Minneapolis / St. Paul News Blog

 

​                                                  Images courtesy of Wiki ,  shgmom56 , Monica's Dad

The biggest story lines for this week's Vikings vs. Seahawks matchup have come from the sidelines.  The long-rumored contract extension for Brad Childress was confirmed yesterday, keeping the 8-1 cross-dresser on the Purple sideline through 2013.  Chilly's initial contract expired at the end of next year.  Personally, I applaud the move: the guy has ascended his win totals from 6 in 2006, to 8 in '07, to 10 last year.  He's 32-25 at the Vikings' helm and, really, it's nice to see symbols of consistency in the week-to-week drama that is the NFL.

On a more sobering note, it was reported on Tuesday that Seahawks' owner and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and is receiving chemotherapy treatment.  Allen, also the owner of the NBA's Portland Trailblazers and owner-in-part of Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders FC, is one of the most unique figures in sports today and it goes without saying that his sound recovery would be celebrated by all.

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                    Photo by The Rocketeer

On Wednesday night, the Timberwolves lost 97-84 to a visibly fatigued Houston Rockets team. The Rockets turned the ball over; they missed open shots; they were half a step slow on defense. They looked like they'd left a piece of them on the floor in Houston, where, the night before, they'd been run ragged by the Suns. Still, they offered a clinic on how to beat the Wolves when you're off your game: hang around and wait for the Wolves to melt down. Easy.

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                Photo by Davesag

If you're interested in seeing the Wolves win games, or even if you're just interested in watching competent, easy on the eyes basketball, these past few weeks have been yeoman's labor. And the prospect of another five months of the same are a supreme drag. David Kahn seems to know this.

 

​                                                    Images courtesy of thane , Beth Rankin, anarchosyn

 The half-filled student section at TCF Bank Stadium seemed to mirror the host team's degree of concentrative powers.  True, the Gophers' defeat of D-1AA South Dakota State Jackrabbits on Saturday gave "The Bank" a victory on Senior Day and also accrued a vital 6th "bowl eligible" win for the now 6-5 U of M.  Moreover, it's well-worthy of mention that lessor-divisioned SDSU exhibited impressive pluck against a D-1 opponent on the road in their 16-13 loss while the Gopher's did in fact win their second in three games sans their best player, injured wideout Eric Decker. 

Yet, sometimes a win isn't simply a win.  And this one came with a breadth of baggage towing unfolded inquiries for a U bunch that ranks last in the conference in rushing and 10th in scoring offense.  With a trip to #15 Iowa to close of the regular season on Saturday, the G-Men look to acquire a bowl bid with a 6-6 record, this coming off a 7-6 mark in 2008 and their infamous 1-11 record in coach Tim Brewster's incipient year at the helm. 

 

​                                                            Images courtesy of Wiki, myerlan, shgmom56

At the onset of the 2009 campaign, when looking over both the Detroit Lions' roster & schedule, I believed them a four-win team.  No longer.  Not after their Week 8, 17-10 home loss to a St. Louis Rams bunch that came to Motown with a 17-game losing streak.  The Lions, in brief, have won two damn games in the last two years.  Number three in that stretch -- or number two this season -- ain't'a commin' on Sunday.

Photo by Tuchodi

Tubby Smith says Royce White will ride the bench for a while.

​"It's frustrating, it's disappointing, but that's life," Gophers basketball coach Tubby Smith told reporters this morning about the continuing saga of his star recruit, Royce White.

A few weeks ago, White was charged with shoplifting at the Mall of America. Now he's under investigation following the dorm room theft of a laptop computer last weekend. White says he had nothing to do with the theft, and nobody's been charged in the matter.

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                   Photo by leo.prie.to

As time ran down in the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves' third consecutive blowout loss, Jonny Flynn stared down the Blazers' Jerryd Bayless. He began a baroque assortment of crossovers and hesitations, tossing in a flourishing high-step for good measure, as if with this one display of style and attitude in a game already in garbage time, he could redeem his team's depressing performance. Finally, he scooted by Bayless, launched himself at the basket ... and proceeded to get his flailing shot roundly swatted away by one of Portland's many long-limbed defenders. It was just another off-key moment for the Wolves, in a game filled with them, filled with moments of hesitant, tone-deaf play. Wolves fans, there was not much to like about this one.

Photo by hellochris

​When the Twins play their first home game next season at Target Field, there won't be a shortage of places for an anticipated 40,000 fans to take a leak, thanks to 401 women's and 266 men's "restroom fixtures" now in place.

