I believe Christian Ponder is not the answer at quarterback for the Vikings. I suspect most Vikings fans would agree with that; in two weeks at the helm his fall, he's yet to show anything that we didn't see from him in previous seasons. He is who he is, which is not who the Vikings need. Unfortunately, there are no good options to replace him. Elite quarterbacks don't become available on the free-agent market, nor are they available in trades (though it's a shame that Cleveland doesn't have one). The only way to get one is through the draft, and the best way to get one in the draft is to have the top pick, and the way to get the top pick in the draft is to be very, very bad.

This brings up an existential question: is it wrong to cheer against the Vikings this year?

It is certainly true that an 0-2 start is not a death sentence. It also feels soul-crushingly wrong to root in any way against Adrian Peterson, who we all should appreciate on that ephemeral, otherworldy basis that comes along only a few times in any sports fan's lifetime. But still, it's worth noting that even Peterson, a pretty good defense, and a lot of good luck last season were only enough to squeak into the playoffs despite generally poor play at QB, the most important position in any team sport.

Maybe you believe that Ponder's one week away from turning it around. Or maybe you're hoping the 2013 Vikings can wake up the Ghosts of Trent Dilfer and somehow start winning games without any help from the man under center. But if you're not that optimistic, it's hard not to hop on the "Tank For Teddy" bandwagon, and start rooting for the Purple to overtake the Browns and Jaguars at the bottom of the NFL standings.

*On with the links:

*I loved this story about "baseball archeologist" David Block, who has dug up evidence that baseball - in some form or another - was being played in the middle of the eighteenth century, predating all of the current myths about the game's invention by a century or so.

*It's hockey season, and Sean McIndoe has a few New Year's Resolutions that all of us hockey fans should vow to keep for the next year. (We hockey fans are known for both our moderation and our ability to keep our resolutions.)

*I find it difficult to beat Joe Posnanski reminiscing about Vladimir Guerrero, the silliest great player of my lifetime.

*Vancouver-based hockey fan Jay Adams became a Florida Panthers season-ticket holder for one year, because hey, why not? (The best part: he felt the need to read up on Florida's young prospects, just so he could use their names when he tried to call up the front office to berate them, in true season-ticket-holder style.)

*And finally: The Giants may be 0-2, but Justin Tuck has found a way of dealing with it.