Friday Randomness Begins With Patrick Reusse

It's not easy for me to criticize Patrick Reusse. I grew up in the Twin Cities suburbs reading Reusse and Dan Barreiro. I fell in love with newsprint, so much so that in some high school English class, during your typical "What do you want to do as a career" lectures, I was called upon to state what I wanted to do professionally.

"I want to be a sportswriter," I said quickly.

The teacher in question grasped on to that and tried to use it as a way to engage me. (The high school days for me were spent neglecting class work, my talents and instead binge drinking and chasing skirts). She would repeat what I said to the class often. "You want to be a sportswriter..." It became kind of a joke among friends.

Anyway, it was my appreciation for what Reusse and Barreiro produced in the Star Tribune every day that made me take journalism classes, and yes, upon graduation, take a job in journalism. Four years later I've left the newspaper business. It's a business that is indeed dying. Sadly, it's a business that is actually killing itself. And that's why it is distressing for me to see a columnist that I admired write so ignorantly about new media.

In a column titled "Who'll gather news when Internet is all there is," Reusse bemoans the rise of online news, punditry and blogs. It is this attitude that will expedite the demise of the industry Reusse loves.

There are a couple points I want to rebut here. The first is something Steve Aschburner nailed on the head in a column at MinnPost.com. Aschburner, it should be stated, was the STrib's Timberwolves beat writer who agreed to take a buyout from the paper, then reconsidered and wanted his job back but, alas, the job wasn't there for him. So, while Aschburner might have a personal angle to his rebuttal column, he's spot on in this area.

Now, worrying about his — and his cronies' — livelihoods is a legitimate hand-wringer. Sweating out buyouts, layoffs, newshole and travel budget cuts, and even potential wage givebacks has become part of the daily grind for newspaper people, as routine as sharpening a pencil, changing a typewriter ribbon or slipping out for a cigarette break was for previous generations of journalists.

After all, an industry that essentially gives its core product — its news coverage — away for free in one form (its website) while moaning about the declining interest in its paid version (newsprint) is complicit in its own demise. Add to that a business model reliant on advertising revenue — once "owned" in near-monopolistic conditions by daily metros but now fragmented across hundreds or thousands of Internet options — that clearly is broken. Then prop it all up, not with the deep pockets of family fortunes and civic sensibilities of founders and heirs ... but with the bottom-line demands of shareholders in a public company or, apparently worse, absentee landlords and private-equity profiteers. Result: A perfect storm for journalism in crisis.

As a former reporter I'm asked about the newspaper business a lot. I like to use a simple anecdote. In the 50s, 60s and 70s, I will say, one could buy a cup of coffee for under $1.00. A newspaper could be purchased for a measly $.25. Today, a cup of coffee costs $4.00. A newspaper can be purchased for $.25. Now, there is something genuinely high-minded about delivering such an important service like the news at a price anyone can afford. But it's also a ridiculous business plan.

And with the rise of niche Internet sites, online advertising for newspapers has never taken off. Some reporters bemoan the immediacy the Internet demands. Instead of adapting, newspaper publishers are giving their product away online free, without a advertising base online to support it. The industry was flat-footed during the Internet revolution, and because of that the days of gray newsprint staining peoples' hands are behind us.

I'm 27. I get all of my news, for free, online. I read Politico.com. Daily Kos scours the Web so I don't have to. My Google alerts keep me up to date on Al Franken. I don't read the now useless game-stories written by LaVelle E. Neal III or Joe Christensen. It's 2008. Game stories are essentially obsolete. With ESPN highlights, mobile-phone tracking, your pyramid style AP game story isn't highly coveted. What is? Insightful analysis, with or without access. So, I turn to Aaron Gleeman for a different sort of take. Or to Seth Stohs for minor league coverage. They are producing a more useful product on most days.

But Reusse would argue that Gleeman, Stohs or any other blogger won't actually report "news." Well, that's changing. Out in Northern Virginia a popular progressive political blogger has flown around the state with a US Senate candidate, on the same plane with the Associated Press, Washington Post, Richmond Times-Dispatch and others. It's simple math for the campaign in question here. The blog's readership is on par with the big mainstream media boys. And it's a more focused medium. As the STrib's and Reusse's readership slips away to more savvy consumers, so too will your access. Soon, Terry Ryan, Brad Childress and Tim Brewster will look to the niche sites on the Web to get their message across.

The point is, the last line of defense for papers, their access, is slowly going away, perhaps more slowly, than their subscriptions. And while some bloggers don't want access, others will gladly take it.

