Of course, a lot of good this does now. Probably being a homer, but doesn't it feel like we get a lot of these post-game blown call apologies? I know Mason had a few of them in his back pocket.

http://www.twincities.com/2016/07/2...still-regrets-targeting-call-against-gophers/

Big Ten coordinator of officials still regrets targeting call against Gophers

CHICAGO — Big Ten football officials called targeting penalties 21 times last season. After video review, they reversed that call on the field nine times, and coordinator of football officials Bill Carollo wants one back.

In the second quarter of a scoreless game Nov. 7 between the Gophers and Ohio State, Buckeyes safety Joshua Perry was flagged for targeting as Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner threw an interception. Vonn Bell then returned it 16 yards for a touchdown.

After rewinding the footage multiple times, the call was reversed, and the Buckeyes took a 7-0 lead en route to a 28-14 victory at Ohio Stadium.

“I know these targeting plays that still hang with me,” Carollo said Tuesday at Big Ten media days.

“It was a targeting call based on the video from television that was brought into the replay booth,” Carollo said. “The play was reversed by one of my senior replay officials, who is an expert at it, based on that video.”

Carollo said that following Monday he received another video opposite the original evidence from the press box side of the field. “Someone sent it to the office and said, ‘What about this?’ ” Carollo said. “I said, ‘Whoa.’ ”

“(Leidner) got hit in the chin; it’s wrong,” Carollo said. “That is one of the mistakes that, I can’t say I downgraded the replay based on that information, but technically, that was a big mistake.”

What added to the error was the new official added to the crew, the center judge, which is positioned near the referee in the offensive backfield. This type of call is in the center judge’s purview.

With the call against the Gophers considered, the targeting rules have been expanded this season to further include whether it’s a defenseless player. Leidner in a throwing motion would seem to constitute “defenseless.”

“We are giving the official the ability to look at the entire play and decide: Was he really defenseless?” Carollo said.

There has been a lot of discussion over the past few years about moving the NCAA Wrestling season back until after Christmas. Reasons for this are:

- the season, as is, gets very long for the student athletes...when there is a big break over Xmas,
- it would be more compact to have the season all in one semester,
- the NCAA Wrestling Finals (in all divisions) come in the 2nd/3rd weekends in March...as this is right in the thick of basketball's "March Madness", NCAA Wrestling loses a lot of PR and possible fan participation to basketball.

The NCAA created a wrestling "Blue Ribbon" task force to take a look at the long term health of College Wrestling, and a sub-committee of the task force is giving a major presentation today to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA)'s annual convention.

The major proposal of the presentation is to move the season back a month, so then practice would start on Nov. 1st, and the season would start on the Friday after Christmas. The season would still start with some large (preseason) tournaments - The Midlands and the Southern Scuffle - and then the dual meet season would start the second weekend in January. The dual meet season would then run until mid-March, followed by the Conference Championships, and the NCAA Championships in mid-to-late April. There would likely also be room after the Conference Championships for a National Duals Championship.

It's not clear yet how this proposal will be received by the NWCA...but, I suspect that this may have a good chance at being enacted!!

What do you think about this???

The full report of the sub-committee is at the end of this article.


Possible season schedule changes on NCAA horizon?

Trackwrestling.com
by Andy Hamilton
Saturday, July 30, 2016 7:07 a.m.

The task force sub-committee assigned to examine college wrestling's long-term health has unveiled a series of sport-altering recommendations, including one that would shift the schedule back nearly a month.

The idea of moving the NCAA Championships away from college basketball's March Madness has been a decades-long conversation piece for wrestling coaches and fans, but the topic has seemingly been stalemated in recent years. In February, however, a team of prominent administrators with wrestling ties collaborated with several college coaches to launch the Blue Ribbon Task Force, rekindling talks of altering the schedule in the process of constructing a five-year strategic plan for the sport.

