Minnesota Football: Going In Different Directions

English: its a leslie fraizer and he wants to be on wiki cuz im hes broda (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The two most prominent football squads in Minnesota--the Vikings and Golden Gophers--concluded their 2013 seasons within days of each other.  These now-former Metrodome tenants will spend the next two years co-existing at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium.  Whether this temporary arrangement becomes a positive or negative development remains to be seen.  So here is a look at what happened this season.

Vikings:  Leaving the Metrodome--and Leslie Frazier--Behind

In Leslie Frazier's three seasons (or so) as Vikings coach, the NFL team has rollercoastered from the depths of high-draft-pick mediocrity to surprise playoff spot and back again.  Inconsistencies abounded from starting quarterbacks to defense and special teams.  For those reasons, and also because the Vikings face a two-year transition period before their new glass football palace opens in 2016, the team bid adieu to Frazier Monday.

With a 21-33-1 record over three seasons (5-10-1 this year), Frazier committed the cardinal sin of not getting to the playoffs often enough.  This season alone, none of their victories came on the road.  Four of the five games they did win came at the Metrodome, including that so-called "home" game in London over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  There was one tie at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, and too many come-from-ahead losses to count for anyone to stomach.

At quarterback, Christian Ponder caused plenty of folks to, you know, ponder his effectiveness.  Josh Freeman, acquired from Tampa Bay, started a Monday night game against the New York Giants, played poorly, suffered a concussion and was never heard from again.  Which left us with Matt Cassel, who played well enough in the second half of the season to earn the starting job--that is, unless the Vikings draft another hotshot college signal-caller.  Like Christian Ponder.

With Adrian Peterson sidelined by injuries and personal problems, Cordarrelle Patterson has arrived as the next big offensive star of the Vikings.  Whether it's a runback or a big gainer, this type of back hasn't been seen around here since Percy Harvin.  Which just happens to be last season.

If you want to know about the Vikings' biggest need, it's the defense.  Any team that gives up as many points (480), or blows as many leads as the Vikings have this past season certainly needs an overhaul.  Part of it may come through free agency, where Jared Allen and Kevin Williams are not expected back.

Whoever the Vikings get to become their new head coach (they hope to have one in place before the Super Bowl) is not nearly as important as signing players who are ready and willing to play outdoors for a rebuilding team for a couple of years, not to mention selling that kind of team to a skeptical public.  This is not going to be easy.

Projected Super Bowl Matchup

Seattle vs. New England.

Golden Gophers:  Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

The University of Minnesota ended their football season with another close loss in a Houston-based bowl game, this time to Syracuse 21-17 in the Texas Bowl.

Since coach Jerry Kill's last epilepsy seizure forced him to watch games from the press box, letting his assistants do the actual coaching, the Gophers have played better.  They posted an 8-5 record this season, and 4-4 in the Big Ten.  They did, however, drop their last three games to Wisconsin, Michigan State (the conference champion) and Syracuse.

This was Kill's third year as Gopher head coach.  If, as they say, the third year represents a turning point in the improvement of the football program, then the gophers might just be on the road to bigger and better things.  Or they just reached their level of competence.

It depends, of course, on what kind of players Kill and his associates can recruit.  They know full well that (A) Minnesota isn't exactly a hotbed of football talent, (B) what talent there is will likely go elsewhere, and (C) the cream of the crop around the country want to play for football factories that win.  And Minnesota is no football factory.

For Jerry Kill, it's all a matter of doing what he can with what he's got.  If he can win with what he's got, then great.   It simply means another appearance in some third-rate ESPN-televised bowl game played in an empty stadium.  If not, then it's what everybody expects out of the football program anyway. 

In 2013, We Learned That . . .

Katherine Webb @ Hangout Festival 2013 (Photo credit: ConcertTour)

Dennis Rodman became unofficial U.S. ambassador to North Korea.

Manti Te'o made news for having an imaginary girlfriend.  Last we heard, he was playing football for the San Diego Chargers.  Or, to paraphrase the Temptations, was it just our imaginations running away?

Brent Musburger of ESPN drools all over Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron's real-life girlfriend Katherine Webb during the BCS Championship Game.  Was the game that boring?

Concussions have become such a big issue in sports that the NFL now penalizes helmet-to-helmet contact, and Major League Baseball has outlawed home plate collisions.  Good luck enforcing both.

