My ISP's news report today had this headline:
Teen Can't Shake Hiccups After 3 Weeks
Friday, February 16th, 2007 at 1:43pm
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.
For more than three weeks, despite medical tests and home remedies, a teenager has been hiccuping. A lot.
In fact, Jennifer Mee is hiccuping close to 50 times a minute, stopping only when she's sleeping.
The 15-year-old has had blood tests, a CT scan and an MRI since the fits started Jan. 23. Drugs haven't worked. Neither has holding her breath, putting sugar under her tongue, sipping pickle juice, breathing into a paper bag and drinking from the wrong side of a glass.
And, yes, people have tried to scare them out of her.
According to the National Institutes of Health, hiccups can be triggered by anything from spicy foods to stress, and they can start for no reason at all. They're caused by involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, which causes the vocal cords to close briefly, making that distinctive sound.
It's painful, Jennifer told NBC's "Today" show Friday, trying to talk through her hiccups. She said the rapid contractions hurt in her back and chest.
Jennifer's mother, Rachel Robidoux, turned to a newspaper for help, but the suggestions of hundreds of readers have failed.
"I'm just looking for some answers where somebody's gone through this," Robidoux told the St. Petersburg Times. "At this point, we're willing to do anything."
Fox news article from today, click on title to go see it.
TOPEKA, Kansas — The Kansas state Board of Education on Tuesday repealed science guidelines questioning evolution that had made the state an object of international ridicule.
The new guidelines reflect mainstream scientific views of evolution and represent a political defeat for advocates of "intelligent design," who had helped write the standards that are being jettisoned.
The intelligent design concept holds that life is so complex that it must have been created by a higher authority.
The state has had five sets of standards in eight years, with anti- and pro-evolution versions, each doomed by the seesawing fortunes of socially conservative Republicans and a coalition of moderate Republicans and Democrats. Moderate Republicans captured two seats from conservatives last year, paving the way for Tuesday's 6-4 vote.
The board Tuesday removed language suggesting that key evolutionary concepts — such as a common origin for all life on Earth and change in species creating new ones — were controversial and being challenged by new research. Also approved was a new definition of science, specifically limiting it to the search for natural explanations of what is observed in the universe.
"Those standards represent mainstream scientific consensus about both what science is and what evolution is," said Jack Krebs, a math and technology teacher who helped write the new guidelines. He is also president of Kansas Citizens for Science.
The state uses its standards to develop tests that measure how well students are learning science. Although decisions about what is taught in classrooms remain with 296 local school boards, both sides in the evolution dispute say the standards will influence teachers as they try to ensure that their students test well.
The board's conservative minority said the new standards will limit the information students get about evolution.
"There seems to be a pattern," said board member Steve Abrams. "Anything that might question the veracity of evolution is deleted."
Many Kansans harbor religious objections and other misgivings about evolution. The Intelligent Design Network presented petitions with almost 4,000 signatures, opposing the standards the board eventually adopted.
There have been debates or legal battles in several other states over evolution and the intelligent design argument, but none has inspired comedians' jokes or parodies like Kansas' ongoing battle has.
Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" had a four-part "Evolution Schmevolution" series in 2005, and hearings that year drew journalists from Canada, France, Britain and Japan.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat re-elected last year, cited embarrassment caused by the board's past decisions on evolution as a reason to strip it of its power to set education policy.
Charles Darwin, the British naturalist who proposed the theory of evolution, was born 198 years ago Monday.
Finally, it's NASCAR season again! Daytona 500 is in less than 7 days now! Go JR.
I hadn't bought Honeycomb cereal in a while but last week I did. I didnt' know they CHANGED the cereal... NOW it's terrible. The texture is soft almost and sort of like that cinnamon buns cereal now rather than the regular honeycomb texture.
The flavor is terrible also, doesn't taste anything like Honeycomb that we all grew up with.
