matt weighs in

[Update: After a day of thought, I changed the name of this weekly post to Weekly Weight, instead of Weekly Rave. Why, you ask? Because I'm going to try to do a Daily Rave. We'll see how that goes.]

This is the first ever weekly rave, where I will write about something I am really enjoying at the moment. If nothing else, it will get me to sit down in front of the computer to actually write more than a couple times per month. I have an easy topic this week: the Minnesota Vikings.

Even though the Vikings didn’t play, due to their bye, they extended their lead in the NFC North division, since all three other teams lost. The Packers…hahaha…ummm…give me a second…uhh, the Packers…heeheehee. Oh my, let’s try again. The Packers lost to the Buccaneers, who had previously not won a game this year. The Bears were destroyed at home by Arizona, 21-41 and were actually down 7-31 at the half. And the Lions were the Lions. Up early in their game at Seattle, but ultimately blew it and lost by 12.

Green Bay might be in a free fall, as I have read nothing positive in the last 24 hours since their loss. Sports writers are second-guessing the play calling, the offensive line schemes to protect Aaron Rodgers, and questioning the change to the 3-4 defense. Packers fans are howling worse, calling for Head Coach Mike McCarthy’s head, General Manager Ted Thompson’s head, or, in most cases, both. Chicago can not play good defense and score enough points in the same week (except against the Browns). Jay Cutler’s passing numbers weren’t bad in Sunday, but the defense couldn’t stop Arizona, giving up five passing touchdowns of their own. They seem to be lost right now, as well, with no clear answers in how to fix it soon enough to make a push to the playoffs. The Lions are who we thought they were. Terrible, and on their way to no more than two wins on the season.

Which brings us to the Vikings. They are sitting 7-1 and on top of the division by three games (Packers and Bears are both 4-4). And since the Vikings beat the Packers twice and hold the tie-breaker, really they are four games up on them. The Vikings and Bears usually split their season series, so Chicago will have a really hard time gaining any ground head-to-head. And since the Vikings have three very winnable home games in a row coming out of the bye, beginning with the Lions on Sunday, the chances of either Chicago or Green Bay coming from behind are very slim. Never say never, but I am saying never.

When Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress made the call to Brett Favre in mid-August, I am pretty sure this is where he was hoping the team would be sitting. Actually, this is probably even better. I thought they would be 6-2, at best, with at least one loss to the Packers and either the Ravens or Steelers. But they are even better. Favre has not looked the same as he did the last half of last year, when he was fighting a nagging pain in his throwing arm, or as he did for most of the last few seasons in Green Bay. He’s protecting the ball, making good reads, and putting the ball in his receivers hands where they can make plays. Sidney Rice, Visanthe Shiancoe, Bernard Berrian, and Percy Harvin are all sharing in the benefits of having Favre at quarterback. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is outstanding, and there are not many balls he is throwing that shouldn’t have been thrown in the first place.

People want to criticize the running game, because Adrian Peterson isn’t breaking off the long runs for touchdowns that we are accustomed to seeing. Not sure we should complain when he is still on pace for nearly 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns. Those are MVP numbers. The offensive line has had trouble opening big holes consistently. Whether it is because there is a new center, 7-8 defensive players at the line, or they are just getting beat has not been a huge problem so far. Peterson has been able to break off at least one long run in almost every 2nd half, so I think they’ll be fine, and AP will run wild all day against some pretty bad teams left on the schedule.

The Vikings have had some outstanding, and exciting plays, in the first half of the season, as well. My favorites: Peterson’s long TD run versus the Browns in week one, where he shoved a defender out of bounds and accelerated to the end zone, Favre’s end-of-game TD throw to Greg Lewis to beat the 49ers with :02 left, Percy Harvin’s kickoff return TDs, Sidney Rice’s long catch versus the Ravens to set up the game-winning field goal, Peterson running over William Gay for a nice gain in the 2nd half versus the Steelers, and Favre’s seven TDs (0 interceptions) versus the Packers.

Overall, the Vikings are sitting very nicely going into their last eight games. I would argue that they should be 8-0, along with the Saints and Colts, because they have outplayed every team they have played so far, including in the Steelers loss. Right now, the only NFC teams I would be nervous about playing in the playoffs are the Saints, the Cowboys, and maybe the Eagles and Cardinals, who are both pretty inconsistent. This we most likely know: the Vikings shouldn’t have to play outdoors in the playoffs, as they should end up the #1 or #2 seed in the NFC.

Whether or not they make it all the way to the Super Bowl will be decided, but what team has played better and more consistent than the Vikings through eight games? Colts have squeaked by two mediocre teams the last two weeks at home, and the Saints have fallen behind in the first half of at least three games before rallying to win. The Vikings will keep the pressure on offensively and can definitely score enough points to win any game they play. I like their chances.

I think Minnesota Vikings’ fans have come around to the idea of seeing Brett Favre wearing a purple uniform. At least I have. Maybe it’s the team’s 6-1 record. Maybe it’s his 12 TDs and 3 INTs. Or maybe it’s seeing him move the ball up-and-down the field each week, no matter who the opponent has been. Whatever it is, after seeing a really good Vikings team struggle to a 10-6 record in 2008, led by erratic quarterback play, having Favre throwing lasers all over the field with great confidence should have put aside anyone’s doubt that this was a good move by the team.

