Purple Pride Ponderings - 4/27/06

Purple Pride Ponderings
4/27/06

Calling this year’s off-season interesting would be like calling Britney Spears white trash. Never before can I remember an off-season filled with so much speculation and change. Let’s look back at just a few topics that have engrossed our purple-laced minds since Mike Tice called his last play:

New Coaching Staff
The hiring of Brad Childress has indeed churned up some talk all around Viking Country. While some are concerned with some of the moves he continues to make, others welcome his “no nonsense” approach and liken it to that of the great Bud Grant. With not even a Pre-Season game under his belt yet, only time will tell, but at least we didn’t get hit with a “There’s a new sheriff in town” speech. Instead, we were given a short history about Viking lore, one of Vikings taking over new lands, burning their ships and killing everyone in their path!

Sweet.

Snow Bird for Good
It was a good run.

Well that debate could be split right down the middle when it comes to Vikings fans. Daunte did have a love/hate relationship in the eyes of the fans. Personally, I hated to see him go, but I understand why he had to go. Something there between Daunte and Childress just did not vibe from day one, and for Childress, it’s understood when it comes to the type of knee injury Daunte has.

He’s a Dolphin now and it’s still up in the air as to when he will be ready to play. He may never be the same again; then again, he might come back and have several more MVP contending seasons.

As for the Vikings, he gave us some exciting years, mostly with the love we lost Randy Moss at the receiving end. It’s just too bad the love boat incident had to mar his departure, and I’m sure that weighed in heavily with the Vikings brass’ decision to trade him. I suppose Daunte’s “Trade me now” approach had something to do with it as well though.

That’s one expensive Hutch!
Odds are you never heard the term “poison pill” until this little diddy took place. Thanks to our beloved Vikings, the NFL is working on ways to restructure the way future poison pills are implemented.

Did the Vikes over pay for Steve Hutchinson? You betcha. But hey, they had the money so why not get the best player available for a much needed position?

To our lovely Seahawk fans that flooded the Viking boards boasting about how they stole Burleson from us. Um, guys stop watching Fraiser re-runs while sipping on Starbuck’s flavor of the month and realize that the Seahawks came no where near getting back at the Vikings. I hated to see Burleson (He was so Anthony Carter-ish) go, but I’ll take Hutch and a third round pick for him any day of the week.

Wizzinator Flushed
As embarrassing as Onterrio Smith was, releasing him is the one I think will come back to haunt us. He’s not hurt, just a year removed from the league. He runs with power and great vision, two things that just cannot be taught. Should he find a way to stay out of trouble, there is one team our there that will benefit heavily from his pick up.

The New Look
We’ve all seen them by now, the lovely new cheerleaders. Heh, of course I meant the new uniforms that were unveiled Thursday night at the Mall of America (imagine that – “Look everyone, here’s the new jerseys on your favorite Vikings, now head on up to Sportsmart and buy one for yourself”).

Of course, thanks to the internet, most of us had seen these in one form or another for the past week or so.

This is another topic that seems to have Vikings fans split down the middle in the love/hate department. At first I was not too impressed, but the more I look at them and see them on actual players, the more I like them. While I’m against the omission of the Viking logo on the jersey sleeves, I am happy about the inclusion of said logon on the side of the new pants.

So to all the haters out there, give them a chance, I think they will grow on you. To those that are not Vikings fans, we could care less about your negativity, let us enjoy our moment.

Now if we could just get that new Stadium…………


Time to look ahead
The NFL Draft.

No draft in any other sport garners the hype that the NFL Draft does. Everyone from Mel Kiper to Joe Q. Rube in his office cubicle has broken down and dissected the draft and cranked out more mock drafts than Stephen Kings does novels.

I love all the draft speculation like the next rube, but come this time of the year – just a couple of days before the real deal, I’m just ready for the draft to start and the plethora of mocks to end.

So this year the Vikings have the 17th pick. ESPN’s latest live mock has the Vikings getting Jay Cutler. I suppose I could live with that as we do need our quarterback of the future, but……I want a top tier linebacker. Obviously the Vikings will never see A.J Hawk, not unless they pay in blood to move up in the draft. So that leaves Simms and Greenway. Either will do, just get one here. I’m tired of the Vikings not having that much needed anchor in the defense and this appears to be the year to get that done.

All the Schaub for our 17th pick drives me nuts and I’ve already expressed my feelings on that deal.

No matter how many times people breakdown the NFL draft based off of team needs and what not, or no matter how comfortable everyone feels with how the first round will go, the first day of the draft ALWAYS has some big surprises. I just hope the football gods are with the new Vikings staff and we get the players we need.