Cops Taser Student Running Naked Through High School Cafeteria
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
WESTERVILLE, Ohio — A student ran naked into his high school lunch room, screaming and flailing his arms, until a police officer used a Taser twice to subdue him on Monday, police in this Columbus suburb said.
The 18-year-old student, Taylor Killian, had rubbed his body with grapeseed oil to keep from being caught, and got up after the first time he was shocked to continue running toward a group of frightened students huddled in a corner at Westerville North High School, Lt. Jeff Gaylor said.
"That prank went a little farther than he intended, I guess," Gaylor said.
Killian was quiet and cooperative with officers once he got to the police station, and there was no indication of substance abuse or a medical problem, Gaylor said.
Officer Doug Staysniak, who subdued the student, was monitoring the lunch period when Killian, with long hair and a full beard, ran in the room toward students, who screamed and ran away. The officer, normally assigned to a middle school, did not recognize Killian as a student, Gaylor said.
Police said an administrator ordered Killian to stop, but the student made a sexual gesture toward him and kept running.
District spokesman Greg Viebranz said he could not comment because of privacy laws, other than to say Killian will be disciplined.
Killian is charged with inducing panic, public indecency, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.
The senior was part of a two-week program for gifted students in summer 2005 at the Ohio Supercomputer Center. Gaylor said school officials said he was a good student.
How stupid is this guy... to be almost graduated and pull a stupid stunt like that?
I watched the WWE Royal Rumble tonight. It wasn't that bad really.... except for the ECW championship match. Test was 'counted out' in the title match with Bobby Lashley..that was really STUPID. The Undertaker and HBK Shawn Michaels the final 2 in the Rumble match was kinda cool, they rarely have 2 "faces" aka 'good guys' go against each other at the end. Undertaker won and probably sets up a Batista vs Taker vs Ken Kennedy Wrestlemania match for the "World Championship."
John Cena choking out Umaga was at least a different way to end a Last Man Standing match so it wasn't that bad. The rest of the PPV was pretty much decent, with a lot of it predictable.
I'd give the PPV about a B grade, considering it lasted LONGER than the last few ppv's that ended around 9:30 central time.. this one at least went until 9:45 again.
Mourners recall "gentle giant"
Friends: Wrestler Scott Bigelow was a big man with a big heart
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/27/07
BY STEPHEN EDELSON
STAFF WRITER
NEPTUNE — Even in death, Scott Bigelow was larger than life.
Hundreds of family, friends and fans of the massive wrestler known the world over as "Bam Bam" paid their final respects to Bigelow on Friday, a week after the 45-year-old was found dead in a home in Hudson, Fla.
"He was a gentle giant," said Anthony Mistretta of Belmar, Bigelow's cousin. "There was a compassionate side to him that people who were close to him got to see."
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office has ruled out foul play, although no cause of death has been determined. According to family members, Bigelow was a diabetic and had been battling a staph infection that had moved from his legs to an arm.
A Neptune native, Bigelow quickly developed a reputation in the ring for agility and speed that belied his 400-pound frame during a golden era for professional wrestling, beginning in the mid-1980s. He was easily identified everywhere he went by the flames tattooed on his shaved head.
"I was a huge fan of his right from the start of his career," said Robert Dennis of Asbury Park. "I loved his moves, and I loved his tattoos, especially the one on the head. He made it fun to watch."
While life had become more difficult for Bigelow over the past few years since the end of his wrestling career and a divorce, combined with legal and health problems stemming from a 2005 motorcycle accident in Florida, it was his time in the ring and the friendships he made along the way that were celebrated on this day. He reached the height of his fame in 1995, when his rivalry with former Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor ended with their meeting in the main event at WrestleMania XI.
"We'd be walking through an airport, and maybe because of the travel schedule he might not have slept for 28 hours," recalled Ray Liccachelli of Rockaway, N.Y., who was Bigelow's main adversary for several years in his role as Doink the Clown. "I was always very fortunate because people didn't recognize me. I was always under a costume. But poor Scott. It was like the circus was in town. And he always tried to be as gracious as he could. "Could I have an autograph? Sign my shirt? Sign my back, sign my leg?' He was always nice to them.
