Category "Sports"

April 03, 2006

When going to the game was an event

Take a look at this picture. This is a picture of fans at Memorial Stadium circa 1930s-1940s. This has probably been discussed before in other publications or blogs even, but I am always amazed at what an "event" a football game was back then. Almost everyone is dressed up in a suit and tie, almost all the men are wearing hats. How relatively quickly things change. We would never see this kind of dress at the Metrodome today, at least not where it is the norm.

Click image for larger

Posted by snackeru at 11:08 AM | Comments (3) | Sports

Category "Sports"

Greet Machine on Sports Huddle?

Hey, I just heard that the Greet Machine was mentioned on Sid Hartman's Sunday morning show, "The Sports Huddle" with Sid and Dave. Did anyone out there hear what was said? Can anyone give me any details? Being a good, God-fearing Christian I seem to have missed it. Thanks if you have any info!

Posted by snackeru at 09:05 AM | Comments (3) | Sports

Category "Books"

Category "Gophers"

Category "Sports"

Category "Stadiums"

Category "Vikings"

January 03, 2006

Coaches and other random thoughts

• First of all let me say that I was happy that Zygi gave Tice the pink slip. It is time to put the Red McCombs years behind us and the best way to do that was to fire the Tice. McCombs only hired Tice, who had questionable head coaching credentials to begin with, because he could save some money. With the Wilfs now in charge, I think we are finally going to see some changes at Winter Park that make sense if the organization is really interested in winning a championship. And this may sound callous, but I hope all the assistant coaches under Tice get the pink slip too. Here is my list of who will probably be considered:

1. Gregg Williams, defensive coordinator for the Redskins. It sounds like he is the top pick amongst the players.
2. Ron Rivera, defensive coordinator for the Bears. I've heard a lot of talk about this guy being given a chance somewhere in the NFL to be a head coach. We'll see if it is the Vikings.
3. Ted Cotrell, defensive coordinator for the Vikes. Say it ain't so. I want to fully clean house.
4. Scott Linehan, offensive coordinator for the Dolphins. Again, his credentials aren't quite there yet, but Daunte sure would be happy. I expect the Vikings will give Linehan a shot.
5. For the rest of the possible choices, check out this post from Mr. Cheer or Die, plus the comments.

And concerning Tice, let me just say that I think he is a top notch guy. One of his best qualities is how gracious he is in defeat, and he showed this quality off again by praising the Wilf family after he was fired. I will remember Tice, the person, fondly.

• I was also happy that the Gophers retained the services of Glen Mason. Letting Mason go would have meant rebuilding, again, for the Gophers. The Gophers cannot afford a "big name" coach to replace Mason, which would have meant hiring some kind of "no name." Retaining Mason means recruiting will continue (and Mason has done pretty well with this considering he has to recruit with the Metrodome), and it means continued respectability for Gopher football. I've said this before and I'll say it again, the Gophers will not win a Rose Bowl until they are playing on campus again. Mason is the right coach to bring them to this point.

• In case you missed it, Sid reports that this week will include a big meeting between T-Paw, the Twins, and Hennepin County concerning the shape of the latest (and greatest!) new stadium plan:

A meeting next week to include Twins officials, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat and maybe other commissioners will no doubt decide if the Hennepin County plan to build a new baseball park will be extended into next year or dropped.

At this point, it is apparent that nobody involved in the negotiations for the baseball stadium are convinced Pawlenty will stick his neck out in favor of building the stadium that not only will assure the Twins remain in the state, but result in million of dollars in labor contracts and building materials.

There is no assurance that the site in back of Target Center will be continue to be available if something constructive isn't done soon.

Count me in the group that doesn't believe Pawlenty will push to get this baseball stadium built.

Amen to that. There is no way that T-Paw sticks his neck out for this, not in a year when the Republicans will undoubtedly be fighting for their political lives. I'd like to think that Pawlenty will want to solve this problem, but right now he is in extreme politician mode as he tries to make everyone as happy as possible while really getting nothing accomplished. Meanwhile, stadiums get more and more expensive ...

• Just finished my first book of the year, Empire Falls by Richard Russo. This was a fantastic and very well written book, but I couldn't help but think that I've read it before. It was very similar in feel to Minnesota author Jon Hassler's Staggerford and Grand Opening. In fact, another Russo book I've read, Straight Man, was eerily similar to Rookery Blues by Jon Hassler. So, I dug around a bit to find out if anyone else has these same feelings, and I find that Russo is a big fan of Hassler. What does this mean for you? Probably nothing. But if you've read any Russo and you enjoyed it, I encourage you to pick up Hassler's books, especially Grand Opening.

Now I'm reading Planets by Dava Sobel. Pretty good so far, but nothing can top her writing in Longitude, the story of a clockmaker's attempts to solve the biggest maritime problem in the age of discovery.

That's about it. See you soon!

Posted by snackeru at 08:23 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack | Books | Gophers | Sports | Stadiums | Vikings

Category "Sports"

December 14, 2005

It's not Christmas until ...

It's not Christmas until Larry goes on the tree.

Posted by snackeru at 09:58 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

December 08, 2005

My favorite free thrower

Jack Sikma's free throw ritual puts all others to shame (except maybe Adrian Dantley's).

Posted by snackeru at 04:06 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

Say it with me: Zamboni

“There are three things in life that people like to stare at: a flowing stream, a crackling fire, and a Zamboni clearing the ice.”

Charles Schulz (through the voice of Charlie Brown)

Posted by snackeru at 01:20 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

The Pride of North Dakota

Les Jepsen, we mourn your departure. Since your retirement, bounce passes have decreased league-wide by 90%.

Posted by snackeru at 10:57 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

Where have you gone?

Where have you gone Paul Mokeski? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you ...

Posted by snackeru at 08:13 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

December 06, 2005

Modicum of sports knowledge

• So I was watching the Gopher - Sun Devil game last night and it was a good one. The Gophers pulled out a victory in overtime, but that isn't the reason I enjoyed watching it. I enjoyed this college basketball game so much because the student section at Wells Fargo Arena in Arizona was so loud. I couldn't see them, but I could hear them chanting and that just put this game over the top for me. That and the ASU band. Wow! I could have just closed my eyes and enjoyed this game if just for the sounds coming out of my TV. Adam Boone's senior leadership and clutch play, the Gopher's excellent patience and ball movement down the stretch, the three pointers raining down from both teams ... all of that had nothing to do with why I enjoyed this college basketball game so much. It was all about the "atmosphere." That makes a lot of sense.

• So here is a typical argument between me and Cheesehead Craig:

Me: I like college basketball more than the NBA. Here are some ways I would improve the NBA.

CC: College basketball is all about atmosphere. That's it. And here is why all your new ways to make the NBA better are all retarded.

Me: I will concede that atomosphere does make a difference, but that isn't why I prefer to watch the college game over the NBA in the comfort of my own living room. Plus, I still think some of my rule changes would make a difference.

CC: You are a moron! Atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere! And did I mention atmosphere? Plus here are some more reasons why your NBA changes stink. In addition, I will not offer any of my own suggestions. I will just offer feeble attempts at disputing your changes and I will call them "garbage."

Me: You have angered me, CC. However, I will again attempt to discuss my reasoning in an adult and dignified manner.

CC: Ha! I will now unleash a cheap shot on Shane's reading choices, and I will suggest that he doesn't even have a "modicum of sports knowlege." Plus, I will again harp on about "atmosphere" even though I know it is only part of the story.

So, there you have it. Name calling, cheap shots, and nothing new added to the discussion. That is today's lesson on cheesehead debate tactics. Now you'll know how to spot it when it rears its ugly head again.

• That's all I got time for right now. I think it was time well spent though.

Posted by snackeru at 08:21 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Boring vs. Interesting"

Category "Sports"

November 17, 2005

Boring vs. Interesting Day 23 -- plus other randomness

• Well, my "boring vs. interesting" series is winding down. I said I would do this for a month, so I've got a bout 7 days. Then I will make a decision on whether or not I think my life is boring or interesting. Right now the stats look like this:

Interesting days: 14
Boring days: 8

So, things are looking good so far. You know, I've kind of enjoyed breaking this down, but I'm not sure at all any of you have enjoyed this. So, if you find these little snippets in the life of snackeru to be worth while let me know. If not, the tiny minutiae of my life will torment you no longer. Anyway ...

Last night my son and I made a poster for his paper towel absorbency experiment.

The whole experiment turned out pretty good, and as you can see our poster is colorful and (hopefully) interesting.