“(Big 12 commissioner) Bob Bowlsby and the group got together and felt it was a critical time – not just for wrestling but a lot of the sports – given the Power 5 evolution and some of the other things going on,” Jim Fallis, the facilitator for the Blue Ribbon Task Force and former Northern Arizona athletic director, told Trackwrestling. “There's a group of administrators that felt now's a good time and a critical time for wrestling to really take a look at itself and do a 360 evaluation and figure out where do we want to be in five, 10, 15 years and how is the best way to get there?”

Fallis is scheduled to make a presentation Saturday at the National Wrestling Coaches Association annual convention that will delve deeper into recommendations made by the group's sub-committees. His PowerPoint has already been shared with Division-I head coaches. In it, there are recommendations geared toward academic enhancement, reducing the time demands placed on student-athletes, meeting health and safety objectives, strengthening the sport for spectators and the media, and helping women's wrestling in its quest to establish emerging sport status with the NCAA.

The biggest attention-grabber in the document might be the section that outlines a reconfigured schedule. One recommendation for a modified wrestling calendar would designate Nov. 1 as the first day of organized practices. The competition season wouldn't begin until after Christmas and the NCAA Championships would be held in late April.

“One of the most frustrating things to me: We were at the national championships in Oklahoma City two years ago and USA Today's sports section – the day before the tournament started – had a little blurb that talked about how much beer they expected to be consumed in Oklahoma City for the NCAA wrestling championship,” Fallis said. “And the next three days you didn't see a thing about the wrestling tournament. But obviously you saw tons of things about basketball.

“If you were to move the tournament into, let's say, mid-April or later in April, obviously you get away from the NCAA basketball tournament. Now you can't just do that and not do something on the front end because what you're doing is effectively extending the season. The concept of a one-semester sport now has a lot more merit.

“It has the potential of enhancing academics, it has the potential of reducing time demands on the student-athlete, it has the potential of helping their mental health state of mind, it has the potential of increasing fan interest, especially at the nationals two or three weeks after the Final Four.”

Fallis said the sub-committee recommendations will likely be presented to the Blue Ribbon Task Force sometime in August.

“Typically, what I would envision happening is they would look at everything, develop a strategic plan and then present that strategic plan to the universities that sponsor Division-I wrestling and say, ‘This is what we feel needs to happen in the sport,’” he said. “What we're talking about and doing now and what we're vetting at this point does not necessarily mean that's what the final product will be.”

Read the full 5 Year Strategic Plan

Happy Birthday !

Had guns pulled on him in Iowa City by the police that he wrote about and how it could have ended differently and the narrative ended up much differently. He wrote about it and showed a lot of maturity. A good message.

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Today was the first time that I’ve ever truly feared for my life, and I have the media to thank for that.
Today I was surrounded and searched by approximately five Iowa City Police Officers. My pockets were checked, my backpack was opened up and searched carefully, and I was asked to lift up my shirt while they searched my waistband. Not once did they identify themselves to me as Iowa City Police officers, but with four gun barrels staring me in the face, I wouldn’t dare question the authority of the men and woman in front of me. This is what happened from my point of view.

From the police officers point of view, all they knew was that a bank had just been robbed less than ten minutes ago. The suspect was a large black male, wearing all black, with something on top of his head and the suspect is armed. As they drive past an Iowa City park that was less than 3 minutes away from the bank that was just robbed, they notice a large black man, dressed in all black, with black goggles on his head. They quickly move to action and identify themselves as the Iowa City police and ask me to turn around and place my hands up. I do not comply, they ask again, and again no response from me. So they all draw their guns and begin to slowly approach the suspect.

In this situation, what the media would fail to let people know is that the suspect had his headphones in the entire time the Police Officers approached him initially. The suspect had actually just pulled up to the park because he was playing a newly popular Game called Pokémon Go. The suspect didn’t realize that there were four cops behind him because his music was blaring in his ears. The suspect had reached into his pockets, for something which was his phone, but for all the cops could have known, he was reaching for a gun. The suspect could very well become another statistic on this day. I am not one to usually rant on Facebook or anywhere else, but with all of the crazy things that have been happening in our world these past couple of weeks it is hard to stay silent. I am thankful to be alive, and I do now realize, that it very well could have been me, a friend of mine, my brother, your cousin, your nephew etc. Misunderstandings happen all the time and just like that things can go south very quickly. It is extremely sad that our society has brainwashed us all to the point where we can’t feel safe being approached by the police officers in our respective communities. Not all police officers are out to get you, but at the same time, not all people who fit a criminal profile are criminals.