"One year I wrestled 297 days, and I know Scott did at least that or more, with 13 overseas trips thrown in there. At one point I wrestled Scott every day for seven months, in what seemed like every town across America, and the world."
A standout wrestler at Neptune High School, where he also played football, Bigelow finished among the top eight wrestlers in the state for two straight years during the late 1970s. He began training for a career in professional wrestling in the early 1980s at the Monster Factory in Bellmawr, and went on to achieve success with several different organizations.
Todd Bigelow, 46, of Springhill, Fla., would often spend time with his younger brother when he was on the road performing.
"We weren't like brothers, we were like bookends," he said. "You know how they say you can only count your friends on one hand? He had hundreds of good friends, and everybody has their own little story about how he did something for them."
"He was one of those people who would do anything for you if he was your friend," added Joseph Teresi Jr., a former Ocean Township resident who lived near Bigelow in Hudson, Fla.
In addition to his wrestling career, Bigelow appeared in three movies, including the 1995 release "Major Payne," along with guest appearances on several television shows.
"Over the last few years he wanted everyone to know he was Scott, not just Bam Bam," said his mother, Diana Bigelow of Manchester. "He wanted people to know who he really was, not just as the wrestler."
Click the blog title to go visit the Asbury Park Press
The windchill today, at almost 11 am is -12 degrees! It looks nice out though.. lots of sun, no clouds, but there's a strong gusting wind really whipping around out there.
I don't normally watch American Idol, but Wednesday night I caught the 2nd hour. The only times I really watch is when the auditions are on and they eliminate the 'jokes' who really can't sing. The final contestant turned out to be a guy who grew up 20 minutes away in Superior Wisconsin. The Duluth News Tribune has an article today about him:
Mom angry over son's rough 'Idol' reception
Superior Daily Telegram,
Published Thursday, January 18, 2007
The mother of a former Superior man who performed on “American Idol” Wednesday is totally mystified, and not a little angry, at her son’s actions.
“My son can’t carry a tune,” she said this morning. “My son should have never been on there. I don’t have a clue why he decided on go on ‘American Idol.’”
Lorimor did not see her son’s performance — she was watching “Medium” — but has received enough comments from friends and family to know her son embarrassed himself in front of millions of people.
“I had phone calls until midnight,” she said. “I finally had to shut the phone off.”
Thoen had called her with news he had made it through the show’s first two auditions, with his third airing Wednesday. Lorimor’s response: “I want to crawl under a rock.”
But Lorimor also has a second reaction: fury. She said her son is developmentally disabled. She argues it was irresponsible of “American Idol” to have allowed Thoen on the reality show, and consequently allowing him to humiliate himself. Lorimor said she is “seriously” considering contacting FOX, the broadcast company that produces “American Idol,” and giving them a dose of her displeasure.
According to a Baltimore Sun story published today, Thoen, who is nicknamed “Red” because of his hair, said he occasionally does a little “care-oki.” He predicted success, contending he can hit the high notes.
“This is not typically a good sign. He said he is as good as Freddie Mercury and launches into ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in a high pitch and hitting none of the notes,” the newspaper said.
Judges laughed throughout his performance.
“Thoen said he can even do country. This doesn’t help. Cowell says it was ‘like a 1-year-old’ and Thoen said, ‘That was harsh!’” the newspaper reported.
You can click on the blog title to go TO the complete article
The forecast for overnight says -40 degrees WINDCHILL meaning, the air temperature feels a LOT worse because of high winds. BRRRRRRRRRRR
Obviously, the button there will change as the temp changes, but right now it says -6 and our actual windchill is -23 so it "feels like" it's -23 degrees outside.
