Vikes

The Vikings are ALMOST guaranteed to be the second seed in the NFC play-offs.

The only way that they don't get a bye next week?

They lose to the Bears today.

AND Carolina wins.

AND New Orleans loses.

AND the Rams lose.


Odds in Vegas? The Vikings have a 99.6% chance of being the second seed.

Of course, a win today over the Bears makes it easy. I don't think the Vikings ever do "easy", so we'll have to wait and see.

Skol Vikings!

Vikings

The Vikings are going to be missing their rookie center tomorrow. He's got a banged up shoulder. Winning tomorrow and gaining a first round bye would allow the O-Line a chance to do some healing.

Sam Bradford says his knee is finally healed and he expects to be added to the roster next week. Personally, I'd prefer a healthy Bradford as the play-off back-up QB over any other choice.

Teddy is not ready, no matter what the coaching staff says...

Wolves Blow 20 Point Lead, Lose

I'm howling.

Wolves FIVE Straight Wins

I said they needed a streak.

Wolves!!!

Wolves Remain At Number 7 in ESPN Power Rankings

Eagles Win

They now have home field advantage for the playoffs.

Wolves Win Fourth Straight

Vikings Defense

Number ONE in the NFL for fewest points given up per game: 16.1

Number ONE in the NFL for fewest yards given up per game: 280.9

Vikings!

Not much offense (about 250 yards).

Not much scoring (only 16 points).

The Packers threatened twice, but had two INTs and a dropped TD catch.

BUT, the Vikes won (in a shutout!).

One more win guarantees them a bye week. The twelve wins we have now?  The most since 2009.

IF Philly loses their last two and we win our last? Home-field advantage for as long as they're alive in the playoffs. Okay, that's unlikely, but it's still on the table...

Skol Vikings!

The Vikings

Normally I'd like it that the Vikings are heavy favorites going into Green Bay, but not the way it is now.

It will be cold. It will be dark. And Green Bay (its fans and the team) will be out for blood because it was OUR guy who put THEIR guy out for the season and cost them THEIR season.

First, the cold.

Cold has always been the great equalizer, especially for a home team that is more used to playing in it. Minnesota might be the coldest state south of the arctic circle, but the team plays in the most advanced technological climate controlled stadium in the world. It's what we now call the new Minnesota nice as it's downright comfortable to play in Minnesota now.

Green Bay? What a dump. The only reason you can put 50,000 people in their stadium is because they have to sit on each other's laps. And they need to huddle up like that to stay warm. I make fun of the conditions but I certainly don't look forward to them.

Cold is cold.

The body does not respond properly in it. You throw the ball differently. You drop the ball more often because its harder and the fingers can't feel it right. The body moves and responds slower in cold. And you find yourself with more holding calls because of it.

AND, most importantly, your body simply does not want to be out in it. That's a survival response. You'd rather be sitting on the bench in a warm parka with space heaters.

And the kickers? Let's just say nobody's going to set any distance records in this game.

The night?

The Vikings historically play terribly under the lights. The only time in our entire history where we played well in primetime was when Randy Moss was there. Otherwise we stink with nothing but fake lighting in an outdoor stadium.

Revenge factor:

Green Bay will want to hurt Case Keenum. Somebody (maybe more than one somebody), before the night is over, will try their best to hit Keenum more than they are allowed. It doesn't matter that game footage of our guy hitting their guy was legit from every angle. Their guy whined "foul" and now everyone in Green Bay has sworn a secret blood oath to get back at the team that destroyed their season.

Because of all of these factors, I fully expect not to enjoy the game tonight.

At least their guy is done for the season.

snicker

Vince McMahon

Vince sold $100 million of his WWE stock to invest in other sports properties. Most think he's eying another run at pro football. Some think he's ready to resurrect the XFL.

I still think the XFL WAS a good idea, but one man should not (and could not) own a whole league.

My plan? And it's the same plan I had years ago when the XFL was starting, make sure you have a team in every NFL city. AND each team should have their own owner or investment groups. That way you have investors investing for the long run.

Set up a five-year plan and get several networks on board, not just one or two, maybe even showing some games Saturday afternoon on the WWE's own network.

AND invest in some of the big name stars that college and the NFL have right now.

Make it big. Don't settle for small.

The NFL is ripe for picking. It's time to harvest.

I would welcome 12 more weeks of football at the end of the NFL season. Just before baseball heats up. I figure if people get interested in 20-25 major college football teams and the NFL, there should be enough players to stock another league.

Be creative. And make it fun instead of banning fun.

Go Vince!

Slow Day In Sports

Separated At Birth:

Rodgers

Since the Pack is eliminated from the playoffs, Green Bay has decided to place Aaron Rodgers on IR.

He is done for the season.

The Vikings schedule just got better the rest of the way.

IF the Vikings win out and the Eagles lose both, the Vikings will have home field advantage through the Super Bowl.

There are other scenarios as well, but until the Vikings actually win this Saturday, they aren't worth getting into.

Skol Vikings!

Wolves Wins By ONE!

Against a good Portland team. Like I've been saying all year, a one-game losing streak is better than a 5-game losing streak.

But really good teams (Golden State, Cleveland, Boston) put together long winning streaks.

I'm still waiting for one of those...

Vikings!

Everything was great for the Vikings yesterday until Teddy Bridgewater made his return early in the fourth quarter. He looked very uncomfortable out there and cost the Vikings a shutout.

Hopefully that won't bother them as they prepare for next week's Packer game.

On defense and offense the Vikings were overwhelming and smooth. Their only downfall? Way more penalties than usual.

The Giants came close to upsetting the Eagles yesterday. The Steelers gave the Patriots a scare.

I'm just glad the Vikings have Case Keenum. IF he stays healthy I think the Vikings have real chance this season.

OH, And they should offer him a big money deal before it's too late!!

Wolves Lose At Home

To a rotten Phoenix team.

By TWO!

That's why I never get too excited about the Wolves.

Deep down inside, they are still the Wolves.

Football

A Saturday afternoon and the NFL games are on the NFL Network?

sigh

That's one channel that NEEDS to die a quick death...

I don't take the Bengals lightly. ESPN has the Steelers number one in their rankings and it looked like the Bengals should have beaten them last week.

There are no easy teams in the NFL.

Okay, Cleveland, but that's it...

Kyle Rudolph

Minnesota has said they will not let Rudolph play in any Vikings games.

This week. Sprained ankle.

Twins Have New Closer

Fernando Rodney, 39 saves last year for Arizona, signed a 1-year, $6 million deal yesterday.

They wanted Kinzler back, but he signed a 2-year deal with the Nationals a few hours earlier.

All of our closers the last few years have been excellent. Rodney, hopefully, should be no different.

I'm dreaming of a Super Bowl Championship, an NBA Championship, and World Series champions as a Minnesota fan.

I'm sure to be disappointed, but sports have been a lot more fun these last few months...

Wolves Coast To Easy Win

They beat a bad team easily.

That's what good teams are suppose to do.

I'm starting to think of the Wolves as a good team.

It's funny how things work that way...

Sports

Not much happening from a Minnesota perspective. Adrian Peterson is still out with a neck injury for the Cardinals. He had one good game with them after being traded from the Saints. Did anybody else notice that the Saints became the best rushing team in football AFTER getting rid of him?

Aaron Rodgers

He's been cleared to play.

Their season isn't over yet.

I just wish the Vikes could have played the Packers once without Rodgers...

Well, we sort of did that first game...

Wolves Lose

In OT.

At home.

sigh...

Stanton and the Yankees

Miami couldn't win with Stanton and his contract.

New York couldn't win the World Series with the best hitting home run producers in baseball.

The solution? Get the BEST home run hitter to join your team for even more ammo.

The Yankees and their payroll. There are entire countries in the world that don't have their budget.

The Yankees, buying World Series titles, a billion dollars at a time.

Football

Philly lost their starting quarterback Sunday, and the Patriots lost their game last night.

Suddenly, the Superbowl picture is wide open.

Cool!

Disappointing Loss

The best thing I can say about yesterday's loss is this, as bad as the Vikings played, they still could have easily won the game with two minutes to go.

How many teams could play their absolute worst game of the season and say that?

The defense, especially on those two HUGE running plays let us down. And they had two STUPID third and really long penalties that ended up giving Carolina first downs and extended drives leading to points. It hurt. Big time.

The usually sure-handed Viking receivers dropped 4 touchdown passes (to be fair it would have led to two touchdowns since multiple passes were dropped on the same series) and Rudolph dropped an easy pass in open field that  would have given the Vikings great field position, instead we were forced to punt and Carolina scored on their next possession.  Or how about the dropped pass that was bobbled up in the air and intercepted. Or the incomplete forward pass that traveled 15 yards in the air and was ruled a fumble... or... or...

