National Football? League

I haven't blogged for a while but while watching the Vikings, Eagles game Tuesday night, I've had enough. A Sidney Rice touchdown just got overturned. It literally was a touchdown. It was overturned because some 8D TV saw the ball move an inch after Rice leaped three feet in the air, came down with two feet on the ground, and was landed on by a 6'2" 240 machine. Good thing the TV saw it, because I didn't, my buddy didn't, the refs didn't originally, even Al and Chris didn't see it. But all of this got me to thinking. What the hell has the NFL become. It's no longer a game. Let's review some instances in the past year. There are most likely a lot more, but I'm just going off the top of my head.

Calvin Johnson's Touchdown taken away for the same reason as Rices. Every commentator, fan, and player in the league agreed that it should have been a touchdown. That would have given the Lions a win, and with the way they've played this year who knows where they'd be. But when again with these wide receivers how long do they need to hold onto the ball. The run at ungodly speeds leaping high enough to win Olympic medals at times, and land with the ball. But if and only then the ball wiggles. They don't lose control but it wiggles, enough that the refs overturn or rule it incomplete. What the hell is possession? If the ball doesn't hit the ground but wiggles a bit during impact what's the problem. Should these receivers take the ball home with them, and mail a picture to the ref showing them sleeping with the ball.

The league has been all over illegal hits, like leading with the head. I agree with this rule, I do. But what is a defensive player supposed to do at times. A receiver ducks or changes directions unexpectedly the defensive player is dead in the water. What about the offense not throwing those passes over the middle. They have no fear. They call Austin Collie fearless. I call him an idiot. Go ahead and be fearless, a few more concussions and you won't remember it anyway. When a dog with a shock collar on repeatedly gets shocked at the property line, they soon learn to stop going there. Why can't these human beings learn the same thing. Yes the NFL has to clean up the dirty hits, but they also have to keep the integrity of the game. It's a violent game. You know what else if violent....roofing. So if they don't want to make the millions playing football, they can grab some shingles.

What's the deal with the Eagles game being moved? 4 inches of snow? We had 15 inches of snow, and I know of squirt hockey practices that still happened. These are 8 year old kids that wet the bed, practicing for a sport that they won't play for more than another 5-6 years. The parents weighed the options, and ventured out in their cars, and went to practice. But the NFL felt this was too dangerous for everyone involved? They didn't feel the same way the previous week when the Vikings played. What if the Patriots are playing in the AFC championship game at home, and the same thing happens. Are we going to just move that game too? They've set a precedent now. The NHL played games at Madison Square Garden and Newark where they got in some areas four times as much snow as Philly did. So where does the league go from here? They have to be consistent.

What's the deal with the replay's. You can't have a big play without worrying about a flag somewhere on the field. Every touchdown turns into a game of Photo Hunt on the replay TV. While I want to the calls to be correct, I also want the games to have some flow, and not turn into four hour death marches. Why do we at home know the result two and a half minutes before the referee? What are they looking at? Coaching now has as much to do with when to challenge as X's and O's. Would we view Lombardi, Madden, Shula, and Bud Grant in the same light if they were terrible at challenging. Wheres the logic in that. The coaches have to gamble on when to check to see if the referee is doing there job. Not only do they have to be the best coach on the field, they have to know when to call out a ref. Call out an ump in baseball you'll get tossed. Call out a ref and prove him wrong in the NFL and get your timeout back. Do it twice and get another challenge. What's with these referees. Why are they so bad. I understand they're dealing with giant humans with amazing athletic ability. If that is the case, than why do they have 50-60 year old men trying to do the job. Asher Allen a can't keep up with an NFL receiver, so how can 59 year old Pete Morelli?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. I didn't even touch on the likely lockout on the horizon. I watch the NFL every week, I have the NFL ticket, own jersey's, play in fantasy leagues, and bet on the league. So I'm as big a fan as most people. But I don't like the way the game is going. I call it a game lightly, because it seems like that is they area that is in jeopardy. The game, the game that a lot of us still play or wish we can. It's a multi billion dollar business, and needs to be ran and managed properly and efficiently. While the fans know that they don't want to be reminded of that on each and every play. Fans want to know that some of the guys hit on the attractive sideline reporters, they want to know when a scantily clad reporter from Mexico walks into a locker room, she gets heckled. They want to believe that these guys love the game, and love the city they play in. So don't ruin that for us. We all wish we had half the athletic ability and a fraction of their salary's. That is why Madden is such a popular video game. Don't turn the NFL into real life version of Madden controlled by the owners, commissioner's, or "NFL offices", whatever that means.

KG

Kevin Garnett is an idiot. I was watching the game he played in last night against the Bucks. He has an emphatic dunk over Andrew Bogut and afterwards throws his forearms towards Bogut's head. Luckily for Bogut he missed, but Bogut took exception to the forearm and shoved Garnett. Garnett then acted like he had been innocently victimized, walking away in haste. This to me describes Kevin Garnett. He is an uneducated thug. Add in his recent slur towards Pistons Charlie Villanueva, and you'll see he say's and does whatever he wants.

He's the player that lead the lowly Timberwolves to the Playoffs for six straight years before advancing past the first round. While that is a huge accomplishment with that franchise, he also proved that he was unable to be a leader and put a team on his back and carry them to success. He in my opinion is one of the NBA's best role players of all time, and that's it. Yes he's won an NBA championship, but only after the Celtics, to their credit took advantage of the monkey's running the Sonics and Timberwolves assembled an all-star team. He has often been compared to Tim Duncan. While they are almost statistically the same player, they are within one of each other in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, and assists. They to me are worlds apart. Duncan has stayed in San Antonio and made players around him better, leading them to multiple NBA championships. Garnett had to leave and join a team of two potential hall of famers to win a championship. Sure Duncan's had David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli. But Garnett also had Wally Sczerbiak, Stephon Marbury, Sam Cassell, Tom Gugliata, and Latrell Sprewell. He didn't have them for as long as Duncan had his guys, but maybe if Garnett had the ability to make guys better or lead them to success, they'd be more willing to stick around and play with him longer.

For Garnett it's always been about himself. He's the same guy who when interviewed during the Timberwolves playoff run, said he's bringing his ammo, glock, nine-deuce, got some shell's for his oozi. Even though I'm paraphrasing you get the point. I think he's clinically insane. He didn't go to college, and I'm assuming that his high school career wasn't filled with honors classes, and math bowl. To his credit he's chosen the right career path, to the tune of $251,315,354. So he's got that going for him. But watch him on the court, what he calls passion, I call insanity. He's the guy that bangs his head on the pad below the net to start the second quarter of the fourth game of the year against the Bucks. It's the type of behavior that as a fan, you love for a while, until you find out their might actually be something wrong with him. The TV networks can't have microphones near the court when he's playing because of his vulgarity. And now he's calling player's "cancer patient". I love the fact when asked about call Villanueva a "Cancer Patient". He said that his actual quote was, "You are cancerous to your team and our league." Ok, KG we believe you, that seems to match up with the type of stuff you typically say on the course.

Yes he's won a championship, yes he's made over 250 Million Dollars not counting endorsements. But to me he's a thug. A human being that lacks social skills or knowledge of life. He's been able to mask this with athletic talent and money. I'm sure he's not the only athlete doing this. But every time I watch him I think how crazy he is, and that maybe a year or two of college would have done him some good. I am not a KG fan, I loved him for a while when he was a Timberwolve, but I grew tired of his antics while he was here, and now that he's gone I can't stand him.

Lost Control

Randy Moss has been released. First off I wonder what questions he'll ask himself and what answers he'll give. One thing for sure, is it has become apparent to me that Brad Childress has lost control of the locker room. It's time he needs to be fired. He has lost control, and he's over his head. He can't handle the chaos or ego's that go along with being a head coach of an NFL team. While I don't have a problem with him going for the touchdown instead of a field goal at the end of the half against the patriots, that is just the tip of the iceberg in his laundry list of issues.
I'm not hard on Leslie Frazier like everyone else is. Remember this guy leads a defense that hasn't had a sack in three straight games. But this would be a perfect time to see if he can coach. Let him finish the year, and see what he can do. If he does a good job, hire him. If he fails it was a decent tryout, and you don't lose much. Remember we are the team that let Brian Billick, Tony Dungy, and Mike Tomlin go and win super bowls.
But if he does fail, then we need to hire a Jon Gruden/Bill Cowher type. A proven leader. It will no doubt be a different team next year, but one things for sure, Randy Moss won't be there. I just hope that Brad Childress won't either.

