Twins Win Again!

It's hard to believe we are 1/4 of the way through the NFL season, and I'm more excited talking about the Twins on a Sunday morning than the Vikings.

The Twins won their fifth straight yesterday. Yes, It was again against lowly Chicago, but wins like this, late in the season, show something.

They clearly are not going anywhere this season, but they still care. ESPECIALLY at home.

My math says there is one game left in the season. Today. Here's hoping they go out on a high note today.

Go Twins!!

Yankees To Host Wild Card Game

AND they hit 265 home runs as a team this year.

The more money you spend, the more things stay the same.

The Twins? They swept a double header yesterday. Berrios looked great, collecting his 200th strikeout of the year. No Twin has done that since Liriano back in 2010.

There has been a lot going right for the Twins this season. Berrios is one of those things.

Even Joe Mauer, who is thinking about retiring, is batting .362 over his last 14 games.

Astudillo now has 16 RBI in his last 15 games.

The Twins are also 47-32 at home this year (28-12 since late June).

Yes, the season is ending. But there is hope with their current line-up and pitching staff.

We're not the Yankees. We have to figure out how to do it without as much money.

Go Twins!

Twins Club Tigers

There's a lot of virtual unknowns doing very well for the Twins as of late.

I'm more enthusiastic about them than the Vikings at this point.

Vikings Defense Fails Again

You know, The Vikes defense looked awful against  the Eagles in last year's NFC championship game.

It really has not looked good since. Last night was just another example of a team that does not have the proper tools or coaching.

Whatever the Eagles did last year against us is still being exploited this year.

I don't think there is an easy fix. We simply aren't as good as we thought we were.

Last night? Offense was a solid B+. The defense gets another F.

Coach Zimmer should be concerned. He booted a place kicker after one bad game. How many more bad games is this defense going to have before management starts seeing the real problem?

Zimmer is a one trick pony, and that trick has been exposed. Let's start cleaning house.

Twins Crunch Tigers

It would be nice to see lots of wins to end the season.

Twins Lose

Six games left.

It's almost over.

NFL

Watching last night's game was almost impossible.

All the penalties for roughing the QB are getting out of hand.

I know they want to protect him, BUT hitting him while he has the ball, and landing on him in the process, is now a penalty. Or running in to him just after release is a penalty, or one of any number of touching him funny penalties are called.

I just can't watch it.

And not just last night's game.

The Viking sacked a QB on the first drive, on third down, on Sunday, and it was called a 15 yard penalty. So instead of fourth and long, the Bills had a first down at the 50. They went on to score a TD on the drive and dominated field position after that.

They effectively emasculated the Vikings vaunted defense, and the whole game went south.

That's not football.

IF you want to end violence against the QB, here's what you do.

LET the quarterback have the option of intentional grounding without being penalized. IF he chooses not to ground the ball to protect himself, then he is like any other player on the field and he can get hit.

It's that simple.

Yes, sack totals will go down, but real sacks in the pocket will still be rewarded. And defenses won't have to be so ridiculous.

Clay Matthews of the Green Bay Packers is right. The league is wrong. And football will soon be unwatchable for fans.

I might stop watching completely. I never thought I would say that.

It's not fun any more.

Twins Win!

And the Vikings disappoint.

Before the season began I made one clear comment: I hate it when a successful team like the Vikings get a different quarterback and a different place kicker at the same time. You end up with two really important wildcards who may very well NOT live up to expectations.

Last week it was the kicker, whom we simply released.

But what do you do about a $200 quarterback with a Joe Mauer-like commitment?

You watch the first few minute of yesterday's game and hope that "Fumble Fingers Cousins" isn't the worst starter the Vikings have had since Ponder.

Otherwise, it's going to be a LONG several seasons.

And my Patriots? They looked worse than the Vikings.

I think I'm going to become a Chief's fan this year. Now, THAT is a team.

I've always wanted an excuse to cut the cord with cable TV. The next few weeks of Vikings football with Fumble Fingers at the helm may be just be the final straw...

Twins Lose

In the bottom of the ninth this time.

Vikings today! Okay, I'm still excited about this season. We now have a kicker who can reportedly kick AND the team is supposed to be pretty good. I expect a win today.

If not, this season is going to turn pretty stinky, pretty quick with the the Rams and the Eagles the next two weeks.

Go Vikings!

And new kicker? A word of advise. We don't tolerate incompetence in your position. If you don't boot it straight we will boot you outta' here!

Twins Lose

In the bottom of the tenth.

BUT, I want to talk more about NFL Thursday night football.

You know primetime football has come a long way from Monday Night Football in the 1990's when your featured match-up on Thursday night is a team that hadn't won a game in 1 1/2 seasons AND the team that got BEAT by them.

I don't even know what channel the game was on, but I do know that it wasn't a game that I was looking for.  I'll tell you that.

Let's just say it wasn't the best of the best. Primetime is no longer prime real estate.

Browns Win!

I like to feel sorry myself as a Minnesota sports fan, but the Cleveland Browns won their first game of the season last night. That snaps a 635 day winless streak.

Yes, the Twins have had a few bad seasons. The Vikings haven't won a Super Bowl. But nothing compares to 635 days without a win.

