The Minnesota Twins lost on Thursday night by a score of 11-8 to the Chicago White Sox. Even though Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer combined for three homers in the game, the Twins' pitching staff was once again abysmal.

Starter Cole DeVries only allowed three earned runs in his Major League Baseball debut, but Chicago tallied six total runs against DeVries thanks to two Twins errors. Brian Duensing ensured the latest Twins demise by allowing a grand slam in the sixth inning.

So the Twins lost their 28th game of the season and futher cemented their position in the cellar of the AL Central--no big whoop, right?

Wrong.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves struggled to a 26-40 finish this past season. Most people will point to crucial injuries wearing down the squad that was on the outskirts of the playoff picture for most of the season. All but two Timberwolves players missed at least eleven of the lockout-shortened 66-game season.

However, other statistics back up the fact that the Wolves weren't quite ready for prime time. The Wolves were among the worst in the league when it came to shooting. They ranked 27th out of 30 NBA teams in overall field goal percentage and 23rd from beyond the arc--a problem since only five teams shot more threes than Minnesota.

Court Vision, a really interesting website that evaluates basketball performance with the help of visual and spatial analytics, just released an interesting chart that breaks down the worst shooters in the NBA from specific areas of the court. They divided up the floor into 17 distinct shooting areas (eight around the three-point line, eight midrange areas, and one from close range) and crunched the numbers to find out who was the worst in the league from each spot. Of course they put minimum attempts as qualifiers so somebody who went 0-for-3 or something didn't win by default.

Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, two members of the team earned the dubious distinction of being the worst in the league from certain spots on the floor. Both Wesley Johnson and Ricky Rubio showed up on the chart.

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The NBA recently announced their Executive of the Year Award for the 2011-2012 season. Larry Bird ended up winning the award voted on by a panel of league execs, which seems pretty fair. Bird assembled a team that most experts considered to be middle of the road before the season, but the Pacers have exceeded expectations by a large margin. They had the third best record in the Eastern Conference this year and they're currently up 2-1 over the heavily favored Miami Heat in their second round playoff series. (Sorry, haters waiting to board the Pacers schadenfreude bandwagon--the line is already around the block. You'll have to wait your turn.)

Spurs GM R.C. Buford and the Clippers' Neil Olshey rounded out the top three in voting. Again, it makes sense after their teams both had very strong seasons in the Western Conference.

But if you go a little further down the list--tenth place, to be exact--you might raise an eyebrow at what you see.

Why? Because Minnesota's own David Kahn is apparently considered a top-ten NBA executive.

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This usually isn't the type of sports doubleheader that fans look forward to, but when it comes to keeping the Vikings in Minnesota, we'll do just about anything won't we?

After a long, arduous, emotional 8.5 hour debate by the Minnesota House of Representatives that required not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE separate open threads on our site yesterday, the bill finally passed by a vote of 73-58. However, one amendment passed that would require the Vikings to chip in about $105 million extra than they originally agreed upon, which could turn into yet another hurdle. Vikings VP Lester Bagley called the increase in team funding "not workable", but there's still time to work something out.

The Senate debate can be viewed LIVE here: http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/media/

EDIT 9:22 AM CT: Here's the embedded live feed:

The Vikings bill is scheduled to be debated around 9:00 AM CT--right about now--so open up that link in another tab on your browser and settle in for what should be another long day of politics. But hey, it's not nearly as bad if we endure it together, right?

Breaking news from the "We Didn't See This Coming" department: on Monday afternoon, longtime Vikings kicker Ryan Longwell sent out this cryptic Tweet:

To all in Viking Nation. Can't thank you enough for your cheers over the past 6 years! You've been awesome to me and my family. God Bless!

— Ryan Longwell (@4thandLongwell) May 7, 2012

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As you might have heard, Daily Norseman was fortunate enough to be able to send not one but two writers to Vikings headquarters at Winter Park to cover the draft last weekend. We cranked out post after post about anything and everything the Vikings did at the draft, but we thought we'd give you a little behind-the-scenes take of our experience. What was it like for us two bloggers to mingle with the who's who of Twin Cities media? Ted and I explain in our (rather lengthy) email exchange we did over the past few days since the draft. Enjoy!

Eric: Before we get into the nuts in bolts of what we actually did at Winter Park covering the 2012 NFL Draft, I think we should give everyone a quick overview of our settings. Ted was smart and got there pretty early on Thursday afternoon to beat rush hour--meanwhile, I left my day job in Mounds View at 4:15 to head to Eden Prairie. Residents of the Twin Cities will appreciate the fact that I could literally see the Viking ship outside of Winter Park at about 5:05, but I didn't actually get to the media center until 5:30 thanks to the construction work on the 494/169 interchange. (Oh, how the curse words flew in my car for that last half hour of my commute.)