I wonder what it would take for Green Bay Packers’ fans to do the same. Seeing a Packers win over the Vikings on Sunday at Lambeau Field will probably help, but only with a total collapse by the Vikings offense, including multiple interceptions by Favre and one late in the game, would the fans be able to fully let go and move on with the team they have. I have believed for some time now that Packers’ fans aren’t as angry with Favre for playing for the Vikings as they are afraid of what he could do with a team ready to do some damage in the post-season. Their fears have been realized through the first seven games of the season, including the first Favre butchering in the teams’ October 5th match-up on Monday Night Football. I think it’s fitting that the 2nd game, at Lambeau, is this close to Halloween, as seeing Favre run out of the tunnel for the first time wearing purple will be the scariest thing they’ve seen in 2009.

The Packers are coming off two nice wins against the hapless Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns, outscoring them a combined 57-3. They needed those wins to keep pace with the VIkings in the division and to continue tinkering with their new 3-4 defensive scheme. They performed really well and should be confident heading into this game. The Vikings are not the Lions or the Browns, however.

Even though the Vikings lost to the Pittsburgh SteAlers last weekend, the Vikings and their fans shouldn’t be too discouraged with the result. Disappointed, sure, but not discouraged. Down 10-13 in the fourth quarter, the Vikings were driving for at least a tie, when left guard Steve Hutchinson, the all-pro best-guard-in-football, got beat to his outside, and the Pitt defender swiped the ball from Favre’s hand, leading to a defensive touchdown. Down 10, the Vikings’ Percy Harvin returned the ensuing kickoff for a TD, bringing the Vikings within three once again. The Vikings defense got another stop (they played really well all game, despite Pitt’s offense clicking the previous couple weeks), and Favre led the offense on another long drive to at least attempt a field goal. But then Chester Taylor, the do-everything savvy veteran running back, dropped a screen pass and the ball deflected into another SteAlers defensive player’s hands for a second defensive touchdown. Two long Vikings drives with no points to show for it (and 14 points for the SteAlers).

In their last two games, versus the Ravens and SteAlers, the Vikings have moved the ball up-and-down the field for most of the game. The Vikings, for the most part, have outplayed their opponent in each game. The Packers defense is not as good as either the Ravens or the SteAlers, so I believe the Vikings won’t have any problem moving the ball against them, again. Bernard Berrian will be limited due to his left hamstring, but turning their long drives into points will be key when they are in the red zone. And they need to put the ball in the end zone if they are at the one-yard-line with Adrian Peterson in the backfield (inexcusable against the SteAlers).

On the other side, the Packers offense has played pretty well ever since the fourth quarter against the Vikings. Despite having to patch together their offensive line due to injuries, Aaron Rodgers has put up Pro-Bowl caliber numbers through the air. The Vikings will be without Antoine Winfield for a second straight game, and despite the defense playing well without him against the SteAlers, this will be a bigger test. Rodgers is clicking with his receivers. I predicted the SteAlers would pass all over the Vikings last weekend and was wrong. I’m making the same prediction for this game. I think Rodgers passes for a lot of yards in this game.

However, just as in the first time these teams played, he will be pressured by the Vikings’ Wall of America defensive line all game. Jared Allen probably won’t have 4.5 sacks again, but 2-3 sounds right. Earlier in the week, I wasn’t quite sure the Vikings would be able to go to Lambeau Field and win this game. But the more I have thought about how the Vikings have played this year, and how well they played last week going into Pittsburgh, I’m a lot more confident in the team. The Packers aren’t as good as either the Ravens or the SteAlers, and I’m predicting the dramatic.

In the fourth quarter, with the game close (it’s the way it has to be, right?), Favre will lead the Vikings to a field goal or touchdown to either put the Vikings in the lead or extend their lead to 10 points. Favre played 16 years at Lambeau, so despite the emotions and Packers’ fans best attempts to throw him off, I think he’ll be comfortable there. I’m leaving open the possibility that the Packers kick a field goal to win the game, but don’t believe it will happen.

In a well-played game, Favre will play the best, and the Vikings will go into their bye week 7-1, after a 27-24 victory over the Packers.

On Tuesday night, Laura and I attended the fourth Bloginar event put on by WCCO in downtown Minneapolis. It was our first one, so we weren’t exactly sure what to expect, except they promised free food, a chance to network with other bloggers and social media folks in the Twin Cities, and door prizes. Oh my, the door prizes, which Laura and I both came away from as winners. More below.

The Bloginar (name change in the future?) was led by John Daenzer, the Director of New Media for WCCO-TV and WCCO.com. He seemed comfortable in front of the group and did a fine job as MC for the evening. We were invited by Laura’s childhood friend, Crystal, so we sat with her, devouring take-out pizza and cookies from Davanni’s as we waited and caught up. The agenda for the evening was short, which is nice for us folks who don’t want to keep the babysitters out too late on a weeknight. There was a Q&A session with TinyURL founder Kevin Gilbertson, and then John introduced WCCO’s The Wire, their soon-to-be-unveiled online interactive news community.

