Vikings lose on field and at ticket counter

Not only did the Vikings not make the playoffs this past year, but the collapse of the Metrodome roof made it a bad year financially for the team.

The Vikings lost more than $10 million in gate receipts as a result of the roof collapse at the Metrodome that forced the game against the Giants to be moved to Detroit and the one against the Bears to move to TCF Bank Stadium, according to information provided by the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, which runs the Dome.

For the 2009 season, the Vikings had total ticket revenue at the Dome of nearly $57.5 million, although that total included $7.2 million for the divisional playoff game vs. the Cowboys. Revenue for the Vikings' two preseason games and eight regular-season games in 2009 was $50.3 million. For 2010, the Vikings took in $41.4 million in ticket sales for eight games at the Dome -- two preseason and six regular-season.

The Vikings also took in only $789,000 in concession sales in 2010 compared with $1.15 million in 2009, a total that again reflected 11 Metrodome dates in the 2009 season compared with eight in 2010.

Fans were admitted free to the Vikings-Giants game in Detroit on Dec. 13, a day after the Dome roof collapsed.

And gate receipts and expense for the Bears game have not yet been revealed, but considering all the Vikings' expenses to prepare the stadium and to pay the University of Minnesota for rent as well as the number of returned tickets for the game, there won't be a lot of revenue left for the Vikings.

The Vikings do have insurance that will help cover some of their losses. But the word is that insurance policy includes a big deductible.

Bo Ryan has had great success recruiting players from Minnesota since taking over as Badgers coach in 2001.

Leuer, a senior forward, and Taylor, a junior guard, are the Badgers' top two players this season, and both figure to get first-team All-Big Ten consideration. Leuer is averaging 19.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and Taylor is averaging 18.0 points and 4.8 assists. They are the only two double-digit scorers for the Badgers, and either one or the other has led the Badgers in scoring every game this season. Both players committed to Ryan and Wisconsin before Smith was named Gophers coach in March 2007.

Taylor again showed he is one of the top guards in the nation Saturday, almost singlehandedly rallying Wisconsin from 15 points down to beat previously unbeaten Ohio State 71-67, a game in which he had 27 points, including 21 in a second half, as well as seven assists and only one turnover in 39 minutes.

Over the past two seasons, with Taylor and Leuer both playing prominent roles, the Badgers have gone 43-15, including 22-9 in Big Ten play.

The Badgers also have two other Minnesotans in Mike Bruesewitz of Henry Sibley and Jared Berggren of Princeton; Bruesewitz played a big role off the bench in the Badgers' victory Saturday, scoring 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting, including a huge three-pointer in the final minute and the Badgers protecting a two-point lead.

Wisconsin has consistently been one of the Big Ten's top teams since Ryan's arrival, and players from Minnesota have played a big role for the Badgers over that period.

Meanwhile, the Gophers showed again how much they miss Al Nolen when they blew a late lead at Penn State and fell 66-63 Thursday, further putting their NCAA tournament future in question.

Jottings • Our sympathies to Laurie Tangert, the daughter of Bud and Pat Grant whose husband, Bob, died suddenly on Feb. 6 at age 58. I've known Laurie since the day she was born. Bob was a close personal friend and a great person. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Eden Prairie.

• Former Timberwolves players Randy Foye and Ryan Gomes, who both signed with the Clippers as free agents last July, were in the starting lineup Wednesday night in Los Angeles' 98-90 victory at Target Center. Both would have helped the Wolves' weak lineup. Foye scored 21 points on 6-for-14 shooting to go along with six assists. He is averaging 8.4 points and 2.1 assists this season, but in the month of February, Foye has been playing much better, averaging 14.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game after filling in for the injured Eric Gordon. Gomes is averaging 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Forward Craig Smith, another former Wolf, is averaging 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds for the Clippers, but he has appeared in only 24 games and didn't play Wednesday.

• Kevin McHale will be one of the assistant coaches for the rookie squad in Friday night's annual Rookie Challenge over All-Star weekend in Los Angeles. The former Timberwolves vice president and coach is working as a studio analyst for TNT, which is televising the game at 8 p.m. The game features a team of rookies and a team of second-year stars, and Wolves swingman Wes Johnson will play for the rookie team. The Knicks' Amare Stoudemire also is an assistant for the rookies, while the Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony will be an assistant for the second-year players.