A few items…

- I will be at Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus, MN with Bryan Mileski every night for the next 10 days or so covering the Midwest Poker Classic for Minnesota Poker Magazine.

The MPC runs a new tournament every day leading up to the $1,000 buy-in Main Event next Sunday. You can enter the preliminary events, which start at 11:00 a.m. every day, for as little as $120.

For photo galleries, daily coverage, etc., check out MNPokerMag.com. I’ve been working almost around the clock the past few weeks (and months, I suppose) between KFAN duties to get this business off the ground, and we’re looking forward to some awesome poker-related things heading into 2010!

You can also follow Minnesota Poker Magazine on Twitter.

(So, for friends and family who haven’t heard anything from me lately, don’t take it personally! I live in a cave and work a lot…)

- I was fortunate enough to win the Ultimate Football Challenge pick’em game at KFAN.com last year, outlasting great football minds Paul Allen, Mike Morris and Dave Sinykin in the end.

Be sure to follow and/or join the contest this year, but don’t look at my picks from last week… Ugly!

- Twins are three games back of Detroit with a week left in the season, and the objective this weekend is to simply stay within striking distance heading into next week’s series against the Tigers.

Don’t let the Royals cripple you. I’m rooting for the Twins, obviously, but can’t help but look back at the entire season (and offseason) wondering what could have been done to gain a game or two in the standings.

Speaking of the Twins, The Hardball Times has one of the best baseball websites out there, and Chris Jaffe wrote a nice article about the best games in Metrodome history. Check it out.

I’m such a fraud.

I wrote the Twins off as playoff contenders at some point in late-July, but after they defeated the Tigers 3-0 on Friday night it looks like I’ll at least have to start nibbling on my words. And, of course, I made my bandwagon-esque return to the Metrodome press box tonight as well…

Now, before we begin praising the Twins for how gutty they are, and how they never quit, etc., it’s important to note they play in what could possibly be one of the weakest divisions in baseball over the last 10 years. If you put their 75-72 record in any other division (keeping in mind other divisions also would have provided more difficult competition than Cleveland, Chicago and Kansas City), the closest the Twins would be to first place is 10 back in the loss column behind St. Louis.

It’s like when a fat dude is on a treadmill. He’s out of shape and tired, about to keel over, but he pulls the red safety pin and the tread slows down to help him keep pace.

Regardless of the circumstances, and regardless of how they arrived where they are, the Twins are only three games behind Detroit with six more head-to-head matchups. Baseball Prospectus now gives the Twins greater than a 20% chance to make the playoffs.

The dream is still alive!

I certainly haven’t been the lead vocalist from the optimism choir, but if the Twins do somehow win this division (no less of a miracle than the late season charge of 2006), ANYTHING can happen in the playoffs. Short series, small sample sizes, and so on… Bats can heat up, pitchers like Duensing can start mowing down hitters, and opposition can go cold.

I do worry that the Twins will feel a false sense of security for 2010 because of this late-season pennant chase. Hopefully they can look objectively at where they stand as an organization.

Either way, it’s fun to watch meaningful baseball in September.

From KFAN.com

Weeks and months of speculation, Brett Favre-courting, and anticipation came to a head on Sunday when talk turned to action in Cleveland for week one of the regular season. And even though Favre was the center of attention heading into the season, it was Adrian Peterson – the franchise’s bread and butter – that shouldered the load on Sunday, helping the Vikings to a 34-20 throttling of the Browns.

“He’s relentless,” head coach Brad Childress told KFAN after the game. “That’s the thing that comes to mind. The offensive line is doing a tremendous job, and he’s doing a tremendous job of picking up those blocks. Superlatives are not enough.”

25 carries, 180 yards, three touchdowns, a bloody arm, and piles of carnage in his rear view mirror. The Vikings struggled in the first half and went into the locker room trailing by three points, but Peterson went into the phone booth (where he also hovered over a garbage can and lost his lunch) removed his thick-framed glasses and strapped on the cape.

“I just had to come back and get recharged,” Peterson said. “Really didn’t start off the way I liked in the first half, and I knew I had to come back and make it up.”

And make it up, he did. The Vikings went 44 yards on nine plays to start the third quarter, and Peterson punched in from one yard out – his second touchdown of the game, giving the Vikings a 17-13 lead.