Well that’s it for now; hopefully I find time to break down the events from draft weekend and rate the Vikings’ draft in the next edition of PPP. I look forward to a positive new season under the watch of Childress, the new uniforms, a full season of Purple Pride Ponderings, and constructive talks with all the rubes.

SKOL Vikings!


Later,
Keith Michaels
venomlace@yahoo.com

Here's the new Vikings Jersey!

Not exactly what I had posted last week, but very close. Something tells me that we may see an "alternative" jersey at sometime, most likely the one's with the horns. I guess these do look ok, I was just expecting more of a change. I'm not too happy with the omission of the Viking on the arms. Instead, they have moved that logo to the top back and made it significantly smaller.

While there is not an actual full photo of the pants yet, the rumored sword going down the outside of the leg appears to be true. By looking at the pic below, you can see part of it on Birk's pants.

Why Matt Schaub, why?

All around Viking Country, I hear this absurd talk about how the Vikings should do what it takes to bring Matt Schaub here. They talk as though he’s the second coming of Christ.

“He’s an established vet, why draft an uncertain college player when we can get Schaub?” is what I here day in and day out.

An established vet? Are you kidding me? How many second year backup quarterbacks can be considered established vets? I’ll help you out a little on this one…….none, zero, nadda!

Let’s take a look at last year’s stats for Matt Schaub:

He finished the season with 495 yards passing, four touchdowns (three of which came from one game), and a QB rating of 98.1. That’s a decent rating, but not too hard to ascertain on just 64 attempts for the season.

Remember when he came in for Vick against the Vikings last year? Yeah, I do, and he really lit it up going five for 14, 39 yards, and no touchdowns. That lovely endeavor had him post a QB rating of 44.3. That’s who our savior is supposed to be, the same guy that some say we should hand over our 17^th pick for?

The only other game worth mentioning from last year (his rookie year numbers are even more pointless) is his full game against the Pats the following week. Now here he truly did have a nice game going 18 for 34, 298 yards, and three touchdowns. But even those impressive numbers coupled with a solid 112.1 rating translated into a 31-28 loss for the Falcons. No, that loss may not have been his fault, but do we really want to chance a vital draft pick in an impressively talent laden draft based off this one game? I say no, no way in hell.

I say the only move that makes sense in obtaining Schaub is our second third round pick coupled with our fourth. If that’s not enough to snag him away from Atlanta, well then that’s just too bad. The Vikings have already committed to Johnson this year, so either make some kind of quarterback move in the draft and let him learn under Johnson, or look ahead to next year’s free agency.

At number 17, the Vikings will have plenty of options when it comes to talented players. Our most glaring need is at linebacker, and I sure would hate to see it wasted on a so-called established veteran quarterback.

Finished The Da Vinci Code

Just finished up reading Dan Brown's controversial (heh, whatever) book The Da Vinci Code. Overall it was a very well done book that kept me interested the entire way through. I am however, a little disappointed with the ending. I get it, don't get me wrong, it's just that I wish there was something bigger that would have transpired in the end after such a wonderful trip through an alternate reality of Christianity.

This brings me to the topic of religious zealots that ban, picket, and dismember this book. Everyone needs to take a deep breath and remember that this is just a fiction book. I could careless if Mr. Brown takes what he wrote for gospel or not. What I got out of the book was a good read and that's all I ask for when reading fiction. I am very much a Christian man and I was never appalled by this book because I read it with the right frame of mind.

Now that I've read the book, I can't wait to see the movie. I am very intrigued by the cast (Hanks is always solid) and have faith that Ron Howard directed yet another masterpiece. Of course now that I've finished The Da Vinci Code, I was looking forward to the follow up novel that was due out this fall, but unfortunately, it has been delayed.

Oh well, I have plenty of other books that require my attention, to include all of Dan Brown's other work. I picked up Angels and Demons the other day so I mine as well dig into that one next.

The 10 worst in-game quotes

IGN has compiled a top-ten list of the worst quotes found in video games. There are a couple of good ones here, most notably number one (you've been living under a rock if you don't notice it) and number five, which is just plain wrong.

I must say that I'm pretty unimpressed with the rest though. It would seem that IGN should have the resources to come up with a better list than this. Anyway, for what it's worth, here's their uninspiring list:

1. "All your base are belong to us." - Zero Wing
2. "I am Error." - Zelda II: The Adventures of Link
3. "Jill, why don't you, the master of unlocking, take this lock pick." - Resident Evil
4. "You were doomed as soon as you lost the ability to love." - Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
5. "Yo gangsta! Get ready to gang bang!" - Bust-a-Groove
6. "I feel asleep." - Metal Gear
7. "You can't give it up! Triumph or die!" - Street Fighter Alpha 3
8. The DK Rap - Donkey Kong 64, Super Smash Bros Melee
9. "A Winner is You!" - Pro Wrestling
10. "Shine Get!" - Super Mario Sunshine

Uniform Update: Vikings Billboards around the Twin Cities

To follow up on the Vikings uniform story from a couple of days ago, Billboards all across the Twin Cites have popped up indicating the unveiling of the new uniforms on April 27th, which is next Thursday before the draft. Note how this gives rubes time to purchase the new uni for the big draft party.

