Back at it

I know it's been a while since I've taken time to write on here, but I'm back. With football season already underway and hockey coming soon (training camp is only 9 days away), I figured now was as good as any to come back.


Throughout the last couple of weeks, pictures have surfaced of some NHL teams new third jerseys that will be worn this season. The most recent one to come out is the Carolina Hurricanes third jersey. When I first saw it, I honestly didn't know what to think of it. When I look at it, it reminds me of a youth hockey jersey. The black color definitely stands out when you look at it, and Puck Daddy makes a great point when he wonders aloud what Cam Ward will think of his defensemen wearing the same color as the puck. After reading what all the symbolism means, I can at least look at the jersey and understand why they made it the way they did. Speaking of the 'Canes, they recently made Eric Staal one of the highest paid players in the NHL. Staal signed a 7 year, $58 million contract extension that will pay him $8.25 million annually and keep him in a Hurricanes uniform until at least the 2015-2016 season. I believe the money was worth it, as long as the Hurricanes go out and spend more money to get more talent around him. Staal is a great start and I hope he can bounce back to averaging 100 points a season.

Great news coming out of Minnesota recently: Kurtis Foster, who broke his femur late last season, has been up and skating the past few days. This is good news for a guy who really didn't know how long it would take to recover. It was a pretty gruesome injury, and it's good to see Foster back on the ice.

Meanwhile, Assistant GM Tom Lynn and Ron Salcer, Marian Gaborik's agent, are in Los Angeles discussing contract options for the star winger. Gaborik, in the last year of his current contract, will probably demand a contract of at least 6 years at $8.5 million a year. As much money as it is, I believe the Wild need to spend it to keep a guy that has 50 goal potential. Gaborik set a new career best with 42 goals last season, including a 5 goal game against the New York Rangers. With Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns, and Nick Schultz all locked up, the Wild need to get Gaborik to re-sign so that they have a solid core going forward.



In week one of the NFL, injuries were the story. Tom Brady, the reigning MVP and quarterback of the New England Patriots, took a shot to the knee against the Chiefs and is out for the rest of the season with a MCL and ACL tear. Shawne Merriman, the sack machine for the San Diego Chargers, has decided to have season-ending surgery to repair two torn ligaments in his left knee. Both injuries are a major blow to each team, with the Patriots coming off a season where they went to the Super Bowl and the Chargers entering a season where they hoped to reach a Super Bowl.

As much as I hate to talk about it, I suppose I should mention the Vikings/Packers game that went on Monday night. There were ups and downs for the Vikes, but overall they didn't have a good showing in a 24-19 loss. The day after the game, the local papers blasted Tarvaris Jackson for being inconsistent and reiterating that Jackson might only have this season left to prove he can be a reliable quarterback. After watching the entire game, I can only disagree with what the paper said about Tarvaris. Sure, his passing percentage was bad, and yeah, his passer rating was low, but overall I think he did great. He had pressure on him all night, and he did as well as I've seen anyone do with guys in his face. He consistently stayed calm and delivered his throw. His receivers dropped some, and Jackson made some bad throws, but they can't all be perfect. And on the ground, Tarvaris looked fantastic. He scrambled well and showed good poise when deciding whether to throw or run. It is unfortunate the Vikings couldn't pull out a win, but I'm confident that they will recover just fine. It is obvious Tarvaris is getting better, and seeing his progress against Green Bay makes me excited for what he will do this season.

Predictions for Week 2 of the NFL:

Tennessee over Cincinnati
Green Bay over Detroit (Although that is not the way I want it to turn out)
Kansas City over Oakland
New York Giants over St. Louis
Vikings OVER Indianapolis (I will never predict a loss for the Vikings)
New Orleans over Washington
Carolina over Chicago
Jacksonville over Buffalo
Seattle over San Francisco
Atlanta over Tampa Bay (Atlanta looked great week one against Detroit)
New England over New York Jets (Matt Cassel will fill in just fine for Brady)
Arizona over Miami
San Diego over Denver
Houston over Baltimore
Cleveland over Pittsburgh (This is my upset pick, if it is even considered an upset)
Dallas over Philadelphia (And for the sake of my fantasy team, I need Romo to throw at least 4 TDs)

Vikings fill a need, acquire Pro-Bowl DE Allen

After much deliberation as to what the Vikings may do with this draft, the decision has been made. The Vikings have agreed to trade their first round pick (17 overall) and both of their third round picks in this years draft to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for Jared Allen, a pro-bowl Defensive End who led the league in sacks last year with 15 1/2 in only 14 games.

For me, this trade was a no-brainer. The Vikings knew their weakest position was DE, and since they didn't land anyone in free agency, what other route was there to take? They were debating taking a DE in the draft, but the thought was that the only viable candidate (Derrick Harvey) would be gone by the Vikings pick, so they pulled a deal that fills their need and makes the team better. This move definitely makes the Vikings a major contender in the NFC. The only glaring hole the team had was at DE, and now that they filled that with the best in the business, they are looking good going into this season.

The only gripe I have about this trade is that one little mistake by Allen could cost the Vikings dearly. Allen has already been arrested for two DUI's, and one more is a year-long suspension by the league. But if Allen is asking the Vikings for a 6-year, $74 million contract, he better be sure he's not going to screw up. The contract that the Vikings are putting out there for Allen includes $31,000,069 guaranteed (his jersey number is 69). With this move out of the way, the Vikings can now concentrate on getting Tarvaris Jackson, our next biggest project, ready to guide this talented team through the playoffs and on to the Super Bowl.

Let the blaming begin: Why did the Wild fail?

It's been a tough couple of days for the Minnesota Wild and its fans alike, and it's not going to get any better as the summer wears on. After a season filled with so much expectation and promises, it was over just like that after a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. So many questions remain, and the one that everybody is asking is: Who's the blame for the Wild's failure? I'm going to spread the blame out through the team, from the players to the front office, but I will admit that some are more to blame than others.

1) Jacques Lemaire: Jacques has more Stanley Cup rings in his possession than fingers on his hands, but that hasn't translated into championships here in Minnesota. It's hard to fault a guy that has shown he knows how to win, but he deserves some of the blame. The Wild make one trade at the deadline, Chris Simon, and that was originally to build up our toughness come playoff time. It turns out we didn't need the toughness against the Avalanche, therefore Lemaire decided to sit Simon. Big mistake in my opinion. Watching Simon play these last couple months of the season led me to breathe a sigh of relief; we finally had a guy that went to the front of the net and stayed there in the offensive zone (Todd Fedoruk does that too, but I'm not focusing on him right now). Simon has played in a total of three Stanley Cups, and he has a Cup to his credit, yet Lemaire decides to sit him in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I agree he may not score as often as he used to, or that we don't really need the tough side of him, but he does what no one else on the Wild does, and that is be physical while also doing your job. How are most goals scored in the NHL? By a player setting a screen and having another play take advantage of that. Chris Simon was the one who set up the screen whenever he got a chance, but Lemaire decides to sit him. And we wonder why the Wild struggled to score this series. Lemaire switched up lines so much and sat guys that could have helped the team that he definitely has to be blamed a little bit.