After we made the poster, I made a batch of cookies for the Cub Scout Pack meeting tonight. Every Pack meeting we give away cookies to the Scouts that are having a birthday in the month of the Pack meeting. So, I had to make 6 big cookies last night:

Hopefully they turned out OK.

Overall, it was kind of a boring night:

Interesting days: 14
Boring days: 9

• In reading Jim in St. Paul's material concerning the first 10 years in Minnesota for the Twins and Vikings I came across a startling discovery: The Vikings were not the first NFL team for Minnesota. The document above mentions the "Duluth Eskimos" so I decided to do a little research into the history of the NFL in Minnesota.

In 1921, the same year the Green Bay Packers joined the AFPA, the Minneapolis Marines also joined the league.

In 1922 the APFA revises its name to the National Football League.

In 1923, the Duluth Kelleys joined the league.

In 1924-25, the Minneapolis Marines folded.

In 1926 the Duluth Kelleys were renamed to the Duluth Eskimos.

In 1927-28 the Duluth Eskimos folded.

In 1929 the Minneapolis Red Jackets joined the league.

In 1930-31 the Minneapolis Red Jackets folded and we wouldn't get another team for another 30 years.

Interesting stuff, no? Speaking of the Duluth Eskimos, in 1927 they had a record of 1-8, with a 0-20 drubbing from the Packers in Green Bay. Also note that they played every game "away." Methinks they were begging for a new stadium and when they didn't get one they were probably contracted! See?!?!? There is precedent!

Let us all lament and weep for the Eskimos! What could have been if only Duluth would have just built them a stadium! It is a shame ...

UPDATE: Here is the real story of the Eskimos. Their lack of a decent stadium had something to do with it, but it had more to do with money.

• Spycake wrote an interesting comment yesterday which discusses, among other things, the phenomenon of fantasy sports. Spycake writes:

Pro sports are less of a requirement now to make a city "great", or even truly "major league." They're just businesses themselves, national businesses, and their direct effects are rather lost among the myriad of suburban and summertime diversions we have access to today. Especially football, the reigning king of pro sports. Most of the "Vikings fans" I grew up with now care more about their fantasy football teams and DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscriptions than the real local team.

That is an interesting thought. I can't say I agree, but then again I'm not really a part of the whole "fantasy football" scence. But his comment got me to thinking, if I was really big into fantasy football, would I care more about my team than the Vikings? Unlikely, but I'm sure there are people like that out there.

Then it dawned on me: that is exactly why I can't get into fantasy sports. I can't stand the thought of cheering for anyone other than the Twins, Vikings, or T-Wolves. I had a fantasy football team in college and I had absolutely zero interest in it. I only cared about Sunday afternoon with the Vikings. I can't imagine having Ahman Green on my team, or Kyle Orton, and having to follow those players every week and maybe even having to cheer for them. Quite frankly it makes me sick.

It reminds me of a quote (for some reason) from Larry Bird who was asked what he thought of Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas kissing at mid-court before games. Of course, Bird said he thought it was "disgusting" and that it also made him sick. Bird then went on to describe how when he was a rookie he was really good friends with another player on the Celtics who was then traded the next year. Bird said that player is now an enemy and that he has never talked to him since.

I thought this exchange was hilarious, but it also demonstrated that Bird was loyal to the Celtics (almost to a fault). Most likely he also expected that same loyalty from the fans. I can't imagine that Bird ever played fantasy sports for the same reason I don't: I can't imagine cheering for anyone other than the players on my favorite teams.

Now, I'm not saying that I'm against fantasy sports. I'm sure they are a lot of fun for a lot of people. I just found Spycake's comment interesting and it made me think of the reasons why I don't play. Too much loyalty is one reason, but not enough time is definitely another. But I think he has a point, for some fantasy sports may be more important than the teams they grew up cheering for.

Posted by snackeru at 08:31 AM | Comments (17) | TrackBack | Boring vs. Interesting | Sports

Category "Boring vs. Interesting"

Category "Life"

Category "Sports"

November 09, 2005

Random musings

This will be completely off the cuff, and rapid fire. Everything I can think of that I want to get down right now:

• I really want to see the movie Serenity but I can't find the time or willpower to do it. It is playing at the Hopkins theater for $2 right now. Is it worth it? Has anyone else seen it?

• Speaking of movies, I have recently seen Sin City and Secret Window. Sin City was decent. Truthfully, I liked it probably for one reason and one reason only: Carla Gugino. I'll just leave it at that.

Secret Window was not very good. Predictable and not very suspenseful. I would not recommend it.

• Thanks to a past recommendation from Andy at Twins Killings I am really enjoying the music of Air right now, specifically the album Talkie Walkie. Very pleasant and different.

• It has taken me 32 years of life, but I am finally going to read Watership Down. I'll let you know how it goes.

• I am really enjoying the T-Wolves right now. Maybe it is the mystery of a new team (how will they play together? how good is the Jaric guy?), maybe it is Rashad McCants (did you see that alley-oop from THUD? Yikes.), or maybe it is because this is the start of a new season and I'm supposed to be excited. Whatever the case, I am watching a lot of basketball and I am loving it.

Did you see the City Pages article about the T-Wolves last week? Good stuff. Well written. The author, Britt Robson, does not care for THUD at all. Among his more salient points he had this to say:

Every minute Hudson steals from McCants at the shooting guard position will penalize this franchise down the road.

True. McCants is the future, not the defensive nightmare that is Troy Hudson. Give him some PT Casey!

• Now for a Boring vs. Interesting update ... unfortunately I've had three boring days in a row. On Sunday I watched the Vikings game. That was the highlight. On Monday I watched Sin City. Again, a pretty lame highlight. And last night I went to the library. Nothing too exciting there.

At the library I picked up a book for myself (Watership Down), and a bunch of books for my kids. Specifically I got Fantastic Mr. Fox for my middle son. We read half of it last night and really enjoyed it. Roald Dahl was a very gifted childrens' author.

Anyway:

Interesting days: 10
Boring days: 5

Have I really been tracking this for 15 days?

• I've got a question for everyone: how many years have you been working and how many times have you switched jobs? I've worked at the U for 7 year now, and while I still enjoy it, perhaps I should look around. Let me clarify, I'm not looking around right now, I'm just starting to think, "How long can I work in the same job?"

Anyone out there interested in a 32 year old webmaster and adjunct professor at St. Kate's, with a Master's degree in Library Science and a sad obsession for stadium related issues? Let me know. I got mad skills.

• I like Cheer or Die's prediciton that the Vikings will win this Sunday. I think the team has finally turned the corner.

• I gotta say I liked how the Minneapolis mayor race turned out. Keep Rybak in office so McLaughlin stays on the Hennepin County board. Of course, it probably doesn't matter since the Twins deal with Hennepin County expires at the end of December, but I still have a little hope.

St. Paul's race is another story. I think St. Paul's chances to land the Twins just took a serious hit with Coleman taking over. We'll see though. What do you think Jim in St. Paul?

That's it. Talk to you later.

Posted by snackeru at 09:04 AM | Comments (18) | TrackBack | Boring vs. Interesting | Life | Sports

Category "Sports"

October 14, 2005

Of logos and such ...

Logos are a big deal. They take years to make, years to market, and years to brand a particular product. Some logos are very good, and some leave me scratching my head. Some logos convey strength and quality, while others say, "Go ahead and walk all over me. I'm weak!" Let's take a look at a couple that I don't mind too much:

The U of M logo is strong and timeless. This is a logo that will probably never be changed. It isn't trying to be cute, and it isn't trying to be overbearing. It just "is."

And just so you know I'm not trying to pick on all things Wisconsin, I also like the Green Bay Packers logo. It is another example of a timeless logo. However, what I would like to know is what came first, the Packers "G" or the Georgia Bulldogs "G"?? Hmmmm ... it is a mystery...

And here we have the point of this whole post. The crappy "Motion W" of the University of Wisconsin. Not timeless. In fact, the only word that comes to mind for it is "effeminate." It says, "Hey look at me! I'm moving! Do you want to come to my tea party?" Really, how does the University of Wisconsin justify such a pansy looking thing? The only thing I can think of that would top off the "Motion W" is this:

My Little Pony says, "Hello Motion W! You are so pretty and curvy! Can you stop for a while and braid my hair?"

That's what I think anyway. The University of Wisconsin needs a stronger logo. Until then I can't help but think they are all just a bunch of pansies.

Go Gophers!