Following a Cedric Griffin interception, Favre found Percy Harvin on a 6-yard touchdown pass, and Ryan Longwell later connected on a 37-yard field goal, giving the Vikings a 27-13 lead.

Peterson then struck again, with a stiff-arming, twisting, turning, violent, bullying, 64-yard touchdown run to put the Vikings up by 21.

“Offensive line did a great job up front opening it up for me,” Peterson said. “I was able to bounce it back, get around the perimeter, and just able to make a good play on the free safety.

“He came up for the tackle and I was just able to overpower him, throw him out of bounds, and stick the dagger in.”

The first 60 minutes were certainly nerve-wracking for the Purple. The offense looked entirely too conservative, the referees offered zero help, and the punt coverage unit allowed Josh Cribbs to cut loose on a 67-yard touchdown return.

In the end however, Peterson showed everyone why he’s still the centerpiece of the football team. And he also probably validated Favre’s decision to return.

Favre completed 14-of-21 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, good enough for a 95.3 QB rating. Most of his passes leaned on the conservative side, but why take any questionable chances when Peterson is running wild?

A good start for the Vikings against a team they were expected to crush.

News, Notes, Thoughts

- The surprise onside kick was the talk of the first quarter for multiple reasons, namely because it didn’t work. The Browns wound up recovering and marching forward into field goal range to take a 3-0 lead. The Vikings obviously could have used those three points back when they trailed 13-10 at halftime.

Brad Childress said the Vikings had “a certain look” based on the way Cleveland lined up for the opening kickoff, and they decided to take a calculated shot.

Still, because the Vikings are clearly superior to the Browns, and because the Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL, why risk allowing the Browns to start off near midfield and score the first points of the game? Why not kick deep and make QB Brady Quinn drive his team 80 yards? Even if the onside kick would have worked, the logic could still be questioned.

Now, if the Browns would have started the game with an onside kick of their own, that makes more sense because they would be looking for any possible edge against a superior opponent.

Ultimately it doesn’t matter. The Vikings won by two touchdowns.

- WR Percy Harvin scored his first career touchdown in the third quarter on a 6-yard pass from Brett Favre. Favre then ran up and tackled the young wide receiver in the end zone.

Harvin finished the game with three catches for 36 yards, two rushes for 22 yards, and and three kick returns for 99 yards. He lined up everywhere, and he did everything, and fans can expect more of the same throughout the entire season.

- WR Darius Reynaud also had a nice showing on Sunday. He returned two punts for 54 yards, including a 36-yarder that he nearly broke for a touchdown. Reynaud has some serious “wiggle” to him when returning punts, and the de-activated Jaymar Johnson is going to have a hard time seeing playing time unless Reynaud’s performance drops off considerably.

After watching Reynaud and Harvin, it’s easier to come to terms with the release of WR Bobby Wade. He simply wouldn’t have much of a role on this team.

- Which Vikings defender had the best game on Sunday? The answer is obviously subjective. CB Cedric Griffin made a spectacular over-the-shoulder interception to go along with four tackles and a forced fumble. CB Antoine Winfield seemingly decapitated three Browns’ ball carriers.

But LB E.J. Henderson led the Vikings with seven tackles, and he also tallied a sack.

As a team, the Vikings held Brady Quinn to only 205 yards passing on 35 attempts. The Browns did score their first offensive touchdown in nearly seven games, but it didn’t happen until 28 seconds remained in the fourth quarter.

- Legendary running back Jim Brown was in attendance to watch his former team play against the running back (Adrian Peterson) he recently called the best in the NFL. Peterson did nothing to change Brown’s opinion on Sunday.

- WR Bernard Berrian saw his first action since straining his hamstring before the first preseason game, but he did not catch a pass.

- Nice to see the Vikings recover from a slow start to throttle a bad team. They scored 34 points with relative ease, and the defense went into full lockdown mode when necessary. Baby steps.

-After the game, TE Visanthe Shiancoe (who caught three passes for 26 yards) Tweeted: “Brett is def essential to this teams progress with his collectiveness in times of distress. We have explosive talent offensively…”

From KFAN.com

With preseason finally in the rear view mirror, the Vikings take their freshly trimmed 53-man roster to the practice field in preparation for Eric Mangini’s Cleveland Browns.