2) Marian Gaborik: Just to appease most Wild fans, I would have to say that Gabby should be blamed for some of the failure, but I'm in the minority when I say he doesn't deserve too much blame. Gabby is a pure scorer and has proven that in the regular season as well as the Wilds previous playoff appearances. It sucks that Gabby didn't show up in the series against the Avalanche, but is it totally his fault? Gabby played with 4 different centers this year and scored 42 goals, yet he did the same thing in the playoffs, and scored zip. I think that with a consistent center that always played along side him, Gabby could have scored even more in the regular season and definitely gotten going in the playoffs. Either way, a team should never have to count on one player scoring to win in the playoffs.

3) Doug Risebrough: Risebrough has usually had a knack for making good decisions, but this year when it counted, he screwed up big time. Just a month into the season, the Wild lost one of their most reliable centers in Wes Walz. That opened up a huge hole at the center position that was never closed, even as the trade deadline approached. There were rumblings that the Wild might go after a center like Bobby Holik out of Atlanta, and that would have been a fantastic idea. The Wild were a good team most of the season, but acquiring a quality center to play with Gabby and win faceoffs in the offensive zone would have made them a great team. So when we need a center, what does Risebrough go out and get? A forward in Chris Simon (this is not a knock on Simon, I like him and want him to stay with the team). As soon as the trade deadline passed, I immediately questioned Risebroughs commitment to winning. We could have used another solid defensemen as well, but we got nothing. All this while our first-round opponent is out getting Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote, and Ruslan Salei. This made the difference in the series and I believe that most of the blame lies right here on Risebrough.

4) The Team: Usually I don't like to blame anybody other than the players, but this time I think it is split. I always believe most of the blame belongs to the team, since they're the ones playing the game, but again, I split the blame. The Wild actually played a pretty good series, but the better team won. Part of the reason the Wild lost was the defense: not because they were bad, but because they were tired. Once we lost Kurtis Foster to a broken leg, our defense was tremendously weaker. Then just a week before the playoffs start, Nick Schultz, arguably our most consistent defensemen, goes down with an appendectomy that sidelined him until game 6. That left guys like Brent Burns, Kim Johnsson, and Martin Skoula to play upwards of 30 minutes a game with back-to-back games thrown into the series. All that together is a recipe for disaster.

The Wild will undergo a major makeover this offseason, so who knows if they will make it back into the postseason next year. Hopefully with Craig Leipold now taking over as owner of the team, the Wild will be spending some money to bring in some major talent to compliment the talent they already have. Re-signing Gabby would be a good place to start, and then they should go after either Marian Hossa or Brian Campbell. A high-profile player that has proven himself will be the key to bring in, and if it doesn't get done, it will be a disappointment. Now that the Wild season is over, it is time to shift gears to the Twins and the Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings: A possible 13 win team?

The NFL schedule was released this morning, much to the delight of fans everywhere. I always love the beginning of the season because it enables fans of all teams to believe their team can win it all (except Lions fans, I can't honestly believe they think they have a chance). The Minnesota Vikings, coming off an off-season that was full of moves, look to have a very favorable schedule. Here is the schedule in its entirety:

Sept. 8: Vikings at Green Bay (6 p.m. Monday, ESPN)
Sept. 14: Indianapolis at Vikings (noon, CBS)
Sept. 21: Carolina at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Sept. 28: Vikings at Tennessee (noon, FOX)
Oct. 6: Vikings at New Orleans (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Oct. 12: Detroit at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Oct. 19: Vikings at Bears (noon, FOX)
Oct. 26: BYE
Nov. 2: Houston at Vikings (noon, CBS)
Nov. 9: Green Bay at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Nov. 16: Vikings at Tampa Bay (noon, FOX)
Nov. 23: Vikings at Jacksonville (noon, FOX)
Nov. 30: Chicago at Vikings (7:15 p.m., NBC)
Dec. 7: Vikings at Detroit (noon, FOX)
Dec. 14: Vikings at Arizona (3:05 p.m., FOX)
Dec. 21: Atlanta at Vikings (noon, FOX)
Dec. 28: N.Y. Giants at Vikings (noon, FOX)

Looks good, right? Ok, so maybe I'm reaching for some stars when I think the Vikings could win up to 13 games this season, but it might be a legit prediction. Starting at the top of the schedule, the Vikings should be able to get off to a good start with a pounding at the hands of the Packers. The Vikings, after their upgrades and the Packers loss of Favre, are definitely the better of the two teams when they meet. Then the Vikings run into the Peyton Manning-led Colts, a tough game even though it's at home. I did have the Vikings losing this game, but you never know. I believe this game will come down to the Vikings secondary and whether or not they can keep Manning in check. Next on the block is the Carolina Panthers, a team that doesn't match up with the Vikings at all. Steve Smith is far and away their best player, and without a solid quarterback, he can't even be utilized (as evident by my terrible Fantasy season last year in which I leaned on him way too much). Then the Tennessee Titans host the Vikings in a game that shouldn't be too difficult for the Vikes. I love the Titans and the direction their going with Vince Young at QB, and I do think they are a good team, but I still think the Vikings are better all around. Then the Vikings travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. The Saints, with plenty of good players but coming off a very disappointing season, will play the Vikings close, but in the end, I again have to believe my Vikings would beat a team like that. Of course I believe this game is contingent on how Drew Brees and Reggie Bush perform, but I don't see both of them lighting it up, at least in the same game. The Vikings then have the privilege of hosting the Detroit Lions, the perennial cellar-dweller in the NFC North. I hate to pick on the Lions, but even when they do well (like last year), they still screw up at the end of the year. As I'm sure you picked up by now, I am taking the Vikings in this matchup. Minnesota then travels to the windy city to take on the Bears. I don't know what to think of the Bears this year, but right now, my thought is that they won't be very good. They still have Rex taking the snaps and they don't have a running game. I wouldn't be surprised if the Vikings shut the Bears out in this game. With my predictions, that puts the Vikings at an impressive 6-1 going into the BYE week. Although that may be very lofty, I like to think big for my hometown teams.

