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!

Time Marches On

Editors Note: You might be expecting a post about Brett Favre returning to the Vikings or something like that. But what else can really be said? So......

Every Saturday morning between 8:00 and 10:00 AM, I like to listen to a show on 89.3 The Current called "Teenage Kicks." Teenage Kicks is a show that features so-called "alternative" music from the late 1970's through the early 1990's. Basically the Clash through Nirvana. In the middle, there is lots of Jesus and Mary Chain, Echo and the Bunnymen, Replacements, Bauhaus, etc. This is the music that I grew up with. I also like the fact that they find a lot of "B-sides" and play little-known music from these bands. What freaks me out is when they play a song and announce the year it was released and how old that is. For instance, The Replacements "I Will Dare" was released in 1984. For some reason, I still associate The Replacements and a lot of music from that era as "new and cutting edge." But, folks, "I Will Dare" is..................26 years old.

This radio show, along with other life events, has got me on this "time-space continuum kick." This fall, my oldest son wil begin his Freshman year in High School. He's already my height and wears 11 1/2 shoes. My middle son will be in 5th grade and my "little daughter" just turned 8 and will start 2nd grade. On top of this, next weekend I will be attending my 25th High School reunion in Eau Claire, WI. How the hell did all of this happen? Now, don't get me wrong. I don't look at these things with a sense of foreboding or trepidation. I have had a blast at each of my HS reunions. In fact, at my 20th reunion gathering, Pedo and I sang a pretty mean Karaoke medley of Journey's "Faithfully" (which, by the way, contains one of the greatest scenes EVER in a video in which Steve Perry forlornly ponders shaving his moustache in front of the bathroom mirror) and "Don't Stop Believin'. (Editor's 2nd note: For some reason my wife, who was in attendance at my 20th reunion, has decided not to attend my 25th. Not sure why. I guess my date will be Jase. But I digress). Back to the time-space continuum.

High School, College, etc., just does not seem like that long ago. But it was. Music has always been a "barometer of time" for me to measure these types of things. When I listen to the music played on "Teenage Kicks," I am flooded with memories. I cannot believe that I was much closer to my son's current age when most of this music was released compared to my current age of 43. Time Marches On.

I have told my wife many times that I feel I made a good "young guy" and I feel I will make a great "old guy." I have to admit, however, that this "middle-age stuff" has me a bit perplexed from time to time. Don't get me wrong - I am very lucky to have a wonderful wife and fantastic kids and great friends. It's just that this time in life is supposed to be for "achieving" and having all of the answers. And sensibility. Middle age is the time for "eating right" and exercising an hour a day. Mortgages, car payments and 401K's. It's not that I cannot handle these things or do not accept the responsibility. I just feel that I make a better Court Jester than King. A guy can be a Court Jester when he is young and when he is old. This middle age stuff begs for a guy to be a King.

I guess that I am not really sure what point I am trying to get across other than music, above all else, brings me back to certain wonderful times in life. I suggest you check out "Teenage Kicks" on 89.3 The Current on Saturday mornings from 8-10. If you grew up in the same time I did, I bet you'll hear some music that will bring you back to your school days.

So, lastly, I will gladly attend my 25th High School reunion and maybe they will play our class theme song - Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me." (Kind of Cliche', I know) I just hope I can remember everyone's names....

Viking Training Camp Opens. Are We Really Up For This?

Training camp for the 2010 edition of the Minnesota Vikings opened yesterday in Mankato, Minnesota. In my youth, I used to look forward to the opening of training camp because, even though it signaled the end of summer, it also signaled the beginning of another football season. Now, in my 40's, I have come to dread the opening of training camp simply because it signals the beginning of another football season.

Folks, I am not up for this anymore.

The state of Minnesota is experiencing a wonderful summer at a brand new outdoor baseball park. The Twins have slightly underachieved, but they are only 1 1/2 games out of first and there will be a pennant race. As I have stated ad nauseum, baseball's marathon-like pace brings be peace and enjoyment. This pennant race, however, will be rudely interrupted by "daily Brett Favre watches," frantic over-analyzation of all aspects of the upcoming NFL season from every level, and probably some stadium threats.

The Vikings will be celebrating their 50th year in existence this fall. I have to say that, personally, I took the end of the 49th season the hardest of all. Most Viking fans say that the Choke of 1998 was the hardest to take, but for me it was the loss in New Orleans last January. The way I see it, the Minnesota Vikings crossed into a parallel universe to obtain Brett Favre to QB the team in 2009. And if Brett Favre cannot lead the team to a Super Bowl victory, it simply cannot happen. It is cosmically impossible. After the New Orleans loss, I felt physically ill for a week. I allowed myself to drink the Favre-induced Purple Kool-Aid and I was duped, once again.

So as another year begins, I hear grown adults proclaim that "this will be the year." Even Strib columnist Patrick Ruesse is proclaiming this to be the year the Vikings win the Super Bowl. Are people not paying attention to the Cosmos? It just ain't possible.

Now, children I can understand. They do not have the benefit (?) of experiencing history. But if you are over 10, it's time to let go of the dream. It's just healthier that way. My 11 year old son was officially indoctrinated in the Viking Club during that Saints game last year. He "gets it" now after a good cry last January.

So I am not going to get wrapped up in this pre-season stuff (although I see Percy Harvin was already carted off the field with an unknown injury). It's still baseball season, and we have a pennant race on our hands.

By the way, when IS the Vikings first regular-season game? Wait - never mind.......

Credit Where Credit Is Due

There was a time that Twins left-fielder Delmon Young was killing me. I wrote about that. He was the guy who supposedly was the best-batting practice hitter of all time, hitting absolute bombs to the outer reaches of the ballpark during warm-ups. Then when the game started, Young became an opposite-field slap hitter who usually grounded out to the second baseman in critical situations. To make matters worse, the Twins gave up Jason Bartlett and Matt Garza to acquire him from Tampa. And, lastly, he remains the only player I have ever witnessed in Major League Baseball to charge his own bench after he was beaned by a pitch.

But things have changed. Delmon Young reported to camp 30 lbs. lighter this year, and with a new attitude. The results have been incredible. So far this year, Delmon Young is hitting .325 with a .525 slugging %. He has 12 Home Runs and 73 RBI's. He is batting nearly .400 in July, and .463 since the All Star break. And, most importantly, he is batting an incredible .395 with runners in scoring position, something he really struggled with in the past. All this while Mauer, Span, Kubel, Hardy and Cuddyer have struggled for parts of the year. SO I WILL SAY IT:

Delmon Young is no longer killing me. Delmon Young is carrying this team!

Credit where credit is due.