The Honeymoon’s Over

For years and years I was taught to hate Brett Favre. He was the QB for the enemy, the Green Bay Packers. Last year Vikings fans went on a magical ride captained by the enemy himself. We took him in. We thought he was the missing piece to the Super Bowl puzzle. Favre played better than anyone could have asked of him and then some. So last year was as good as it gets.

Well that was last year. I don’t share those feelings anymore. I wish he’d go back to Green Bay, so it would be easier to hate him again. He is the Vikings biggest problem right now. He’s 40+ years old. He’s got a bad ankle, a bad elbow, and by the looks of the pictures a bad penis too. He’s going through a scandal, and I’m guessing his home life isn’t great. So he’s got some baggage. He’s obviously injured enough that sitting out a game is in his best interest. But he’s got this streak of consecutive games. We wouldn’t want to break that. He’s like that guy that refuses to go to the doctor, until eventually he dies, and it was something that had he gone in, it would have been an easy fix. Instead of death, it’s interceptions and losses.

So maybe a suspension is the best thing that can happen to the Vikes. I’m not saying T-Jack’s the answer either, but we won’t win as long as Favre continues to play like this.

It's snowing tonight in Ron Washington's Tampa Hotel Room

Ron Washington should be manager of the year. I know that is not received well in Minnesota. Our beloved Ron Gardenhire has been overlooked so many times, that this has to be his year. Well maybe he hasn't been overlooked, he's just been properly evaluated. I'm not sure if the voting includes the postseason, but if it does, in my opinion it's a no brainer. Ron Washington didn't something I'm not sure "Gaardy" is capable of. Well I'm almost certain Gaardy couldn't do it, because I'm not sure he's capable of taking a 2-0 lead in a series. But Washington let his guys into a game 5 on the road, and came out with a win. Washington's taken a team that for the past few years, had an indentity of all power, no pitching, no defense, no "small ball". They didn't do the little thing's that Gaardy loves so much. Well whatever they're doing now, they are doing it right. And you have to give the manager credit. We give Gaardy so much credit for every good thing the Twins accomplish, and usually it's deserving. But to say that Gaardy should win this award hands down is just moronic.
While it's obvious that Cliff Lee was the difference for the Rangers, and Washington couldn't have done it without him. Remember about a month after the trade deadline, and the papers, and FSN would run stats of what Cliff Lee had done since the trade deadline, and what Brian Duensing had done. Duensing had better numbers at one point, so they were leading us to believe that not trading for Cliff Lee was a good decision for the Twins. Instead we traded for a closer that was never used, and set up guy that wasn't brought in (We brought in Mijares in Game #1 instead). So Cliff Lee didn't go 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA, and 21 strikeouts in his first two starts with the Rangers in August. He just did that in the first round of the playoffs instead!!!! Imagine a Cliff Lee starting game #1 at Target Field, and dominating and giving the Twinks some confidence, and Liriano pitching game #2. And always knowing that if things get hairy, we always have Cliff Lee we could bring in 3-4 days rest.
Who knows how the Rangers will do against the Yanks, but they have pitchers that strike guys out. Hitters that hit. So that in my opinion gives them a chance in any game they play. So congrats to the Rangers, good luck against the yanks.

What's the Goal?

The Minnesota Twins have just clinched the division. Well as long as the White Sox don't stage a late innings comeback. What will be interesting though will be to see the Twins celebration. This will be their 6th division title in 9 years. So they aren't shocking the world anymore. The have a payroll of over 100 Million, and are the 11th highest paid team, so they aren't living on a small market budget anymore.

So it'll be interesting to see the celebration. I'm guessing that we'll see the goggles and the other typical horseplay. Don't get me wrong I celebrate a great fart 72 times a day, but the Twins need to act like this isn't the final goal. With all the expectations and the way they've been playing they need to save the crazy celebration, at least the big celebration for after the ALDS or even after winning the ALCS. The goal has to be different than in past years. The division title is nice, but they haven't accomplished much yet. They deserve this title, and earned it. They lost their closer, and best power hitter. So this is an accomplishment. But it's not THE accomplishment. So I'd like to see the Twins celebrate and move on. The goal is to reach the world series, not to reach the playoffs.

Kind of sucks doesn't it?

I'm sure most of you have heard by now, but former ESPN and Chicago columnist Jay Mariotti will be charged with a few counts of domestic abuse. I read an interesting article by Dan LeBatard, http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2010/08/23/dan-lebatard-on-jay-mariotti-the-vitriolic-reaction-to-mariottis-misery-frightened-me/. What I find funny is the double standard these public figures feel they have when the story is about them. It was the same way with Jeff DuBay locally. All the ex-ESPN guys who have been fired. They attack those who question them or even seek out information.
I have a couple of problems with this. First of all this is how these guys have made a living for so long. Criticizing and commenting on the on field and off field issues. Did they leave Ben Roethlisberger alone after his off the field issues. Did they leave Tiger alone? These guys are vultures. And it's not all their fault, they're only like that because their readers, viewers, and listeners want to know. But they also have to realize that when they become the story they'll be the subject of the same harassment and questioning. They can't stand behind their journalist badge. It's the old adage treat other people how you want to be treated. Especially guys like Mariotti who are edgy and in your face. They are treated like politicians who preach all day about how great they are and criticize those they are covering, but when it's all said and done with a lot of them are hypocrites and liars. Take the recent news that the Jets are under scrutiny for making rude comments to a female reporter. Who of these columnists that have ripped them haven't done the same. So these reporters should be the first to understand why when their own personal lives become news, we are quick to jump on the story.
Secondly I'm sick of journalists and radio talk show hosts criticizing bloggers and other amateurs who have used the internet as an avenue to voice their opinion. What makes these guys so high and mighty? What's the difference between Dan Barrerio and myself for example? He is a better writer, he is a better story teller, but as far as opinions go, we are each entitled to our own. So the main difference is he is broadcasting daily to thousands of people on a major market radio show. While I write periodically on a blog to a handful of my friends. But what makes him any more knowledgeable about football than me? I can understand the former players and coaches, who have an inside knowledge of the games they played. But these columnists have nothing on bloggers other than the size of their listening audiences.
Columnists and reporters now days can become news just as easily as the players and sports they cover. They can't hide behind their notepads when things go bad, just as they wouldn't let the players hide. So it's up to bloggers and other amateur media to pick up where they leave off when they're deciding to beat up a wife, or force them selves on an intern.

Let's get it started

Finally. This has been a long time coming. It's been a long time since we outplayed the Saints, and gave them the ticket to the Super Bowl. Since that time Brett Favre retired and unretired, LT turned us down, the Timberwolves and Wild each missed the playoffs. Well now it's time for us to pay the Saints back.
This is going to be tough game. The Super Bowl winners are 9-1 since the NFL started playing these Thursday opening games. It's going to be a tough environment with a huge home field advantage. But it was last time too. And that wasn't why we lost the last game there.
There are a lot of reasons we won't win this game. But I think there are two reasons we do.
Number one being our defense. Yes our secondary is weak at the moment, but I think our defensive line and linebackers make up for that. I think they'll cause chaos all night.
Number two is Adrian Peterson. I think he's the type of person who doesn't like being questioned. I think he takes pride in his craft, and doesn't like being recognized as the second best running back in the NFL. So I think he'll take it upon himself to have a monster year. And more importantly hang onto the ball.
I'm obviously extremely biased, but I think the teams are very similar to last years teams, I think the environment will be the same. So I think the Vikings hang onto the ball, and win the game 27 - 17.

Optimism

It seems like the Vikings are hit daily with a bit of pessimism. I think a lot of it has to do with Vikings fans afraid to believe. Let's look at the facts.
Let's start with the 41 year old QB. Obviously if he gets hurt that is bad news. But it's also bad news if Peyton Manning, Aaron Rogers, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady gets hurt. I'll take my chances with a guy who hasn't missed a game since 1992. And if he does get hurt, I don't mind T-Jack or Sage in the back up role. I think T-Jack might be one of the better back-ups in the league. He's like 18-12 as a starter.