The Vikings first matchup after their week off is the Houston Texans at home. The Texans, another team I like to see succeed, are not a team I see keeping up with the Vikes. As has been the theme with this post, you'll find that I say that teams "cannot keep up with the Vikings" quite often. That is because of four reasons:

1) Adrian Peterson
2) Our outstanding defensive line
3) Our outstanding offensive line
4) And Adrian Peterson

If those reasons don't impress you, then...well you're not on the same page as me. But still, the Vikings have a great team that should be able to keep up with most teams this year. Anyway, back to the schedule. After the Texans, the Vikings have their second game against the Packers, but this time the game is at the Metrodome. Again I do not see the Pack putting any real pressure on our defense, so I see another semi-blowout in the Vikings favor. The Purple then travel to sunny Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers. Although the Bucs don't strike me as a team with a lot of firepower, I just don't see the Vikings winning 8 games in a row, even if I wanted it to happen. This is a game that I will concede and give to the Bucs. Next up is a very very talented Jacksonville team. I have a ton of faith in the Vikings, but the Jaguars are too good. As much as it pains me to say, I believe the Vikings will go on a losing streak at this point in the season. The Vikings will rebound from their losing streak though when they take on the Bears again. I am really glad that the Vikings are in the NFC North because we play the Bears twice. It won't be a difficult task to take down the Bears again, and that will get the Vikes back on the right track. Next the Vikings take on another divisional foe in the Lions. The Lions are not a good team, so again I see the Vikings having no trouble. The next couple games are against the Cardinals and Falcons, respectively. I kind of see these two teams as evenly matched, although I think the Cards are a bit better. I can see the Vikings blowing both of these teams out, although the Cardinals could pull a fast one on the Vikes. The Vikings wrap up the regular season against the defending world champion New York Giants. This will be a tough game, simply because after last year the Giants proved they are a good team, but also last year the Vikings dismantled the Giants with a team that isn't as good as they will be this year. I can see the Giants winning this game, but I still choose the Vikings because I like them better.

I know that these predictions are kind of far-fetched, but I have a lot of confidence in the Purple this year. They upgraded all around and got guys that will add to the team right away (Bernard Berrian, Madieu Williams, and Thomas Tapeh). If the Vikes do well in the draft and are able to grab a guy like Derrick Harvey, they will be in good shape. If Tarvaris Jackson can really become a big time quarterback this year after a decent season last year, the Vikings offense will be as potent as any.

Wild deliver crushing blow to Avalanche

In a must-win game for the Minnesota Wild, it was a couple of the usual suspects that showed up and got the W for the visiting team. Niklas Backstrom was unbelievable in making 44 saves en route to a 3-2 overtime victory for the Minnesota Wild.

It was a game that featured lead changes throughout and plenty of action up and down the ice. The Wild, for the third game this series and third game in a row, let in the first goal of the game, a rebound shot by Andrew Brunette that put the Avalanche up 1-0 at the 15:19 mark of the first. There are so many amazing story lines already in this series, but the most telling is the Wild's tendency to break out in the third period and overtime. The game stayed at 1-0 through the second period as the Avalanche fired 17 shots at Backstrom. Both teams were getting there chances, yet neither team was breaking through. This was a game that Colorado had a ton of chances to get ahead, due to the horrible officiating that was displayed. Every call, no matter how little or how blatant, was a penalty on the Wild. It literally seemed like the Wild would kill a penalty, and then immediately get called for another one. The Wild had their chances on the powerplay too, just not as many as there should have been. When the third period rolled around, it was the Wild taking control again. The Wild in this series have a total of 8 goals: 6 of those have come in the third period, while the other two came in overtime. Needless to say, the Wild are quite lucky that they can keep the game within reach in the first couple periods. True to their form this series, the Wild quickly tied the game at 1-1 when at the 7:13 mark of the third Todd Fedoruk hustled down the Avalanche end, scooped up the puck and swiftly threw it in front of the net where Mikko Koivu was waiting to tie the game. It was a beautiful goal that involved two of the Wild's most important players right now in Fedoruk and Koivu.

Tying the game up was a boost to the Wild, who were looking for something to give them the momentum. After Koivu was called for a tripping penalty at the 10:26 mark of the period, the Wild continued to dump the puck for about a minute before Pavol Demitra was able to slip by the Colorado defenders. Demo carried the puck up the left side with Brian Rolston on his right and Colorado defensemen Jean-Michael Liles in between them. Demo stick-handled the puck through the left faceoff circle where he got Liles and goalie Jose Theodore to commit. Demitra then threw the puck across the ice to a streaking Rolston, who shot the puck into the empty net to give the Wild the lead with less than 10 minutes to play. Although they had the momentum in their favor, you can never count out the Avalanche when they put Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg out there. It took just over 3 minutes for Colorado to tie the game again, this time on a bouncing puck in front of the Minnesota net that Sakic was able to corral and put pass Backstrom. The teams continued to play evenly for the rest of the game until time was winding down in regulation and David Jones took a slashing penalty to give the Wild a powerplay with 8 seconds remaining in the game.

The Wild came out firing on the powerplay in overtime, but of course it was to no avail. Theodore was a stone wall out there, as he has been the entire series. The overtime featured even more scoring chances for each team, but both goaltenders were committed to keeping their team in the game. Finally at the 11:58 mark of overtime, the Wild was rewarded for its hard work when Rolston hustled down the ice to avoid an icing call and threw the puck into the middle of the ice to a waiting Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who buried the puck behind Theodore and sent the Wild into a frenzy.

This was a wicked important game for the Wild to win, not simply because it puts them up 2-1 in the series, but also because it helps reclaim their home ice advantage they had taken away when Colorado won game one in St. Paul. The real test for both teams will be tomorrow night when they play their second game in two days. With the Wild shorthanded due to injuries and the Avalanche having no shortage of older veterans, it will be interesting to see which team will come out firing first in a game that should ultimately decide how the rest of this series goes.

Mikko Koivu quietly becomes one of the most reliable centers in the NHL

Mikko Koivu, one of the few mainstays in the Minnesota Wild lineup, has proven now more than ever why he is one of the best centers in the National Hockey League. Coming off the best year of his short NHL career, Koivu is the epitome of what a center needs to be, even if he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. After a regular season in which he tallied 11 goals and 31 assists, he has already collected two goals and one assist in the Wild's current playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche. In recent years in the NHL, it has become increasingly important to have a good core of centers due to the rule changes that came about after the lockout, especially on a team like the Wild, where coach Jacques Lemaire preaches two-way hockey from his centers. Although currently a little shaky at that position, the Wild are in great shape for the future with Mikko Koivu leading the way.