When I finally did arrive, I saw no less than a dozen guys furiously hammering away at their laptops in the rather confined space that is the Sid Hartman Media Center. I quickly recognized the Pelisseros, Sieferts, and Wiederers of the Minnesota media landscape, but they barely acknowledged my presence since they had absolutely no clue who I was. I greeted Ted (our long overdue first in-person meeting, believe it or not) and set up shop on the two remaining square feet of counter space in the joint. It was inconveniently located adjacent to the mini fridge that was being open and shut very frequently.

But hey, I had finally arrived, both physically and metaphorically! I still had to ask Chip Scoggins what the wireless password was (he politely pointed to the laminated sign that was DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF MY FACE), but I was off and running as a quasi-member of the Twin Cities media for the weekend. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a bit intimidating, but I was glad I had a Daily Norseman ally in the fold.

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Most Vikings fans will remember Michael Bennett as the speedster out of the University of Wisconsin that was drafted as the successor to Robert Smith in 2001 after Smith suddenly retired. The first-round pick had an outstanding season in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl, but injuries plagued the rest of his Vikings career. When Bennett was on the field between injuries, he had problems hanging onto the ball. The Vikings finally parted ways with him after the 2005 season after amassing 3,174 rushing yards and 1,040 receiving yards. These days, Bennett's name conjures up thoughts of lost potential and what could have been in Minnesota.

Unfortunately for Bennett, his name is the least of his worries right now. The FBI is looking into a claim that the former NFL running back filed taxes as someone else.

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The 2012 NFL Draft has finally come to a close. It was three days full of twists, turns, surprises, reaches, steals, and deals, and the Minnesota Vikings were heavily involved in every aspect of it. The Vikings had ten picks going into the the draft and they ended up with ten players along with two picks in the 2013 draft.

Of course, the natural thing to do as soon as the draft is over is to hand out grades and decide who the "winners" and "losers" of the draft were. If you're looking for that kind of instant analysis here, you won't get it. For me, all 32 NFL teams currently have a grade of "Incomplete"--you need at least a few years to see how players selected in the draft unfold.

That said, the Vikings definitely addressed most of the positions that they considered to be needs throughout the weekend. They ended up with an offensive lineman, three secondary players, two wide receivers, a tight end/fullback, a linebacker, a defensive lineman, and a kicker. They picked up some bruisers like Rhett Ellison and Audie Cole. They picked up some athletic speedsters like Josh Robinson and Jarius Wright. Nobody knows for sure how any of the new guys will work out, but the bottom line is that the Vikings have ten new bodies that can hopefully improve a team that definitely needs to get better.

To put a bow on our weekend coverage from Winter Park, we have highlights of Rick Spielman's final draft press conference as well as the conference calls for the last three players taken in the draft by the Vikings:

• Blair Walsh, K Georgia
• Audie Cole, LB North Carolina State
• Trevor Guyton, DL Cal

As we've done throughout the draft, we provided full audio of each event for your listening and learning pleasure.

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Saturday has been a very busy day for the Minnesota Vikings. The fourth and fifth rounds resulted in four draft picks:

• Jarius Wright, WR Arkansas
• Rhett Ellison, TE USC
  
• Greg Childs, WR Arkansas
• Robert Blanton, CB Notre Dame
  

The Arkansas wide receiving duo addresses the need at wide receiver for the Vikings: Wright is a smaller speedster that can line up all over the place and Childs is a bigger target that's also versatile. The Rhett Ellison selection caught a lot of people off guard since the Vikings already had a lot of depth at the TE and FB positions. Ellison is an H-back type that could fit well in the Vikings' offensive scheme, but it might be hard to get him many plays with the current state of Minnesota's roster. Blanton could play either corner or safety at the next level and hopefully can add depth to a unit that desperately needs it.

Since most guys taken on the third day of the NFL Draft aren't exactly household names, we'll help you get to know more about the Vikings rookies straight from the players themselves. Read on for highlights and full audio of all four of their conference calls.

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So, how's everybody holding up? We're halfway through the third and final day of the NFL draft, and the Minnesota Vikings have been busy. After drafting three players in the fourth round, the Vikings used only one of their two fifth round picks. With that pick, they selected Robert Blanton, a cornerback from Notre Dame who may very likely play safety at the NFL level.