The "Frontline" documentary "League of Denial" ensures that PBS will not be in business with the NFL any time soon.  And that ESPN should check its credibility at the door.

Minnesota Gophers football coach Jerry Kill should spend more time in the press box during games.

If you're going to help pay half the cost of the new Vikings football stadium, we should at least know where the money's coming from.  Isn't that right, Zygi Wilf?

For Chris Kluwe, speaking out on social issues is a sure-fire way of getting booted out of the NFL.

By the way, what ever happened to that NBA player who declared himself gay?

Thirteen MLB players were suspended for using performance enhancing substances, including Alex Rodriguez.  So how come Rodriguez is still playing?

Johnny Manziel (aka Johnny Football) of Texas A&M proved to be too young and immature to handle being a Heisman Trophy winner.  So how come the award this year went to Jameis Winston of Florida State, a freshman who was recently acquitted of sexual assault charges?

For all the passing records Peyton Manning has accumulated during his career, why is it that brother Eli has more Super Bowl rings?

If Major League Soccer wants more American fans, they should stop confusing TV viewers who mistake the home side with the visitors, and vice versa.  This isn't European soccer.

After leaving MSNBC and Current TV (now Al Jazeera America) high and dry, Keith Olbermann is back doing sports on ESPN.  Now if we could only find out which channel his show's on . . .

According to the tabloids, Lindsay Vonn and Tiger Woods are a couple.  Vonn is having trouble getting healthy for the downhill competition at the upcoming Winter Olympics.  Woods is having trouble remaining relevant in golf's majors.  So you could say they have something in common.

The Minnesota Twins are trying to buy their way out of three losing seasons, signing whatever free agent who is desperate enough to play here.  They'll need to spend more than that to field a competitive team.

The Minnesota Timberwolves would have a better shot at making the playoffs if they moved to the NBA's Eastern Conference.

If Lance Armstrong has to go on TV to defend himself to Oprah Winfrey, then he really is in trouble.

Women's sports are alive and well in Minnesota.  The WNBA Lynx and the University of Minnesota women's hockey team won national titles.  Which means Rachel Banham now has to step up.

Will Ferrell certainly went the extra mile to promote his movie "Anchorman 2".  As Ron Burgundy, he's hawked cars, co-anchored a real newscast in North Dakota, and interviewed Peyton Manning for ESPN.  When does Ferrell get back to being himself?

Does anyone miss Tim Tebow?

Marion Bartoli won the Wimbledon women's singles championship, then retired from tennis.  Now that's quitting when you're ahead.

Diana Nyad swam solo from Cuba to Florida.  If only people believed she didn't get a little help.

The blackout that delayed the Super Bowl was an excellent example of what the NFL could do in a crisis situation, and of how CBS needed a Bob Costas of its own.  As it was, the delay was one of the most-watched TV shows of the year, just behind the game itself.

Bud Adams, Bum Phillips, Ken Norton, Jerry Buss, Pat Summerall, Earl Weaver and Stan Musial were among those who died this year.

2014 can't come soon enough.

The 2013 Owljock Bowl Guide

BCS Logo 2006–2010. An alternate version of this logo (used more often on television) had the Fox logo in lieu of the stars. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Welcome to the fourth annual Owljock Bowl Guide, our interpretation of the 35 college football bowl games that will take place between December 21 and January 6, 2014. 

This is the final season of the Bowl Championship Series, whose national title game will be played at the Rose Bowl January 6.  No matter how many people are willing to wave 'adios' to the BCS, you have to admit that the final two teams chosen were usually worthy of a national championship.  The BCS will be replaced next season by something called the College Football Playoff, in which four teams have a shot at a national title.  It will no doubt have a title sponsor by then.

Until then. here's the bowl lineup.  In addition to the games, matchups, when and when they'll be played, and who televises them, we'll include a brief description of what the sponsor sells or promotes.  The information comes from ESPN.com.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl:  Washington State vs. Colorado State (Albuquerque, NM  12/21)  ESPN
Active wear.

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl:  Fresno State vs. USC  (Las Vegas, NV  12/21)  ABC
Motor oil.

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl:  Buffalo vs. San Diego State  (Boise, ID  12/21)  ESPN
The local potato industry.

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl:  Tulane vs.  Louisiana-Lafayette  (New Orleans, LA  12/21)  ESPN
Shipping firm.

