Special Game Day Podcast

I recently spoke with two great Kansas City Chefs, er, I mean Chiefs fans about the game Friday night. They are Weirdwolf and First Down Elvis.

They are part of the KC Superfans group and they make a greater impact on the community by helping to raise funds for charities, supporting Chiefs player charities, visiting hospitals, retirement homes and youth centers and also creating our own events for underprivileged kids. Like myself, Weirdwolf is in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame Visa Hall of Fans as the Chiefs Fan of the Year for the 2002 season. And we talked about his recent trip to Canton as part of that group's reunion.

If you don't have iTunes or an iPod, you can still listen to this podcast at Podcast Alley. Once there, simply click on the Podcast Player link. It's that easy. If you do use Podcast Alley, please take a very brief moment and place a Vote for my podcasts. Every vote helps to increase my podcast visibility and traffic!

I'll apologize ahead of time for some of the audio for this podcast as it was done via the speaker on my cell. I wanted to experiement using my cell. It's still great sound! So give the Viking Underground Podcast Eight a listen and get ready for the game!

Go Vikes!

SHOUT OUT! Friday

And here we go with the fourteenth edition of SHOUT OUT! Friday. Let me know if you liked SHOUT OUT! Friday by leaving a Commment at the end of this entry. And if you didn't, you can still leave one! Or if you'd like to give someone a personal SHOUT OUT! just e-mail me and I'll consider it for the following week.

This week's first SHOUT OUT! goes to Vikings fan Scott Calvin who lives in St. Louis and torments the local Rams fans with his RC Vikings plane! Yeah!

A SHOUT OUT!, literally, to 2-year old Shayla, giving her own "Shout Out " to Ragnar last week at training camp.

A very earned SHOUT OUT! to our local 5 Eyewitness News who have launched KSTP.com's new Vikings page. They have an exclusive column written by ex-Viking and NFL MVP Rich Gannon, plus tons of video. Plus, there'll be contests, and email alerts, and other news.

And finally, a huge SHOUT OUT! to the staff at Winter Park who worked quickly to fix some graffiti that had been spray-painted on the newly refurbished replica of a Viking ship this past Wednesday. I visited the ship on Thursday and saw no evidence of any graffiti. Workers were still finishing up a little work on the ship itself. Even the interior of the ship was getting a make-over. For complete history of the renovation please review my blog entries from July 3rd and July 27th.

If Any One Cares

My iPod favorite tunes for this second August weekend. In this case, the following ten songs played on my iPod in this very order as I wrote this entry. That is what I love about iPod...you just never know what will come on next!

1) Stranger Than Fiction by Joe Jackson
2) Live by Lenny Kravitz
3) Love Struck Baby by Stevie Ray Vaughan
4) Lucky Town by Bruce Springsteen
5) This Boy by the Beatles
6) Got My Own Thing Now by the Squirrel Nut Zippers
7) Towne's Blues by the Cowboy Junkies
8) Heartbreak Beat by the Psychedelic Furs
9) Lose Again by Alison Krauss & The Union Station
10) Out of This World by Jools Holland and Chrissie Hynde

As Bertie often uttered to Hubie, "Hee hee hee! Riot!!"

Have a great weekend everyone! Come back Monday for another podcast. I'm not sure at the moment who the guest(s) will be as I have several irons in the fire. But I'm sure it will be a worthwhile listen.

See you then!

I just have enough time today to give y'all a heads-up on a couple of programs to watch or TiVo in the coming days and weeks.

Saturday (8/13) at 2:30 AM CST on the NFL Network (Channel 212 on DIRECTV): The 2004 Minnesota Vikings season recap

Sunday (8/21) at 12:30 PM CST on local Channel 5 (KSTP): The Minnesota Vikings: Purple Playback which is an hour long review of the 2004 season. Sorry you non-locals! Find a buddy to tape it for you!

If anyone else has other Vikings-related shows that we should be viewing, just leave a Comment at the end of this entry and let us know!

Coming SHOUT OUT! Friday

For Vikings game day I'll have another podcast up. This time, I'll be speaking with two very famous Kansas City Chiefs fans about the game and what to look for. See you then!

And we're back with another podcast. On the podcast this week are Cheesehead Craig Craig of the Oracle of Cheese and Shane Nackerud of the Greet Machine. You'll remember these two from the previous Four Hoarsemen podcast. Stick and Ball Guy could not join in today so it was just a trio shooting the bull about a friendly backyard competition, Packer smack, stadium talk, and more.

The boys were pitch hitting today as I was to have a voice from Winter Park but that person and I could not connect last week.

Important Links: The Viking Underground Podcast XML

If you don't use iTunes, my podcasts are now listed via Podcast Alley. Be sure and vote for my site on Podcast Alley and also leave a comment! Every vote helps the podcast garner more recognition and helps get the word out. So take thirty seconds and vote!

Training Camp Update

If all is right with the world Monday morning, I will be driving south on Highway 169 with The Commish on our way to Mankato. I hope to start posting my 2005 training camp report on Tuesday. To tide you over once you've listened to the podcast are some photos from co-worker Joe Conely who was down in Mankato recently. Thanks Joe!

Zygi Wilf arrives on the scene

Zygi portrait

Zygi is thinking, "Life is good!"

Zygi & Joe

Tice, Sharper, Culpepper

Culpepper addresses the faithful

Sharper addresses the faithful

Zygi tosses some purple Nerf balls into the crowd

Zygi, Tice, and Culpepper toss some purple Nerf balls into the crowd

Maas Family Rules The Fair!

Yes, between myself, The Wife®, and The Boy® we pretty much dominated the Hennepin County State Fair in the open exhibition categories that we chose to enter. You can read about it over at my wife's blog!

And here we go with the thirteenth edition of SHOUT OUT! Friday. Let me know if you liked SHOUT OUT! Friday by leaving a Commment at the end of this entry. And if you didn't, you can still leave one! Or if you'd like to give someone a personal SHOUT OUT! just e-mail me and I'll consider it for the following week.

