1500 ESPN: Getting Back In The Game

ESPN Radio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When KSTP (AM 1500) ditched its conservative talk format a few years ago and became 1500 ESPN,  they had a couple of things going for them:  Twins baseball, and an even playing field on the AM band with KFAN in the realm of sports talk radio in the Twin Cities.

Today the Twins and KFAN are both on FM signals, leaving KSTP in a cloud of static.  Sure, they have the University of Minnesota men's hockey and basketball broadcasts, along with the occasional women's game.  But that's pretty much it.

To fill the time between ESPN Radio programming, KSTP has local hosts on in the late mornings and all afternoon long.  In its latest makeover (due to take place February 3, the day after the Super Bowl), Phil Mackey is being moved from co-hosting afternoon drive with Patrick Reusse to late mornings to team with Judd Zulgad.  Reusse will now be handling his weekday show alone.

Mackey replaces Jeff Dubay, who was let go in what station officials would call an economy move, in so many words.  Dubay had only been on KSTP's payroll for a year after getting fired by KFAN for his well-documented drug and legal problems.  Judging from the reaction to Dubay's dismissal on social media, you'd have thought:  (A) He was an oasis in a sea of sports journalist navel gazing, or (B) He was a no-talent showoff who ran off at the mouth too much.  (Next stop 105 The Ticket, perhaps?)

One of the other problems KSTP faces is the continued presence of "Garage Logic", a holdover from the old talk format where for two hours each weekday, former sportswriter Joe Soucheray talks conservative politics, bringing the sports format to a screeching halt until he is paired for one hour  with Reusse in a revival of the old "Saturday Morning Sports Talk".  Is this KSTP's way of hedging its bets, of having something to fall back on if this ESPN thing doesn't work out?

It's hard to survive as a stand-alone AM radio station these days, even if KSTP has been an essential part of Minnesota broadcasting for nearly a century.  It's even harder when your station has an identity crisis, one that causes your listeners to look elsewhere.  Such is life at the Big AM 1500, where they're struggling to get back in the game.

Mike Zimmer: Lost In Transition

Mike Zimmer & Marvin Lewis (Photo credit: Navin75)

The ninth head football coach the Minnesota Vikings have employed since opening for business in 1961 is Mike Zimmer.  He has been the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals for the last few years, and has previously held the same position with the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons.  In keeping with Vikings' tradition, Zimmer has never had NFL head coaching experience.

Zimmer replaces Leslie Frazier, who was let go after the Vikings failed to make the playoffs.  He has since resurfaced as an assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under new coach Lovie Smith.

The Vikings hired Zimmer because the Bengals were one of the top defensive teams in the league this past season.  The Vikings were one of the worst, even though Frazier's specialty was defense prior to being promoted to head coach three seasons ago.

Zimmer was also hired for his apparent ability to light a fire under the players' butts.  To those of you who are familiar with the HBO series "Hard Knocks", which is an uncensored behind-the-scenes look at an NFL team during training camp, you have no doubt heard Zimmer make liberal use of the words not heard in normal conversation beyond rap lyrics.  He reminds us of Jerry Burns, a former Vikings coach for whom you also needed a seven-second delay.  By contrast. Frazier could have passed for Clark Kent.  Or NBA star Chris Paul's insurance agent twin brother in those State Farm TV commercials.

Though the Vikings need defensive help in the worst way, it was the quarterback situation that got the most attention this past season.  None of the starters they used--Christian Ponder, Matt Cassel and Josh Freeman--seemed to have been the answer.  The new offensive coordinator--reportedly, it's going to be Norv Turner, who until recently had the same job with the Cleveland Browns--will most likely have his hands full with whatever hotshot QB the Vikings end up drafting.  Or maybe he should just give the ball to Adrian Peterson.

Despite all the accolades and glowing reviews about Zimmer's past job performance, he should be considered a transitional coach.  The Vikings are going to play their home games outdoors for the next couple of years at the University of Minnesota, then move back indoors at their new downtown Minneapolis stadium.  They do not do well outdoors, and it could be rough going no matter who is coaching this team.  The best Mike Zimmer can hope for is to keep the ship on a steady course until they've reached their new port.

