The Hated Dallas Cowboys

I was at the Wild game last night with CR and we saw this guy wearing a Tony Romo jersey. Now, that is not against the law. It is, however, a cry for attention and even possibly a cry for help. The "Romo jersey guy" got more jeers from the crowd than any member of the Vancouver Canucks with the possible exception of Alexandre Bolduc. But I digress.

I am going to go out on a limb and say the gentleman with the Tony Romo jersey was not born in Texas, and has probably never been there. He is simply a Bandwagon Jumper. There are truly only a few teams that a person should be forbidden to cheer for unless they were born in the vicinity of the state in which they play in. The Dallas Cowboys head this list. They are evil incarnate. Jerry Jones. Jimmy Johnson. Michael Irvin. The mythical "America's Team." Pac-Man Jones. Barry Switzer. Jessica Simpson. The $1.2 billion-dollar spaceship stadium.


And if you are a Viking fan, there is a history with the Dallas Cowboys. The Drew Pearson Push-Off. The Herschel Walker trade. The Tony Dorsett 99-yard touchdown run. And no team has eliminated the Vikings from the playoffs more times than the Cowboys.

The rivalry, of course, will be renewed this Sunday in the Dome, er - Mall of America Field. Needless to say, there is major paranoia in the minds of Vikings fans as the game approaches. This may come as a shock but I, for one, am actually happy that the national brainwizards are all predicting the Cowboys to win. I am happy that the Vikings are looked at as underdogs even though they are at home. There is a nationwide love fest taking place with the Cowboys, especially since they have dismantled the Eagles twice in two weeks.

I will go as far as to say that this is a positive development. The Vikings play better when they are criticized and when they are told by the national pundits that they are going to lose. They do not do so well, however, when they are nationally praised and predicted to massacre an opponent (see January 17th, 1999, Vikings-Falcons NFC Championship Game...for starters). The Vikings basically need to be told that they suck and have no chance. So in that spirit (along with the spirit of George Costanza) here are my predictions for this weekend :

NFC:

COWBOYS over Vikings. The Vikings suck. They have no chance (see above).

CARDINALS over Saints. Arizona 85, New Orleans 78.


AFC:

COLTS over Ravens. Not that it matters.

CHARGERS over Jets. Not that it matters, but a Colts - Chargers AFC Championship would be a pretty good game.

I hope I am 3 for 4 when all is said and done. Last week I was 0-4, you know.

Jeff

A Solid 0-4

So much for my week #1 playoff predictions. I was 0-4!!

Anyone want any financial advice? Stock market tips?? Anyone want me to place some bets in Vegas??

Just let me know......

Week #1 Playoff Prognostications

The NFL playoffs start later this afternoon. Here are my week 1 predictions because, as you know from past experience, I am always right. Except for those times I was way off.....

NFC:

1. EAGLES Over Cowboys. I am going against the grain with this, and picking the road underdog. The old adage that "you can't beat a team three times in one year" comes into play here. I have a feeling Tony Romo may struggle now that he is in the playoffs.

2. PACKERS Over Cardinals. This is the only game of the weekend in which a pep rally will be held for the road team. I've watched the Cardinals a few times this year. Against the Vikings, they looked like the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers, and they were very "Lion-like" in all of the other contests (sorry dools). I don't this game will be close. Packers by 21.


AFC:

1. BENGALS Over Jets. Not that it matters.

2. PATRIOTS Over Ravens. Not that it matters.

By the way, an Eagles victory coupled with a Packers victory sets up the Nightmare Scenario for next weekend.

We'll see what happens.

#2 Seed.

I've been rather hard on the Vikings lately because the Vikings have been rather hard on me. I must give credit where credit is due, however, as they certainly took care of business today by crushing a disinterested Giants team 44-7. I give the Vikings credit for destroying a team that was begging to be destroyed, rather than edging them on a last-second field goal or something weak like that.

This win, coupled with a Cowboys victory over Philadelphia, secured the #2 seed for the Vikings in the NFC playoffs. Before going any further, I must say that cheering for the Dallas Cowboys this afternoon was a tough, other-worldly, out-of-body experience for me. Cheering for the Cowboys is not something that I am used to, but fits perfectly in this "parallel-universe of an NFL season." That being said, securing the #2 seed is significant on many fronts:

A. The #2 seed means the Vikings have a bye week to rest and get healthy. This is particularly beneficial for Pat Williams and Antoine Winfield.

B. The #2 seed guarantees the Vikings a home game, where they were 8-0 this year.

C. The #2 seed guarantees the Vikings only possible road game would be at New Orleans - another dome.

Now, I am not saying that I am ready to have another swig of the Purple Kool-Aid. We all know how Minnesota teams fare in the playoffs, particularly the Vikings. If fact, the better the playoff set-up, the worse the Vikings seem to choke.

In addition, the Nightmare Scenario remains in play. In order for the Vikings to play the Packers in week 2 of the playoffs, the Packers must win in Arizona and Philadelphia must win in Dallas next weekend. This scenario is certainly not out of the question, and most likely cosmically probable. The Packers present a match-up problem for Arizona. The Pack destroyed the Cardinals 33-7 today and the game wasn't even that close. The Cardinals seem to get all weak-kneed when they play the Packers. Probably because they think they are playing a road game with all of the Packer fans in the stands. In addition, Dallas must attempt to beat Philadelphia for a third time this season. It's always tough to beat a team three times in one season, something the Vikings would have to do to the Packers if they meet again. At least the game would be at the Metrodome and not Lambeau.