Let's move onto the running back. He had a down year for his standards and is being labeled as a fumbler, rightfully so. So he has a lot to prove I think. I think we might need to rely on him more at times than we did last year, and I think if he can answer that and get back to the years prior to last year we'll be just fine. This is all based on the hope that the offensive line improves. I gotta believe that Loadholt is only going to get better. I think Center is becoming a big question mark for this team, so let's wait on that. Maybe they'll get some guy that gets dropped this weekend.

What was Sidney Rice before Favre? Who is Greg Camarillo without Favre? What has Javon Walker done without Favre? Is it the receiver or is it the Quarterback? What if Camarillo plays a Wes Welker like role, and picks up first downs and catches 80-90balls this year? Also how many games has Percy Harvin missed due to these Migraines? He missed one game last year. Let's hold off judgment until he starts missing considerable time with these head aches.

The defense is what I think separates us from the likes of the packer, cowboys, and saints. One corner position is a little weak. The other side is held by a pro bowler. Our linebackers and defensive line are the best in the NFL, and hopefully Ray Edwards can improve again, and give us 1 all pro D end, and another pro bowler on the other side. Teams can't run on us, and if we can put pressure on the QB then the secondary will look better too.

These other teams have problems too. It's just that the other teams weren't a play away from the Super Bowl last year. The other teams weren't in the spotlight all summer because of Brett Favre. Darren Sharper is missing time for the Saints, the Packers defense can't stop anybody in the preseason! So let's all calm down, step off of the ledge, and enjoy the season.

What's next

In the never ending saga that has become Brett Favre's career. What comes next? How will this story end?
The way I look at it, it can go three ways. The first being an absolute train wreck. Another option would be something similar to last year. A lot of fun, but nothing accomplished in the long run. The only other option would be a Super Bowl victory.
The train wreck option isn't that far fetched to me. I mean the guy is 40, are we really supposed to believe that he'll duplicate last year, his best year ever? Look at guys like Hasselback, Bulger, Garcia, and even Warner. These guys are much younger than Favre, and are considered too old. So can Favre do it again? What about his ankle? Will it last at least 19 games? He hasn't missed a game in 18 years, but he wasn't 40 all those years. Are we certain that Harvin and Rice will get better, or at least have the same years. What about AP, will he become the game changer he started his career, or the fumbler he was last year? A lot of things went right for us last year. So as a Vikings fan, we have to wonder, can we duplicate the magic?
The same type of year is another option. A lot of success but nothing to show. This is the Vikings 50th year, and we have never won the Super Bowl, so are we certain we ever will? A lot of things have to work in your favor to win the Super Bowl, and only one team can win it, meaning 31 teams will fall short.
Winning the Super Bowl is the the goal. We have youth at our skill position player, so you'd assume they'll get better. Our offensive line should improve with a little more experience, especially at the important center position. If that happens you'd also assume AP will have a better year. He had a down year, but it was still a career for most players. Our defense has a ton of depth. So looking at our team, you'd assume they'd be better.
A lot of writers and sports personalities are picking the Packers, Jets, and Ravens. This happens every year, they jump on board some team, so that at the end of the year if it turns out in their favor, they can say "I told you so." The Jets we a 9-7 team that doesn't make the playoffs if the Colts don't play their JV squad at the end of the year. The Packers are always a trendy pick, because they a the token little squad that could.
I think the Vikings along with the Saints should be the two favorites to come out of the NFC. I don't think the Saints will have the same success because I don't think they'll be able to duplicate the number of turnovers they get this year. So I think top to bottom the Vikings are the best team in the NFC. So now that all of these columnists and former players like Teddy Bruschi are hating on the Vikes, we'll just have to see how it turns out. I think Favre is a smart enough guy, that he doesn't come back unless he really feels like it's there is a legitimate chance to win the big game. He doesn't come back unless he knows he'll be able to take the punishment like he did against the Saints. Either way it's good to have him back.

The Beautiful Game?

As I sit in a press box waiting out a lightning delay for a soccer game. I wonder why anyone calls this the beautiful game. I mean I know why we as American's don't like it. If makes perfect sense to me. And the reason is because we're smarter than the rest of the world.
This is a sport that promotes ties. The settle their biggest championship with a shootout. Nothing about this sport interests me. I have watched 15 games live now, and literally have seen about 5 minutes of what I'd call intense action, and about a half dozen good/great plays. Granted I'm watching low level proffesional soccer. Hockey and Basketball are better live, not soccer. At least when I'm watching soccer at home, I can throw my TV into the bathtub with me in the tub to end it.
You'll hear the arguement, more kids play soccer than any other sport. Here are the reasons for that.
A. You can have 11 kids on the field at a time, not counting subs. So everybody get's to play.
B. It's cheap as hell. You need a paid of shoes. And I'm guessing that isn't even necessary.
C. Nobody ever gets their feelings hurt, because nobody ever wins or loses. Every game ends in a tie, so nobody goes feeling like they're not special.
D. There are so many kids on the field that you can hide chubby fat kids, and unathletic kids.
So I don't buy this crap about soccer. It's a terrible sport. Let the rest of the world enjoy this crap. I've seen guys go down and taken off on the cart, only to return to the field minutes later. What soccer is, is a level up from cross country and track. It's a little bit of competition but not to much.
I hate this game, and I'll never get world cup fever.

Is it true?

The question of the day seems to be, Is it true? Is Brett Favre really retiring. I mean you can't blame anyone for wondering. He's literally done this three times. HE even did this to us last year. So I'll ask it again, is it true. Did this guy ruin my football spectating season on August 3rd? I don't' want to go back to hating this guy.

If it is true the Vikings need to be held accountable. The passed on Donovan McNabb you was easily acquirable, and even hinted that he wanted to come here. We passed on Jimmy Clausen, and Colt McCoy twice each. We wasted the entire off season, and are now looking at opening a season with T-Jack as our quarterback? The assumption was that the coaches or front office obviously knew Favre was coming back. And it turns out they might be wrong. So now you're left with loaded team, and a hole at the single most important position in sports. Sure we won the division with T-Jack two years ago, but what are we the Minnesota Twins? We've got super bowl aspirations.

As far as Favre goes, this is a true testament of him. He waits until the rest of his teammates are back in action practicing in the sweltering heat, and says "this is it". Does he think he's the only one who got his ass kicked in New Orleans? Ced Griffin did, and he's itching to get back on the field. Granted he's not soon to be 41, but come on. Either Favre truly is retiring and held this team hostage for the entire off season, to announce now that he's retiring. Or he's coming back, and he just wants everyone to react like they did last year, and the year before.

As a Minnesota fan, I think everyone realizes that the Twins might make the playoffs, but also realize that they'll lose in the first round at best. The Wild and Timberwolves have no chance at making the playoffs. Which means the Vikings were our best bet, and everyone knows that Favre was the key player. Without him now, we're basically putting our hopes in T-Jack, and that sucks. This is another typical blow to a fragile sports mind.

Celebrities

I just don't get the infatuation with celebrities, and the utter shock and disbelief when they do something wrong. Lindsey Lohan was a crack addict bisexual, and now everyone is stunned that she's going to jail. Chris Brown beat the shit out of his girlfriend and he's back performing in front of people. Michael Jackson was a pedophile who is now put in an almost unparalleled iconic state now that he's dead. Jesse James was cheating on his wife with Nazi's. Mel Gibson might as well be a Nazi. Tiger Woods was in every hole he could find. So why do people continue to adore them, or more importantly why do these allegations affect their personal lives?
If I did any of the things I would lose half my friends. And these are my friends. People that I've shared memories and moments together that helped build our relationship. Lindsey Lohan was in a handful of movies. Jesse James built motorcylces. If it wasn't for that wedding youtube clip, I wouldn't know what Chris Brown did. So why do they continue to get the support. Any woman that purchases a ticket to a Chris Brown concert shouldn't be allowed to bitch about domestic violence. What about Michael Jackson. People can overlook the fact that he was an absolute creep, and alleged pedophile because he was a great musician 20 years ago?
Don't get me wrong I enjoy thumbing through US weekly, and TMZ is a great show to watch during commercials, but I can't believe it would ever affect my life. My favorite musician once was Kurt Cobain. He had more drugs in him than CVS. My favorite actor was Chris Farley, who was a obese heroin addict. When I found out each of them died, it didn't have an impact on my life one bit.
The reason I believe these people react to celebrity news with such emotion, is because they aren't social enough or interesting enough to have friends of their own. They are shocked that Lindsey Lohan is in trouble because they live vicariously through them. They've never experienced anything close to this in their lives. They don't have friends that have been in trouble, because they don't have friends at all. So maybe these people should cancel the subscription to US Weekly and People, spent a few days with no Internet, get some sun and talk to some real people with real problems.