There will come a day when Reusse, or his successor, is going to need to adapt and build an online brand. Otherwise, the the Twin Cities won't be a two media outlet market anymore. Instead, it will have a more focused media, probably with 20+ outlets ranging from Gleeman and Stohs to Pacifist Viking, Rivals and Gopher Nation.

It's coming Patrick. The time is now to adapt. Well, actually, that time might have passed.

Whew....That was a rant. Now on to other things.

*** Ohio State blog Our Honor Defend continues its "Better Know a Buckeye" series by taking a look at Eden Prairie product Willie Mobley. It's a very extensive, thorough and well-done look at the ups and downs of Mobley's recruitment, replete with a section on "shenanigans" surrounding his recruitment. Here's a glimpse of the "shenanigans" section:

"someone, or some entity, sent phony letters to Willie Mobley, on Ohio State letterhead and with a forged Jim Tressel signature, encouraging him to take a look at the Gophers. Why, you ask?"

Read the post for the full story. Excellent, excellent post, guys.

*** In more forward-thinking football recruiting news, the Gophers' recruitment of Michael Carter (Tyrone's cousin) seems to be picking up. A Florida defensive back, and top 100 (#66) Rivals player in the Class of 2009 is reportedly down to Minnesota, Miami and Georgia and maybe Auburn and West Virginia!

*** A Wisconsin blog titled Hoops Marinara put together an excellent post this week about how Big Ten basketball recruitment for 2008 stacks up against the rest of the country. Quick answer? Not so good, though Tubby Smith and the Gophers do get a fair share of props in the post. But in the seemingly always "down" Big Ten, the blogger wonders if we're in for more hard times. Only three of the Rivals top 25 are coming to the conference.

*** Back to football, the mainstream media reported this week that would-be sophomore wide receiver Tray Herndon was released from his scholarship by Brewster's staff. It was just last August Herdon was named the Gophers' starting slot receiver. Nonetheless, the talent level at the wide receiver position should increase this season, so Herndon might have just been reading the tea leaves.

*** I've received a couple emails about doing more football coverage. And it's coming. I swear. I'm going to do something similar to what Our Honor Defend is doing that I linked to above. We're going to concentrate more on impact players, however. I'm going to do this in part because Tim Brewster really does deserve to be applauded for the job he's done in the recruiting department. Here's a snippet from ESPN's college recruiting analysts:

It might be early, but Tim Brewster is certainly off to a great start on the recruiting trail in '09 and building off his surprising No. 23 class from a year ago. The second year head coach with a reputation as a fierce recruiter has landed another talented offensive prospect who by most accounts, was a reach for the Golden Gopher program that went 1-11 in 2007.

That running back is, of course, Hasan Lipscomb, a 4-star product out of Texas that picked Minnesota over LSU, Nebraska and others. His quote about why he picked Minnesota is telling in that it gives us a window into exactly what Brewster's sales pitch is now. Here's Lipscomb:

"They told me I can come in and start like every school tells recruits, but I believe them," Lipscomb explained. "At some of those other schools like LSU I would be like the third running back -- in just the freshmen class alone."

Brewster is using Minnesota's decades-long futility to his advantage. You have to acknowledge your problem before getting passed it, right?

Reusse Targets U Fanbase, Tubby, Royce White

I've defended Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse in the past. I've even (gasp!) agreed with him.

But his column today criticizing the Gophers for continuing to pursue Royce White after an admitted academic mistake at DeLaSalle--which preempted his departure from the school--is off base in my opinion. Here's the gist of Reusse's take:

We are nine years removed from Minnesota becoming the basketball program by which all others compare themselves when it comes to academic fraud.

There's no evidence that White's verbal commitment was greeted with hesitation by coach Tubby Smith, or his boss, athletic director Joel Maturi, or Maturi's bosses.

They can't comment on the qualities of recruits before they sign, but certainly it was in Smith's power to tell White, "Let's cool it here until next fall -- make sure you have your act together academically and elsewhere before you make an announcement."

And if Smith wasn't willing to take that stand on White, then Maturi should have ordered his coach to deliver this message: Tell the young man the offer is off the table until he proves himself somewhere other than the basketball court.

Reusse's suggestion certainly sounds like a reasonable one. But he fails to mention that Tubby Smith and the Gophers can change their minds on Royce at any time. Tubby very well might have told Royce to keep his house in order or else he'd be kicked out quicker than Brandon Smith. Additionally, should White fail to qualify academically, there isn't much Tubby or Maturi could do to sneak him past the admissions office.