...you get the idea.

If any ONE of those plays would have went the other way, the Vikings STILL would have won.

How good must a team be to have all of those things go wrong and still just barely lose?

The next three weeks will tell us more.

It's still the best football season we've had since Favre's first year at QB and I'm not going to let that one loss ruin it.

Skol Vikings!!!

Vikings

This is the Vikings third straight road game. And the Panthers need a win to stay competitive in the playoff picture.

It should be a good game. Like always, turnovers, missed kicks, injuries,or questionable officiating will probably determine the outcome.

Looking forward to seeing if the Vikings defense will dominate once more, and if Case and the offense can avoid costly turnovers.

It's absolutely amazing that this team is 10-2 right now. Hoping they can continue to soar.

Twins

Instead of trying hard to get the Japanese star, Shohei Ohtani, the Twins are wisely trading their international bonus allocations (the only money they are allowed to offer international stars) to teams like the Mariners for their other major league prospects.

Yesterday, they bought the rights to a young Seattle catching prospect with a million dollars of that monopoly money that Seattle thinks they need to land Ohtani.

AND they are still in the running for this new Babe Ruth.

Smart.

Wolves

The season is more than 30% over and the Wolves still are holding their own in the standings,

I'm still paying closer attention than I have anytime since Garnett was on the team the first time.

Go Wolves!

Atlanta Wins!

Positioning the Vikings better in the playoffs!

Wolves Win

The Clippers are a bad team this year. The Wolves beat them.

That's the way it is suppose to work.

Go Wolves!

Separated At Birth?

Carson Wentz (Eagles QB) and Prince Harry.

Vikings Now Third At ESPN

The Vikings are on an 8-game winning streak, something they haven't done since 1998, and even ESPN has to acknowledge the Vikings are a top 3 team after inexplicably dropping them to number 7 last week.

The Eagles loss to Seattle now drops them to number 2. Number one?

My OTHER team, the Patriots.

Skol Vikings!

Wolves Lose

And the Steelers came back and won.

Not much worth watching last night.

Vikes Look Good

There wasn't a lot of offense in that game yesterday, but the Vikings game plan was short passes, lots of runs, and hold onto the ball while using all the game clock to their advantage.

As a result, Case Keenum was 25-30 with 227 yards passing and two TDs. The running game had 105 yards. AND the Viking defense was smothering (Atlanta was just 1-10 on third down. Matt Ryan's 30 straight games with a touchdown pass fell by the wayside.)

Consistent and methodical are the two best words to describe the Vikings yesterday.

With the Eagles losing, the Vikings are positioning themselves at a real chance for home field advantage throughout the playoffs. I keep waiting for the wheels to fall off this bus, but I'm growing more optimistic by the day.

Carolina lost to the Saints yesterday, so they are going to be desperate for a win next week at home against the Vikings.

I'm hoping that doesn't matter. I'm starting to think the Vikings are the better team.

Skol Vikings!

Zero

The number of teams in the NFL with a better record than the Vikings!

Football

I'm anticipating the Vikings game today. The Vikings schedule is not easy the rest of the way, BUT I think they should win more than they lose. This week and next will be tough.

Don't get blown out and don't get hurt.

That's the motto as you get closer to the playoffs!

Skol Vikings!

Last night's college conference championship games were a bit of a bust. Wisconsin needed a convincing win over Ohio State to make college playoff, instead they lost.

Miami picked the absolute worst time to have a two-game losing streak. They looked horrible against number one Clemson.

Alabama and Ohio State both want that last spot. Neither deserves it, but you need four teams for the playoff...

sigh

Case Keenum

NFC offensive player of the month, and people are still saying he's one poorly thrown interception away from being benched.

sigh

Wolves Lose

One win, one loss, one win, one loss...

repeat

I guess it's still better than losing 5 or 6 in a row, it's not like I want to spend much time watching them.

Eli and More Football

Eli Manning will not start for the Giants this week. He's healthy, but old and worn out. His consecutive games started streak will end at 210. The Giants told Manning they were okay with starting the rest of the teams games, but they then would play their back-up in the second half.

Manning declined. He's seen the handwriting on the wall. His career is over.

The Cowboys kicked the Skins last night. That keeps their small play-off hope alive.

Yu Darvish

The Twins are one of six teams to have contacted the L.A. starter and free agent.

Wolves Win

On the road against a team above .500.

By 18.

I have to admit, one game losing streaks aren't too bad...

Wolves Lose

Those last five minutes were just painful.

OUR Timberwolves are back!

Twins

ByungHo Park has decided to go back home to Korea. He's already signed a deal with a Korean team. And as long as the Twins don't have to pay him for this upcoming season, they are okay with letting him go.

He will go down as failed Asian experiment number two.

And frankly, the Twins don't need him.

The emergence of Escobar at third base, as both an excellent fielder and unexpected home run hitter, means the Twins now have to find roles for both Sano and Vargas on the major league roster. Park would not be in our major league plans if he left or not. He was the third choice on a team that didn't even need two choices.

Good luck to him! And let's see if Vargas and Sano can have good full seasons this year.

It also let's us negotiate freely with the new Japanese prospect Shohei Ohtani, the man I talked about a few days ago. The next Babe Ruth...

The first step is freeing up money and roster space. It looks like the Twins are doing just that.

Sports!

Okay, yesterday wasn't exciting as usual with the Vikings playing on Thursday, but it was fun catching some of the action in other games.

The Eagles crushed the Bears. No surprise.

The Patriots won. No surprise there, either.

I was happy to see the Rams beat the Saints. That gives the Vikings the 2nd best record in the NFC all by their lonesome.

But the biggest surprise? I actually thought the Packers were going to beat Pittsburgh there for a while last night. They didn't, but you could sure tell the Steelers were rattled.

Finally, the Wolves won again last night. I like it when losing streaks end at one instead of 4 or 5.

Skol Vikings! Go Wolves!

College Football

The unthinkable happened this weekend. On Friday, number TWO Miami got beat. Yesterday, number ONE Alabama got beat pretty badly by Auburn. Teams that get beat this late in the season don't usually make the top four rankings. Are both Alabama and Miami now out of the top four?

I don't think Alabama will be, but this once again shows how awful an idea the top four tournament is. ONLY the top two teams should play for the title. That extra game format minimizes those huge losses by Miami and Alabama.

Before the tournament, both would be gone.

Now, one will still probably get in.

The loss, in effect, means nothing.

Don't tell me this new way is better.

Sudden death throughout the season meant something. It no longer does. When losses don't matter, the games mean less. It's really that simple.

Gopher Basketball

The Gophers are ranked 15th in the country in the early goings of the season. At this point, that's nice but it really doesn't mean anything since basically all the top 60+ teams make the NCAA tournament at the end.

No, the reason I'm writing this is because of the odd occurrence that happened in yesterday's preseason tournament finals game against Alabama. The Gopher's won, just barely, but what was cool at the end was that there were just EIGHT players on the court. 5 for the Gophers and just THREE for the Alabama squad.

What happened? Well, bench players who aren't supposed to be on the court, are kicked out of the game if they come on the floor during some kind of foul or dispute situation. That rule's in place to prevent brawling.

Yesterday, late in the game, during a tense situation, Alabama's bench emptied. And they were ALL kicked out. That left Alabama with just the 5 active players on the court. One fouled out shortly after that. And another sprained his ankle so badly that he couldn't continue.

That left a 5 on 3 game at the end. The NCAA allows that as long as the team short of players wishes to continue. Since it was a close game to the end, Alabama elected to keep playing.

That was a first.

But you could see it happening again IF a team's benched gets riled up.

The Gophers? They are now part of a cool trivia question somewhere down the line.

Wolves Lose

Looking more like the Wolves I remember.

Vikings Now 9-2! Case Closed!!

The Vikings have won 7 straight.

They have their first 1,000 yard receiver since Sidney Rice.

They've now had over  400 yards of offense in three straight games. They haven't done that since 2010.

And, in case you're wondering. His total QBR is SECOND in the league, just AHEAD of Tom Brady.

The Case for Keenum? It's closed.

Babe Ruth?

ESPN had an article yesterday on a Japanese star who will becoming to play MLB in the not to distant future. He's young, early 20's, and they are comparing him to a young Babe Ruth. NOT JUST IN HITTING, but in pitching as well.

