SB Nation User Blog: VikesFaninNM

Chilly addresses the supposed "Tipping" issue's

VikesFaninNM — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:18:19 -0000

This just came down the pipeline via Kevin Seifert. Personally, I don't see this as an issue of any type otherwise we would be having our collective arses handed to us weekly. Being at 10-2 really throws out the arguement. But none the less, there are those in the world that will believe anything that comes off the internet, including forwarding e-mails to see "what happens", don't play with your seafood or the babies will come out of you and so on. Again, hopefully this will calm a few, but I dont see it.

Your Baseball Joke of the Week!

VikesFaninNM — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:52:09 -0000

Just saw this, read it, and laughed. I've heard them say this several times in the past, and yet, they can never seem to pass up a "deal". Mind you, I'm not screaming for a salary cap, not dissin or anything, but coming from their powers to be, I just can't help but to say.....(cough)bull$h&t(cough)blowj&b(cough)eat me(cough)..........Cue up your "Animal House" DVD

Yankees to reduce Payroll

Not so fast on that Mauer deadline Yahoo

VikesFaninNM — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:07:49 -0000

Looking like perhaps another "Creative" moment in the highly respected (note sarcasim) Yahoo Sports newsroom. Could it be, they have telepathy and found out about the deadline before Mauer had thought of it? Inquierer Minds want to know! From the Sporting News.

Joe Mauer denies setting deadline for contract talks

SportingNews staff reports Dec 1, 7:16 pm EST

American League MVP Joe Mauer on Tuesday denied a Yahoo! Sports report that said Mauer had set a deadline of opening day for contract negotiations with the Minnesota Twins. Mauer can become a free agent after next season.

Mauer texted the Twins’ Web site and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune to respond to the report. He told the Star-Tribune, "(T)hat’s news to me." He told the team’s Web site: "I’m not going to react to every story/rumor that comes out or comment on any negotiations. As far as that report, I don’t know where that came from."

Last week, at a press conference announcing his MVP award, Mauer said he didn’t need to get a deal done by a certain time. The Twins reportedly would like to complete a deal with Mauer by Christmas.

The New Mexico Norseman fan club is now reality!

VikesFaninNM — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:41:48 -0000

This is something I thought of some years ago, worked on here and there and finally got enough time together to get a facebook, myspace page and now, as of tonight after working several hours to get a basic page up and running, The New Mexico Norseman fan club is now official including web page. Looking up New Mexico Norseman to check if it was available in Google searches is how I came across the Daily Norseman, not a bad stroke of luck eh? Still many more tweaks and revisions to the page will be coming up. Eventual plans include a picture page of locals here, their photos of games attended, posting and who knows what else. So if you get a few extra minutes, check it out, pass it on and shoot some ideas my way to make it a little better. Just nothing to complex, Im a bonifid rookie at this! lol

New Mexico Norseman

The U.K. take on the Vikings this season

VikesFaninNM — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 03:44:59 -0000

A few times a month during the NFL season, I buzz over to our friends at the BBC online to see what their thoughts of not only our team, but other's, is. Thing's I've noticed, is they pay attention, are getting into the sport more and more and they have a nice perspective on teams since they have to do a little more research tracking down players, teams and such. We get to have the luxury of finishing our 12 pack at the end of the day and getting everything from who had the most TD's to who let out the loudest fart and in which stadium put up on the TV for us.

I was reading this blog on the upcoming week done by a Neil Reynolds. Some of our D.N. member's who are oversea's may be familiar with the fellow, but he seem's to be pretty knowledgeable. If you read the whole article, he has done his research as he brings up some stuff from the old Cleveland Rams day's. But, what I will paste here is concerning the Vikings (of course) and his assessment of our season, playoffs and this weeks game. I'll also throw in the link at the bottom so you can read the whole article if you wish. Just thought it was a nice outside the NFL take on things.

"The Colts and Saints are grabbing considerable attention as undefeated 10-0 teams but I think the best side in the NFL at the moment is one game back - the 9-1 Vikings.

Brett Favre is not just surviving the rigours of the season at the age of 40, he is playing the best football of his career and looks every bit as good as the three years when he won NFL Most Valuable Player honours. He has thrown for 2,482 yards, 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions and looks very much like the final piece in the Vikings' Super Bowl jigsaw.

But there is more to the Vikings than a star quarterback. They have the game's best running back in Adrian Peterson, a strong offensive line and receivers who can score from anywhere on the field in Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and Bernard Berrian.

They're pretty dominant on defense as well. Jared Allen is a pass-rushing demon, Kevin and Pat Williams are virtually immovable at defensive tackle and behind them roam a pair of very active linebackers in E.J. Henderson and Chad Greenway.

With Favre not having to take his aching bones outside into the cold very often between now and the season's end, I'm backing the Vikings to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Miami. They certainly look stronger than my preseason tip, the New York Giants.

Game of the Week

We have the Vikings taking on the Chicago Bears - who have lost five of their last six after a 3-1 start - on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra on Sunday from 2100 GMT.

