A Few Things On My Mind....

I thought it may be a good time to put a couple of thoughts down on The Blog, as time is becoming short before the holidays. I am wrapping a few gifts this afternoon, which I still can not do very well. Almost to an inept, mentally incompetent level. In fact, as I have stated in the past, I could not wrap a gift well if my life literally depended on it. If a guy put a gun to my head and stated "I will blow your head off unless you wrap this gift so it looks pretty," I would be dead - killed on the spot. But I digress. Here is some stuff that I thought about while wrapping gifts:

1. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Does this guy have "smug ass-hole" written all over himself or what? His haircut just screams "ass-hole." He should be convicted of something just because of that haircut. That is all I have to say about that.

2. Vikings playoff chances. It is down to this: The Vikings play Atlanta and the New York Giants - both at home. The Chicago Bears play the Packers and the Houston Texans. If the Vikings win one game OR the Bears lose one game, the Vikings are NFC North Champions and are guaranteed of a home playoff game. Sounds pretty simple and easy, right? Then why am I so paranoid?

Well, let me tell you. First, the Vikings next opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, provided the Vikings with arguably the worst moment in their history (debatable, because there are many) - the 1998 NFC overtime championship game loss at the dome. Many people feel this loss surpassed even the 1975 "Drew Pearson push-off game," also a NFC Championship game, in "suck-wadness." The mere sight of the Falcons in the Metrodome gives me facial ticks. If the Vikings win on Sunday, it would help exercise some demons from that 1998 fiasco. If they lose, more facial ticks. If they do lose, they would have to beat the New York Giants.

Ahhhh, the New York Giants. Here is another squad that has given the Vikings fits over the years. How about the 41-0 loss to the underdog Giants in (you guessed it) the 2001 NFC Championship game? How about the 4th down-Phil Simms pass to keep a drive alive and eventually beat the Vikes at the buzzer in the Dome in a huge game in the late-80's? There is more, but I can't talk about it any more. The Vikings will have to beat one of these hated foes, and exercise a demon, to advance to the playoffs.

That is, however, unless the Bears lose. Hey Packers - how about doing the Vikes a favor by beating the Bears Monday night? Wouldn't it be great to literally end your fiercest rival's season? (By the way, I'm talking about the Bears here, not the Vikings). That would be nice, but I don't see it happening since the game is in Chicago. I'm also torn on this because I will be attending the Vikings-Giants game at the Dome with Pete on the 28th, and it certainly would be fun if that game meant something. It could also be the perfect set-up for the proverbial OTHER SHOE to drop, and more facial ticks on the drive home from the game. Yeah, I hope the Pack beats the Bears.

3. Wild Slumping. Yes, the Wild managed to beat the hapless Islanders last night 4-1, but there is something wrong with this squad. The lack of scoring is catching up with them. When you remove Brian Rolston, Pavol Demetria, Mark Parrish, etc., from last year's team (who also had trouble scoring) and replace them with more defense, the team is not going to score much. Those 2-1 early-season victories have turned into 2-1 mid-season defeats. It doesn't help, of course, the Marion Gaborik has been out most of the year with a "lower body injury." He's back now, but not at 100%.

Here's the thing. I think Wild fans are starting to get a little frustrated. I believe there was a sense the last couple of years that the Wild were starting to build something special, but have digressed a little this year. I believe the fans are frustrated with the loss of Rolston this year, and have a foreboding sense that this is Marion Gaborik's last year with the team. Two straight first-round playoff losses have not help matters, either. Lastly, I believe the fans are a bit bored with Jacques Lemaire's defensive, trapping style of play.

On the bright side, this is nothing that a few wins wouldn't cure. After all, the Wild have a history of slumping in December and then rebounding after the Holidays. The fan base may be frustrated, but they still show up and they still care, unlike another team in town. And, they still have a great arena, so what the hell.

4. Gophers beat #9th-ranked Louisville. I do believe Tubby has the Gopher basketball program on the right track. Many of you probably remember that Gopher basketball used to be one of the toughest tickets in town, before the scandals. If they keep playing like they did today, those tickets will, once again, be in high demand.

Who said I wasn't a positive guy?

That is all I have right now. Back to wrapping gifts.

Jeff