Saturday January 5, 2013
Michael Rand started RandBall with hopes that he could keep lies from conquering the minds of the weak. So far, he's only succeeded in using the word "redacted" a lot. He welcomes suggestions, news tips, links of pure genius, and pictures of pets in Halloween costumes here, though he already knows he will regret that last part.
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Weekend Links with Jon Marthaler: Savor the Vikings euphoria + A history of Punto head-first slides
Posted by: Michael Rand under Twins fans, Vikings Updated: January 5, 2013 - 8:23 AM
Jon Marthaler bakes up a delicious batch of links for you every weekend. Other times, you can find him here. Jon?
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Last Sunday's Vikings-Packers classic has occasioned a number of comparisons to the Twins' win over Detroit in 2009's Game 163 -- two division rivals battling on the last day of the regular season, with our local heroes in a win-or-go-home situation. When it was over, with the Purple victorious, euphoria seemed to be the emotion that carried the day. Drew Magary wrote that he cried after the win. Local curmudgeon Patrick Reusse tweeted that it was one of the top five games in Dome history, and even started engaging in mathematical hyperbole to taunt Packer fans. Closer to home, RandBall wrote that the game was "exhilarating" and called it one of his favorite five games ever.
Despite this, you can hardly find a Vikings fan who really believes the team will win tonight. The Packers are eight-point favorites, and though it's an increasingly lost season, the smart money's on Green Bay. And for all the comparisons to Game 163, Twins fans felt the same way, post-game; the win only gave the local nine a playoff series against New York, where the Yankees summarily (and expectedly) dispatched them in three games. I desperately wanted the Vikings to win Sunday, but - just like Game 163 - when it was over, all I felt was a sense of relief, not euphoria or exhilaration. They didn't miss the playoffs. Whew.
It wasn't until hours later, when I began reading the reactions of others, that I realized that most other Vikings fans were treating the game as one of the great Vikes games ever. And even now, a week later, I still feel a little cheated. Nobody told me that euphoria was a legitimate reaction, and so I missed out on last week's mass delirium - a shame, because sports-related mass delirium is one of my favorite feelings. So I have a request for the Vikings: please win again this week. This time, I promise, I won't be looking ahead to next week.
*On with the links:
*Commenter Stu, who is the best, wrote "An Oral History of Nick Punto Sliding Headfirst Into First Base" for Twinkie Town, and it is excellent.
*Meanwhile, at Twins Daily, Parker Hageman interviewed Twins Director of Baseball Research Jack Goin, to get an idea of what the team is doing with advanced baseball metrics.
*Steve McPherson at A Wolf Among Wolves explains the Wolves' improbable win over Denver, sight unseen, with a discussion of the observer effect and quantum mechanics.
*From Sports Media Watch, here's a list of the fifty highest-rated sporting events last year - 49 of which were NFL games or Olympics telecasts. Perhaps more interesting is the chart of the highest-rated event in each sport, which puts the highest-rated NHL telecast behind events in golf, men's and women's tennis, horse racing, and - shockingly - IndyCar. In fact, the highest-rated NHL game (Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals) finished barely ahead of the top-rated telecasts in MMA, second-string NASCAR racing, college women's basketball, and women's national team soccer. But no, guys, great time for a lockout. I'm sure all the fans will come roaring back.
*And finally: we may not have pro hockey this year, but we'll always have Down Goes Brown.
TFD: New vow, everyone -- no more talk of Percy Harvin until after the season
Posted by: Michael Rand under Vikings Updated: January 4, 2013 - 6:20 PMIt's 24 hours to kickoff. No Percy Harvin talk until the game is over. Agreed?
Agreed.
Also: Remember that the season has been fun. It hasn't been perfect, but it has been fun. Nothing changes that Saturday.
It only continues.
Mid-day talker: The Vikings and the four-game path to franchise purification
Posted by: Michael Rand under Vikings Updated: January 4, 2013 - 12:29 PM
Four weeks ago, few people gave the Vikings much of a chance of chugging through their final four regular-season games against Chicago, St. Louis, Houston and Green Bay and making the playoffs. As such, why not dream big?
The Vikings did win those four games. And if they win four more, they will be Super Bowl champions. We're not sure how many Super Bowls they have ever won, but we're POSITIVE some clever folks from Wisconsin could tell us, while at the same time telling us to stop living in the past when we bring up more pleasant purple memories.
Sorry, got sidetracked. Dreaming big. Let's think not just of a Super Bowl. Let's think of the dream streak of teams to run through -- the Vikings' road to redemption.
1) It starts in Green Bay. That much we already know. And it is perfect. While beating the Packers wouldn't specifically be redemption -- Minnesota is, after all, undefeated all-time in the playoffs at Lambeau Field -- it would be the ideal way to start a playoff run for obvious reasons.
2) A victory on Saturday night would earn Minnesota a game at No. 1-seeded Atlanta. This time, the Falcons would be the presumed home underdog after cruising through the regular season. Can you say payback for 1998? Can we exorcize the demons of wide left and take a knee? Yes we can.