How they even have fans any more is beyond me.

Go Browns!

Twins Sweep Tigers!

That's four straight wins. Fantastic pitching and hitting for the series.

Go Twins!!

Twins Win Third Straight

At least they have me switching to them during commercial breaks again.

Vikings Get New Place Kicker

As my brother mentioned in a comment to  yesterday's blog. "lol."

My favorite part was the reporters asking Zimmer questions.

"Why?"

Zimmer, "Did you see the game?"

and, "was it a difficult decision?"

Zimmer, " No, it was very easy."

The replacement? It looks like Baily from Dallas. Baily hurt his groin last year and missed some games. He says he healthy now. IF he's healthy, he's been one of the games best kickers, and he's only 30.

It is definitely not a step down.

A good call.

The Twins beat the Tigers last night 6-1.

(Not that most care anymore.)

Twins Actually Win One

The pitching wasn't great, but four home runs makes a difference  on the scoreboard.

Go Twins!

Vikings Miss Win Wide Right...

Three times.

Green Bay fans must have a new hero this morning.

The last time the Vikes had a kicker this bad, they released him the next day. I'm hoping that happens again.

I don't care if he is the highest placed kicker we have ever drafted, there HAS to be someone more consistent than that inside 50 yards available.

I've ragged on our choice of kickers every year I've had a blog, I told myself to be patient this year.

BUT so MANY games are decided by just one player. So many SEASONS are decided by one player.

And that player is your field goal kicker.

Or in our case, a kicker who can't seem to kick field goals.

Twins Kicked By Royals Again

I skipped it all.

The Gophers looked great again yesterday. Non-conference does that for you.

Vikings/Packers today.

MOST say the Vikes are better at every position except one. That one will probably make the difference if he's healthy.

I'm hoping to see most of it.

Go Vikes!!

Twins Give Up Grand Slam in Ninth, Lose

I'm so glad I didn't finish that one.

Twins Lose Late

sigh

To the Royals.

double sigh

Twins Beat the Yankees Again!

I don't mind playing the roll of spoiler in the Yanks play-off plans.

ANYTHING to keep them from advancing is a very good thing.

Go Twins!!!

Twins Win!

10-1 lead ended up a 10-5 win.

Two grand slams in the game were the highlights. Mauer got one of them.

I still enjoy a Twins win. I hope there's still a few more of them coming.

NFL

The Lions and Raiders were embarrassed in their games last night.

Matthew Stafford, one of the highest paid athletes in the history of sports, looked as bad as any quarterback has ever looked.

snicker

People are quick to award QBs with long-term, big-money deals, then, as quickly, realize the error of their ways.

Oh, and the Twins? They got clubbed by the Yankees last night.

As if anyone still cares...

Twins Win!

But I'm going to talk about the Vikings, today.

The Vikings won the first game of the season yesterday by looking great in the first half.

The second half. Not as great. BUT the defense came through with several monster plays when needed, and the offense moved the ball well until stalling midway through the third quarter.

Let's face it. Based on what we all witnessed yesterday, the Vikings are going to have a hard time next week with Aaron Rodgers and that incredible Packer comeback yesterday.

Down 20-0 at one point, the Packers came back, led by their field general's gutsy second half return from injury. It wouldn't have surprised me if many Packer fans went to bed early last night after that first half injury.

If they did, they missed one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

I did go to bed early, but not after acknowledging that the Packers were most likely going to win.

You just don't bet against Rodgers.

Hoping for a great game next week.

Twins Lose, Vikings!

How bad were the Twins last night? A perfect game against them through eight.

It doesn't matter. The Vikings play at home today. Will their new QB be as good as experts predict.?Will they manage to put together an offensive line to protect him with all the injuries? Will their new place kicker miss the game-winning field goal?

Those in the know say the Pack, Vikes, and Lions are going to be among the elite this year.

We'll see.

I'd love to see the Vikes win a few a  row to start the season.

I just hope they make it through the day with a good win and no injuries.

Twins Win!

The five-game losing streak is now just a distant memory.

Best baseball news story of the day? The two primary Detroit Tigers TV announcers got suspended for the rest of the season for a fight they got into just before a game a few days ago.

17-year veterans in the booth. I can't wait to hear more about that one...

Football!!

The NFL season is upon us.

Philly won with their back-up Super Bowl QB.

Waiting 'til Sunday.

Five Game Losing Streak

9-1 blowout.

Anyone else still watching?

Four Game Losing Streak

See yesterday's advice.

Three Game Losing Streak

Just keep repeating, "It's almost over, it's almost over, it's almost over..."

Twins Clobbered

Aren't you glad it's September?

The Twins gave up 6 home runs and 18 runs total.

I decided to skip that one, as did most.

sigh

Rangers End Five-Game Losing Streak

Against the Twins.

I skipped the whole thing last night.

Twins Win!

I started watching at the right time last night.

The Twins were down 6-0 after four innings, but it was 6-3 with the Twins having the bases loaded in the top of the fifth. That's when I came in.

20 minutes later is was 8-6 Twins, and they went on to win 10-7.

THAT was a fun inning.

Go Twins!!