Koivu has never been one to garner attention; heck, he didn't even start out as a scoring center in the early stages of his career. When the Wild drafted him with their first pick in the 2001 draft, they drafted based on what they saw in the future, not the stats he had accumulated so far. From 1999 to 2004, Koivu collected just 32 goals while playing in Finland, and 11 of those goals came in the 2000-2001 campaign. It wasn't until the Wild finally signed Koivu and assigned him to the Houston Aeros that he blossomed into a real scoring threat. In his first season with the Aeros in 2004-2005, Koivu scored 20 goals to go along with 28 assists, the first time he showed that he had any real scoring threat. That next season, Koivu made it out of camp and on to the Minnesota Wild roster. That year, Koivu played in 64 games and had 6 goals and 15 assists to go along with a +/- rating of -9. Although he showed good signs of progress, the Wild were counting on him to be their number one center, and with numbers like those, that wasn't what he was showing. When the 2006-2007 season rolled around, Koivu looked like he was ready to shed his scoring demons and get on the right track. Koivu had 20 goals and 34 assists that year to go along with a very important +6 rating. Koivu also had his first career NHL playoff goal that season, and proved that he can be a scoring threat as well as a shut-down center. Although Koivu had made good strides during the 06-07 season, it was his most recent season, 07-08, that had the rest of the NHL buzzing.

This season, Koivu totaled 11 goals and 31 assists with a career high +13 rating, but those numbers came in only 57 games. On November 17th in a game against the Vancouver Canucks, Koivu tried to skate past Vancouver's Mattias Ohlund in the neutral zone. Koivu brought his arm up in a bid to get around Ohlund, but Ohlund thought it was a blatant elbow to the head. Ohlund quickly reacted and took a brutal two-handed swing at Koivu's leg, breaking a bone in it and sidelining him for 24 games. With Koivu primed for a breakout season, this injury was a huge blow to the Wild. Luckily, the Wild recovered and Koivu came back and continued his scoring to propel the Wild to their first Northwest Division title. Although it is easy to look at stats and put all your eggs in that basket in terms of importance, it is the intangibles that Koivu brings to the table that make him among the great centers in the game right now.

Jacques Lemaire is all about defense. Although most teams and coaches around the league believe it slows the game down, Lemaire's style led the Wild to a division championship. His system is one that focuses on shutting down opposing offenses before worrying about scoring your own goals. The defense is taught to clamp back and cut off the forecheck, while the forwards are taught to find space and take a shot if they have one (unfortunately the Wild could still use some help in that department). This leaves the center to take on both roles, yet all within the top of both ends faceoff circles. While the centers in Lemaire's system are told to focus more on defense, when they get into the offensive zone, they are supposed to stay behind the top of the faceoff circles in order to be able to transition more fluently. That is exactly what makes Koivu so good at what he does. Although largely unnoticed, Koivu has become one of the best two-way centers in the game, creating a myriad of scoring chances as well as playing a brilliant neutral zone game and having a great backcheck. Koivu is usually playing on the Wild's checking line beside forwards Stephane Veilleux and Branko Radivojevic, and there is no question as to what his job is: shut down the other teams top line. The beauty of Koivu's game is that he can do that all while being able to rush up the ice and score on his own, or get the puck in the opposing zone so that the next line can create chances. It can't be an easy thing to do as a center, having your main job be defense. But Koivu knows his role and has shown vast improvement the last couple of seasons, a big relief to a team that is a little weak at center. This season, with the way Koivu has been playing, Lemaire has been inserting him into both the checking line and the top line, sometimes playing him alongside Marian Gaborik. When playing alongside a playmaker like Gaborik or playing on the checking line that doesn't get a whole lot of recognition, it's unfortunate that Koivu doesn't get the attention he deserves.

Most people that know of Mikko Koivu most likely know of him because of his brother: Saku Koivu, the captain of the Montreal Canadiens. But there is no doubt that soon enough Mikko will gain the spotlight from his older brother. Although largely unnoticed by the rest of the league, you would think that such an important player would be more known throughout Minnesota, a state that lives and breathes hockey, but unfortunately that isn't the case. Even in his home arena, Koivu is rarely recognized as one of the three stars of the game unless he had a couple goals or a couple of assists, but what Koivu brings to this team is so much more to that. Watching Koivu all year, I have seen two main points that stand out in his game: He doesn't make mistakes (ever); and he has some of the best moves you will ever see. Most goaltenders in the Western Conference can attest to the fact that Koivu has one of the sickest penalty shots around. His moves during games may not be the ones that end up as top plays like Alex Ovechkin's or Sidney Crosby's, but his are just as effective as anybody elses. Koivu has never been one to seek out attention. He seems content to be playing on a team that has more recognizable players such as Gaborik, Brian Rolston, and Pavol Demitra. But as his game continues to get better and better, there is no doubt that one day he will garner the attention that he deserves in the form of All-Star selections and Hart trophys.

All stats courtesy of TSN

Wild continue to fight through injuries

The Wild has officially been bitten by the injury bug at the absolute worst possible time of the season. With Nick Schultz (appendectomy) and Kurtis Foster (broken femur) already out for the rest of the series with Colorado (Schultz is slated to appear sometime during the second round, assuming the Wild get that far), the Wild are lucky to be tied at one game a piece heading into the games in Denver.

The injury list seems to be growing day by day, although the most recent injuries are not preventing players from sitting...yet. Martin Skoula has been playing on a bum leg for the last couple games, making our defensive corps even weaker, and Branko Radivojevic is said to be nursing a leg injury of his own. Radio's injury, although kept under wraps pretty good, seems to be the most serious. He is actually in jeopardy of sitting for game 3. Wild coach Jacques Lemaire seems adamant that Radio will be sitting on Monday, but General Manager Doug Risebrough is in disagreement stating he is "day-to-day." It wouldn't be beneficial to lose a forward like Radivojevic, but at least the Wild could adjust accordingly. If Radio were to sit, it would open up a spot for Chris Simon, who I think should have been in the first two games anyway (3 Stanley Cup appearances and 1 ring? That experience should be out there). On defense, it's a whole different story. Already being two defensemen down, it is imperative that our defense stays intact from now on.