This week's first SHOUT OUT! goes to Patrick Leopold who heads up the Vikings Childrens Fund. Leopold implemented the Vikings Victory Wristband to help raise additional funds. It only costs you a buck at your local Taco Bell. I got mine Thursday. Got yours yet!?!?

Update: I spoke to Patrick this morning (8/5) as I was getting a ton of e-mail requests from the non-TC residents asking how to get their own wristband. Patrick told me that the deal is exclusive through Taco Bell. He has looked into selling them on The Plaza on gamedays but because of the exclusivity deal, the Vikings cannot. The only way to get your wristband is through local Taco Bells. And I'm sorry, I just don't have the time and manpower to meet individual requests. So, contact a local friend or plan to get your butt to the Twin Cities for a game and make sure you stop by a Taco Bell!

A very smelly SHOUT OUT! to the Air quality officials in the San Joaquin Valley who made a 'discovery' recently. (I can't make this stuff up!)

A million-dollar-idea SHOUT OUT! to GadgetBargains.com for this great game-day idea. As I understand it, the Green Bay area has already depleted the companies stock.

A SHOUT OUT! to Chris Lancaster who recently had a bad experience with his bank. Ever have this happen to you?

A SHOUT OUT! to Pro Football Talk for a nice, and well deserved rip, of the Vikings defense. The quote was, "Vikings CB Ken Irvin says that the presence of Randy Moss in past training camps made the defense better (we wonder just how bad the team's defense would have been over the past five years if Randy hadn't been there to help pull them up to, you know, No. 31)." Zing!

If Any One Cares

My iPod favorite tunes for this first August weekend. These songs are in celebration of my fourteenth wedding anniversary to The Wife®:

1) Something 'Bout You Baby I Like by Tom Jones
2) If I Were a Carpenter by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
3) Let's Stay Together by Al Green
4) Real Love by The Beatles
5) Lithium Sunset by Sting
6) Peace Is Just a Word by the Eurythmics
7) Here Comes My Girl by Tom Petty
8) Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton
9) Buona Sera by Louis Prima
10) Dreaming of You by Selena

Have a great weekend everyone! Come back Monday for another podcast. I'm not sure at the moment who the guest(s) will be as I have several irons in the fire. But I'm sure it will be a worthwhile listen.

And I'll be in Mankato, Monday. So, if all goes well, you can start looking for updates starting Monday evening complete with pictures and additional podcasts.

See you then!

Once again I have caused great angst amongst the faithful followers of the Minnesota Twins. Being a self-admitted bandwagon Twins fan, I have pointed out twice within the last 30-days that it is time for Twins fans to hang up their baseball jersey's and take out the purple ones and get ready for a dynamic season of Vikings NFC dominance.

This all started in early July with Twins fans professing a dislike of us Vikes fans with the most famous quote from one Twins fan being:

"God, I can't stand Vikings fans sometimes. It isn't enough that I have to listen to the Superstar [Mike Morris of KFAN] dribble about every possible development even though we are months away from the regular season. "The Vikes are interviewing for a new assistant to the equipment manager, the organization prefers someone with more starching experience than the last assistant." "Tice decided to wear his pencil in the right ear today in support of gay pride month, he also is considering making it the ear of choice for in-game use since he thinks going across his body to reach it is quicker and because it doesn't bump into his mic and earpiece as much. 12 months of Vikings Hype a year when there are other games going on in town makes me care less and less about mounting losses to the Packers and Bears each season. Unlike the other teams in town the Vikes are proven under achievers and have brought more bad apples to the Twin Cities than the Twins, T-Wolves, Wild, North Stars, and the Federal Court house combined."

The latest came Monday, via the wonderful Stick and Ball Guy site (bookmark it if you haven't already). Under the blog entry No Trade, Little Hope, SBG was lamenting the Twins season to which I left this comment:

At 8/01/2005 8:42 AM, Mr. Cheer Or Die said…

Reusse said it best this morning, "The Vikings' first exhibition game arrives in 12 days against Kansas City. You probably didn't need permission, but go ahead, citizens ... point 100 percent of your attention for the local pros in that direction."

Which was followed by a comment from Frightwig, another blog writer who I also enjoy reading.

At 8/01/2005 2:11 PM, frightwig said…

What, people are expecting bigger things from the Vikings this year?! That disappointment will be there waiting for you when the leaves have fallen off the trees. There's no need to make a rush for it.

So, FW expects the Vikes to fall flat on their keisters this year. FW implied that it would be better to watch the Twins continue to lose games at 1929 Wall Street Market collapse pace than turn attention south to Mankato. I then replied back.

At 8/01/2005 3:39 PM, Mr. Cheer Or Die said…

FW: Thanks for the cannon fodder that I can use later this year :0

At 8/01/2005 8:35 PM, frightwig said…

COD, Tice is still the coach, they traded Moss for picks, their top rusher is suspended for drug use, their #2 rusher is the QB, the team had no Pro Bowlers last season, and the defense last season was 26th in points allowed and 28th in YPG. Why should you expect the Vikings to become a serious contender this year?

See what I mean? Where's the love? This has also stumped Shane at the Greet Machine (and of Four Hoarsemen fame...recall Podcast Three!?!?) where he also is writing about this topic today. Shane gave me a quote for this entry:

"I think there is an unhealthy jealousy from Twins fans when it comes to the Vikings. I know a lot of Vikings fans who are more fans of the Vikings than Twins fans, but you never hear the kind of negativity from these Vikings fans regarding the Twins that you hear from Twins fans regarding the Vikings. For some reason hardcore Vikings fans have no problem cheering for the Twins when appropriate, but I've noticed hardcore Twins fans do not reciprocate when it comes to the Vikings. I have never understood it."

Neither have I Shane, neither have I.