Posted by snackeru at 04:05 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

August 22, 2005

Weekend thoughts

• Hey everyone. The weekend is over and all is good. Before we get into the main crux of this entry there are a few things I'd like to weigh in on. First of all, I love it that Terry Ryan is making a play for Soriano. Most likely it is so no other team can claim him, but the possibility is still there. The main question for me is, what would it take? And I'm just throwing this out there, but SBG got me to thinking. What if we gave up Hunter for Soriano? Think about it: Lew Ford can play center field. Heck, Jacque Jones can play center field. Soriano and Hunter have very similar salaries: $7.5 million for Soriano and $8 million for Hunter. And just to show that I'm a good guy, I would even throw in Joe Mays. How could the Rangers turn that down? Mays and Hunter for Soriano? Of course, I have no idea what Soriano will make next year, and I'm pretty sure the Rangers already have a decent center fielder, but Hunter is expendable as is demonstrated by the recent play of the Twins in his absence. Plus, he lives in Texas in the off-season. Ameriquest Field is practically in his backyard. Well, if it happens you heard it here first. And this ends yet another example of why I'll never be Twins general manager...

• I just invented a new word today: "swampled." It is a combination of "swamped" and "trampled" and suggests that a person is being both swamped and trampled at work at the same time. Feel free to use this new word at your own discretion. No need to thank me.

• The Vikings game on Friday was mighty boring. I must admit I watched the Twins more that night. However, it did demonstrate a couple of things to me: 1) the defense is getting better. I know they gave up some yards to the wonder that is Pennington's arm, but I saw some things I liked and 2) Bennett sucks. He is not the answer at running back. Let's get MeMo some reps and let's start trying to convince him he isn't as brittle as he thinks he is. Bummer about Ciatrix, too. He has shown some brilliant running ability if you ask me. Anyway, that is my two cents about the Vikes. Oh, and by the way, they are still Super Bowl bound. Just thought I would clear that up.

• Ah, but the main focus of this entry is not about sports. No, if you are only interested about sports stop reading now. I am about to delve into a topic that usually causes me to lose readers, but truth be told I can't hold it in any longer. I am about to write about religion, specifically Christianity. I am a Christian. I go to church every Sunday (especially since my wife got a job at our church which means no more church holidays for me ... sigh) and honestly I could probably write an entry every Sunday based on the pastor's sermon or something that strikes me as I sit in the church pew. And just for the record, I am what you would call a liberal Christian. I did not vote for Bush. I believe strongly in the separation of church and state, and I strongly favor a national health care system. Not exactly what most people think of as Christian agenda items, and that, for me, is a big problem.

Recently I read a very thought provoking essay called the Christian Paradox by Bill McKibben. Quite frankly it blew me away. It was the most eloquent discussion of my own faith pattern I have ever read. The article focuses on one of the most powerful passages in the Bible, when Jesus was asked by a religious leader of his time what the most important commandment is. Jesus answered:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

McKibben writes in excrutiating detail how our country, a country that overwhelmingly considers itself "Christian" consistently ranks in the bottom concerning measureable ways we help the lesser among us. McKibben writes:

In 2004, as a share of our economy, we ranked second to last, after Italy, among developed countries in government foreign aid. Per capita we each provide fifteen cents a day in official development assistance to poor countries. And it's not because we were giving to private charities for relief work instead. Such funding increases our average daily donation by just six pennies, to twenty-one cents. It's also not because Americans were too busy taking care of their own; nearly 18 percent of American children lived in poverty (compared with, say, 8 percent in Sweden). In fact, by pretty much any measure of caring for the least among us you want to propose - childhood nutrition, infant mortality, access to preschool - we come in nearly last among the rich nations, and often by a wide margin. The point is not just that (as everyone already knows) the American nation trails badly in all these categories; it's that the overwhelmingly Christian American nation trails badly in all these categories, categories to which Jesus paid particular attention.

This is stunning to me. Its not like I didn't have any idea this was going on, but to see it written in such a coherent and unmistakably clear way is a little humbling to say the least.

I've written about this commandment of Jesus before in regards to gay marriage arguing that the distraction of fighting against such a small segment of our society is keeping us away from our core mission of love your neighbor as yourself. McKibben focuses on other distractions that have kept us from this commandment including getting ready for the "rapture" (Jesus's triumphant return), and our society's troubling focus on ourselves rather than others. I would also add distractions like Intelligent Design and the 10 Commandments in front of courthouses as other distractions that really just aren't worth the fight. What has a better chance of demonstrating the love of Christ, displaying the 10 commandments in front of a courthouse where no one will read it, or focusing our energy on issues that Jesus actually cared about, namely feeding the hungry or clothing the naked? To me the answer is clear.

Of course, McKibben has some choice words for the so called Christian Right, an organization supposedly founded on Christian principles. McKibben writes:

A rich man came to Jesus one day and asked what he should do to get into heaven. Jesus did not say he should invest, spend, and let the benefits trickle down; he said sell what you have, give the money to the poor, and follow me. Few plainer words have been spoken. And yet, for some reason, the Christian Coalition of America - founded in 1989 in order to "preserve, protect and defend the Judeo-Christian values that made this the greatest country in history" - proclaimed last year that its top legislative priority would be "making permanent President Bush's 2001 federal tax cuts."

This is sickening. That was the Christian Coalition's main focus last year, making sure Bush's tax cuts remain permanent. I could understand if their main focus was Bush's tax cuts and making sure that Bush's "faith based" initiatives programs were successful, but apparently there is just a focus on tax cuts. This year's focus has changed to "Stopping filibusters on President Bush's judicial nominations including U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judicial nominees." This is the Christian Coalition. Where is the focus on the actual words of Jesus, the actual commandments? Or is that too simplistic?

And before anyone becomes too offended at my words let me make one thing clear. I understand if you think tax cuts and trickle down economics are better for society as a whole. We can't just keep on spending and spending. Gotcha. But don't tie your issues to Jesus. Don't tie these issues to Christianity. They are counter-intuitive to Christianity. Smaller government, lower taxes, health care for only those that can afford it may all be great ideas, but they are not Christian ideas as much as their opposites are not Christian ideas.

That's right. As much as I may want a national health care system, I would be hard pressed to find a Biblical passage that mandates this as the method Jesus would like us to employ to take care of the sick. Personally I think it is a great idea and more in line with Christian principles of taking care of those less fortunate, but can I say for sure that this is what Jesus had in mind? No. So why the "Christian" Coalition can make the bold claims they do, that they are somehow carrying out a mission that Jesus would approve of, is beyond me. McKibben writes:

The power of the Christian right rests largely in the fact that they boldly claim religious authority, and by their very boldness convince the rest of us that they must know what they're talking about. They're like the guy who gives you directions with such loud confidence that you drive on even though the road appears to be turning into a faint, rutted track. But their theology is appealing for another reason too: it coincides with what we want to believe. How nice it would be if Jesus had declared that our income was ours to keep, instead of insisting that we had to share. How satisfying it would be if we were supposed to hate our enemies. Religious conservatives will always have a comparatively easy sell.

I would argue that this selling job is actually hurting the Christian faith in the long run. I work at the University of Minnesota, a bastion of liberal views, so the shaping of my own philosophies concerning these matters shouldn't surprise anyone. However, the angry and condescending sentiments I hear at the U towards Christians because of the agenda of the Christian Coalition is disheartening to say the least. The viewpoint that all Christians follow to the drum beat of the Coalition is overwhelming and simply untrue. How can we take back the centrality of Jesus's message? For me it all focuses on the words of Jesus, the actual words taken at their bare bones: love your neighbor, turn the other cheek, love the Lord God with all your heart. McKibben writes:

Even the first time around, judging by the reaction, the Gospels were pretty unwelcome news to an awful lot of people. There is not going to be a modern-day return to the church of the early believers, holding all things in common - that's not what I'm talking about. Taking seriously the actual message of Jesus, though, should serve at least to moderate the greed and violence that mark this culture. It's hard to imagine a con much more audacious than making Christ the front man for a program of tax cuts for the rich or war in Iraq. If some modest part of the 85 percent of us who are Christians woke up to that fact, then the world might change.

How can we, as Christians, have the biggest impact on this world? "Love your neighbor" baby. That is where it is at for me.

Posted by snackeru at 12:30 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Books"

Category "Life"

Category "Sports"

August 12, 2005

Absolute randomness

• I'm reading a great book right now called Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis which discusses America's Founding Fathers and the impact they had on our fledgling republic. It is only 288 pages and it features short, illustrative chapters, vignettes really, concerning Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, etc. etc. Right now I'm reading an early chapter on "The Duel" between Burr and Hamilton and how, remarkably it represents the only example of political violence during the early days of our experiment in democracy. Anyway, an interesting portion of this chapter describes the rules for a duel (the code duello):

"Burr and Hamilton then met in the middle to receive their final instructions. Hamilton, again because he was the challenged party, had the choice of position. He selected upstream, or north, side, a poor choice because the morning sun and its reflection off the river would be in his face. The required ten paces between contestants put them at the extreme ends of the ledge. It was agreed that when both principals were ready, Pendleton would say, "Present"; then each man would be free to raise and fire his weapon. If one man fired before the other, the nonfirer's second would say, "One, two, three, fire." If he had not fired by the end of the count, he lost his turn. At that point, or if both parties had fired and missed, there would be a conference to decide if another round was required or if both sides agreed that the obligations of honor had been met."