Since Schultz went down with his appendectomy, many beat writers around hockey have been writing the Wild off (including Minnesota's own Michael Russo) and saying that the series is now Colorado's to win. Obviously being a huge fan of the Wild, I disagree. My prediction of course has something to do with how much I root for Minnesota, but I also approach the series realistically. Losing Schultz is huge, no doubt, but the Wild have enough adversity to get through it. Since he went down, guys like Brent Burns, Kim Johnsson, and Keith Carney have all stepped up and filled their roles just like they should. The Wild have plenty of experience on the blueline, and although guys will have to log more than 30 minutes of ice time, defensemen Petteri Nummelin put it best: "It's the playoffs, you never get tired." If the Wild can get off to a good start in Denver, there chances of advancing are greatly improved, and if they advance and get Schultz back healthy, there's no limit as to just how far they can go.

Wild drop a tough one, down 1-0 in series

With a crowd in excess of 19,000 screaming fans, the Wild put forth a brilliant effort, but in the end it was the experience and poise of the Colorado veterans that sunk them. Joe Sakic scored just over eight and a half minutes into overtime to send the Wild faithful home without the expected victory.

The Wild played outstanding hockey for the first two periods, and it is definitely something to build on. They were getting their shots, connecting on hits, and making great passes, but it took a long time before bounces started coming their way. The Wild dominated the first period where they out-shot the Avalanche 11-2, most of those shots coming on the powerplay. Although they didn't connect on either PP opportunity, the Wild had a ton of momentum to build on going into the second. The first period was played with intense physicality, and it was definitely fun to watch. The Wild came out swinging, and it was apparent right from the get-go. Todd Fedoruk, Derek Boogaard, and even Martin Skoula were throwing guys into the boards from the opening whistle. Going into the second frame, the fans had every reason to believe the Wild would be the first to strike, but it didn't go that way.

Although it was fairly obvious from their first period powerplays that the Wild weren't having much luck, the second period brought about even more unfortunate bounces. It didn't take long for the Avalanche to capitalize on a Wild mistake after the drop of the puck. Just 1:29 into the second, Sakic carried the puck through the neutral zone and sped up the left side. Following close behind him was Minnesota-native Kurt Sauer, who took a beautiful drop-pass from Sakic and shot top-shelf to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead in the game. The Wild continued to dominate the game for the next ten minutes, but again nothing was falling for them. After coming close multiple times, the Wild got another unlucky break when Ryan Smyth took a pass from Jeff Finger and fired one past Niklas Backstrom to put Colorado up 2-0 with the second starting to wind down. The Wild continued to pepper Colorado goalie Jose Theodore, but Theodore was holding strong, turning away all 9 shots the Wild had in the second. Down by 2 going into the locker room after two strong periods, the Wild may have been down, but they were far from out.

Again the Wild came out swinging in the third, and it didn't take long for it to finally pay off. The Wild took advantage of a good bounce when Mikko Koivu threw the puck in front of the Colorado net and the puck bounced off of an Avalanche defender and past Theodore to cut the Colorado lead to 2-1 just over 3 minutes into the period. With the momentum back in hand, the Wild went at it again. Knowing they could get one past Theodore seemed like it gave them confidence, and that confidence paid off again just 3 minutes later when Todd Fedoruk camped in front of the net and took a pass from Petteri Nummelin and then backhanded it past Theodore to bring the Wild into a tie with the Avalanche. After the game-tying goal, the Wild seemed to go into their "shutdown" mode, where they try more to prevent a goal then to score one. It ended up working for most of the period, but towards the end it almost cost them. With the Avalanche deep in the Wild zone and pressuring Backstrom, a big pile gathered in front of the net and Wild defensemen Keith Carney was caught covering the puck inside his own crease, therefore giving the Avs a penalty shot. Taking the shot for Colorado was Ryan Smyth, who was 3 for 4 in his career in penalty shots, and in net for the Wild was Backstrom. Smyth carried the puck in and made a move to Backstroms right. Backstrom followed him and threw his leg down to block Smyth's "shot," which wasn't a shot at all, just a little bit of a push of the puck which Backs threw aside to keep the game in a 2-2 tie. The remaining 3 minutes or so of the game remained deadlocked, but the Avs definitely had more chances. Going into overtime, it was obvious the game could go either way.

Once OT started, both teams seemed to have new life. Everybody had their legs back, and the game was moving fast once again. Each team had their chances, but neither cashed in, at least not right away. At the 11:11 mark of the 4th frame, Sakic parked himself in front the Wild net and waited for a shot. That shot came from Ruslan Salei, who fired one that bounced off of Martin Skoula's skate and right to Sakic's backhand. Sakic fired the puck home and sent the Avalanche back to their hotel with a 3-2 victory and a 1-0 series lead to work with.

This was a very entertaining game to watch, but unfortunately it didn't turn out the way I was hoping. I damn near had an aneurysm multiple times during the game, including Fedoruk's game-tying goal and Smyth's penalty-shot miss. Although I would like the Wild to win games by a comfortable margin the rest of the series, if the games keep going like this it will definitely be one of the more interesting series of this years playoffs.

NHL Playoff predictions

Sorry for the long hiatus, I've been busy with work recently and am just now getting time to write anything.

With the NHL playoffs starting tonight, I figured I'd post my predictions on who I think will advance and who I think will be bounced. I'm not going to get into too much explanation with the series, just a couple of reasons why I think each team will move on.

Western Conference:

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Nashville Predators-This really isn't a true playoff series in my opinion. I do enjoy watching the Preds every so often when the Wild face them, but against the Wings, they have zero chance of moving on. Detroit is powerful on all sides of the puck and they have the experience needed to zip past Nashville and move on without a hitch.

Prediction: Detroit in 5 games

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Calgary Flames-This is a very interesting matchup to start the playoffs. The Sharks are an absolute beast of a team and after watching them manhandle the Wild all season long, I like the way they're built. But Calgary is not a team that will succumb under the Sharks enormous firepower. With a guy like Jarome Iginla scoring goals and Miikka Kiprusoff preventing goals, this will be more of a challenge for San Jose than I believe they think it will be.

Prediction: San Jose in 7 games

(3) Minnesota Wild vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche-The Wild are coming into the postseason on a hot streak, and I don't see it ending anytime soon. Even with the loss of our most consistent defensemen in Nick Schultz, the team will be able to rally together and run through Colorado without much of a problem.

Prediction: Minnesota in 6 games

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Dallas Stars-This is another series that will be entertaining to watch. The Ducks are a very physical team and are the defending Stanley Cup champions, but the Stars have plenty of talent on their team too. If guys like Matt Niskanen and Marty Turco can come up big, I can see the Stars easily handling the Ducks. Although I would love to see the Ducks advance so that the Wild could get a chance to play them, I just don't see them doing much.