The only problem? Both Mangini and Vikings head coach Brad Childress are being extremely secretive regarding their respective quarterback situations. Of course, Childress’ tight lips withhold information about his backup scenario — Brett Favre is obviously the starter — but Mangini has yet to publicly name a starting quarterback.

That’s right. Less than six days before the first regular season game, and Browns fans have no idea whether they will root for Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson.

In fact, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports Eric Mangini will attempt the impossible this week; he’s made his decision on who will start, but he’s keeping it internal until kickoff on Sunday.

Good luck keeping a muzzle on 53 players.

Here’s the most recent report:

10:26 a.m. — Browns coach Eric Mangini said Monday he’s made his decision on a starting quarterback, but will keep his identity internal and not reveal it to the Vikings, Sunday’s season opening opponent.

He said he will tell the two quarterbacks in the “near future” in separate conversations with each of them. He said he’ll explain to them why and how the decision was made. He said as a defensive coordinator, it’s difficult to prepare for an offense when the quarterback is unknown.

He said he expects both quarterbacks to prepare as though they’re the starter. He added that both have prepared and competed at a high level. “It was thorough and detailed and we looked at the whole body of work,” said Mangini. “It was extensive. I feel strongly about the improvement both guys made.”

Childress, on the other hand, has yet to decide between Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels as his backup quarterback. Jackson made his mark against the Chiefs with 200+ yards and two touchdown passes, while Rosenfels hasn’t been as sharp since a solid start in the first preseason game against Indianapolis.

“We’ll end up declaring that probably an hour and a half before the game,” Childress said. “But at least you know who the starter is here.”

This is obviously an important and difficult decision between two guys who have history as starting quarterbacks in the NFL. The Vikings traded for Rosenfels in the offseason and signed him to a three-year extension under the presumption that he would compete for a starting job in Purple.

Jackson has been Childress’ project for three-plus years, and he’s one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the league.

How do you go about telling one of them he’ll be deactivated each week? Well, for starters, Childress said he’s unlikely to declare a backup for the entire season. Instead, the backup position may rotate from week-to-week, depending on various factors.

Still, the interception Rosenfels threw last Friday night that led to seven points the other way for Dallas is a built-in explanation for bumping him to third string.

“It’s been a long time since that’s happened,” Rosenfels said about possibly being the third-string quarterback. “I think I’ve been at least a two for the last four years; this would be my fifth. It’s a tough situation, but you can never have too many good quarterbacks.”

“I guess we’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there,” Jackson said. “I’m not used to (third string). We’ll see. We don’t know exactly what’s going on right now, so I guess I’ll just try to take it one day at a time.”

As far as game-planning for a mystery Browns quarterback on Sunday (much like Tecmo Super Bowl in the early 90s), Childress said not much would change regardless of who Mangini names as the starter. The Vikings will look at Jets film from last year (Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s old squad), and they will watch film on Browns’ personnel.

Notes

- Rosenfels and Jackson both practiced holding field goals for Ryan Longwell after practice. That’s what backup QBs do, right?

- Speaking of backup QBs, John David Booty found himself back in a Vikings uniform Monday as a member of the practice squad after being waived on Saturday afternoon.

“I felt that I’m a better player than to not get picked up,” Booty said. “I feel like I can play this game… I still could, eventually, but who knows. For now, I’m happy to be here.”

“I really don’t know that one play is going to make or break you,” said Booty, regarding the interception for a touchdown he threw on Friday night. “Maybe it can. If so, then maybe it did.”

Childress also chimed in, saying it was more about the “body of work” with Booty and others. Still, the interceptions thrown by Rosenfels and Booty certainly made the idea of trading Jackson less enticing.

- Asher Allen took number 21, which was formerly occupied by Marcus McCauley. McCauley was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions this weekend. He’ll have two chances at revenge against his former team.

- Madieu Williams did not practice on Monday. He left Friday’s game (even though he didn’t play) with the stomach flu.

Teams aren’t forced to divulge any injury information until Wednesday.

From KFAN.com

The regular season can’t come soon enough.

The Vikings lost a barnburner to the Dallas Cowboys on Friday night, 35-31, in the fourth and final preseason game. Normally, the team would shrug this off and be happy nobody was seriously injured, but with LB Erin Henderson’s status in the air after being carted off with what appears to be a serious right knee injury, the glass is probably half empty.