The focus of fan dismay in Chicago is quarterback Jay Cutler. The Bears gave up first round picks in the 2009 and 2010 drafts, a third round pick in 2010 and sent Kyle Orton to Denver. They then rewarded Cutler with a $50 million (£30m) contract. He has paid them back with some wildly inaccurate throws, some poor decisions and an NFL-leading 18 interceptions.

Cutler is throwing too much off his back foot, his mechanics are poor and he looks like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. But he is not getting a great deal of help - his offensive line is shaky, the running game non-existent and his receivers are inexperienced and distinctly average.

There is only one winner in this contest.

Prediction: Chicago 13 Minnesota 38"

And here is the link to the whole article on the BBC webpage.

Wilf bypassing MSFC?

VikesFaninNM — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:30:44 -0000

Interesting article I came across in the Pioneer Press this morning. Thought I would through this out there to those who are fans but not from Minnesota on what's happening. Oh, make sure you vote in the poll if it will help the Vikings in anyway though sure not many local politicians will. But at anyrate, hopefully people will keep riding their arses up there to get something done soon!

Wilf deals directly with Legislators

New Uni Thoughts

VikesFaninNM — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 03:14:17 -0000

2010 Twins Home Opener/Saturday Jersey and Primary Road Jersey

So, they debuted. I was not suprised by the home jersey, the 1961 version when the Twins came to Minnesota and bettered their history from the years in Washington D.C. (I do count the '24 World Series Championship as our own as it technically is.). I did like the fact they did keep the all blue TC hat. I was never a fan of the red/blue combo of the 70's. Tho more on that in just a little bit. Anyways, a nice touch of old along with the uni's we have donned since the great year of 1987.

As for the Road jerseys, as soon as I saw it, I liked it......alot. While it does keep the traditional grey look, thankfully, the "Minnesota" font doesn't look so bland anymore. It now has a little zing and class. I also like that the pinstripes are gone. Don't get me wrong, I like pinstripes, just on home jerseys's. Seeing two teams play each other and sporting stripes is just a bit overkill on the eye's. I know some favored it, but I'm happy the 70's baby blue uni's remain in jersey hell. I'd rather have my eyes gouged out with a rusty spoon picked up from a Minnesota road after plowing and salting or be forced to watch Roseanne Barr porn for the rest of my life then see those K.C. Royals reject looking things come back. Apologies to K.C. fan's but I always hated the baby blue look. I never watched road games on 9 as a kid until they went to grey because I hated the color so much. Stay gone and remain in the bowels of Earth! While I'm not sure if it was official or they just had him wearing it, I'm concerned about the road hat. I never cared for a blue skull dome with red bill or red skull dome with blue bill. Those old 70's TC hats just looked cheesy. Keep the all blue TC hat for home and road games. It looks like the "M" hat has finally died. While I liked it when it came out, by the mid 90's, it had worn thin.

Love the new primary logo "Minnesota Baseball Club" . A nice classic look with the new style font. Anyone notice the "Twins" script has been slightly altered with a little more edging instead of squared off? Looking at the Twins online shop, will be on the normal home Uni's as well. And hat's off to the 1st year in the Target logo.

I hope the road uni's stay around a long time. But as I was looking at the classic '61 home jersey and the ones we've had since '87, I started thinking. I liked the look back then and the one now. Sorry, the early 80's look can go where the baby blue uni's are. But maybe starting in 2011, a whole new primary home uni all together. My thought is, though I know won't happen, keep the off white jersey of 1961 with the pinstripes, the remade 1987 font, but invert the colors? Instead of red with blue outline, reverse it to mesh with the 1961 look. The remade font with red outline and blue lettering? Drop the front number and no name on the back. A nice clean look of old and new all together for the next 30 years.

What did everyone else think of the new uni's or my thoughts. And I know I'm gonna have to duck about the baby blue uni's......uh oh, here comes the first tomato..........

Vikings D improving, O solid!

VikesFaninNM — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:48:59 -0000

Just before the bye, it seemed like the Defense had lost a little of it's touch. They had a few 2nd half collapses leading several teams, Baltimore, Green Bay (game two) to start mounting a comback. Thankfully, during these times, the defense woke back up and helped to avert disaster. Looking back then, the Defense was ranked over all near 20. Yikes, what a step back from last year. After this week, this are looking better. Granted, two games against the Lions and Seahawks have helped to pad it a little, but hopefully increase the confidence factor as well. Currently, the Vikings have now climbed up to 13th overall, the Rushing D is back up to 3rd and the Passing side has inched up to 21st after being at 26th a few weeks ago. Definate sign's of improvement on that side of the ball and hope that trend keep's improving!

Over in Offensiveland, we rank 8th overall, 10th in rushing. That might make some go "Whaaaaat?", but the next few items coming up are going to show why. We no longer have to rely on A.P. running All Day to keep the O going. Which I think will help to his longevity over the next few seasons. Passing, we are 10th, a massive improvement over the last several years. Oh, and I will throw this out there, after this past Sunday, Favre now has a passer rating of 112, the highest in the league and little higher then Brees. Another big improvement, we rank 2nd in points per game average with 30.6 so far. Another huge improvement over the last few years. The Saints sit at 1 with 36.9, but have gone from 40 - 50 points for a few games, then the low 20's on others. We have been 27 and higher with the only game to not break 20 against Pittsburgh, so alot more consistent.

