Observations and Complaints

Sorry I haven’t been blogging too much lately. You see, I’ve kind of gotten into this Facebook thing. I have to admit that Facebook is a strange, oddly addicting phenomenon. On the positive side, it’s a great way to reconnect with people that you share a past with. I’ve been in touch with friends from elementary school all the way through the University of Leinenkugels and after. Facebook is also a place to post cool music and Young Ones videos for people to comment on. On the negative side, you are provided with quite a bit of information regarding trips to the grocery store, visits from aunts, etc. You have to take the good with the bad. Of course, a big difference between blogging and Facebook is the average length of the communication. Blogging is usually longer chunks of crap that is not well thought out compared to Facebook, which is shorter bits of crap that is not well thought out. Blogging certainly takes more time.

Anyway, I do have some topics that I need to get off my chest (mostly complaints). In the spirit of Facebook, I am going to try and keep these short and sweet:

1. Twins win division, completely forget how to pitch and then the whole team gets injured. I am really not too concerned that the Twins cannot win a game since they clinched the division. The fact that no starting pitcher can get through 3 innings is a little disheartening, but this has been known to happen. Remember in 1987, the Twins lost all 6 remaining games in the season after clinching the division – and they weren’t even close. And we all know what happened after that. I am more concerned that the entire team is now injured. Every one of them. J.J Hardy even injured his knee in his sleep. I am not making this up. For the Twins to finally compete in the post season, they need a healthy team. We all know Morneau is out, but they need Mauer, Hardy, Thome, etc. They cannot compete with the Rays or Yanks with the likes of Butera, Tolbert and Casilla in the starting lineup. Don’t get me wrong, all of those guys have played a major part in the Twins winning the division. They just need their best lineup to beat the AL East. I am not going to get nervous yet. Well, I already am nervous, sort of….

2. Vikings beat Lions; Bears beat Packers. So the hated Bears are 3-0. I remain unconvinced that they will compete for the NFC North division. I still believe the Bears are frauds and Jay Cutler will implode. The Bears, for all intents and purposes, beat the Lions on a head-scratching, mystical call and the Packers required 18 penalties to lose by 3 to them in Chicago. I still say 7-9. Once they lose their first game, Cutler spontaneously combusts. This division will still come down to the Packers and the Vikings.

3. Cities 97. What has happened to Cities 97? I remember when the Cities 97 used to play decent music. The station has always been known as “mellow alternative” or even “mellow alt-country.” A guy could hear some older mellow Tom Petty or Neil Young mixed in with some U2. So what the hell has happened? The muzak played at THE CHECK is more cutting edge than the Cities 97, for Cliff’s sake. If I had $1 for every time they played Matchbox 20, I’d retire, buy my own Caribbean island and build an airport on it so I could fly my own private jet in and out whenever I wanted. When I am driving around, I have a little game I play. I try and guess whether or not John Mayer, Matchbox 20 (or Rob Thomas – same thing) or Five For Fighting will be on the station. You have a 95% shot of being right. I don’t know what to make of this. Hey, we don’t need another KS95.

4. Tim Brewster still employed. Now, look. I understand that it is difficult to fire a head coach of a football team in the middle of the season. But not many head coaches of a Big Ten football team (none, actually) can manage to lose to South Dakota and Northern Illinois in consecutive weeks – at home. This is beyond bad. This is hurting recruiting for the next decade. What does Tim Brewster need to do to get fired? Steal Robert Bruininks car? Burglarize and toilet paper Bruininks’ house?? What, really, is going on here?

5. No Sasquatch sightings lately. Not for long. It’s fall. Something will happen.

That is all I have. Back to Facebook.

Jeff

The South Dakota Coyotes.

The Minnesota Gopher just lost 41-38 to something called the South Dakota Coyotes. The incompetence of Tim Brewster as Head Coach of the Minnesota Gopher football team has now reached epic, almost legendary proportions. This guy makes Les Steckel look like Bill Walsh.

If Brewster is not fired immediately, there should be an investigation. Who should replace him? Anybody. Have a contest on a radio station. It doesn't matter.

I now offer my sincerest apologies for calling for the firing of Glen Mason. I was 100% wrong. Mason was Tom Landry compared to Brewster.

So much for the Rose Bowl, huh? Good luck against USC.