Beef O'Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl:  East Carolina vs. Ohio  (St. Petersburg, FL  12/23)  ESPN  
Restaurant chain.

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl:  Boise State vs. Oregon State  (Honolulu, HW  12/24)  ESPN
Hotel chain.

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl:  Pittsburgh vs. Bowling Green  (Detroit, MI  12/26)  ESPN
Restaurant chain.

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl:  Utah State vs. Northern Illinois  (San Diego, CA  12/26)  ESPN
Financial services.

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman:  Marshall vs. Maryland  (Annapolis, MD  12/27)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Texas Bowl:  Syracuse vs. Minnesota (Houston, TX  12/27)  ESPN
Formerly known as Meineke Car Care Bowl.

Fight Hunger Bowl:  Brigham Young vs. Washington  (San Francisco, CA  12/27)  ESPN
Anti-hunger organization.

New Era Pinstripe:  Rutgers vs. Notre Dame  (Yankee Stadium, New York  12/28)  ESPN 
Sports apparel.

Belk Bowl:  Cincinnati vs. North Carolina  (Charlotte, NC  12/28)  ESPN
Regional department store chain.

Russell Athletic Bowl:  Miami vs. Louisville  (Orlando, FL  12/28)  ESPN
Active wear.

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl:  Michigan vs. Kansas State  (Tempe, AZ  12/28)  ESPN
Chicken and beer restaurant chain.

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl:  Middle Tennessee vs. Navy  (Fort Worth, TX  12/30)  ESPN
Defense contractor.

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl:  Mississippi vs. Georgia Tech  (Nashville, TN  12/30)  ESPN
Financial services.

Valero Alamo Bowl:  Oregon vs. Texas  (San Antonio, TX  12/30)  ESPN
Energy company.

National University Holiday Bowl:  Arizona State vs. Texas Tech  (San Diego, CA  12/30)  ESPN 
Private and online college.

AdvoCare V100 Bowl:  Arizona vs. Boston College  (Shreveport, LA  12/31)  ESPN
Nutritional supplements.  Formerly known as Independence Bowl.

Hyundai Sun Bowl:  Virginia Tech vs. UCLA  (El Paso, TX  12/31)  CBS
Automaker.

AutoZone Liberty Bowl:  Rice vs. Mississippi State  (Memphis, TN  12/31)  ESPN
Auto parts stores.

Chick-fil-A Bowl:  Duke vs. Texas A&M  (Atlanta, GA  12/31)  ESPN
Chicken restaurants.

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl:  Nebraska vs. Georgia  (Jacksonville, FL  1/1/14)  ESPN2
Online tax preparation.

Heart of Dallas Bowl:  Nevada-Las Vegas vs. North Texas  (Dallas, TX  1/1/14)  ESPNU
Local civic organization.

Capital One Bowl:  Wisconsin vs. South Carolina  (Orlando, FL  1/1/14)  ABC
Financial services.

Outback Bowl:  Iowa vs. LSU  (Tampa, FL  1/1/14)  ESPN
Steak restaurants.

Rose Bowl Game Presented by Vizio:  Stanford vs. Michigan State  (Pasadena, CA  1/1/14)  ESPN
Consumer electronics.

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl:  Central Florida vs. Baylor  (Glendale, AZ  1/1/14)  ESPN
Snack food.

Allstate Sugar Bowl:  Oklahoma vs. Alabama  (New Orleans, LA  1/2)  ESPN
Insurance.

Discover Orange Bowl:  Clemson vs. Ohio State  (Miami, FL  1/3)  ESPN
Credit cards.

AT&T Cotton Bowl:  Oklahoma State vs. Missouri  (Arlington, TX  1/3)  Fox
Communications giant.

BBVA Compass Bowl:  Vanderbilt vs. Houston  (Birmingham, AL  1/4)  ESPN
Financial services.

GoDaddy Bowl:  Arkansas State vs. Ball State  (Mobile, AL  1/5)  ESPN
Domain names.

Vizio BCS National Championship:  Florida State vs. Auburn  (Pasadena, CA  1/6)  ESPN
Consumer electronics.

Hockey Change In Canada

Hockey Night in Canada (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For over 60 years on Saturday nights, Canadians from Victoria to Halifax to Toronto to the Yukon would gather in front of their TV sets to watch many of their native sons perform on the ice in their national sport.  They called it "Hockey Night In Canada".