They were speculating on all the possibilities, both on the teams that could sign him (yes, believe it or not, Minnesota IS one of the top  contenders) and if he would indeed be able to pitch a day in the rotation and then play four other days in the field, awaiting his next start.

I still remember our last Japanese signing (ishy Nishi) and think, "here we go again."  But, I do think it would be great for baseball to have SOMEONE sign this kid and that he would live up to all the hype.

Baseball needs someone like this. And I sure wouldn't mind if he grew up under Paul Molitor's tutelage.

Shohei Ohtani. Watch for the name. He may become a very big deal.

Wolves Win!

The Wolves scored a lot of points last night. They also gave up quite a few. But, when the smoke settled, they ended up beating the Magic.

Their record? Still pretty good. I'm at least checking out most games, now, to see how they're doing.

Go Wolves!

Vikes Number FOUR in ESPN Rankings

I keep on thinking that the first time the Vikings played the Lions this season, Sam Bradford was doing his best imitation of an 80-year old man with arthritic knees. He looked just awful, and he hasn't played since. Most likely he'll never play in Viking purple again.

I have no doubt that IF Case Keenum had started that day, my memories of that game would be much fonder. Yes, the Lions have a good football team. The Vikings are better.

That doesn't mean that the Lions will lose tomorrow. But If the Vikings lose, it'll be a much bigger disappointment than last time. That's the bad part of having a team that is good and ranked. You start to expect them to win. And that means the pain of a loss stings even harder.

Anticipating tomorrow.

Go Vikes!!

Wolves Lose Again

And the Falcons beat Seattle.

Neither game held my attention.

We're Keen On Keenum

There is no quarterback controversy in Minnesota.

Case Keenum has proven his case. That's six straight wins for the Vikings (Don't bother looking it up. I did that for you. We haven't won that many straight since 1999.) By ratings, he's one of the top three QBs in the league. He hasn't been sacked in 5 games because he's mobile and he can almost magically avoid even the hardest defensive pressure. He's turned Theilen into one of the greatest receivers in the league, AND because of his ability to successfully switch between running and passing games, our running game has actually improved dramatically AFTER losing our top rookie running back.

AND, AND people are FINALLY giving the Vikings defense the respect it deserves because they aren't forced to be on the field all the time with horrible field position.

I think many Minnesota fans would revolt if we switched to Bridgewater now.

That was probably the single best game I have seen from the Vikings in several seasons. They crushed a great team. No experts saw it coming.

SKOL Vikings!!!

Vikings

I'm hoping to see most of today's game.

Most experts say the Rams are a better team, and I kind of agree with them. One or two big plays from either team could determine the outcome. (you know liked a missed extra point-- the Vikings lead the world in that category over the last few seasons)

I figure games with two teams like this are usually decided by which team has the least amount of stupid turnovers.

Still hoping for a Vikings win and that Minnesota fans are especially noisy during the right times today.

Go Vikings!!

I was surprised that Green Bay is the favorite today over the Ravens. I don't think Packer fans feel like they are the favorites.

7 games left in the season. Much can still change.

Wolves Win Again

Okay, first off the Dallas Mavericks are absolutely awful so far this year. But you know what, GOOD teams are supposed to beat teams that aren't any good.

And that's precisely what the new improved Wolves squad did.

Am I a believer?

Nope.

Did I watch a whole quarter non-stop last night without turning the channel?

Yep.

Go Wolves!!!

Football

Hard to believe that a few weeks ago people were saying that Roethlisberger should retire after he threw 5 INTs in a horrible loss.

Now they are 8-2 and he had THREE TD passes last night to Antonio Brown. Shows you what the experts know.

I've hesitated writing much about the Vikings. I know they're 7-2, and I know Case Keenum appears to be dong a good job, BUT this is the Vikings we're talking about.

They always seem to find a good way, by the end of the season, to claw defeat from the jaws of victory.

They play the incredibly surprising Rams this week at home. The Rams score A LOT. Their running game is great, and they've shown their defense is very, very good. IF the Vikings get past them, they have three tough road games in a row against very good teams. And they have a short week coming up this week with Detroit on Thanksgiving.

They might be 7-2 now, but they could easily be 7-6 in a little over three weeks.

I don't take anybody lightly.

But it's fun to see if maybe, just maybe, this will be their year.

It looks like we have TWO solid QBs. That's one more than most teams have right now.

Go Vikings!

Wolves Beat Spurs

From the current standings, you could make an argument that the Wolves are one of the top 6 or 7 teams in the league right now.

And I would not disagree with you. You could even say number 5, and I wouldn't say much...

Manager of the Year!

First team to ever lose more than 100 one year and make the play-offs the next.

Way to go Paul Molitor!!!

Wolves Beat Jazz

Better? They snapped their 2 game skid. Even Better? They have now scored at least 100 points in TWELVE straight games. That's a team record.

I actually watched several times last night, switching between that and the informercial of Survivor series known as RAW.

The Wolves were definitely more interesting. I called it a night at 9:30 though. Neither was interesting enough to keep me up past bedtime.

I would have caught more of Monday night football, but Cam and company were having a blowout.

That's even LESS interesting...

7-2? 7-2!!!!

Only ONE team in the entire NFL has a better record. (The Eagles)

The Packers won against the Bears. (Not a surprise.)

The Lions beat the winless Browns. (Also not a surprise)

The Patriots mopped up the Broncos last night as well.

But the highlight of yesterday was the Vikings offense. The only thing that bugs me is that Minnesota now has a QB quandary. IF Keenum (who secures the ball really, really well--usually) hadn't thrown those two consecutive interceptions, Teddy Bridgewater would probably be given a couple of more weeks to recover from his knee injury.

As it stands now, a controversy will be brewing shortly.

sigh

College Football

Yesterday college football was fun again.

It's getting later in the season, so losses are finally starting to matter.

Number ONE Georgia? Thumped by number 10 Auburn.

Number THREE Notre Dame? Crushed by number seven Miami.

Number TWO Alabama? They escaped by the skin of their teeth against number 16 Mississippi.

Upsets galore and struggles. That's what makes college football fun to watch.

The Gophers? They crushed Nebraska 54-21. I remember when Nebraska used have a good program. You know, before they joined the Big Ten.

I'm looking forward to finally seeing the Vikings again today. It's been a long 20 days. Sure hope they still look as good as I remember.

The Wild

People have asked me why I don't talk about the Wild more.

For one thing, it's hockey.

And another...

...well, check the standings.

Seattle Wins But Loses Sherman

That's going to be hard to overcome. Did anybody else catch those awful uniforms last night?

I know the NFL THINKS they're doing something really cool with those day-glo uniforms for Thursday night games.

But I ask them, for the sake of sanity, to stop.

Just...stop...

Warriors Crush Wolves

Now we can settle back into business as usual...

Roy Halladay

Growing up, I was too young to remember pitchers like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Bob Gibson, and Juan Marichal. Though I was alive while they were still pitching, I have no memory of ever having seen them. I read of their greatness, though.

I do remember greats like Jim Palmer who came shortly thereafter.  Greg Maddux had the best control I had ever seen as a starter.

And then there was Roy Halladay. His command was unreal. He was THE pitcher in baseball for a number of years. In 2010 he threw a perfect game AND then later that season, he threw a no-hitter in the play-offs.

Arm trouble forced him to retire in 2013. He died yesterday in a plane crash. He was only 40.

How quickly real life hits you.

Half Way

Packer fans are reeling. Detroit fans have hope. 8 games to go.

5 Straight For the Wolves

They play the Warriors on Wednesday night.

Gophers, and Wild, And Wolves...Oh My!

A veritable smorgasbord of primetime sports entertainment for the Minnesota fan last night.

And only one of the choices was truly entertaining: The Wolves. They beat Dallas last night at the Target Center. And they did it rather handily.

The Gopher football team in primetime on ABC? Let's just say that new head coach  has done nothing so far to earn my respect so far. That was the worst Gopher squad I've seen in many years.

Many, many years.

The Wild? Typical NHL game. Lots of skating and "action." Very little scoring. And it was against the Blackhawks, so of course we lost.

I did like what I saw with the Wolves, though. I didn't recognize any of them, but I liked it.

Tiger Woods

The man is now 41 years old and says he feels better than he has in a long time.

But what's interesting is the comments he recently made about golf and golf balls. He says they have to change golf balls because golfers, including himself, are hitting them TOO FAR.

Now, I'm no genius, but if the golf ball hasn't really changed much in the last 75 years, and if golfers are in better shape than they used to be (and they are) wouldn't it make MORE sense to limit the type of golf CLUB you can use instead of changing the ball?