This keeps the ongoing theme of what I like to call the Vikings' First Annual "Bring Your Teammate To The Draft Day". The Vikings have already drafted three sets of teammates in the 2012 NFL Draft--Matt Kalil & Rhett Ellison from USC, Harrison Smith & Blanton from Notre Dame, and Jarius Wright & Greg Childs from Arkansas.

The Vikings traded their other fifth round pick (138th overall) to the Lions for a fourth rounder in 2013. They also swapped 7th round picks with the Lions, which moved Minnesota's last scheduled pick of the draft from 223rd overall to 219th.

At this minute, the Vikings have four selections remaining in this year's draft: one sixth rounder (175th overall) and three seventh rounders (210th, 211th, and 219th overall). Join us in the comments to discuss all things NFL draft as we head down the stretch.

While many thought that the Vikings would deal to get in early on in the fourth round, Rick Spielman & company held their ground until their allotted picks arrived.

But then the action came fast and furious.

The Vikings took three players in the fourth round, including:

1. Jarius Wright, WR Arkanas (118th overall)
2. Rhett Ellison, TE USC (128th overall)
3. Greg Childs, WR Arkansas (134th overall)

Friday was a much, much slower day than Thursday for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2012 NFL Draft. After making two trades and picking twice in the first round, they stood pat and stuck to their sole third round selection today. But just because the day was slower doesn't mean it wasn't important--the Vikings selected a player at another need position by drafting cornerback Josh Robinson out of the University of Central Florida.

Robinson isn't a huge corner. He's 5'10" and weighs right around 200. But he is an ath-uh-leet--three syllables for emphasis--and he showed off his skills at the NFL Combine. He was clocked at 4.29 in the 40 and he jumped out of the building with his vertical (38 1/2").

But Robinson isn't just a workout warrior; he put up some impressive stats in his three years at UCF before jumping to the draft a year early. He amassed ten interceptions in his career including six in his freshman season. He racked up 46 passes defended and 176 tackles in his abbreviated college career, including starting 35 of his 38 career games. Robinson also returned some kicks and punts for the Golden Knights.

Like we've done with the first two picks, we'll give you some highlights of what Rick Spielman had to say about the newest Viking along with hearing from the draftee himself. As usual, we'll provide full unedited audio of both the press conference and conference call. Since you know, we're still fake members of the media this weekend.

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If you haven't checked out the first press conference from Rick Spielman and Leslie Frazier along with the conference call with Matt Kalil, check it out here.

UNDERSTATEMENT ALERT: The Vikings had a very busy first evening of the 2012 NFL Draft. Rick Spielman and the rest of the front office wheeled and dealed their way into two first round picks, nabbing tackle Matt Kalil with the #4 pick and safety Harrison Smith with the #29 pick.

Although the Vikings gave up their 35th and 98th overall picks to trade back into the first round for Smith, Minnesota still has ten draft picks remaining for the last two days of the draft thanks to swindling trading with Cleveland at the beginning of the first round. As of right now, they're scheduled for a third rounder today and nine more picks on Saturday, including 3 fourth rounders, 2 fifth rounders, a sixth rounder, and 3 seventh rounders. All but two of those picks are tradeable--their last two selections in the fourth round are compensatory so they're not eligible to be swapped.

While there's a very large possibility of the Vikings making more moves on Friday and Saturday, let's take some time to reflect on how the Vikings arrived at their second selection of the draft--Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith. Since Ted and I are moonlighting as legitimate members of the Twin Cities media this weekend and covering the draft live at Winter Park, we thought we'd give you both Rick Spielman's press conference and Harrison Smith's media conference call in their entirety.

Join us for some highlights of the conversations and the full audio after the jump.

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EDIT at just before midnight Central time: If you were having issues with the audio earlier, try it again now. The files have been converted to MP3 format, with direct links to the files as well as players for you to play them directly from the site. Enjoy! - Chris

So Ted and I just got done with the media frenzy after the Vikings selected Matt Kalil with the #4 overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Now I bet you're wondering: what did GM Rick Spielman have to say? Did he laugh heartily and shout to the heavens, "ALL YOUR PICKS ARE MINE!!"? Did he say that the Vikings might try to trade back into the first round?

And what about Coach Frazier? What does he think about his new franchise left tackle? What other positions would he like to fill later in the draft?

Finally, what about Matt Kalil himself? Is he excited to be a member of the Vikings? Did he think Minnesota was going to draft him all along?

