Well, it's been a few days since my last posting. The end of every year finds me frantically trying to keep up at work while also juggling the holidays with family. Thus, the blog has suffered a bit. So bear with infrequent updates through the holiday season.

Oh, and to my great dismay I have discovered that my entire 1998 season stories were lost when my hard drive crashed in early 1999. I had forgot about it (who wouldn't!) and thus, I had just been posting game recaps from 1998. In retrospect, I just thought that added nothing. So, from this point forward it will be all 2004.

Will There Be A "Artest" Incident In NFL Someday?

Recently, one of the major sports web sites posted a poll asking which NFL player would be the first to "go Artest" refering to the recent NBA fiasco in which Ron Artest went into the stands to beat on some fans "Walking Tall" style.

One of the selections to the question was Todd Sauerbrun, a punter. Before one asks what in the name of Bud Grant would a punter be doing on such a list let me bring you back to the 1996 season.

The Vikes were hosting a game against the Chicago Bears, Sauerbrun's team at that time. Sauerbrun had been arrested the previous week on a drunk driving charge. To make matters worse, he had been driving off-road.....through a children's playground. I'm not making this up.

During pre-game warmups, I first attracted Sauerbrun's attention from my first row seat by making fun of his "guns". You see, Sauerbrun thought he had huge biceps....ala Keith Millard. You remember former Vikings defensive end Keith Millard? He was arrested once and told his arresting officer that his "biceps were lethal weapons".

Anyway, back then Sauerbrun was telling everyone that his biceps were so huge that he needed a specially designed jersey to accomodate the bad boys. Sauerbrun did not appreciate that I compared his biceps to the arms of my grandmother.

I further continued asking Sauerbrun if he needed a ride home after the game. I even offered up that I had a case of cold beer in the trunk and that I knew a special short-cut.....through a children's playground. Would he care to drive? Good stuff, right?

Well, Sauerbrun had to be literally restrained by two teammates as he tried to climb the wall separating the two of us. It was very funny to me at the time. But after seeing what happened in Detroit last Friday it could have ended ugly. I guess steroids and punters just don't mix.

We Should Be Worried

Mike Kelly's decision to leave his position as the Vikings' executive vice president speaks volumes. Kelly's contract expires at season's end, and he has, in five years, helped stabilize the club's finances and kept it profitable and competitive despite the revenue issues inherent in the lease with the Metrodome.

As quoted from the Star Tribune story, Kelly's differences with owner Red McCombs boil down to this: The franchise, he says, has gone from "a growth business to a maintenance business."

The Vikings are for sale at a reported price ($600 million) beyond the stretch of potential buyers. Their inability to get a deal with the state for a new stadium and the release of their legislative staff a month ago helped convince Kelly to move on.

"There's so much uncertainty going forward," he says.

Of course that's on top of a couple of years of shaving budgets and squeezing productivity from a small staff in a cramped training facility.

Here's what Kelly won't say: The bottom line at the highest echelon is not winning, it's the bottom line. Too little of the profit goes back into the operation for staffing, signing free agents or paying coaches. And it won't get better while McCombs tries to sell at a price outsized for the market.

Kelly's departure won't mean much to fans and I doubt you’ll much posted about it. He's not one of the players. But he wanted what they wanted. A chance to win a championship. So the reasons for his departure should worry all of us. Let’s hope that Red sells soon….and locally.

Another "Denny-ism"

When Denny Green was head-coach of the Vikings, I started to capture all the little Yogi Berra type quotes that he would deliver straight-faced at news conferences. Stuff, that just left one speechless. Kinda lijke this one from 1997:

"Well he’s a ball player. Good football players make football plays. He’s a good football player. We were hoping he was a good football player, and it looks like he is. Football players that are good football players make plays."

And "when he plays like he could play, he makes all the plays he should make when he plays the way he can play".

Well, this one was made by Denny this week down in Arizona. The more things change, the more they stay the same....or something like that.

"When I make a decision, I stay with it until I change my mind." — Arizona coach Dennis Green, on his switch of starting quarterbacks.

Have a favorite Denny-ism that you recall from his tenure with the Vikes?

Posted by maasx003 at November 24, 2004 12:55 PM