FSN Promotes LaPanta and Hanneman

2004-2008 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you watch enough of Fox Sports North, you'll notice how little turnover there is for the play-by-play announcers who cover the teams:  Dick Bremer for the Twins (who's been there since the channel was known as MSC), Dan Terhaar for the Wild, Tom Hanneman for the Timberwolves, Marney Gellner for the Lynx and Anthony LaPanta for University of Minnesota men's hockey.

Until now.  Terhaar was let go after seven seasons and was replaced by LaPanta, while Hanneman becomes a studio host for FSN.

The decision to trade in Terhaar for LaPanta raised a lot of eyebrows.  Did the Wild really look at all the other candidates for that position, or were they swayed by their TV partner pushing their own guy?  And what's with all the hate for LaPanta by disappointed hockey fans who wanted someone else?  If years of calling college and high school hockey games is any indication, LaPanta is much better suited to be an NHL voice than Terhaar was.

If you really want to know who hockey fans should direct their ire at, it's analysts Mike Greenlay and Kevin Gorg.  Granted, most announcing teams at the local level tend to be biased, since their paychecks come from the teams they cover.  But Greenlay and Gorg deserve special mention.  Greenlay never met a Wild penalty or an official's call that he liked.  And Gorg just runs off at the mouth, especially in those segments between periods that rip off "Pardon The Interruption".

Hanneman had been working on Wolves telecasts in one form or another since the team was founded in 1989, most recently as its play-by-play guy.  Before that, he was a weekend sports anchor at WCCO (Channel 4).  So this is not new territory for Hanneman, who should be better suited for this job than at his last one, sounding like a weekend sports anchor who just happened to call NBA basketball.

Now FSN has two openings for play-by-play:  one for the Wolves, and the other for Gopher hockey.  Presumably, they'll be filled by someone currently working in college sports, and who has a Minnesota connection of some kind.  If they had any aspirations of working for the networks, they wouldn't be applying here.

A couple of other things to address about FSN before we go:

• Anybody who takes the Gopher hockey job will likely have a short-term gig.  After next season, the Gophers will be leaving the WCHA for the new Big Ten hockey conference.  What kind of coverage FSN will have depends on what the Big Ten Network decides to do.
• You'll notice that there's the Fox Sports North Girls, who are two young women who do on-air promotions for the network.  For those of you with long memories, the TV show "Star Search"  used to have a category called "Spokesmodels", and that's what these women are doing.  Other than that, what else?
• FSN now has an alternate channel to handle two games that are played at the same time, without having to tape-delay one or losing the other.  Now if they could only stick to one channel without forcing people to find it on their website . . .

UPDATE:  Whoever wins the Wolves job will be working more games on TV next season, thanks to the team's improved play.  In addition to FSN running 50 games, at least 20 more will be seen on WFTC (Channel 29), who's returning as the Wolves' broadcast TV partner after a year off.  Then there's the possibility of national TV appearances on either ESPN or TNT, which is something that hasn't happened in years.

The Next "American (White Guy With Guitar) Idol"

American Idol logo 2008–2011 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Phillip Phillips (imaginative name right there) of Leesburg, Georgia is your new "American Idol", as host Ryan Seacrest told us following the usually bloated two-hour finale on Fox Wednesday that a record 132 million voted--the results are almost never revealed--to send the 21-year old on a career only few could dream of. 

Phillips sang his way into America's hearts (or at least the teenage girls with smartphones) with his song "Home" on the Tuesday night final competition, channeling his inner Dave Matthews.  Runner-up Jessica Sanchez of California, who's sixteen, had no problem imitating Whitney Houston and Celine Dion.  But she did have one finding her own voice on her final song.

This is the fifth consecutive year that a WGWG (White Guy With Guitar) has taken the top prize on "Idol" since the show started allowing instruments in the competition.  Mariah Carey wannabes with big voices don't stand a chance, because chicks dig the cute guy who plays the guitar.  It's been that way at least since Elvis, which doesn't bode well for the women and minorities who try to compete against that.  The last female (and minority) "Idol" was Jordin Sparks.  On the other hand, there hasn't been an "Idol" who's hit the big time since Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood (both of whom happen to have new CD's).

