Deja Vu all over again

Well...for most of us, 2007 will end on a good note.



I can't say the same for the Minnesota Vikings unfortunately.



Last weekend they needed to beat Washington Redskins team who has gone through more emotions than a 14 year old girl at her first NSYNC concert. The Vikings had been on a hot streak and were at home so it seemed simple. Except the Redskins showed up with the memory of their slain friend Sean Taylor and handed the Vikings a crushing blow to their playoff chances.


So because of that poor display of athletic ability by the Vikings, and pretty darn good play by the Redskins, the Vikings went from controlling their own destiny to hoping the Redskins had a meltdown and that the Broncos wouldn't really show up.


The most troubling thing about yesterday was watching guys who were on a 5 game win streak and were talking about how the team had changed so much, come out to Denver with absolutely NO sense of urgency. They were sulking around the sidelines and had no intensity. It was embarassing.


Jackson showed good signs in the last two drives to tie the game but once again, his lack of ball control and general common sense killed the Vikings. Was I the only one wondering what he was planning on doing with the ball as he was getting sacked? How hard is it to tuck that ball? I obviously have never played NFL football...or any football past 5th grade, but when someone is pulling you down usually you just hold on to the ball. Except "Superman" Jackson who thinks that he can do anything with the ball. Either way, it ended up costing the Vikings the game.


So now everyone is looking to the offseason. Many questions have arisen around the sports community. Will Brad Childress around next year? Will the Vikings go find a veteran QB to start next year or just mentor Tarvaris Jackson? Can they go an entire offseason without an arrest? Okay, maybe that last question is all me but regardless it is still a pressing question.


I'll get into answering these questions later down the road. Right now, I think that we all need to take a break from the Vikings and move on.


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Other happenings this weekend :


- Patriots are challenged greatly by the New York Giants but come away as the 4th undefeated team in NFL history and the first to go 16-0 in the regular season. Success seems to follow Randy Moss right? Best part of the whole deal was watching Moss at the postgame news conference telling everyone that he was most excited about breaking Jerry Rice's season touchdown record because it would shut up his critics. The man has done many good things in his life to some mediocre bad things and is one of the best players in the game. I've always been a fan, good for you Randy. Also worht noting, the Pats get the 7th pick in the draft next year because they received it from San Francisco earlier this year. Awesome, 16-0 and they get the 7th pick!? Unreal.


- Redskins defy all emotional odds and make the playoffs with a QB who makes Mark Brunell look like '95 Mark Brunell. It's a touching story and I wouldn't be surprised if they run the table in the NFC and make it to the Superbowl. You watch, it very well could happen.


- Blazers continue their streak to 13 straight games with a win. They are the youngest team in the NBA and aren't playing like it. Travis Outlaw posterizes 76ers Rodney Carney in the Blazers win over the Sixers on a huge dunk and brings pride to the Outlaw family.


- The Wild come back from being down 4-1 to Edmonton and win 5-4 in overtime. It was the biggest comeback in Wild history and put the team back into first place. This team needs to get consistent and start beating the good teams in the West or else they are going to get embarassed in the playoffs again.


That's it for the Monday round-up. Make sure that you catch the "Let's suspend our team's and hope we can still play the game" Bowl today between Kentucky and Florida State. 26 Florida State players will not be playing in the game due to an online test cheating scandal. I did find out today that it was a music test AND it was open book. Wow, congratulations Florida State football players. That could knock you down a few notches in the educational prestige category in next years NCAA football game.


Have a great New Years and we'll see you in 2008!

Open your eyes or else you may miss it

Happy Friday to everyone!

I hope that your Holiday season was a great one and safe as well.


Usually this space is reserved for our Land O’ Links, but I feel a certain calling for today’s entry.

At the beginning of the 2007 NFL season, many people felt that the New England Patriots would be a very good team. They had been quite successful defensively but their offense had been average at best. Then in one off-season, they go from Troy Brown and Jabar Gaffney to Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Donte Stallworth…and Jabar Gaffney. Tom Brady had already won 3 SuperBowls with a mediocre supporting cast and the question had formulated into “What could he do with a superior supporting cast?”