The interview session with Kevin was ok, as John asked him expected questions, such as how did he come up with the idea, what are the plans for the future, and what avenues they’re pursuing to make money amd keep it viable. All good questions, in my opinion, but the answers left a little to be desired. Kevin responded woth short answers with not much elaboration. I gathered that he came up with TinyURL as a way to shorten URLs first in newsgroups back around 2000, so they weren’t broken up on two lines, that they would like to use analytics more to track how people are using the service to redirect traffic (RickRoll, anyone?), that he had a meeting in New York in February with the folks at bit.ly to most likely discuss a buyout, and that he may have plans for a new URL shortening service that would shorten TinyURL. And then he talked about his love of unicycling. I’m leaving out details, but only because it wasn’t the easiest Q&A to listen to, despite John’s and participants’ best attempts to get more out of Kevin. TinyUrl is a great service for any of you that have used it before, but I hope his business pitches to potential partners come across better than his Q&A. Interesting, but I hoped he would have opened up a little bit more.

Next was the introduction of The Wire. John led us through a quick Powerpoint showing the features of the new online interactive news community, showed a six-minute video they will use for potential advertisers, and finally a working demo.

The simplist way I can describe The Wire is that it combines a news service, comment section, and story updates all in one interactive timeline. It’s real-time, so as news or some other event is happening, people can keep up-to-date with the latest info. As a story becomes more popular in the community, it’s bubble grows bigger. People can move from story to story with a click of the mouse or by dragging the timeline side-to-side. You can zoom in-and-out, too, depending on how much of the day you wish to view in the timeline. You’ll b able to see the day before and the day after in normal view, but could also search for any three day period.

Maybe the coolest feature is that it won’t just be WCCO people posting updates, keeping others informed. Anyone will be able to post on a news story, as long as it keeps the story moving forward. And WCCO will track good ideas or tips, which could be used online elsewhere or on the air.

An example we discussed was the balloon boy fiasco from a couple weeks ago. Someone mentioned that after a while, it seemed that something was off about the story. Of course, later it came out that it was a hoax and that the family previously had been on Wife Swap and that they had been shopping a reality show idea for the family. If this story would have been live on The Wire, someone might have recognized the family from the show and posted video from their time on Wife Swap or a link to a story that they were shopping around the reality show. The Wire would, as John made clear, allow links to competing news media, if what was posted was relevant to the conversation.

There were some questions about how to keep misinformation out of the conversation. While they have some decisions to be made, he said that there would have to be some level of moderation, and that anything posted would be something they would stand by. He mentioned “talk with their lawyers” more than once, so I got the feeling that they are making an effort to not turn this into an open message board to which just anyone can post their feelings. There would be levels of contributors, most likely, so WCCO employees could probably post at any time, other users might be eventually be trusted to do the same, and that the general population would be the most moderated. I believe he said they’ve been moving Producers and Editors around in anticipation of the time needed to devote to the project once it goes live.

One of the first questions asked by a fellow attendee was about going mobile. It’s new, so there doesn’t seem to be anything in the works now. However, I would suggest they move on it quickly. I see The Wire being very useful on-the-go for people to stay informed, especially with local events and news. It seems people are so schizophrenic on the web, that I wonder how long people would stick to this one source when they have Facebook and Twitter to get back to. It will be great for getting a snapshot of what is going on at any given time, their goal will be for people to stay and contribute. For people at work, who usually don’t have great freedom to sit and surf the web from site to site, I think it could be a great one-stop news shop during the day. And for a nominal fee, companies, organizations, or venues will be able to advertise their events, which will appear in the timeline as well. I like that they have developed a couple different embeddable widgets for people to use, as well.

As mentioned, Laura and I both won door prizes. Laura won a very nice WCCO Television coffee mug. And I won what was probably considered the grand door prize, which is the opportunity to appear and be interviewed by Jason DeRusha on a future JasonCam on wcco.com. Jason does the very popular “Good Question” segments for WCCO news. We’ll have to figure out the time, and I’ll be sure to let you know when it is. I spoke briefly with Jason after the event and he seems easy to talk to, so it should be a fun conversation. Maybe I can get Siena and Elliot in front of his webcam to show off their dance moves if I freeze up.

These are my (not so brief) observations on the event. Overall, a good time. I was hoping to hear where others had come from to attend, but there were some very savvy social media folks in attendance who asked good questions to make John think about what final features to include in The Wire. I did find some attendees on Twitter who had wriiten about being there, too. I think we’ll go again (the Bloginars are held every 2-3 months). Maybe you’ll see one of us on the 6:00 news as another door prize winner

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* You can read Crystal’s adventures with food at Cafe Cyan and on WCCO’s Bite of MN food blog.
* Find out more about the Bloginar event by searching #bloginar on Twitter.
* And here’s another article about The Wire.

The Minnesota Vikings are 6-0, and I have a very good feeling that some Vikings fans, and non-fans, think the team should apologize for being undefeated. As though they would actually feel better about the team if they were only 5-1 or 4-2 going into today’s game against Pittsburgh. However, the fans would not feel better and would most likely be calling for Coach Brad Childress’s head louder than usual and wishing for more sacks from the league-leading defensive line.

A little perspective: the 2007 New England Patriots, the greatest team ever to not win the Super Bowl, had four games decided by four points or less. In at least two of them, they needed a turnover to preserve their lead, and versus Baltimore, they stopped a receiver at the 2-yard line, securing another victory. Now, I’m not saying this year’s Vikings team will be 19-0 heading into the Super Bowl, but I am saying that all teams, over the course of an amazing season, have last minute (or second) nailbiters. They’re not lucky to win them. They either did enough earlier in the game to win (vs. Green Bay), they made one more play than their opponent (vs. San Francisco), or the other team failed to execute under pressure when it mattered (Baltimore special teams). The Vikings dominated a decent Ravens team for 50 minutes and moved the ball and scored points to keep the lead when they needed them.