Now the TV landscape is changing north of the border.  Rogers Communications is paying the National Hockey League five billion dollars (Canadian) for the rights to televise games in that country starting next season, running through 2026.

Rogers is a major communications force in Canada, with holdings in cable, wireless and broadcasting.  They own Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays and the stadium they play in, which just happens to be named Rogers Centre.  They also have their name on an arena in Vancouver.

Rogers used to own some cable systems in the United States, including the one that serves Minneapolis and its western suburbs.  Comcast now owns it.

NBC, which is part of Comcast, has the American TV rights to NHL games, and is in the middle of a ten-year, two-billion dollar deal.

Rogers will soon hold the rights to carry the NHL on several of the networks it owns, replacing rival TSN, which is considered Canada's version of ESPN.  But they were nice enough to allow CBC, the Canadian government-run network that's been televising hockey since forever, to continue its Saturday night "HNIC' doubleheaders for at least four more seasons.

"Hockey Night In Canada" has long been considered the standard against which all other sports telecasts in North America are measured.  With Rogers now running the show, will that brand be strengthened or diluted?

For instance, will the new arrangement result in the breakup of the comedy team of Don Cherry and his straight man Ron McLean?  Anyone who has watched "Coach's Corner" over the past two decades (the NHL Network runs it on this side of the border most Saturdays during the regular season, when the Toronto Maple Leafs are usually playing) has been a witness to Cherry's outrageousness, whether it's in his commentary and/or his choice of wardrobe.  Cherry insisted on his November 30 broadcast that Rogers might want him to stick around.  But given the possibility that some Canadians might be getting tired of his act, Cherry could be in for a rude surprise.

This deal is more than just the changing of the guard in Canadian TV.  All NHL teams on both sides of the border will benefit from Rogers' and NBC's cash, whether it's in increasing players' salaries, possible expansion, or in keeping certain Sunbelt-based franchises afloat.

For Canadian viewers, they'll be seeing more hockey than ever before.  They'll also be paying more, too, to gain access to those games on Rogers-owned cable and wireless devices.  Blue Jays fans have known that for years.

But Rogers could be making a mistake in weaning "Hockey Night In Canada" off of CBC.  Remember what happened to "Monday Night Football" after it moved from ABC to ESPN?  It became just NFL football on Mondays with a smaller audience.  Is it worth messing with Canadian tradition, or are traditions made to be broken for the right price?.

The Washington __________________

Redskins primary logo 1965-1969 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the weeks since we did a post called "Changing Nicknames, Changing Attitudes" (Really.  You can look it up.), a few things have happened in efforts to get the Washington NFL franchise to change its name from Redskins to, well, anything but that.

• Protests by Native American groups have either gone on or are being planned in every NFL city the Washington team plays in.  In Minneapolis, one of those groups tried to get the Minnesota Vikings and the stadium commission to discontinue use of the nickname and its logos without success.
• Prominent sportswriters and broadcasters have stopped using the Redskins name.  Even President Barack Obama has called for a name change.  However, those who depend on the NFL and the Washington franchise for their livelihoods will continue to use the R-word, if they know what's good for them.
• NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Washington owner Dan Snyder have already met to discuss changing the nickname.  Nothing came of it, so far as we know.

And that's where we are today, with no plans in place to change Washington's name to something that would appease both fans and the Native American community.  Remember, change is slow.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  The Washington Redskins have only been in business since Franklin Roosevelt was President, and the country was recovering from the Great Depression.

To all those in sports media who are refraining from using the R-word, we say:  That's nice, but we've been here before.  The same protests and calls for nickname change happened 20 years ago.  Only at that time, the names these groups wanted to get rid of besides the Redskins were the Braves, Indians, Chiefs and Warriors.  And they also wanted to get rid of Cleveland's Chief Wahoo.

A few newspapers, among them the Minneapolis Star Tribune, decided to take a stand by not publishing the offending nicknames in question in its game stories, making an exception for direct quotes.  The Strib tried it for a few years, but has since gone back to including the names because of stories that end up sounding like this:

The Washington NFL football team defeated Kansas City 27-24 in a game played at Landover, MD Sunday.  Washington quarterback Biff Hurdle threw for two touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than a minute to play.  Running back Andarelle Cooper ran for 150 yards, catching a pass from Hurdle in the end zone for a second-quarter score.  Kansas City responded with a 40-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Angus McCutcheon to wide receiver MarKwad Stephens-Dalton, an 80-yard punt return by Demetrius Jefferson, a sneak from the one-yard line by McCutcheon, and a 35-yard field goal by Ian Boise.  Washington is now 5-2, and will face the Dallas Cowboys next week.  Kansas City, dropping to 3-4, goes home to face the Oakland Raiders.

