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.

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.