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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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Posts about Vikings
Thursday (A Favre reunion with the Packers) edition: Wha' Happened?
Posted by: Michael Rand Updated: May 16, 2013 - 10:21 AM
Just like you can't keep Brett Favre out of the news forever, you can't keep him from always doing the thing that benefits one guy -- Favre -- over all else.
That's how it's possible that two years after he played his final game -- for the Vikings, you'll recall -- Favre periodically pops up in the news with the notion that he and his old team, the Packers, might some day bury the hatchet.
Now, you know us -- Favre will (wink, wink) always be a Viking in the hearts of many.
But if that's what Brett and the Packers want, we suppose that's what they're going to get. This time, per Fox Sports Wisconsin:
It won't be long until Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers are officially reunited in some way.
Nearly five years after the Packers traded a disgruntled Favre to the New York Jets, the franchise is getting ready to reach back out to the now-retired quarterback.
"We want to have (Favre) back in the family," Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy told FOXSportsWisconsin.com during the team's eighth-annual Tailgate Tour.
If that, indeed, happens, these folks are going to have an interesting time of it. Do they forgive and forget?
TFD: Vikings VP Lester Bagley: Vikings 'very interested' in MLS, but it is 'on the backburner'
Posted by: Michael Rand Updated: May 15, 2013 - 5:21 PM
Following up on our last post on the MLS side of things, here is Vikings VP Lester Bagley with an update on where things stand with Major League Soccer from the Vikings' standpoint:
*On the team's interest: "We remain very interested in exploring the opportunity to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to Minneapolis and play in the new stadium, but to be honest that effort is somewhat on the backburner given the level of energy we’re putting into the design, development and construction process right now.
But we think there is a market for it."
*On the financial outlay: "At some point, there will need to be an analysis of the investment because it would be a significant investment to secure the franchise – as much as $40 to $50 million.”
*On a timetable for getting serious about pursuing MLS: "When we get through either the next three years or the bulk of the decisions and things stabilize a little bit, I think we’ll turn our attention to that."
*On any similarities between Minneapolis and Seattle, where an MLS franchise is thriving in a football stadium: "We’ve talked to the ownership and management of the Seahawks and Sounders … just kind of preliminarily trying to understand how it all worked. I think there are some similarities in the markets in terms of size and the grassroots soccer that occurs in our market and the Seattle market."
Major League Soccer official: "No question" Vikings stadium is suitable for MLS
Posted by: Michael Rand Updated: May 15, 2013 - 3:16 PM
A match in 2007 at the Metrodome featuring David Beckham and the LA Galaxy drew 20,000 fans
On the heels of Monday's Vikings stadium unveiling, we had a chance to chat with Dan Courtemanche, the Executive VP of Communications for Major League Soccer, about the design of the building and the potential future of MLS in Minnesota. The Vikings, per the terms of the original stadium language, have exclusive rights to bring Major League Soccer to the venue for five years after it opens.
Here are a few takeaways from our conversation with Courtemanche (which we hope to follow in a subsequent post after an interview with Vikings VP Lester Bagley):
*On whether the new stadium design, which does have a soccer configuration, would work for MLS: "No question. We believe it’s another strong indicator of the growth of soccer across the country when you have venues like this that can house not just a potential MLS team but a World Cup game in the future."
*On where MLS expansion stands: "We don’t have specific plans or a timeline, but we certainly believe over the next decade we will add more teams. Whether it’s to 24 or 28, it hasn’t been decided. We’re at 19 now, hopefully soon to announce we’re at 20 (with another New York franchise). In 2004, we were at 10. … Back then, I’m not so sure we would have seen back then we were at 19 about to announce 20."
*On how some perceived negatives -- fixed roof, football venue, artificial surface -- are not the dealbreakers they once might have seemed to be: "Clearly it’s going to be a state-of-the-art facility that will rival any stadium throughout the world. When it comes to the configuration and capacity, we have similar stadiums in Seattle, New England. It’s in a market-by-market basis as to what fits best. Had we gone into Seattle and built a 20,000 seat stadium, there would be more than 20,000 people per game who couldn’t watch them because they averaged 43,000 people last year. ... We play a lot of games indoors in Vancouver in retractable roof at BC Place. It seats 66K, and they downsize it into just lower bowl. … There are more state-of-the-art designs to downsize stadiums that do exist. The vast majority of [Vancouver's] games are played indoors just because of their climate. ... We’re fortunate that due to the advances in artificial surfaces … the technology is so similar now to playing on grass that it’s not a make-or-break situation."
*On why the outdoor TCF Bank Stadium isn't a stadium solution: "Without me knowing the soccer configuration, the bottom line is that if you want to have the opportunity to be profitable, you have to control your venue. ... When it comes to professional sports in sports leagues, the ability to be profitable at the local level -- a major factor is control of the venue, whether it’s revenue streams, gates, parking, concessions, etc. When the ownership is a secondary tenant, it makes it challenging. In other words, it’s much better to have the owner – if we were going to partner with someone like the Vikings – to have it in their stadium where they control the venue and revenue streams."
Mid-day talker: So what is the Vikings stadium going to look like?
Posted by: Michael Rand Updated: May 13, 2013 - 1:00 PMIt's been more than a year since Clarence Swamptown boldly laid out his vision for a Vikings stadium in rural Goodhue County (rendering below).
The big question as the Vikings inch toward the unveiling tonight -- at the Guthrie -- of the actual stadium design in downtown Minneapolis is this: How much of the Swamptown architecture and surrounding accompaniments will be included?
Forget about glass end vs. fixed roof vs. retractable roof ... will it have paintball? How much tailgating will there be? How accessible will it be from the Canon River Bike Trail?
These are the questions that demand answers.
OK, and seriously: What are your best guesses as to what this new stadium will look like?
Stu's Hunt Down: Former Vikings VP Fran Foley
Posted by: Michael Rand Updated: May 10, 2013 - 11:50 AM
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The Hunt Down
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