Fascinating, huh? As you probably know, the rest of the story can be summarized with Burr mortally wounding Hamilton and Burr being ostracized from American life in general. Obviously, there is much more to this story than that. If you are interested I would recommend checking out Founding Brothers. Let me just close this little snippet by saying I am glad this method of resolving a dispute is now a thing of the past. Cheesehead Craig, sadly, would have alreay been killed by my deadly aim.

• Little known fact about me: I never use an alarm clock. Every morning I wake up whenever I decide I need to wake up. This is how it has always been for me. If I need to wake up at 6:00, I'll wake up at 6:00. If I need to wake up at 5:00, I'll wake up at 5:00. I don't know why, or how I developed this skill, but there you have it.

• I am absolutely fascinated by the ongoing saga of the Eagles vs. Terrell Owens. What a nightmare. On the one hand I love to see a possible stumbling block for the Vikings Super Bowl aspirations having these kinds of difficulties, but on the other hand a classy individual like Donovan McNabb does not deserve this. I agree with most other Eagles fans: T.O. must G.O. And did you catch what T.O. said about McNabb?

When Owens was asked if he could have success with McNabb, he was even more blunt, saying, "I don't think so and I'm just being honest."

Wow. Not only is T.O. a bad teammate, but he is just an idiot. Highly entertaining though.

• After reading stuff like this article about a Christian museum displaying dinosaurs and an intelligent design (ID) viewpoint and this hilarious open letter to the Kansas School Board I am this close to writing my own piece on this blog concerning ID and the theory of evolution. Of course it will deal with issues of religion, science, and history, but so far I have held back. I don't know why. Anyway, stay tuned for that (if you care).

• Well, I'll be going to the Vikings game tonight and I'll be sitting in the seats of Mr. Cheer or Die. Here is what the view from my old seats looked like. COD's seats, being on the first row, should provide me with a very interesting new perspective. I am looking forward to it. Thanks COD!

Posted by snackeru at 08:48 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | Books | Life | Sports

Category "Sports"

August 03, 2005

Twins vs. Vikings

Who has the loyalty of the majority of Minnesotans? The Twins or the Vikings? As you've probably already read, Mr. COD has written a great post on a surprising trend we have recently seen concerning Twins fans' antipathy for all things purple. Mr. COD himself has been on the receiving end of some Twins fans' rebukes towards both the Vikings and their fans. It all makes me wonder, why? Why do we see this kind of dislike from Twins fans towards the Vikings and why does it seem to be a one way street? I commented to Mr. COD:

"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."

I was a Viking season ticket holder for the past few years and I was at a game where it was announced that the Twins had captured the Central Division crown. As you might expect, the whole crowd cheered heartily for the Twins. It was great. However, I am of the opinion that if it was ever announced at a Twins game that the Vikings had won something (keep your jokes to yourselves!) I doubt this news would get the same reception. Why is that? Don't get me wrong, I think there would be some cheering, but not a whole lot, I would wager.

Mr. COD addresses some of the possible reasons in his post above. He includes the "Big Brother complex," "The Dome," and "Emotions," namely current emotions that have Twins fans feeling disgusted toward our baseball team and perhaps uncharacteristically vindictive. To expound on the Dome reason a little bit I do think a lot of Twins fans' dislike of the Vikings comes from the fact that the Twins share a facility with the Vikings, and the fact that the facility is a football field. No doubt about it. It is a tragedy and one which I have discussed ad naseum on these pages. There may be another reason, though, that COD doesn't discuss.

I honestly think a lot of Twins fans have a feeling of superiority. Baseball is not a contact sport. It may even be considered a gentleman's game. It is a game of overwhelming statistics, complex strategy, and thrilling luck. Baseball is also "America's pastime." Or at least it used to be. Football is blue collar. It is hard hitting, painful, and may even speak to our baser instincts. Kill. Blood. Hit.

Football is also much more popular. To be a baseball fan is truly something unique, and sadly it is becoming more and more unique nowadays. So, I can somewhat understand the hardcore baseball fan's dilemma. Football is encroaching on their turf, and they don't like it.

Speaking of which, as I'm sure you know, ESPN is doing a 50 states in 50 days promotion which highlights sports trends in all 50 states. And of course, Minnesota is a part of this analysis.

Concerning Minnesota's favorite sport, and based on over 25,000 votes, the breakdown is currently thus:

46.8% - Hockey
32.3% - Football
10.9% - Baseball
5.3% - Basketball
1.4% - Fishing
1.2% - Golf
1.0% - Auto racing
1.0% - Soccer

Nothing too surprising there. Hockey is pretty big here. Concerning Minnesota's favorite pro-team, though:

64.7% - Minnesota Vikings
16.2% - Minnesota Twins
6.5% - Green Bay Paclers
5.1% - Minnesota Wild
4.6% - Minnesota Timberwolves
1.8% - Chicago Cubs
0.6% - Chicago White Sox
0.5% - Dallas Stars

That is a huge margin. That is an "out-behind-the-woodshed" margin. The Vikings reign supreme in Minnesota to the point of almost making the Twins percentage look statistically insignificant (well, not quite). This is especially shocking when you look at the statistics for Wisconsin where you would expect the Packers to have a similar lead:

33.4% - Green Bay Packers
32.7% - Milwaukee Brewers
22.9% - Chicago Cubs
11.0% - Milwaukee Bucks

It appears that according to these statistics Minnesota has bigger football fans than the people in Wisconsin, and that Wisconsin has bigger baseball fans than Minnesota. I would have expected this to be the exact opposite.

So, in conclusion, given the Vikings dominance on the sports scene in Minnesota it may be more understandable why Twins fans feel a bit overwhelmed. Having said all of this, let me say that I am huge fans of both the Vikings and the Twins. I will always cheer for both (unless the Twins move to Vegas). And while I still don't quite fully understand why Twins fans are so anti-Vikings sometimes, I do believe the dominance of the Vikings over the local sports scene does help answer that question. Until next time ...

Posted by snackeru at 12:45 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

March 29, 2005

You-whoop-de-do!

• Can you believe this weather we are having? This is why I stay in Minnesota, for days like yesterday and today. Most of the time we've either got months and months of dreary winter, or months and months of mosquitos feasting on our blood. But Springtime in Minnesota makes it all worth while. I would wager that you really can't appreciate Spring unless you go through the crap we usually go through. Anyway, I am loving it. It almost makes me forget about stadiums ... almost.

• Speaking of stadiums and the business of sports, Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek have written some highly frightening posts concerning the Vikings chances of moving to LA. I read these two posts and I just about started weeping. However, as much as I love a good conspiracy, and as much as I'm beginning to think it is obvious we can't trust a thing Reggie Fowler says, one thing remains painfully clear. Unless the Vikings get a new stadium they will move out of our state. It is the same as the Twins situation: the Vikings will not play in the Metrodome (as it is right now) forever. Something has to be done. I think that is a given.

However, what can be argued is the timing. How long have we got before the sky falls and Minnesota is annexed by North Dakota (becoming Super Dakota!)? I still feel very strongly that the Vikings are here until 2011. No matter what. Tagliabue does not want to mess with the Rozelle letter. And I also feel strongly that the NFL wants a team in Minnesota. We will receive every chance to keep the Vikings here, but after 2011 all bets are off. It is as simple as that.

• And speaking of the NFL wanting Minnesota to have an NFL team, I also think that the NFL is rapidly losing patience with Minnesota. Why? Of course, we've already got our legislature's refusal to consider stadium financing for Minnesota's favorite team, and now we've got that idiot Dick Day and his exit tax for Red McCombs. The more I think about this the more moronic I think this idea is. Don't get me wrong, I can't stand Red and I wouldn't mind it if we got a chance to stick it to him for once, but this move by Day is just plain wrong. For one thing it demonstrates, at least to me, how much Minnesota hates rich people. God forbid that you are rich and successful in Minnesota because we will not like you. In fact, we will hate you, we will be jealous of you, and we will try to make your life more miserable. Of course, you'll have lots of money so we will be like a mosquito buzzing in your ear, but mosquitos can become annoying.