Maybe it is my caustic style of pointing out the obvious in my comments left at these Twins blogs, but I don't think so. I think the animosity towards Vikes fans from Twins fans runs deeper.

Big Brother Complex: Without a doubt, the Vikes have a much larger following of fans than the Twins due. This creates a Big Brother Complex that forces Twins fans to continually take second place at the dinner table despite the Twins having two World Championships to the Vikes goose egg.

According to FSN North, Twins baseball averaged a 6.8 rating during 17 telecasts in the month of July. On WFTC UPN 29, five July telecasts averaged a 6.1 share.

Know what the Vikes pull? Remember that Packer playoff game last season? In Minneapolis, the Packers-Vikings game had an astounding share number: 77% of the TVs on at the time were tuned to the game.

The Dome: It is no secret that the Twins were strong armed into playing at the Metrodome which is nothing more than an indoor football field. The Dome is a horrible place to watch a baseball game and Twins fans won't let us forget it.

Our Emotions: In playing this blog entry out with Stick and Ball Guy, also of the Four Hoarsemen, he succinctly summed up this great debate. SBG wrote in an e-mail to me:

"I'm both a Vikes and Twins fan, but I am a logical Vikings fan and an emotional Twins fan."

I would say SBG got it right. Twins fans are heavily invested into the Twins via blood, sweat, and tears. They have battled most of the way through a very long season and seen hopes of another division title erode before their eyes. They hoped for a Wild Card spot and while not mathematically elimimanted, recent play has taken that hope away as well.

Along comes Mr. Thorn In Their Side expounding the virtues of packing it in and turning attention to the other game in town. Ouch!

We, as Vikings fans are emotionally attached to our beloved Purple. We will bitch and moan; holler and cheer; stomp our feet in jubilation and disgust. But we don't give up on them until the last whistle has blown.

I'm not emotionally attached to the Twins. So, I could logically see weeks ago that this season was a bust. So maybe try this next time you see a buddy sporting a Twins jersey, put your arm around their shoulder and let them know you understand and that next year can't come fast enough.

And then, let them know the Vikes are going to be pretty damn good this year and they should look forward to the coming season. Whether they want to get emotionally involved in the Purple is up to them.

Have a thought of your own in this debate? Leave a Comment at the end of this blog entry.

He Hate Me

Not only have I been pissing off Twins fans this week, I've even torked off a few Vikes fans. I'm a Equal Opportunity Pisser Offer!

Take this lovely thought out gem from someone calling himself Waterboy. He takes umbrage with my tongue-in-check asserstion posted in Tuesday entry that I 'discovered' Chris Jones before the STrib did:

"has a Doozy on this one. He says almost exactly the opposite of what the STRIB article says about Mr. Jones, and yet claims that he saw it before everyone else.

Everybody is on the f...ing field because they have some unique talents. Wow, this receiver is tall and he's kinda fast. He has upside. Amazing evaluation talents there, COD."

Waterboy's world must be very humorless indeed. Or else he doesn't understand that bloggers actually rule the world with our special super human powers of, um, writing. We actually control Wall Street, the orbit of the sun, and the winners of the Belmont Stakes for the next 25-years. And we are also quite full of ourselves in mock jest.

Take Stick and Ball Guy for instance. Go to SBG's site and you see "SBG, an Online Magazine (with Billions of Readers)".

I often write about my close, personal friend Sid Hartman. I sincerely hope none of you think I actually know the man. Met him once. Don't need to again.

You see, the point is, those who read this blog daily and actually take the time to exchange a few e-mails with me actually know what's fluff and what's not. Of course, the little ;0 symbol that I inserted into the Chris Jones entry from Tuesday might have also been a clue....which 98% of you caught.

That's what separates the men from the, er, waterboys! (Gotta pat myself on the back for that one!)

Seriously people. If you have an issue, e-mail me. Both my work and home e-mail are posted in the upper right. I respond to most inquiries the same day. And it usually leads to comments like this left on Podcast Alley recently:

[The Viking Underground is] quickly becoming some of the most influential Vikings information and commentary in the Twin Cities.
Submitted By: dtweete

Now, that fan has his facts, Jack! Pretty soon I'll be surpassing SBG with Trillions of Readers!

But if you choose to just rip me on message boards, that's fine too. It brings in more hits to the blog! Win-win baby!

Bluetooth™ Technology

We upgraded our cell phones over the weekend. The main reason is I wanted to get The Wife® a cell phone that was Bluetooth™ capable. Last year, we had purchased a Chrysler Town and Country minivan with something called UConnect™ .

UConnect™ is Chrysler Group's hands-free in-vehicle communication system . Simply put, I connected the new Bluetooth™ compatible phone into the minivan interior and the UConnect™ system automatically lowers the volume on the minivan's audio system and broadcasts the incoming call. A microphone in the rearview mirror takes all my wife's voice commands while she keeps her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road. And it works great!

Since the call is actually broadcast throughout the speakers, I now make a habit of placing a call each morning to The Wife® when I get to work. This is so that I can share jokes with The Boy® sitting in the back seat while The Wife® delivers him to preschool. This gives me and The Boy® even more time to chat as I'm out of the door some mornings before he has even arisen.

The Wife® loves it. UConnect™ uses advanced voice recognition that empowers her to dial using simple voice commands (example: 'Dial 123-456-7890' or 'Dial Brian at work'). In addition, the UConnect™ address book enables her to store up to 32 names and four numbers per name. She spent part of Sunday in the minivan loading her address book into her UConnect™ voice commands in the minivan.

We live in great times, I tell you what!

Me? I upgraded to a Treo 650 smartphone. It took me 2 days to figure out how to turn it on. I hope to use it to do some phone blogging like my hero SBG. If anyone out there ows a Treo 650....drop me a line with all your hints and sage advice. I need it!

Fourteen Years

Today is the fourteenth wedding anniversary of Mr. & Mrs. Cheer Or Die. I know my life has been for the better. I don't know about The Wife®, though. Having to put up with me all these years.