Well, as long as you haven’t been under the proverbial rock for the past 4 months, then you would know that the answer to that question is simple. 15-0, points scored record, passing touchdowns record and a chance at NFL immortality. Unfortunately, there are two things that are keeping most of America from being excited about the Patriots becoming only the second team in NFL history to go undefeated (the first to be 16-0). That would be the “spygate” incident against the Jets earlier this year and America’s infatuation with hating dynasties.

Many people feel that if the Patriots do defeat the Giants on Saturday that their record deserves an asterisk next to it. I am not sure if everyone has gotten caught up in the asterisk-ness of Barry Bonds but this is ludicrous. Am I the only one that is quite confident that without that video camera, the Patriots still would have destroyed the Jets? I mean, this team is currently 15-0 and the Jets are well…the Jets. Video camera or not, the Patriots would have won that game. It is a little harder to tell that had Barry Bonds not used steroids (come on, let’s just be real with it) what his eventual home run total would have been. I find it much easier to understand that the Patriots would have steamrolled the Jets still. So let’s move on from this point. If you are struggling with “spygate” still, I believe that it is time to seek professional help or just suck it up.

Along with this, we in America are incredibly obsessed with the idea of the underdog as well as hating dynasties. People hate the Yankees for their ability to buy good talent and win and who hasn’t despised the Duke BlueDevils at one point or another? The true American story is one of a self-made man and neither theYankees or Duke represent these values to people. Both have been very talented the past couple of years, but people just don’t like them outside of their regional areas.

The New England Patriots have fallen into this category.

Accusations of running up the score, videotaping games and a coach that makes Cruella DeVille look like Mother Theresa have all contributed to these feelings of animosity towards New England. During October, January and May-June, we thrive on the Colorado Rockies and Cleveland Cavaliers of the sports world. They are the feel good stories that keep our attention throughout their sport’s respective playoffs. I enjoy those stories just as much as the next person, but you cannot overlook a great team when it shows up.

Unfortunately, I feel that a large portion of America is missing out on one of the greatest teams to ever grace a field, court or rink. I’ve been lucky enough to catch a few of their games and there is no such thing as running up the score when the other team just cannot stop them. Granted keeping Brady and other starters in the game is not always the best idea, but even the worst team in the NFL still contains some of the best players in the world. So the entire “running up the score” problem bothers me. These guys are professionals and if they cannot stop their opponent from scoring at will then maybe they should not be on the field.

In the last few years I have seen a change in my sports team preferences. I think a large part of it is that as a sports fan, I have grown up. I can sit back and put aside my rival differences and appreciate the escape and entertainment that sports provides us every day. I’ve begun to enjoy watching the Yankees play because they play good baseball. Alex Rodriguez is one of the best hitters in MLB history and Mariano Rivera has been one of the best pitchers in history. You can complain about George/Hank Steinbrenner all that you want, but year in and year out they put a good team on the field. One cannot overlook the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry but outside of New York and Boston, why should it affect people’s lives? There are obviously situations that do allow for this rivalry to be outside of Boston/New York but if you are sitting in Washington state and hate the Yankees because they win every year, it may be time for you to grow up in the sport sense.

Now, I wrote an article earlier on how rivalries make sports go ‘round and I completely agree with it. We need to find a difference between rivalries and general hatred. As a Minnesotan, I was bred to hate the Packers and Bears as well as the Hawkeyes and Badgers. I have grown to the point of still disliking 3 of those 4 teams but not letting it affect my daily functions. Our general infatuations with rivalries and the underdog story are clouding what the Patriots are on the brink of doing. Hate them or love them, they are a good football team. Their coach is a cactus but he knows what he is doing. The Pats do not get caught up in all of the media surrounding them because their coach does not allow it. Their players refrain from getting in trouble (with the exception of Rodney Harrison) and play games almost flawless.