Until Snyder and the NFL decide that ditching the Redskins name makes sense morally and financially, it seems ridiculous to force sports fans to fill in the blanks.

Vikings 2013: Purple Meltdown

For only the second time this season (and the first time in North America), the Minnesota Vikings won an NFL football game.  They defeated Washington 34-27 at the Metrodome/Mall of America Field in the NFL Network's Thursday night game of the week, but only after surviving a last-minute charge by opposing quarterback Robert Griffin III.

This game the Vikings got right, having previously suffered last-second losses to Chicago and Dallas, and just plain sucking against everybody else--especially on national TV.  Their only victory was over an equally bad Pittsburgh Steelers team in London, England.  Their record at the halfway point is 2-7, good for last place in the NFC North division, but just behind the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the race for the top pick in the 2014 Draft.

All the ingredients for a bottom-feeding club are there:  Lack of a dependable quarterback.  Leaky defense.  Injuries.  Dissension in the ranks.  Coach's job on the line.  Need more?

Start with the quarterback.  Christian Ponder began the season with question marks about his ability and his leadership.  He's turned out to be a mediocre quarterback who couldn't lead the Vikings over the hump without getting injured, which included having to leave last night's game in the third quarter because of a shoulder injury.  Which led to Matt Cassel, a journeyman QB who led the Vikings to their win over Pittsburgh.  He played poorly in the following game, which led to Josh Freeman, who was just picked up from Tampa Bay.  Freeman was rushed into the starting job in the Monday night game against the Giants, played poorly and suffered a concussion.  Re-enter Ponder . . .

For this, the Vikings gave up McLeod Bethel-Thompson?

It also does no good for your offense if your marquee player is otherwise distracted.  Adrian Peterson went on record as saying he wanted to set the league rushing record this season.  Instead, he's nursing a hamstring injury while mourning the death of a child he just found out was his.

The defense has been marked by injuries and the seeming inability to keep the other team's offense from getting out of hand.  It has gotten so bad that Jared Allen was briefly the subject of trade rumors, because he's a free agent at the end of the season.  Allen is still a Viking, but for how long?

Finally, there is Leslie Frazier, who will be the head coach for the rest of the season.  His assistants are failing him, which is resulting in players taking potshots at them in the media.  Frazier does not have a contract extension, so who knows?

So, yes, the Vikings are starting to look ahead to 2014 and see an uncertain future as a team in transition.  They'll be between quarterbacks, coaches, defensive players, and stadiums on their way to a brighter future in the edifice that replaces the Metrodome.  All we have to do is to be patient.

Red Sox Strong

In 1918, World War I shortened the baseball season to the point where the final World Series game was played on September 11.  On that day, the Boston Red Sox defeated the Chicago Cubs to win the world championship at Fenway Park, with a guy named Babe Ruth on the roster.  They would not win another Series for 86 years.

Nearly a century later, months removed from the bombing at the Boston Marathon, the Red Sox have won their third Series in a decade.  This time they did it at Fenway, defeating the St. Louis Cardinals 6-1 in Game 6.  John Lackey pitched nearly seven innings, and Koji Uehara closed out the game.

This World Series was notable for the weird finishes:  An obstruction call in the bottom of the ninth gave the Cardinals a Game 3 victory.  A pickoff play at first base the following night in the ninth ended the game in Boston's favor.

The Red Sox won 97 games during the regular season, winning the American League East division.  Most of the players, including David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, starred wearing beards that reached "Duck Dynasty" proportions, "borrowing" the idea from hockey.

This was a good World Series, with plenty of close games and fine performances between two of the most storied franchises baseball had to offer.  It may not take another century for the Red Sox to win another title at Fenway Park, but future fans might be wondering about the fascination over the song "Sweet Caroline".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

We should mention the fact that Tim McCarver has analyzed his last baseball game for Fox Sports.  He holds the distinction of having called games for local teams and four broadcast networks for a quarter century, and had no problem saying what he thought about the action down there.  Now who will be sitting next to Joe Buck next season?  Will he have as much impact on the sport as McCarver did?