In honor of our wedding aniversary, I go back to 1996 and give you some memories from my personal photo files from training camp then. Memories can be a very good thing. How many of these players do you recognize....and wish were still playing for the team? Leave a Comment below.

View image One

View image Two

View image Three

View image Four

View image Five

View image Six

View image Seven

View image Eight

Shameless Plug

If you haven't already, please go out to Podcast Alley and vote for me. Every vote helps to increase my podcast exposure and increase visibility. Thanks!

Back on June 14, 2005 when I brought you my report from Development Camp I had pointed out a young, promising receiver named Christopher Jones. Looks like the Star Tribune is once again reading and stealing my stuff ;0 because here is what the paper had to say about Jones today:

"He isn't likely to remind anyone of Randy Moss any time soon -- probably ever -- but free agent receiver Chris Jones has made a bit of an impression already in camp. The rookie from Jackson State has nice size (6-3, 203 pounds) and catches most everything thrown at him. He had one of the more impressive catches in camp thus far on Monday morning, stretching his entire body parallel to the ground to catch a Sean Hill pass near the sideline. While the Vikings almost certainly don't have room for him in their five-man group of active receivers, Jones could be a prime candidate for the practice squad."

Looks as if Jones trook my advice from that June blog entry. Here is what I wrote then (complete with my photos):

After mini-camp, I received an e-mail from one of our servicemen stationed in Iraq, PFC Tremond Miller, who wondered how a childhood friend, Christopher Jones, was faring in practice. So, I took a lot of photos of Jones in action.

Jones reminds me a lot of Matthew Hatchette and I think shows great upside should he make the team. He, like a lot of receivers Tuesday, had the dropsy’s and just needs to hold onto the ball a bit better. His height, 6’3” plays into his hands. He was also on the kick-off team so perhaps his initial future lies with the special teams unit.

I hope Jones makes the team. I think he has a good head and great upside. I'll keep an eye out for him when I'm down on the practice field August 8.

Shameless Plug

The Wife® made it through her garden tour event last Saturday. Over 160 people attended and had the opportunity to visit her gardens. She writes about the event this week in her blog. And for those who liked my panoramic development camp photos, I posted right panoramic photos of her gardens so be sure and check those out.

The Wife® has also started posting what she call's Grahamism's...which are summaries of thoughts that come of our 5-year old's head. Very funny...and often true. Kid's just know how to 'nail it', don't they?

What Ever Happened to Robert Griffith?

It appears that hard-hitting Robert Griffith is now acting. I received this e-mail from a publicist on Monday:

All Pro Robert Griffith (who played with The Vikings, Browns and now the re-vamped Cardinals) is in talks to join the cast of next year’s much anticipated film SIN-JIN SMYTH.

Griffith (Who had logged substantial TV time along with several music videos) will be playing a rogue Federal Agent known only as…CABLE SIXX (a character also rumored to appear in the upcoming comic book) who gets locked and loaded for a series of violent fire-fights throughout the picture.

Good luck to Griffith in his new career path! He was a hell of a player for the Vikes!

Run, Ricky, Run!

For all those Fantasy Football owners out there, take note. Early word out of Miami is that running back Ricky Williams looks better than the team expected in his return to football after a one-year layoff.

He's in better shape than the team anticipated, and not as light as many feared -- especially since he was down to 190 pounds not long ago. How have they done it?

Incentive. Take a look at this photo from the Dolphin's training camp recently.

Yep, that should do it.

And we're back with another podcast. This podcast comes to you straight from Oakland Raider country as we check in with Raider Greg on seeing how Randy Moss is doing in the silver and black. We talk about how Moss is adjusting as well as a stadium issues, private seat licenses (PSLs), ticket prices, and podcasting.

I hope you enjoy this one. I know I did.

Since I'll be getting new readers this week...some football fans don't wake up until training camps open...let's review podcasting.

Important Link: The Viking Underground Podcast XML

What is a Podcast?

Below is a definition of podcasting pulled from Wikipedia that provides you with information about podcasting, its roots and some of the techincal aspects surrounding podcasting. The following is provided free from editing and I take no credit for this wonderful explanation.

Podcasting, created by former MTV VJ Adam Curry, is a term that was devised as a crisp way to describe the technology used to push audio content from websites down to consumers of that content, who typically listen to it on their iPod (hence the "pod") or other audio player that supports mp3 at their convenience. The term podcasting is meant to rhyme with broadcasting and is a derivative of the iPod platform. While not directly associated with Apple's iPod device or iTunes music service, the company did contribute both the desire and the technology for this capability. Podcasting is not unlike time-shifted video software and devices like TiVo, which let you watch what you want when you want by recording and storing video, except that podcasting is used for audio and is currently free of charge. Note, however, that this technology can be used to push any kind of file, including software updates, pictures, and videos.

Podcasting uses an XML-based technology called RSS, or Really Simple Syndication. Content publishers describe new content in an XML RSS file which includes dates, titles, descriptions, and links to MP3 files. This auto-generated file is called an RSS feed. The key to making podcasting work with RSS is enclosures, a feature supported by RSS 2.0. Remember that Important Link from above? Here it is again: The Viking Underground Podcast XML

What makes podcasting special is that it allows individuals to publish (podcast) radioshows, that interested listeners can subscribe to. Before podcasting you could of course record a radio show and put it on your website, but now people can automatically receive new shows, without having to go to a specific site and download it from there.

If you are already using an RSS aggregator (i.e. NewsGator, FeedDemon, MyYahoo! or Bloglines), then you can just add a podcast feed to your subscriptions.