I can hear you now, “wow, so now that you’ve jumped on the bandwagon…” Just because I enjoy what the team is doing and can see that they are talented does not mean that I am jumping on the bandwagon. It just means that as a fan of sports, I can sit back and enjoy what this team is doing.

As a sports fan, I have finally grown up. And it seems that it happened just in time. Try and put aside your prejudices and open yourself up to enjoying a true feat in sports.

Have a great weekend and check back on Monday for our Weekend Run-Down.

Land O' Links

Happy Friday!


Quick note: Bowl season is here! After last year's Boise State/Oklahoma game, I have vowed to not miss any bowl games this year.


2007-08 Bowl season got started with a great game last night between Navy and Utah. Utah was up 35-32 with :48 seconds left and Navy needed to recover an onside kick to have a chance to win the game. They recovered the kick and things looked good for the option offense of Navy. Unfortunately, Navy's quarterback threw an interception when his intended receiver slipped for the 8th time that night and Utah regained possession.


Without further ado, here are your links for the day:



- December 15th....one of the greatest nights in recent memory. WWE Monday Night Raw celebrated 15 years and many of the greatest wrestlers came back. Stone Cold, Undertaker, Sgt. Slaughter etc. This clip is easily the highlight of the whole night.


- Nothing brings more joy to people than watching others get hurt. This really isn't that bad, but needless to say this kid ATE this big green ball.


- This was the best buzzer beater that I've ever seen. I can only imagine being one of the 15 people attending this game. Why didn't we see this kid on Letterman?


- I probably should say that this was the best buzzer beater that I've ever seen. Unfortunately, I don't really care much for Hopkins (bad sports experiences). On the positive side, the kid who made the shot is now playing for the Gophers and doing quite well actually. He won ESPN play of the year at the ESPY's over Tiger Woods and just about every other guy who is a pro athlete.


- HY-LARIOUS. Best of luck to this child in his most certain psychological recovery. I am glad that I wasn't at this game, because I would certainly be laughing. Don't think for a second that you wouldn't either.


- It is about 3 weeks after the fact, but it still doesn't feel real. If you watched Sean Taylor's pastor talk, I am sure that you were moved. Sean was turning his life around and becoming the mature man that he needed to be. I don't know his true religious status, but I can only hope that he is in a better place. He will be missed dearly. It's a 7 minute video but it's well worth it to watch him smash T.O. repeatedly. Here is his official website as well.


- Am I the only one that wouldn't mind a 4th one?


- There are a lot of things wrong with this article. Mainly the part about "pitchers who can go late into games" and "at the top of my list". Isn't this the same guy who took himself out of a game in the 6th inning because he didn't feel like he had "it"? Congratulations Seattle, you spent $44 million on a 6 innings a game sinker-baller.


- I have a friend who is from Kentucky and is a huge Wildcats fan. He was extremely negative towards Tubby and was SURE that Billy Gillespie would get it done this year. Well, 4 losses in a row later, Kentucky fans are still pointing the finger at Tubby. After watching Kentucky get handled by Houston the other night, it is CLEARLY Gillespie's lack of coaching and the players lack of skill that is keeping Kentucky down.

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Big Vikings game this weekend at the Dome. With a win and a New Orleans loss, the Vikings are in the playoffs. So let's hope the Giants lose to the Bills and the Vikings beat the 'Skins.


Have a great weekend. Check back Monday for the Weekend Wrap-up.

Monday Night hang-over

Wow...

Well, if you are anything like me...you were spending your night in front of the TV wondering where the Vikings went. As well as being a little more exhausted this morning from all the yelling at the TV.

But where was the the team that has beat its last 4 opponents by an average of 20 points and has won 4 in a row?

Last night, excluding the defense, the Vikings weren't the same team. Tarvaris Jackson seemed to go back to his old ways of forcing passes, which turned into 3 INT's, and even rookie sensation Adrian Peterson had his fair share of mix ups.

But they still walked away with the win....how?

Thanks to solid defense and the athleticism of Adrian Peterson, as well as Lovie Smith for starting Kyle "neckbeard" Orton, the Vikings are that much closer to the playoffs at 8-6. They are only a game behind the New York Giants (9-5) for the # 5 seed. Which right now would be great because a match up against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be excellent for the Vikings.