Prognostication Time Again

It's that time of year again. The Vikings season starts tomorrow night where it ended last year - New Orleans, Louisiana (already starting to feel sick). This Vikings season feel different, however. I believe that there is more pressure on this year's team to win than ever before. Why? The 2010 Vikings are loaded with older talent. Many of these players will be gone after this season. The Vikings also happen to have a stadium lease that will expire after the 2011 season, and they need to convice skeptical politicians and residents of Minnesota to build them a new stadium in the worst economic times since the Great Depression. Winning would help the cause and an underachieving, losing season may doom the cause. Let's just say there is some pressure on this year's squad.

That being said, here are my predictions for the 2010 NFC North. We all know that I am spot-on with my predictions (deep sarcasm), so I might as well put a hex on the Pack (sorry Jase).

Here we go:

1. Green Bay Packers (12-4). Might as well join the national love-fest. Aaron Rodgers may be the greatest football player of all time.

2. Minnesota Vikings (9-7). Too old. Too many injuries. Not enough cornerbacks or receivers. Doesn't bode well for the future.

3. Chicago Bears (7-9). Jay Cutler is not the greatest football player of all time. So long to Lovie.

4. Detroit Lions (5-11). Better than last year, but still last place (sorry dools).

So there you go. Written in stone (even though that stone might be sandstone!).

Jeff

Some Fleeting Thoughts

Here are a few things on my mind today:

1. Yes, I am now on Facebook. I put it off for a few eons, but after I attended my High School reunion, I realized it would be a good thing to do since most of my pals from back home are on there. Plus, it gave me another place to post the cowboy picture. So there.

2. Some friends of ours gave us two free tickets to the Vikings game last night (thanks Kim and Paul!), so I took my son The Graminator because it's his 11th birthday. First, the pleasantries. It was his first-ever Viking game, so that was a lot of fun. He really enjoyed a live NFL game. And the Vikings scrubs beat Denver's scrubs. Now, let's dispense with the pleasantries.

The Metrodome (sorry - Mall of America Field) is an absolute dump.

Look, I know that I have been spoiled by Target Field and the Xcel Energy Center. But, my God, the Dome has become worse than my basement. This is not 1984 anymore. Dark, dingy, smelly. The roof looks like the curtains in a chain-smokers house. And the new turf looks like something from a 1970's miniature golf course. I am surprised the MOA folks wanted their name on this monstrosity. Let's not mince words here. This should be called Apache Plaza Field.

Something has to be done about this. And fast.

3. Speaking of my son's birthday, we bought him a replica of the 1970's Evel Knievel motorcycle toy that you wind up and it does jumps and stuff. I had one of these back in THE DAY. Man, did I love that thing. My son saw some video clips on You Tube of the original in action and he was hooked. We bought one on line and it arrived yesterday. I must say that it's a pretty good replication of the '70's toy. There is only one difference - the 2010 version is louder than a jet plane. It's louder than the Metrodome during the '87 World Series. But don't get me wrong, it's still hours of fun.

4. How the hell is it already September?

5. Lastly, just a few short days ago, there was an article in the Pioneer Press about how the Twins could possibly employ a 6-man rotation when Kevin Slowey comes off the disabled list. That is how well their pitchers were doing. Then, last night, Scott Baker complains of elbow pain after 2 innings and the Twins use EIGHT pitchers in an extra-inning loss to Detroit.

Forget the 6-man rotation.

Now the Twins have to bring up some guy named Matt Fox from AAA ball to start tonight's tilt with hated Texas. That, my friends, is how fast things can go down the toilet in Major League Baseball. Matt Fox? He was a reliever/starter who has not gone more that 6 innings in a minor league game this year. I am actually going to be attendance at tonight's game with my kids, so I get to witness Mr. Fox's debut. Too bad we don't have seats in the Home Run porch. Something tells me we'd get a few baseballs. (Editor's note: My apologies to Matt Fox. He pitched a great ballgame. He went 5 2/3, only gave up 2 runs, and allowed the Twins to rest most of their bullpen. Nice work! That will teach me to be sarcastic).

I don't want to sound too negative,, however. The Twins still lead their division by 3 1/2 games over the White Sox. And, on top of that, the Sox just picked up noted nut-case and locker-room killer Manny Ramirez. The Twins should still win the division, so things are looking up.

Have a great Labor Day!