It’s not luck. It’s the course of the season. And it all determines seeding in the playoffs. And I like where the Vikings are sitting right now.
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As for the game today in Pittsburgh, I think the Vikings are good enough on offense to put 30+ points on the board against a good Steelers defense, who have Polamalu back at safety, but he’s not a full 100% yet. Favre and his receivers are doing really nice things in the passing game, and AP had a great day last week against a stout run defense similar to the Steelers. Scoring won’t be the problem.

Stopping Pittsburgh’s pass offense will be the problem. Roethlisberger has thrown for a ridiculous number of yards the last few weeks, including 417 against a bad Browns team. I’ve half-jokingly asked people this week if Big Ben has a chance of breaking the NFL record for passing yards in a game, which is 554, set by Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. The answer is always no, but comes with a nervous laugh. It can’t happen, right.

The only way the Vikings win is if they can intercept Big Ben 2+ times and turn them into touchdowns. The Wall of America has to put constant pressure on him, not only getting close, but actually sacking him when they have their hands on him. He is a big QB and is too good at finding an open receiver for a big gain when he is on the move. The Vikings need at least four sacks.

With all that in mind, I think Pittsburgh wins a shootout, with both teams scoring 27 or more points. If the Vikings get to 35, then they’ll win, but I think they lose their first game of the season 29-34.

And remember, if they lose, their’s no shame in being 6-1 on top of the division. Looking ahead, the Vikings will be at worst, 6-2 going into their bye week, with three very winnable home games after. That’s 9-2. Who would be disappointed with that?

Sports prognosticators like to use the phrase, “On paper, [insert superior team here] is so much better than [insert inferior team here].” Usually, it’s a big market team named as the superior team and a team from Minnesota, Milwaukee, Memphis, etc. who receives the inferior label. Such is the case in the American League Divisional Series that begins tonight between the MN Twins and NY Yankees.

The Twins earned their way into the playoffs, whether they deserved it or not. They beat a badly slumping Detroit Tigers team in their epic play-in game Tuesday night. Orlando Cabrera, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer have been on fire at the plate and the Twins’ relievers have been really good since September 1st. The team looked dead in the standings a month ago, but that was before they improbably reeled off 17 wins in 21 games to come all the way back and defeat the Tigers. Sure they needed some final Metrodome Magic, but I’ll make no apologies, as the Tigers faltered late and didn’t earn the playoff spot.

Which brings us to the series against the Yankees. I heard the lineup they’re running out there tonight, and I don’t know a more packed lineup in baseball. Jeter, Damon, Texeira, Rodriguez, Matsui, Posada, and Cabrera (who would bat 3-6 in most lineups). After Alex Rodriguez returned to their lineup, when many thought the team was underachieving, they really took off, passing the Rays and Red Sox over the summer, and never looked back. They will be hard to beat this post-season. Their pitching isn’t deep after Sabathia, so if the Twins can somehow steal one in New York, it’s their only chance to upset the mighty Bronx Bombers.

I don’t see the Twins winning three games against the Yankees. New York will win the first playoff series in the new Yankee Stadium in four games. Perhaps Minnesota and the fans in the Metrodome can provide one final miracle before saying goodbye to the 2009 season. Win Twins!

The Minnesota Vikings moved to 4-0 in gunslingin’ fashion. Many in the media are comparing Brett Favre’s performance on Monday Night Football to that of a surgeon, slicing the Green Bay Packers defense with the precision of a very delicate surgery. I would argue that he was more of a butcher, leaving the Packers pass defense a chopped and bloodied carcass on the Metrodome Mall of America Field turf.

I thought the Vikings would win by around 10 points, which was close to the 30-23 final score, and I think I’m comfortable with how the last five minutes played out, when the Packers cut the lead from 16 points down to 7. However, it seemed like the Vikings outplayed the Packers by more than what the final score indicated. And I’ll take that, since it means they’re 4-0, leading the Bears by one game in the division and two games up on the Packers. The win also moved the Vikings to 3-0 in the NFC, which could come into play when deciding home-field advantage in the playoffs.