So with that, I would like the thank the Iowa City Police department for handling a sensitive situation very professionally. I would also urge people to be more aware of their surroundings because clearly I wasn’t. Lastly, I would urge us all to at least to attempt to unlearn some of the prejudices that we have learned about each other and now plague our minds and our society. I am convinced that in the same way that we learned these prejudices, we can also unlearn them.

I had no idea there was a little email inbox up in the right hand corner of this thing.

Next time your here, lunch/dinner is on me. You still have my cell # ?

Is the talk of Falcon training camp. Despite the praise Claeys had always heaped on him you all doubted the young man. Keep it going DC!

The July BBQ and the July camp(s) have always been an important part of the Gopher recruiting year. Does anyone recall the dates for these events?

Do we have any updates on open practices? Dates? I suspect there will be a scrimmage on a Saturday in late August as well.

Lot of good stuff in this interview by Amelia (thought she was done??)...

Whether the Gophers can be substantially better in 2016-17 or whether they fail to effectively pull out of the rut of the last two seasons depends on many things.

Returners have to get better. Transfers Davonte Fitzgerald and Reggie Lynch – who is still suspended while being investigated following a May rape arrest– will have to live up to their high billings. But the Gophers will also have to rely heavily on four newcomers, three of them freshmen, to slide in at the next level and contribute in big ways.

All except graduate transfer Akeem Springs, who is finishing up summer classes at Milwaukee, are on campus and coach Richard Pitino discussed them this week.

Here is some of what he said about Springs (a 6-4, 210-pound guard), Amir Coffey (a 6-8, 190-pound guard from Hopkins), Eric Curry (a 6-9, 220-pound forward from Memphis) and Michael Hurt (a 6-7, 210-pound forward from Rochester):

Coffey has obviously been hyped quite a bit coming out of high school. How has that transferred to summer workouts and practices so far?

Pitino: “He’s really, really good …he is a phenomenal passer. We run a lot of ball screens and he comes off the ball screens and he can just see over the top. That’s what the NBA is all about, and this league is all about that. Michigan runs a lot of good stuff, but their personnel is all about tall guards who can throw over the top. That’s what we’ve been trying to get and with Amir, he can do that. He’s doing a great job in the weight room, he’s been extremely professional. He’s an eager learner and I think he’s going to play major minutes right away.”

Are you planning on playing him some at the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions then?

Pitino: “The question is really what lineups do I want in the game – I don’t think it’s necessarily a question of what he can play, it’s who do I want him playing with … I think there’s great flexibility there.”

What combinations have you liked early?

Pitino: “The other day in practice I really liked [the lineup of] Nate [Mason], Dupree [McBrayer] and Amir, Murph [Jordan Murphy] at the 4, Curry at the 5 and that lineup looked really, really good. And those three guards together, that was really fun to watch.”

Do you like playing Curry in the post in general?

Pitino: “Very much so. He can play the four and the five. He’s 6-9. He’s a tremendous passer, a great runner, a great rebounder. He’s got All-Big Ten [team] ability down the road.”

Could he end up backing up Lynch – assuming he returns to the team – at center then?

Pitino: “He could. We’ve played him at it. Reggie is out and Bakary [Konate] has been out a couple of weeks with a quad [injury]. So we were looking at all those things. Summer time is a good time to look at different lineups because foul trouble and injuries unfortunately are going to happen.”

And if Lynch doesn’t return?

