Between the time I typed the headline and actually starting this sentence, Illinois scored a touchdown against the Gophers. I have no cheap shot to offer here. I've watched the Gophers for too long. I am immune to shock and disgust.

Sid just said, ``That was easy, huh?" Actually, that's the most intelligent thing I've ever heard Sid say.

-The Twins picked up the option on Michael Cuddyer's contract for 2011. That ranks among the easiest decisions Bill Smith will ever have to make. Even if you think Cuddyer is overpriced at $10.5 million, but the Twins need his righthanded pop, and he proved his worth in 2009.

There seem to be two segments of Twins fans: Those who buy into the Twins' image as gritty overachievers, and those who think the Twins have failed by not winning more in the postseason or making more dramatic moves in free agency. I would argue that both segments should be pleased by this.

Those who care about the Twins' culture understand that Cuddyer is a key figure in the clubhouse. Those who care about raw statistics and want the Twins to become more aggressive should understand that Cuddyer's pop and versatility would be difficult to replace, whatever the Twins' budget is going to be the next few years.

-The Wolves stunk on Friday against the Bucks. Get used to it. I find Kurt Rambis to be a likeable, credible coach so far, but there is an internal conflict that is going to have to be resolved, one way or another: He is invested in the Triangle Offense, and his most important players _ Al Jefferson and Jonny Flynn _ look frustrated by The Triangle.

If you want to see the Wolves win a few extra games this year, this is a major problem. If you accept that winning a few extra games this year does nothing for the long-term interests of the franchise, then relax, accept the losing, and hope that for once the losing will set up the Wolves to land a great player in the draft.

I mean, other than Ray Allen or Brandon Roy.

Upcoming: Follow me on Twitter at SouhanStrib. Among my guests on Sunday Sports Talk (10-noon on am-1500, KSTP), are J.J. Hardy (assuming he can get reception on his phone in Arizona), Jerry Colangelo (whom I covered in Beijing when he was running the USA Olympic basketball team), and a couple of my favorite sportswriters to talk Colts, Peyton Manning, Packers, Favre and Hardy.

I'll write another post after the Gophers game.

Does guacamole count as a green vegetable? I sincerely hope so.