Guest post COW: Jon thinks hoc-key is only hope
Posted on January 14th, 2008 – 12:25 PMBy Michael Rand
With the words, “We want the pants, and we’re going to score,” a great responsibility was born. Jon needed to deliver a Commenter Of the Week post worthy of that comment. Did he come through. Only you can decide. Oh, and one more thing: Let’s try to keep the idle bickering in the comments to a minimum, or at least let’s make it relevant and/or funny. That’s all we ask. Jon?
Minnesota pro sports team won a playoff game or series. On January 9, 2005, the Vikings went into Green Bay and waxed the hated Packers, 31-17. It was the first time the teams had ever met in the post-season, and only the second time Green Bay had ever lost at home in the playoffs; in short, it was a good day.
But since then - nothing. The Timberwolves and Vikings haven’t been to the playoffs since. The Wild was summarily dispatched in its only appearance since 2003, and the Twins were swept in 2006, their only post-season trip in the last three years. If it hadn’t been for the Wild’s lone victory against Anaheim last spring, Minnesota would be completely winless in the playoffs in that three-year span. And it’s not like those years have been quiet, either. Think of the things we’ve had to deal with in the intervening three years: the Love Boat. The Whizzinator. Kevin McHale. KG’s resurgence in Boston. Ricky Davis and Mark Blount. The hockey lockout. Phil Krinkie. Mike Tice. A “kick-ass” offense. The Johan Santana trade saga. But everything is cyclical, right? What goes around comes around and all that? Surely, we must be headed for a renaissance on the local scene. Surely, soon it’ll be our turn to celebrate again. Surely, these three years can’t turn into four or five or ten … can they?
Yes, I think they can. The Vikings aren’t any closer to the ranks of the NFL elite than the day that Brad Childress first carried his mustache into town. The Twins busied themselves this off-season with the arduous task of making their team worse. And the Timberwolves are one of the most horrific
excuses for a professional sports team ever assembled. In short, what team in this group gives you hope for the next three years? The weather is about to turn colder, they say. It’ll be okay today and tomorrow, but then we can wave goodbye to 20 degrees until February or so. The days are short and the sunlight is weak and our toes are frozen, and our best hope for spring — and maybe for 2008 — is a fatally fickle hockey team. Everybody onto the Wild bandwagon; get your Aaron Voros jerseys and your Pavol Demitra foam fingers now. These guys are our last chance for something good. This is our last chance for hope.
8 Responses to "Guest post COW: Jon thinks hoc-key is only hope"
The Vikings aren’t any closer to the ranks of the NFL elite than the day that Brad Childress first carried his mustache into town.
I prefer to think that Childress’ mustache carried him into town. Zygi is well known as a central figure in several Twin Cities mustache-enthusiast circles. The hire was a no brainer.
Speaking of the Wild, they’re #1 on Deadspin’s Brewmeister Rankings:
The Brewmeister Ratings. Power rankings suck. This much, we know. Looking back over the last seven days of NHL action, I’ve identified the two winners and two losers. And since pseudo-statistical and tedious analysis is the stuff of “power rankings,” I describe their fortunes with a form of universal expression: In terms of beer. Welcome to The Brewmeister Ratings…
Winner No. 1: Minnesota Wild. About the only people who aren’t thrilled with the Wild’s 3-1 week — with wins over Detroit, Chicago and Phoenix — are those who spent a high fantasy draft pick on goalie Niklas Backstrom hoping to trap their way to glory. Josh Harding won all three games, making 93 saves on 97 shots. The Beer They’d Be: A pint of Surly Brewery Brown Ale/Porter/American Pale Ale, held between the glorious Food Network cans of Giada De Laurentiis.
“waxed the hated Packers, 31-17″ once again starting things off by showing your a.s, Jon, and then you wonder why the verbal guns come out. But now, I have to go to work on something that pays actually my bills even though it is fun toying with you clause clones. If I don’t sign on soon (but it’s fun to take a writing break and smack you guy’s heinies since I know you luv it), pass it on to jamagirl that I didn’t mean to jam her/him as much as I don’t like being jammed myself with her questioning my “creativity”. Meaning, people who are very good at something, writing, athletics etc, don’t like being doubted at every turn. Now if a “Dave” was questioned about his speed, he wouldn’t raise a stink since why ? and Stu, if doubted for his writing skills might offer up the everpresent [redacted] as proof positive that he could write indeed.
Anyway, in keeping with this post, I love hockey..to play it, that is, but to watch it is a yawner. I mean it’s like indoor soccer on ice..first go north then south then repeat this all with the same always exciting single digit scores…That’s why I hate when football ends, since then for months it’s hockey and figure skating…see y’all,
a “hated” Packer fan, what a hoot, Jon
“held between the glorious Food Network cans of Giada De Laurentiis.”
Is there a beer that wouldn’t go well in that situation?
Is there a beer that wouldn’t go well in that situation?
No, but I’d imagine the situation can be enhanced by the beer.
I know what else would be ENHANCED in that situation.
Note: This is not an ED advertisement.
Jon: nicely done, but you know that me “thing”ing about hoc-key is a non-starter. Can I swap out Gopher men’s hoops for the Wild? I know it’s not pro, but still, that would be a nice break from “loser, loser, loser,” no?
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