If you use iTunes (you don't need to have a iPod!) all you have to do is click the Subscribe button next to a podcast in the iTunes Music Store, iTunes downloads the latest episode of the podcast. When you click the Get Episode button next to a podcast episode in the Music Store, iTunes downloads that episode. You can also subscribe to a podcast in iTunes if you know the podcast feed URL. Choose Advanced "Subscribe to Podcast" and enter the URL. Here is how my podcast appears on iTunes:

If you don't use iTunes, my podcasts are now listed via Podcast Alley. Be sure and vote for my site on Podcast Alley and also leave a comment! And best of all, Podcast Alley provides a podcast player which you will see when you click on the link provided. In fact, I recommend using this Podcast Alley link as when you click on their player the podcast begins playing while the remainder is being downloaded.

And I'm quickly moving up the podcasting charts now ranking 425 out of 5218 total podcasts on Podcast Alley while coming in 20th out of 195 total sports podcasts. And with the special guests being lined up in the coming weeks, I'm sure I'll keep climbing!

Have a great start to the week by taking a few moments to listen in to the Viking Underground podcasts!

Training Camp Update

According to The Insider, first-rounder Erasmus James is very, very close to signing. Stay tuned.

And here we go with the twelfth edition of SHOUT OUT! Friday. Let me know if you liked SHOUT OUT! Friday by leaving a Commment at the end of this entry. And if you didn't, you can still leave one! Or if you'd like to give someone a personal SHOUT OUT! just e-mail me and I'll consider it for the following week.

This week's first SHOUT OUT! goes to the City of Mankato for hosting the Minnesota Vikings training camp for the 40th year! Are you going? If so, feed me a report on what you saw and it will be posted on this blog as soon as I open the e-mail.

A SHOUT OUT! to Patrick Tribett of Ohio who just has to be a Packers fans at heart. Everyone knows that Cheeseheads love to smell paint thinners. Tribett took it a bit farther.

A SHOUT OUT! to the United Kingdom for once again coming up with another game to help me make it through the day.

Sorry, that's all I hav e time for today. We have confirmed 150 people for the Bright Beginnings Garden Tour this Saturday. The Wife® has lined up quite an extensive list of things I am to accomplish between now and then.

If Any One Cares

My iPod favorite tunes for this last July weekend. It's a tribute to my blog master who gave me a little gift this week:

1) Zoo Station by U2
2) One by U2
3) Bad by U2
4) The Wanderer by U2 & Johnny Cash
5) I Will Follow by U2
6) The Electric Co. by U2
7) Walk On by U2
8) In a Little While by U2
9) When Love Comes to Town by U2 & B.B. King
10) Running to Stand Still by U2

Have a great weekend everyone! Come back Monday for another podcast. On the podcast, I'll be speaking with Raider Greg to see how Randy Moss has been doing wearing silver and black.

On Tuesday I paid another visit to Winter Park to check on the progress of the ship renovation. When I visited back on July 3rd, it was in very bad shape and new owner Zygi Wilf made it a priority to upgrade.

There was a crew working on the ship and the renovation was well under way. All the crumbling, rotted planks had been removed and new ones nailed into place. I'd say another week for construction and then a day to paint and the ship should be a much better representation of this world class organization.

Little Help

Chris e-mailed me Tuesday to ask the following:

"The Thursday before the draft (4/21) I was listening to the 'Bumper to Bumper' show on KFAN and he had a guest on who was a draft guru of some sort. I believe his name was Marty Wexler III. I have searched that name with no luck, perhaps I'm wrong on his name or spelling. He writes very detailed book every year on the draft, some 900 pages. Ten or so teams actually pay him for his services. As the interview progressed he took some calls, made a few vague comments on some top prospects. One caller asked about Braylon Edwards and if Marty thought he was the best WR in the draft. He flat out said no. He then went onto say that there is one player in this draft that has superstar even Hall of Fame type of talent and intangibles - he said flat out - Troy Williamson, South Carolina. He said he shares many of the same type of characteristics as Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre, Joe Montana, and some others I can't remember. Honestly I was half listening so some of the details escape me. I didn't think much of it until after we picked Troy. I wished I had paid more attention to what it was about Troy that he though made him so special. I even tried to call the station a few weeks later to see if they had any info - they never called me back."

Since I don't listen to KFAN, I was not able to help Chris out. Can any of my thousands and thousands of valued readers help Chris out?

Training Camp Update

The date of my visit to Mankato is set. The city will be rolling out the red carpet for me on Monday, August 8. I'll be attending the morning practice session. Then it will be back home to start posting photos and hopefully some podcast interview and comments. Mark your calendars!

OL Marcus Johnson, the Vikings' second-round pick from Mississippi, has now signed.

You should learn how to spell a person's name in Journalism 101 class (as a close, personal friend uttered to me Monday). What in the name of Valhalla am I talking about?

While in Chicago last week, I received a call from the Mankato Free Press wondering if I would be available to do a interview on blogging. They got lucky, catching me in between my two martini lunch and reading yet another Steven Spielberg script (I turned him down again). So I spent 15 minutes or so chatting happily with the reporter about the art of blogging.

The second sentence of the article, published Sunday, read:

"Since last October, the blog's writer, Brian Haas of Plymouth, has managed to develop a site that is the top-read blog on the University of Minnesota server."

Now, I've been called a lot of things in my life. Haas has not been one of them. And this reporter had exchanged e-mail with me throughout the week and so should have know it is Maas and not Haas!

Oh well, I enjoyed it nonetheless. And any press I can get I'm going to happily take. Give it a read when you get a chance. Hell, I even warranted a photo illustration. That doesn't happen every day of the week. Better than a court related artist illustration, right!?!?

Third Wide Receiver

I thought it very interesting that Ol' Pencil Ear is following a school of Bud Grant credo. That being "no rookie shall start in his first year." Take this quote from my close, personal friend Sid Hartman's column from Monday:

"You want my opinion? (Um, no Sid we don't!) I think Tice and his coaching staff were the least ecstatic about the performances of [Troy] Williamson, especially regarding his ability to catch the ball, and [Erasmus] James, who was inconsistent, at minicamp. The coaches are anxious to see what both do when they put the pads on. They might not play a lot early."