Vikings Stadium

I don't understand the difficulty with getting a Vikings stadium built. I am not a political man, so maybe I'm missing something here, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Here are my reasons why I think the stadium should get built.
I heard Lester Bagley on KFAN the other day claiming that the since the Metrodome has been built the state of Minnesota has received nearly 300 million dollars in income tax. So that alone is reason enough to build a stadium to keep the Vikings here.
What about the supplemental revenue streams. What happens to the revenue from parking, and an extra 60,000 people downtown 10 times a year. This money goes to the state, or private business owners that benefit from having a professional football team in town. Look at what the Twins stadium has done for the warehouse district. It's completely revitalized it. Let the Vikings stadium do that for the other side of downtown. You're not just building a stadium anymore you're building a community. These stadiums create jobs. Not just in the building of the stadium, but throughout the entire area.
The proposed plan was strictly "user fees" meaning it didn't affect the average person one bit. So how can you be opposed to that? What I've heard is that the republicans won't allow any law to pass that raises taxes or adds a user fee regardless of what it's for. Well they didn't have a problem taxing tobacco did they?
What I think is we have a bunch of hypocrites in office that can't get anything done. What happens when the Vikings leave? We don't want to build a stadium for billionaires? That is how our country works, we all benefit from the rich. It's a free market so this is nothing new. We can simply build a racino and solve a handful of problems, but we don't want the tribes to cut off they're spending through lobbying and donations. Well tell them to build the damn stadium then, because for some reason such a small percentage of our population has such a big say in what we can and can't do.
I am going to write a letter to my representatives voicing my displeasure. I'm going to tell them that if the Viking leave they better come up with something that is going to have my complete attention 20 Sunday's a year.

NFL Draft

To me the NFL draft is the sports equivalent to blue balls. A lot of buildup and with no actual penetration. You've got guys like Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay who have full time jobs predicting this. If you go on the web, there has to be dozens of mock drafts. It's a growing phenomenon, that now will take 3 days to accomplish.
My problem with the draft is that you don't really know how things will turn out for at least two or three years.
Here are a couple of tidbits that bother me about the draft.
Tom Brady was taken in the sixth round. How do the experts and 32 NFL GM's paid to scout and study these players miss on him.
There is tape of Mel Kiper Jr. saying, "This pick was a mistake, this guy is not an NFL quarterback." This was right after the Miami Dolphins drafted Dan Marino. I think Kiper's credibility was lost that day.
Vikings fans were ready to riot when they took Troy Williamson over Mike Williams. As bad as Troy Williamson's career has been it is still better than Mike Williams.
The Houston Texans were mocked and ridiculed they day they selected Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. They made the right pick.
In the next few days we're going to see numerous grades. But how does anyone actually know how these players are going to perform throughout their careers. It is fun to watch and can be exciting if you're team takes guys like Percy Harvin and Adrian Peterson, but for some of these teams like the Lions and Browns who seem to screw it up every year, I'm not sure how they get into it.

Exploitation

My Wife like a lot of women, and even guys out there watches shows like "16 and pregnant", "Jon and Kate plus 8", "19 kids and counting", and all of those other shows that exploit these families. What do these shows say about our culture.
These shows are exploiting these families and the hardships they may go through. Let's look at the show 16 and under. They try and make these girls victims. When in all actuality they are immature kids, who made a bad decision and are either having to pay for it for the rest of their lives or are choosing to either give it up for adoption or abortion. Now who thinks it's an even better idea to stick a video camera in their homes and schools and sensationalize this major moment in their lives. Maybe instead of treating these girls like victims and rewarding them with a spot on a TV show, they should put programming on that educates young girls to the dangers of screwing.
"Jon and Kate plus 8", and "19 Kids and Counting" are very pathetic in their own right. These families are using showbiz to not necessarily help their families but market the parents. What kind of family would pimp out there kids to make a buck. Again does any sane thinking person actually think that having dozens of video cameras recording each and every moment in your families life is a good idea. These parents should all have their tubes tied.
Now I'm no idiot and I understand that these TV networks on putting these programs on because people are watching. So I'm calling out each person that watches these shows. They need to find a hobby, or invest more time in their own lives and care about that. Don't add fuel to the exploitation. And I'm also calling out the sponsors. They need to find a better avenue to spend their money. Lastly this falls on the TV networks. They pretend like their standards are so high and mighty anytime someone swears or cusses on their networks, but they jump all over any chance they get to stick a dozen video cameras in some families home. Look at the success rate of these families that put their lives on TV. The Hogans, Jon and Kate, and Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. They don't work. Did some TV exec, tell Jon and Kate this going into it? I highly doubt that.
In my opinion these shows exploit the sanctity of marriage, and the try's and tribulations of parenthood. And everyone associated with it should be ashamed that they support it or watch it.

Very Classy

I'm as hard on the home teams as anyone. I'm always complaining about the lack of championships, or even playoff wins. But the Minnesota Wild along with the fans showed how classy they are.
Mike Modano started his career in Minnesota breaking through with the Minnesota North Stars he was a fan favorite then, and I think most fans checked the boxscores to see what he was doing down in Dallas after the North Stars left and became the Dallas Stars. He came into town tonight with the Stars to face the Minnesota Wild in the season finale. While the game had no impact whatsoever on any postseason seedings. Both teams finished outside of the playoffs. But rumors are that tonight's game was going to be Mike Modano's last game. So it came full circle with Mike Modano ending his career in Minnesota, the same place it started. Mike Modano is the most prolific U.S. born NHL player of all time. He is the all time leading scorer for U.S. born players too.
The Minnesota Wild played a video tribute to Modano during the game which lead to a standing ovation from the home team for a visiting player during the game. Which I'm guessing doesn't happen to often. Then after the game when the announced the three stars of the game, the Wild name Modano the first star of the game. Modano came out of the tunnel in his Minnesota North Stars jersey, and skated a few laps saluting the Minnesota fans.
So congratulations to Mike Modano on a successful career that will surely put him in the hall of fame. He also won a Stanley Cup with Dallas. And thank you Minnesota Wild for showing so much class. It was a special moment for hockey fans, and sports fans.

Mr. Minnesota

If you were like me, and watched the Joe Mauer press conference yesterday, I'm sure you had that same feeling of happiness and joy that I had. This 26 year old just signed a deal making him one of the richest Minnesotans, and definitely the richest sports contract in state history, but there was no resentment or animosity towards him at all. Joe Mauer is a true Minnesotan. Kirby Puckett was a transplant so it was different, Kent Hrbek wasn't on the same level so it ws different. Joe Mauer is a Minnesotan.
We live in a state that is very modest, very polite, and very competitive. Those same characteristic's can describe Joe Mauer. This guy has got it all now, looks, money, talent, and fame. I'm guessing it won't be long until we see him popping up on some magazines 50 most eligible bachelor list. He does a great job representing us, and we should be proud of him. He's doesn't come across as a businessman like A-Rod. His business is baseball, and he's damn good at it.
Growing up most kids want to be a professional athlete at some point. And most parents over the last 20 years have probably had a hard time identifying athletes that their kids should emulate and idolize. Look at the top players from most sports and they've been tied to some sort of controversy, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGuire, Ben Roethlisberger, Kobe Byant, and even Tiger Woods. I'm not saying Joe Mauer is perfect, he might have a few skeletons in his closet but I doubt it. The reason I say that is because I think we all feel like we know him. I myself played football against him, and I have a guy at work who is best friends with his roommate, and they all went to high school and played baseball growing up. So you hear first and second hand stories about him, and they're always good. So as a parent now I think he would be the perfect person for my son to idolize. In fact after watching the press conference yesterday, I went and bought my 5 month old son a Mauer jersey and poster for his room.
Joe Mauer isn't the second coming, but when you open the sports page and read Tiger's text messages, or Roethlisbergers alleged assaults, Joe Mauer is a welcome relief and reminder of what can happen to the good guys. One of the news crews went to a homeless shelter yesterday after the press conference and asked the homeless what they thought about Mauer's contract and everyone that they showed was happy, and said he deserved it. I'm guessing that wouldn't happen with every athlete.
So going forward Mauer will continue to represent his family, friends, company, and community the Minnesotan way, the same way we would all like to do it. When asked what was the first thing he wanted to buy when getting a 184 million dollar contract, he said, "I'm going to take Justin Morneau out to dinner."

