Jan/100
Cromartie a Viking
Rumor has it the Vikes could be in the hunt for Antonio Cromartie of the Chargers. If true, and we wouldn't give up too much to get him, this would be big. Especially considering the decline in Winfield's ability to cover the pass. Bring in Cromartie and move Antoine to strong safety. Favre comes back after camp ends in Aug 2010 and 2011 and we become the first team to three-peat. We're comin!
Nov/090
NFL Leaders: There’s a Viking Stat for That
Brett Favre is leading the NFL in the QB ratings. All-Day is #2, Rice is #4, Mr. Purple Rodeo himself is #2 in sacks. I don't want to jinx it, but if you're looking for a team to get behind that's both fun to watch on the field while it leads the NFL in multiple statistical categories...There's a Viking Team for That.
The dream continues...
Oct/090
Chubbs?
Never reach for golf balls in the water in South Carolina. Why? Otherwise you will end up like the man in this story:
http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=4545614
The old cliche "you can't make this stuff up" might come to your head, but here, that does not apply. Remember Chubbs from the movie Happy Gilmore? He had his hand ripped off by a one-eyed gator. Apparently this poor gentleman did not see that movie and it cost him his limb. Earlier in the round his buddy mentioned that he said he liked that ball so much he said he would give his right arm for that ball.
Oops, too soon?
Dec/0834
Williams Wall Has Yet to Crumble, Yet
Another day in the StarCaps drama brings us a little closer to the end. Today with the courts getting invovled it is looking a little more promising for the players to play this weekend, but probably not beyond that. It seems as though there are three main issues at hand.
According to an article from ESPN, via the Associated Press (see link below)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3747957
the result of the case will boil down to three main points that the judge will consider. The first, coming from the players side and like we talked about yesterday, is that they were not fairly warned by the NFL that the StarCaps pills contained the banned diuretic Bumetanide. According to the NFLPA league officials knew that StarCaps contained the banned substance but withheld this information from players. In addition, the label on the bottle never mentioned it contained the banned substance.
The other point that we can take from the AP article is that the NFL says the burden is completely on the player to know what they are putting in their body. The league says that the collective bargaining agreement "does not require the league to issue warnings about specific products and argues an effective steroid policy requires players to be responsible for what they ingest." (taken from http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_11137136?nclick_check=1http://www.twincities.com/sports/ci_11137136?nclick_check=1)
The final blow that will probably win it for the NFL is the statement issued by them in 2006 that said, "Balanced Health Products, the distributor of StarCaps, had been added to the NFL's list of banned supplement companies." (also from the above Pioneer Press article)
So it remains to be seen what will happen, but that last statement from the NFL seems pretty incriminating for the players. If the league issues a statement banning all products from a certain company why would a player ever use a product from said company, especially a professional athlete with so much on the line? I thought they had a chance, but if that 2006 statement is true then I can't blame the NFL for suspending the players. Maybe we will add it to the list after all.
Jul/086
That’s why I love sports
Jun/080
Mauer as a Gopher?
Now we know what Mauer would have looked like as the Gopher's QB.
Thanks to Ben the professor for posting this pic in the first place.
The actual person wearing the number 7 jersey is Eric Decker a junior WR from Cold Spring, MN.
May/083
Face It, You Are Softball Guy
Mar/08990
Great Moments in Minnesota Twins History
Following the 1960 season the Washington Senators moved to the Twin Cities and became the Minnesota Twins. Since becoming the Twins they have had their share of memorable moments. Here is a list of the ten greatest moments in Twins history.
April 11, 1961. The Minnesota Twins defeat the New York Yankees 6-0 in their first game as the Twins for their first win. Pedro Ramos pitches a complete game shut out for the win. Bobby Allison and Reno Bertoia hit home runs.
September 26, 1965. The Twins defeat the Washington Senators 2-1 to clinch the American League Pennant. Jim Kaat pitches a complete game shutout, striking out ten batters.
September 22, 1969. The Minnesota Twins win the American League Western Division title when they defeat the Kansas City Royals 4-3. Bob Miller is the winning pitcher and Harmon Killerbrew hits his 47th home run.
September 23, 1970. The Minnesota Twins win their second consecutive division title when they defeat the Oakland A's 7-4. Tom Hall is the winning pitcher and Bill Zepp gets the save.