Reusse goes on to take potshots at the University of Minnesota fan base, calling us fans "Gopher Acreage." This would be sort of cute if it were the first time Reusse had taken the phrase Red Sox Nation and adjusted it to mock the fan bases of the local franchises. A reference to Twins Region comes to mind.

After that unfortunate bit of attacking his own readership, Reusse goes on to suggest that playing basketball for Hopkins--where White is now enrolled--is tantamount to admitting zero academic interest. He bashes Kris Humprhies and Dan Coleman, Hopkins grads both, by stating: "If White's one season there preps him as well for the Gophers as did the Hopkins experience for Kris Humphries and Dan Coleman, Tubby has a chance -- come the fall of 2009 -- to find himself with a combination of a ball hog featuring inconsistent effort."

Reusse is right on his analysis of both Humphries and Coleman. But to assume that White will be anything like them is simply a reach on Reusse's part.

And the last point that Reusse failed to mention is that during Humphries' stint at the U and for the majority of Coleman's stay, the coach on the sidelines was Dan Monson, he who developed the reputation of letting his players run roughshod over him. Monson sold his soul and the team aspect of the college game and gave into Humphries and Rick Rickert. Tubby Smith is no Dan Monson. Tubby has groomed many players. He's seen as a father figure by many of his former players.

So, unless Royce White screws up again, and until we see players walk over Tubby Smith, let's give White, Maturi and Tubby the benefit of the doubt.

Coach Of The Year Talk Begins

It is premature. But if the season ended today no Big Ten coach has exceeded expectations the way Tubby Smith has in Minnesota. And it's not just me who thinks that.

Dave Dye in his college notebook in the Detroit News agrees.

Should we just give Tubby Smith the Big Ten coach of the year award right now?

Smith left Kentucky to take over at Minnesota, which was coming off a 9-22 season, including a 3-13 conference record.

Tubby quickly has turned the Gophers into a legitimate contender for an NCAA Tournament bid. They overcame a 16-point, second-half deficit for a 76-73 victory at Penn State.

Minnesota (12-3, 2-1) is No. 45 in the RPI. One thing the Gophers are going to need at some point is a signature victory.

The opportunities are there this week with two big home games against No. 10 Indiana (Thursday) and No. 6 Michigan State (Sunday).

Dye is right on the money here. And as an aside, wouldn't it be nice if our two local periodicals would provide us with a college notebook? I digress. If the season ended today, I would think it would be a two-man race for Big Ten coach of the year between Tubby and Matt Painter, who has his baby Boilers playing very well. Painter's team could be a Big Ten power in the year's to come.

There are a few other interesting tidbits from around the Web to share this morning.

** Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal writes a short recap of the Indiana-Illinois game where he notes that Bruce Weber isn't a big fan of Kelvin Sampson. That's cool, and Bill Belichick like, but what I found interesting in this item was that Bozich noted how Weber slowed down Eric Gordon by putting athletic and taller defenders on the Hoosier's star freshman. I wonder if Tubby was taking notes during the Sunday matinee. If he was, we might see Damian Johnson get the honors again. Johnson was the Gopher charged with taking on Geary Claxton Saturday. While Johnson found himself in foul trouble throughout the game, he is our best defender and is versatile enough to play outside against Gordon. Al Nolen is also a candidate here to take on the star freshman, but I would think Nolen's short stature would work against him.

** The Star Tribune's Sid Hartman had a conversation with Tubby Smith, who I imagine before long will be one of Sid's "close personal friends." For now, Smith's just a source, but one who comes off as giddy after the come-from-behind win at State College, Pa. Saturday.

Here's Tubby via Sid:

As for Saturday's rally, which saw the Gophers come back after trailing 58-42 with 12:58 to play, Smith said: "We had plenty of time left in the game, and that's what I told the players: 'Don't panic, fellas. We've got plenty of time, just finish the game plan, let's carry out the game plan, keep attacking inside.'

"And sure enough, Blake [Hoffarber] got hot and we got some momentum and then we started to take the ball back inside. Damian Johnson jumped up and made a three. So, those things, and Spencer Tollackson was having a [solid game] ... [and] no three was bigger than the three that Lawrence McKenzie hit that put us ahead. That really gave us the, 'Hey look, we can win this game.' And they did."

Tubby sounds like a coach who is very pleased that his team didn't pack it in when down 16 Saturday. Also of note, in his dolling out of superlatives, one senior is noticeably missing. Just saying, it could have been an oversight.

