BORDER BATTLE

In case we have any sort of following yet (or if you’re just arriving here for the first time), we wanted to announce that we’ll be putting things on hold for a few days as the Editor steps out of town. Don’t lose any sleep…we’ll be back with the antics by Sunday.

Almost lost within the Fran Foley debacle, new stadium lobbying and last month’s NFL draft, is the fact that the Vikings power structure was missing a guy with the title of VP of Player Personnel, but with only half the responsibility. Never fear purple fans, as Mr. Wilf and Co. apparently found the perfect guy for the job on Tuesday: Rick Spielman.

Most recently seen providing his insight on NFL draft prospects with “Leatherman” and Co. on ESPN, Spielman brings a solid amount of NFL front office experience with five years with the Miami Dolphins (2000-2004), three years with the Chicago Bears and seven years with the Detroit Lions. Frankly, we can’t recall the Bears and Lions being good during that time, but we digress. The guy does at least have a verifiable resume. He played linebacker for four years at San Diego State before trying to make a couple NFL clubs in training camps, and no one can deny the fact that he is Chris Spielman’s brother.

So all is right in Winter Park again. Though we really wish we could be a fly on the wall for Mr. Spielman’s first “Triangle of Authority” meeting. The way we imagine it, they each sit on opposite ends of an oversized black marble table drinking lattes. Just think Dr. Evil’s lair in the Austin Powers movies.

Sorry for our absense (surely you barely noticed). We had an enjoyable blog-less weekend and hope you did the same.

Back to the lecture at hand, let’s take a look at which Wisconsin and Minnesota sports figures had the “best week ever”:
• Michael Cuddyer: After beginning the season on the bench, Cuddyer has emerged as the Twins’ hottest hitter as of late, hitting over .300 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs in the last ten games.
• Lew Ford: Many fans’ favorite player on the team for his sheer nerdiness, the recently-slumping Ford redeemed himself out of a 3-for-20 slump and an 0-for-4 start against Seattle on Sunday with a walk-off home run in the tenth inning. LEEEEEEW!
• Jerry Kramer: Last week, the former Packers Lineman was reunited with his Super Bowl I ring after it was stolen 25 years ago. Over the weekend, he sold the replica ring he had been granted as a replacment for over $22,000 and pledged to go into business helping other athletes from the pre-major money days stay on their feet through memorabilia sales.
• Cory Rodgers: And by best week ever, we totally mean worst week ever.

Since we still have to wait a few years for outdoor Twins baseball in Minnesota, we must thank God for the Saint Paul Saints. Nowhere else in America is it possible to have as much fun at a minor league baseball (or whatever that league is considered). Whether the game is good or not, you can always look forward to some off the wall stunts, zany promotions and colorful play-by-play banter, making for a great outing for the entire family. But through all the great giveaways we’ve heard of, this takes the cake. Yes folks, if you attend Saturday’s Saints game you will receive your very own mini-Love Boat (Smoot and accessories not included). Pure genius.

Major rube points to anyone who manages to get one signed by a member of the 2005 Vikings.

Also this weekend:
• The Seattle Mariners (23-26) come to town for a three-game stint with the Twinkies (20-26). Young guns Hernandez and Liariano face off in what should be quite a duel tonight.
• The Brew Crew (24-23) heads to Philadelphia for a another three-game series with the Phillies (24-22), who will be looking for vindication after getting swept by Milwaukee about a week ago.
• The Violent Femmes at First Avenue, tonight. Com’on, Wisconsin band in Minneapolis - this is totally in our realm of coverage!

Have a fantasic (and law-abiding) weekend!

Everyone’s favorite former NFL executive, Fran Foley (that is his real name, isn’t it?) was supposed to be getting a decision on his contract arbitration at some point today after a fun little conference call involving lawyers from his party, the ‘Queens and an NFL counsel. While we could care less about that whole debacle, we are wondering just what the heck Mr. Foley is up to these days.

Could he be making up time at Colgate or The Citadel for some of the duties he owes from his stints on their respective coaching staffs? Or maybe he’s traveling to universities throughout the country giving resume and job interview seminars to recent grads?

We have a feeling that if he framed things right on his resume he could probably get a job alongside Isiah Thomas in New York. Framingham State College, two-year starter, basketball. Perfect!

In what is likely a head-scratcher to many, the Packers managed to lose a player for possibly the entire 2006 season during a weekend practice…in helmets and shorts.

Battling for a starting job at Guard - or simply a roster spot, depending on who you talk to - Packers Offensive Lineman Kevin Barry went down in the final mini-camp practice with a torn left quadriceps tendon, the same type of injury Ahman Green suffered last October. Tuesday, Coach McCarthy announced that the big guy would likely miss the entire season.


After showing up for the Packers’ first mini-camp 15-20 lbs. overweight at 345 lbs. a few weeks ago, it was all on the line for Barry as coaches were expecting him to get his head straight and come back to the next mini-camp and training camp closer to his target playing weight.

If you’re a Packer fan, you have to be at least a little concerned about the O-line. They weren’t exactly depending on this guy to be a sure-fire starter given his weight and motivational issues, but he did have decent skill and experience on a line that looks to be lacking a bit of both at this point in the offseason.

Our biggest question right now is what weight will Mr. Barry balloon to with a full 6-8 months of sitting on his rear?

In all fairness, at 345 lbs., he could’ve gotten this injury getting up from the couch, right?

On of the more interesting blogs I read on a regular basis is Blog Maverick, written by the most polarizing and idiosyncratic owner in sports, Mark Cuban. I for one have always been a fan of the man’s maverick style (no pun intended) and immense passion for the things he does, which seems to be the driving force of all of his success. Everyone knows he’s one to never keep his thoughts to himself and his blog takes it even further. While he writes about everything from sports to business to new media, it’s almost always entertaining, especially seeing how many people comment on his posts and get involved in the conversation. Seeing as it fits the theme of Border Battle, I thought I’d share Mr. Cuban’s morning post discussing the power of rivalries. Perhaps the best part of the post was the Seinfeld quote that someone included in a letter to Cuban regarding the subject:

“Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify. Because the
players are always changing, the team can move to another city, you’re
actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it. You know
what I mean, you are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to
beat the clothes from another city. Fans will be so in love with a player
but if he goes to another team, they boo him. This is the same human being
in a different shirt, they *hate* him now. Boo! different shirt!! Boo.”
(source: http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheLabelMaker.html).












For the week of 5/15 - 5/21/06:
• Twins rookie RHP Boof Bonser who looked better than most of the Twins starting rotation in his debut Sunday, giving up only one run and five hits in his major league debut. He could’ve finished the game with his first win…thanks Jesse Crain!!!
• Gopher fans who finally scored with the approval of a state-financed new stadium. We can expect improved recruiting and team performance over the next few years…right? Right?!?
• Aaron Rodgers, who received all the attention and limelight with the absence of Brett Favre from the Packers’ voluntary weekend mini-camp.
• Or Minnesota Twins fans, who traveled well for their weekend series in Milwaukee. They were rewarded with two wins, including a 16-10 spanking on Saturday night. Oh yeah, they’re getting a new stadium too.

So who did have the Best Week Ever? It’s debatable, but if you asked us we’d have to give it to Gopher fans. If you don’t agree, it’s obvious you haven’t experienced a college football game inside a balloon on a warm autumn Saturday afternoon. Let us know what you think.