"American Idol" has now completed 11 seasons on the air as America's most popular TV show (unless you count the equally long-in-the-tooth "NCIS", which has been on CBS since 2003).  In TV, that means the more successful you are, the more imitators you have.  That's why we have NBC's "The Voice" (best known for its swivel chairs and for giving Christina Aguilera something to do), Fox's "The X Factor" (the show Simon Cowell left "Idol" to do), NBC's "America's Got Talent" (now with satellite radio shock jock Howard Stern as a judge), and the upcoming "Duets" on ABC (which includes Clarkson).

Seacrest still hosts "Idol", but now he's become this hard-to-escape TV presence/entertainment mogul just like his late mentor Dick Clark.  But even Clark wouldn't have foisted the Kardashian family on us.

Since Cowell's departure two years ago, the judges on "Idol" now consist of holdover Randy Jackson, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and Jennifer Lopez.  As judges, Tyler and Lopez act as if they're just in it for the money.  All they have to do is to babble incoherently about the act they just saw, and give either the thumbs up or down.  Meanwhile, Aerosmith still tours and J.Lo gets a career revival.  So everybody wins.  Right?

Phil Phillips, as soon as he has surgery for his kidney problems, will embark on a whole new life with record contracts, concert tours and all the glory that comes with being an "American Idol".  But then, that's what they told the other guys with guitars who won, and look where they are today.  Maybe this time it'll be different, for Phillips' sake.

Vikings Stadium: The Aftermath

English: Metrodome with new MOA signage (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Amid much fanfare and heckling inside the State Capitol Rotunda, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill into law Monday authorizing construction for a new Vikings football stadium in downtown Minneapolis.

This is the most significant development to come out of the recently-concluded legislative session.  Which isn't all that difficult to conclude, since the GOP-controlled House and Senate passed the buck on important issues such as same sex marriage and voter ID to the voters themselves this November.  But then again, the stadium sucked all the attention from everything else this session.

What could mess things up is a vote by the Minneapolis city council at their next meeting.  It could be close, with Mayor R.T. Rybak's supporters lined up against those who felt the stadium deal violated city regulations, and that there should be a referendum on this.

Assuming all systems are go, construction should commence a year from now, to be concluded by the 2016 NFL season.  Here are some other issues the new stadium has created:

• The new stadium will have a roof, but the Vikings are considering making it retractable, which is something they have to pay extra for.  That would make them eligible for tractor pulls, concerts, and maybe a Super Bowl or a men's basketball Final Four.
• Speaking of Super Bowls, they'd like to host one as early as 2017.  Which is kind of tight, considering the timeline for construction.  Wouldn't 2018 or '19 be more doable?
• Zygi Wilf, the Vikings' owner, wants to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to the new stadium.  Currently there are 19 teams across North America, most of them playing in venues made expressly for soccer.  Only Seattle and New England play in stadiums also occupied by NFL teams.
• Correcting an earlier post, the St. Paul Saints would not get the money for their own ball park from the stadium bill, so they'll have to look elsewhere.
• The University of Minnesota has agreed to let the Vikings use TCF Bank Stadium for a season or two, once the Metrodome is torn down.  The Vikings would pay for extra seats, and for winterizing the football field.  And beer can now be sold, as long as it isn't in the stands.
• The Star Tribune newspaper, which has been cheerleading for the new stadium in its reporting and in its editorials, will be getting a nice chunk of change for some of that property they own next to the Dome should they ever decide to sell.
• With the Twins' move to Target Field in 2010, the Twin Cities have become the fourth metropolitan area whose NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams all have their own place to play.  The others are Phoenix, Detroit and Miami.

Oh, and one more thing.  Recent reports have pointed out that new stadiums do not necessarily coincide with Super Bowl appearances for the NFL teams.  Heck, the Vikings have yet to appear in the Big Game since moving into the Metrodome thirty years ago.  They had their biggest successes at tiny little Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington.  Does Green Bay know something we don't?

Vikings Stadium: The Yeas Have It

In the wee small hours of the morning of May 10, Minnesota's House of Representatives voted to approve funding for a new Vikings football stadium.  In the early afternoon, the Senate followed suit.  Once Governor Mark Dayton signs the bill, and the city of Minneapolis gives its approval, our long statewide nightmare will have ended.  There will be no more talk of the "Los Angeles Vikings".