I mean, that's what Nascar does with the cars that they drive. You limit the performance of the vehicle so that all drivers are (more or less) on equal footing.

Compare clubs from 75 years ago to today's clubs and you'll see what I mean.

Baseball has all sorts of limits on the club (bat) they use to hit baseballs. So why does golf allow these carbon fiber, titanium-laced weapons to hit the poor balls with? The clubs are out of control. It's not the balls.

Where football is ultra picky about even how much air is in a football, golf lets weapons of mass destruction blow away defenseless golf balls on a daily basis.

I can't be the only one that sees this, can I?

The Big Letdown

There was a football game last night that the Jets (still below .500) won.

ho hum

Richie Incognito (if that is his real name), the outspoken guard on the losing Bills team said that Thursday night football games are unfair to the teams that have to play in them. He said it's all about the league and their money-grubbing. Football is a demanding sport and it's just not to play again so soon after Sunday.

I have a feeling most players feel that way. And I think most fans, if they thought about it much, would feel that way, too. I know I do. The worst part? These games are viewed much less than average once they are on the NFL subscription network.

AND, by late in the season, the match-ups aren't that good anyway.

At the same time, with the World Series over, there really wasn't much sports to watch anyway last night.

So I think they should have to play on Friday nights, too.

No, I wouldn't watch, but it's fun to here players complain.

NBA

Just pointing out some interesting placements:

Houston Wins!

They got an early lead and kept it.

That brought down the grade for this World Series. Two of the greatest games in history were spaced out among average games.

Still great. And the right team won.

Already excited about next year.

Dodgers Finally Get to Verlander, One More Game!

Not quite the heroics of previous games, the Dodgers finally got on the scoreboard late and forced a game 7.

I hope that last game is a doozy. (Some people spell it doozie.)

Vikings Note

I was going to add this yesterday but figured, hey, I could have something for Tuesday if the Wolves lost.

Half way through the NFL season, only ONE team has more wins than the Vikings (the Eagles).

I'm going to sit back and digest that one for a moment or two.

Wolves OVER .500

The Timberwolves won at Miami last night in OT.

That puts them above .500 at 4-3 for the season. They haven't found themselves in that position for awhile. I'm still not expecting anything this year (or ever for that matter) but at least I can pay attention to what they're doing right now awhile longer.

That's something.

Go Wolves!

Greatest. World. Series. Ever.

And it's only been 5 games.

That ending rivaled game number two.

Me? I was in bed long before it got good. I'm going to buy the entire series at iTunes and watch it when I'm awake.

It's THAT good

The Vikings? I'm glad they won but I missed the entire thing because of the horrible start time. 6-2 with a bye week coming.

The standings are looking great.

Dodgers Win!

I said it before, when two great teams meet, they each should win two. It's the last three games that will determine whose best.

Astros, Wolves Win!

A good evening of sports.

Ravens Rebound After Vikes Loss

They lost Joe Flacco to a concussion, though.

Personally, I didn't see it as a late or bad hit. I've seen enough QBs over the years do jukes and fakes while running up field to know that sometimes they are going to get hit like a real runner.

The slide was late. The tackler was screened just before he got there. The result was painful, but not dirty.

Suh, the defensive lineman who has been doing dirty stuff his entire career? That's different. Picking the backup QB up by the throat and doing his best Darth Vader impression? That's blatant. Just like everything else Suh has done over the years. I don't no why he is still in the league.

Item Of the Day

Wolves Get Kicked

Of course they did.

Houston Rallies In Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh. Wins!

What a game! Possibly the best single baseball game of all-time.

And I went to bed after the seventh.

sigh

Kershaw, Dodgers Dominate

It was fast and painless. Just like a World Series opener should be.

The Wolves got kicked last night.

Of course they did...

Eagles Flying, Series Starts

The Eagles are now 6-1 after sweeping the season series with division rivals Washington last night.

I missed most of it. I don't care for either team.

The World Series starts tonight. My main rooting points are good close games, great pitching, and that the Series goes 7 games.

I don't really care who wins as long as the main criteria are met.

But...

...Go Astros!!!

Vikings!

1 turnover. 169 yards rushing. 188 yards passing. Great defense.

The recipe for success in the NFL.

After 7 weeks of the season, the Vikings have the same record as the New England Patriots at 5-2.

I'll take it.

I'm a little bummed that they play in London next week. I MIGHT get to see part of the fourth quarter after church. And then they have a bye week...

Go Vikings!

NBA Standings

Don't get used to it, but the Wolves are currently ahead  Golden State in the Western Division standings.

Go Wolves!!

Vikings

I don't think anyone has really been able to "read" what kind of team the Vikings are this season.

Are they going to finish 11-5 and win the division OR are they going to finish 7-9 or 6-10 out of the hunt?

I don't know either. We have a back-up QB starting who has been both brilliant and average, depending on the week. The Vikings say they want Bridgewater back in the mix before the end of the season to see if he's worth hanging on to, so that means our current starter is not our REAL starter, yet. All 3 of our QBs are free-agents at the end of the season, so the Vikings have some tough decisions ahead of them. Bradford, and his arthritic, hobbled knees, will probably not see another down for the Vikings.

Our running game? Let's just say it would not be our first choice, but injuries force game plans and moves more than season-long strategies.

The defense seems better than ever, but if the offense can't move the ball, even the best defenses break down and get weary.

Today's game? I guess we'll have to wait and see. At least the Ravens look average this season, just like everyone else.

Houston!

The Yankees could generate no offense last night.

It's an Astros/Dodgers World Series.

A lot of baseball fans I know weren't even going to WATCH the  Series if it was Yankees/Dodgers, so for many it a wish come true.

For me, THAT is exactly what a game seven should have been. Dominant pitching and decisive.

Go Astros!!

Houston Behind Verlander Wins!

I've always like game sevens.  We have one tonight.

Oh, and the Timberwolves defeated the Jazz in their home opener last night. It was weird seeing Rubio on the other side.

Dodgers!

The Dodgers were the best team in baseball this year, even with that weird losing streak near the end.

They proved it again last night by crushing the Cubs and going the World Series.

Hernandez and Kershaw put on a show.

The Yankees try to wrap up it tonight for the American League.

Football? KC lost again last night. Just like that, every team seems average.

Yankees Take Series Lead, Cubs Win One

I admit that even though the Twins aren't playing, these seven games series have some intrigue.

Maybe that's the mystique of baseball. You never get that many chances to get to know a team and beat them in the regular season. But here, the law of averages also catches up with you. IF both teams are good, they really should beat each other a couple of times each. It's those last three games that make all the difference.

Hoping the Cubs win a couple of more games to make it interesting. Realizing the Yankees probably aren't going to lose the last two in Houston.

I'm still looking forward to the Series.

Oh, and the Wolves got beat.

Of course they did...

Baseball And The NBA

The Yankees won again yesterday. So did the Dodgers.

The two biggest markets with the two biggest payrolls are on a roll. Those two teams will probably get baseball better World Series ratings, BUT it's starting to prove, all over again, that the biggest markets, with the most money to spend, can buy their way to the Series.

The NBA is finding out the same thing. There are MAYBE 4 contenders for the NBA Championship this year, and its the same 4 who are always recently mentioned. I'd like to have hope for the Wolves this year, as good as they look on paper, but even Michael Jordan admitted that it probably going to be the 3 or 4 teams everyone always mentions.

The only thing that could stop that from happening are injuries. Boston is one of those teams mentioned. They lost one of their "new, exciting" stars last night minutes into their season opener. It was a broken tibia and a major ankle dislocation. That's a nightmare to start the season on.

The Wolves? Tomorrow night at San Antonio. San Antonio? Yes, they're one of those "four teams."

sigh

Yankees and Football

The Yankees are never out of any series.

Last night they showed us why. Great pitching and a rookie's power squelched the Astro's advantage. I'm still not picking any teams for the Series, but I am enjoying some of the spectacle of post-season baseball.

There was a time when Monday Night Football meant something. Those times are over. Last night, the game featured two losing teams, one which was playing .500 ball by the end of the night.  It might not be just the anthem protests that are leading to football's sliding ratings...

Cubs Lose Again

A three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth with two outs gave the Dodgers the win. It's not looking good for the Cubs.

No Aaron Rodgers? No Problem!

I hate to make light of an injury, but the Packers found out yesterday how important one person can be in their line-up. Without Rodgers, the Pack became a very, very average football team.

The Vikings have been losing key personnel like that for the last year and a half, yet have managed to stay very competitive despite those key injuries.