My Vikings’ MVPs for the game are:
* Favre ->Not a surprise, considering the game he had. But it was surprising how well he played against his former team, based on the Vikings’ passing game previously this season. Maybe the end of the 49ers game last week, when he threw the TD with :02 left, gave Favre and the receivers confidence to trust each other and be more on the same page than they’ve been so far. Whatever happened in practice last week, we’ll take it.
* Packers offensive line ->What a mess that unit was. They knew they were going to have to be perfect throughout, and they weren’t even mediocre for any stretch of the game: 8 sacks given up (4.5 to Jared Allen), multiple hits on Aaron Rodgers, no consistent holes for the running game, and no push at all when they were at the one-yard line going for an important TD in the 2nd half. They need to work stuff out in the coming weeks, or the Packers will be out of the playoff picture before the midway point of the season.
* Jared Allen, Ben Leber, Sydney Rice (tie) ->Allen was a beast. Besides the 4.5 sacks, he had multiple hits on Rodgers and had him on the run a few other times. The Packers coaches rarely gave the left tackle help, and Allen took advantage. Leber continues to make plays when they’re needed. He single-handedly kept nine points off the board in the 2nd half. Seven when he made a tackle at the one-yard line on the goal line stand, and another two when he tipped the two-point conversion pass, keeping the score 30-20 in the 4th quarter. He came up big. Rice, like Leber, continues to make plays and is growing as a 3rd year wide receiver. He’s caught a touchdown pass two straight weeks and made the two huge recoveries on the onside kicks to end the game (side note: those were spectacular onside kicks by Crosby of the Packers. Drove the ball into the ground where it bounced hiiiiiigh up in the air. The Vikings did a great job of fending off the rushing Packers, so Rice had time to jump and get the ball). With Bernard Berrian showing signs of being over his hamstring injury, having Rice on the other side as a bona-fide weapon makes the Viking offense quite scary.

Overall, a great night at MOA Field for the Vikings, their fans, and for Brett Favre against his former team. He downplayed the game all week, but we know, based on his reactions on the TD passes, that it meant a little bit more than any other game.

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The Minnesota Twins, too, play a huge game at the Metrodome (I think it’s still called the Metrodome for them). Anyway, the Detroit Tigers caught a break by having a day off before today’s deciding baseball game. The Tigers limped into game 163, having lost 4 of 7 games the previous week to blow the American League Central Division, a division they led since May.

Scott Baker is pitching for the Twins, and I really think he is going to earn his nickname “Big Spot Scott.” He’s going on plenty of rest and should pitch superbly, if he’s able to control his nerves. The Tigers counter with a 20-year old rookie in Porcello, who should end up with the AL Rookie of the Year. I think this spot will be too big for him, and the Twins’ hot bats will continue to stay on fire.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Twins get to Porcello early, with 55,000 screaming fans panting for more Metrodome magic after last night’s football game. Joe Nathan will close out the game, and I predict Minnesota wins by 2-3 runs.

Bring on the Yankees!

The Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre host the Packers on Monday night. As big as the game is – ESPN is expecting the biggest audience in Monday Night Football history – I can’t help, but wish this first meeting between the teams was taking place on Green Bay. Their fans would be even more hyped than what Viking fans have been.

The Twins have thankfully taken some of the the local sports talk away from the football game, but the anticipation has been felt since the dramatic end to the 49er game. Favre to Lewis with :02 left just added fuel to the fire for this game. We’ve heard over and over about the legend of Favre, which is overstated, as is the case with most sports stories. But I’m hoping he will add one more good game to his lengthy resume.

In his press conference last week, when asked about wanting revenge against his former team, I wish that Favre would have said, “When I played for the Packers, I wanted to beat the Vikings. I now play for the Vikings, so I want to beat the Packers. Will it mean something to me? Yeah, it will. But it will mean a lot to the other guys in this locker room, too, because we’d still be in first place.” He gave a cliched answer, as most guys would have, but maybe he’ll say more post game.

I’ll take the purple to win by 8-12 points tonight. Favre will play fine, but the Vikings won’t need him to, which could disappoint the national audience. Adrian Peterson should get back on track, and the Vikings defensive ends should harass Aaron Rodgers all game, as the Packers o-line is patched together this week.

Let’s hope the Vikings are still leading the division when they head to Lambeau in four weeks.

Skol Vikings!

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame held it’s 2009 induction ceremony last Friday, September 14th, honoring Jerry Sloan, John Stockton, C. Vivian Stringer, David Robinson, and Michael Jordan as the 2009 class. Even without Jordan, the great former Chicago Bull, this is one heck of a class, with Robinson probably the headliner. But Jordan was there, and from what I can gather by reading different websites and analysis of the ceremony, he possibly was the only one who gave a speech, and most people were not happy with it. Others thought it was fine.

You probably won’t find many fans these days who wouldn’t call Jordan basketball’s Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T). You’ll get some old timers who will throw out Wilt or Russell, but those guys were giants playing in a game of many slow, white men. Looking back on it, they should have dominated, and they did. Their competition didn’t include, as Jordan’s did, so many players who could match up, either with size or quickness or both, and push them on the court. Jordan’s competition included: Magic Johnson, Larry Bird (yes, an athlete), Clyde “the Glide” Drexler, Dominque Wilkins, James Worthy, Joe Dumars, Reggie Miller, Dennis Johnson, Mitch Richmond, and near the end of his career, Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, and Allen Iverson. These are all great players and competitors, who tried every time they played Jordan to slow him down, but failed.

The theme of Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech was competition, or rather, drawing your competitive fire from any source possible in order to achieve your goals. He told people to find things to continue adding “wood to that fire.”

The first thing people mention after calling Jordan the G.O.A.T is what a competitor he was, not only on the basketball court, but in his personal life. There are many stories, usually involving money and different games, where Jordan relentlessly pushes his opponent to keep playing until Jordan wins. He would practically force guys to stay up late into the night playing cards until he won most or all of his money back. He did the same thing on the golf course. Anything to keep him sharp and on top. And he didn’t know when to turn off his competitiveness, and probably doesn’t know even today.