What's even more interesting is that the Reebok logo makes a strong presence on the billboard, thus validating the concept drawings from the other day even more. It's still hard to tell from these images whether or not the pic I posted is true. I guess in a little over a week, we will all know for sure.

Special Thanks to Big Daddy over at KFAN's Rube Chat for the wonderful pics:

Rockstar Games Announces Release Date for Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories on PlayStation 2

NEW YORK -- April 18, 2006 -- Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system will be in North American stores on June 6th, 2006 for the MSRP of $19.99 and will hit European retail shelves on June 9th, 2006 for EUR 29.99 and GBP 19.99 in the UK.

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories has been the platform-defining release on the PSP(TM) (PlayStation(R)Portable) system worldwide since its October 2005 launch. The all time #1 selling PSP system game, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, offers PlayStation 2 owners a big screen experience of the same story line and missions, featuring the interactive open environments, innovative gameplay, superb voice talent and diverse music that are the hallmarks of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

Well that's great and all, but I sure hope they lower the price of the PSP version. I've been putting it off since it came out because I refuse to spend 50 bones on a portable game, GTA or not. I mean really, Xbox360 titles are only 10 bucks more than Libery City Stories is for the PSP. Surely gamers will jump all over this for 20 bucks on the big screen, but those of us wanting to kill time at work are the ones that ultimately suffer from this. Yes, I know, I'm one sad, sad dude.

Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins (PSP)

Growing up on the original, I am really stoked for this PSP release. Sounds and looks like the old-school style of play with killer 3D models and RPG elements. Check out Gamespy's preview, should be good times indeed!

Vikings New Uniforms Revealed?

The Vikings have been very secretive about the new uni's, but the following pic looks to be legit. I will like to see how they look in person with the colors vibrant an all. Incorporating the horn throughout the jersey is as nice touch, but I don't like the omission of the actual Viking on the sleeve.

Minnesota Winter Sports '05-'06 Review

I figured now was as good a time as any to reflect on Minnesota Winter 05/06 sports. Spring has sprung here in the Twin Cities and it has been in the 70’s and 80’s the past couple of weeks.

This past winter season was as diseased as I can remember in a long time. As a matter of fact, the only team making it to the post season (sorry gals, I don’t count Women’s College sports or WNBA) was (or is, they just got in) the Minnesota Swarm. That’s right, our professional Lacrosse team is the only one, and pathetically, they backed into the playoffs. Until recently, I didn’t even know what Lacrosse was. I always knew where La Crosse, WI was, but had no idea of the sport. It has been big in the Twin Cities for a while, but not when I was going to school. I just spent the last few years wondering why all these kids were running around with undersized butterfly catchers. Of course the Duke Men’s Lacrosse team has made the term a household name now, but I’ll leave that one alone.

Even our Bemidji Curling blonde sisters - that were heavily favored to take home the Gold, found a way to fail us.

As painful as this may be, let’s take a look at how we fared this past winter:

Gopher Hockey
Holy Cross!!?? Holy Cross!!??

Those two words still ring in my ears thanks to a Fighting Sioux alum that I work with.

How we lost to a bunch of Catholic kids that, instead of finding ways to hide the truth about the Holy Grail, uncovered an even bigger secret – how to beat the best college hockey team in the Nation. There was no excuse for the Gophers to lose in the first round. They should have walked into the Frozen Four and won their third Championship of the decade but instead laid the biggest frozen egg in College Hockey history.

I’d like to give Holy Cross some credit because for one, it would make me feel better knowing that the better team won. But realistically, the Gophers were the better team and might have let that fact get to their head.

Gopher Hoops
Well, they did get a NIT bid this year, you know, that tournament created for the losers that couldn’t make the big dance. I have zero faith in Dan Monson and feel that this program will never progress under him. It really was a strange year, most games they looked like the team we expected, a crappy one. But then they would all of a sudden beat a Big Ten heavy hitter and look like world beaters for a day. Erratic, that’s what they were, and we will be lucky if they can repeat even that next year.

Wild
What does a winning record get you in the toughest division within the Western Conference?

Last place and a tee-time at your favorite Country Club.

To make matters worse, our legendary coach and leading scorer are at each other’s throats, using the media to duke out their soap opera. Gaborik claims that Lemaire fails to give him the freedom and ice time he demands and Lemaire claims that he has never given another player the type of freedom that he’s given Gaborik.