Sometimes teams of destiny just have things fall in place for them. If you look around the NFC, the Vikings have the most momentum of any team. The other team that could match that momentum? Their NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers.

If the Vikings can win out the rest of their season, I see no reason why they couldn't go very far in the playoffs. As of right now, they would match up well against a Seattle/Tampa Bay team and with the Cowboys struggling a little bit...they could do some damage.

Before we get that far, Tarvaris Jackson and the rest of the Vikings offense needs to minimize their mistakes. As good as Peterson is, don't forget that he is still a rookie. He will make mistakes and Jackson will too. They just need to get defensive play and pick up big yards when they need it.

I was a little nervous watching the game last night and remembering that the Vikings are still a young team but sometimes those are the kinds of teams that can run through the playoffs untouched. Could they beat the Patriots? I'd have to say no...but then again...who thought the Red Sox would come back and beat the Yankees 4 games straight and sweep the Cards for the '04 World Series.

Remember...ANYTHING can happen.

Check back later in the week for updates and friday for Land O' Links.

Land O' Links

Happy Friday!


Today marks the return of Land O’ Links! So to honor this return, I have a slew of links for you all to enjoy. Some you may have seen recently and some I would like to assume are my own gems.


Please send us some links if you find something that you would like to share with us here at Court’s Sports. E-mail us at : c-olson@cornellcollege.edu.


Without further ado, here are your batch of links!


This one has a little Holiday spirit. This just brings back great memories of a show that was once the successful black sheep of Saturday late-night TV. Now, it is just depressing. Part of me just laughs at the "I'm holding it for the Easter Bunny" and the other part of me thinks that he has to deal with the effects of global warming on the North Pole.



The Canadian Press is all over Brett Favre this year. Maybe I am just out of the journalism loop, but should the Canadian Press have better stories than ANY of the Wisconsin papers? Maybe Brett feels a little more candid out of the country. Either way, the Packers are playing pretty good football and I hope that Brett announces that he will be coming back shortly. I can’t stand another summer of “Will he?” or “Won’t he?”



After the big unveiling of the storied Mitchell Report yesterday, some big names were included. Some surprising (Brian Roberts, Rondell White) and some not so surprising (Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire). Somewhere in the middle lies Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. I mean, the guy’s 42 years old and still throwing better than 36% of players under the age of 30?! Well, now his lawyer is releasing a statement based on Clemens being named in the report. As much as I do not like Roger Clemens…well…I’ve got nothing. Let’s take his Cy Young as well as maybe spend some time in jail? That would be a good holiday to me.



A great piece here by Stick and Ball guy rating Major League shortstops. For those of you who maybe think that the Twins wasted a 1-year contract on Adam Everett, check this out. Maybe it will give you some closure or it will give you cramps…not sure.




Kendrick Perkins…don’t let the bed [bugs] bite.



Adrian Peterson embarrassed the Bears. Oh wait, I know what you are thinking. I mean OUR Adrian Peterson. The Bears are looking for redemption and something tells me that they may not get it.



This may have something to do with that premonition. (quick note: this guy is a tank. You may not want him as your quarterback, but good golly…you want him at your party)



My friend Peter sent this to me. Actually, I lost the original link but found this one in slow motion so that you could understand what she is saying. If you have trouble understanding in this clip, imagine what the original is like. This girl needs bootcamp…or Oprah. Not sure yet…



Really? I think these guys should wait until after the Sugar Bowl to do this. Lord knows it worked out real well for the last early birds. (see: Maurice Clarett & Ted Gin Jr.)



Kobe happy? ESPN’s crack reporting includes the groundbreaking news that he is happy while the Lakers have been winning lately. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s start working towards a cure for those nasty paper cuts and ESPNews shows with different news every hour. Let's see where Kobe is when they start losing.



