Something I've discovered in my years in Minnesota: when things have gone off the rails, people want to talk. More so then when things are going swimmingly and certainly more so than when things are merely average. If the University of Minnesota men's basketball team has a sturdy 8-10 season in league play, all is quiet on the Midwestern front. The Gophers lose a few games in a row and suddenly the emails start to crop up. They lose a few more, and my regular emails get buried in the cascade of fan chatter flowing into my inbox.

So imagine my current state of affairs. I've got meandering voicemails about the defensive zone. I've got tweets with six or seven exclamation points apiece. I've got emails on every subject from free throws to biased officials to the state of coach Richard Pitino's job security, and with references to the Goofers, the Gophees and the Rodents.

I get it, folks, I really do. The Gophers, heading into Wednesday's home bout with Purdue, is 6-12 overall, winless in the Big Ten and doesn't have any clear opportunities in sight. You're anguished. You can't concentrate at work. Maroon and Gold is starting to look like Blood and Mildew. Unfortunately, when I graduated from journalism school, they didn't also certify me to practice psychotherapy, but for an hour I'll give you my best shot. You wanna talk? Let's talk. Bring your questions, concerns and digital wailing at noon.