 

​                                                             Images courtesy of Wiki, shgmom56, Wiki

Here's how your 7-1 Vikings grade out via position as they makes the turn to the latter eight games:

Offense

Quarterback -- Grade: A

​Brett Favre's presence in Purple was -- and will ultimately be -- reviewed in a polar sense.  I remain a firm believer that anything short of an NFC Championship appearance will be viewed as a failure.  But at this juncture, the pole points ardently north.  Favre, at 40 years old, has been nothing short of stellar.  His QB rating of 106 is second in the NFL, and would represent (by far) the highest rating of his 19-year career.  His 16 touchdown throws are tied for third in the league and his diminutive three picks are the fewest for any quarterback with at least 164 attempts.  Two wins over Green Bay gave the Vikings their first sweep of the pack in the Childress era, while late-game heroics over San Fran and Baltimore only furthered the fable that is Favre.  He's leading the Vikings to 30.5 plus points per, which would represent the first 30-plus scoring average since . . . well, let's not go there quite yet.

Warriors

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          Photo by Dunechaser
In this Timberwolves' season of deep education and painful inexperience, it was only a matter of time before they got utterly stomped. And now its happened twice in two days--a 116-93 loss in Portland and a monumental 146-105 beatdown at the hands of the Golden State Warriors. In both games, the expected offensive growing pains have been in evidence: they've been careless with the ball; they've spaced the floor poorly; their ball movement has been awkward. But its the defensive end where they've seemed heavily over-matched, first by the methodical Blazers (who nevertheless were able to score 21 fast-break points), then by the frenetic Warriors.

Photo by Ian Meyer

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Kevin Garnett, in the future

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                    Photo by Dariusz_Ejkiewicz

When the Boston Celtics and our old friend Kevin Garnett rolled into town on Wednesday, I'm pretty sure most of us expected to see the buzzsaw that had just carved up the Sixers 105-74 the night before, that was holding its opponents to 38% shooting on the year, and that had mangled the Wolves at Target Center a year ago. What we got instead was a tired and somewhat uninspired Celtics team, unable to hit many open shots, unable to play their customary throttling defense. Even KG's reliably feverish exuberance was a little muted. For their part, the Wolves looked spry in playing their best basketball of the year and very nearly shocking the hell out of everybody.   

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                   Photo by photomastergreg

The Timberwolves have been playing for nigh on a week now and there are very few surprises to report. Since their rather miraculous opening night comeback against New Jersey, the Puppies have gone down in spirited losses to the Cavs (104-87), Suns (120-112) and Clippers (93-90). At different moments they've looked tentative, energetic, jittery, precocious and painfully young--and occasionally, all of those things at once. So, the massive highs, the crushing lows:

 

​                                                          Images courtesy of 13twentythree Photography 

 MOUNDS VIEW, MN --

(Note: Some images and audio NSFW)

To say that the Women's Oil Wrestling Championship on Friday eve was simply a "slick" event, would serve as an understatement.  Leviathanly Lubricous would prove more apt.

 

​                                                 Images courtesy of Wiki, shgmom56,  avinashkunnath 

The spirits will appear in various forms this weekend in Green Bay.  They will arrive in their incipience on Saturday for Halloween before shifting shape to the liquid form of elixirs for the long and spooky tailgate that will extend from Sunday morn into the 3 o'clock hour.  And come afternoon, Brett Favre will reappear, returning in costumed Purple after twice rising from the NFL afterlife and once from the sister conference.

Earlier in the week, we visited how Brett will be received at Lambeau Field, so let us get to the bones of the matchup.

​ Ultimate fail: Announcing someone is dead on an official Web site when it isn't actually true. The Minnesota Vikings had to quickly retract a statement from their Web site last night after falsely reporting the death of former player Orlando Thomas. He has been battling Lou Gehrig's Disease, but his family said he was still alive and kicking, watching basketball with his family at home.

The Associated Press took the information from the Vikings site and did a write-up that made it to Yahoo News. The AP reported that Thomas died early Wednesday at the age of 37. The report said the Vikings had already planned a moment of silence of Thomas during their next home game Nov. 15.

But then the Vikings learned he was still alive and the backtracking began.

​ We could hardly contain our excitement when we saw Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton was coming to the Mall of America to promote his new autobiography, "Every Day is Game Day." Could life really get any better?

Well yes it definitely can. Want to know why? Because Tarkenson is "visiting" MOA via Skype, aka a webcam. It's the first-ever Skype video feed from MOA, so it must be amazing! You know, that technology that was really state-of-the-art and fascinating about 10 years ago? The days when you could "video chat" and it was almost like really being there with someone! Only, they moved slow and their voice cracked out every three seconds.