All I know is that Gaborik scored 38 goals this year even after missing several games due to injury. On top of that, despite what Lemaire says or thinks - his minutes per game were very low compared to other team leading scorers. If used right, Gaborik is a 50+ goal scorer, and one that the Wild cannot afford to lose. Not only would it be hard to replace Gabbi, it would send a message to dedicated fans that the organization doesn’t care much about what they think and would rather stick to their boring style of defensive hockey, one that we are all getting sick and tired of.

The team has money and they need to spend it this off season in order to prove to the fans that they are ready to put a winner out on the ice.

Timberwolves
Remember just a couple of years ago when this team was in the Western Conference Finals? This year was more painful than the inaugural season or any of the others leading up to their first ever playoff appearance.

The Wally World trade that was supposed to turn the team around never came to fruition and the jury is still out on that one.

The only thing we can be thankful for from this squad is that they went ahead and tanked the last few weeks to assure us a lottery pick in the draft. Could you imagine the logistical nightmare the front office would have on their hands had the team missed the playoffs AND lost their first round pick to the playoff bound Clippers due to the stipulations in that ridiculous Cassell trade?

The time to call for McHale’s head is now. He has screwed this franchise in more ways than one and could end up costing us the ultimate price, KG. I just hope Glenn Taylor has the balls to pull the plug on him and dig deep into his pockets again and give the Big Ticket that help he needs and deserves.

So there you have it, negativity runs amuck in Minnesota sports over the winter. Even though the season is over for us (is it just me or does the NBA and NHL Playoffs run too far into Spring/Summer!!??) there is still some great playoff action to watch.

That’s all I have for now, my next piece will be my Pre-Draft Purple Pride Ponderings which I hope to work on this week and post sometime next weekend. Even though most of this was negative, there’s one good thing to take from it all – next winter can’t be nearly as bad as this past one…….right?

Later,
Keith Michaels
venomlace@yahoo.com

1986 World Series re-enacted in RBI Baseball

This is pretty cool, I wish someone would make one with Game 6 of the 1991 World Series.

Click Me!

Feeling Minnesota

It has been a while since I blogged last. I'm actively working on a short story now so I thought it would be a good time to come here and clear my mind. Writing fiction can take its toll on one's mind and to me; writing about sports, vids, and other "inferior" topics seems to help keep me sane.

The title of this post comes from the good feelings I'm getting here in Minnesota right now. All week long the temps have been in the 70's as our wonderful Spring continues here in the Land of 10,00 Lakes. Since it has been a while since I blogged regularly, I thought I would just babble on about some random thoughts to catch things up.

Sports Thoughts

• The Twins opened up the baseball season going a dismal 1-5 in the first week. The entire week was spent on the road and thankfully, in last night's home opener, the Twins conjured up their second win. As I write this tonight, Justin Morneau just hit a three-run bomb in the bottom of the third to give the Twins a 4-3 lead over the A's. Morneau's bat is a major key to the Twins having success this year and so far, he's hitting the long ball as hoped.
• The Timberwolves are diseased and have mailed it in the rest of the year. Sitting KG and Davis is a clear indication of that. Here's hoping we get a high pick out of the lottery, God knows the Wolves need all the help they can get.
• The NFL draft is fast approaching and I plan on putting together an actual Purple Pride Ponderings before and one sometime after the draft.
• I finally got out and hit a bucket of balls at the lovely Chaska Town Course today. It felt good to get out there despite my erratic nature off the tee. I had the opportunity to get out with my 11 year old son and after watching him, I wish I had his swing!

Gaming Thoughts

• I'm still playing World of Warcraft in small doses. My Mage is now a level 33 and I finally picked up a headset and played over teamspeak with a buddy of mine. Sure beats having to stop and type, nothing like just talking your way through an instance or random quest. I do intend on writing up my World of Warcraft Wednesdays again and will do so a week from today.
• The May issue of Game Informer has a cover story on an interesting Nintendo Revolution launch title called Red Steel. The game is being developed by Ubisoft and GI promises an 11 page blowout of the game complete with screenshots. This is the first time an actual game for the Revolution has been shown. The game promises to make use of the Revolution's unique controller, mixing in both gun and sword play in ways only ever imagined before. Apparently this game will be very violent as it pits the gamer against the Japanese Yakuza. I'm getting more and more excited for Nintendo's new system everyday.
• Not sure about the credibility of this site, but here's a story on the Sony Playstation 3, and they claim it's far from complete.

That's all I care to write up tonight. On the book side of things, I'm currently over half way done with the Da Vinci Code and I'm loving it so far. This is my first time reading Dan Brown and I plan on reading Angels and Demons next. Can't wait to see Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, should be good stuff indeed.