The Metrodome (1982-2014)

English: The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Weeks after the last Minnesota Vikings football game was played, the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis is coming down piece by piece.  First they came for the seats and the artificial turf.  Next the fabric roof will be deflated for the final time.  Then comes the wrecking ball, only Miley Cyrus won't be on it.  All to make way for the new Vikings stadium.

Gone is a not-quite-beloved piece of late 20th-century architecture that cost around $55 million to build, which replaced the tiny ballpark in Bloomington where the Mall of America now sits.  The Dome was originally built because the Vikings and Twins threatened to leave Minnesota unless they got a state-of-the-art facility, to match all those other state-of-the-art facilities.  What we got was a football stadium that doubled as a baseball park.  Charming.

Now, over 30 years later, the main tenants have abandoned the Dome (also known in recent years as Mall of America Field) as they got their own facilities.  The University of Minnesota football team moved to an on-campus stadium.  The Twins went to Target Field.  The Timberwolves, who played their first NBA season in the Dome, split for Target Center.  And the Vikings will move into their new football palace in 2016, which will cost several times more than the Metrodome did.

Some of the memories that came with the Metrodome are pretty obvious:  Two World Series championships for the Twins (1987 and 1991).  Hosts to the Super Bowl, the MLB All-Star Game, two NCAA men's basketball Final Fours (both won by Duke), rock concerts, Billy Graham crusades, monster truck rallies, high school and college games, and many others.  One thing the Dome never hosted was a hockey game.

Here's some not-so-obvious memories:  Special ground rules for Twins games, such as awarding ground rule doubles for balls hitting the ceiling or the speakers.  The Baggie in right field.  The "We Like It Here" sign.  Ear-splitting crowd noise.  The wind-tunnel doors.  Homer Hankies.  The 1998 NFC Championship Game.

Great and not-so-great athletes have passed through the Metrodome:  Kent Hrbek, Kirby Puckett, Randy Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Christian Laettner, Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, Joe Mauer, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau, Jack Morris, and so many others.  As for coaches and managers:  Bud Grant, Tom Kelly, Jerry Burns, Ron Gardenhire, Mike Krzyzewski, Dennis Green, Bill Musselman, Mike Tice and Leslie Frazier.

The Metrodome may have resembled a giant souffle on the skyline of downtown Minneapolis, but it brought so much attention to the world beyond Minnesota.  No other stadium, indoor or outdoor, could claim to host as many major events as the Metrodome did.  Relatively cheap as it was to build, it did what it was supposed to do, and then some.

Now it's time to move on.

BCS: Save The Best for Last

Florida State University logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The much-maligned Bowl Championship Series crowned its last winner Monday night at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA, with Florida State coming from behind to defeat Auburn 34-31.

After trailing for much of the game, the Seminoles scored the game winner with thirteen seconds remaining on a two-yard pass from quarterback Jameis Winston to Kelvin Benjamin.  That was just over a minute after the Tigers scored on a 37-yard run by Tre Mason.  In the second half alone, Florida State had outscored Auburn 24-10.

Winston, the Heisman Trophy winner who happens to be a freshman, completed 20 passes out of 35 for 237 yards and two touchdowns.  Auburn's quarterback Nick Marshall completed 14 out of 27 for 230 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

This is Florida State's first national college football title since 1999, and third overall.  Besides an undefeated season, the Seminoles of the Atlantic Coast Conference also accomplished the feat of defeating a school from the Southeastern Conference, which had won the last seven BCS national championships.  Nonetheless, the balance of power in college football continues to center on the southeastern United States.

Whether you detest the Tomahawk Chop, the SEC's dominance or the BCS itself, you had to admit that the game Florida State and Auburn played was the best way to close out an era that benefited no one but the football powers and its sponsors.  Starting next season, the BCS will be replaced by a four-team tournament to be known as the College Football Playoff.  Which will only create more arguments.