Hmm. Sure, I pointed out to you in my May Mini-Camp Report that Troy had a little bit of the dropsies, but nothing major. He made some very nice snares as well.

So, if it won't be The Kid at the number three wide-out, who will it be? I've posted a new poll to the left asking that very question.

I believe it will be Travis Taylor who looked especially on his A-Game during Development Camp. And why not start out with a veteran to make sure Daunte Culpepper starts out the season with a seasoned WR corp? The Kid can always make his splash returning kicks, as I saw during Development Camp. Once he returns three or four to the house in the first couple of games, Ol' Pencil Ear can then insert Williamson into the lineup to stretch the field even further.

Who do you think should be penciled in at the #3 WR to start the season? Vote your thought and leave a Comment below if you want to elaborate.

Training Camp Update

I'm not sure when I will be down in Mankato yet. I hope to confirm my date very soon with the team so that I can gain field access in order to bring you some more photos.

The team has signed some rookies and continues to negotiate so that all rookies are in camp from the get-go. Yesterday, the team signed fourth-round RB Ciatrick Fason and seventh-round CB Adrian Ward .

Coming Tomorrow

We'll revist Winter Park and check on the progress of the ship renovation. When I visited back on July 3rd, it was in very bad shape and new owner Zygi Wilf made it a priority to upgrade.

See you then.

And we're back with another podcast. If you don't use iTunes, my podcasts are now listed via Podcast Alley. Be sure and vote for my site on Podcast Alley! And best of all, Podcast Alley provides a podcast player which you will see when you click on the link provided. In fact, I recommend using this Podcast Alley link as when you click on their player the podcast begins playing while the remainder is being downloaded.

And I'm quickly moving up the podcasting charts now ranking 691 out of 4982 total podcasts on Podcast Alley while coming in 33rd out of 186 total sports podcasts.

Check out my podcast from this past weekend. It was a discussion between myself and Mark Gresbach, the former owner of the old Vikings e-mail distribution list. Mark, a Milwaukee resident, has some good insight into the Vikes from Packer country. And this was my first telephone recording.

And if you are keeping up with our gardening we are expecting 150 guests next weekend as part of a garden tour. So why not try out The Wife's® blog this week to see how we are doing.

The podcast next Monday (8/1) will come to you straight from Oakland Raider country and we check in with Raider Greg on seeing how Randy Moss is doing in the silver and black. Come back then!

New Desktops!

Cindy at Forever Purple e-mailed me this past weekend to let me know she has been busy designing some new desktops. Wow! Some great new additions. Check them out and download some in time for training camp.

And here we go with the eleventh edition of SHOUT OUT! Friday. Let me know if you liked SHOUT OUT! Friday by leaving a Commment at the end of this entry. And if you didn't, you can still leave one! Or if you'd like to give someone a personal SHOUT OUT! just e-mail me and I'll consider it for the following week.

I'm actually just back from the Windy City. I love Chicago. I just wish I would have had time to enjoy it as this was a business trip. One of those rah-rah team meetings that also had us going from 7 in the morning to 10:30 at night. Oh, I did pop out of the hotel when I could to enjoy the sunshine and architecture during breaks. I hate being confined!

Perhaps even worse than confinement is being in lock-down in a hotel that had no high speed internet. I had hoped to keep up the blog from Chicago but it was not possible given the dial-up only choice.

While in Chicago, I was phoned by the Mankato Free Press for an interview. No, it was not about the fees for training camp, but just blogging in general. I'll let you know if/when that story appears.

And speaking of training camp, new owner Zygi Wilf gets this weeks first SHOUT OUT! Wilf has donated the money necessary to keep Vikings training camp free. Nice, very nice. I'm sure the same issue will rise in 2006, and every year forward until such time that the training facility is found slightly north of the Twin Cities instead of south. This relationship between the team and Mankato is only going to worsen in the coming years.

A SHOUT OUT! to super agent Drew Rosenhaus who has given the Vikes a lock on the NFC North and NFC, period. Rosenhaus represents the Packers Javon Walker and Eagles Terrell Owens, both of whom are likely to sit out training camp.

A hungry SHOUT OUT! to Ryan Madera for supplying pizza at work Thursday evening.

A reverse SHOUT OUT! to our guy, Mensa Mike Tice. According to my close, personal friend Sid Hartman, Tice said he couldn't understand all the concern about NFL scouts covering the team if admission was charged to training camp. "I would have moved what practice we thought could help any the opposition to the field nearest the dormitory, where nobody could see," Tice said. Aw, hell. I was going to make a mint renting out binoculars to the scouts. But now that camp is free of charge.....

In this past weeks podcast, I mentioned that I'd be posting a photo of a person you would never expect to see sporting a cheesehead. Well, a SHOUT OUT! to Ron and Paul of my very own company for this practical joke played on me after the season last season. The resident Packer fans of New Jersey did not like my reference of LamBUTT field after the Moss moon and were gunning for me. But the Vikes will have the last laugh again this year!

Sorry for the short SHOUT OUT! post. Still playing catch-up from my time in the Windy City. See you Monday for another podcast!

And we're back with another podcast. I'll be doing a podcast each and every Monday for the foreseeable future.

You do not need a iPod to listen to podcasts. You just need iTunes. Once you subscribe to a podcast, iTunes automatically checks for updates and downloads new episodes to your computer. And if you do own a iPod, when you sync your iPod to iTunes, all your podcasts come along for the ride. You get on-demand radio, delivered automatically. Including my own podcast of Mr. Cheer Or Die's Viking Underground. Just use the link found on the upper left of this blog. Plug it into the Podcast area of iTunes, and that's it!

My podcasts are now also listed via Podcast Alley. Be sure and vote for my site on Podcast Alley! And best of all, Podcast Alley provides a podcast player which you will see when you click on the link provided. In fact, I recommend using this Podcast Alley link as when you click on their player the podcast begins playing while the remainder is being downloaded.