Prediction: Dallas in 6 games


Eastern Conference:

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Boston Bruins-This is truly a 1 vs. 8 matchup. The Canadiens have dominated the Bruins all season and are the best team in the East right now. The Bruins are just not experienced enough to get past a tough Montreal team that consists of guys like Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu.

Prediction: Montreal in 4 games

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators-Just like the Bruins/Canadiens matchup, this won't be much of a series at all. The Senators started the season 15-2, one of the best starts in NHL history, and barely held on to a playoff berth. The Penguins on the other hand have many young guys looking to make a huge impression on the league by guiding this team to the Cup. With the right mix of young guns and experienced veterans, the Penguins are one of the teams to beat in the East.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 5 games

(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers-This is a really hard series to predict. The Capitals captured the division crown on the last day of the season pitting them against a tough, gritty Flyers team. Although I love what Alex Ovechkin has done this season, I do think that the physical play of Philly can shut him down enough to do what they need to. I'm not a fan of the Flyers by any means, but I have to go with my gut.

Prediction: Philadelphia in 7 games

(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) New York Rangers-Both of these teams are solid, but I like the scoring punch of the Devils more. Zach Parise will come up huge in the playoffs, and Martin Brodeur will shine like always as the Devils take this series fairly easily.

Prediction: New Jersey in 6 games

Western Conference Semifinals:

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) Dallas Stars

Prediction: Detroit in 6 games

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (3) Minnesota Wild

Prediction: Minnesota in 7 games


Eastern Conference Semifinals:

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

Prediction: Montreal in 6 games

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (4) New Jersey Devils

Prediction: Pittsburgh in 6 games


Western Conference Finals:

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (3) Minnesota Wild

Prediction: Minnesota Wild in 6 games


Eastern Conference Finals:

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (2) Pittsburgh Penguins

Prediction: Montreal Candiens in 6 games


STANLEY CUP FINALS:

(3) Minnesota Wild vs. (1) Montreal Canadiens

Prediction: Minnesota Wild in 6 games



I'm sure it was quite predictable that I would choose the Wild to win it all, but I can't go against my hometown team. I honestly believe they have the stuff this year to make a huge run, as long as they can band together and beat the teams like San Jose and Detroit.

Who should the Vikings take in the 2008 draft?

With the 2008 NFL draft approaching in less than a month, I figured it was time to sort out the different scenarios that could come about for the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have some massive holes to fill on defense, and there are many different players in this years draft that could help the team tremendously right away in their rookie year. After reading many mock drafts, I have compiled a list of possible draft choices (that seem logical) that the Vikings could go with for next months draft. All of these choices obviously depend on how the teams ahead of the Vikings choose, but I'm just pretending that every player I go over will be available for Minnesota's 17th pick.

Possible players:

Derrick Harvey (DE University of Florida)-Harvey is a guy that would fit right in with Minnesota. With good size (6-5 271 pounds) and decent speed (4.84 40), he is the type of tackling player we need on the line. He is listed as the 3rd overall DE at nfldraftscout.com. Harvey registered 49 tackles and 8.5 sacks for the Gators last season while starting all 13 games. He has shown enough agility and strength that teams that run both the 3-4 and the 4-3 defense have lined up to watch him. Harvey is definitely a guy that Minnesota should look at if he isn't snatched up earlier in the draft.

Philip Merling (DE Clemson)-Merling is another guy that would seem to be a great fit with the Vikings. About the same size as Harvey (6-4 276 pounds), Merling is listed as the 4th overall DE at nfldraftscout.com. He collected a career-high 78 tackles with 7 sacks last season while starting in all 13 games. He was given the Rock Solid award at Clemson last season for his consistency on the field. His 40 yard dash time is just slightly better than Harvey (4.73), but Harvey seems to have a little more agility than Merling. Although he is intriguing because of his numbers, there is a bit of a worry with him. Merling hasn't been able to work out for scouts since the season ended due to a sports hernia. He wasn't able to compete in the NFL Combine, citing a groin pull as the reason. Based strictly on numbers, Merling seems to be a guy that could help the Vikings, but the injury is sure to catch the teams attention.

Calais Campbell (DE Miami)-Campbell is a huge guy that would plug the hole the Vikings are trying to fill. Campbell is listed at 6-8, 290 pounds, making him much bigger than the other two prospective defensive ends. Campbell isn't the fastest guy (5.04 40), but his size is a big advantage. He registered 50 tackles for the Hurricanes last year to go along with 6 sacks. Campbell may be big, but his strength is an issue to some NFL scouts. Campbell was only able to do 16 reps at 225 pounds when tested in strength. His lack of strength coupled with his not-so-good speed has been causing him to slip down the draft board, making him the most likely to be available for the Vikings. Although there are concerns about him, Campbell is another DE that has a tremendous upside if he can work out a few kinks in his game.

Antoine Cason (CB Arizona)-Even with the upgrade of the secondary by adding Madieu Williams, the Vikings still lack the depth that makes teams afraid to throw against them. By drafting Cason, the Vikings could become a legitimate pass defense. Cason is listed at 6-0 and 190 pounds, making him the ideal size for a speedy corner. Cason has the speed (4.45 40) and has shown that he has the talent to be a great cover guy. He recorded 71 tackles last year and intercepted 5 passes, returning two of those 5 for touchdowns. Many teams would like a guy like Cason on their team, but if he were to slip to 17, I would hope the Vikings take a serious look at him.

Of course these are all hypothetical draft picks we're looking at, but it is obvious that the Vikings should upgrade the DE position, and if Cason becomes available, they should look at upgrading their secondary, too. It's hard to really think about which player would work best for Minnesota, but if I had a choice, I think I would want Harvey on the Vikings, followed by Cason, Merling, and then Campbell. I also read today that it is a possibility the Vikings may explore the chance to trade oft-injured Bryant McKinnie to the Miami Dolphins for Jason Taylor. That would definitely be a trade I would be in favor of, since losing McKinnie wouldn't be that big of a deal. I also wish that the Vikings would either draft or trade for a reliable quarterback to take over for Tavaris Jackson. Until they get a QB that can throw the ball more than 40 yards downfield, they will not go very far. The Vikings have taken huge steps to becoming a team that could make it to the Super Bowl, and it shows. I'm definitely counting down the days to the draft so I can see just how good the Vikings may be this year.

