The Ordinary Guy's not so final countdown
Patrick Lenertz
Issue date: 3/3/10 Section: Sports
5. While it's of little consolation now, Viking fans might sleep a little better knowing that the ending of the NFC Championship Game could be prevented from ever happening again. NFL officials will discuss changing the overtime format for playoff games in a meeting next month. With the new proposed format, both teams would get the ball at least once, unless the first team scores a touchdown. So after the Saint's field goal in overtime, the Vikings would have had a chance to tie or win the game. It doesn't make the loss any easier to swallow, but it's nice to know some future heartbreak could be avoided.
4. The Olympics came to an exciting end on Sunday night, capped off with Canada's thrilling overtime win over the United States hockey team. After Minnesota native Zach Parise scored with 24 seconds left in the game and gave Americans a glimpse of a gold medal, Sidney Crosby scored on Ryan Miller eight minutes into the extra period to give Canada its eighth Olympic gold medal in men's hockey. But the silver medal won put the U.S.A. grand total at 37 medals, breaking Germany's previous Winter Olympics record of 36 total medals in 2002. How many of those medals that will end up on Craigslist or in a Cash4Gold mailing envelope remains to be seen. We are in a recession after all.
3. With conference tournaments and March Madness right around the corner, the Golden Gopher basketball team is sitting on a pretty big bubble. As they ride the proverbial fence between the NCAA tournament and the National Invitational Tournament, the Gophers need to win out to crack the top five in the Big Ten standings. This would guarantee them a bye in the Big Ten tournament and probably push them over the edge into the Big Dance. While a first round exit is probably imminent, at least we can dream until then.
2. If you're like me, you've probably been holding your breath over whether or not the Dome Dog will be following the Twins to Target Field. Hormel, the company that supplies hot dogs to the Twins will not be doing so anymore, and as such, it looks like the Dome Dog will be a thing of the past. But there will be many more concessions to choose from. Whether you want a steak sandwich, a calzone, wild rice soup, cheese curds or anything in between, you'll find it at Target Field. You can check out twinsbaseball.com for the full menu of concessions.
1. In the midst of section tournaments, high schools all over the state are eyeing the Minnesota State Hockey Tournament. The brackets will be decided on March 5 after the section championships, and the tournament will start on March 10. Breck and Eden Prairie will try to defend their titles from last year, and the debate of public versus private schools will be sure to get plenty of attention. Since the 2000 State Tournament, private schools have won 11 championships, compared to nine public school championships. Private schools have dominated the A class, while public schools hold an advantage in the AA class over the last decade. Whichever side you're on, the bottom line is that talent can only take you so far, and in a single elimination tournament, execution is essential. March is a time to just shut up and play hockey, and that's what the best teams are going to do.
4. The Olympics came to an exciting end on Sunday night, capped off with Canada's thrilling overtime win over the United States hockey team. After Minnesota native Zach Parise scored with 24 seconds left in the game and gave Americans a glimpse of a gold medal, Sidney Crosby scored on Ryan Miller eight minutes into the extra period to give Canada its eighth Olympic gold medal in men's hockey. But the silver medal won put the U.S.A. grand total at 37 medals, breaking Germany's previous Winter Olympics record of 36 total medals in 2002. How many of those medals that will end up on Craigslist or in a Cash4Gold mailing envelope remains to be seen. We are in a recession after all.
3. With conference tournaments and March Madness right around the corner, the Golden Gopher basketball team is sitting on a pretty big bubble. As they ride the proverbial fence between the NCAA tournament and the National Invitational Tournament, the Gophers need to win out to crack the top five in the Big Ten standings. This would guarantee them a bye in the Big Ten tournament and probably push them over the edge into the Big Dance. While a first round exit is probably imminent, at least we can dream until then.
2. If you're like me, you've probably been holding your breath over whether or not the Dome Dog will be following the Twins to Target Field. Hormel, the company that supplies hot dogs to the Twins will not be doing so anymore, and as such, it looks like the Dome Dog will be a thing of the past. But there will be many more concessions to choose from. Whether you want a steak sandwich, a calzone, wild rice soup, cheese curds or anything in between, you'll find it at Target Field. You can check out twinsbaseball.com for the full menu of concessions.
1. In the midst of section tournaments, high schools all over the state are eyeing the Minnesota State Hockey Tournament. The brackets will be decided on March 5 after the section championships, and the tournament will start on March 10. Breck and Eden Prairie will try to defend their titles from last year, and the debate of public versus private schools will be sure to get plenty of attention. Since the 2000 State Tournament, private schools have won 11 championships, compared to nine public school championships. Private schools have dominated the A class, while public schools hold an advantage in the AA class over the last decade. Whichever side you're on, the bottom line is that talent can only take you so far, and in a single elimination tournament, execution is essential. March is a time to just shut up and play hockey, and that's what the best teams are going to do.
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