3) The three possible teams to face in the NFC title game would be Seattle, Washington and San Francisco. The 49ers inflicted some playoff misery on the Vikings, but Minnesota did have the equal stunner in 1987. Seattle knocked off the Vikings this year, but it's hard to get worked up about the Seahawks. Washington? Ah, we have a winner. Let's never speak of Darrin Nelson's drop again. Let's work past it.
4) Super Bowl, homeboy. Unfortunately, none of the teams that may or may not have defeated the Vikings in prior Super Bowls (again, please help, Green Bay fans ... we're having trouble remembering the history) made it to the playoffs this year. So we'll have to go with the Broncos -- the team the Vikings should have played in the 1998 Super Bowl. Let's bring this thing full circle.
Why not, right?
Friday (The Wolves need Kevin Love) edition: Wha' Happened?
Posted by: Michael Rand under Wolves news Updated: January 4, 2013 - 9:16 AM
Without Love on the court, the defense (at least in transition) looked better. J.J. Barea took over the offense and various players started making all kinds of shots they weren't making before. There was a renewed energy, and the result was an important 101-97 that kept the Wolves (15-14) from dipping under .500.
The fashionable question last night on Twitter was this: Did the Wolves win in spite of missing Kevin Love (and Ricky Rubio) or BECAUSE Love left the game?
It's a complicated question, but here's how we see it:
For 16 minutes and 15 seconds, the Wolves were a better team without Love on the floor. It was apparent. His missed shots and constant referee battles have become a team-wide energy drain at times, at least when viewed from afar. The Wolves naturally thrive on ball movement; when Love is in the game, there is a (correct) tendency to get him the ball more than others. When he is not making shots, everyone suffers. When he went out, the "best shot possible" theory came back into the mix, with guys like Alexey Shved, Luke Ridnour, Daunte Cunningham and Barea stepping up.
For the future, however, it is ridiculous to say the Wolves are better off without Love. They absolutely need him -- but they absolutely need him to get his head, lungs, hand and whatever else is ailing him back into 2011-12 form. This version of Love is slumping. We're not sure if it's more mental or physical, but he is shooting 35.2 percent from the field, including 21.7 percent on threes. His rebounding numbers are still there. His defense has been atrocious at times, and his slow lopes back to the defensive end -- often after arguing a call or at least being upset -- need to stop. But please don't forget that he averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds last season. If he wants to be here -- and he had better want to be here because it's his only choice for multiple years still -- he is an essential piece toward building a very dangerous team.
All the 2012-13 Wolves need is the 2011-12 Love -- even if Love isn't all they need (hey, how about a real two-guard and a little bit of health fortune?)
TFD: RandBall Q&A excerpt with Dr. James Andrews, who operated on Adrian Peterson
Posted by: Michael Rand under Vikings Updated: January 3, 2013 - 5:23 PM
Dr. James Andrews. Photo/Mike Oliver
Q Adrian Peterson. It was barely a year ago – Dec. 30, 2011 – that you performed his knee surgery. First off, did you find a man’s body underneath the flesh, or is he a cyborg as we all suspect?
A He’s been a miracle. He’s a genetic individual who has been blessed to do what he’s done. I answer that question, and I try to throw the recovery back to the athlete. If you operate on the right athlete, they make you look pretty good as a physician. The three people who really got him there were Eric Sugarman, his trainer with the Vikings. Russ Paine, one of the best physical therapists in the country, and then Adrian Peterson. He’s the guy motivated to do all that. The rehab is boring and tiring. He pushed himself and motivated himself and was determined to be better than ever. The surgery was only a small part of it.
Q But seriously, from a medical standpoint, how do you explain what he has been able to do this season so soon after that injury and surgery?
A His recovery and success has been a major miracle. My definition of a miracle is something that happens that you don’t expect to happen. Thank God for it.
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recent posts
- Weekend Links with Jon Marthaler: Savor the Vikings euphoria + A history of Punto head-first slides
- TFD: New vow, everyone -- no more talk of Percy Harvin until after the season
- RandBall: The Vikings' four-game path to franchise purification
- Friday (The Wolves need Kevin Love) edition: Wha' Happened?
- TFD: RandBall Q&A excerpt with Dr. James Andrews, who operated on Adrian Peterson
- Want to watch the best 10 NBA bloopers from 2012? Sure you do
- The Packers' Increasingly Lost Season, Volume 12: Failing to heed lessons of the past
- RandBall: Tell us what's wrong with the Wolves
- RandBall: Vegas got pounded in 2012 NFL season because all the favorites won
- Because you asked: Here is the Randy Moss fake moon TD video
- RandBall: Latrell Sprewell feeds family with loud music, gets arrested
- Wednesday (First Vikings playoff roster vs. Packers revisited) edition: Wha' Happened?
- TFD: Could 2013 actually be a good sports year in Minnesota?
- It's safe to say Adrian Peterson got the "nasty" yards on Sunday ... and all season long
- Mid-day talker: What's your take on the evolving Royce White situation?
- Monday (That doesn't happen with the Vikings) edition: Wha' Happened?
- TFD: Denard Span .gif makes Deadspin's top 25 of the year
- Vegas gives Adrian Peterson an 18 percent chance of breaking Eric Dickerson's record
- RandBall: Exactly how did the Vikings get here?
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