Pitino: “I think [juniors] Bakary and [Gaston Diedhiou] have been – Gas has had a pretty good summer, Bakary was out for about five weeks. He’s practiced the last week or so, but he’s still out of shape because he’s missed some time. But it’s been good for Gas. I always look at all those things, injuries, as an opportunity for someone else. We’ve still got a long way to go. We haven’t really put in a whole lot of offense, we’re working on some post offense stuff, getting them to have a feel for playing with each other. But I’m looking at all different types of lineups. Would I want to go small with [Jordan Murphy] at the

I'm told it's Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin for Van Ginkel. I still think Minnesota will actively recruit him because the connections with Iowa Western run deep, and the Gophers have playing time to sell.

There is not much you and I agree on but I know of two things offhand...We both love our GOPHERS and people will get what they deserve...
VIDEO: Man's Dress Catches Fire As He Stomps ...

I was riding my exercise bike....I had the TV on 'Mike & Mike in the Morning'....and I felt all the testosterone draining out of me. I felt weak. I flipped the channel to some random music videos....and I felt so much better.

It's pathetic that in 2016, watching sports-talk, reading ESPN, whatever....it's mostly a big downer. These politically-correct "sports guys" couldn't even admit that eliminating kickoffs is pathetic. They give a loooong-winded answer....being sure to mention all sides of the issue....and by the time their opinion comes out (if it ever does), I'm already too bored and irritated to listen. It must really suck to be a liberal. You can't even say what's on your mind. You have to pander to everyone.

Eden Prairie's Jermiane Johnson and Hopkins' Boye Mafe are both visiting today. Johnson really impressed me at camp (article here), and at the two camps he attended last year (links here and here). I would definitely be on board with him getting an offer. The staff has showed him a lot of attention after every camp he's been to, and after the most recent one, Claeys talked to him in his TCF office a little bit. Johnson told me last year that a Gophers offer "would mean the world" to him and that he would choose Minnesota over any offer in the country.

Mafe I watched a little bit during the non-hitting portion of camp but only saw him for a couple reps in 1v1s. He's strong and has a bigger build in person than his film.

Johnson doesn't hold any offers at the moment, and Mafe has offers from North Dakota, South Dakota State, and Wyoming.

Link: Jermaine Johnson talks Minnesota visit

the way you play these guys. It would be great to see you posting! Come on back. We are getting closer to another season, and I want to hear what you have to say!

I found these post-Fargo Nationals videos and articles today on current Gopher commits Mitch McKee and Owen Webster, and future recruiting targets Jake Allar and Alex Lloyd. This is the fifth and final Fargo tournament for McKee, and I hadn't realized what an incredible record he's had at Fargo - he's an 8x All American with 5 Championships (2 FS / 3 GR), and 2nd, 4th and 5th place finishes!! He will be a major stud starting this fall for the Gophers!!

Here's McKee's greco finals 13-0 tech fall win and an excellent post win interview:

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And Owen Webster's freestyle finals tech fall win over Kevin Parker and post match interview:

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Future recruiting target Jake Allar's (St. M-A) 160# FS title and post match interview:

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNtvhGphYBc


And a superb article on Alex Lloyd (Shakopee). Everyone Lloyd wrestled there was a 1-2x state champion!! :

Three days in Fargo with Alex Lloyd

Steve Elwood, InterMat Staff Writer
7/28/2016




Alex Lloyd (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)

The amount of wrestling tournaments keeps growing every year. The big ones like the Ironman, Beast of the East, and The Clash are getting infiltrated by events like Who's Number One, Beat the Streets and Preseason Nationals. The sport is becoming a little watered down and winning a national event doesn't carry the same weight it did a decade ago. It seems like every state has a tournament and it gets harder every year to determine which wrestler is the best in the class. Then, if you throw in the travel restrictions each state has for in-season folkstyle, it becomes almost impossible to really know what athletes are the very best. And then there's Fargo. This event has one year left on its contract, and if it moves, who knows what it will be called. But make no mistake, this is the battle for the national championship and there is no other event that comes close to this meat grinder. Most brackets are full of state champions and those that will be. Winning a title here is, without a doubt, the most prestigious accomplishment in high school wrestling.

