrats.

2. Once in the city of Democrats, Donovan couldn't help but fall victim to a John Kerry like flip-flip. He was Orlando's coach before he wasn't.

1. Orlando chicks are ugly. UF cheerleaders on the other hand ....