In his speech, Jordan gave people a little more personal look into some of the moments in his basketball life that drove him to become great. These moments included talking about:
* Leroy Smith, whom he flew to the ceremony, the sophomore chosen over him for the varsity basketball team
* feeling slighted that Dean Smith didn’t include him on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was a freshman at North Carolina
* the supposed “freeze-out” in the all-star game by the other Eastern Conference starters
* how Pat Riley and his teams always played him the hardest, and
* what might have driven him back to the game in 1994 after his retirement to play baseball (it involves comments made by Bryon Russell, the player for Utah who couldn’t defend Jordan on his final shot of the 1998 NBA Finals).

There are other very candid moments Jordan talks about that you can view in the link I included above. And I have to admit, I enjoyed his speech. I thought that it was refreshing that a player stepped outside the box on speeches and delivered something that really let us into his core as a player and let us see, from him, why he yearned to be the best and not only beat his opponents, but attempt to humiliate them. Most of these speeches follow the same bullet points – talk about the upbringing that grounded them, thank their families, their early coaches, their mom, the people and players that helped them achieve greatness as a professional, and then they’ll finish with some words of wisdom to tell the kids to follow their dreams.

Michael Jordan did all this in his own way, and it was at times funny, at times emotional, but it was all heartfelt. He had tears in his eyes as he stepped on stage, talked kindly about Scottie Pippin (briefly), his family, Phil Jackson, and yes, some of it was cold-blooded, just like he was as a player. He probably could have laid off Jerry Krause, the former Bulls’ General Manager, a little bit, but it would have been superficial of him to disregard their player-management feud in that setting and sugarcoat their relationship over the years. It probably would have been better to not mention Krause at all. If they ever do end their disagreement, it will be face-to-face, not from a stage.

I am really surprised that so many national sports writers reacted negatively to Jordan’s speech. In a nutshell, they wished it followed the clichéd H.O.F speech bullet points. They think that because he was such a competitive player and person for so long, that this stage was his time to be more humble, put all that drove him in his career behind him, and take more time to thank those who helped him achieve all that he did.

Isn’t this what he did? He did thank those people, but did so by telling us his personal stories about how they pushed him throughout his career to get better and play at a level higher than the rest. He had note cards, but appeared to say most of it off the cuff, which might be the reason some have called it rambling and unfocused. I like that he was just up there telling stories, naming names, telling me why he competed like he did, as hard as he did.

The only time he read directly from his notes, and looked the most uncomfortable, was at the end of his speech, when he talked about what the game of basketball has meant to him and how, hopefully, his career has given people the “optimism and desire” to achieve their own goals. Some people are calling Michael Jordan’s speech petty, but I thought he was genuine, his words refreshing, and he gave us a final glimpse at the competitive player he was and the man he is. It is hard to argue with the results.

******

To finish this, I have to say that Michael Jordan is my favorite player of all-time, just like many of you. I don’t recall having any other player’s poster up in my room (maybe one Larry Bird one, but it was probably soon covered up by a Jordan poster). One year, I even remember having all Jordan notebooks and folders to take to school for my work.

Here are my two favorite Jordan dunks of his career, one from college, an unexpected windmill on a breakaway, and the other in which he posterizes Patrick Ewing of the Knicks after making an unbelievable move on the baseline to shake two defenders:

(at North Carolina vs. Maryland)

(as a Bull vs. the Knicks. Skip to 1:20, if you prefer)

[Laura and I were on our honeymoon eight years ago when the towers fell in New York, the Pentagon burned, and Flight 93 crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. It was a time of joy in our lives, but a time of mourning for our country. I hope that each passing year brings more healing to those individuals directly affected.]

I started writing the title of this post, leaving “Mission Miami” alone on the screen for a while. Laura walks by and asks, “Mission Miami? What is that? (pause) Is this going to be about sports?” I would love for this to be about a wonderfully planned trip to South Beach, but yes, honey, this is about sports, the most wonderful sport in the world to be a fan of watching – the National Football League.

The Minnesota Vikings should reach the Super Bowl. I’m being biased? Perhaps, having lived in the great state for 30 years. However, what team in the NFC doesn’t have more question marks than the Vikings? I’ll tackle this later. First, look at what experts say usually takes to win the Big Game, and the Vikings pretty much have it:

* Good-to-great defense -> The Vikings were #6 overall and the #1 run defense in 2008. They have their guys back, including the Williams Wall, Jared Allen, Antoine Winfield, and E.J. Henderson at middle linebacker, who was on his way to a possible Pro Bowl birth before breaking his toes. SB winners this decade – Steelers (2), Giants, Patriots (3), Bucs, and Ravens – won, because their D held up strong for 19-20 games.

* Strong quarterback play -> He’s not the Brett Favre of 1996, or probably even 2006, but he’s still a Hall-of-Famer leading a team who was a mentally competent QB away in 2008 from pushing further into the playoffs than a first-round loss. I hate that analysts are saying that he won’t have to do too much and that he should only have to manage the game for the Vikings to do extremely well. That’s weak expectation talk. He will need to play well in the 2nd half of at least 5-6 games this year, in order for the Vikings to win. That’s not managing. That’s going out and winning, which Favre has done more times than not in his career. And he shouldn’t have to pass the ball 33 times per game (40 in week 17), like he did last year with the Jets. Even better, he gets to play 10 games in domes this year and at Carolina and Arizona in December. Worst possible game, as many have talked about, is at Chicago around Christmas. I will mention Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, but only to say that I am more than happy to roll the dice with them as backups. Jackson knows the offense and has chemistry with the players. Sage has been a backup his whole career and is the heir to lead the team in the future. They’ll both be ready. Tom Brady and the Mannings have won a combined five SBs this decade. Brad Johnson (Bucs) and Trent Dilfer (Ravens) had all-time defenses.