Sex Addict

So Tiger Woods is a sex addict. My question for you is who isn't? Is there such thing as sex addiction? Probably, but I'm assuming that is a problem a lot of us would like to have. I've heard of drug addicts, alcoholics, and people addicted to smoking. But from afar it didn't seem like Tiger was out of control like many of the people suffering from those types of problems.
Now I'm not a doctor, so it's not like I'm an expert on these types of things. But it sure seems like Tiger was in control of his so called addiction. He seemed to function all right in his work place. He had enough drive and focus to put together a decent golf career thus far. He seemed to handle his financials and business dealings all right. So I struggle with the term addiction for Tiger. Can't we call it like it was? Tiger got busted cheating on his wife, and this was a excuse/reason for it. Does Elin believe it? Every kid that gets busted drinking, always tells their parents that it was their first time. I hope no one believes that, and I hope no one believes this sex addiction farce.
All right let's look more at "sex addiction." I'm sure they're people out there that actually have an addiction and can't function in society. They can't get through the every day routine without a romp or two. But let's define sex addiction like Tiger defines it. Wouldn't everyone be a sex addict then? Every 13-18 year old kid would want to grow up to be a sex addict. I tried being a sex addict, I was just too ugly. I think most people worked on being a sex addict, but lacked the looks, or the money, and then in turn lacked the partners. If Tiger is a sex addict, what is Wilt Chamberlain who is rumored to have slept with more than 10,000 women? What about rock stars, like Tommy Lee or other 80's hair band rockers.
So while Tiger may be an actual sex addict, I think the term "sex addiction" might get thrown around a little too often. I think a sleazebag cheater is more appropriate. So Tiger shouldn't ruin the good name of sex addiction because I think we are all aspiring sex addicts.

Cake Eater Classic

The tournament is over, and I've taken three things away from it. First of all Breck grow some balls and move up to AA. Secondly Hill Murray was the best team in the tournament. And lastly Minnetonka and they're three Division I defensemen were extremely overrated.
The high school tournament is divided into the big schools in AA and the small schools in A. Most private schools fall into the A category. It's kind of misleading since they can recruit they're players. So there are a handful of teams that play in AA because they have pride in the program and want to compete with the best teams. So kudos to Hill Murray, Cretin Derham Hall, Benilde St. Margerat, and Holy Angels. Add in Roseau who plays in AA even though it only has 350 kids in they're school. So give those schools credit for playing up a class, because they feel like they can belong there. Any one of those schools could move down and play in class A and dominate every year. Just like Breck, St. Thomas Acadamey, Blake, and often times Totino Grace. These private schools are able to recruit they're players, and take players away from some of the leagues top schools. They are smaller in attendance, so are able to play in the A tournament. They take pride in winning year after year. Since 2000 out of the twenty teams that have played in the class A state championship, 12 of them have been small private schools, and 8 of the 10 champions have been again, small private school with Breck winning four of those. The reason that high school hockey split into two classes was to give the smaller schools who don't pull from the same size groups as the bigger schools, and don't have the resources the bigger schools have. But these private schools can pull from all over, they aren't restricted by boundaries like the bigger public schools are. And they have resources and money, unlike most public schools. So my question is does the High School League really think they're accomplishing there goal? That is fine if you want to have two tournaments, but keep the A tournament open to those smaller schools. Make these private schools move up and play with the big boys.
I watched every game from the AA tournament this past week, and there is no question that Hill Murray was the best team. Unfortunately they weren't able to get past a hot Minnetonka goalie, and wore down through the four overtime periods. The funny thing about a tournament like this is the fact that three different teams finish 2-1. But depending upon when they lose, they finish 5th, 3rd, or 2nd.
Lastly for those of us who follow high school hockey, all we heard about all year was Minnetonka, and they're 5 division I recruits. There is often times bias in the metro for the southern teams, even though only two of the last 10 state champions would be considered southern metro. But beyond that Minnetonka was billed as one of the all time teams. They went through the season with only one loss. But after watching them play the last three games, I do not see where the hype came from. Max Gardiner looked ordinary, and they're three DI defensemen wouldn't play on Hill Murrays first two defensive lines, and made big mistakes that took them out of the championship game.
All in all the tournament was pretty bland. The big name players didn't live up to their names. Other than a great Friday night game between Hill Murray and Minnetonka, the tournament lacked close games. That doesn't mean any changes need to be made, but it wouldn't hurt for some of these "champions of class A to come play in front of the big crowds."

High School Hockey

It's high school hockey tournament time. And this years field is really strong. I would say that five maybe 6 of the teams have a legitimate chance at winning this years tournament. The obvious favorites are the top 4 seeds with Minnetonka, Edina, Blaine, and Hill Murray. But it wouldn't shock me to see Duluth East or even Roseau put together three strong games. I have seen/announced 5 of the 8 teams in the tournament, and I would rank them in this order from how they impressed me. Minnetonka, Edina, Hill Murray, Blaine, and Duluth East. Duluth East has never impressed me much, but they've won each game I've seen convincingly. So I guess I'm missing something. Blaine is another team that hasn't looked that great this year, but with Bjugstad, they have a chance to win every game they play. So I invite you to make your predictions on the comments page. This is just for fun and bragging rights.

New Blog

I was recently asked to post blogs on an additional site. The sites domain is http://twinsmix.com/, my blog is 2010 Twins Preview. It would be great if you would go on there, and help build my following a little.

Retiring MJ's #

Recently Lebron James has filed paperwork to have his jersey number changed from #23 to #6 in honor of Michael Jordan. He has also asked that any player in the league that is wearing the #23 consider doing the same. He want's MJ's number untouchable, and the league to retire the number.
OK as far as I know the only other league to do something like this was the NHL. They retired Wayne Gretzky's number. Wayne Gretzky was traded from Edmonton to LA. And basically brought hockey to the places it had never been, and with his help the NHL is now scattered all over the Western and Southern United States. Wayne Gretzky also is the all time leader in goals, assists, and points. In fact he has more assists than any other player has points. He held 61 NHL records when he retired, he still holds 60 of those same records. And the record that got beat was for all star game assists. He won the NHL MVP 9 times, included 8 in a row. As far as championships goes, he won 4 stanley cups. So I can understand why the NHL wanted to preserve his history. Without him, the NHL would not be where it is today.
Some people including Lebron James want Michael Jordan to receive the same honor. If you asked 100 Basketball fans who the greatest player of all time is, you might get five or 6 answers. You'd get Jordan, Bird, Johnson, Russell, Chamberlain, or Kareem. And if you talk to a crazy drunk bastard you might even get a Bob Cousy. So are we going to retire all of those numbers? Jordan is 3rd all time in points, 2nd in steals, and 35th in assists, 94th in blocks, and 60th in rebounds. So he isn't the all time leader in any of the five main statistical categories. John Stockton is the all time leader in steals, and assists, are we going to retire his number? Michael Jordan won 6 NBA championships which is a huge number, but is tiny stacked up against Bill Russells 11 NBA championships.
Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history in my opinion, and was as clutch and athlete as there has ever been. But to today's players he's more of a marketing icon than a basketball icon. He was the first to have his own shoes, he is a walking talking trademark. He was the king of endorsements. He should have his jersey retired in the shoe, marketing, and endorsement world, but not in the NBA. The NBA was big before him, and it is still big today. He absolutely played a role in making it what it is today, but not like Gretzky did. So let the bulls retire his number, and if players want to honor him by not wearing #23 that is great, but doing it league wide is crazy.