Even though some of you may disagree with his actions, you’ve got to admit…he’s a heck of a player. Any way you cut it, you’ll miss him. Go ahead, admit it. It doesn’t mean that you condone dog fighting, it means that you enjoy being entertained…we all do. See you in ’09 Mike.



And finally…enjoy this clip of Presidential hopeful Barack Obama at our school on December 5th. Great speech and you can see me the whole time while he talks ( black sweater, glasses…stunning good looks).



Please don’t hesitate to send us some links, comment on our articles or just send an email for fun. We’re here to get a good voice out on the net and continue to grow!




Curl up next to the fire this weekend with some hot cocoa and a copy of the Mitchell report. Enjoy!

Johan update & 23 months of weight lifting

Happy hump day to all!

This is the last full week for us here before we get to go home for the Holiday break. My final is on Monday and my final paper is due on Wednesday. So you know what that means? Tuesday will be spent sleeping (after our 7 am weight session) and possibly playing Guitar Hero until my arm feels like Joel Zumaya's (if you have no idea who he is, check him out on ESPN.com or Wikipedia).

I promised you all a Johan update today and that is what you will get!

Currently, it has been reported that the Twins are still in preliminary talks with several teams but are not any closer than they were during the winter meetings. Although some new tidbits of information have come out and here they are:

- The Twins are leaning more towards the Jacoby Ellsbury, Justin Masterson, Jed Lowrie and a 4th prospect deal from the Red Sox as opposed to the deal that would include Jon Lester.

- The Angels may still be in the running for Johan. The Twins really like Jered Weaver and they may have enough players to make it work. The only thing is if they are willing to spend the money when starting pitching really isn't what they need right now.

- Some consider the Mets to only be involved in the Johan talks to keep their fans happy. The Mets really don't have anything to offer the Twins that is not named Jose Reyes or David Wright. Although many rumors have Johan stating that he wants to go to the NL because he likes hitting. I would also like him to go there so that we don't see him except for every couple of years.

- Yankees pitcher Kei Igawa has been involved in talks with the Twins now. No one really knows how serious the Yankees are anymore. Brian Cashman doesn't want to do a deal and Hank Steinbrenner does? Weird, a Steinbrenner and Cashman disagreement? Some things never change...

- Finally, some circles have mentioned the Rangers as being involved with the Johan talks. People question this because A) Who do the Rangers have to offer? (Maybe Michael Young and Hank Blalock?) and B) Would Johan even go to Texas? It's a hitters park for a pitcher that struggled with giving up home runs last year. This is the least likely destination for Johan if he is indeed traded by the Twins.

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The big news yesterday was the conviction of Michael Vick. He got 23 months in federal prison for his involvement in a national dog fighting ring. The judge was quoted as saying that he would not have made the punishment as severe except for the fact that Vick lied to him and also had marijuana in his system between the time he was arrested and convicted. So basically, he was punished for being an idiot.

Vick has admitted to hanging dogs, drowning them as well as electrocuting them. He was only sentenced to 23 months in prison because he has already served a month. He will be released summer of 2009 unless he is released earlier for good behavior. I expect that he will be released early because according to some reports, all he does is sit in his cell or lift weights or play basketball. Some even have noted that he is in better shape and stronger than he ever was when he wasn't a resident of the state.

Michael Vick made a mistake that a lot of people have made. He got involved in something that a lot of people in the south are involved in and got caught. He should have realized that with his superstar status that he should have distanced himself from anything that would not make him look good in the public eye. It seems to be a running theme among our African-American athletes these days. Many of them want to keep their old friends around because they don't want to "sell out" and those friends are hanging on because of the fact that they immediately are available to someone who can provide things for them.

I have never been and do not imagine I ever will be in this situation, but where does it stop? Just because a man has a family and moves away and seperates himself from a situation that is no longer suitable for his lifestyle he becomes a sell out? Our society needs to celebrate success on all levels as opposed to labeling people sell outs. Bring your immediate family with you and start the new life that you were blessed with.

