It's Frickin' Freezing.

Tonight, in Minneapolis-St. Paul, will be the coldest night in four years. The temperature may dip to -25, with wind chills between -40 and -50.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say the good Swedes and Norwegians and Germans that settled this land back in THE DAY showed up around June 10th and set up camp. Beautiful summers and fall ya know. Everything was good until around mid-November. Then, after Christmas, January and February hit and they thought "we have found hell."

But, we stay for the Vikes.

Stay warm.

Jeff

Food For Thought...

Stuff that I have been thinking about:

1. Tony Dungy Retires. Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has retired. While Dungy has been an outstanding coach, he is an even better human being. He is the picture of dignity, class and loyalty. He exhibited these honorable traits through good (winning the Super Bowl) and bad (the suicide death of his son). There is no doubt that he was move on to a higher calling, possibly in the ministry or working with youth.

Dungy also represents another missed opportunity by the Minnesota Vikings. Dungy was the Defensive Coordinator under Denny Green. The Vikings kept Green at the helm while Dungy was allowed to leave the team to coach Tampa. The same has happened with Mike Tomlin and will probably happen with Leslie Frazier. The Vikings let some wonderful coordinators pass through the franchise, and hold on to some questionable head coaches.

2. The Ice Age Comith. The Star Tribune had an article today reporting that Russian scientists are predicting that the Earth is on the verge of another ice age. Here is more from an Pravda article:

Earth is "on the brink of entering another Ice Age" that will last for the next 100,000 years, reports the Russian Pravda Online newspaper, attempting to counter the widespread view that human activity is contributing to an unwanted and dangerous warming of the planet.

Based on a "large and compelling body of evidence from within the field of climate science," Pravda reports this week, "many sources of data which provide our knowledge base of long-term climate change" indicate that the current 12,000-year-long warming trend is coming to an end.

Dear God. So, what's it gonna be? Global warming and the melting of the polar ice caps or a new ice age and ice caps everywhere? I still have cases of that "anti-killer bee" spray in my basement for Cliff's sake. Wake me up when they decide.

3. Possible T-Jack Replacements. The Vikings cannot go into the 2009 season with Tavarius Jackson as thier starting quarterback. Not unless they don't mind a half-empty stadium. Rumors have been floating around about possible replacements such as Jeff Garcia, Sage Rosenfels, and the Patriots Matt Cassel, who would come at a huge price. Another intriguing possibility with some merit is Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks are in rebuilding mode, and might part ways with Hasselbeck for a 2nd or 3rd round pick.

Here's my question: Will the Seahawks be willing to work with the Vikings after the whole "Steve Hutchinson poison-pill fiasco?" Remember that? It really pissed off the Seahawks, and may come back to haunt the Vikings in their possible quest for Hasselbeck.

What is Tommy Kramer up to these days?

4. The resurgence of Minnesota basketball. Don't look now, but the Minnesota Gophers have the 18th-ranked team in the nation and..............(drumroll).......................the Minnesota Timberwolves have won 5 games in a row and 7 of 10!!!!! Now, I can understand the Gophers rise because they are coached by Tubby Smith. The Timberwolves success, however, is parallel-universe stuff. They are coached by the demoted Kevin McHale, who is certainly a better coach than GM. If they keep playing like this, I may even buy a ticket to one of those free beer nights (yes, they have those)!

5. The Death of Common Sense. One thing that drives me crazy is the so-called "death of common sense." For instance, the story of the woman who sued McDonalds after she was burned by spilling hot coffee on herself drives me crazy. Because of stuff like this we are forced, as a society, to put warning labels on everything to guard against possible litigation from morons. Don't eat the fishing lure - it can be harmful!! Because there are people who are just itching to sue for any reason, steps must be taken to remove any possible risk from public places such as playgrounds. George Will wrote an article that got me going on this topic Sunday morning. Here is the paragraph that sums it up:

Someone hurt while running at recess might sue the school district for inadequate supervision of the runner, as Broward County knows: It settled 189 playground lawsuits in five years. In Indiana, a boy did what boys do: He went down a slide headfirst -- and broke his femur. The school district was sued for inadequate supervision. Because of fears of such liabilities, playgrounds all over America have been stripped of the equipment that made them fun.

So now in front of televisions and computer terminals sit millions of obese children, casualties of what attorney and author Philip Howard calls "a bubble wrap approach to child rearing" produced by the "cult of safety." Long Beach removed the warning signs because it is safer to say nothing: Reckless swimmers injured by the tides might sue, claiming that the signs were not sufficiently large or shrill or numerous, or something.