Well, Daily Norseman readers, wonder no longer, because we have the direct, unedited audio of answers to all these questions! (Except maybe Spielman shouting to the heavens. I added that for effect.) Click on the links below to listen to the press conferences of Rick Spielman and Leslie Frazier, as well as the media conference call for the newest member of the Minnesota Vikings.

Ted also has video of the Spielman press conference that will be loaded later tonight--the wireless connection here isn't exactly speedy with the throng of media in the room. Stay tuned for more!

Rick Spielman Press Conference

Leslie Frazier Press Conference

Matt Kalil Conference Call

EDIT: The Vikings got a 4th rounder (#118 overall), a 5th rounder (#139 overall), and a 7th rounder (#211 overall) from the Browns to move back one spot. The fourth rounder is one of the picks that the Browns received last year from the Atlanta Falcons in the Julio Jones trade. - Chris

We're still a little less than an hour away from the draft, but we already have some fireworks. The Cleveland Browns have swapped first round picks with the Vikings and thrown in three additional picks. Apparently the Browns were concerned enough about the Buccaneers swooping in and picking Trent Richardson that they moved up a whopping one spot in the draft to do it.

The Vikings will move from third to fourth in the fourth round, and according to early reports they'll get a 4th, 5th, and 7th rounder in return.

Wow.

At first blush, this is an amazing deal for the Vikings. They weren't going to take Richardson with the third pick, so they just got three free picks and they still have everyone on their board available. The additional late round picks should provide for more trade bait later on in the draft. As it currently stands, the Vikings hold THIRTEEN draft picks--most in the league. (The Browns had 13 picks before making this deal.)

You have to give credit to Rick Spielman for getting a very favorable trade so close to the draft. I have a hard time finding a single Vikings fan that will object to this trade. Discuss below, and stay tuned for more live from the Winter Park media headquarters!

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We're only two days away from the real draft, which means that Mock Roger Goodell is almost done taking the mock podium. Here he is with the latest pick:

"With the 29th pick in the 2012 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select..."

"...Peter Konz, Center from Wisconsin."

Even though the Ravens re-signed Matt Birk, nobody expects him to play very much past 2012. Drafting his eventual replacement late in the first round makes sense. So with the Ravens off the board, here's how our draft has broken down thus far:

1. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB Stanford
2. Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor
3. Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT USC
4. Cleveland Browns - Trent Richardson, RB Alabama
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Morris Claiborne, CB LSU
6. St. Louis Rams - Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State
7. Jacksonville Jaguars - Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame
8. Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M
9. Carolina Panthers - Quinton Coples, DE North Carolina
10. Buffalo Bills - Riley Reiff, OT Iowa
11. Kansas City Chiefs - David DeCastro, OG Stanford
12. Seattle Seahawks - Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College
13. Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford
14. Dallas Cowboys - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama
15. Philadelphia Eagles - Fletcher Cox, DT Mississippi State
16. New York Jets - Melvin Ingram, DE South Carolina
17. Cincinnati Bengals - Stephon Gilmore, CB South Carolina
18. San Diego Chargers - Courtney Upshaw, OLB/DE Alabama
19. Chicago Bears - Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia
20. Tennessee Titans - Dontari Poe DT Memphis
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Mark Barron, SS Alabama
22. Cleveland Browns - Kendall Wright WR Baylor
23. Detroit Lions - Janoris Jenkins CB North Alabama
24. Pittsburgh Steelers - Michael Brockers, DT LSU
25. Denver Broncos - Stephen Hill, WR Georgia Tech
26. Houston Texans - Dont'a Hightower, LB Alabama
27. New England Patriots - Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB Illinois
28. Green Bay Packers - Shea McClellin, DE/OLB Boise State
29. Baltimore Ravens - Peter Konz, C Wisconsin

Next up: the NFC runners-up San Francisco 49ers. What do they need to add through the draft to be better suited to make the next step? Read on for needs and options after the jump.

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Jerome Simpson is trending on Twitter right now, and there's definitely good reason for it.

Earlier on Tuesday it was announced that he was suspended for the first three games of the 2012 season due to violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Luckily for Simpson, it didn't hurt his free agency status for long, because the Minnesota Vikings have just signed him to a one-year deal. According to Fox's Jay Glazer:

Vikings have agreed to terms on a one year deal with WR Jerome Simpson. Even tho he's suspended to start the season he's got a lot of talent

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) April 24, 2012

Glazer's instant analysis of the deal is pretty spot on. The signing obviously comes with a fair amount of trepidation--Simpson is undoubtedly a talented player but he's had difficulty staying out of trouble. If he can stay on the field after his suspension is up and contribute, he's exactly the type of player that the Vikings need--a wide receiver that can stretch the field and make big plays. (Exhibit A: his ridiculous front flip into the end zone last year.)