Six summers in a row I have looked for a wrestler with a Minnesota connection that has a decent chance of becoming a champion to follow and write about. I've had some great candidates over the years. Brandon Kingsley and Jake Short came within a match of getting on the big stage. Tommy Thorn, Fredy Stroker, and Griffin Parriott each won the title the year after I followed them. I'm still referred to as the jinx and if I choose a wrestler, it's almost a lock they will win it the next year. Still not one of them has made it to the championship match. Maybe this will be the year.

I only have one criteria in my search. The kid has to be likable. I don't really care to spend three days following someone with behavior issues or simply can't hold a conversation. I chose Alex Lloyd from Shakopee, Minnesota. This young man is no longer under the radar. He recently won his first state title in March and was a Cadet National Greco-Roman champion last summer. This year he is moving up to the Junior division where he will face older and much more experienced wrestlers. There will be 99 wrestlers in his Junior freestyle bracket at 145 pounds and it's loaded with superstars. After looking at some of the names, it may be a stretch to make it in the top eight and become an All-American.

Day 1: Thursday I start with a visit with Alex's dad, Bill. We talk about the road to the championship. If Alex makes it all the way to the quarters, he should run into Anthony Artalona of Florida. If he survives he should get fellow PINnacle club member and future Minnesota Gopher Hunter Marko. If he somehow wins, he faces the world champion Jarod Verkleeren. This looks impossible.

The seeding at 145 pounds looks like this:

1. Jarod Verkleeren
2. Hunter Marko
3. Anthony Artalona

Alex Lloyd is not seeded in the top eight.

Alex Lloyd finishes a shot against Colorado's Gabriel Dinette (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)

Match 1: Alex Lloyd vs. Gabriel Dinette (Colorado)

This is a good opening match for Lloyd. Dinette is a Colorado state champion as a sophomore finished with a 46-1 record. Alex has great leg attacks and proves it with three straight takedowns in the first minute to jump out to a 6-0 lead. Dinette seems stunned by this and takes a shot of his own. Lloyd uses a nice whizzer and picks up another takedown. The match ends after a pair of pushouts and Lloyd wins a technical fall 10-0. When he comes off the mat he looks tired and more worn than normal. But he's happy to get the win and move on. There's a long road ahead.

An hour later we meet again and I notice Alex's eyebrows look like they have been cut into. I asked what happened and he rolls his eyes. He was playing "what are the odds" with a friend. Here's how it works. Alex said, "What are the odds I would shave my eyebrows?" He and his buddy and he pick a number 1 through 5 and if they match, the eyebrows go. He also is wrestling with one leg completely shaved. I asked if he's still going to play, "Heck yeah, it's a blast!"

Alex Lloyd's eyebrows were shaved in Fargo

Match 2: Alex Lloyd vs. Garrett Model (Wisconsin)

Since Lloyd is only 5 feet 4 inches tall, everyone in this weight class has a longer frame and noticeable reach advantage. It is especially the case with Model. He looks 6 feet tall with Kevin McHale-length arms. He won a state title in Wisconsin last year and was the runner-up earlier in the week in Greco. This match starts out like the last with Lloyd attacking the legs with three straight takedowns for a quick 6-1 lead. He picks up exposure points and in less than a minute it's 8-1. Model picks up a takedown for two points and gets two more for back exposure points. Model gets another takedown and it's now 8-7 Lloyd at the end of the first period. Lloyd is dripping with sweat and looks completely exhausted. Model is dry and suddenly full of confidence. Period 2 starts with a bang. Model gets the first takedown and Lloyd answers with one of his own. It's 10-9. Alex gets a pushout for one point and picks up a sweet four-point move on the next takedown to take a 15-9 lead. Model storms back with a beautiful four-pointer of his own. The score is 15-13 Lloyd with 1:28 to go. Model ties the score with a takedown with 29 seconds to go. In the final few seconds there is a wild scramble and two points are given to Lloyd for a 17-15 win. But just as his arm is about to be raised, Model's coach calls for a recount on the score. The head referee adds it up and shockingly raises Model's arm. He is the winner 17-13. Everyone is stunned. Lloyd looks like he might throw up and his body is covered in sweat. He's obviously not well. I leave him alone. I can't believe he's lost this early in the tournament.

