NFL Week 4
Vikings looking like Vi-Queens, drop nail-puller to Tennessee Titans 30-17, fall to 1-3
As Vikings fans across the upper-midwest will invariably call for the head of 'head dope' Brad Childress online in blogs, in newspaper articles (fish-wrap factories East and West side), and during phone calls to P.A. & Dubay this week (as they should), keep this in mind - WE ALL wanted Dennis Green to be fired or resign during his entire tenure, yet his Vikings teams (1992-2001) made the playoffs 8 of 10 seasons and went a combined 97-62 under his direction. Sure, they blew the infamous 1998 NFC Title game to the Atlanta Falcons on Gary Anderson's only field-goal miss off the season, but in the subsequent years since Green's departure in late 2001, Mike Tice and Chili (a.k.a. Mr. Noodle) have combined to go 46-51, and have made the playoffs only once in those 8 years. I hate to say it, but I kind of miss the old chubby quote machine.
I want to expound upon comments made by my brother, which I calmly explained to him while watching the game, "The Tennessee Titans are not a better football team than the Minnesota Vikings, however, the Titans are a far better coached team than the Vikings." I am going to retract my original statement and say the Tennessee Titans are a better team, they are better coached, and the Minnesota Vikings brass have brainwashed reporters, fans, and the NFL for far too long. Jeff Fisher has a great NFL mind, one that has been demonstrated now for quite some time, with inferior talent compared to that of the Vikings. That being said, I would take Cortland Finnegan over any player in the Viking secondary, Javon Kearse would have been a cheaper sign at 2 years, $6 million, and no draft picks, rather than Jared '69 Allen (really Jared?) at 6 years, $72.36 million. Granted, this would have hinged on whether or not Kearse would have even signed with the Vikes, but come on, we could have outbid the Titans at that point, couldn't we? How 'bout 2 years, $10 million, throw in a couple 'mil bonus, and we would have had cap space to sign some other key free agents, say a QB (Anderson, Volek, someone!!), a real FB (Thomas Tapeh has been inactive the past two weeks), another WR (Bruce, Hackett, Stallworth), a TE (Franks, Utecht, again, someone to catch the ball, K-Sauce can block), another DE to compliment 'The Freak' (could have re-signed Spencer Johnson, Ebenezer Ekuban, gotta love the name), and still had money left over to patch some other holes now open because of injuries, mainly special teams 'ace' Heath Farwell. This is all not even mentioning the Titans actual use of an effective two-back system (love ya A.D., but where has your Partner in Grind Chester Taylor gone?).
'Nuff said for now, this team is just not as good as Chili (demonstrating to us how he taught T-Jack everything he knows), Zygi, or all the NFL pundits who gassed-up the hype machine with over-priced premium and had the the Vikes cracked up to be NFC favorites. Unfortunately, the joke is on Vikings fans, and all we're all left to ponder is what were we thinking? What we were conned into believing was going to be a successful 2008 NFL season for the Queens has quickly turned into exactly why we shouldn't have drank Childress's concoction of the purple kool-aid. Because just like him, it pure and simply stinks. I hate to admit it, but I miss the days of going to the playoffs in 8 of 10 seasons with Dennis Green...
2008 MLB Season Over - Almost...
Summer of Stun Down to One - Win and They're In - Loose and We're Crude - For even thinking they had a chance
Whether or not the Twins actually win the AL Central Division in a one-game playoff with the heated division rival rival Chicago White Sox remains to be seen (tune in at 6:30 on TBS to find out). What doesn't is that the Twins have to take 3 of 5 games and at least 1 on the road from this MLB season's Cinderella Tampa Bay Rays (formerly the perennial last place Devil Rays), a team 57-24 at home this season, tops this season both leagues.
Sorry folks, but even if the Twins beat the Chi-Sox Tuesday, they would then have to go through Tampa Bay (3-3 vs. this season), Boston (3-4 vs. overall, last series was 3-0 Bo-Sox sweep), or Los Angeles (3-5 vs.) to get to the World Series. The matchup Blackburn vs. Danks is interesting for both parties, but what do we do against the Rays with Slowey potentially hurt and missing a start, a bullpen in dire need of a rest (2 days for our guys, 4 for the Rays), and a slumping MVP candidate in Justin Morneau?
What do I think? If the Twins indeed win and get to face the Rays, it could be an interesting series. But facing one of the other big three with their starting pitchers, clutch hitters (especially the one who got away...), and on the road with a rag-tag bunch of over-achievers, I just pray they don't get killed.
While it would be great experience for all the young players on the roster, we should be ashamed to ask for anything more. The only saving grace this team has is they are just young and dumb enough to think they can win it all, which if they could get out of the AL just might be conceivable being that they went 14-4 in Interleague play (albeit against the Rockies, Nationals, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Brewers - the only playoff contender of the bunch).
If I were a betting man, and I am, I would say Twins over Sox 6-4, Rays in 4 (we win whatever game Liriano pitches, that's it), and just as the last two times the Twins lost in the ALDS to the Yankees at home (which I attended), we will again be trumped by an AL East team on their way to loosing to the eventual AL Champion Boston Red Sox. Or, we run the tables and sweep every series with the M&M boys combining for 26 runs (Morneau's jersey #33 minus Mauer's #7), Morneau hitting 7 homers, Punto diving into first 11 times (reaching safely twice - nice effort Punto), Span and Gomez stealing 15 bases, Cuddyer not breaking a limb, Young, Casilla, and Kubel each hitting above .300 in the playoffs, and Liriano and Slowey both going 4-0 with a no-hitter and perfect game in tow (Slowey perfect, Liriano walks 2) with 8 saves from Joe Nathan.
I would love to be wrong, man I would love to be wrong. R.I.P. Turkey Bucket(scroll down), I mean Kirby Puckett. Check out this dork too - priceless. And if this one doesn't bring a tear to your eye, you are not human.
Go Twins! Do it for Kirby.
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