To make matters worse, quarterbacks Sage Rosenfels and John David Booty threw back-to-back interceptions for touchdowns in the first three minutes of the third quarter that would make Ryan Leaf blush.

“At times it was embarrassing,” said Brad Childress in reference to Rosenfels and Booty.

The Vikings once held a 21-7 lead, but the Cowboys tied the game after the two “pick sixes”. The Vikings then stretched it to 31-21 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but a touchdown pass by QB Rudy Carpenter and an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown by Jesse Holley sealed the comeback for Dallas.

Negatives certainly shined through on Friday night for the Vikings, who may now have to re-evaluate their efforts to trade Tarvaris Jackson. He’s clearly been the best of the three since Brett Favre’s arrival. If nothing else, Booty’s dismal performance on Friday made the quarterback number crunching much easier on the front office.

Teams must trim rosters from 75 to 53 by late afternoon on Saturday. With Henderson likely out, LB Kenny Onatolu (5 tackles, a fumble recovery, coach’s favorite) seems to have secured himself a roster spot. With Booty showing just how raw he still is (7-of-13, interception for a touchdown, stalled drive to end the game), Jackson may wind up staying on the roster after all. And with Darius Reynaud housing a punt return, and Bobby Wade restructuring his contract, the Vikings appear ready to keep six wide receivers.

A meaningless game, yet so many storylines.

Disastrous stretch for Rosenfels and Booty

Childress characterized the opening minutes of the third quarter as “embarrassing” for Rosenfels and Booty, who threw back-to-back interceptions for touchdowns against the Cowboys’ backup defense. Both passes were extremely ill-advised (needless to say for anyone who watched), and it’s unsettling for such incompetence to flare up when the team is shopping Jackson.

Speaking of Jackson, he started Friday night’s game and finished 2-for-4 for 42 yards and a 36-yard touchdown pass to TE/FB Jeff Dugan, who was left wide open inside the Dallas 10-yardline. After the game, Jackson said he isn’t sure what the future holds.

“I’ve been having fun the last couple weeks,” Jackson said. “That’s all I really need to say. I feel like, regardless of what happens here, I feel like my future is still bright in the NFL. I can’t control exactly what goes on here. All I can control is my play on the field, and I’m just trying to get better each day. I really haven’t been worried about the talk of a trade and all that.

I’m not going to try to give you a certain percentage if I’ll be here or not, but I’d love to be here, and if I’m not I’ll welcome a new challenge, and I’ll be excited either way I go.”

Rosenfels relieved Jackson midway through the second quarter, and he led the offense into scoring range twice before halftime. The first drive stalled on a failed 4th down conversion from the 2-yardline, and the second drive stalled when Ryan Longwell’s 51-yard field goal attempt was blocked.

Rosenfels appeared slated to play a significant portion of the third quarter as well, but he was promptly replaced by Booty after Dallas’ Patrick Watkins jumped an out-route for a pick-six.

When asked why he put Booty in for Rosenfels, Childress bluntly said, “Because he threw an interception for a touchdown.”

Ironically, after Booty threw a dart into the chest of Dallas LB Steve Octavien for another Cowboy touchdown, Childress sent Rosenfels back in the game.

“I never lost confidence,” Rosenfels said, after admittedly misreading the coverage on his interception. “I’m not going to lose confidence, I’m going to keep slinging it out there and keep trying to find completions.”

Rosenfels may not have lost confidence, but after Friday night, how can the coaching staff possibly trust any quarterbacks on this roster outside of Favre and Jackson?

Players fight for roster spots

With the Vikings resting starters, several “bubble” players had a chance to take a ton of reps and plead their cases for the 53-man roster.

“Bubble” guys who made their mark:

LB Kenny Onatolu: With or without the injury to Erin Henderson, Onatolu sat squarely on the bubble heading into Friday night. But with a few bone-jarring tackles and a fumble recovery, this former CFL player may have found a home in Minnesota for the rest of the fall.

“I think I did well, but the decision is not up to me,” Onatulo said after the game. “Hopefully I did enough. I worked hard in camp. I think I made strides from day one until now, so hopefully it will be good enough.”

Luckily for Onatolu, Childress loves the work he’s put in since joining the team.

“He is a quick study,” Childress said. “He’s a guy that has been as good a gym rat ever since he could be back on March 17th. He hasn’t missed any days; he spends time in the building. His special teams (play) obviously stands out.”