Compared to last year, the Offense is ALOT more balanced, something most of us have come to realize and even with a sluggish start, the Defense is finally showing why they were feared last year, and the year before. Hopefully, this only get's better as the season progresses. Thank God for a bye week in the middle of the season!

Tell the Politicians to save the Vikings (Links)

VikesFaninNM — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:47:35 -0000

I did a little digging and found two pages to contact the Minnesota Legislature and Congress. I also found another site that has info on the Governor as well as the representatives out in Washington that I will list at the bottom of this post. Time to start hammering all of them and repeatedly. I'm also going to be posting this on the "New Mexico Norseman" Myspace and Facebook pages. Get out there folks, pass on the list's, get people to start screaming at them. Even if you're like me and live out of state, write, call, anything. Make them realize it's not only about Minnesota, but everyone everywhere who loves the Vikings. The only way a politician will change his/her stance is when they get enough heat, their polling numbers go down or they get voted out. Time to make all of that happen. It's not about Democrats vs. Republicans, whether you're a Democrat, Republican or Independent. There are those on both sides who are opposed to the Vikings. There are those on both sides who want to save the Vikings. Time to put aside you're political views and support the ones that want to save them, and go after the ones that don't. For any NFL fans out there , even if you're a fan of our rivals who feel just as strongly about losing the Vikings as a part of your teams history, please be heard as well! There are still over 2 years left so there is time to get this done. Remember the Lakers, remember the North Stars, don't let the complacency happen again. The Twins were saved, and so will the Vikings.

SKOL VIKINGS! SKOL MINNESOTA!

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) 651-296-3391
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) Fax: 202-228-2186
Sen. Al Franken (D) Fax: 202-224-1152
Rep. Tim Walz (D-1) Fax: 202-225-3433
Rep. John Kline (R-2) Fax: 202-225-2595
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-3) Fax: 202-225-6351
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-4) Fax: 202-225-1968
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-5) Fax: 202-225-4886
Rep. Michelle Bachman (R-6) Fax: 202-225-6475
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-7) Fax: 202-225-1593
Rep. James Oberstar (D-8) Fax: 202-225-6211

Minnesota House of Representatives

Minnesota State Senate

Vikings reject Metrodome lease extension

VikesFaninNM — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:03:27 -0000

Looks like the State may have tried to pull a fast one and now everyone is pissed. This just popped up within the hour

"By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—The Minnesota Vikings vehemently rejected a proposal from their landlord to extend their lease at the Metrodome, telling the stadium’s operator in a letter on Wednesday its plan threatens the team’s future in the state.

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission’s finance committee, chaired by Paul Thatcher, approved on Tuesday a resolution it said would buy time for the Vikings to secure a new stadium. The lagging economy and a state budget deficit have clouded the political prospects of allocating public money for a rebuilt facility.

The team’s lease expires after the 2011 season, and the MSFC’s proposal would keep the Vikings in the dome at least two more seasons with year-to-year renewal options after that. The commission has not charged the Vikings rent since 2002 to help their bottom-of-the-NFL revenue situation, the Star Tribune reported Wednesday in a story about the resolution, but if the team doesn’t agree to the plan it could be asked to resume paying.

Clearly, the team doesn’t agree.

“What happened yesterday sent a chilling message to the (team owner) Wilfs, the NFL and the other owners about how serious we are about solving this issue,” vice president Lester Bagley said in a phone interview Wednesday evening shortly after the team shared the letter with reporters. “Granted, we have economic challenges but we need to move the discussion forward.”

Bagley said the team didn’t see the proposal coming.

“All of a sudden out of the blue, they’ve chosen to focus on a lease extension rather than solving the long-term problem,” he said. “We need a real conversation and engagement by state and local leadership to move the situation forward.”

MSFC executive director Bill Lester didn’t immediately return a phone message.

Owner Zygi Wilf and president Mark Wilf co-signed a sharply worded letter addressed to Thatcher, saying the organization was “shocked, exasperated and extremely disappointed” by the “flawed revenue relief” proposal. It was delivered Wednesday, Bagley said.

“This action was a cynical attempt to advance a ‘proposal’ that you know is totally unacceptable to the Minnesota Vikings and fails to address the issues important to both the short-term and long-term success of this franchise in Minnesota,” the letter read.

The Wilfs, in the letter, touted their efforts to invest in the team without guarantee of a revenue-enhancing new stadium. The Vikings are 8-1 for the first time since 1998 behind new quarterback Brett Favre (notes),

“As the last tenant in the Metrodome, we would expect to be treated fairly and with some minimum level of respect. Your actions yesterday leave us confused and questioning the future of this franchise,” the letter read. “As a result, we have instructed our management team to suspend any further engagement with the MSFC unless and until the Commission gets serious about resolving the near-term revenue issues and acting like a partner with us to retain this valued franchise in the Minnesota for the next generation of fans. The time for more political games on this issue has expired.”