* Great running game -> This doesn’t always hold true for winning the big game, but it is certainly an asset. All Day, Adrian Peterson, leads a top-three team rushing game in the NFL (his greatness extends to marketing, seen here). Whether or not Chester Taylor would start on another team is debatable, but he would be considered for the starting RB job on most other teams. AP led the league in rushing last year, and barring injury, there’s no reason he shouldn’t do it again. The Vikings have a couple questions on the offensive line, including starting a rookie at right tackle and basically a rookie at center. But Jim Kleinsasser can help out on the end, and John Sullivan, the new center, not only has Favre calling the signals, but perhaps the best guard in the league on his left, Steve Hutchinson.

* Coaching -> This is the only reason people have a case to write off the Vikings this year. Some might not like what Favre did this summer, with waffling on whether or not he would play. But he is, and he will be solid. Favre is not the reason the Vikings could underachive this year. Brad Childress is the big unknown. He is the Head Coach and has what most would consider all the pieces in place to make a deep playoff run. Whether or not he can lead them to do it is a huge unknown. Fail this year and his job will be open. Childress is not in the same league as SB winning coaches this decade – Belichick, Coughlin, Dungy, Cowher, Gruden, and I’ll give you Tomlin, since he’s well-respected. But win, and he at least isn’t labeled “incompetent.”

The other reason the Vikings have to produce this year, and should, is that they have thrown too much money at key players not to win: Favre-$12 million, left side of O-line-$8+ million, Jared Allen and Wiliams Wall-$30 million!!!, Berrian-$13.7 million, and the kickers will make a combined $4 million. That’s a lot of green to fizzle out of the playoffs one more time.

The team won’t be as good as their best team, 15-1 (1998), or as bad as their worst game, 41-0 (2001). But they should be a good enough team to win 11-12 games, have a first-round bye in the playoffs and at least make the NFC Championship game. Here’s a look at the other teams in the NFC. Why shouldn’t the Vikings be favored to reach the Super Bowl?

**************

NFC North
* Packers -> Coming off a 6-10 year, they have a nice offense that will keep them in a lot of games. The defense has the makings to be decent, but the 3-4 is still a new scheme, and they moved their best player, Kampman, to a new position. They won’t make a huge jump past 6-10, and I am completely baffled that Bill Simmons on ESPN picked them to win the Super Bowl. Whatever is stronger than baffled and shocked is how I feel about this. My favorite sports writer picking my most hated team to win it all. I about passed out in my chair when I read this. I really think it was just his final way to give the two-finger salute to Minnesota for the Wolves not hiring him as GM and for not letting the Favre story go away.

* Bears -> Jay Cutler is a train wreck waiting to happen, again, without one decent receiver to throw to. Their defense is old and injured to begin the year. Maybe next year. Despite all this, the Bears are receiving buzz nationally. Like the Packers, I don’t get it. Head Coach Lovie Smith gives them a chance, though.

* Lions -> They’re the Lions. Winless in their last 17 games. And now have a rookie starting QB. Good luck with that. But I hope Kevin Smith does well, as he’s one of my fantasy RBs.

NFC West
* Seahawks -> They haven’t been able to put it together since their SB run in 2006. They should be better than 4-12 in 2008 with Matt Hasselbeck returning from injury and some nice receivers, but I’m not sure 9-7 will get them in the playoffs.

* Cardinals -> Two big questions are whether or not Kurt Warner can last another full season. If he can, the offense will again be as good as any in the league, especially with Fitz and Boldin on the outside. And I don’t the think the defense can make the run like they did in last year’s playoffs. That was a fluke, and the Cards could fall back to 8 or 9 wins.

* Rams and 49ers -> I think they are afterthoughts, but hope they give their fans a few things to cheer about this year.

NFC South
I’m going to group these teams together in one paragraph, as any one of them could make some noise this year, but no one has any really strong feelings toward any one of them. The Falcons are coming off a nice year, when many felt they played over their head. Matt Ryan has the extra experience and Michael Turner is a solid back, but they don’t have enough to take the next step. They might make the playoffs, but would not go into the Metrodome and win, again. Buccaneers and Panthers are usually strong opponents against anyone, but the Bucs have too many new pieces and Jake Delhomme is too much of a wild card at this point in his career in Carolina. The Saints? Maybe. Drew Brees is top-three QB in the league, and the offense will put up a ton of points. Their defense is like a ribbon at the end of a finish line, however. Saints will probably represent this division and might fight for homefield in the playoffs.

NFC East
* Giants -> Picked by many, so far, to do good things this season. Eli Manning has improved greatly the last couple years, and now has a huge contract to show for it. He should have deferred some of that money, so they could get some receivers, any receiver. I’ll be shocked if he completes 55% of his passes this year, his career average. The Giants awful finish in 2008 was a trend, not a mirage.