Once again, Bert Blyleven didn't get enough votes for the baseball Hall of Fame. It doesn't make any sense. Below is an associated press story from MSNBC.com:
MINNEAPOLIS - Bert Blyleven wore down opposing hitters over 22 seasons on his way to compiling some impressive statistics.
Now in his 10th year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame, Blyleven is hoping he’s wearing down the baseball writers in much the same way.
After getting just 83 votes on his first try, Blyleven received 277 votes in the 2006 results — showing up on 53.3 percent of the ballots. Election requires 75 percent of the votes, which are limited to 10-year members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Players remain on the annual ballot for up to 15 years as long as they get 5 percent of the votes each year.
Because it’s beyond his control, Blyleven will continue being patient. And because he has slowly picked up more votes each year, Blyleven will continue thinking positive about his progress.
“It’s an honor to play the game as long as I did. Whether I make it or not, I still had a lot of fun playing a kid’s game,” Blyleven said Monday from Florida, where he lives when he’s not doing his job as a television analyst for Minnesota Twins games.
Jim Rice, Rich Gossage and Andre Dawson are the other holdovers who finished with more votes than Blyleven last year, and Tony Gwynn, Mark McGwire and Cal Ripken are the headliners among 17 newcomers in the 2007 candidates.
“I vented earlier on, because I wanted my pops there,” Blyleven said, referring to his father, Joe, who died of complications from Parkinson’s disease more than two years ago. “But it’s up to the writers, and I think I’ve learned over the years to be patient. Whatever happens happens.”
Monday's News Tribune has an article about 2 different lakes, and vehicles breaking through the ice!:
Two trucks broke through ice on Duluth-area lakes over the weekend, including a pickup on Island Lake that sank in 30 feet of water. Authorities warned anglers not to drive on any lakes until it gets colder.
The Island Lake incident happened Saturday night with two men in the pickup at the time, authorities said. The men escaped, but the truck sank to the bottom and now must be recovered.
Island Lake is notorious for currents under the ice which can cause ice thickness to vary every few feet. While some areas now have more than a foot of ice, others might have just a few inches. And residents of the lake say ice thickness can change from day to day.
But temperatures above freezing and 10 to 20 degrees above normal in recent weeks have made ice on all Northland lakes suspect.
At Grand Lake on Sunday afternoon, another pickup broke through the ice, but only one wheel sank below the ice surface. There were only a few inches of ice in the area.
“The worst part about that one is the same guy went through the ice in the same spot with his ATV just a week before,” said Dale Ebel, Duluth area conservation officer for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. He thought it had been cold enough to make the ice thicker. But it’s been so warm that we’re actually losing ice.”
Ebel is warning anglers and others not to drive on any Northland lakes until the region receives several days of below zero temperatures. That could happen by this weekend, weather forecasters say. Officials say it takes a minimum of 12 inches of ice to support a car or light truck.
“I wouldn’t drive on any lake right now. I’ve been using the ATV and walking… and I’ve found some spots I the bays with just a couple inches of ice,’’ Ebel noted. “I wouldn’t drive a vehicle on Island Lake if you paid me. Ever.’’
You wouldn't catch me even walking out on a lake right now. This probably means the Big Jig ice fishing contest held on Duluth's Pike Lake is in jeopardy right now.
Through a link at the bottom of the blog, or through this entry.... try Vitacost.com and save a ton of money on vitamins!
Don't forget, you can do your GOOGLE searches, OR search my blog at the bottom of any page of my blog!
Today I saw the John Cena Subway commercial. It's actually a funny commercial so that's a good thing.
Tonight, Cena gets to wrestle Kevin Federline on WWE Raw so hopefully Federline comes out of the match seriously injured.. even though Wrestling is scripted.
I'm 4 hours early, but Happy New Year already :)
This is a long article from the Duluth News Tribune today, that focuses on invasive species that are infecting/affecting our lakes, and Great Lakes as well.
Invasive species targeted
John Myers Duluth News Tribune
Published Sunday, December 31, 2006
The incoming chairman of the U.S. House committee that oversees ports and shipping vows to head the federal government’s strongest action ever to regulate ships’ ballast water and thwart invasive species.