After watching the funeral of Sean Taylor, his pastor made the effort to show the world that Sean had matured. He had seperated himself from the people and area that he knew was bad for him. He started going to church and caring for his family. It is absolutely tragic the way that his life had to end but if there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it's that he started to turn his life around. Many other athletes should take lessons from Sean Taylor on how to change their lives for the better.

Michael Vick screwed up and now has to pay the price for it. I am not interested in finding out more details about the "Bad Newz Kennelz" or anything else, I am interested in how he changes his life ( or doesn't) when he is released.

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Enjoy your day and come back on Friday for the return of "Land-O-Links"!

Monday Run-Down

The Vikings have found a way to win that doesn’t involve future NFL Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson. What is that way? It’s Solid quarterback play by Tarvaris Jackson, a revolving door rushing attack and a defense that can even make the old Purple People Eaters smile.



The past few years, we have seen the Vikings struggle on the road against any team. Whether it was the lowly Dolphins or the suddenly talented Texans, the Vikings were never a sure thing on the road. Even at home, the Vikings were not a sure thing. Since the 34-0 thrashing the Packers put on the Vikings in week 10, the Vikings could have imploded like they usually do and ended this season with all of us thinking “Really?...REALLY?” After a while, that gets incredibly frustrating for the fan base as well as the players and coaches. Brad Childress went out of his way to make sure that the team responded positively and even challenged his players to look within themselves to find the resolve to finish the season strong. So far, they have responded greatly.



Since that Packer game, the Vikings are 4-0 and winning their games by an average of 20 points while we may be witnessing the maturation of Tarvaris Jackson into a NFL ready quarterback. We, as Vikings fans, have been quick to judge Brad Childress. The first move he made as head coach was getting rid of the franchise quarterback for…well…no one. We seemed to critique him at every corner. As fans, that is our job but sometimes we fall into the trap of seeking out only the negative things that happen. I believe that now is the time to start paying attention to the good things that are happening with this team.


For the past four games we’ve seen Jackson continually make good decisions (although he needs to work on that time in the pocket to avoid sacks), Chester Taylor has reminded us that we actually DO have two running backs instead of one and the defense has been pressuring quarterbacks into making decisions that would make Lindsey Lohan blush. They have been getting out to quick starts and play at a continuously high level of intensity through the final seconds of the game. If this team continues to play like this, why couldn’t they beat anyone in the league? Let’s take a look at their 6 losses:


Week 2 at Detroit: Jackson throws 4 INT’s and Bollinger fumbles in OT which leads to a Jason Hanson game-winning FG. Bollinger should have never fumbled that ball and the Vikings should have walked away with a W in this game.


Week 3 at Kansas City: Vikings stuff the Chiefs run game and Adrian Peterson breaks out with a 102 yard, 1 td performance. The Vikings offense stalls and the Chiefs are able to squeak out a win. Again, Vikings offense doesn’t stall…they walk away with a win.


Week 4 vs. Green Bay: Favre dominates the Vikings defense but the lack of education of the referee’s hurts the Vikings chances of winning the game. A botched fumble call and a blown Pass Interference call turn the tide of the game. This is right before the bye week and the Vikings record was 1-3. Should have been 4-0 or 3-1 at least.


Week 7 at Dallas: Vikings are tied 14-14 with 2:52 left in the 3rd quarter before Ryan Longwell’s field goal is blocked by Pat Watkins and returned for 68 yards for a Touchdown. The offense again failed to mobilize and the Cowboys held on for a win. Kevin Williams had a fumble return for a touchdown that was called back for bogus holding. Things again do not go the Vikings way.


Week 8 vs. Philadelphia: Donovan McNabb torches the Vikings secondary for 333 yards and one touchdown while two Vikings quarterbacks struggled to get to 150 yards passing total. Adrian Peterson was held in check and the offense couldn’t get anywhere.


That brings us back full circle to the 34-0 thrashing by the Packers. If you look back through the losses, what is the common theme? You’re right, it was the incompetence of the referees but even more than that it was the inability of the offense to get anything started. They depended too much on Adrian Peterson and Jackson struggled to make smart throws.