A half hour later I get a text from Bill Lloyd. The match is under protest. 20 minutes later comes the stunning news on the PA. Alex Lloyd has been declared the winner in his bout with Garrett Model. I later learn Alex Lloyd is very sick and has been throwing up in a garbage can. We also learn Hunter Marko lost his second-round match.

Match 3: Alex Lloyd vs. Jake Rando (Louisiana)

This is going to be another tough match. Rando is a two-time state champion from Louisiana. These 2 met up in the finals at Folkstyle Nationals a few months ago with Lloyd winning a thriller, 13-10. The whistle blows and Lloyd looks like he has recovered from the bout of sickness. He gets a quick ankle pick for 2-1 lead and then scores four more with a Greco-type throw. Lloyd picks up another takedown and uses a trap-arm gut for two more. The match is over in a flash, 10-0. He is not sweating and he was able to pick up a short nap and drank enough liquids to rehydrate. He looks great. There will be no more matches today.

Day 2: Friday Match 4: Alex Lloyd vs. Steven Isaac (New York)

This is a big day. By tonight all placement matches will be decided. Lloyd is feeling a little nervous. "One mistake like yesterday, and I'm in trouble. I have to stay focused. This is it for me," Lloyd says. Isaac wrestles in the Catholic league in New York. He finished third last season and was runner-up the state freestyle and Greco tournament. He is not well known and is a surprise to make this match. The winner should get Artalona. Lloyd gets a quick takedown and puts Isaac on his back. Isaac is fighting to survive and get to his belly. Lloyd squeezes hard and the ref slaps the mat. It's a pin in 22 seconds.

Alex is all business after this match. He is not very talkative and knows he has the toughest challenge in front of him. He's made the quarterfinals and his toughest opponent is waiting.


Alex Lloyd attempts to finish a single leg against Florida's Anthony Artalona (Photo/Mark Beshey, The Guillotine)

Match 5: Alex Lloyd vs. Anthony Artalona (Florida)

Anthony Artalona is ranked No. 17 overall in the junior class by InterMat. He's a two-time state champion and three-time state finalist in Florida. He was a Fargo double champion at the Cadet level in 2015. Alex has faced him, but has never won. This will be great test. Artalona is built like a running back and has the perfect wrestling physique. He looks much bigger and heavier than Lloyd. At the whistle Lloyd uses his signature ankle pick to surprise Artalona and jumps out to a 2-0 lead. It's a wild affair for the next two minutes with both wrestlers taking numerous shots without success. In the last 30 seconds Artalona takes Lloyd down and the first period ends 2-2. The second period begins and Artalona has confidence and scores another takedown. The next minute is all Lloyd trying every weapon in his arsenal, but Artalona has an answer for each attempt. Anthony picks up a takedown followed by a gut wrench for two more. Lloyd finds a way to pick up one more point on a pushout but he will come up short here. Artalona wins 8-3.

Last year I noticed Alex had a large cross tattoo on the side of his rib cage. This year he has added a scripture. He's a spiritual kid and will carry this message the rest of his life. "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13.

Alex Lloyd's tattoo

Match 6: Alex Lloyd vs. Devin Bahr (Wisconsin)

It's always tough coming off a disappointing loss. But there's no time to feel sorrow here. This is the blood round and the winner will make it to the podium. The loser goes home empty. Barr is a well-known commodity. He is a two-time Wisconsin state champion and is committed to the Badgers. Lloyd comes out on fire with three straight takedowns in 90 seconds to take a 6-0 lead. They exchange pushouts and the period ends 7-1 Lloyd. Period 2 begins with a flurry and Lloyd attacks the legs and exposes Bahr's back. It's over. 11-1. Alex Lloyd is guaranteed to be an All-American.