And Minnesota has become an annoyance. Don't think the NFL isn't paying attention to all of this and thinking twice about giving our fair state the benefit of the doubt. If this exit tax actually gets passed, which is doubtful, it will be yet another nail in the Vikings coffin. This new tax singles out Red McCombs and the NFL for special treatment and it sends a clear message that we are at best difficult to work with and at worst obstinate little children.

• If you get a chance stop over at Stick and Ball Guy's web site today to see all the Twins bloggers picks for the upcoming MLB season. SBG is having a contest based around the picks, and the winner will be feted on SBG's website and receive a drink purchased by SBG himself! Be still my beating heart! And just for my own documentation purposes, here are all of my picks:

AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Twins
AL West: Angels
AL Wild Card: Yankees

NL East: Marlins
NL Central: Cardinals
NL West: Dodgers
NL Wild Card: Cubs

AL Pennant: Twins
NL Pennant: Cards

WS Champ: Twins

AL MVP: Vlad
NL MVP: Pujols

AL Cy Young: Santana
NL Cy Young: Schmidt

If you haven't noticed, I figure if I'm going to lose, I mine as well lose cheering for the Twins. And looking at the other blogger picks, it looks like I'm not alone.

• Finally, I chanced upon a very interesting LiveJournal post yesterday regarding a new format for music. This new format displays song lyrics in list format. At first I thought, how stupid! But then I found it to be quite addictive. Anyway, I thought I would give it a try by using this new format on "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2:

• Things I have done
• Climbed the highest mountain
• Run through the fields
• Just run
• Crawled
• Scaled city walls
• Why?
• To be with you
• Outcome of these efforts
• I still haven't found what I'm looking for
• Other things I have done
• Kissed honey lips
• Felt healing in fingertips
• What my burning desire felt like
• Fire
• Spoke with the toungue of angels
• Held the hand of the devil
• Relative temperature of hand
• Warm
• When?
• Night
• How did I feel?
• Cold
• As what?
• A stone
• Outcome of these efforts
• I still haven't found what I'm looking for
• Something I believe in
• Kingdom come
• Outcome of kingdom come
• All the colors will bleed into one
• Even though I believe
• I have decided to still run
• You
• Broke the bonds
• Loosed the chains
• Carried the cross of my shame
• Me
• I believe it
• Unfortunately, even after all of this
• I still haven't found what I'm looking for

It is not as easy as it looks! Give it a try!

Posted by snackeru at 08:13 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

March 28, 2005

Weekend thoughts

Hello everyone. My ride won't be picking me up today to get into work in a timely fashion, so this will have to be somewhat brief.

• As you all probably already know, Bob Casey passed away this weekend. This is a sad time for Twins fans. I don't think I ever heard anyone ever say they didn't like Bob Casey. Most people are talking about his introduction of Kirby Pucket, and his "No Smoking" calls as their favorite moments. But I always loved what he usually said after his "No Smoking" call. For example, if the Twins were playing Detroit, Casey would say, "There is noooooooo smoking in the Metrodome! No smoking! If you must smoke, go back to Detroit!" I loved that.

Whoever will replace Casey has some HUGE shoes to fill. He probably knows that though. Anyway, my prayers go out to the Casey family.

• The Gopher's men hockey team is back in the Frozen Four. In fact, the Frozen Four is made up entirely of WCHA teams. This is the first time that has ever happened. Yesterday's game against Cornell was fantastic, as I'm sure you'll agree if you watched it, but I was struck by some of the music the Cornell band was playing. For example, at one point they played the Wisconsin fight song, "On Wisconsin" which made me think Wisconsin must have stolen the tune from the older Cornell. Wrong! Cornell was just trying to irk the pro-Minnesota crowd at Mariucci. That, I thought, was pretty funny.

There will have to more later. I've got to go.

Posted by snackeru at 08:06 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

March 19, 2005

Quick shots

• I don't know why, but I could handle Barry Bonds taking steroids. It didn't surprise me. But Mark McGwire? I gotta admit this has really bothered me. How can he vehemently deny using steroids literally for years, but then when he is under oath say, "I'm not going to talk about the past"? Although he didn't plead the 5th, he might as well have done so. And I'm sorry, his refusal to answer the questions yesterday was as good as admitting he used illegal substances. Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, and Hank Aaron. McGwire has been removed from this list (if he ever should have been on it).

• The Golden Gopher's basketball team lost yesterday, but they will always hold a special place in my memory banks. They made it fun to cheer on the Gophers again. Hagen, Lawson, Robinson, Grier, Coleman, Stamper, Tollackson, Tucker ... this team will be remembered as the beginning of something special for the program. Hard working, fun loving, scrappy, and yes, even inspiring; I am upset I won't be able to watch them anymore, but I look forward to next year.

• I made another bet with Cheesehead Craig, this time concerning the NCAA tournament. Whoever gets more points in the Offical Greet Machine tournament challenge will get a cheeseburger AND fries from Fuddruckers. So far, CC has 200 points and I have 190. Still a lot of games to go, but I gotta say I'm not feeling very confident anymore. I picked OK State all the way, but they barely escaped SE Louisiana. I'm beginning to think I'm cursed in the betting department.

• My Final Four teams are OK State, Wake Forest, Duke, and UNC. I had no idea I had such an affinity for ACC teams. Blech...

• As a big Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt fan, I'm looking forward to the movie Sahara coming out this Spring. However, Matthew McConaughey as Dirk Pitt? And Steve Zahn as Al? Good actors to be sure, but these would not have been my first choices. I read that Hugh Jackman was signed on to be Dirk. That would have been a little more appropriate in my mind.

• It looks like I have a new arch-rival in the stadium writing game over on TwinsTerritory.com. You all remember David Wintheiser who, although we have patched things up, I doubt will be gracing my blog's pages with his unique brand of wit and wisdom much anymore (he has his own site on TwinsTerritory now). However, it seems a blogger named "dbogen" has decided to unknowingly take his place. Twice in the last week I have posted a pro-stadium article and almost immediately he has put up a rebuttal. It makes me think he is watching for me, but I know that is just me being paranoid. Ha! Oh well, debate makes the world go around. I hope it stays civil. I am personally trying to keep it light-hearted.

• Here's the thing about the anti-stadium crowd: they are not willing to compromise at all. Pohlad pays for everything or they are against the plan. This kind of inflexibility is just not conducive to finding a solution. If Pohlad has refused to pay for everything for 10 years I don't think he is going to suddenly decide to change his mind. And I certainly don't think the public should pay for everything, but I do think there are funding sources that may satisfy the average taxpayer: TIF, gambling proceeds, ticket tax, sports facilities tax, etc. However, the anti-stadium crowd would find fault with all of these. Can't we just find a solution?

• You know what? It is a lot more fun to let it all hang out and be pro-stadium. It is actually very liberating. Anti-stadium people are just way too angry and intractable. Sure I've been angry before, but most of the time I am just trying to find a solution.

• So, the Vikings have traded their 7th round draft pick to the Jets for Sam Cowart. This is a very interesting development. Does this mean that they aren't considering Derrick Johnson? Or would they still select him and use Cowart as a mentor? I still think Mike Williams is our man. Regardless, though, Sam Cowart will do even more to improve our defense (if he can stay healthy). I gotta admit I am just stunned with all this activity on the Vikings part towards improving the team, especially with this Fowler business hanging out there. Stunned and very happy, though. With even a 15th ranked defense I think the Vikings will make a lot of noise in the NFL this next season. And I don't think the Vikings will have a 15th ranked defense.

• Speaking of the NFL draft, CNNSI.com has the Vikings picking Mike Williams with the 7th pick in their mock draft, even though they think Derrick Johnson will be available. We shall see. With the 18th pick CNNSI.com has the Vikings picking Erasmus James. Whooo boy. I would love that. Kenechi on one end, Williams and Williams manning the middle, and Erasmus on the other end? Yikes. And then Smoot and Winfield at the corners? And Cowart, Harris, and Driver to top it off? Why, oh why, did I give up my Viking season tickets?

• Oh yeah, it was so I can save up to go to Disney World next year.

• Curt in Grand Forks is going to attempt to buy our U2 concert tickets today at 10:00 at a grocery store in Grand Forks. I gotta tell you, this plan is usually fool proof. Curt and I bought Page/Plant tickets in Fargo and got 8th row seats. We bought Pink Floyd tickets in Sioux Falls and we got 12th row tickets. The concert is September 23 and I expect we'll be on the floor level shaking Bono's hand. I'll let you know if Curt is successful.

That's it for now. See you later.

