Today at FanHouse

Where I'm making up for lost time.

• YouTubesDay: Drinking Too Much in Minnesota - Michigan fans weren't the only Big Ten fans to have to suffer through an upset in their team's season opener. Golden Gophers fans had to deal with seeing their team fall behind 21-0 to Bowling Green in the first half, and as a result, it took some of the life out of their fans. Take this guy for instance. It would seem that our friend here dabbled a bit too much in the pre-game warmups, and couldn't find the energy to root his team on.
• Joe Mauer Knows Pain - Now the Twins find themselves in third place, and though they're within range, it's not likely they're going to be going back to the playoffs this season. There are a few reasons for this year's letdown in Minnesota, and some of it has to do with Joe Mauer. It's not that Mauer hasn't played well, it's just he seems to be slowed down by some minor injuries that come with catching for six months. There's long been talk in Minneapolis that Mauer should move out from behind the plate, and Mauer doesn't mind the talk. What does bother him is the implication by some that he won't play through pain.
• On Deck: The Mets Have Good Timing - The Mets have picked a good time to start playing their best baseball of the season. Ever since they let the Phillies get into their personal space, they've gone on a five game win streak and extended their lead in the NL East yet again. They're now up by five games on the Phillies, and 8.5 games ahead of the dying Atlanta Braves. John Maine starts the series finale this afternoon, and he looks to finish a sweep of the Reds and give the Mets their longest winning streak of the season. Maine has been fantastic on the road this season, going 9-2 with a 3.24 ERA in 13 starts. Of course, he's never pitched in the Great American Ballpark, and it can be a very terrifying experience for pitchers. I mean, it's bad enough that little leaguers can go deep there, but he has to deal with huge drunk men carrying bats? That's not fair. Those guys are scary.
• Scot Shields Has a Laser Rocket Arm - It's a funny thing how different people react to bad news. Some take it and use it as motivation, others use it to get down on themselves, and some just start smashing things. I can't tell you how Shields is handling his situation, but if his simulated game yesterday is any indication, he's frustrated.
• Ozzie Guillen Isn't Going Anywhere - So you're the Chicago White Sox. You won a World Series not too long ago in 2005, won 90 games in 2006, and now you find yourselves in last place and twenty games under .500. What do you do? That's a dumb question, I mean, what else can you do besides give your manager a contract extension.
• Juice Williams To Keep His Job...For Now - It's not exactly the most covered quarterback controversy in the country, in fact most didn't even realize there was one, but the Illini had a question to answer this week. After Juice Williams was knocked out of Illinois' season opening loss to Missouri, his backup Eddie McGee came in and played pretty well. Nearly leading the Illini to victory in the fourth quarter. McGee's performance had many Illinois fans wondering if maybe Juice Williams was the right man for the job. McGee appeared to be more accurate, and could move just as well as Juice. The problem was McGee's Grossman-like tendency to commit turnovers at the worst times.