​                                                 Images courtesy of Wiki, shgmom56, avinashkunnath

 Lambeau Field, I've never had the pleasure.  Nor have I ever been to Green Bay, Wis., home to the Packers since 1921.  After the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals (nee: Chicago), the Pack is the third-oldest franchise in the NFL.  On Sunday, they'll host the league's second oldest (non-kicking) player when Brett Favre leads the Vikings into Lambeau.  Favre played 16 seasons in Green Bay, winning the MVP thrice (1995-97) and capturing the Super Bowl XXXI crown.

But when the all-time leader in passing yards, completions and touchdowns returns to said confines this weekend, he will find them unfriendly and will be soundly booed.  Here's why:

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The air is brisk, the leaves are changing color, and women in roller skates are beating the crap out of each other. It must be fall. Last weekend marked the start of St. Paul's Minnesota Rollergirls. This weekend it's time for the Northstar Rollergirls to be brutal in Minneapolis.

​                                                  Images courtesy of deelovely_67, Wiki , SteelCityHobbies

Mike Tomlin, former Viking defensive coordinator (2006) and present head coach of the defending champ Steelers, is 18-4 at home since getting plucked by Pittsburgh brass as a 34-year-old assistant.  In what will prove the 6-0 Vikings' most daunting test to date, Past portends Prologue lest the Purple can take advantage of a rare Steeler weakness.

Pitt is 4-2 on the season, a record which includes a Week 2 loss at the now 3-2 Bears and a rare home hiccup to upstart Cincinnati, whose record mirrors that of the Steelers in the AFC North.  Recent history between the Vikings and Steelers is spare, and prognostication is bare of even a Pitt result versus Week 6 Vikings opponent, Baltimore, whom the Steelers face twice in the final six weeks of the season.  Further evidence of the showdown's scarcity can be witnessed in the fact that this is Minnesota's first trip to Pittsburgh since 2001.  In addition, Brett Favre -- he of nearly 280 regular season games played -- has opposed the Steely prospect on just four previous occasions, going 2-2 lifetime.

Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota

​The University of Minnesota's Goldy Gopher made national headlines after last weekend's game against Penn State. The frisky not-actually-a-gopher mascot decided to mock/imitate a Penn State player as he knelt along the sidelines to pray before a game.

The University felt the need to apologize for their gopher's bad deed, partially to avert any continuing controversy and also because mascots don't talk. All this hoopla and the player says he isn't even bothered by it.

Check out the original video of the incident and the University's apology below.

​                                                                                               Images courtesy of Wiki 

When you're playing on a team alongside Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Jared Allen, Steve Hutchinson, Kevin Williams and Antoine Winfield -- it's easy to get lost in the Purple.  Hell, even with his 176 receiving yards and crucial late-game snare in the Vikings' 33-31 win over Baltimore, Sidney may not have even been the most celebrated "Rice" on the field on Sunday, given the 194 combined yards and two TD's collected by the Ravens' Ray Rice.

In the history of the NFL & AFL, just two men donning the Rice surname have graced the wide receiver position.  The latter, of course, is our boy Sidney -- Care to take a stab at the former?

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                                                                                                                   Images courtesy of SOM​

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

                   -F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"

 

As the proverb goes: the dog barks, the caravan moves on.  As the ALCS moves on without us, gentle reader, I hope you can suffer me one more baseball bark.

Throughout this season, the Twins last in the Dome, we've taken four prior strolls to recognize the club's now-previous environs.  To revisit these pieces, please click upon the number for each respective column: 1  2  3  4.

Before engendering coverage of Vikings and Gophers football in this space, please enjoy this fifth and final entry, whereupon myriad Twins fans were kind enough to share their video impressions of their own Metrodome Memories and the team's move to Target Field.  Many thanks to all who participated back on 9/15 when the Boys were 5.5 games out with little hope at the postseason.  In about a month from now, we'll hopefully have opportunity to celebrate Joe Mauer's deserved American League MVP, earned via his unprecedented third batting title for a catcher, the highest batting average ever attained by a player at his position(.365), and league-leading slugging (.587) and on-base (.444) percentages.  Until that late-November date, please enjoy the videos below:

 

​                                                       Images courtesy of Keith Allison, ConspiracyofHappiness

In the bottom of the 7th of last night's season-ending loss to the Yankees, Delmon Young managed to hit himself in the nuts (with batted ball) during an at-bat.  The moment felt symbolic of the Twins playoff experience as a whole.