Interestingly enough, during their current 4 game win streak, the Vikings have finally been able to move the ball through the air. Jackson is making much better decisions which has opened the field even more for Peterson and Taylor. They had already opened the field for Jackson, he just needed to take advantage of it.


He finally is and the Vikings are starting to look like a serious playoff team.



Next week is another big game at the Dome. A struggling Bears team comes to town to face a defense that is playing at their highest level all year and an offense who is clicking on all cylinders.

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Since the Vikings are the hottest team in Minnesota right now (with exception maybe being the Gopher Men’s Basketball team who is currently 6-1) some of us have forgotten that there are other sports currently playing.


The Timberwolves got a HUGE win on Saturday night at the Target Center. They stymied a Suns team that has been averaging 111.3 points a game and a team that is much better than they are.

The Wolves held the Suns to 93 points and 29% shooting in the 3rd quarter. Al Jefferson became only the second player in Wolves history to score 30 points and have 20 rebounds as well. Who was the other player you ask? The man that Jefferson was traded for this past summer, Kevin Garnett.


This is a young team who has struggled all year to close out games and just plain score. They are 3-15 right now and are at the bottom of the NBA. I went to two games over Thanksgiving break and they did not look good at all. We’ve got to keep this season in perspective though. This is a team that has an average age of 23 and little or no playoff or experience in winning. It is easy to be critical of the team but keep in mind that there are teams right now who started like this and are playing at great levels right now (Orlando, Cleveland, Toronto, Chicago etc.). I ask you to continue to support this team through Antione Walker and Mary Kate Olsen (“thick and thin”…bad joke I know but it had to be said).



Check back mid-week for a Johan Santana update and a look at the upcoming conference play in College basketball.



Have a great Monday!

Working for the Weekend...

Happy Friday to all!

I would like ot announce that we are finally back here at Court's Sports! Well...on a regular basis that is.

Things have been a little hectic down here lately, but due to a lack to editing ability and some other things at our school paper, I can now focus my writing here.

Some big things have been happening...or more like not happening around here:

Johan Santana is still a Twin. I, like many other Twins fans, had already made our peace that we wouldn't see Johan again in a Twins uniform until he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Instead, Twins GM Bill Smith didn't see a trade that he liked and Johan is still around. I struggle with this because I just think that things would be awkward with it being quite clear that we can't keep him around. If the Twins don't make some serious moves, not involving Santana, and keep him...then they will NOT be competive this next season.

We have a great young outfielder in Delmon Young and a potential good fill in at shortstop...but there are some other serious holes. We don't have a third baseman yet...or a shortstop or a second baseman. I think that the Twins should go after former Tiger Brandon Inge. Rumor has it that the Tigers are willing to pay most of his $18 million dollar deal to get rid of him. He's a great fielder and a good hitter as well. Something that we haven't had at third base for quite a while. I like Brendan Harris at either shortstop or second base. He can hit for good power but there are questions about his fielding. Either way, I think that he's an upgrade from Nick Punto.

The Tigers made some serious upgrades and we'll see what the Indians still can do. Right now, the Twins are only the 3rd best team in the AL Central. If they choose to not trade Johan and go for the World Series this year, they've got some serious work left to do.

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Don't even get me started on the Timberwolves. Randy Wittman is not the right coach for this team and after hearing about some of the potential trades that McHale passed up just to do a deal with the Celtics...I might just spend some of my x-mas break picketing outside of the Target Center. On the bright side...we get a pretty good pick in the 2008 NBA draft next year. We'll probably trade it to Miami for Ricky Davis and Jason Williams and then draft an Argentinian point guard who isn't NBA ready for at least 5 years. Sigh...things are tough right now.

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Adrian Peterson...Great

Vikings....Solid

Brad Childress....still balding

Chicago Bears....still bad

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Vikings have a big game against the 49ers at 3:15 this Sunday, so make sure to catch that on Fox. Playoffs are well within the reach of this team, so let's hope that AP can keep running over the competition and the defense can keep stopping everyone who gets in their way.

Enjoy the weekend!