And word has it that Teddy Bridgewater is set to be cleared. Even now we're hearing more about just how bad his knee injury REALLY was. Some are saying the injury was so bad that it could have actually cost him his leg. The medical responders and their quick, smart action when it happened are the only thing that kept him "whole."

That he's even thinking about returning to the full-time position is a medical miracle. Packer fans should be thankful that with Rodgers that it is just another broken collar bone. Yes, it pretty much wrecked a good season. But, he'll be back 100% before long.

The Vikings knee injuries? We don't know if any of the three will ever be back 100%

Football is a weird mistress. Just when you think you have it all figured out, yesterday happened.

Green Bay lost Rodgers and suddenly the Vikings are favored to win the NFC North. The Lions looked hapless yesterday against the normally hapless Saints. The hapless Bears with their new QB actually beat the Ravens. New England needed a horrible call reversal to beat the Jets. The Giants, everybody's doormat, won yesterday AT Denver without ODB.

AND Pittsburgh, the team that lost so badly last week that everybody thought it was time for Big Ben to retire, beat the best team in the league, the Chiefs, AT KC!!!

All of the sudden, every single team is excited about their chances.

That's just what one week of NFL football gave us.

I know I'm more excited about next week's games.

Vikings/Packers

I'd be more excited about this game if the Vikes were more healthy. But it seems like we'll never be more healthy. Two top QBs out with knee injuries. Our only really good running back out with a knee injury.

It's going to be a long season.

And it's a good day for a church business meeting.

Yankees Lose Again!

Another great pitching duel. Another loss for everyone's favorite villains.

There's a flip-side as well. The Cubs, America's team, got beat by the Dodgers last night too. We got to see a catcher illegally guarding home plate again last night as well. I like the idea of the rule, but let's face it. The guy was out. The rule made him safe. IF a catcher moves into position to catch the ball before he has the ball, that seems normal. But baseball has decided that THAT is blocking the plate.

Poor Cubs. That one play turned the game around.

sigh

Number 5 Washington, Number 10 Auburn LOSE

This would have been a great year to watch college football...

...oh, that's right.

The 4 team play-off at the end.

Never mind.

#2 Clemson Upset

Okay, getting beat by an unranked team is pretty cool. IF I knew that game was on I would have watched it over baseball.

Yankees Lose!

The AL championship series got off to a great start. Go Houston!

Cubs Win

It was a good game until Chicago broke it open. Washington rallied but not enough. That plus a challenge play ended the Nationals season.

No biggie. I'm watching some baseball again, but have no REAL rooting interest. I don't like the Yankees much, but if they win the whole thing, it simply makes the Twins look better.

This is the first year I really noticed the pace or speed of the games. They are much longer than I remember. I might be losing my interest in the sport.

Last night Gotham was written by Ben McKenzie, the actor who pays James Gordon. Wow. He knows the characters and HOW to tell a story. Their best episode yet. And that's saying a lot.

Maybe I'd rather watch scripted television than live events. Sports that aren't YOUR team start to suffer by comparison. With things like Hulu, Netfix, and Apple TV, there's always something good on.

Yankees Win

I don't get how they do it.

Cleveland won something like 47 straight games toward the end of the season. Their ace, Corey Kluber, was a lock for all the post season pitching awards.

And yet, boom, the Yankees are in yet another post season championship series because they came back and beat Cleveland three straight to take that series.

I guess big market money does beat small market success.

Yankees play the Astros next.

I sure wouldn't bet against them.

Game 5 today between the Cubs and Nationals. The Cubs won last year so I'm going for a Nationals win.

Anthem Debate

It's certainly getting more interesting.

Jerry Jones said he expects his players to stand. The commissioner has reversed himself and said that the perception of players not standing is hurting the league's popularity. (Viewing is down a whopping 18% since the beginning of last season.) He said he now wants all players to stand, and he and the league owners will get together to figure out how to make that happen.

People are divided over the issue. (BIG surprise.)

The NFL is now in a tough space. People are threatening to boycott the NFL if they make the players stand. People are threatening to boycott the league even more (including sponsors) if the players aren't all standing soon.

My take? No one should use the National Anthem as a bargaining chip or a political tool when it comes to protest or debate.

Ever.

Because this is what will always happen.

If you're a person who thinks that political or philosophical change is needed in any area of American life, DO something tangible to change it. It doesn't take courage to stand or kneel for the anthem. Let's just say standing is expected. It shows respect for your flag and your country.

You might not like everything the government does. You might not like the military. You might not like the police. You may not agree with every law. But the processes are currently in place that allow you, and others who think like you, to change the things you don't like.

Having that ability is why you respect this country and its flag and anthem.

Now, here's the hard part. Real change takes time, effort, money, and lots of people supporting an idea. AND, this part is really important, even if you do all theses things, change MAY NOT occur.

You see that's the problem of living in a democracy, the majority get their way most of the time. That's also the biggest joy of living in a democracy as well.

Your opinion does matter, but just because YOU believe it, that doesn't make it true, valid, or feasible. If you take shortcuts (like kneeling for the anthem or calling for no-win scenario sponsor boycotts) people will hate you not because of your ideas, they will hate you because you are a coward who is not willing to invest time and money and REAL effort into your cause.

Shortcuts are for cowards and wanna' be's.

Grow up. Stop pouting. Put on your big girl panties. Roll up your sleeves and get to work.

And, for crying out loud, do some real research. Your emotions and opinions mean nothing against the facts. At least get your facts straight even if you still choose the cowardly way out.

Vikings!

Okay, let's start with the Bears.

Even with their new QB, they are not a good football team.

Sam Bradford? He may have started but he was awful. He still looked hurt and immobile.

The defense? Good throughout the night. The fake punt was the special team's fault. Smith's INT gave us the win.

Keenum? Right now, the better choice, by far.

The run game? Good last night. McKinnon looked great rushing and receiving.

We won.

Barely.

Against the Bears.

3-2 is way better than 2-3.

Green Bay

I TRIED to be a good Viking's fan yesterday and root against the Packers against Dallas, but when it came down to that last drive that gave Green Bay the win I was rooting FOR Rodgers and the Packers all the way.

It's just so much fun watching a team that good.

I figure the Vikes without a running game ...again... are going to struggle the rest of the season...again... no matter what the Pack does. I want the Vikings to win, but I don't see why the Packers can't win as well.

At the end of the season, we'll see which team goes further in the playoffs.

Go Vikes!!

Go Pack!

Go Patriots.

May the best team win.

Upsets in College

I used to watch college football games, waiting for these types of upsets, knowing that ANY loss could cost these teams the season.

Now?

eh

I didn't watch any of them because the losses don't matter with the play-off.

Don't tell me football is better with the play-off at the end.

Cleveland Beats Yankees With Walk-Off Homer in 13th!!!

I'm living vicariously through the Indians right now.

Indians Shutout Yankees

That's all the good sports news I needed to read this morning.

Gotham on Fox last night was the best Batman tv show and/or movie I have ever seen. That only 3 million people watch it every week is as perplexing as it gets. I get why people who don't like the movies wouldn't watch, but Bruce Wayne gradually becoming Batman under the tutelage of his faithful butler is probably the best thing on television right now.

The biggest surprise of the television season for me so far is Fox's Orville. CBS's reboot of Star Trek this season was just awful. Seth McFarlane, better known for his crude and adult comedy cartoons like Family Guy and American Dad, has launched his own version of Star Trek this season. Keeping the "adult humor" at a minimum, he has managed to bring Star Trek to a whole new generation of eager Star Trek fans. Having HUGE guest stars like Liam Neeson, and Charlize Theron adds to the mystique of course, but having people like Star Trek veterans like Brannon Braga on board helps even more. Last night's episode had Jonathan Frakes directing. It was their best so far.

Yes, McFarlane still wants his silly humor, but he's starting to find the right balance. I'll take this version over the travesty that CBS is perpetrating any day. I won't give it a ringing endorsement, but I'll keep watching for now.

The Mayo Clinic Verizons Win Their FOURTH WNBA Title!!!

They beat the Equitrust Verizons in a hard fought game 5 last night!

I actually watched the last six minutes. It reminded me  a lot of the NBA. Not the quality of play, but how LONG those last 6 minutes lasted.

Mayo Clinic Verizons!!!!

Whooo!!!

sigh

Everyone I talked to in the last few weeks agreed that Ervin Santana and Kyle Gibson had kind of traded places over the last few weeks. Gibson had become the reliable starter while Santana had inexplicably became the guy that gave up lots of home runs and big innings early.

Our observations became painfully obvious to everyone last night as, staked to a three-run lead in an explosive top of the first, he quickly gave it all back in the bottom of the first.