Young would later double in the at-bat.  That the Twins' were unable to bring him around to notch the score at 2's would seem another microcosm of the club's ALDS sweepage at the hands of New York.  Few believed that the Twins could outlast what was baseball's most-winning club during the regular season, however after having led in all three contests -- the chill in our baseball hearts is mirrored only by the snow upon our autumnal ground.

This series hurt; underground media outlets reported this morning that local noose sales rose 20 percent.

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Skates, pads, sticks are first-come, first-served.

The stuff will be doled out from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. tomorrow at the Xcel Center, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. There are apparently more than 2,000 pieces of equipment up for grabs.

Anyone can get it. You don't even have to prove that you're poor. Here's more details from the Biz Journal on who's giving up the stuff:

 

​                                                      Images courtesy of Keith Allison, Wigstruck

The term "Must Win" has become stale at best.  Really: "If we lose we're screwed" offers more candor and edge.  So says history.

After Wednesday's 7-2 loss to the Yanks in Game 1 of the ALDS, the Twins took the day off Thursday and, from our vantage 1,200 miles away, we can only hope & trust that they Boys got some much needed rest.

I don't like the Best-of-five format.  That's not said to bemoan our chances at this stage (really), it's truly a broader brush painting the frustrating fact that since baseball brought in the Wild Card and Divisional Series 5-game format in 1995, just four teams -- Seattle ('95), Red Sox (99'), Yankees ('01), Red Sox ('03) -- have ever come back from an 0-2 deficit to win a Divisional series.  These should be seven games, which afford teams the true opportunity to flesh out their personalities.  After grinding through 162 (or more) contests, why the hell not just play it all the way out?  The best-of-five can take a team (that's not to say us) from an emotional zenith to, well, vacation, in four damn days.

Really, the Twins are far from being out of this.  Keep faith, gentle readers.  And enjoy capsules for the next two playoffs ballgames -- Game 2 today at 5 Central in NYC and Game 3 back here at home on Sunday at 6 p.m. Central.  If necessary: times are now also listed for Game 4 (Metrodome, Monday 10/12 at 4 p.m. Central) and Game 5 (Yankee Stadium, Wednesday, 10/14 at 5 p.m. Central).

 

​                                                                 Images courtesy of Keith Allison 

Have you ever tried a Whippet?  In brief, it's a little cartridge of nitrous oxide that, when inhaled, offers a brief aura of elation, followed by the sensation of feeling like your brain is kinda dead.  My apologies for beginning herein with an untoward recreational reference, but after the Twins intoxicating House of Cards win on Tuesday night, Wednesday's 7-2 ALDS loss to the Yankees proved achingly-sobering.

The Boys came out of the gates with impressive pluck, evidencing little malaise after capturing the Central crown just 20 hours prior and arriving at their New York hotel circa 4 a.m.  But the inspiring 2-0 lead the Twins took into the bottom of the third proved ultimately short-lived, as Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter pounded a Brain Duensing off-speed offering into the left field stands to notch the score.  An inning later, the Yankees took a 3-2 edge off Duensing compliments of a Nick Swisher double and the Pinstripes never looked back. 

​Span, Cabrera, Mauer and Punto had two hits apiece for the Twins.  C.C. Sabathia allowed just one earned run in 6.2 innings of work to get the win.  To see the box score, please click here.

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They're the evil Empire to the Twins' scrappy rebels. If that's not enough to make you hate the Yankees, here's 10 more good reasons.

 

​                                                          Images courtesy of Keith Allison

Perhaps someone should inform New Yorkers that -- at least for the last six days -- our T.C. sporting universe has become the city that never sleeps.  In a nearly five-hour affair that took on the bizarre dimensions of a Kubrick film, Alexi Casilla singled in Carlos Gomez in the bottom of the 12th last night to down the Tigers 6-5 and give the Twins the Central Division title.  The victory elevated our Boys to a best-of-five American League Divisional Series playoff showdown with the New York Yankees, who sported baseball's best record at 103-59.  Emblematic of the insanity was the fact that Casilla's game-winner was just his fourth hit since August 25th; in addition, the knock rescued him from the infamy of a 10th inning base running miscue that could have likely given the Twins a victory an hour prior.

To see the box score, please click here.

The Twins' victory was wrought with more history than a Stephen Ambrose biography and capped an unprecedented and wholly maniacal span of sport in the Twin Cities.  Said stretch began with the Twins vs. Royals series at the Dome last Friday, continued with Twin Cities Marathon, proceeded with the Gophers and Badgers game at TCF Stadium, corralled the nation's televisions via Brett Favre's vengeance against the Packers, and concluded in ecstasy last night.  The win tasted especially sweet considering the club's 1-0 tiebreaker loss to the Chicago White Sox in game #163 from last season.