U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., soon to be chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said he’ll hold hearings in coming months.
He promised to pass a bill in 2007 ordering ships to treat their ballast water to ensure that foreign species can’t be moved into U.S. waters or spread between the Great Lakes.
Zebra mussels.
Zebra mussels.
On the day a Michigan law targeting ballast water takes effect, and on the heels of a federal judge’s order that ballast water be regulated as water pollution, it’s the strongest sign yet the federal government will act on invasive species.
“We were in a position to start taking action in the 1980s and early 1990s, and we could have stopped many of these species from coming in,” Oberstar said in a recent interview with the News Tribune. But opponents to ballast regulations “said there wasn’t the technology. They said it was too expensive. They said it wasn’t enforceable and that we needed more science. Bullshit. We don’t need any more scientific certainty. We know how adversely these species have affected the Great Lakes. It’s time to take action.”
Oberstar called invasive species the top threat to Great Lakes ecosystems and among the nation’s most-pressing environmental problems.
“Mercury [pollution] is a problem. But mercury doesn’t reproduce. Viruses reproduce. Zebra mussels reproduce. Lamprey reproduce. We have to stop that chain now or we’ll lose control,” Oberstar said. “We’re going to move a bill that has strong enforcement of ballast water to stop the destruction of one-fifth of the world’s fresh water. … If the president vetoes it, it will be on his grave marker, not mine.”
Stars aligning for action
The ballast water issue, simmering for decades, has started boiling. The signs:
* Last year a federal judge ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to start regulating ballast water under the federal Clean Water Act by September 2008.
* A new Michigan law that demands permits for saltwater ships takes effect Monday. If ships exchange ballast, they’re required to treat it to kill exotic species. Experts predict a showdown over jurisdiction.
* On July 1, a Washington state law will begin requiring state permits for ships entering state waters and requiring ballast water exchange outside state borders. California and Oregon have similar laws intended to add teeth to existing federal policy. Minnesota and Wisconsin haven’t taken any action on ballast water to stem invasive species.
* A new exotic species has emerged in the Great Lakes in the past year, killing fish across wide areas. Viral hemorrhagic septicemia — or VHS — has infected 27 species, killing fish from Lake St. Clair near Detroit into Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and a New York lake. The saltwater virus is expected to spread west, possibly devastating native fish stocks in Lake Superior within years.
More than 20 years after zebra mussels invaded the Great Lakes, the emergence of a virus that can quickly kill native fish has pushed the issue of invasive species control into a new era of urgency.
“We support what Michigan has done, because Congress has dragged its feet for 20 years,” said Jordan Lubetkin, spokesman for the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office. “But we really need a national solution, and it appears the stars may finally be about to align to get that. People are fed up with things like VHS killing fish. Fishermen are fed up. And this isn’t just about the Great Lakes. We’re talking Chesapeake Bay and the Gulf Coast and San Francisco Bay.”
Industry officials agree, although a fight is likely on the timeframe and methods. The shipping industry would have to spend millions of dollars to comply.
“I think we’re seeing the heat being turned up, mostly because of the change in leadership in Congress,” said Steve Fisher, executive director of the American Great Lakes Ports Association. “The Democrats appear more willing to take action on this. If this new momentum leads to federal legislation, that would be great. Our industry has been pleading for a federal law.”
The emergence of VHS also adds a controversial wrinkle to ballast water regulation, Fisher said. Michigan’s law and past federal proposals have focused on saltwater vessels. But with VHS already in the Great Lakes, protections would only work if they also applied to lakers — vessels that never leave the Great Lakes.
“We’re talking a whole new issue here that’s going to have huge ramifications,” Fisher said. “Imagine if someone decides that VHS has to be stopped and that we can’t move ballast around in the lakes? That kills your taconite industry and the Iron Range overnight.”