For today, I give the Vikings credit. If you would have told Viking fans before the season that the Vikings would be 12-4, NFC North Champions, and have a #2 seed, most would have been happy with that. Lastly, Brett Favre's regular season was unbelievable. He was 338/500, 29 TD's, 7 Ints., and a 104.3 passer rating. Those are MVP numbers, especially for a 40 year-old. All in all, a great regular season.

Now, however, the "real" season begins.

Another Reason I Like The NHL More Than The NBA

From a report on Startribune.com:

"Washington Wizards teammates Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton reportedly drew guns on each other during a locker-room argument over a gambling debt. Law enforcement is investigating the presence of weapons in the locker room, and the league is not taking action now."

Somehow, this is not surprising. Based on the thuggery in today's NBA. it was only a matter of time. Arenas, a former All-Star, didn't seem to take the whole issue very seriously on his Twitter account. Here is what he had to say:

"i wake up this morning and seen i was the new JOHN WAYNE. ... Media is too funny."

Yeah, talk about funny - this is a real side-buster! Arenas, by the way, apparently did not major in English at the University of Arizona. Shakespeare he ain't. After the news was broke, Arenas took the issue a bit more seriously later in the day with this Tweet:

"I understand this is serious..but if u ever met me you know i dont do serious things im a goof ball this story today dont sound goofy to me."

He certainly is a goof ball. There is nothing quite as hilarious as two guys pulling guns on each other, after all! It's crap like this that has given the NBA serious image and credibility issues with the public. Not that other sports are immune. There is no question that each sport has had it's share of black eyes over the years. It seems, however, that the NBA has a disproportionate amount of "goof balls" considering the number of players in the league compared to other sports. We'll see how this one shakes out. Let the hilarity continue!

Jeff

Some Thoughts For The New Year

Well, it's the end of another year. I can't say 2009 will be my all-time favorite year when I look back. The reason I say that is the overall state of the economy and the unknowns in that loom in 2010. I had some friends at THE CHECK, as well as some family members, lose their jobs in 2009 and that is a bummer. Also, I will remember 2009 as the year of The (pointed) Eyes. I really had a lot of eye issues in 2009 which I will not go into here. I believe the issues are nearly corrected, however. One of my New Years resolutions for 2010 is to look on the bright side of things more often (except with the Vikings because that would be unrealistic and just plain stupid). I think I tend to be a tad cynical from time to time (which I know comes as a total shock to the readers of this blog). I truly believe that as long as you have a great family and great friends, everything is cool. I am a lucky guy in both of those areas. So Happy New Year everyone - I hope 2010 is a good one! Here are a few topics I was thinking about at the grocery store today:

1. Tim Brewster Gets A Contract Extension. The only explanation that I have for this is that Tim Brewster has illicit photographs of AD Joel Maturi or Bob Bruininks. Never before has abject failure been rewarded to this degree. The trophy case is empty, the Gophers play in (and lose) meaningless bowl games and Brewster gets a contract extension. What is the U going to do if Brewster ever beats Wisconsin or Iowa - erect a statue of him? This is mind-boggling.

2. Yemen. There is a saying that "nothing good ever happens after 1:00 AM." Well, I have been noticing in the news that "nothing good ever happens in Yemen." Have you noticed this? It seems like every evil terrorist plan hatched has a Yemen angle. The latest dim-witted, duped terrorist youth to try an blow up a plane was Nigerian, but was tutored by the Bad Guys in - Yemen. The whole place must be like Mos Eisley Spaceport in Star Wars. "Yemen - You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." That could be their tourism slogan.

3. Vikings Playoffs. There is ONE scenario this weekend that will lead to the Vikings playing the Packers in the first week of the playoffs. The Vikings must lose to the Giants. The Packers must lose to the Cardinals. The Cowboys must lose to the Eagles. You know, I kind of see all of this cosmically coming together to commence The Nightmare Scenario. I think it's going to happen.

4. Paul Westerberg Turns 50. I had a hard time typing that. Paul Westerberg was born on 12/31/59 which makes today his 50th birthday. I didn't realize this until I read this in the Startribune. How is it that the lead singer of my all-time favorite band, The Replacements, is 50 years old? There was a time when people questioned if any of the band members would live to see 50, but it appears Westerberg is doing quite well, and still putting out good music. And that is a good thing.

Happy New Year everyone!

Jeff

Every Time.

Another chapter for the book "Snatching Defeat From The Jaws of Victory." The book is getting long. The Vikings had a chance to secure the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs. First, they had to defeat the rotten, beat up Chicago Bears to have any hope.

They, of course, lost.

You see, the Minnesota Vikings cannot stand success. After possibly the worst, most uninspired half of football that I have seen since.......last week......I was ready to go to bed in peace with the Bears leading 16-0 knowing that the Vikings got killed.

But no.

Brett Favre rallied the Vikings over and over again to force overtime, tied 30-30. This, of course, sucked fans like me back in (and kept me up). They had their chances to win, but an Adrian Peterson fumble (which have become as common as snowflakes in winter) lost the game for the Vikings. I believe in my heart that the Vikings will find a way to lose to the Giants next week, fall to the fourth seed in the NFC, and lose at the Metrodome to the Green Bay Packers the first week of the playoffs. The Nightmare Scenario will be complete.

Folks, the day I made the decision to follow the Minnesota Vikings was the worst health-related choice that I have ever made. Smoking three packs of cigarettes a day would not compare to the "ringer" that this football squad has put me through in my lifetime.

I marvel at the Vikings ability to lose games like this. It is utterly and amazingly horrible and stupefying. And, yet, it is somewhat fascinating.

Like a train wreck.

Jeff