** The typically sarcastic bloggers at 10,000 Takes take a break from taking entertaining jabs at Minnesota sports personalities and have compiled a list of The Best of Minnesota Sports. After less than one year on the job, Tubby Smith gets the honor of Best Coach. Williams Arena, pre- and post-Dan Monson gets the nod for Best Stadium Atmosphere. I tend to agree with this one, but you might not—Best Columnist: Patrick Reusse. And among a slew of other honorees you should check out, PJS gets the nod for Best Gophers Web site. Thanks to 10,000 Takes for the recognition.

Good For Patrick Reusse

As I reported the other day, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse was the subject of some criticism from our passionate basketball friends in Kentucky for incorrectly reporting that Jai Lucas and Patrick Patterson had given "verbal commitments" to Tubby Smith while he was in charge of the commonwealth's beloved Wildcats.

But in a article titled "Merry Christmas, Big Blue Nation," Reusse admitted that he made an error in the article and spelled out for us how he came to make said error. Kudos to Reusse for settling this for the record. In the article linked above, Reusse states that he was told by the University of Minnesota SID that Tubby was never given a commitment but felt "very confident" Lucas and Patterson would be coming to UK.

Here's Reusse:

So, I stuck with "verbal commitment,'' figuring that "very confident'' was simply another version of "VC'' in recruit-speak.

Several hundred e-mails later, and a short item in a Kentucky newspaper with Patterson denying a "verbal commitment'' to Tubby, this goes down as an error.

While I commend the correction, I got more enjoyment out of what came next. Reusse pointed to the top-10 recruiting class Tubby has inked to come to Williams Arena, and ... well, I'll let Reusse speak for himself.

Meantime, we would like to let Big Blue Nation know that up here in the Frozen North we're just as happy as pigs in slop with what we're seeing from Tubby as a coach -- and as a recruiter, with his five-player group of early signees.

In fact, Billy G. should bring his anticipated endless supply of four-star recruits up here to see us in our old Barn one of these next Decembers. Tubby will show his successor the proper etiquette for stool-sitting on our historic elevated floor, and we'll all have a good old time.

A correction, a challenge and the use of "pigs in slop" in the same article! God bless Patrick Reusse! That brightened my Christmas before it began. I think UK fans and Minnesota fans could agree on this fact: A home and home between the Tubby-led Gophers and Gillispie-led Wildcats make for some good viewing.

UPDATE 12/26, 2:30 p.m.: Tru at A Sea of Blue didn't enjoy Reusse's correction quite as mich as I did. It's worth a read.

Reusse Has Egg On His Face For Holidays

I'm going to review the Gophers' eighth win of the year later today, but first I'd like to pass along a little tidbit that surely has made Patrick Reusse's holiday season a little less cheery.

Earlier this week Reusse reported that Patrick Patterson and Jai Lucas had given Tubby Smith a verbal committment, but reneged when Tubby left to coach the Gophers. Eventually, Patterson signed with Billy Gillispie at Kentucky and Lucas signed with Billy Donovan at Florida. Reusse's article was the subject of criticism from various UK blogs, who were rightly upset with Reusse because he A) called UK fans "wackos" and B) was apparently dead wrong when he suggested Lucas and Patterson had given verbals to UK.

Criticism from the blogs is nothing new for sports writers. Hell, I have first hand experience with this. As a former political reporter, the agenda-driven blogs on the left and right enjoy nothing more than taking a reporter to task. But getting smacked down by your own crowd stings. And that's now what has happened as the Louisville Courier-Journal, in their Sunday College Basketball Notebook, bitch slaps Reusse for flat-out being wrong.

In criticizing UK fans for blaming the current team's woes on former coach Tubby Smith, Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse pointed to what he saw as an inconsistency regarding freshman forward Patrick Patterson.

"What's interesting with these Wildcats wackos is that, in their world, Gillispie gets the credit for recruiting Patterson, even though he had made a verbal commitment to Kentucky and started to vacillate only after Smith found a new home in Minneapolis," Reusse wrote last week. "Smith also had a verbal commitment from Jai Lucas, who reneged after Tubby's departure and is now a freshman starter at point guard for Florida."

Told about that passage, Patterson was surprised. "I just started laughing when I heard it," he said.

For the record, Patterson said, he never gave UK a commitment when Smith was the coach.

It's certainly true that Tubby Smith was recruiting both Lucas and Patterson when he was at Kentucky. It was even reported that Tubby reached out to both talented players after he arrived in MInnesota to see if they'd come north. No such look. And we will never know if Tubby would have landed one or both of those players had he stayed at Kentucky.