Olympics

More often than not sporting events don't live up to the hype. But that wasn't the case in the gold medal men's hockey game. This was a fantastic game to watch, and it seems fitting that it ends with Crosby scoring the game winner in overtime. Of course I wanted team USA to win. But it almost felt like Canada needed this victory. If we beat them, where would that leave their seemingly fragile psyche's.
Before we get too far, let's talk about Crosby's career thus far. He's been to two straight Stanley Cup Finals, and winning the most recent one, and becoming the youngest captain to ever lead his team to victory in the Stanley Cup Finals. He's already won a NHL MVP, and now he's scored the overtime game winner in the golf medal game. If this 22 year old keeps it up, he just might make a name for himself in the hockey world before he's done.
The game was great, the Olympic tournament was great. I hope that they have NHL players in the 2014 Olympics in Russia. It would be hard to regress and use college or amateur players again. One of the NHL's big points is that this is the time of the year to be successful. There is no NFL, baseball hasn't started yet, and college basketball isn't to the tournament yet. But they are forgetting one thing. If they don't play in four years, they'd be going against the Olympics instead of being a part of them.
Lastly everyone is talking about the significance of this game, and what the NHL needs to do to capture some of the excitement from the games. But take the game as it was. A great hockey game, between two well known teams. If the game had been Slovakia and Russia, it wouldn't have gotten nearly the attention. It was great if you're an American or a Canadian. This isn't the miracle on ice, or any other cultural event. It was a great game, that ended a great tournament. It was as good a sporting event as I can remember. The NHL can't capture a whole lot from this. It is almost two different sports. The intensity isn't there, and NHL season is dragged over 82 games, plus two months of playoffs. The Olympics were played over the course of 12 days. It isn't going to make much difference for the NHL. This isn't going to change the majority of the countries view of the sport. A lot of people enjoyed curling, but that isn't taking off either.
So let's enjoy it for what it was. A great tournament by the Americans, coming up just short of the gold. The Canadians claimed they're ownership of the sport. The two teams combined provided a very exciting couple of games, and a great tournament. Let's just hope they do it again in four years.

Guest Blog

Check out http://mnhockeycoach.blogspot.com/ for my guest blog. I am the voice!

Do you believe in Upsets!

First let's stop comparing the US beating Canada last night to the Miracle on Ice. It's not even comparable. The USA team is full of NHL players playing in the same league as the Canadian players.
But with that being said, it was as much fun as I've had watching a sporting event in a while. We went into their country and kicked their ass at their sport. We were underdogs and no one was predicting a win for the US team. They had too much talent, and we were too young. We were supposed to be building for the future. It's not too often that everyone was proven wrong.
What's fun about it is seeing the absolute joy the players had after winning the game. This game was a preliminary game that only had a bearing on what seeds teams got. Canada can still win the gold, and the US team can still go home empty handed. But the players jumped into a hog pile on the ice after the win. When do you see that other than after the winning the Stanley Cup. As for the Canadian side, you could see the pressure of a nation on their shoulders getting heavier and heavier as the game moved on.
But last night hockey was ours. Canada is our neighbor to the north. Say Canada to anyone, and the first word that comes to mind would be hockey. The pride themselves in everything that is hockey. That is the only sport that matters in their eyes. Ryan Miller prevented that pride from going into the net 40+ times. He stood on his head. I said it before the tournament started, that the goalies are so good, that anyone of them is capable of winning a game by themselves.
Imagine if some other country brought a baseball team over and beat the best American team at Wrigley field. We would be devastated. I know, I know we don't do well in the world baseball classic, but that is different, and the timing of it prevents the best performances from the best players. That is what Canada must feel like right now. Add this in with the rest of the Olympic gaffes, and Canada not have high self-esteem at this point.
Like Herb Brooks said, after the 1980 team beat the Russians, "If you don't win the next game, no one will remember that last game!" So the US advances as the #1 seed. The get to avoid Sweden, Russia, and Canada until the gold medal game if they get there. How fun would it be to play the Russians for the gold medal, 30 years after the 1980 Olympics.

Winter Olympics

I enjoy watching the winter Olympics. It is fun to see sports that you wouldn't normally watch. But it seems like the Winter Olympics are trying to hard for the most part? For the most part none of the sports are natural. And by natural I mean like running or swimming, basically the Summer Olympics. Even for basketball, all you need is a ball. It just seems like everything has to be perfect for the Winter Olympics to work.
The weather becomes the biggest factor in the winter Olympics. We've heard for days now that there wasn't enough snow to do certain skiing events, and then yesterday they had to postpone a skiing event due to too much snow. I find that odd.
Yesterday there was grumblings that the speed skating wasn't fair, because of Zamboni problems. Apparently they had two ice resurfacers, and they both broke down at one time. So it left long breaks in the middle of the competition, allowing certain athletes to rest for hours in between races, while the other athletes weren't allowed that luxury. It also created unequal ice conditions. As a person who's done hundreds of resurfaces in my life, I know that each resurface can be different, and each machine does a different job. Some lay more water than others, and can even cut at different angles. Although if that happens you've got a problem. But it sounds like that was happening in the speed skating. Depending upon what lane you were in, you either got hard ice, or soft ice. So that made a huge difference. If you look at the results the skaters who were expected to be near the top that raced in the bad lanes, didn't finish as well as expected.
I heard a good quote on the radio today. "The Winter Olympics are made for countries who have cash and mountains, or mountains of cash." So much of these events are based on the equipment that the athletes have. Obviously that can be said about most sports. The track athletes aren't wearing old beat up tennis shoes. But it just seems like the equipment matters so much more. The ski's that the mogul skiers have have electronic chips in them to reduce the vibration in the skis. These chips are used in US fighter jets. The blades the good lugers use cost $20,000 a piece, and the manufacturers won't reveal what they're made of.
And another note on the Olympics, isn't it weird to think that some of these people dedicate anywhere from 4 years to their lives to be good at something that might take less than 2 minutes. And all that can be negatively affected by uncontrollable forces like weather or equipment? You train for 4 years as a speed skater, and then a Zamboni breaks down right before your heat, and you have to sit for an hour and a half, only to resume on ice that is different than your competitors? That doesn't seem right.
I'll continue to watch the Olympics, especially the hockey, which is the most unnatural of them all. But it just seems like the Winter Olympics are forced upon the world, and try to hard to get it perfect. They race on hills with not enough and then too much snow for skiing. The sled down icy hills to death, and skate on artificially made ice. They are fun to watch, and it is nice to see some of the great stories every four years.

Men's Olympic Hockey

Tuesday the Men's Olympic Hockey starts, and I can't wait. I'm going to watch every game. I'm going to be the guy that knows who's on Norway's power play. The Olympic hockey tournament one of the if not the greatest sporting events in the world. I'm sure the World Cup is riveting, but I live in the US so I don't care about it. So I'm going to love this hockey tourny.
This is a rare event featuring the best professional athletes and money is not a factor. The NHL takes a huge risk in allowing these players to do this in the middle of their season. But we'll get to see the most skilled hockey players in the world playing for pride. I love fighting in the NHL, and that's where it stays in the NHL. There aren't any goons in this tournament, there is no place for them.
What I love about it, is the fact that these guys fight each other one night, and then turn around and play side by side in the Olympics. As far as the NHL goes, a dream match up would be Washington and Pittsburgh in the Eastern conference finals. Crosby and Malkin against Ovechkin and Backstrom. In the Olympics you might have Ovechkin and Malkin against Crosby for the gold medal in Crosby's home country.
Most teams have great goalies, so they matchups become so important, because any one of the goalies can win a game by himself.
FEBRUARY 21st.
Game #1 Czech Rupublic vs. Russia
Game #2 USA vs. Canada
Game #3 Finland vs. Sweden
These aren't cities that don't like each other. Yesterday I went to Minnesota vs. Vancouver, and it's a fun rivalry, but these games pit countries against each other that don't get along. Now this isn't 1980 USA vs. Russia, but it's still fun. I don't anything about Sweden or Finland, but I do know that they don't like each other. So I'm going to watch the little hockey war play out.
So tune in, and enjoy it. Because this isn't normal hockey, it's like 3 all-star games a day, that play the best defense in the world. You have the best players and coaches playing for pride.

PETA-Punxsutawney Phil

O.K. I'm starting to come out of this sports depression I've been in since the Vikings game. And since we're in a sports abyss in Minnesota, I've focused my attention on something else. I've found a group of absolutely crazy people, PETA! The little tidbit I saw was that they want Punxsutawney Phil to be replaced by a robot groundhog. These people have lost their god damn minds.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10443831-1.html (there are tons of arcticles like this, and reading the comments are hilarious)

He's a f-ing groundhog. And he's fictitiously predicting the weather for the next 6 weeks. He's been doing this for over 120 years. So what kind of absolute psycho has any issue with the way this is done. I mean if you want to be part of something and fight for a cause worry about something real. The quality of life for a weather predicting ground hog is not a real cause. An African child that is malnourished to the point of death, and bathing and drinking from the same water they shit in, is a major problem. Worrying about keeping the groundhog in captivity and then subjecting him to large crowds is not a real problem. The fact that these psychos in PETA are allowed to walk the streets freely is a real problem.