* Cowboys -> So goes Tony Romo, so go the Cowboys. But many forget that outside the NFC West, the Cowboys gave up the 4th most points in the NFC last year. With no T.O. for defenses to key on, they may be more predictable, leading to another year of devastated expectations in their new stadium.

* Redskins -> They can spend all the money they want, but they are still a dismal franchise. No QB to rely on, a running back on the downside of his career, and who to throw to?

* Eagles -> McNabb and Westbrook are always questionable to stay healthy for a whole year. They lost some guys on defense. And they’ll hear dog “jokes” all year. Could be a circus, like the Vikings.

*** And a few paragraphs on the AFC ***

AFC East
* Patriots -> The AFC is theirs to lose, if they have Tom Brady all year. But even with their offensive juggernaut, people wonder if their defense can keep their opponents from scoring as much. I think they will, and the Patriots will win at least 13 games.

* Bills, Dolphins, Jets -> Terrell Owens in Buffalo is the only story we’ll hear out of Buffalo this year. Miami played over their head last year. It will be interesting to see if they have any new wrinkles for the wildcat offense, though. New York will also start a rookie QB. This will turn out worse than Favre’s last five games last year.

AFC Central
* Steelers -> Pittsburgh will be a strong repeat SB contender and fight the Pats all year for AFC supremacy. Their defense is dominant and offense has enough experience and weapons to put together drives for points when needed (example: Thursday night’s game vs. the Titans). This team is good.

* Ravens -> Their defense is still really good, if aging, and their running game, with a breakout year from Ray Rice, should help keep Flacco from dropping off in his 2nd year. Could make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs, but no further.

* Browns and Bengals -> I have nothing to say about the Browns. They stink. And I have wanted the Bengals to be good the last couple years, because I like Carson Palmer, but they, like the Seahawks, just can not put it together. It’s the same this year.

AFC South
* Colts and Titans – > Both will again be good in 2009 and have the making to at least push the Steelers and Pats for the AFC crown. Will probably bow out before the AFC Championship game, but will at least make it interesting. I was impressed with Tennessee in their opener at Pittsburgh. Their running game will get on track as the year moves on. Peyton Manning will keep Indianapolis relevant for as long as he’s in the league. They need Bob Sanders back on defense, though.

* Texans and Jaguars -> I really want these teams to do well, because I like many of their players. They just can’t ever seem to put a run of games together where both offense and defense plays well at the same time. Either one could squeak in as a wild card team, but not likely, given the quality of other teams in the AFC.

AFC West
* Chargers -> It’s San Diego and everyone else in the mess out west. If they can keep off-field distractions to a minimum (LDT worrying about who says who is the best RB in the league and Merriman playing nice with his lady-friends), the Chargers should have a playoff birth wrapped up by week 12 or 13. Rivers and LDT are as good a QB-RB combo as there is in the league. The Chargers could sneak into the AFC Championship game, if the Pats’ D or Steelers’ O falters in the playoffs.

* Broncos, Chiefs, and Raiders -> I love watching these teams play, because of their fans’ rivalry and hatred for each other. I would watch a three-hour tape of the tailgating before any of these games. But I’ll probably turn the tv off once their games actually start. I might give Denver a little benefit of doubt, but I can’t trust any team with Kyle Orton at QB, even if he is halfway competent. These teams will look up at the Chargers all year.

*****

So there you have it. My first annual, and lengthy, NFL preview. The homer in me is trying to be objective about the Vikings and put their chances in realistic terms. Bottom-line: I really like their chances. Even though 10-6 will again win them the division, they’ll win a minimum 11 games and have a 1st round bye. Despite Brad Childress as Head Coach, they have enough experience in almost every offensive and defensive unit to overcome his faults.

Whether or not it is enough to win the NFC Championship and then defeat New England or Pittsburgh in Super Bowl 44 in Miami will be intriguing to watch and discuss all year. I have a birthday in February. Maybe Laura and I will plan a trip to South Beach after all.

I watched this video last week, after coming across the link through Digg_2000 on Twitter. Full length is 10 minutes, and stick with it if you can. The guys at MIT are working on some good stuff to make our world greener and less dependent on individual batteries and cords. WiTricity. Coming soon to your home, we hope.

The first question most people will ask is, “How much will it cost?” I think we should be asking how much more money for r & d will it take to get it ready for the market. Costs always come down, as we’ve seen with any new technology. My only hope is that people can take the long view with their wallet. We’ll save money, hopefully, on battery and electricity costs, while keeping hazardous stuff out of our landfills.

I’m sure we’re at least a decade or more until WiTricity is widely used, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could put one of the battery chargers in your basement or garage, set it to reach as far as the edges of your property, and all compatible devices charge when they are in range? Or what if cities could buy huge wireless charger grids to put in strategic locations and people paid to use them (or received a tax credit for going green?)

If you are more familiar with this technology, besides cost, what are other obstacles to cable-free electric power becoming a reality? How hard will it be to get television, cell phone, car, and other manufacturers on board to put the battery pack on their products? These, too, could go wireless, along with those mentioned in the last sentence: hair appliances, coffee maker, and home entertainment equipment.

And, since this is a family site, an added benefit is that if the charger could be placed under the carpet or inside a wall, we wouldn’t have to worry as much about kids sticking their fingers in the sockets. Saving lives and the earth. How can it fail?

…

Video note: I originally watched it on the TED blog
More on witricity: here and here