Posted by snackeru at 07:26 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

March 12, 2005

Official Greet Machine NCAA Tournament Pool

• Allow me to invite you to join the official NCAA Tournament pool bracket of the Greet Machine. Once again it is completely free, with only bragging rights at stake. I hope you all will join. In fact, feel free to tell others about the pool: friends, spouses, kids, family members, co-workers, etc. The more the merrier, after all. Don't let the lack of an encyclopedic knowledge of college basketball stop you from entering. Curt in Grand Forks's two daughters will have entries, and will base their picks solely on the "cooler" mascot! I think I might give that a try! It is a lot of fun, and I hope you'll join.

To do so, go to http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/frontpage and enter the group name "Minn/NoDak Border Battle". You will need the password "nodak" to join. You will need an ESPN username, which is also free. You can register for this at the same website. So, please join and let's have some fun!

Special thanks to Curt in Grand Forks for putting this together!

• Keep in mind that Mr. Cheer or Die is also running a tournament pool through Yahoo! Sports. Details for his pool can be found on the link above.

Posted by snackeru at 03:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

Category "Stadiums"

February 22, 2005

Not much today...

• ... but I'll give you what I got. Jim in St. Paul wrote an interesting comment yesterday concerning a two picture spread in the Pioneer Press touting the site across from the Xcel Energy Center as opposed to the Warehouse district site in Minneapolis for a new Twins stadium. Unfortunately, although I saw the article yesterday in the online version of the PiPress, they failed to show any pictures! So, being in a library, I retrieved the print version this morning to have a look see myself. I must say, I agree with Jim that the two views, one of the the X and the St. Paul skyline, and the other of the Covanta-Hennepin Energy Resource Co. incinerator, definitely demonstrate how much more aesthetically pleasing the St. Paul site would be. However, and I'm sure Jim would agree, I am also concerned with any site's ability to get a deal done.

There were also some interesting captions around the pictures. Around the St. Paul picture the PiPress said:

"Something else for state officials to keep in mind as they consider sites for a proposed Twins ballpark: Baseball fans at a St. Paul Twins stadium would be treated to visions of the Xcel Energy Center and the St. Paul skyline ...

This was followed by an ugly picture of the Minneapolis incinerator and this caption:

... while baseball fans at a new Minneapolis ballpark would look out on -- shudder -- the Covanta-Hennepin Energy Resoure Co. incinerator, which burns garbage to make electricity. Fans will be reassured to know that emissions from the garbage burner are well within state limits, so we suppose there's no need really to cover your beer with your game program to keep the particulates out."

Ouch! Touche, St. Paul, touche. I tell you what, I like, no love, the idea of a ballpark in St. Paul. St. Paul has a lot going on downtown including the X, RiverCentre, the Science Museum, the Childrens museum, the History Center, etc. And while I agree with Jim that it would be nice to get the capitol and Cathedral domes into the view, anything St. Paul has to offer is better than what Minneapolis is offering right now. Jim also writes:

"I hope the editorial board is running those pictures in preparation for a legistlative debate. Maybe they have heard that the issue might be taken up soon. At least they are being proactive."

Yes, I wonder what is going on. Could a new stadium bill be approaching? I say let the games/battle begin. Hopefully Sviggum is still guaranteeing that a Twins stadium bill can be passed this session.

• On the way into work today the radio station we were listening to proclaimed that a deal between the Nets and the T-Wolves for Jason Kidd was practically a done deal if not already a done deal. According to the station (and I can't remember which one we were listening to), the T-Wolves are offering Spree, Wally, and I didn't catch the last guy but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Cassell. Has anyone else heard anything about this? I checked ESPN when I got into work and all they are reporting are rumors, including this deal:

The Wolves could send Wally Szczerbiak and the expiring contracts of Latrell Sprewell and Ervin Johnson to the Blazers. The Blazers would send Darius Miles and Ruben Patterson to the Wolves and Shareef Abdur-Rahim (also an expiring contract) to the Nets. New Jersey then would move Kidd on to Minnesota. Despite the fact Miles is a base-year player, that deal works, with the addition of a minimum-salaried player or two, under trade rules.

Wow. We would lose Wally and Spree to get Kidd. Is Kidd too old? Too selfish? Truthfully, I like the deal. Wally is a good guy, but he has just not panned out. And Spree is a shell of his former self. Getting Kidd would definitely shake things up, and help define the roles of the remaining T-Wolves players a little better. I am in favor of the deal, but I would be surprised to see something happen.

That's all for now.

Posted by snackeru at 08:54 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack | Sports | Stadiums

Category "Sports"

January 13, 2005

Quick Shots

• Memo to Dan Monson: keep doing what you are doing. Never, ever again try to recruit any Minnesota players that want to use the Gopher's program as a stepping stone to the NBA. You have finally built a great team by doing what you do best: finding the diamonds in the rough and molding them into a team. Hustle, determination, tenacity, teamwork, and yes, finally some skill are all characteristics of this Gopher's team. They are a joy to watch. Ski-U-Mah, my friends, Ski-U-Mah.

• Today I'll be listening to the Who's Tommy. If The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's created the genre of rock music as art, Tommy perfected it in the form of the "rock opera." What a beautiful album. Do you know the story? Tommy's father supposedly dies in the war and his mother re-marries. When Tommy's father comes home, he his killed by Tommy's new step-father. All of this is witnessed by Tommy who then goes into a near comatose state, as the Who says, "deaf, dumb, and blind." However, there is something going on in Tommy's head, anguish and pain. Eventually people discover that Tommy has a very unique skill for a blind person, he is a pinball wizard. He becomes famous and he is sent to a doctor that may finally be able to cure him. At the doctor's office he is told to go to the mirror and he finally sees himself, and by seeing himself something inside him snaps. For a short time afterward he simply stares at himself in the mirror until his mother can't take it anymore and she smashes the mirror. This breaks him out of his dumbfounded state and he develops a messianic complex. Due to his success at pinball he already has a large following who now practically worship him. His evil parents and family try to capitalize on his fame by creating "Tommy's Holiday Camp." However, his followers soon figure out that Tommy is really a nobody and they destroy the camp and leave Tommy all alone.

That's it in a nutshell, but, of course, there is obviously a whole lot more. A commentary on fame, religion, psychosis, and familial relationship, Tommy ranks up there as one of the greatest rock albums of all time.

• Speaking of basketball, how about those Timberwolves? Stick and Ball Guy already writes a lot about the Wolves so I'll try to keep this short, but they are really painful to watch. I went to the Lakers game on Monday, and like I said, seeing Daunte at the game was the best part of the whole night. Well, actually, the bongo guy was pretty good too. Compared with the Gophers, the T-Wolves are not a very harmonious "team," they are a bunch of individuals trying to score points. The played inconsistently (absolutely tanking in the 4th) and they were crushed on the boards. Having said all that, I actually think they will figure all of this out. I seem to recall the Lakers being a 5th seed a couple of years back and going to the NBA Finals after a strong finish to the regular season. I predict a full turnaround for this team. They'll be all right.

• We all know how Mr. Cheer or Die feels about Fox Sports and the hypocrisy surrounding Moss's moonshot, but it appears UThink has another Vikings' fan in the midst: Winter in the Cities. Laurene writes a good post suggesting that there [I need a grammar checker] is a tinge of racism in Joe Buck's comments about Moss and that she agrees with Red's demand to have him removed from the booth. I hadn't thought about it that way, but sadly I think she is right. For example, if Favre had done the same thing, Buck and Berman would have been praising his "competitive spirit." You know it is true. Sid writes a good column today highlighting a letter from St. Joe's praising Moss's charitable activity. I'm sure there is a lot about Moss we don't know.

• Well, you won't be hearing from me again for a couple of days, unless I write something again today, as I'll be headed to the American Library Association midwinter conference in Boston tomorrow. I'll be giving another presentation on UThink. It seems that people all over the place are interested in this beast, and I couldn't be more thrilled with that. So, again, you probably won't hear from me again until after the Vikings game.

And speaking of the Vikings game this Sunday, hope has now completely taken over. I predict a Vikings victory! NFC Championship here we come!

Posted by snackeru at 08:13 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

November 09, 2004

Off the Cuff

• Hello everyone! I am feeling unusually chipper this morning, especially considering the Vikings lost last night. This is probably mainly due to the fact that 1) life is good. When you think about it, life is good, isn't it? And 2) a co-woker of mine has given me a pirated copy of U2's new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. This was an unexpected surprise. So, as I type this I am listening to new U2 music. Some of you may not think this is a big deal, but to me it is absolutely wonderful.