This is the same group that after the Georgia Bulldog mascot died they want it replaced with a robot. I'd like to replace these kooks with robots that hunt and kill animals. I wish I could go to Jurassic Park get a T-Rex and let it devour their flesh and bones.
I'm all for the decent and humane treatment of animals, but this has gone too far. I don't want to see dogs and cats killed and beaten, but having a Bulldog live a pampered life of a SEC mascot isn't something I have a problem with. I mean without Punxsutawney Phil, would anybody know what a groundhog is? So this weather predicting groundhog, put groundhogs on the map. This is the one time in my life that I wish there was something above us on the food chain, and it would just eat and ravish these crazy bastards. They are worried about a groundhog becoming too stressed out. I'm putting a call out to all groundhogs, bite these bastards. They are trying to eliminate you're one ticket to fame.

I wonder now where the Robot activists are, to protest to robots doing this. Enough is enough, these are animals, and the fact is that this particular groundhog is treated better than many humans. So take up a real cause you freaks. What is the life like for the PETA person that actually took the time to write a letter and protest this groundhog thing. Here is my recommendation to that person. First grab a beer, fire up the grill, throw on a couple of steaks, and enjoy yourself. Punxsutawney Phil is not a problem. The Georgia Bulldog is not a problem. Freaks like you that can't function in a normal society are the problem. Stop wasting time on your bullshit ideas, and start providing something. Maybe talk to the opposite sex and see what they're all about.

They've tried to ban horse drawn carriages, they've tried to robotize any animal with a function/job. This is a group for loners and losers, that have nothing better to do in life that defend animals that don't need defending. They're irrational and crazy, and that problem comes from not eating meet. I don't care what you do in your life, whether you're gay, a vegetarian, or even a vegan. But stay out of my way, and out of my news. Stop trying to ruin my world. I'm sorry you got picked on in school, I'm sorry you had too many zits, and have never seen a member of the opposite sex naked anywhere other than your computer screen. I'm sorry you've never been to a party and interacted with your peers in a social setting. I'm sorry the coach didn't play you the required 2 innings in little league, and I'm sorry the psychiatrist and mom, tell you that you're special. Because the fact is that you're not. So shut the hell up, and leave my favorite groundhog alone, because I need to know the weather for the next few months.

The Day After

Where do we go from here? Once again the Vikings were knocking on the door. But once again, the door was open waiting for them to walk in, but they stumbled over themselves and never made it in. The Saints did not beat the Vikings yesterday, the Vikings beat themselves. An interception with :18 seconds left when you have a 53 yard field goal in your back pocket. And prior to that we took a "too many men in the huddle" penalty. Add in the fumbles, and they found a way to lose. So where do we go from here?
This team will be good next year. There are a lot of pieces in place. They have a very young receiving core. I'm not sure about their free agency status, but the Vikings have to go into the year as one of the favorites in the NFC.
Will Brett Favre be back, and do we want him? I know what he did this year. But you have to ask, at what point will he get old. He's already the oldest QB to win a post-season game, so are we going to push that envelope. This year was a lot of fun. As a passionate Vikings fan, this was a fun ride. I loved watching Brett Favre play this year. But can we trust him in an important spot in a playoff game. The last two NFC championship's he's thrown two costly interceptions. And they weren't tipped balls or something fluky like that. They were mistakes that cost his team the opportunity to win. Now in fairness he's the reason we got that far. But is he still capable of taking a team any further? He's not a young quarterback that is coming into his prime. If Mark Sanchez made that throw, we'd understand, and hope that it only helps him in the future. But what is the future for Brett Favre at 41. At the same point, what are the options for the Vikings at QB. If it's not Brett Favre, who is it? Do we draft somebody and ride a rookie? Or do we hope that Sage Rosenfals or Tavarius Jackson learned something from Favre. The QB question will be the biggest question going forward.
We have an All-Pro running back that can not hang onto the ball. So when does he become a liability? It's hard to put him in the game when you have to score at the end of the game. It used to be that we'd wait for him to break a tackle or two and run for 50 yards. Now we're waiting for him to put the ball on the ground. I don't know based on his running style if it's possible to solve the problem.
So where do we go from here? We've now had 152 professional seasons with the Vikings, Twins, Wild, North Stars, and Timberwolves. And we have two championships to speak of. That is a winning percentage of .013. So maybe we should change our expectations. We're Minnesotans, we appreciate hard work, and pride ourselves on being nice. So maybe we should enjoy a season like this and be thankful we got this far. We just seem to be in some never ending slump. I mean it rained on Hockey Day Minnesota, in January. That sums up life in Minnesota.
A loss like this is tough to swallow. You watch the game and the season, and your expectations start to build. I sat there yesterday holding my 2 month old son, and we were watching the final Vikings drive in regulation. I told Rusty that this was the year we were going to go to the super bowl. This was why we had Brett Favre, for this drive in this situation. Everything was going as planned. And then it all fell apart. He's too young to be disappointed. He's too young to take a shot of tequila and slam a beer. So I took a shot for him and me. So what am I going to do? I'm going to let it sink in for a couple of days. And then I'm going to look ahead to next year. Start my off-season conditioning. The way I prepare for the annual Vikings let down, is by watching the Twins win 25 of their last 30 games to win the division and then get drilled by the Yankees in the playoffs. Maybe the Timberwolves and Wild do it right. Don't expect anything from us, and we'll never let you down.
I saw a post on facebook from a frequent blog reader and he stated it perfectly, "Someday . . . . "

It's Gameday

Well we've finally made it to Sunday. Everyone has gone to church and said their prayers, and the party's are starting. It's been a decade since we've been this far. And as far as we're talking about it, this is only the 3rd time we've been this far in my lifetime. So it's a huge opportunity.
I think the Vikings will win under one condition. They don't turn over the ball. The Saints defense is very opportunistic, and without the turnovers they are vulnerable. I think the Vikings defense is strong enough to limit the Saints to throwing the ball and once the become one dimensional, the D-line needs to get after Brees.
I think Adrian Peterson is going to have a big game. I think the Vikings will win 31-20. And they'll be playing in Miami in two weeks.

Enjoy the Season!

For the better part of my football watching career, I've listened to everyone talk about how much Brett Favre loves football and loves being with the guys. I used to think it was all hogwash, and that everyone loves the game as much as he does. But I've come to realize they don't. Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wZb9znkboc. After watching that video I am now realizing that this guy is one of a kind. He defines what I love about sports. He's stubborn, competitive, great, tough, etc. He truly embraces the concept of a team. I've often scoffed at the idea of the locker room chemistry. But watch this video, and look at these guys. It's not scripted, it's not for the cameras, it's for themselves. You've got stars like Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, Jared Allen, and Percy Harvin just enjoying the moment. Percy Harvin and Brett Favre are almost 20 years apart in age, and they're fooling around like a bunch of high schoolers. These are professionals playing a game, and we forget that a lot, because with the pressure and scrutiny from the media they usually act like robots.
I think this Vikings team is special. It is made up of draft picks with Mckinnie, Peterson, Harvin, Greenway, Sidney Rice, and Phil Loadholt. It has great free agent signings with Winfield, Hutchinson, Longwell, Leber, and Favre. It has a asset acquired in a trade with Jared Allen. This team has come together and created the most cohesive, and balanced unit in the NFL. There are four teams left, and which team would be the most fun to celebrate with or spend a night out with? The answer is easy it's the vikings. Don't get me wrong the other teams are good in their own right, and I haven't made my predictions yet, I've still not 100% convinced the Vikings are going to win. But I feel like the Vikings are special this year. They give me that feeling I got when I watched the Red Sox finally win one. There are so many weapons and great personalities on this team.
The Vikings haven't accomplished anything great yet, but they might. We fans are so jaded and pessimistic we can't stop and enjoy what's happening. We beat the Packers with their guy. We embarrassed the Cowboys. Now we'll face the toughest test this week. I just hope that old #4, the playing the game like a kid, the gunslinger can keep his wranglers on, and win two more games.