That is sad, but true. Geez, Back in THE DAY we used to ghost ride our banana-seat bikes into the metal monkey bars at Manz School and grab on while the bike went flying. If I would have got hurt, would my parents have sued the school? No - they would have said "that was really stupid."

6. One last Viking thing. Bill Simmons, the very funny ESPN.com columnist, often includes tidbits about his "life-long Viking fan friend" Geoff (it's not me - I would never go by that spelling). We all know what impact that being a life-long Viking fan kind bring to one's psyche. Here is Bill's latest report of Geoff's reactions during the Vikes playoff loss to Philadelphia:

From my buddy Geoff, a lifelong Vikings fan whose texts became increasingly angry as the game slipped away in the second half, concluding with these three beauties:

"Peterson is the new Barry Sanders. He's screwed."

"The prevent defense against Tarvaris is a base 4-3."

"I'm so bummed out. I'm so filled with hate. They will not do better next year."

That is funny stuff. Not "ha-ha funny" though.

That's all for now.

Jeff

Napolean Dynamite - A Great Scene

I absolutely love this movie. This scene was one of the highlights. I often use the line "I don't understand one word you just said" on my kids when they ask me for something. For some reason, they don't always see the humor in it.

Check out the line from the old sidekick chicken farmer about midway through the scene - It makes me laugh so hard it draws tears.

Beautiful.

Jeff

Carl Pohlad - 1915-2009

Twins owner Carl Pohlad passed away today at age 93. Mr. Pohlad was a controversial figure with the public, to say the least. Obviously, I didn't know the man personally. Like all of us, he certainly had his faults and attributes. While I have heard that he was a ruthless businessman, I have also heard that was was incredibly charitable. But I can only comment on Carl Pohlad as the owner of the Twins baseball organization.

As far as the "negatives," Pohlad was known for being cheap when it came to spending money to lure free agents to the Twins. He as known for nearly selling the Twins to Don Beaver who promised to move the team to North Carolina. And, possibly worst of all, he offered the team up for contraction in 2001 after five failed attempts at a new stadium with the Minnesota legislature. That was (is) personally the hardest for me to swallow.

I, however, have far more positive memories that I associate with Carl Pohlad than negative. Of the four professional sports teams that call the Twin Cities home, I have more fondness for the Twins organization than the others. The Twins, under Pohlad, have always been run as a class organization from the top down. I vividly remember Pohlad, an unknown local banker, swooping in to buy the Twins from Calvin Griffith in 1984 which put to rest rumors that they were moving to Tampa. The Twins, under Pohlad's ownership, provided the Twin Cities with our only World Championships in the modern sports era when they won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. Personally, I will never forget the memories I have of those two World Series victories. And while he was generally a skinflint when it came to bringing in free agents, Pohlad certainly ponied up some serious cash to keep the Twins homegrown talent such as Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Brad Radke and Justin Morneau on the roster. For that, I thank him.

Carl Pohlad and the Twins finally got their outdoor stadium approved in 2006 after fighting the incredibly stubborn Minnesota legislature for a decade. Unfortunately for Carl, he didn't live long enough to see the opening game that will take place at Target Field in 2010. His sons will now take control of the team. The fact that he kept the team here, however, long enough to see a new stadium bill passed, means the Twins will remain in Minnesota for decades to come. I truly believe some other owners would have sold to the highest out-of-town bidder and let the chips fall where they may. For NOT doing that, I thank him.

R.I.P Carl Pohlad.

Peace.

Jeff

Philadelphia 26, Vikings 14

Yep. Like the sun setting in the west, the Vikings lost their playoff game against Philadelphia. They actually played pretty well considering they were without some key defensive players due to injury. I don't believe it affected the final outcome, however. Some things are just meant to be.
Today, Philly held a close 16-14 lead most of the second half until late in the 3rd Quarter when Brian Westbrook caught a swing pass from Donovan McNabb and raced 71 yards for the back-breaking touchdown. If you have followed the Vikings for more than 15 minutes, you knew in your heart and soul that this play, or one of it's magnitude, was coming. I will go out on a limb and say that there was not one surprised person in the Dome after that play.

Here are a couple of post-game thoughts:

1. It could have been worse. If the game was blacked out, I was going to drive to Eau Claire to watch the game. It would have been a long, depressing ride home. Or, I could have paid big bucks to attend the game and would have no doubt been surrounded by a busload of rabid Eagles fans.

2. I am pretty sure that at least two Vikings starters played their last game with the team - Darren Sharper and Matt Birk. Possibly even reserve safety and penalty-specialist Benny Sapp!! They might want to look for another special teams coach while they are at it. Other than kicker Ryan Longwell, special teams were atrocious this year.