September 28, 1987. The Minnesota Twins win their first division title since 1970 when they defeat the Texas Rangers 5-3. Juan Berenguer comes out of the bullpen to get the win and Jeff Reardon saves the game for his 31st save of the season.
October 12 , 1987. The Twins win their first American League Pennant since moving to Minnesota when they defeat the Detroit Tigers 9-5. The Twins win the American League Championship Series 4 games to 1. Bert Blyleven is the winning pitcher.
October 25, 1987. The Twins win the World Series in 7 games when they defeat the St Louis Cardinals. They win the seventh game 4-2 with Frank Viola pitching 8 innings for the win. It is the Twins first World Championship.
October 13, 1991.The Minnesota Twins win their second American League Pennant by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series 4 games to 1. They win the fifth and deciding game 8-5. With the game tied at 5 in the eighth inning the Twins score 3 runs to take the lead for good. David West pitches three strong innings out of the bullpen for the win and Rick Aguilera gets his third save of the series.
October 27, 1991.The Minnesota Twins win their second World Championship by defeating the Atlanta Braves in seven games. The Twins win the seventh game in 10 innings 1-0 with Jack Morris pitching a complete game for the win. The Twins win the game and the series in the bottom of the 10th when Gene Larkin singles to drive in Dan Gladden with the winning run. Most importantly though, as Kirby homers to keep the Twins championship alive in game 6, the Gold Seat is born.
October 6, 2002. The Minnesota Twins defeat the Oakland A's in the American League Division Series 3 games to 2. In the deciding game the Twins score three runs in the top of the 9th inning and hold off a rally by the A's in the bottom of the inning to secure the win. Brad Radke is the winning pitcher. The Twins advance to the American League Championship Series.
Unfortunately, none of the top moments have occurred in the past 6 years or so. What do you think is the best moment in the history of Minnesota Twins baseball?
Sep/0711
Barry Bonds in Minnesota
While this season comes to a close, there is much speculation regarding the future of several current Twins…. Will Santana be traded? Will the Twins resign Hunter? One question that is just starting to surface…. Will Barry Bonds land in Minnesota?
Barry has publically stated that he wants to play for 1 or 2 more years. While everyone in baseball knows that Barry is past his prime playing days, the popular consensus is that he can still see and more importantly hit the ball. Since his days in left field are likely over, it only make sense that he makes his way out of the friendly confines of AT&T ballpark and to the roster of an American League team in need.
Usually a guy like Barry would likely be snapped up by one of the big market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox or White Sox. This situation is somewhat different though. All of those teams have their DH and are not looking to pay for a guy who will ride the bench. After reviewing the current AL rosters it appears that the following teams are NOT in need of Barry’s services:
Red Sox: Big Papi
Yankees: Giambi
White Sox: Thome
Tigers: Sheff
Indians: Hafner
Angels: This is typically platooned by Garrett Anderson and Vlad
Orioles: The DH is also platooned by Aufrey Huff and Kevin Millar
Athletics: Frank Thomas
That leaves the following squads with immediate DH needs:
Royals, Mariners, Devil Rays, Rangers, Blue Jays and our beloved Twins
In my opinion, the Royals would never make a move… They are happy living at the bottom of the AL Central. The Blue Jays could make a move considering that they are in a constant battle to overcome the evil empires of Boston and New York. The Devil Rays are horrible and would not bring in a guy like Bonds (because even Barry wouldn’t bring in ticket sales to that God forsaken stadium).
That leaves the Mariners, Rangers and Twins as contenders.
As I see it, this is a three team race. The Twins might have a slight advantage in that they are still considered “playoff contenders”. With better situational hitting, next year they could be back in the mix in the AL Central.
So…. What would the fans of Minneapolis and St. Paul think about Bonds? I’m not sure. Personally, I would love to see him play DH and hit his 20 Homeruns and 80 RBIs. The second reason i’d love to see him would be because of what he would do to the rest of the lineup. Put Cuddy in the clean up spot and Bonds at fifth… All of a sudden Cuddy will see GREAT pitches. Think of this lineup:
Bartlett
Mauer
Morneau
Cuddy
Bonds
Hunter (i’m praying that they find a way)
Left Fielder
Third Baseman
Castilla
I’d take that.