Match 7: Alex Lloyd vs. Jarrett Jacques (Missouri)

This is another really tough-looking opponent for Lloyd. Jacques is a two-time Missouri state champion and has a great profile on Trackwrestling. Jacques is muscular and pushes Alex out of the circle to open a 1-0 lead. He follows with four takedowns against one Lloyd pushout. 9-1. Alex storms back with a pretty four-point move and then another takedown. A wild scramble brings the period to an end. Jacques leads 10-7. The whistle blows and Jacques picks up four more takedowns and wins 18-7. Alex Lloyd will wrestle for seventh place tomorrow.

Day 3: Saturday There were 1021 wrestlers in the Junior division starting Thursday. There are only 120 left today. By the time today is over, 9,096 matches will be wrestled. This morning's session is loosey-goosey. Everyone wants to win, but it's an honor to be around on Saturday. Alex Lloyd seeks me out and we exchange fist bumps. He's full of smiles and he's extremely happy his week is coming to an end. He cracks a few jokes and we share a good laugh. He's a good kid and is very comfortable around an old guy like me.


Alex Lloyd locks up a gut wrench against Iowa's Zach Barnes (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)

Match 8: Alex Lloyd vs. Zach Barnes (Iowa)

This bout starts like most others as Lloyd picks up a takedown on a single leg attack to lead 2-0. Barnes returns the favor with one of his own and Alex quickly reverses. The next minute is all Alex Lloyd. He uses his cat-like speed and raw power for a pair of takedowns and gets exposure points. In a flash it's over. Alex Lloyd wins by technical fall, 13-2. He will finish seventh in the nation. We both look over at the championship mat. Anthony Artalona is getting his hand raised. He took out world champion, Jarod Verkleeren, 2-1.

The tournament is over. All 120 placewinners will get their turn up on the big stage with a trophy. Alex Lloyd is here for the sixth time in three years. He has entered both styles all three years and is a six-time All-American and two-time champion. He stands next to the other seven All-Americans in his weight class. None are smiling except Artalona. That's the way it should be. There's only one champion here. But the other seven are winners. They just don't believe it.

Alex Lloyd gets his hand raised after winning his final match in Fargo (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)

Steve Elwood resides in Rochester, Minnesota. He can be reached at steveel@rstransportinc.com. To learn more about Alex Lloyd and his journey from Russian orphan to American wrestling star, read profile story

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/22/u...n=span-abc-region&WT.nav=span-abc-region&_r=0

discussing some of the reasons why Sanders' backers and other true progressives are f&*#$% pissed*

***Warning: Angry, lengthy political rant ahead***

*I'm one of those angry people. I'm not surprised, but it does indicate that Hillary is so arrogant that she thinks it's ok to go to her party's base and spit in our eyes.

She thinks she can bully us into voting for her, just as we were bullied into voting for Kerry, and Obama the 2nd time, and Al Gore, etc.

I'm not gonna take this $h*~ anymore, and neither will a large portion of Berners.

Many will vote for Jill Stein, some will stay home, others will be bullied into voting for Hillary, but more than she thinks will vote for Trump.


Trump isn't dumb enough to ignore the Republican base. It's amazing how corrupt and blind Hillary is.***

**see latest NATO gaffe here. http://www.wsj.com/articles/nato-fi...uestions-value-of-defending-allies-1469120175

But I digress: Why would liberals vote for Stein or Trump or Johnson instead of Hillary?

Why? Why would any liberal vote for a man who earned the Republican nomination through crass, attention grabbing attacks on whatever minority he thinks his supporters resent; a man who doesn't appear to know anything about domestic or foreign policy.** I mean, Hillary is bad news but Trump can't even pretend to discuss the issues intelligently.

Because your base isn't gonna vote for you if your only message to the Left is, 'Shut up and get in line, Donald Trump's scary and you're voting for me, Damnit---and stop saying I rigged the primary!'

Trump, for as dumb as he so clearly is, is at least savvy enough to make concessions to his base while actively courting Bernie voters.

Hillary is so busy trying to win so-called 'centrists' (STP's favorite mythical idea that everybody says is true but is actually totally meaningless), that she told her base to 'eff off.