INVASIVE HITCHHIKERS
Ballast water is used to help balance ships so they float evenly and steer better. Ships can carry more than 2 million gallons of ballast water that must be moved quickly into and out of tanks as they unload or take on a load.
There are at least 183 invasive species in the Great Lakes, and scientists say the majority got here hitchhiking in ships’ ballast. A new invasive species is found in the lakes every 28 weeks, on average.
But it’s far from just a Great Lakes issue.
The U.S. Geological Service estimates that 45,000 vessels globally are moving some 7,000 different species in their ballast on any given day. Experts say there are now more foreign species in San Francisco Bay than native species.
Industry officials note that, even if all shipping ended, exotic species still would invade U.S waters.
The mean-looking snakehead fish found in East Coast waterways recently was imported by Asian chefs as a delicacy that needs to be transported live. The giant, leaping Asian carp now thriving in the Mississippi River system and threatening to enter the Great Lakes is spreading without any help from ships. Imported to the U.S. by fish farmers to clean fish holding ponds, it escaped during floods.
“We’d like to see comprehensive aquatic invasive species legislation, not just ballast water,” Lubetkin said. “It’s impossible to talk about restoring the Great Lakes if you don’t stop invasive species.”
Testing ballast treatment
Shipping industry leaders say nearly 40 companies have developed on-ship technology to treat ballast water. Several of those products are expected to be available to ship owners in coming months.
In the Twin Ports, the Great Ships Initiative is working to test ballast treatment in the lab at the University of Wisconsin-Superior, in giant on-land tanks being built near Barker’s Island and on vessels later this year. The effort is funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Great Lakes port authorities.
“We expect to get something [in a ship] on the water this spring,” Fisher said. “We have several vendors who say they are almost there with the technology. We just want to make sure it really works before someone spends $1 million on something.”
While the Michigan law requires one of four specific technologies — two chemical treatments, ultra-violet light and deoxygenating water — Fisher said the best treatment may be by another means or a combination of methods to kill even microscopic organisms.
Other technologies are being tested at similar facilities in Key West, Fla.; Tacoma, Wash.; Norway and Singapore.
Duluth scientist Gary Glass, a former EPA researcher, said the solution might be easier and less expensive than previously believed. Glass envisions a system that would use chlorine to kill organisms inside the ballast tanks of ships and then use sulfur dioxide to render the chlorine harmless before it’s released into a harbor.
Whatever technology is used, environmentalists say it’s up to the federal government to set a standard that will keep everything from new viruses to mussels to ruffe out of U.S. waters.
“The industry has had 20 years to do something on their own. The time has come for the government to set a strict standard and then hold the industry to it,” Lubetkin said.
But Jim Sharrow, the Seaway Port Authority of Duluth’s facilities manager, said it may be impossible to kill 100 percent of invasive species.
“Hospitals aren’t even 100 percent sterile,” he said. “You can get close. But trying to make a [ship’s ballast] totally sterile, that may not happen.”
Click the title of this entry to go to google pack and download some fun computer accessories. SKYPE is a program that allows you to make internet phone calls, voice (with your speakers/mic or headset with a mic) to anyone who uses the program. It is one of the most popular programs out there right now for download.
I didn't watch the game when I got home from a high school basketball game.. since I was told the score was 21-0 Gophers... then on the radio it was 38-7 a story said... well ESPN.com tells it:
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Trailing Minnesota by four touchdowns at halftime, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach told his team it had a chance to make history.
The pep talk turned out to be a prediction.
The Red Raiders spotted Minnesota a 31-point, third-quarter lead, then rallied for a stunning 44-41 overtime victory in the Insight Bowl Friday night, the largest comeback in Division I-A bowl history.
The previous record for a bowl comeback was 30 points, set by Marshall against East Carolina in the 2001 GMAC Bowl.
"We talked at halftime that we had a great opportunity to make history, and the reason people come to Texas Tech is to play all 60 minutes," said Leach, who fought back tears during a postgame interview.