All stats courtesy of nfldraftscout.com

Wild kick it into gear, send Canucks to fourth straight loss

With just 4 games remaining in the regular season, the Minnesota Wild are getting hot at the right time. Mikko Koivu had a goal and an assist and Niklas Backstrom had 28 saves en route to a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The game featured everything a Wild fan could want: a dominating win by a team that had been struggling to score, a brawl in the middle of the third period, and a wicked performance by Backstrom that propelled the Wild to victory.

The Wild jumped out to a 1-0 lead quickly in the first period when Pierre-Marc Bouchard took a beautiful pass from Benoit Pouliot and blasted a slapshot past Roberto Luongo from the top of the circle at the 11:37 mark of the period. That was just the beginning of a scoring barrage that lasted for a period and a half. It took only 6 more minutes for the Wild to score again, and this time it was Mikko Koivu who cashed in for the Wild. With Koivu in possession of the puck deep in the Canucks zone, he threw it across the left circle to Brian Rolston, who passed it back to Koivu who in one fluid motion deked Willie Mitchell out of his breezers and lifted the puck past Luongo at the 17:21 mark of the first. That was it for scoring in the first period as the Wild wound down one of their best periods of play in a long time.

The second period started off with the Wild dominating again, but it took until the 8:28 mark for them to sneak one past Luongo again. Pavol Demitra carried the puck behind Luongo, looking to dump it off to Marian Gaborik. Gabby came streaking behind the net and took the puck to the sidewall where he passed it across the middle to a streaking Brent Burns who shot it home to give the Wild a 3-0 lead. Exactly 5 minutes later, the Wild put the dagger in the hearts of the Canucks. After a broken play in the Wild zone, Gaborik gathered the puck and used his speed to skate down the rink on the right side with just one man in front of him. Gabby looked to his left and saw Todd Fedoruk streaking with him, giving the Wild a 2 on 1. As Gabby crossed the blueline, he slowed down to allow Fedoruk to catch up, and threw the puck across the ice to Fridge as he held on long enough for Luongo to make the first move. Fridge hit the top shelf to give the Wild the 4-0 lead, and all the insurance they would need. After that fourth goal, Curtis Sanford came in for the depleted Luongo, who had given up all 4 goals in less than two full periods.

After 4 goals for the home team, you'd think the fans would be happy at that, but what happened at the 9:43 mark of the third really made the fans excited. Up to this point, there hadn't been many penalties in the game, not like the usual Vancouver/Minnesota matchups. But about halfway through the third, that all changed. After an attempted spear by Alex Burrows, Bouchard reacted with a retaliatory slash that could be heard around the arena. As soon as Bouchard hit Burrows, all hell broke loose. All 10 players on the ice reacted in a split second, and soon, 10 pairs of gloves and 10 sticks were on the ice. Players were being held back by one another, and Burns soon got tangled with Nathan McIver. After Burns pounded McIver, Bouchard squared off with Burrows. Neither got any real punches off, and they were split before anything else got started. It took a good 10 minutes for the penalties to be handed out, and this is how they went:

Alex Burrows: Fighting Major (5 minutes) and a 10 minute match penalty for intent to injure

Nathan McIver: Fighting Major (5 minutes)

Brent Burns: Fighting Major (5 minutes), instigator (2 minutes), unsportsmanlike conduct (2 minutes), and a 10 minute game misconduct

Pierre-Marc Bouchard: Fighting Major (5 minutes) and a slashing major (5 minutes)

With all that settled, the Canucks ended up with a 4 minute powerplay, but that was soon shortened to just over a minute after Henrik Sedin took a penalty for interference just after the melee ended. The Wild continued their dominance for the rest of the game, and ended up with the much-needed big win they had been looking for for a month. If the Wild continue to play the way they did tonight for the rest of the season, there is no doubt they will make it deep into the playoffs.

Father knows best

Jonathan Roy, the son of legendary NHL goalie Patrick Roy, is facing discipline for beating the tar out of another goalie in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The trouble started when at 19:32 of the second period, Quebec forward Christophe Poirer and Chicoutimi centre Joel Champagne collided in Quebec's end of the rink. All 10 players immediately threw their gloves off and started a brawl. Roy, who plays for Quebec, didn't want to be left out of the action so he skated across the ice, looking for Chicoutimi goalie Bobby Nadeau. The refs restrained Roy for a little bit before letting him go to break up the other fights. Bad idea by the refs. Roy continued to go for Nadeau, and when he met up with him, he went crazy. Roy slammed Nadeau back into his own goal and started to pummel him. Even when Nadeau crawled to the ice, Roy continued to pound him while the refs were on the other side of the rink. As Roy skated away after the fight (I guess it wasn't much of a fight, it was more like target practice for Roy), he put both of his middle fingers in the air and pointed them to the crowd.

Now this is definitely not the classiest thing I've ever seen, but I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy watching it. I hope Nadeau wasn't injured, and I know that Roy will get suspended, but it was hilarious to see how much he flipped out. I guess we should have known that Roy had that in him though, his dad was the same way.

Story from TSN Canada

My Bracket for March Madness

Since tomorrow is the opening of the Big Dance (not including the play-in game), I figured I'd post my picks to see what everyone thinks. After last years tourney, I'm really hesitant with a lot of my picks, but I feel fairly confident in many of my upsets. I guess we'll see how it goes:

Teams advancing to the second round:

East Bracket (seed in parentheses):

(1) North Carolina

(9) Arkansas

(5) Notre Dame

(4) Washington State

(6) Oklahoma

(3) Louisville

(7) Butler

(2) Tennessee

Midwest Bracket:

(1) Kansas

(8) UNLV

(12) Villanova

(4) Vanderbilt

(11) Kansas State

(3) Wisconsin

(7) Gonzaga

(2) Georgetown

Upsets: Villanova over Clemson, Kansas State over USC

South Bracket:

(1) Memphis

(8) Mississippi State

(5) Michigan State

(4) Pittsburgh

(6) Marquette

(3) Stanford

(7) Miami

(2) Texas

West Bracket:

(1) UCLA

(9) Texas A&M

(5) Drake

(4) Connecticut

(6) Purdue

(3) Xavier

(10) Arizona

(2) Duke

Upsets: Arizona over West Virginia

Teams advancing to the Sweet 16:

East:

(1) North Carolina

(4) Washington State

(6) Oklahoma

(2) Tennessee

Upsets: Oklahoma over Louisville

Midwest:

(1) Kansas

(4) Vanderbilt

(3) Wisconsin

(2) Georgetown

South:

(1) Memphis

(5) Michigan State

(6) Marquette

(2) Texas

Upsets: Marquette over Stanford

West:

(1) UCLA

(5) Drake

(3) Xavier

(10) Arizona

Major upset: Arizona over Duke

Teams advancing to the Elite 8:

East:

(1) North Carolina

(2) Tennessee

Midwest:

(1) Kansas

(2) Georgetown

South:

(1) Memphis

(2) Texas

West:

(1) UCLA

(3) Xavier

My Final Four:

(1) North Carolina vs. (2) Georgetown

(1) Memphis vs. (3) Xavier

Championship:

(1) North Carolina vs. (1) Memphis

Final Score: 74-68 North Carolina Tar Heels

I know a lot of these are kind of far-fetched, but most of the upsets, especially the Arizona over Duke, are straight gut guesses. I like Arizona a lot with Budinger and Bayless, and if their defense can hold, they will make some noise. I also like Kansas a lot, I always do, but they always seem to choke when it counts, and I can't stand to be disappointed anymore. Feel free to criticize or agree with any of my picks, we'll see how they go.

Gone

For anyone who may read my blog often, or to anyone who happens to be roaming the Internet and stumbled across my blog, it is with sad news that I tell you I will not be blogging for the next 8 days or so. From Tuesday the 18th until Wednesday the 26th I will be down in Fort Myers, Florida helping out with the Minnesota Twins spring training season. I won't have time to blog about much, but I will do my best to post some pictures if I get the chance. Thanks to the people who may read this, it is greatly appreciated and I will get back to blogging as soon as possible.

Tiger Woods is....Tiger Woods

After yet another victory at Bay Hill this last weekend, Tiger Woods takes a step closer to gaining the momentum needed to pull off the biggest accomplishment in sports, winning the Grand Slam. Tiger is now 6 for 6 in tournaments this year, keeping my prediction of him winning every tournament he enters this season still intact. This win was Tigers 64th of his career on the tour, tying him with the great Ben Hogan on the PGA's career tour list. When Woods sank his 25-foot birdie putt for the victory, Tiger slammed his hat against the course and did his famous fist-pump. He was so in the zone on that putt that when his caddie Steve Williams handed his hat back to him, Tiger had no idea how he lost it.

"I was like, 'how the hell did he get my hat?' " Woods quipped after getting his hat back. "Evidently, it came off. I need to see the highlights. I was so into the moment of the putt going in and winning the golf tournament."

Quotes like these are what make Tiger the best and most respected golfer around. While staying focused on the course, he is able to become personable off of it. Second place finisher Bart Bryant stood in amazement of what Tiger accomplished.

"What he's doing right now, you can't even fathom," Bryant said just moments after he heard the eruption of the crowd celebrating Tigers miraculous putt.

This victory for Tiger was his fifth overall at Bay Hill, making him the first golfer ever to win 4 different tournaments at least 5 times...and he's still only 32 years old. While Tiger was still out on the course putting for his life, Bryant was sitting in the trailer, praying for a Woods mishap to allow him to climb back in the tournament. When Bryant heard the crowd erupt, he knew it was over.

"I was pretty hopeless sitting there in the trailer, but I did what I thought I was supposed to do, which was put the pressure back on Tiger to make the play," Bryant said after the putt.

Bryant did his best to put said pressure back on to Tiger, but Tiger has a knack for coming out on top. Bryant was the only golfer to break par all four rounds in this tournament, but unfortunately, all it got him was second. Tiger also had to battle the heat during the final round, with the temperature reaching 85 degrees on Sunday. But as is the case most times, Tiger prevailed, proving yet again that he is the greatest athlete in any individual sport ever.

Should the Vikings go for Julius Peppers?

If Julius Peppers, the star defensive end from Carolina, becomes available, should the Vikings do everything in their power to land him? The answer is without a doubt yes. It's glaringly obvious that the Vikings are in dire need of a versatile guy on the line. Last season, not one person on defense had more than 5 sacks. If contract talks continue to stall with Carolina and Peppers, there is no reason the Vikings shouldn't use all of their resources to get him.

Of course there is no guarantee that Peppers will become available; right now it's just speculation. But after seeing the contract that Indianapolis gave to defensive end Dwight Freeney (7 years $72 million), it is going to at least $20 million in guaranteed money to wrap up Peppers. Carolina has three options when it comes to Peppers: They could sign him and hope that his 2007 season (where he had just 3 sacks) was just an anomaly. They could let him play out the final year of his contract to determine if he is worth close to $30 million in guaranteed money. Or they could trade him, much to the dismay of Carolina fans everywhere.

Peppers is definitely a guy that could help the Vikings tremendously. The Vikings had three guys last year with 5 sacks, the most by any one player. Peppers, with the exception of last year, has averaged 10.7 sacks a year for his first 5 seasons in the league. Kenechi Udeze, arguably the Vikings best defensive end last season, is out indefinitely with Leukemia (I wish you the best Kenechi). That leaves the Vikings with a big hole at a position where nothing was certain anyway. There are many very good DE's in the draft this year, and there is no doubt that with the 17th overall pick the Vikings could haul a guy that could turn out to be a stud, but if you have the resources and the chance to land a proven star at the position, why wouldn't you? With the Vikings still over $18 million under the cap this season, they have the money to make it happen. As a big Vikings fan myself, I can only say that I hope the Panthers decide to trade him or let him walk, because I know what a help he could be to the Vikings.

And the Guinness Record for Guitar Hero III goes to...

Chris Chike of Rochester, Minnesota. This really doesn't have much to do with sports, I suppose it's a matter of opinion, but I thought it was awesome nonetheless. This kid, a 16 year old who goes to Century High School in Rochester, scored a 97% completion rate on expert level for the song "Through The Fire And The Flames" by DragonForce. His total score was 870,647 points, which is unbelievable. When I play Guitar Hero, I'm happy when I'm able to complete a song all the way through on the hard level, and this kid is pretty much cruising through expert with his eyes closed. He claims that he has gotten a higher score when he did the song at home, and I'll just give him the benefit of the doubt and believe him. For Chris' accomplishments he will be recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the best ever at Guitar Hero.

Around The Sports World

Mitch Williams does not tolerate bad officiating (Bugs & Cranks)

Jeff Mackey repeats as Iditarod Champion (East Coast Bias)

How could a hockey game damage the memory of Yankee Stadium? (Going Five Hole)

Way to go Red Sox, you're very own hatchback (Hugging Harold Reynolds)

Even at 80, Lasorda still runs the 4.4 40 (Larry Brown Sports)

Brent Wisnewski faces a disciplinary hearing (TSN)