And for those who simply do not want to use iTunes, download the MP3 file for the 7/18 podcast and open using a MP3 player such as Windows Media Player.

This weeks podcast was a round-table discussion between myself, Shane of the Greet Machine, Stick and Ball Guy, and Cheesehead Craig. We talked Twins, Vikings, Wisconsin sports, and stadium. And we also enjoyed a special cake!

It's a long podcast, coming in at just under 45-minutes. Please let me know if that was too long or just about right. In any event, be sure and save your favorite VU podcasts. I have limited space for podcast storage so when I need room, the oldest podcasts will be deleted.

I'll be in Chicago until Thursday on business. See you then! If you are bored, why not try out The Wife's® blog? Lot's a great garden photos, themed cake photos (ever see a Marvin the Martian cake!?!?), and preparation detail for the upcoming Hennepin County and Minnesota State fairs.

Links for 7/11 Podcast Subjects

Shane's Greet Machine

Stick and Ball Guy

Oracle of Cheese

Music for the 7/11 Podcast

I Feel So Good by Richard Thompson

In the Real World by Roy Orbison

I Won't by The Replacements

Note: The blame was initially blamed on new owner Zygi Wilf for a fee to be placed on Vikes fans wishing to attend training camp. But thanks to a Comment left by Proud Purple Rx (hey, us Licensed Drug Dealers do more than save lives ya know!) the blame is on the city of Mankato which probably just ensured that Wilf will be moving training camp to a Twinc Cities location eventually.

When I got home late from work Friday night, I had a voice-mail from a reporter asking for a quote for a local newspaper. The reason? They wanted my response to Mankato's decision to begin charging fans to attend practice. Want to attend training camp practice in Mankato Sunday through Friday? $5 a head, please. Oh, you want to see a Saturday practice? Please make our your check for $10. That's Greater Mankato Training Camp LLC. Parking? $2 please. Special events? That hasn't been determined yet but I'm sure it will be approaching game-day prices.

I can't say that I am surprised by the decision. I'm only surprised it took so long for the city to try it. But it will end in a very negative backlash from fans. Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder tried a charge-for-training-camp back in the 2000 season. It failed miserably and has been free to the public ever since. The Redskins had been charging $10 a head and $10 a car to park.

I know other teams, such as the Chicago Bears will charge for two evening workouts this year, but the rest of their training camp is free.

Many families from around the country decide to attend Vikings training camp as part of a vacation regimen. Now they'll have to tackle higher gas prices AND a fee. I can understand that the team, and new ownership, needs to find every possible avenue to make the almighty dollar. But I feel training camp is sacred. It should be free, especially to the youth who watch their favorite Vikings players practice on a hot summer’s day and dream that they could someday be training with a NFL franchise.

On this very blog not too long ago, I did a retrospective study (Dear Red: How High Can You Go?) of showing that during the McCombs era my season ticket prices increased 61%. And I bet a dollar to a doughnut that once a new Vikings stadium is approved, PSLs (Private Seat Licenses) will be on the menu.

The NFL no longer belongs to the common fan. It belongs to the corporate world. And that's very sad indeed for the families trying to eke out a living and also be supportive of the sport. Perhaps Mr. Wilf can meet with the city and work out something to delay the fee? Perhaps it is out of his hands...except for bringing camp to Blaine someday!

This is a very bad decision. Charging fans to attend training camp practice is like the Titanic steaming for its chunk of polar ice, like the Hindenberg looking for its Lakehurst, like the guy at Chernobyl wondering what that switch would do.

Boom!

And here we go with the tenth edition of SHOUT OUT! Friday. Let me know if you liked SHOUT OUT! Friday by leaving a Commment at the end of this entry. And if you didn't, you can still leave one! Or if you'd like to give someone a personal SHOUT OUT! just e-mail me and I'll consider it for the following week.

This week's first SHOUT OUT! goes to David Key who got up at an ungodly hour to arrive at the Vikings ticket office and I did get his tickets to the GB game (plus KC). He got there at about 5:30am, and was 86th in line!

A Texas sized SHOUT OUT! (seriously) to Red McCombs who has donated $30 million of Zygi Wilf's money to cancer research.

A SHOUT OUT! to Corey Chavous who is keeping his supposed displeasure with his $1.9 million salary for 2005 in house, for now. Better that than publically airing dirty laundry ala the Twins players and manager this season.

A SHOUT OUT! to, um, me for keeping you up-to-date with the ever present LA-NFL scenarios.

A reverse SHOUT OUT! to New Ulm, Minnesota Mayor Joel Albrecht who has raised the bar for stupid politicians everywhere. (Gawd, I'm so embarrassed for Minnesotans!)

Speaking of being embarrassed, how about a SHOUT OUT! to women who most likely would not think of trying this idea.

If Any One Cares

My iPod favorite tunes for this July weekend. Start out with something for the BBQ and then some songs for under the stars later on:

1) Get a Haircut by George Thorogood
2) It All Went Down the Drain by Boz Scaggs
3) Pocahontas by Neil Young
4) The Comedians by Roy Orbison
5) Alone With You by The Outfield
6) Violino Tzigano by Achille Togliani
7) Stardust by Willie Nelson
8) Figure of Eight by Paul McCartney
9) Watching the Wheels by John Lennon
10) How to Be Dead by Snow Patrol

Have a great weekend everyone! Come back Monday for another podcast. On the podcast, the longest one yet, I'll be talking with some fellow local bloggers about the Minnesota sports scene! Who the hell needs Sid Hartman any more!?!?!

Which Twin Cities sports franchise is most respected? That's the question behind the latest poll now posted.

This all came about due to an exchange of comments left on a blog entry over at the Greet Machine. If you want more history on it, just mosey over there today.

I'm afraid this is all I've time for today. I'm prepping for the biggest, baddest, "protect the woman & children" blogger and podcast party this side of Medicine Lake. See you tomorrow for SHOUT OUT! Friday!