The move is most likely a calculated risk on the part of the Vikings--it's probably no coincidence that the signing was announced on the heels of the suspension. One would think that the terms of the contract were based on the amount of time that Simpson would miss at the beginning of the season.

For more on the Minnesota Vikings, go to Daily Norseman. You can also get all of your professional football news over at SB Nation's NFL hub.

Is everyone sick of all this awful stadium news yet? While it's definitely the biggest issue currently facing the team, I think it's too depressing to talk about nonstop. It's Friday--we need something positive heading into the weekend to distract us from the team's uncertain future.

So how about one of the greatest players from the team's past?

We've been lucky enough to interview some pretty big names from the Vikings organization here at Daily Norseman throughout the years, but I think it might be tough to beat this one. I was fortunate enough to be able to talk with none other than Alan Page, undoubtedly one of the best players to ever don the purple and gold.

We chatted about the upcoming gala for his Page Foundation tomorrow night at Target Field--you can still participate in the online auction we discussed at http://www.page-ed.org/ through the end of the day today. We also talked about how his signature bow tie look came to be, which was pretty funny. He couldn't discuss the stadium issue much due to his day job of being on the Minnesota Supreme Court, but like I said, we've had plenty of talk about that lately. We also discussed the bounty scandal, his playing days, and the mindset he played with throughout his career. (My personal favorite: the guy doesn't like losing. Like, ever.)

I usually transcribe these interviews, but it's 2012. We might as well post the audio of the interview for your listening pleasure, right? (Besides, transcribing even these 15 minutes of conversation would have taken me hours of tedious typing. Gross.) Click the media player below to listen to our discussion in its entirety.

Interview with Alan Page - April 20, 2012

EDIT 2:05 PM: If any of you are having trouble getting the player to work, a direct link to the audio is available here:

Interview with Alan Page - April 20, 2012

Before you let me know how jealous you are of me that I got to speak with a Vikings legend, I'd suggest saving your envy for another member of our Daily Norseman team. Remember that Page Foundation Gala that we talked about? Our very own SkolGirl is actually going to the freakin' thing. (I can't attend due to my wife's 30th birthday party--love ya hun!) Justice Page and I already discussed a few of the luminaries due to attend tomorrow night at Target Field, and I'm sure there will be many, many more. So stay tuned for some in-person coverage from SkolGirl soon!

The real draft is almost here, so it's time to cut the mock crap and get to the next mock pick. Mock Roger Goodell takes the podium and announces the latest pick:

"With the 21st pick in the 2012 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select..."

"...Mark Barron, safety from Alabama."

I was a little surprised at this result, especially since we collectively picked a cornerback with the Bengals' first pick of the round just four picks ago. But they do need help at safety as well, so it isn't too crazy to think that the Bengals could go secondary for both of their first round picks. Here's how the draft has broken down thus far:

1. Indianapolis Colts - Andrew Luck, QB Stanford
2. Washington Redskins - Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor
3. Minnesota Vikings - Matt Kalil, OT USC
4. Cleveland Browns - Trent Richardson, RB Alabama
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Morris Claiborne, CB LSU
6. St. Louis Rams - Justin Blackmon, WR Oklahoma State
7. Jacksonville Jaguars - Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame
8. Miami Dolphins - Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M
9. Carolina Panthers - Quinton Coples, DE North Carolina
10. Buffalo Bills - Riley Reiff, OT Iowa
11. Kansas City Chiefs - David DeCastro, OG Stanford
12. Seattle Seahawks - Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College
13. Arizona Cardinals - Jonathan Martin, OT Stanford
14. Dallas Cowboys - Dre Kirkpatrick, CB Alabama
15. Philadelphia Eagles - Fletcher Cox, DT Mississippi State
16. New York Jets - Melvin Ingram, DE South Carolina
17. Cincinnati Bengals - Stephon Gilmore, CB South Carolina
18. San Diego Chargers - Courtney Upshaw, OLB/DE Alabama
19. Chicago Bears - Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia
20. Tennessee Titans - Dontari Poe DT Memphis
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Mark Barron, SS Alabama

Up next is another AFC North team from Ohio picking for the second time in the first round: the Cleveland Browns. We already chose a top-flight running back with the #4 pick, but there are still plenty of needs in Cleveland. Join us after the jump to break down their options.

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