3. I will give kudos to Shaun King, er - I mean Tarvaris Jackson for his play late this year after Gus Frerotte's injury, but the jury is still out on whether or not Jackson can start in this league. The Vikings need to find a new starting Quarterback to compete in 2009. Donovan McNabb perhaps? Word is that he will be available. I would rather see them draft a young quarterback that would play for them for many years, a la Matt Ryan with the Falcons. I don't know if John David Booty is that guy.

4. Why does a 42-year old husband, father of 3 and employee of THE CHECK even care this much about sports? Hell if I know. It's still sort of fun, I guess. Except for the constant agony.

5. Gee, do you think the Vikings will be successful in their legislative bid for a new stadium in 2009? The state of Minnesota only has a $5 billion dollar deficit, so........................(by the way, their lease expires after the 2011 season).

6. Twins pitchers and catchers report on February 15th.

Peace.

Jeff

Marian Gaborik Opts for Season-Ending Hip Sugery So He Can Be Healthy Enough To Play For Vancouver Next Year

When a man's an empty kettle he should be on his mettle,

And yet I'm torn apart.

Just because I'm presumin' that I could be kind-a-human,

If I only had heart.

I'd be tender - I'd be gentle and awful sentimental

Regarding Love and Art.

I'd be friends with the sparrows ... and the boys who shoots the arrows

If I only had a heart...

2009.....Somehow.

Happy New Year everyone! We all made it, which is good. Another year under the belt, and we find ourselves in 2009. Let me repeat that - 2009. When I was a kid, I thought that by 2009 people would be flying around on jet packs and stuff. Or "teleporting" around like on Star Trek. Nope -I'm still tooling around in a Ford Escort (my wife usually drives the Suburban). Kind of underwhelming.

Time sure seems to be going faster each year. I like to think of years in terms of record albums and their release date. But that tends to really make me feel old. For instance, in 2009, the following albums will be this "age:"

The Replacements - "Let It Be" - 25 years old.
U2 - "War" - 26 years old.
Nirvana - "Nevermind" - 18 years old.
The Beatles - "Sgt. Pepper" - 42 years old.
The Village People - "Macho Man" - 31 years old (Wow!)

Yep, that will make a guy feel old. Another thing that will make a guy feel old is staying out WAY too late at CR's place for a New Years Eve shin dig with a keg of Summit Pale Ale. I found out for the umpteenth time that I am too old for that kind of stuff. Anyway, I'm not too tired to jot down a couple of thoughts to start the new year:

1. Outdoor hockey is awesome. I attended the Wild game yesterday with The Middle Son, and saw them knock off San Jose 3-2 in overtime. They played a great game (finally) and had many scoring chances against one of the top teams in hockey. You just can't beat "live" hockey. I have spent some time today watching the (still hated) Blackhawks - Red Wings outdoor game at Wrigley Field in Chicago, which has been fantastic. There is something "pure" about hockey played outdoors. The only thing this game is missing is snow (like last year's outdoor game in Buffalo). I have heard whispers that the Wild is looking to play an outdoor game in 2010 or 2011 in either the Gophers new football stadium or the Twins new stadium. That is something that I would love to attend - the colder the better.

2. Vikings blackout? At the time of this writing, 8000 tickets remain for the Vikings - Eagles playoff game this Sunday. The Vikings have until Friday afternoon at 3:30 to sell the 8000 tickets in order to televise the game. I am rather perplexed that these tickets have not sold, considering this is the first home playoff game for the Vikings since 2001. One huge bummer is that all of the "cheap seats" for the game have sold out, which leaves only the most expensive, non-claimed season ticket holder seats to sell to avoid the blackout. Only 60% of season ticket holders paid for their own seats for the game.

But why hasn't this game sold out? Here are some theories:

**Too expensive. Minnesotans are notoriously cheap. It's a Scandinavian thing. Seriously.

**Bad economy. Yes, but it is bad in other cities where playoff games are selling out.

**Most Viking fans expect Fox Channel 9 or some corporation to buy any remaining seats so the game can be televised. They always do, right?

**Viking fans are simply bad fans. (You Packer fans can chime in here).

These theories all have some merit, in my opinion. But here is the one theory that I believe explains the unsold tickets:

**Viking fans have seen much better Viking teams choke in the playoffs throughout the years and many simply don't believe this particular team has a shot at beating the Eagles. They simply don't want to shell out big bucks to see their team get killed. Is that being a bad fan? I don't know.

I'd like to hear other theories on why these tickets have not sold out yet. Let me know.

Have a great 2009!

Jeff