You kind of knew the season was over at that point. I went to bed in the bottom of the third.

Enough was enough.

A good season ended on a sour note.

Twins At Yankees Tonight

I know I'm pessimistic about this (most likely everyone who is a Twins' fan has similar feelings) but it is our very first play-off game in a number of years, so I'm planning on watching most of it as long as we're not blown out early.

Not optimistic, but hopeful...

Go Twins!!!

Twins End Regular Season On High Note!!!

Castro!!
Gimenez!!
Colon!!

And the Twins bullpen is rested and their rotation is set.

All of this excitement just for the privilege of losing one more game to the Yankees in New York.

The Twins finished the season with 206 home runs. Their third best total of all-time. We were 16th in all of baseball. The Yankees were first with 241.

sigh...

Defense Great and A Riddle

It  sure wasn't the defense's fault the Vikings lost yesterday. They were phenomenal.

Here's the riddle:

What do Terry Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, and Dalvin Cook all have in common?

Their knees went out and nobody touched them.

Case Keenum To Start

AND the Vikes are favored at home today against the Lions.

I don't anticipate a Vikes win, myself. It really depends on Keenum and the defense. IF they look good, we may have a QB controversy brewing.

I don't see it, but it's a good position to be in.

Realistically?

I don't see how the Vikes can be favored.

Twins Lose Meaningless Game, Romine Plays All Nine Positions

A fun end-of-season game for Detroit. I BELIEVE the Twins stayed healthy. One game left. Everybody is just waiting for Tuesday.

Dozier!!! (Big Home Run)

Sano!!! (Off disabled list)

WIN!!!

Twins Recovering, Indians Still Fighting for Home Field Advantage

The Twins can actually relax and set their starting rotation for the upcoming play-offs.

I kind of think that's smart. Just so they're ready for that one all important game...

Sports as a whole lately is hard to watch. Football players think they are doing the "right" thing by having some type of protest "as a team" during the National Anthem, while conservative fans think they are misguided puppets of the left (at best) or complete idiots and traitors to America (at worst.)

I'm still not sure why ALL the teammates must take the SAME stance and be united on what they are doing. Most, when interviewed individually, don't even have a good answer for why they are doing anything. Answers range from "police brutality" and "racism" to not liking President Trump's statements on the matter. It's kind of funny actually, they are protesting the President's right to free speech. The irony escapes their collective mindset...

NFL viewing is down by about 10% so far this year, and some link it to conservative fans being sick of stupid football players making horribly bad political judgements.

Me? I just don't seem interested in the product yet. I don't watch the beginning of ANY games anymore just to avoid the controversy. I've also stopped watching all news shows and sports shows because they can't stop talking about it.

In other sports news...

College basketball is being rocked by a huge scandal. It seems assistant level coaches and higher may have been accepting big money payouts from sports agents to direct their student athletes toward said agents. If this was happening at any other department in college, or at other area of life (a trusted friend encouraging someone to make a lot of money legally and how to do it) no one would bat an eye. But it's college sports, and student athletes are fragile adults...

More sports...

The NBA has stated that they have it in the players contracts that they MUST stand for the National Anthem, so that they don't seem disrespectful of America. That's always been their policy.

I can't wait to see what happens next THERE, this season...

In America you are free to do as you wish as long as it's not illegal or in your contract. Please realize other folks can do what they wish as well, based on YOUR actions.

It's called consequences.

The Packers won easily last night but lost some good players to injury. I didn't watch the game. Too much controversy.

And it was a blowout and I was tired so I went to bed.

Twins In!!!!

For the very first time in the history of baseball, a team with 100 or more losses the previous season has made the play-offs THIS season. That team? OUR team.

In the history of baseball only 13 teams with 100 losses have even had a winning record the next season.

The Twins traded their all-star closer, Brandon Kintzler, just after the all-star break, and most Twins fans, including me, thought THAT was the season.

Molitor thought differently. He was still determined to win it.

And they did.

They now have won the opportunity to lose more game to the Yankees this season.

Anything other than that will be a most pleasant surprise.

Go Twins!!!

Dozier!!!!

I didn't look for that!!!!

The magic number is ONE with five to play!!!!

Even Better!!!!

New Star Trek?

Not impressed. The re-imagined Klingons are hard to look at and even more difficult to listen to. Those full metal costumes that are impossible to move in and those ugly masks with their false teeth are all that is wrong with TV science fiction today.

And what is it with the Star Fleet High command? Anyone above the rank of first officer is either stupid, evil, or both. Just how did they ever achieve those ranks? And why should I root for the Federation?

I think I'll pass.

No Bradford? No Problem!!!

Keenum 25/33 369 yards 3 TDs and a 142.1 RTG!!!!

Devin Cook 27 rushes 97 yards, 5 catches 72 more yards and a TD!!!

Stephon Diggs 8 receptions 173 yards 2 TDs!!!!

Lions lost on a last play TD reversal decision!!!!

Twins Sweep The Tigers In Four Game Series!!!

Magic number is three with 6 to play!!!

Escobar homer number 20!!!!

Mauer batting .389 over his last 43 games!!!!

Twins!!!!

Santana!!!
Big Rally!!!! (Eight runs in the eighth)
Granite!!!! (two runs scored in the eighth, including a three-run homer)
4 1/2 game lead for the last wildcard slot with 7 games to play!!!!!

They play early today.

The Vikings? Bradford's knee is still a problem. Until he plays, I've lost all of my enthusiasm for the Vikings...

Twins!!!

Gibson!! (Quality starts in 6 of the last seven)
Buxton!! (3 hits, 2 RBI)
Dozier!! (Home run number 32)
Kepler!! (Home run number 19)

3 1/2 game lead in Wild Card Race with 8 games to play!!!!

Twins Kick Detroit 12-1!!!

2 1/2 game lead in the the last wild card spot!!

Mauer three hits!

Polanco three hits!

Whoo!!!

I Greatly Dislike the Yankees (Part 3)

Every single good year we are having usually ends because of the Yankees.

Yesterday was just another good example of that.

sigh

I Greatly Dislike the Yankees (Part 2)

See yesterday's blog.

I Greatly Dislike the Yankees

They are always just a little better than us.

Mauer!

Gibson got off to a rocky start yesterday, but the Twins bats made a huge comeback. Mauer's grand slam was the highlight, but Rosario's two home run's were nothing to sneeze at either.

It sure was more fun to watch than the Vikings.

Vikes Without Bradford Not Worth Watching

So I didn't.

Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

Bobby Heenan died this weekend.

To wrestling fans from my era, he was probably the greatest of all-time. No, he wasn't much of a wrestler, but as a manager and color-commetator he probably put more "butts in the seats" for more promotors than any wrestler ever did.

He was funny and he played the roll of the chicken (or weasel) better than anyone.

Bobby was 73.

Twins Clobbered

And Bradford may or may not play today for the Vikes.

sigh...

Seventh Inning

The Twins played eight strong innings last night.

Colon was great except in the seventh.

Cleveland's streak came to an end as well.

And Sam Bradford is having trouble with his surgically repaired knee for the Vikings.

Buxton!!

Walk-off homer in the 10th!

Berrios!! (5 plus innings. 1 earned run.)

Cleveland won in the 10th as well. That's 22 straight wins.

Here are the standings that matter:

Rosario!!!!

No team has ever lost 100 games one season and then made the playoffs the next.

NONE.

I'm not saying the Twins are going to, BUT...

...they have put themselves into position to do so.

I just wish we didn't have to play the Yankees and Indians in the next two weeks...

Oh, and for those of you who may have missed it, Rosario hit a walk-off two-run homer in the 10th last night!!!!

WHOOO!!!!!!

And Cleveland won their 21st straight game yesterday. No team in the history of the American League has done that, either...

The record? 26 straight by the New York Giants back in 1916. Baseball was in its infancy, and nobody alive remembers that streak. Nobody.

16-0? 16-0!!!

Gibson was great!

Relief was great!

The Twins hit a home run in 7 consecutive innings!!!!!

No other team in the history of baseball has ever done that!!!!!!!

Castro hit two of them!!!

And Cleveland won their 20th straight game yesterday and are getting all the headlines.

sigh...

Vikings!!!

Bradford! (27-32, 3 TD, 346 yards)

Cook! (127 yards on 22 carries, most ever by a Viking rookie in debut game, broke Adrian Peterson's rookie record)

Thielen! ( 9 receptions, 157 yards)

Diggs! (7 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TD)

DEFENSE!