An interesting exchange took place on the Greet Machine blog yesterday. The original entry had discussed that the Twins have acquired Bret Boone. I left the following Comment:

"Boone? Bah! Do they want Aaron Boone and his .211 batting average, too? Daniel Boone could hit better with his flintlock rifle. The Twins season is over. Time to start talking Purple...the only true P-R-O-F-E-S-S-I-O-N-A-L team in town."

Now, those that know me well are familiar with my sarcasm and dry humor. But I still did not expect this reply to my Comment from a person named Vince:

"God, I can't stand Vikings fans sometimes. It isn't enough that I have to listen to the superstar dribble about every possible development even though we are months away from the regular season. "The vikes are interviewing for a new assistant to the equipment manager, the organization prefers someone with more starching experience than the last assistant." "Tice decided to wear his pencil in the right ear today in support of gay pride month, he also is considering making it the ear of choice for in-game use since he thinks going across his body to reach it is quicker and because it doesn't bump into his mic and earpiece as much."

12 months of Vikings Hype a year when there are other games going on in town makes me care less and less about mounting losses to the Packers and Bears each season. Unlike the other teams in town the Vikes are proven under achievers and have brought more bad apples to the Twin Cities than the Twins, T-Wolves, Wild, North Stars, and the Federal Court house combined."

Wha-wha-what!?!? So I offered this first reply, more or less blowing it all off as just another malcontent Twins fan:

"Vince: Take a chill pill and look up sarcasm in the dictionary."

But the more I thought about it, the more I resented the implication that the Vikes are thugs are crooks while the Twins are model citizens. (Well, there is Mike Tice and his second line of work but I digress.)

So, I then posted this more expounded response:

"You know, the more I think about it, I do take exception to this bashing of the most popular sports and entertainment franchise in town, bar none. Let the debate begin!

Note: This comment has been 100% sarcasm free."

So, what do you think? Who is the more professional sports team in town? And why or why not? Was Vince right? Was I out of line? Will the space shuttle have a successful launch today. Why aren't there more marshmallows in Lucky Charms?

Leave a Comment below at the end of this entry.

Season Tickets: Games 1-5

Season Tickets: Games 6-10

And we're back with another podcast. I'll be doing a podcast each and every Monday for the foreseeable future.

You do not need a iPod to listen to podcasts. You just need iTunes. Once you subscribe to a podcast, iTunes automatically checks for updates and downloads new episodes to your computer. And if you do own a iPod, when you sync your iPod to iTunes, all your podcasts come along for the ride. You get on-demand radio, delivered automatically. Including my own podcast of Mr. Cheer Or Die's Viking Underground. Just use the link found on the upper left of this blog. Plug it into the Podcast area of iTunes, and that's it!

And for those who simply do not want to use iTunes, download the MP3 file for the 7/11 podcast and open using a MP3 player such as Windows Media Player.

Tailgate Recipes Discussed in 7/11 Podcast

Grilled Shrimp & Scallops with Teriyaki Sauce

2 lbs shrimp (about 12 and use brownies)
Dozen scallops (dry packed)
2/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup sake
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced

Combine all ingredients, except shrimp/scallops. Mix well. Skewer your shrimp and scallops and add to marinade. Marinate for minimum 45 minutes. Grill for 4 - 6 minutes, turn and brush with marinade. Cook until done.

Bratwurst & Beer

1-lb bratwurst
1 (12 ounce) can beer
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
Hot dog or bratwurst buns
Mustard

Place foil pan in center area of cooking grate; pour beer into pan, then add onions and green pepper. Place bratwurst beside pan on cooking grate. Cook bratwurst (use tongs to turn) and watch closely until lightly browned. Place bratwurst in beer mixture and cook 25 minutes. Serve on buns and top with mustard and additional chopped onions, if desired.

Links for 7/11 Podcast Subjects

John Madden's Ultimate Tailgating Book

Coastal Seafood

Music for the 7/11 Podcast

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by Santa Esmeralda

Sing Along by the Blue Man Group with Dave Matthews

Next Week's Podcast

This should be a fun one. It will be a roundtable discussion of the local sports scene with myself, Stick and Ball Guy, Cheesehead Craig, and Shane from the Greet Machine.

And here we go with the ninth edition of SHOUT OUT! Friday. Let me know if you liked SHOUT OUT! Friday by leaving a Commment at the end of this entry. And if you didn't, you can still leave one! Or if you'd like to give someone a personal SHOUT OUT! just e-mail me and I'll consider it for the following week.

This week's first SHOUT OUT! comes from Tyler in Janesville, Wisconsin. I know Janesville very well having visited numerous times when I had a client (Mercy Health System) there. Tyler writes "I'd like to give a SHOUT OUT! for the Vikes fans who bleed Purple and live in Cheeseland. We do battles against insurmountable odds here every year. We have the best seat in the house when we blast the Packers at Lambeau!!!!!!!! Look for us during this NFC North Championship Season of 2005!" Tyler also provided the Star Tribune photo you see below which shows him abd Cris Carter from the 2000 season. Tyler is in the white jersey. I do believe I even recall that TD!

A animal SHOUT OUT! to seven-year-old chimpanzee, Rudi, who shows us just how much talent is needed to play golf, which is as Twain uttered "a good walk spoiled."

A five-ring SHOUT OUT! to London for winning the bid to host the 2012 summer Olympics. Don't you just love it when the Frenchies get it in the shorts?

And speaking of the Frenchies, a red-white-and-blue SHOUT OUT! to Lance Armstrong and Team Discovery Channel who set a team-time-trial record in the fourth stage of the 92nd Tour de France cycling race, between Tours and Blois.

If Any One Cares

My iPod favorite tunes for this July weekend are:

1) You Got Lucky by Tom Petty
2) Disco Medley: I Will Survive/Funkytown/Last Dance/The Hu