• Let's talk about the Vikings. As I'm sure you are reading on other sites, it was really a tale of two halves. In the first half the Vikings play calling, defense, and clock management were all atrocious. What was Tice doing in the last seconds of the first half waiting until there was only 2-3 seconds left before calling a time out? Maybe I was being over optimistic, but I thought he could have taken another shot at the end zone before settling on a field goal. That may have won the Vikings the game.

The second half I was very impressed with the Vikings. Tolerable defense coupled with great special teams play kept the Vikings in the game. And the offense actually put together some decent drives. In fact, the offense ended up with 307 yards of total offense keeping their streak of 300 or more yards alive. I'm sure other people are talking all gloom and doom about the Vikes performance last night, but I saw some things to keep my hopes up, especially considering Randy Moss was back in Minnesota.

• I think it is obvious who the MVP of the Vikings is: Randy Moss. Without Moss the Vikings offense is adequate at best. Defenses must constantly double team Moss which opens up the field for the rest of the offense. Culpepper looked lost out there without his buddy. Now, I'm not saying the Vikings' offense couldn't adjust to not having Moss around, or that Culpepper is not a good QB without Moss. What I'm saying is that right now the Vikings offense relies so much on how defenses play Moss that they are going to struggle without him. Here's hoping Moss will play at Lambeau this Sunday. Word is he won't, but I think he will.

• I don't know how many of you check the Twins web site on a regular basis, but yesterday they linked to a "mailbag" article by Mark Sheldon that discussed Joe Mauer's progress:

The most recent word I received from Twins general manager Terry Ryan is that Mauer was making progress with the rehabilitation of his surgically repaired left knee and should be on track to be 100 percent behind the plate again at Spring Training. He felt some pain in the crouch last month during Instructional League games, but after seeing his doctor, learned another surgery wasn't needed. Right now, the 21-year-old is continuing his offseason workouts in the Twin Cities area.

This isn't anything new, really, but in the case of Joe's knee, no news is good news as far as I'm concerned. I personally have faith that Joe will be the everyday catcher for the Twins next year.

• Just a heads up, but I'll be at a conference most of next week so I don't think I'll be able to update this blog as regularly as I would like. So, there is talk right now that Cheesehead Craig may take over my duties. Honestly, he'll probably get more readers than me, given all his friends over at the StarTrib forums, and that is fine with me.

• Did all of you catch this article about the NIT suing the NCAA over anti-trust violations? This is crazy, to be sure, but also very interesting. The NIT used to be a very prestigiuos tournament before the NCAA expaned its field to 64 (and now 65) teams. What the NIT hopes for is that some lower seeded teams will opt for the NIT given that they may have a better chance of winning. This may sound good in theory, but even if the NIT prevails in this lawsuit, I can't imagine anyone turning down a chance to go to the Big Dance no matter how low they are seeded.

• Stay tuned for a new "Links of the Day" today. I've got some very thought provoking articles to pass along. At least I was forced to ponder over them for a while.

Posted by snackeru at 08:51 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

November 07, 2004

The Gophers: A once proud football powerhouse

Click on this image of the 1961 Minnesota Golden Gophers:

Depressing, isn't it? I listened to Glen Mason on the Sports Huddle with Sid and Dave this morning. Truthfully I was impressed with the fact that he even lived up to his obligation to call Sid this morning, especially considering how bad the Gophers played yesterday. Mason was not upbeat at all, and he shouldered much of the blame himself. He also admitted to just not knowing at all what is happening to his team. Should Mason be fired? I honestly don't know, and I honestly don't think it would matter if he was.

Consider this: given the choice between playing for the Gophers or another Big Ten team who in their right mind would play for the Gophers (unless they are from Minnesota)? The Gophers play in the heartless Metrodome in front of pathetic crowds with absolutely no tradition. Only between 8,000 - 10,000 students attend the games and they almost always leave early. Contrast this with Wisconsin. Over 83,000 people attended the game yesterday and the crowd was rabidly cheering for the Badgers. It was outdoors, and it was a beautiful atmosphere. Wisconsin puts our program to shame. Why would anyone want to play for the Gophers?

Obviously Wisconsin's superiority wasn't always the case. In fact, it wasn't until UW hired Barry Alvarez that they won their first Rose Bowl. In fact, before Barry Alvarez was hired, Wisconsin had only won one bowl game in their entire history. I think it is apparent that the right coach can make all the difference. However, before we start thinking about coaches there are a couple of other things that need to happen.

Minnesota will not rise to national prominence again until 1) they move back on campus to an outdoor stadium, and 2) the U of M administration makes it a priority to rise back to national prominence. This has happened at Wisconsin, it has happened at Purdue, and the relatively recent success of the University of Miami is a direct result of their administration taking a huge interest in the success of their football program. The U of M's current efforts to build a new, on campus stadium are a step in the right direction towards both of these criteria.

UPDATE: Jim Souhan, the new StarTrib columnist, wrote a great article about the atmosphere at the University of Wisconsin at Saturday's game. Painful. Absolutely painful. The Gophers used to have this atmosphere too. There used to be a parade every fall gameday Saturday that led fans into the Brickhouse. Cheerleading was invented at the U. Ski-U-Mah, the Minnesota Rouser, all 4 of the trophey games. All of this because the U of M used to be the envy of the college football world. I've got to stop before I get too depressed...

Posted by snackeru at 05:09 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

October 28, 2004

Feeling pretty good

I'm feeling pretty good for some reason. Things are going well, I guess you could say. For example, my Voter's Guide seems to be a big hit. I've gotten a lot of good feedback concerning the Guide. Dave St. Peter, president of the Twins, even wrote me to say THANKS. Yes, he actually capitalized all the letters in THANKS. I asked him for some assistance in putting the list together, but understandably he hasn't provided any. Unlike me, he actually has to work with the legislature, and any legislators that are elected that may be anti-stadium. As always, take a look at the guide if you haven't yet already and let me know if any changes or additions are necessary.

And sorry that there haven't been many updates recently to this blog or Super G. The Guide has taken up a lot of my time.

• I'm also surprised at how the Red Sox victory last night has made me feel. Pretty good, truth be told, and that is surprising given how much I can't stand the Red Sox. Really, I think I feel so good because as a result of their victory last night I feel much better about the Vikings chances this year.

The Vikings are a good team. There is no doubt about that. And the good thing is their defense is getting better. I'm sure this has already been beaten to death in other sports based blogs, but they didn't allow a touchdown in a game for the first time since 1998. We all know how good the Vikes were in 1998. Plus, for the first time in like 3 years they actually humiliated a team they were supposed to beat. Now, I'm sure a lot of people are pointing to the fact that McNair was on the bench, but usually this would be the perfect opportunity for the Vikes to either barely beat the team or actually lose (see Arizona Cardinals game last year). Not this time. The Vikings are better, and more importantly they are getting better every week.

You know who I really like out there on the defense? Terrance Shaw. He is playing some very good defense right now. A few passes defenced and an interception is practically Viking Ring of Honor caliber given where the defense has been the last couple of years.

This Sunday should be a pretty good test against the Giants. Warner has lit up the Vikings secondary before. I look forward to seeing if the Vikings can keep it together and become another team of destiny.

• Of course, all of this would be in spite of Red McCombs. Is there a bigger bastard in all of Vikings history? He continues to absolutely put his foot in his mouth and dig himself a deeper and deeper hole. At last Sunday's game Red had the audacity to say:

"Let's face it. I would love to be in Los Angeles," McCombs told Sports Illustrated's Michael Silver. "But I can't just pick up and go to L.A.; that is a league issue. I'm a team player, so I am not going to test the courts and run off in the middle of the night.

"At this point, I don't see relocation as a viable alternative because the league has said 'You've got to make it work [in Minnesota].' The league knows I'd be very happy to be in L.A., but I'd also like to be here with a new stadium."

Way to endear yourself to the fans, Red. And he wonders why he keeps getting boos every time he shows his face at the Metrodome. Plus, Red must think we are all as stupid as him if he thought we would believe his threats that he could both get out of his lease and the Rozelle letter. Man! This gets me fired up! It has already been pointed out that Red most likely considers himself a short term owner and will probably sell the team in lieu of trying for another stadium run. The sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. After saying what he said yesterday, there is no chance the legislature will even take him seriously anymore if he did try for a stadium again. What an idiot.

• And speaking of stadiums, in my efforts to research stadium friendly legislators I came across this article spoofing an announcement for a new Twins stadium. It is a little vulgar ... well, a lot vulgar, but the real-life stadium situation has gotten so surreal that I had to chuckle at the outlandish claims the article was making. The name of the new stadium is "Mall of America Super Duper MegaField" if that gives you any indication.

Anyway, good feelings today, even with Red McCombs again giving us all reason to hate him even more.

