As Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell neared the end of his news conference Sunday night, a group of workers in a nearby hallway began counting down, then screamed, "Happy New Year!" when the clock struck midnight on the East Coast.
New Year's resolutions, for Minnesota sports fans and your teams
The Minnesota sports programs all have some work to do. As fans, if you don't like the results on the scoreboard you can at least bask in the venues.
January 1, 2024 at 11:38PM
That was awkward.
But symbolic.
As awful as the Vikings' performance was in their 33-10 loss at home to a mediocre Packers team Sunday night, it will be forgotten, or attributed to needing to start essentially a fourth-string quarterback in a meaningful game, if Vikings management can reposition their team to win in 2024.
The Vikings' New Year's resolution should be to draft better.
They were embarrassed on Sunday because their fifth-round draft pick was not ready and may never be ready to be an NFL quarterback. And because their young cornerbacks and pass rushers were exposed with veteran Byron Murphy Jr. out.
With that abomination assigned to the category of Bad Things That Happened Last Year, here are my suggested New Year's resolutions:
Wild: Keep a close eye on Bill Guerin. He's a shrewd and daring roster builder. He also has been credibly accused of verbally abusing a highly-regarded Wild employee. Remember, his predecessor, Paul Fenton, was fired not because of personnel failures —although he may eventually have been. He was fired because he made the workplace toxic.
Timberwolves: Find one more shooter. The Wolves' brain trust has built an excellent roster, but the team ranks just 18th in offensive efficiency. That number could improve as Chris Finch encourages better ball movement and this group learns how to play together. It could also improve if one pure shooter was added to a deep and versatile group. The return of Malik Beasley would be ideal, but Milwaukee isn't giving him up, so someone like him would do.
Lynx: Get lucky. The Lynx have the seventh pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. They selected Napheesa Collier with the sixth pick in 2019, and she has greatly overachieved relative to draft position, becoming a star. The Lynx are one star — and the speedy development of last year's first-round pick, Diamond Miller — away from being a top-tier WNBA team.
Twins: Trade Luis Arraez again. OK, that can't happen, but the Twins' trade of Arraez, the batting champ, to Miami for Pablo López was ideal for a franchise in need of starting pitching excellence. This winter, the Twins need to make a lesser version of the same trade — Jorge Polanco or Max Kepler and a hitting prospect or two for a quality big-league starter. Do that, and the Twins' payroll constraints and lack of movement in free agency might not matter.
Gophers football: Become familiar with the concept of the forward pass. Except when Tanner Morgan was throwing moonballs to two future NFL players, Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson, the Gophers' passing attack hasn't been even intriguing under P.J. Fleck. His program now resembles Glen Mason's before he got fired — capable of running the ball and developing quality backs, linemen and safeties, but so lacking in explosive offensive playmaking that those strengths become irrelevant.
NBA: Improve your officiating, specifically the treatment of talented offensive players. Too often games are marred and key players get into foul trouble because an offensive player is allowed to create contact and yet draw the foul. If the offensive player creates the contact, he should be called for the foul, whether he ran over a defender or swept his arms into the outstretched arms of a defender. Modern NBA stars do not need such help.
Gophers women's basketball: Earn a signature victory. This is a talented young team that plays hard and is well-coached, but you're going to have to beat a good Big Ten team to have those assets widely recognized and bring crowds back to Williams Arena.
The Minnesota sports fan: Enjoy the atmosphere. There is no guarantee that any of your favorite teams are going to win a championship in your lifetime. What Minnesota can guarantee is that just about every time you go to a game, you will find yourself in a beautiful venue.
Vikings games are a spectacle. Wild games would sell out if the advertised attraction was Ryan Hartman and Marcus Foligno playing one-on-one shinny. Target Center is nothing special, but Wolves games this season are loud and fun. Target Field is a beautiful ballpark featuring a budding superstar in Royce Lewis.
We are no longer vitamin D-deprived denizens of the Metrodome, so don't be a prisoner of the scoreboard. Get out there and have yourself a good time in 2024.
The Vikings offense is one of the best in the NFL, but they’ve got a mixed bag of tricks that was one of the only blemishes in Sunday’s rout of the Falcons.