Dome is where the Heart is

This is it Vikings fans. Forget the past, focus on the present.We're not the purple people eaters, this isn't 1998 or even 2000. This is a team lead by former nemesis Brett Favre. In a state that has gone 0 for forever as far as football championships go, this is our chance.
As hard as it is to believe, but the Vikings have been under the radar for the majority of the year. When everyone was focusing on the unbeaten teams, the Vikings had one loss. In the last month or so when everyone has focused on the hot teams, the Vikings have gotten their asses kicked on national TV three time in the last month. When the first round of the playoffs was going on the Vikings were resting and watching Dallas kick Philly's ass for the second consecutive week. But like I've told you before Philadelphia wasn't that good, which means those victory's aren't that impressive. Every national expert is jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon. You've heard it here before, but the NFL is made for knee jerk reactions. The Saints were the team, then the Eagles, now it's the Cowboys.
Basically the game comes down to the Vikings offensive line. We know what Favre, Romo, Peterson, Rice, Austin, Ware, and Harvin can all do. Look at the Vikings season the offensive line has played well 12 times, and have played poorly 4 times. If they give Favre a little time we'll win by 10 points. If the play poorly the game is in the hands of the gunslinger, and he hasn't had to take a lot risks at home this year.
I really think the Vikings are the better team. I wasn't alive for the four super bowl losses, so I don't share the fear and pessimism that a lot of older fans do. I was watching in 1998 and 2001 and every other playoff season in the last 20 years, so I know what it fells like to be let down by the purple. But I think this year is different. I think we have the most balanced team remaining. We can run the ball, throw the ball, we're got veterans with playoff experience, and we've got young players, we are good at offense, defense, and special teams, and we're healthy with the exception of E.J. Henderson which is a big loss.
But this isn't baseball and the Cowboys aren't the Yankees. So don't be scared Vikings fans. We'll be fine. I predict the Vikings will win this game 31 - 24, and we'll play Arizona at home for the NFC championship.

Enough is Enough

I'm done with these steroid guys and their pointless admissions and confessions. Until one of them offers up some sincerity and actually apologizes for what they did then I don't care. After watching Mark McGwire's interview with Bob Costas on the MLB Network last night I figured it all out.
Mark McGwire said he took steroids for health reasons and that they didn't affect his power numbers. If he actually believes this, he's an absolute moron. Look at the numbers during that era, and look at them before and after. He hit over 200 home runs in a 4 year span. And it wasn't just him, it was everyone. The numbers during that era don't match any numbers during any other time frame in the history of the sport. So either McGwire is just that dumb, or he's oblivious to the impact that steroids actually had on the sport.
I saw a story that Jeremy Schapp of ESPN did this morning and he said that, one time a reporter brought up steroids and began to ask McGwire about them. Not accusing him of anything but just bringing them up. Apparently McGwire chastised and even questioned this reporters manhood. Mark McGwire is the same guy who after breaking the record had the audacity to go over and embrace Roger Maris' children and widow.
The problem with these guys is they don't actually see the impact or care about what they've done to baseball. They apologize when it's convenient for them. Mark McGwire only apologized because he's getting back into baseball and doesn't want to be hounded by reporters each and every day. A-Rod only apologized, because SI reporter Selena Roberts had broken a story about his steroid use. Both of those two guys have stated that they don't believe the steroids impacted their numbers. What they did was cheat and lie to the fans. The fans who have followed this game through thick and thin for well over 100 years. The fans who bought tickets, purchased merchandise and bought into these heroic warriors hitting the ball farther than anyone had done it before. It had been generations since Maris, Ruth, Mantle, Mays, and Williams. We wanted our own pillars of the sport. We had McGwire, Sosa, and Bonds. But these guys are frauds. They've put themselves above the sport.
I used to think that if you voted anyone from the steriod era into the hall of fame, that you had to allow them all in. I used to think that the hall of fame would be pointless without having the all time home run leader in there, without having guys like Clemens and McGwire in there. Well we've been fine without having the all time hits leader in there. I've changed my opinion now. I want each player judged on an individual basis. McGwire, Clemens, Sosa, and Bonds absolutely not. Griffey, Johnson, Thome, and Jeter are in. I want my hall of famers to put the game above themselves. If you cheat the game and the fans by taking PED's or betting on baseball, then you shouldn't get in. I know there are hall of famers who are evil men, but it's a new era now. We've hopefully just got beyond one of the darkest era's in the history of baseball.
In closing I'm just sick of the pointless, useless admissions from these guys. I want a guy to come out and look into the camera and say, "I cheated the sport and my fans. My numbers are all skewed and there is really no way of knowing what I would have done without them. I want to apologize to all of the players that I selfishly passed up because I put myself ahead of them too. I wanted to be good, and wanted to be rich, and was willing to sacrifice anything. I apologize for the message I sent all of the kids out there that looked up to me. I was overwhelmed with the limelight and wasn't man enough to put in the time and hard work to become the player I should have been. I cheated to get ahead, and put myself ahead of the sport, my teammates, and my fans." That is the apology I want. Be a man for once, and come clean. It's kind of funny how everyone in baseball criticized Jose Canseco so much when he first revealed this giant baseball secret. It's funny because just about everything he's said has been true.

It's the Thuggish Rubbish NBA

What's the deal with the NBA. I think David Stern needs to go. The last few years the NBA has taken hit after hit, in the eyes of the public. Let's go back to the the "Malice at the Palace." The fight that took place between the Pacers and Pistons and Fans back in 2004. We've had a NBA ref, sent to jail for betting on NBA games. And now we've got accusations that two players are drawing guns on each other. They're denying that report, but there is no denying the fact that guns were involved.
I consider myself a casual NBA fan. I watch more Wild games than Timberwolves games, but I watch many more NBA games than I do NHL. So what message is the NBA sending a fan like me. I'm supposed to watch these gang banging thugs make millions of dollars. Are we to believe that Gilbert Arenas is the only player that brings his gun into the locker room? This falls on David Stern. He is letting this league run wild. Does anyone actually think that if Roger Goodell was the commissioner of the NBA this stuff would be happening?
We need to start at the beginning. How about we keep the college coaches, agents, boosters out of the middle school gyms. How about we require these athletes to be smarter than a box of rocks. How about we make them go to school for 2 years, or go live in Europe for 2 years. And if we do make them spend two years in college, how about someone actually makes them go to class.
The NBA has to be the biggest collection of unintelligent, thuggish, moronic, ungrateful people on earth. It's as if the NBA is unevolving. Sure they are some expectations. But as a group everyone from the commissioner on down to the bench players are all a bunch of numb skulls. Look at the big name players, almost everyone one of them has had some sort of problem in the past. What needs to happen for David Stern to actually take a stand? Do we need Gilbert Arenas, to end up pistol whipping a fan, while a ref is fixing a game? It's not that far fetched.

5 W's

WHO is the team to beat in the NFC. Each team has question marks coming in. My personal opinion is that we'll see Minnesota going to New Orleans for the NFC Championship. But if Green Bay beats Arizona, I think we'll host the NFC Championship game, with the Packers coming to town. Everyone is jumping on the Cowboys bandwagon. The thought of the Cowboys coming to the Metrodome doesn't worry me at all.

WHAT was the deal with the Cincinatti Bearcats. This team bitched and whined about not being able to play for a national championship. They should apologize after giving up nearly 700 yards to the Florida Gators in the Sugar Bowl. What an embarrassment that was. I watched the game, and those teams weren't in the same class. Cincinatti set the Big East back, very similar to what Ohio State did a few years ago. No one from the Big East is going to bitch about not getting a chance to play for a National Championship for a while.

WHERE is the next NHL outdoor classic going to be held. Talking to Minnesotans they seem to believe we're owed one. But I'm sure the people in New York, Montreal, Toronto, Denver, Vancouver, etc. all feel the same way. The NHL cares more about marketing than who the state of hockey is. The problem with the Wild is they don't have a lot of big name players, or a really big rival.

WHY did Adam James allow Mike Leach to put him in an electrical closet? Here is a 21 year old, 6'3, 215 pound guy being put in a closet. I think if I were that size, I might take one look in the closet and make a decision. I don't know all the details, but I know that there isn't another man that can stick me in a closet, without a weapon, or something like that.

WHEN are Brent Burns and Pierre Marc Buchard coming back for the Wild. I mean these guys have missed the majority of the season with concussions. Ben Roethlisberger gets a concussion nearly every week and he still plays. I understand that hockey is a violent and physical sport, but it's been 4 months now for Buchard?