Posted by snackeru at 01:13 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Sports"

October 27, 2004

OK, I'm happy

Quick note before I go to bed. Curt in Grand Forks has shown me the error of my ways. For many months I have expressed my deep dislike of the Red Sox. If the Yankees are Evil Empire A, then surely the Red Sox are Evil Empire B. Achieving the two highest payrolls in the game, the owners of the Red Sox and the Yankees both deserve a spot somewhere in Dante's Inferno. However, Curt described to me a scenario that truthfully I did not think possible. Curt wrote that a Red Sox victory in the World Series will open the floodgates for all the teams that have never won it all. Curt wrote that a Red Sox victory in the World Series will usher in a new era for all the teams dwelling in the realm of Lost-Hope. The Red Sox victory in the World Series tonight can only mean that a Vikings victory in the Super Bowl is imminent. Oh yes, it is now destiny. The stars and planets are all aligned, the cards are in our favor. This is the year of the Viking! Thank you Red Sox! You have given all of us hope!

Skol Vikings!

Posted by snackeru at 11:51 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack | Sports

Category "Life"

Category "Sports"

Category "Twins"

October 21, 2004

Red Sox, Chimneys, and Gopher Basketball

• Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. For the Red Sox to come back from 0-3 to take the AL pennant against the hated Yankees is something truly spectacular. David Oritz and Dougie deserve it and I am happy for them. However, spare me this underdog/curse/anti-Yankee mumbo jumbo. The Red Sox payroll is almost $130 million. That is still $60 million less than the Yankees, but it is also an obscene amount of money. In my mind the Red Sox are just as much to blame for the economic problems in baseball as the Yankees and for this reason they don't deserve, and they will never get, my support. I know, I'm sure they are crying and gnashing their teeth over my lack of support, but I gotta take a stand somewhere. Are they the lesser of two evils? Barely and it pains me to even feel a little spot of goodness in my heart for their victory last night. All I've got to say is go Houston. If it is a Red Sox - Astros World Series only then will it have a modicum of respectability. But that is just me. All of you go ahead and slobber all over yourselves proclaiming that the Evil Empire has been defeated when in truth the evil regime's little brother has merely taken over.

• The Gopher's basketball team is in trouble. How do I know this? Advertisements in the student newspaper to help sell student ticket packages feature Jeff Hagen. In fact, he is the only player featured in the advertisements. Now don't get me wrong. I like Jeff Hagen. He is a good player and a hard worker. He is not someone, though, that you build your team around and I think he would agree. If that is the best player on the Gophers, the only player worthy of featuring in an advertisement to build excitement for the team, then they are in a load of trouble this year. He wasn't even awarded a scholarship until his sophomore year. Again, I like Hagen, but I am feeling a little queasy about the Gopher's chances this year.

• I had my chimney cleaned yesterday. Nick of Nick's Chimney Service came out a did a great job. However, he was the second person to come out and take a look at my chimney and wood burning stove. The first company to come out, and I can't remember their name now, told me that my chimney was so bad that they would have to pretty much rebuild the chimney for me. They said the tiles were all cracked and falling apart, that it wasn't up to code, and that it would need a stainless steel pipe running the entire length of the chimney to make it safe for use. They quoted me $3,000 to repair it. Now, either they thought they could give me a royal porking, or they were just plain stupid. Nick and his people came in and cleaned the chimney, showed me everything they had done and described it all in detail, assured me that the chimney looked very safe, and then charged me less than the first company would have just for the cleaning. Moral of the story is in the world of chimney cleaning, get a second opinion.

• You know what pains me the most about the Yankees-Red Sox series? It should have been the Twins vs. the Red Sox. Maybe that is why I am so bitter. The Twins should have won game 2 of the ALDS, and they had game 4 wrapped up too. I like what the Twins Geek had to say about the Yankees victory over the Twins, "this series was won when one team had (and continues to have) more mojo - not because they bought it." Were the Twins the better team? I would argue they had better pitching, but I will agree that the Yankees definitely had more of that confidence, that cocky attitude, that winners usually have. Will next year be different for the Twins? I sure hope so.

That is all for now. Maybe more later.

Posted by snackeru at 08:55 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack | Life | Sports | Twins

Category "Sports"

Category "Vikings"

October 18, 2004

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

• Daunte Culpepper ... wow. I love to watch this guy play. Another game, another 5 touchdown pass performance. He is making it look so easy that we might be taking it for granted what inspired football he is playing right now. And for all the people that think Gus Frerotte should be starting ... I can't believe I even had to type that sentence out. Reusse had a great beginning to his column today dealing with the Daunte haters out there:

Daunte Culpepper's most determined critics were not able to view his entire performance on Sunday night. These people were otherwise occupied from 8 to 9 p.m., since they make up the I.Q. demographic for "Desperate Housewives."

Zing! Here is hoping that a 425 yard, 5 TD pass performance will shut these people up. Daunte is the NFL MVP so far this season. No question about it.

• Randy Moss will be back next week. I think we can bank on that. But in his absence Nate Burleson had a really nice game. Actually, 6 receptions for 134 yards is really, really nice. But if Daunte didn't get the game ball last night it would have to go to Mewelde Moore: 109 yards rushing, 78 yards receiving, and 51 yards returning kicks. What impressed me more, though, about this kid is how hard he is to bring down. Cheesehead Craig and I both agreed he reminds us of Ahman Green, except he holds on to the ball too. Now the question is, what happens when Bennett comes back? What happens when Smith comes back? I honestly would rather see Moore in there. He is tough, he is determined, he rushes, he catches, he does it all, and he does it impressively. Steal of the Draft? I think we have finally seen the SOD and it ain't Onterrio "Pass the Dutchie" Smith.

• If anything can temper my enthusiasm for the Vikings this year, it is the pathetic defense. Yet again the game came down to the last quarter, and the last minutes, even though the Vikings offense was able to rack up 38 points. Corey Chavous is saying this is a "team game" but if one part of this team will keep them out of the Super Bowl it is the defense. What if the Vikings traded Bennett for another decent corner, or a healthy linebacker? Unfortunately I doubt any other team would take the injury prone Bennett at this point. Switching defensive coordinators for the past 3-4 years (I honestly can't remember how many the Vikings have had) cannot help, but Cotrell's schemes are not impressing me at all. Tice even had to challenge the defense this week to be more agressive. Here is hoping they can improve because they will not go to the Super Bowl with this defense.

• My family carved pumpkins this weekend. I'll be showing the three pumpkin designs in the next couple of days, but I think the best design goes to my oldest son. Every year he comes up with a new design, and every year I say to myself, "That is going to look stupid." And every year he proves me wrong. I don't know what inspired this year's design, but I think it looks kind of cool.

• My kids and I have started to play my old Stratego game. Do you remember Stratego? It is an easy game to learn and it is fun to play for adults and kids. Anyway, take a look at the box cover for my old version of Stratego. What the heck does it mean to be a "two-handed" strategy game? I certainly don't have to use two hands to play. Do they mean to say it is a "two-player" strategy game? Very odd.

• I pray the Gophers don't have to play Michigan and Michigan State back-to-back next year again because that just isn't working out for them. What an ugly game. Not only did they prove they aren't yet a Rose Bowl contending team, but they also proved they are not a tough team either. It was cold, it was rainy, and it was obvious they prefer to play inside. The U could have renovated Memorial Stadium for $10 million. Instead they chose to move into the Metrodome. Some decisions come back to haunt you, but that decision is a fricken nightmare that won't stop.

• Finally, I am upset the Red Sox won last night. It just prolongs the inevitable. I love David Ortiz, but the rest of the Red Sox can take a flying leap.

Posted by snackeru at 08:46 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack | Sports | Vikings

Category "Sports"

October 11, 2004

What do you want?

OK, I've held off long enough. Man does it suck to be a fan of Minnesota sports. Why do I even put up with it? I blame my mom. I mean, I was born in Wisconsin! That's right, I was born just across the border in River Falls, WI and could have easily become of a fan of all things Wisconsin (perish the thought). But my mom grew up in Minnesota and brain-washed me to cheer for the Twins and the Vikings and the Gophers. She brain-washed me I tell you! That and the fact that River Falls only picked up Twin Cities TV stations sealed the deal for me. And even though we only picked up Twin Cities TV stations I was still in the minority. I was surrounded by enemies ...

I remember the day that Jason Simpson dared to mock the Vikings in my presence. Standing in line after recess in the second grade he said to me, "How are the Vi-QUEENs doing this year?" I answered him by making a fist in my Viking mitten and popping him in the nose. They must have lost the day before because I remember just snapping and going into a second-grader rage on his scrawny Packer-fan butt.