I'd be more excited if this didn't happen against the Saint defense. But the O Line looked real good all night.

so...

O Line!!!!

Football!

Twins got kicked six ways from Sunday yesterday.

That made it much easier to watch whatever NFL games were available.

Detroit, Green Bay, and the Cowboys all looked great in their wins. Of course, for Vikings fans tonight's game will  pretty much determine the course of the season.

I have no expectations. A good young running back and Sam Bradford won't make much difference if the O Line hasn't recovered from last season.

And the defense will be on the field too much if the O Line is still bad.

We'll see what happens. At least the game is early.

College Football

Number two, Ohio State, lost last night.

If that would have happened a couple of seasons ago before the college playoff system started, a loss like that would have literally ended their season. THAT game would have meant so much more.

As it is, it's only one loss, and by the end of the season if they still find themselves in the top eight, and play two great games at the end, they could still make the 4-team play-off.

Don't tell me college football is better with the play-off.

Last night's loss should have been a big deal. It could have been like a championship game.

Now, it's just a loss. And I went to bed early, knowing that.

How come nobody else sees this?

Cleveland Wins 17 Straight

I'm told that's only the second time since 1961 that a team has done that.

The Twins? They were good for 7 1/2 innings last night.

sigh...

Whew!!!!

Admit it. If you watched that game last night, you were tense as soon as Santana had that rough inning. And you stayed that way until the final out.

Anyway, the Twins won!

Cleveland won their 16th straight last night so I'm thinking a division crown is no longer in any of our sights.

And how good are the Dodgers? They have lost 12 of their last 13 games and they STILL have the best record in baseball. Cleveland's 16 straight still has not caught them.

Best? We're still in it.

AND we're going to a four man starting rotation.

Go Twins!!!!

NFL

The Patriots got surprised last night. After getting off to a pretty good start, they played the role of the Falcons in last year's Super Bowl the rest of the way.

The Chiefs ended up killing them 42-27.

Football is back. Vikes play Monday against the Saints and Adrian Peterson.

Can't wait.

Rally!

Gibson!!

Polanco!!!

Whoooo!!!!!

10-6!

Finally.

The three game skid ended and the Twins now cling to half game lead in the last slot for wildcard.

How?

Dozier! homer
Adrianza! homer
Escobar! 3 hits, 3 RBI

Still in it!!!

Colon!

I don't normally give exclamation points for losses, but Colon was his old, fat, brilliant self last night again. We didn't lose because of him.

The Red Sox scandal has baseball talking so much more. I can't wait to see how this compares to deflate gate. Those New England teams and their cheating...

Brock Osweiler

Do you remember a couple years ago when Osweiler led the Broncos to the playoffs when Manning was hurt? Manning came back and won the Super Bowl that year.

This year, Osweiler signed a huge contract with the Browns taking Jonny Football's place as the Cleveland QB.

Well, guess what? The Browns cut Osweiler before this season began still owing him about $15 million in guaranteed money over the next 4 seasons.

The Broncos took advantage of that, re-signing Osweiler to a one year deal worth $775,000. The Browns will have to pay him the rest.

So the Broncos basically borrowed Osweiler to the Texans and Browns for a little more than a season and then got him back at a bargain basement price.

Elway, the Bronco's GM is looking more and more like a business genius. Even if Osweiler is a complete bust, he's not costing the Broncos anything.

With the Twins now in a fade pattern themselves, I'm kind of getting pumped for football.

Go Vikings!!

Twins Clobbered

sigh

Bullpen Shows No Relief

sigh

Seven game road trip next.

17-0? 17-0!!!!!!!!!

Gibson!!! (6 shutout innings, no walks)!!!
Escobar!!! (2 Homers and a triple)!!!
Mauer!!! (4-4, now hitting .303 in SEPTEMBER)!!!
Dozier!!! (3-Run Shot)!!!

Wow!!!!!!!

Disappointing Starting Pitching

You just KNEW the Twins were going to lose last night. Gee was awful in the first, worse in the second, and then collapsed early in the third.

On a brighter note, the 50 home runs the Twins hit in August were the most home runs any Twins team had ever hit in August before.

It's not the batting that's letting us down.

Bottom Of the Ninth, Bases Loaded Two Outs...

Plunk!

Kepler hit by the pitch!

Twins Win!!!!

11-1!!!!

Polanco! TWO homers!
Berrios! Seven scoreless innings!
Dozier! Four hits!
Mauer! Now batting .296!
69 Wins! They had 59 all last season!!!

Go Twins!!!!!

Polanco! Santana!

Polanco stays hot with 2 home runs as Santana squeaks into the seventh.

Good enough!

Go Twins!!!

Rocket League

I've seen the future of televised sports and it has nothing to do with athletic people on a playing field.

A few weeks ago my wife and I watched a few minutes of world-class drone flyers competing in an empty big league stadium. It was basically a bunch of nerds with remotes piloting their drones through the hallways and open spaces of the the facility.

Prize money was at stake.

This weekend the NBC Sports channel (NBC's version of ESPN) outdid even that. They were broadcasting the entire Rocket League tournament. For those of you who don't know, Rocket League is a video game where trucks play soccer.

You read that right. NBC was broadcasting tons of hours of nerds playing video games for money. In primetime. They even had commentators and broadcasters giving play by play as if were a real thing.

And get this. The youth market, the ones advertisers seek, is gobbling up this programming.

Do you have any idea what this means for the future of televised sports in America?

Let's just say that major league baseball and its 3 hour snooze-fests are in real trouble.

I have seen the future of sports and it does not involve athletes.

And I used to think all of that televised poker on various sports channels was stupid...

KC Royals

Though very much in the hunt for the last wildcard slot, Kansas City hasn't been playing very well as of late.

Last night they extended their not scoring any runs streak to 43 consecutive innings.

For those of you who can't do math very well, that's nearly 5 straight games.

The record? 48.

I say they go for it.

Vikings

The Vikings subs came back last night and pulled victory from the jaws of defeat with a last second TD.

But that first team did not look good on offense or defense.

Still apprehensive about the upcoming season.

Buxton! Gibson!

Three home runs for Byron. WOW!

6 2/3 innings for Gibson. Only two runs. Wow!

Twins have the best record in baseball since early August. Wow!

I'm still enjoying this run. And they are still very much in the wildcard mix!

Late August and still in the mix!

Wow!!!

Mayweather Wins With TKO in 10th

A real fight.

The last thing anyone expected.

Estimated payout for Mayweather? $200 million

McGregor? $75 million.

It all depends on the final PPV figures.

Twins Score NINE

Kepler grandslam in eighth.

Twins lose.

sigh

Colon!

4 straight quality starts for the fat, old man!

We've had 34 pitchers on our roster this season, and he's seems to be one of the few who actually clicks.

Curtiss looked good in his debut in the 1-2-3 ninth as well.

Buxton! Polanco! Mauer!

Each had three hits!

Go Twins!

The Twins WERE On A Roll...

...until they played the White Sox.

You know you are not doing well when you lose games that Santana and Berrios start.

heavy sigh

Bottom of the Ninth

sigh

Polanco! Vargas! Rosario! Gibson!

Whooo!!!!!

I'm going to add Gibson again.

GIBSON!!!!!

Split

It's always better to split a double-header than to lose one, but it's still hard to see this team lose to the lowly White Sox.

That first game was made worse by the rain delay.

One exclamation.

Polanco!

Colon! (Another Win)

Rosario! (Grand Slam)

9-run first inning!

Sweep!

4 game win streak!

They start a rare 5-game series with the White Sox today. That includes 2 games today.

Go Twins!!!!

Berrios!

I'm enjoying the hunt for the last wildcard slot. (You know, the one that gives you the privilege of losing one extra game each year and not really making the playoffs.)

Go Twins!!

Sano! (2!!!) Buxton! Kepler! Escobar! Dozier! Santana!

10-3!!!!

Whooo!!!

Trivia: The last time someone got TWO inside the park home runs in ONE game? 1986, Greg Gagne for the Twins. Hank Thompson was the last person to do it in the National League. That was way back in 1950.

Twins Lose 2 Out Of 3, Grossman

Now that was a disappointing series. Grossman broke his thumb in the collision with Buxton, and the Twins find themselves even further behind the team they are chasing.

Typical Minnesota situation.

sigh

Giancarlo Stanton

Before the steroid era, the official homerun record for major league baseball was 61. It was a mark Roger Maris hit breaking Babe Ruth's famous 60 home run record.

Then the record fell several times when guys like Sammy Sosa, Mark McQwire, and Barry Bonds started suspected juicing.