The deal goes like this:  For a stadium in downtown Minneapolis that would cost almost a billion dollars with a roof and seat at least 60,000 people, and would presumably be ready by the 2016 NFL season, the Vikings would contribute $477 million (which is $50 million more than what they wanted to pay).  The state of Minnesota chips in $348 million, and the city of Minneapolis $150 million.

It will be paid for through various forms of "charitable" gambling (such as electronic pull tabs), personal seat licenses, and a new lottery game.  While this won't encroach on the Native American casinos, you have to wonder if there really is an appetite for more gambling in Minnesota.

There's been grousing about how the deal got done, with much of it behind closed doors.  And why was there no referendum in Minneapolis, as its laws require?  This is Introduction to Government 101, folks:  The more important the bill, the less public scrutiny it gets.

Construction should begin this fall on the south side of the Metrodome (also known as Mall of America Field), where the Vikings will continue to play for a couple of years.  In 2015, the season before they move into their new digs, the team will play at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium.

Other highlights of the agreement include:

• A 30 year lease.
• A five-year exclusive window for Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to bring a professional soccer franchise to the new stadium.
• Money for renovating Target Center in Minneapolis, and a new St. Paul Saints baseball stadium.
• Close to 3000 new jobs, a point Governor Dayton had been emphasizing when lobbying for the stadium.

There have been complaints that the needs of education and the general welfare of the state have taken a back seat to the needs of a billionaire sports owner life Wilf.  Truth is, the legislators were backed into a corner.  With no lease and the subtle threat of the Vikings going elsewhere, what could they do?  Say no and be remembered as villains by Viking fans forever, or say yes and risk losing at the polls in November?

It's been 12 years since the Vikings started making noises about leaving the Metrodome, a stadium they fought hard to build back in the 1970s.  Since then the Twins, Wild and football Gophers got new places to play, and all the Vikings got from St. Paul was the cold shoulder.  Finally, it's their turn.

Now we can go back to worrying about Christian Ponder and his throwing arm, and Adrian Peterson's mending knee.  Or how the Vikings can get out of last place in the NFC North.  And fans will no longer have to worry about joining the Packers, instead of beating them.

But most of all, this has been 12 years of our lives we'll never get back.  Now that the Minnesota Vikings finally have their field of dreams, we can move on to more important things.

Minnesota Minus Football: Still Above Average?

Whether or not a Vikings stadium bill passes the Minnesota Legislature (the House and Senate have already cleared their versions, awaiting further action), the debate about what life would be like without pro football continues.

Ted Mondale, who has been working on the stadium bill on Governor Mark Dayton's behalf, told Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (in an interview published May 7):  "When you let an NFL franchise go, you look like a B-class city".

We've all heard that without pro sports, the Twin Cities is just a "cold Omaha".  In some respects, this already is a "B-class city", lacking in importance alongside other megalopolises such as New York and Chicago.  Even without an NFL franchise, no one would call Los Angeles a "B-class city".

Think about it.  Plenty of corporations that began in Minnesota have taken their acts--and their jobs--elsewhere.  A few examples:

• Delta Airlines buys Northwest, moves its corporate headquarters and jobs to Atlanta, leaving lower quality service and airplanes in Minnesota.
• Norwest Bank merges with Wells Fargo, moving its corporate headquarters to San Francisco.
• Honeywell was purchased by an East Coast company, and moved to New Jersey.
• And whatever happened to Pillsbury, anyway?

Meanwhile, thanks to penny-pinching politicians, government services have been cut to the bone.  You remember last year's state shutdown?  Parks, buildings, rest stops all closed.  Benefits delayed.  And it can also lead to tragedy.  A bridge on a major freeway in downtown Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people.

In spite of all those lifestyle publications and websites telling us that the Twin Cities ranks first or second in this or that, you get the sense that--Vikings or not--this "above average" region is going to get knocked down a few points if the trend toward the spartan life continues.  The Vikings won't be the only ones to flee Minnesota.  So will plenty of others in search of a better life.