WR Darius Reynaud: It remains unclear whether the Vikings will keep five or six wide receivers, which means Reynaud may or may not be competing with Jaymar Johnson for that final spot. But if Friday night was any indication, Reynaud passed the test with flying colors. He scored from 81 yards out on an electric, twisting, Houdini-like punt return that sent an otherwise boring Metrodome crowd of 62,000-plus into a frenzy.

Reynaud said that was the first time in his life he’s ever returned a punt for a touchdown.

“I’ve shown I ain’t just a receiver,” Reynaud said. “I can do other things besides that.

“We’ll find out tomorrow if I get that phone call or not. We’ll see… I think I sealed the deal tonight, so I’m feeling really good going into the final cuts.”

RB Ian Johnson: The Vikings are likely to keep three running backs, which leaves one slot after Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. Albert Young appeared to have the inside edge all preseason, mostly because of his familiarity with the squad, and vice versa, after hanging around with the Vikings last year. On Friday night, however, Boise State alum Ian Johnson inserted his name back into the mix in a big way.

Johnson ran 17 times for 61 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 26 yards. Ultimately, with the third running back slot, the Vikings are looking for someone who can contribute on third down. Young caught two passes for 20 yards, but he also had one bounce off his chest late in the fourth quarter. Johnson certainly showed up at the right time, and his performance will make Saturday’s final cuts even more difficult for the coaching staff.

Wade talks about restructured deal

Bobby Wade signed a 5-year contract in 2007, but on Friday the Vikings restructured his contract. Wade will take a pay cut in 2009, but in return the Vikings dissolved the final two years of his contract, allowing the veteran to become a free agent after the season.

“It was more or less something I needed to take care of,” Wade said. “The opportunity presented itself in that form and it fit perfect. It was something I wanted and something they wanted, and it works out great. It keeps me a Viking. That’s what I wanted to be. I wanted an opportunity to play here definitely for this season and see how far we can go.

“It’s a real good opportunity for me personally. Coming off the last couple years and hopefully knowing how far that we’ll be able to go this year, I’m going to get a real good opportunity to see what it looks like. But in all honesty, hopefully it ends up that I’m still here.”

Don’t take this to the Vegas sports books by any means.

http://www.kfan.com/pages/teamguides/vikings/notebook/53manroster.htm

I apologize for the lack of baseball content on this site lately, but the Twins were so irrelevant for the majority of the summer, I just couldn’t bring myself to analyze anything. I felt like I was beating a dead horse on every episode of Twins Weekly (bullpen help needed, Delmon and Casilla terrible, #2 hitter mismanagement, etc.).

Well, props to the Twins for hanging around.

And props to the front office for acquiring the bullpen help so desperately needed in Jon Rauch. I can recall several instances this summer where Jon Rauch’s name was thrown out on this blog, or on the KFAN airwaves, and for him to be in a Twins uniform pitching in spots where other men used to serve up crooked numbers is a pleasant surprise.

The Twins obviously lost a heartbreaker 4-2 earlier this afternoon to the White Sox, when Joe Nathan gave up back-t0-back home runs to Gordon Beckham and Paul Konerko, before allowing two more runs.

But because the American League Central is so God-awful, the Twins — despite only being one game above .500 — still have a decent shot at earning a playoff bid.

Does this team have flaws? Of course. Relying on Jeff Manship and Brian Duensing down the stretch is as risky as it gets (not that they can’t be serviceable pitchers going forward). And rolling the dice on this bullpen for more than a year before making a significant move was also risky, if not downright illogical.

But let’s rekindle some magic and take this damn division. With Delmon and Alexi finally showing some signs of life, the Twins’ offense has a ton of punch. Denard Span, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer are all having career seasons. As is Joe Mauer, and Justin Morneau is having the second-best season of his career. I will gladly eat my words if the Twins can surpass the Tigers. Playoff baseball is the bomb, and if the 2006 Cardinals can win the World Series, anything can happen.

OK, maybe I’m getting carried away by mentioning “World Series”.

Twins Weekly is off the air until further notice. The KFAN schedule shifts toward football every September, as do my duties. But if the Twins can hang around and stay alive for another few weeks, I’m sure we’ll bring it back for a stretch run.

Again… Come on, Twins. Catch the Tigers and give us something fun to watch in October.