Most baseball purists consider the Roger Maris 61 mark the REAL record. For those folks, what Giancarlo Stanton is doing for the Marlins this season is pretty cool. He's been hot lately. Last night his six game straight homerun streak came to an end, but he's still on pace to break or tie the Maris mark of 61.

Me?

I'm a bit more jaded. I no longer think anyone is "clean." They are just better at covering up whatever they are using. Because of that, Barry Bonds has the record. His steroids were better than Maris' uppers.

And Ruth's prohibition beer.

That's the baseball world in a nutshell.

If You're Going To Lose...

...lose big.

Two more games to determine the season, tonight and tomorrow.

Just Do It!

This odd bit of sports history makes me smile.

Last month, a 50-mile ultra marathon race was held in Mexico. The winner was Maria Lopez Ramirez. Please note that she ran the whole race in a skirt and sandals.

It's not the footgear and athletic wear folks, despite how much the Nike marketing machine tells you differently.

Cleveland Showdown

Here we are in the middle of August and I'm typing a Twins's blog about how important this series with Cleveland is for the season.

Wow.

Just wow.

We all know that a sweep would be fantastic (and that getting swept would pretty much end our season) but the main thing is-

-it IS the middle of August and the Twins have a very important series to play. How cool is that? I admit, I'm not caught up in some amazing pennant race frenzy, yet. It's too early, that and our starting rotation and bullpen are as suspect as any team in baseball.

BUT...

...this series IS important.

Cool.

Dozier! Sano!

Buxton!

Keep it going!!!

Heavy Sigh...

A great comeback followed by everything going wrong.

Hopefully they can start another winning streak.

Six Straight!

Kepler Homered!

Rosario Homered!

Buxton's Catch!

!!!!!!!!!!!

Five Game Win Streak!

Whoooo!!!!

Colon!

Shutout!

Dozier! Home run!

4 Straight Wins!

Whooo!

Dozier! (Grand Slam!)

Rosario! ( TWO home runs!)
Kepler! (TWO home runs!)

Three game win streak!

Whoo!

Another Comeback!

Santana might be good, but he sure gives up lots of home runs.

Rosario dancing off third base last night caused the Brewer's pitcher to balk.

BAM!

Another win.

Keep going guys. There's plenty of season left to play!

Comeback!

Kepler!

Dozier!

Rosario!

Still fun about half the time.

Twins Lose

I said I wanted the Twins to finish at .500. I didn't mean I wanted them to lose every other game.

I guess that should be a lesson for me.

Colon Goes the Distance In Twins Win!

Dozier Homers TWICE!

And the Vikings have started camp in Mankato.

Twins Lose

So what else is new?

Santana!

Complete game AND 2 RBI.

More, please.

New Japan Pro

When the Twins start contending again, I'll start talking about them.

New Japan Pro is the WWE of Japan. Recently they've made their product more and more available in the states where U.S. fans can see them. They're hoping to expand into more of a global market like WWE.

Their biggest event of the year dwarfs Wrestlemania. They hold an event called Climax that lasts a week and a half and consists of 14 three hour shows. It's like a year's worth of WWE pay-per-views all in a 17 day span. And THIS year, they're making all of the shows available online for free in the states to try to entice the U.S. market.

Me? Let's just say I'd rather watch three hours of their shows every night than another Twins loss.

I've seen 10 so far, with just 4 more nights to go.

I like their product a lot. They have their primary stars. Guys like Okata, Kenny Omega, Sanada, and Michael Elgin who are as good as anyone the WWE has to offer, but they have a whole roster of other guys who are allowed to win on occasion. That's where they differ from the WWE. Even the guys who aren't top stars sometimes beat the top stars.

And that keeps their product and match-ups fresh. I can't emphasize enough how much that makes their product more watchable than WWE. The first few night they broadcast the event in English. The last several have been in Japanese. I probably couldn't watch them that way if I hadn't seen the U.S. versions first, but since I have, the transition really hasn't been as jarring as you may expect. I KNOW the wrestlers. I know the characters they portray. I'd enjoy the product more with English announcing, but I enjoy it just fine without it.

Best match far? Michael Elgin versus Kenny Omega. It was as good (or better) than anything the WWE has put on this year. (And I thought Cena and A.J. Styles tore it up a few times for WWE.)

I have no idea if fans who see WWE as the only wrestling league out there will ever enjoy the Japanese product.

I mean there are WWE fans who can't even appreciate the incredible ability of WWE wrestlers like A.J. Styles or Sami Zayn, so who knows?

But I like having an alternative to the RAW and Smackdown snooze-fest as of late. A stale product doesn't get any better by consuming more of it.

Kinda' like the Twins....

An Old Sport

With network sports ratings going down all the time, perhaps it's time to bring back an OLD sport based on an even older sport.

Give these guys the personalities of pro wrestlers with a Mad Max type of stadium and you have instant ratings success.

I know I'd watch it over NASCAR.

Kintzler Gone

The season is now unofficially over for the Twins.

We got rid of our closer because we know that we don't need him anymore.

His last couple of outings haven't been so hot anyway.

sigh

Beltre Number 3000

I honestly didn't think I'd see another guy get 3,000 hits in my lifetime, but Adrain Beltre proved me wrong.

That's 200 hits a year for 15 years. With today's contracts, and athletes getting so may games off a season, AND the emphasis on good hitters working the count to draw more walks, I thought players with their big-money contracts, would retire before getting that brass ring.

Way to go Adrian! Baseball needs more players like you.

Another Walk-Off Homer, Another Loss

heavy sigh

12 innings

sigh

Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar is considering coming out of retirement.

Yes, he is the current WWE Universal Champion, but that's just wrasslin' (you know the fake stuff, wink, wink).

No, he's considering getting back into the octagon to go against a man 40 pounds lighter than himself, light heavyweight UFC Champion Jon Jones, who challenged him to a fight after regaining his title last night.

Why?

Big money. BIG, BIG Money.

Brock's contract with WWE runs out soon and it's already rumored that he's taking the regular drug checks to make sure he's not using any illegal substances.

Brock's already said he wants the fight.

Mayweather/McGregor may be the fight everyone is anticipating right now.

But there are an awful lot of WWE and UFC fans that are looking forward to Brock Lesnar's return to the cage.

Count me as one of them.

Both fights should be absolute spectacles.

Twins Beat By Two-Run Blast, Walk-Off

sigh

New Guy Stops Losing Streak!

Jaimie Garcia pitched six good innings last night. The Twins scored. The bullpen was better.

Any win  is a good win. I'm still hoping for a .500 season.

Twins Considering Trades

The Twins know the season is pretty much over. Look for them to start trading big names with big contracts soon.

This season was a better ride than expected. But, when all is said and done, we will still reach the same, old destination.

Twins Lose, Cleveland Wins

Yep, this is pretty much it.

Brother Watches Twins Sink Lower

My brother and his family got to see the Twins lose last night in L.A.

Cleveland won.

It was a better season than I expected.

The Vikings are just around the corner.

Go Vikes!

Twins Lose Late, Cleveland Wins Again

Bartolo? 3 earned runs in 5 innings. Better than last time, but he is considering retirement.

I do believe this is where the season begins to unravel.

Twins Lose LONG Game

It might have only been nine innings long BUT it sure slogged on longer than your average game.

Total running time? 4 hours and 19 minutes. And when you're getting beat for most of those nine innings, it drags on even longer.

I gave up.

It's a good thing baseball has those automatic intentional walks now. There's no telling how much longer the game would have lasted if those weren't in play.

Oh, and Cleveland has now won three straight and has a 2 1/2 game lead in the division.

The Twins are headin' out to L.A. next to see the Dodgers. My younger brother's hoping to catch one of those games.

I need a break, myself. I'm glad they'll be playing when I'm sleeping.

Gibson Great Through Seven!

Granite THREE hits!!

Hang on!

Whew!

Twins Lose, Cleveland Wins

No exclamations today.

Still Good

Exclamation Points!!!

Berrios! (best outing in a month)

Series Wins Over the Yankees! (that's only happened THREE times in the last NINE years)

Home Series Win! (their home record stinks this year)

Go Twins!!!!

Colon: FOUR Earned Runs In FOUR Innings

He looked pretty good in the first three, but then...BOOM...

sigh...

Mejia! Rosario! Bullpen!

Mejia has been our most consistent starter for the last month.

And the Cyborg that won the home run hitting contest is currently slumping for the Yankees.

That, plus some timely hitting by Rosario, and some good pitching out of the bullpen, gave the Twins a well-deserved win last night.

Whooo!!!

Go Twins!