The Greatest Minnesota Sports Weekend is Almost Here

It’s time to say it, summer is officially over. While I’ll miss the cabin trips, golf weekends, and rooftop beers, I cannot be happier that our major sports are back. Right when you feel that little crisp in the air, you know the tides are turning and it’s about that time to get let down by your hometown team. But I will say that Sep 29 – Oct 1 will be the greatest weekend of the year for us Minnesota Sports fans. Here’s why:

Sep 29 – Oct 1: Ryder Cup

Golf isn’t a Sunday nap sport anymore. There’s never been more hype around the game of golf than there is right now. Every two years we have a good reason to hate our favorite European’s fucking guts because of this tournament.

The Ryder Cup is a biennial match-play tournament that happens between the greatest golfers in the United States and Europe. While it takes place in Rome this year and starts at 2 AM every morning, Sammy Stats and I will be setting our alarms and just fighting through the pain because this is must-see TV if you’re a pervert like we are.

Sep 29th – Oct 1: Twins vs. Rockies in the Final Series of the Regular Season

**Please note this blog was written on September 12th**

It’s incredibly sad I have to put that disclaimer, but as it stands the Minnesota Twins are winning the American League Central Division by 7.5 games with 19 games remaining. Statistically speaking, there is still a chance they blow it and this very blog is a crude reminder of how badly they did.

Now that we got my required negativity out of the way, this is the final series of the regular season against a very shitty Colorado Rockies team who will most likely be mailing it in and will be ready to start their string of off-season vacations to the Bahamas.

This weekend will cap off a division-winning series and give us a good look at what we’re working on within the playoffs. But all we want is to WIN A DAMN PLAYOFF GAME. We can talk about what’s next after that.

September 30th: Gopher Football Homecoming Game vs. Louisiana

There is NOTHING like waking up early on a Saturday morning and cracking your first beer at the same time the average American brushes their teeth. Gopher Football is a fall staple in Minnesota and luckily for us, they have actually been pretty decent the last few years.

And homecoming is on a new level of hype. Last year they alternated colors in the various sections in a “Stripe” out, which resulted in Producer Cam buying a $75 ill-fitting gold polo that he wore in this depressing photo from Homecoming 2022 after we got worked by Purdue:

Because the Gophers have lost the last two homecoming games in a row, we’re SO due for a win. In my personal opinion, if we drop a third one in a row we should cancel the fucking thing altogether. We all know that U of M Alumni love it here so much they stick around the area.

September 30th: Minnesota United FC vs. San Jose

Everyone who listened to “It’s a Bit” this summer knows I’m (kind of) a big soccer guy. In all seriousness, this will be one of the few days you will see me attending two different types of football matches in the same day completely inebriated.

Currently, the Loons are 9 points back and 7th place on the table (Why the hell are we calling it that). So unless they start winning FAST, this game will not be much of a playoff push. As long as I can hit the Grand Casino Brew Hall and watch some high level soccer with a crisp in the air, I’ll still be happy.

September 30th: Wild vs. Blackhawks (Pre-Season)

Say what you will about preseason hockey but I think it’s absolutely electric. You can get cheap tickets, head to Reids for a couple, and then enjoy Wild hockey being back in the state of Minnesota.

Also, you can do what we did last year and overreact to every single thing that happens believing it’s a direct reflection of what will happen in the regular season.

And even though it’s a pre-season game, Wild fans will be some of the first to see first-overall pick Connor Bedard in action. I cannot WAIT to tweet this famous photo when the Wild win the game, it still qualifies for sharing, even in the preseason.

October 1st: Vikings at Panthers

This will be the FIRST time fellow Minnesotan and Vikings future Hall of Famer Adam Theilen plays against the hometown team in Charlotte. Although at the time of this blog, the Vikings are 0-1, I hope they are going on an absolute TEAR and want to keep it going come time for this game. Vikings Football is also the PERFECT way to cap off a drunken Minnesota Sports weekend.

I know this one will be a little emotional for Vikings fans and I can guarantee Adam will be the last Panther on the field considering everyone on the other team loved him and will want to catch up.

In conclusion, this weekend is going to be an absolute make-or-break Minnesota Sports Weekend. So make sure your beer is cold, your couches are warmed up, and your bets are placed. Because we are in for an absolute WILD ride in Minnesota (And the United States) sports fandom.