It took Tech more than 60 minutes to earn one of the more improbable victories in its history.
Tech (8-6) appeared finished after Minnesota (6-7) took a 38-7 lead with 7:47 to go in the third quarter. But the Red Raiders mounted a furious comeback, scoring 31 unanswered points in less than 20 minutes.
Alex Trlica's 52-yard field goal as regulation expired sent the game into overtime.
Joel Monroe kicked a 32-yard field goal to put Minnesota up 41-38 in overtime, but Shannon Woods scored on a 3-yard run to win it for the Red Raiders.
That sparked a wild celebration for the Red Raiders, who mobbed each other while the shocked Gophers trudged to the locker room.
"Everyone felt like, 'Hey, we're going to win,'" said Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, who was selected bowl MVP after throwing for 445 yards and two touchdowns. "If you believe, good things can happen."
Tech's comeback began with 4:58 to go in the third quarter, when Harrell hit Phoenix native Joel Filani for a 43-yard score to cut the lead to 38-14. That started an avalanche that buried Minnesota in the first meeting of the schools.
"We're an offense that can score in a hurry, and everyone knows that," Harrell said.
Trailing 38-35 with no timeouts, the Red Raiders took over at their own 11 with 1:06 remaining. Eight plays later, Trlica tied it.
Woods rushed for 109 yards and three touchdowns and Filani caught nine passes for 144 yards.
For Minnesota, Amir Pinnix ran for 179 yards, Bryan Cupito threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns and tight end Jack Simmons caught seven passes for 134 yards.
Minnesota set a school bowl scoring record, and Cupito, a senior, tied Asad Abdul-Khaliq's career record of 55 touchdown passes. The records were little consolation in the end.
"We just broke down," Minnesota linebacker Mike Sherels said. "You just kind of got the feeling that we were back on our heels and playing not to lose instead of playing to win."
That's not how the Gophers opened the game. They jumped ahead 7-0 after Leach went for it on fourth-and-1 at his own 45 on the opening series. Harrell was stopped on a sneak, and six plays later Cupito found Simmons for a 2-yard touchdown with 9:27 to go in the first quarter.
Four minutes later, Minnesota made it 14-0 after Sherels intercepted Harrell at Tech's 37. Pinnix capped a six-play drive with a 2-yard run.
Another Harrell turnover killed a Tech scoring drive. He fumbled on a sack by Willie VanDeSteeg, and Steve Davis recovered at the Golden Gophers' 13. Minnesota marched 87 yards -- its longest scoring drive of the year -- to take a 21-0 lead on Justin Valentine's 1-yard plunge on the first play of the second quarter.
Tech had a chance to slice the deficit when cornerback Antonio Huffman picked off Cupito's pass at the Minnesota 20. But Pinnix jarred the ball loose, and it bounded into the end zone, where the Gophers recovered for a touchback.
After Tech's Shannon Woods scored from 1 yard out to make it 28-7, the Gophers answered with an 81-yard drive that ended in a 3-yard touchdown pass from Cupito to Logan Payne in the final minute of the first half.
Minnesota looked as if it ended any Tech hopes for a comeback by opening the third quarter with a 16-play, 78-yard drive that consumed 7:13. Monroe's 20-yard field goal gave the Gophers a 38-7 lead.
"Everything was going our way," Minnesota coach Glen Mason said.
But it turned out to be a mirage.
Afterward, interviewers told Leach that his team had indeed made history. His locker room rhetoric had turned into a record.
"Didn't realize it until the end, but I knew it was kind of a big one," Leach said. "Quite honestly, despite that, I would have liked to have spotted them less points in order to come back from behind to win this thing."
Goodbye Glen Mason, don't let the Metrodome door hit ya in the ass!
We've got almost 2 inches now I think.... the first real snow that MIGHT stick around until the end of February. They're calling for light snow almost every day until Tuesday ... but.. they never can predict that correctly that far ahead