All we really know here is Patrick Reusse, who I usually defend here, has egg on his face for the Holidays.

If the Star Tribune hasn't run one already, a correction is in order.

JUCO In Mix At QB Next Year, Maybe, And Other Stuff

By all accounts Tim Brewster is putting together one of the best recruiting classes in recent memory. He took the first step this week in finalizing that recruiting class by getting five junior college players to sign on the dotted line.

Two of them deserve some immediate attention. Rivals has the scoop on 4-star cornerback Traye Simmons. He should start immediately for the Gophers' secondary. The second, more interesting signing is Pasadena City College athlete/quarterback David Pittman.

I wrote "athlete/quarterback" for a reason. It appears, according to this article by Marcus Fuller of the Pioneer Press, that Pittman believes he was told he'd get a shot at playing quarterback. Meanwhile, Brewster believes he told Pittman he was an "athlete."

Here's Brewster to Fuller:

"He's not coming in here as a quarterback. He knows that," Brewster said while talking about his midseason football signings Wednesday. "He's coming in here as an athlete. He's coming in here as a slash. He knows that. That's been thoroughly discussed."

And for good measure, here is Pittman's comment on the subject (thanks to Fuller for good reporting here):

"They said they want me to come in and compete for the starting job," said Pittman, who plans to enroll at Minnesota in January. "The reason I went to junior college was to prove I could play quarterback. (Having a starter returning at Minnesota) wasn't going to deter me from going there. Competition brings out the best in people."

When asked if Brewster talked specifically to him about moving to another position, Pittman said he was told, "only if I want to."

While Pittman is considered an "athlete" by recruiting services like Rivals, his numbers as a quarterback at Pasadena City College are impressive. I'll admit I find it troublesome that a freshly signed recruit and his new coach are having a back-and-forth difference of opinion just days after they signed on the dotted line. But the "quarterback/athlete" conversation will be completely pointless, so long as the kid can have an impact and Brewster and Mike Dunbar can find a way to use him. If we are going to run the spread offense, this is exactly the type of player who can make it work. I'm not convinced Adam Weber is a 4-year starter. So, hopefully Pittman gets that chance to compete.

Here is a Rivals story on the five new Gophers. And for the record, Brewster attended the same Pasadena City College.

Now on to a couple other items that might interest you.

** I've taken some heat in the past for agreeing with Patrick Reusse. That's fine. Different strokes for different folks. But for those of you who don't like Reusse, I thought I'd point out to you that our friends at A Sea of Blue (Kentucky blog) are taking Reusse to task for his column comparing how Kentucky fans treated Tubby Smith to how Minnesota fans treated Glen Mason. Reusee certainly didn't have to call UK fans "wackos," but there is a similarity between UK fans' expectations after driving out Tubby and our expectations after driving out Glen Mason. Both fanbases felt the jettisoned coach was accepting medicority. And both fanbases have been disappointed at the immediate results.

** ESPN's college hoops insider section had an item today titled "Grading the sleepers." Minnesota received an A - grade. Here is what they wrote:

Tubby Smith arrived in Minneapolis with 14 straight 20-win seasons to go along with a 1998 national championship at Kentucky. With their Gophers' only loss coming to Florida State, the nonconference schedule lacks marquee names other than UNLV in the Duel in the Desert before opening Big Ten play on the road at favorite Michigan State on Jan. 5.

After eight games, U of M is averaging 77.8 points and four players are averaging double figures, led by 6-foot-9 senior Dan Coleman's 13.6 points. What makes Smith's teams so special are their tough man-to-man defense. The Gophers are holding opponents to 60.5 points. Referred to as the ball-line defense, it includes great ball pressure, entry pass denial and sprint to help a teammate. And with Smith's intensity, the Gophers will improve as the season progresses. All that is left to add is a couple recruiting classes.

The attention is nice and everything, don't get me wrong. But the author of this blurb, Reggie Rankin, clearly has not seen any Minnesota game this season. Everything he said in these two paragraphs is true, but this reads to like a blurb written off of a stat sheet and with some knowledge of Tubby Smith. I expect more from the 4-letter.

** Meanwhile, Bracketology Professor Joe Lunardi has committed a travesty: Leaving the Gophers out of his current bracket. To Lunardi's credit, he has the Gophers in his "also considered" section (Insider). That's right, everyone, We Comin!

