Plenty of Gopher-related links on this Friday the 13th...
Phil Miller tells us that the U is spending $1.1 million on football facilities upgrades. This covers the outdoor practice field, which was in such rough shape this spring Kill couldn't use it for spring practice, and the weight room, which is getting new equipment. Sounds like the actual size of the weight room won't change, but coach Kill and strength coach Eric Klein are going to fit it with equipment that better suits the training regiment they want. Both are needed and should help the team's preparation, and perhaps recruiting a little bit too. So the next question is...how long before Tubby finds out about this and wonders aloud about HIS requested facilities upgrades? Just kidding. Sort of.
Myron looks at how NBA draft decisions have shaped the Big Ten for 2011-12.
A couple of articles in the Strib today about bats in college baseball: Gopher coach John Anderson has been leading the charge away from aluminum bats, and that busy Phil Miller also takes a look at why the NCAA just hasn't made the switch completely to wood. The reason college baseball hasn't used them is cost, but Miller says the gap is lessening.
Gopher baseball is on the road at Penn State this weekend. They have one homestand left May 19-20 against Ohio State. I can't stress this enough, but you need to be there. That is, unless you don't like enjoying a beautiful day of baseball at Target Field sitting wherever you want for 10 BUCKS. 10. And you may not know the Gopher players as well as you do the Twins, but you know the uniform, and you love the Gophers. SKI-U-MAH!
A few hockey nuggets from Roman that we didn't get to earlier the week: Don Lucia is high on his new captain Taylor Mattson. Roman also takes a statistical look at the incoming Gopher recruiting class.
WCCO has found a college football replacement on the radio for the Gophers: it's Division III St. Thomas. The Tommies and CCO have signed a two year deal to carry every St Thomas football game live, and you just might recognize the broadcast team, as everyone's favorite Dave Lee is back to do play-by-play, and he'll be joined in the booth by Joe Senser. This should give increased exposure to St Thomas, and will put them even further ahead financially than the rest of their MIAC counterparts. Remind me why the Tommies haven't gone D2 yet? It certainly isn't because they can't afford it (see their brand spanking new athletic facility going up on campus. During a recession. Yeah I think they'd be just fine in DII).