Come November, the base may be angry enough to return the sentiment. /endrant

The board will be down for maintenance tonight from midnight until roughly 4:00 am. I apologize for any inconveniences.

Steele coach thinks Gophers are getting a steal in Croslen

Talked to Croslen's coach and he was beaming about him. Not only his ability on the football field but also his character and leadership off the field. Always good to see Gophers get guys like this.

Well, who knows, maybe its real or was never really that bad to begin with...


http://www.startribune.com/pitino-s...ugh-over-sharp-was-about-seniority/388379451/

Pitino: Scholarship for walk-on Darin Haugh over Stephon Sharp was about seniority

Earlier this month, the Gophers announced that walk-on [URL='http://www.startribune.com/gophers-give-haugh-final-2016-17-scholarship/385254521/']Darin Haugh had been given a scholarship for the upcoming season, a move that came to the surprise of some who had watched fellow walk-on Stephon Sharp make notable gains this spring.

On Tuesday, coach Richard Pitino said the decision was primarily about seniority; Haugh, a 5-10 guard from Prior Lake, is a senior, Sharp is a sophomore.

“I told Steph ‘This has nothing to do with you,’” Pitino said. “’Darin has been in the program longer than you have. He’s done everything right.’

“Sometimes you have to make tough decisions but I think Darin has earned it …Darin has been great on the court, off the court, he’s a great leader. And I’m happy he got that opportunity.”

Haugh joined the Gophers before the 2014-15 season, sitting out that year due to NCAA rules after transferring from Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato. Last year, Haugh appeared in six games, scoring two points.

The Gophers were able to give him a scholarship after redshirt senior Charles Buggs graduated and transferred to USC for his final season of eligibility.

Sharp, a 6-3 guard from Bloomington, scored just four points in 11 appearances through Feb. 4, but was inserted into the starting lineup down the stretch after a dismissal and three suspensions handicapped the backcourt. In those four remaining games, Sharp averaged 13.5 points in 36.5 minutes per game.

Pitino said Sharp was “disappointed” following the team’s decision, but the coach told the guard to look at it another way.

“I told him, big picture, this should excite him,” Pitino said. “Because if you do the right thing, we’ll take care of you. We’ve shown we’ll do that and we’ll continue to do that if we can for our guys.”[/URL]

Some good stuff: http://www.startribune.com/richard-...tight-competition-for-playing-time/388328891/

Pitino says Murphy could play some center. Even more interesting is that he says Eric Curry could start and that he has All Big Ten potential. Says one of his favorite lineups without Lynch is Mason, McBrayer, Coffey, Murphy, Curry.

Said Fitzgerald fits best at power forward. Interesting because he's played on the wing all his life

I'll have stories later tonight, but will post instant updates in this thread.

Education needs to rethink its priority in how to encourage kids in their future vocations.. I am guessing in years past, kids learned a good work ethic in an atmosphere of agriculture/farming.. Plus it probably motivated some that hated being raised on a farm to work at something else so they would never have to return.. Dont have that ANYMORE with work ethic, common sense, or direction where kids are being influenced to think about those things.. We probably have too much in our society as opposed to not enough.

I still feel we are short changing kids by not exposing them to the skilled trades like electrician, plumbing, pipe fitting, construction trades.. Kids can make a great living doing this and the baby boomers are getting ready to retire so those jobs will become available. Many kids dont know those jobs exist unless a family member is already in the field. Much better option sometimes than going 150K in debt at a 4 year college with no hope of ever recovering that or paying it back.

I also think businesses need to be proactive in "working backwards" by dictating to colleges what the curriculum should be.. In other words, work in total partnership of telling the colleges that this is the knowledge and skill needed for the jobs, then find professors to teach that, then find the students so they have a clear vision as to what they are going to school for.. That seems like a much better investment of money than to put a 22-23 year old behind the "8 ball" of life with a school debt as large as a payment on a home.

Don't know if this will link. Go to The Daily Gopher if it doesn't. Amazing.

http://www.thedailygopher.com/2016/...-football-mitch-leidner-foot-surgery-recovery