The Weekend

Image via WikipediaVikings Win One For The New Guy (Well. We Can't Call Him The Gipper)

Leslie Frazier took the first step in staking a claim on the permanent head coaching position when the Minnesota Vikings defeated Washington 17-13.  In so doing, they won on the road for the first time in who knows how long.  On the other hand, quarterback Donovan McNabb lost to the Vikings for the very first time.  Maybe it's because the Redskins are not as good a team as the Eagles, the ones he left behind?

Gophers Close Out Season With Two Victories

Disaster was predicted when Jeff Horton took over as the University of Minnesota's interim football coach.  Then he did something his predecessor Tim Brewster could not do.  His team beat bowl-bound Illinois and Iowa in consecutive games, and captured the Floyd of Rosedale trophy to boot.  That won't stop athletic director Joel Maturi from offering the moon to some big-name coach, but Horton deserves consideration nonetheless.

The Wild's Blowout Weekend

After bad showings against the New York Rangers and Philadelphia at home, the Wild decided it was their turn to hang five goals on the Nashville Predators in the annual post-Turkey Day matinee at the Xcel Center.  Then they returned to their old habits the following night in Denver, giving up seven goals to the Colorado Avalanche.  The defense clearly needs work.

Montreal Wins Grey Cup

Rumor has it that the Montreal Alouettes won the Canadian Football League title in Edmonton with a 21-18 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders, giving coach Marc Trestman his second consecutive Grey Cup.  Trestman, as you may know, is a candidate for the Gopher coaching job (and maybe even the Vikings, unless owner Zygi Wilf gets stars in his eyes again).  But Trestman claims to love coaching in Montreal, and is still under contract there.    If you want to know about the game itself, check out the TSN (http://www.tsn.ca/) or CBC (http://www.cbc.ca/) websites for further details.

Zygi Wilf's All-Stars Implode

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeWith the firing of coach Brad Childress, the Minnesota Vikings are officially playing for 2011.  Leslie Frazier, the defensive coordinator who took Childress' place, gets the next six games to show fans and management that he deserves more than the 'interim' tag.

So why is this team, touted by many of the so-called football 'experts' to be Super Bowl material, the biggest flop in the National Football League this season with a 3-7 record--and would be the worst in their division if it weren't for the Detroit Lions?  Let us count the ways:

• Brett Favre skips training camp again, and had to be persuaded by some of his teammates (sent by Childress) who showed up at his Mississippi doorstep to come back for another season.
• Favre, at 41 and hobbling, no longer has the magic touch at quarterback.  But he insists on on playing for the sake of records, no matter what the cost to the team.
• The Randy Moss experiment failed.  Big time.
• Injuries and suspensions to key players.
• The defense gives up more points than the offense.

But the last straw for Childress was Sunday's game at the Metrodome, in which the Vikings all but laid down and died against the Green Bay Packers in a 31-3 loss.  Favre threw passes into the wrong hands.  Players bickered on the sidelines.  Fans booed and called for Childress' head.  It became obvious to all that something had to be done.

Did Childress deserve this?  Yes and no.  Yes, he lost control of the team.  Yes, he had an average coaching record of 39-35 over four seasons.  No, he did not get along with either Favre or Moss.  Both of them were foisted on him by owner Zygi Wilf, a man who desperately wanted a championship ring and/or a new stadium.  And the Vikings got to within one game of reaching the first goal.  Oh yes, there was a reason his nickname was "Chilly".

The Vikings face an uncertain future, whether Frazier remains coach or not.  Will this really be Favre's last season?  Is a major housecleaning in the works?  Will Wilf convince a big name former coach or general manager (some of them currently working in TV) to come here?  Can he persuade a Minnesota Legislature now dominated by Republicans to finally give the Vikings a new home?  Heck, will there even be a 2011 season? 

The answers should start coming as soon as this Sunday, when the Vikings go to Washington to play the Redskins.  One thing won't change, though.  Brett Favre is expected to start.

The World Doesn't Need Another Sports Blog (But You're Getting One Anyway)

Image via WikipediaWelcome to the Owljock Gazette.  It is dedicated to the proposition that those who can, do.  And those who can't, write sports blogs.

What we're going to do here should be familiar to anyone who's read my other blog, The Bludog Chronicle (and you really should if you haven't already.  You can find it at http://thebludogchronicle.blogspot.com/.  Sometimes, it's actually worth reading.)  Over there, we chew the proverbial fat on current events, the media and popular culture.  Over here, it's sports.

To get things rolling, here's some totally unsolicited random thoughts:

• The Minnesota Vikings' implosion is worse than we thought.  But coach Brad Childress will keep his job for the rest of the season.
• If Kevin Love scores 31 points and 31 rebounds in a game for the Timberwolves and few people see it, does it still count?
• The University of Minnesota football Gophers finally win a Big 10 game this season.  Just their luck.  Thousands of Twin Cities fans couldn't watch it because a snowstorm knocked out power.
• Ron Gardenhire finally wins the American League's Manager of the Year award.  Would he have gotten this honor if the Twins hadn't been swept by the New York Yankees in the first round of the playoffs?
• Does anyone still want to be Tiger Woods?
• Eva Longoria no longer wants to be a real-life Desperate Housewife, so she's shedding Tony Parker and his last name.
• What's the point of paying good money for a seat at a college basketball game if you're going to stand the whole time?  And you're the one who has to sit behind the student section?
• Baseball wants to expand its playoffs by adding two wild card teams.  If they insist on keeping the schedule as it is, maybe it's time to move the World Series to a neutral site and have Game 7 on Thanksgiving.
• Does anyone think it ironic that the better safety equipment is on athletes, the more violent the collisions are and the greater the chance of serious injury?
• Boxing used to be an important sport in America.  Now that it costs at least fifty dollars to watch a fight on TV and its numerous champions are so anonymous, does anyone still care?

Look for more of these so-called insights in the weeks, months, and maybe even years to come.