Gopher Basketball Camps part two

I read one more interesting fact about the Gopher mens basketball camps this week. Apparently, current gopher players Al Nolen, Blake Hoffarber, Kevin Payton, and Lawrence Westbrook are coaching at Williams Arena this week. Tubby Smith is allowed to pay them, but he is not allowed to work with them one on one thanks to NCAA rules that say coaches must be hands-off during summer months. What a silly rule and I am glad that Tubby has worked this tiny loop hole to get the guys into the gym under his watchful eye. I agree with Tubby when he says, "They're on campus. They're in class ... why not give us a couple hours like they do in the fall?" Perhaps that is a rule change that Tubby will spear head in the near future.

Gopher Basketball Camps

This week Tubby Smith and the Golden Gopher basketball coaches are hosting a series of day camps at Williams Arena. Apparently, there are over 160 kids there – wow! That’s a lot tall men in one building. Tubby Smith is serious about recruiting and serious about building strong teams and that means finding the right talent. It is good to see so many faces vying for some face time with Tubby Smith and the Golden Gophers. It feels so good to be excited about Gopher Basketball again!

Gopher Gear coming to Victoria’s Secret

Gopher Gal has some very interesting news for other Gopher gals. Victoria’s Secret is going to start carrying a line of Minnesota Gopher clothing under its Pink! brand. Hoodies, t-shirts and panties will appear at the stores starting mid-July. Woo Hoo! I love Vicki’s and I am excited to get some Gopher team spirit from one of my favorite stores. This gopher season, I can look sexy in my brand name gear and confidently cheer on my Golden Gopher team.

So what will Gopher Gal buy first?
A. Victoria’s Secret Gopher hooded sweatshirt
B. Victoria’s Secret black Gopher t-shirt
C. Victoria’s Secret white Gopher t-shirt
D. Victoria’s Secret Gopher underwear

The answer is D. Is that your final answer? (game show reference!) you bet it is my final answer, I have been looking for a new pair of luck underwear!

Clint Brewster Moves Ons

There is a lot of Golden Gopher news this week and I love it! Clint Brewster has decided to transfer out of the University of Minnesota and Gopher Gal isn’t even the slightest bit surprised. This piece of news is actually a yawn fest. I never did figure out why Clint Brewster came to the Gopher football squad in the first place. You would think if your dad was the coach, he would be able to foresee your future pretty clearly on his own team. Adam Weber is the starting quarter back, he isn’t going any where. Tony Mortensen isn’t that bad and then old man Brewster recruits MarQueis Gray as well. Of course, Clint Brewster needs to go to a different team if he wants any playing time at all. Why did he come here in the first place? No one knows. Old man Brewster should have had enough sense to tell his boy that the Gopher Football team already has a solid young QB and, hey, son we are going to recruit another top name QB as well so you might want to find a team that actually needs you.

Blake Wheeler agrees to deal with Boston Bruins

Gopher Gal had a suspicion that Blake Wheeler was thinking East Coast and he was. Blake Wheeler has agreed to a two year deal with the Boston Bruins. I still don’t understand why Blake would give up the Phoenix Coyotes and Wayne Gretzky…maybe I never will. Here’s what I would say to Blake Wheeler if I ran into him on the street:

The Phoenix Coyotes selected you, Blake Wheeler, fifth overall in the 2004 NHL entry draft. 4 spots behind Ovechekin for crying out loud. Getting selected in the first round is golden for any college hockey player, it means that the team that chose you believes in you and will invest their time, patience and money in you. You will have a long term contract there. They want you. They will make it work. Do you get it? Am I beating a dead horse? Phoenix would have handed you the key to the city and to the team. They are an up and coming team and you are an up and coming player. Wayne Gretzky is one of the best players of all time and this Phoenix team is only a few years from being good, real good. My fear is that giving up that commitment to go to a team where YOU want to be will be dangerous for your career, Blake Wheeler. Very dangerous. Boston will sweep you under the rug the first chance they get, they don’t have any loyalty to you. Oh yeah, and I curse the day you were born! (a little Sex In The City movie reference for ya)

Gophers had a tough football season, I am not over it

The Gopher 2007 football season was by far the worst football season Minnesota has ever seen. Maybe I should have shown up to more games. The only game that the Golden Gophers won was the one I attended. That very well could have been just luck. Well, the Gophers are going to need more than luck to replace their bad football skills reputation. All I know is that the Gophers better get stuff straightened out if they want to actually win a Big Ten game and not only win to the small school of Miami-Ohio. BTW, this year, I am planning on going to at least 3 games.

Blake Wheeler No Deal with Phoenix Coyotes

Blake Wheeler said “no deal” to Wayne Gretzy and the Phoenix Coyotes. Wheeler will now take his chances on the NHL Free Agency market. What was he thinking? Apparently he thinks he has a bigger number in his case (I love game shows and I have made myself a personal pledge to include more game show references in my blog) Sure, I don’t know what the exact offer was, but I doubt Wheeler will get millions via Free Agency so why didn’t he just take the guaranteed money?

"I'm actually quite stunned," Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney said. "Quite frankly, we made him an offer significantly better than any other contract he can get (right now). But that's his choice. I think (he's received) bad advice, and I think he's making a big mistake because of the commitment we've made to our young players and the young players we're prepared to invest in."


Matt Keator, Blake Wheeler's agent, said in several statements that this isn’t about money and that Blake Wheeler wants to pick where he wants to live and play. WTF? What is wrong with sunny Phoenix? This seems like a weird situation to Gopher Gal. If I do recall, though, a few other Gopher alums have went to Phoenix and then moved elsewhere so perhaps Blakey got some advice from them and the Phoenix Coyotes team isn’t a good place for a Minnesota Gopher to be. Don't coyotes eat gophers?

Sure there are rumors that Blake Wheeler wants to sign with the Minnesota Wild (who doesn’t?! ha ha) but the odds of that happening are pretty slim. In fact, recent statements by his agent indicated that probably won’t happen. At first Gopher Gal was thinking that Blake Wheeler may want to experience the life of a Canadian, but Michael Russo from the Star Trib points out the fact that Wheelers agent said Blake Wheeler wants to experience a different part of the country….perhaps east coast? I will keep you posted Gopher Hockey Fans!

Gopher Football – TCF Bank Stadium

Gopher Football is about all there is for Gopher news these days and the big buzz around Gopher Football is TCF Bank Stadium, of course. The new Gopher Football Stadium is going up quickly and last week the builders installed 87 bricks, each dedicated to a Minnesota county. The Gophers are really trying to make this stadium for the entire state, not just the city of Minneapolis. There is no doubt that the anticipation of Gopher football moving back to campus is really gaining momentum! The ultimate Gopher homecoming! Goooooo Gophers!