Brewster Has 'Earned' Skepticism

The Star Tribune's Patrick Reusse writes today that Tim Brewster has "earned" skepticism from Minnesota fans. Reusse is completely right. I shook my head in agreement when I read Reusse's column this morning.

The following quotes that Reusse provided brought two things to mind: Brewster has been a terrible game-day coach and that he has done himself an incredible disservice by running his mouth at every given opportunity.

When introduced as the new coach in mid-January, Brewster offered this prognosis for his first season:

"Our expectation is to win a Big Ten Championship now. We're not interested in any rebuilding process. I'm very fortunate that I'm not coming into a situation that is decimated where there are no players. There are players here.

" ... We're in a little different situation here than it is at most places that are going through the hiring process. I'm very excited that it's not a complete rebuilding process."

No one knew what to expect from Brewster as a game-day coach. We all know he had never been a head man or coordinator anywhere other than the high school level. During his initial season as Minnesota's head man, Brewster has consistently not had his players ready with a solid game plan heading into games. And recently it has seemed the players have mailed in their performances--the Iowa loss seemed a little better in this regard.

I assume Joel Maturi is going to give Brewster time to right this ship. Afterall, Brewster's only claim to fame when hired was that he could recruit. So far, according to the recruiting services, Brewster has excelled in this department.

But if Brewster really meant what he said above, that he was coming into a situation where he could win immediately, Minnesota fans must question his ability to scout talent. And most importantly, we must wonder if Brewster has the coaching acumen to win with whatever level of talent he can put on the field.

Today marks the first time in recent years that the Wisconsin-Minnesota game has meant little or nothing. In the Glen Mason years, the Gophers at least were playing for a bowl game, or to move up a notch in the middle of the Big Ten standings. That alone proves Reusse's point: We should be skeptical of this coach.

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.

Scandal Update: Brewster Says He Didn't Call Weis Fat, Etc...

The Star Tribune picked up on an item I relayed to you last week regarding the strange allegations made at a Notre Dame forum that Minnesota football coach Tim Brewster had some harsh things to say about Charlie Weis. Patrick Reusse wrote the following:

Brewster denies Weis rip
Someone called MNIrish posted on a Notre Dame fans' website a summary of an alleged conversation with Gophers football coach Tim Brewster. According to MNIrish, he met Brewster at a "meet and greet" at an apartment building in which they both were living.

The Notre Damer said Brewster gave a sales pitch to the gathering and repeatedly said: "We need to keep Minnesota players in Minnesota." According to MNIrish, he approached Brewster later, said he was from Notre Dame and the Irish might be recruiting the same Minnesota players.

"Brewster basically went off on me, saying how sick he was of Notre Dame and our arrogance ... and our fear of playing Minnesota in the new stadium," wrote MNIrish. "When I told him ... it was our athletic director who wouldn't budge the schedule, he went off on [coach Charlie] Weis."

MNIrish contended that, among other things, Brewster said Notre Dame could never recruit another Minnesota player "until Weis was under 350 pounds."

The gist of this posting was e-mailed to Brewster and he was asked if this conversation had taken place. Brewster's response was:

"I may be a first-time head coach, but the info in that e-mail is ridiculous. Charlie is a good friend of mine. There is a good reason why I don't read the Internet."

That last part contradicts that Brewster is basically an Internet addict, looking for recruiting and other college football news.

For a full description of what MN Irish suggests Brewster said, check out my previous post on the matter. I was wondering when someone would make Brewster go on the record denying these allegations. Kudos to Patrick Reusse for asking the question. I also find it humorous that Reusse suggessts Brewster is lying about his Internet usage. In the end, I'm glad Brewster denied saying these things. And although I find it somewhat entertaining, it's probably not good form to bash a well-respected coach when you have zero wins under your belt.

This likely ends the first scandal of Brewster's tenure, unless of course MN Irish has an audio recording???

UPDATE: In a comment left Tuesday evening on my previous post on the Brewster/Weis scandal, MNIrish weighed in. He wrote:

I'm not making it up! I was honestly just trying to joke with him as a conversation starter, knowing that coaches can't comment on specific players,but can talk about a school (ie Cretin-Derham). As a Minnesotan, the U of M is my second favorite program, and I have been impressed with Brewster from the start. I actually debated about whether to post my encounter, chalking it up to a bad day for the coach, but now for him to say Weis is a good friend? Unbelievable, from what I heard from his mouth. My feelings aren't hurt, I know a lot of people don't like Notre Dame, but we like Weis and don't think he is a disgrace by any means. And he doesn't deserve to be berated like that.

Thanks for weighing in, MNIrish.