From Denny's Great Hype to Daunte's Last Inferno: Bye Bye

Fact: Daunte Culpepper is now in Miami. How he go there is still sort of beyond me, bizzare, exciting and yet disappointing. It was as if one minute the Minnesota Vikings were the most talented offense in the NFL, with the most popular selling Culpepper and Moss jerseys, and the next minute the entire stock was on e-Bay.

This confusing end to a powerful yet dysfunctinal era is real goofy to me. To explain, let me recap the last few years of being a Viking fan, ending with the bizzare trade of Daunte to Miami:

1998: Vikes have a used car salesman from Texas buy the team. He cannot prounounce the team name, and calls it VeyeKins all the time, but morons in Minnesota think it's cute and buy up everything with "Purple Pride" written on it, including the stuff you wipe your ass with. That being the situation, the purple make a 15-1 run to NFC Title game led by a rejuvanated league MVP and marvelous Rookie who just wants to "Rip it Up, the NFL that is." The "Chuck it deep to Randy" offense is a the greatest Viking hit since "Purple People Eaters." BUT, Vikings lose in OT to the Dirty Birds in the NFC title game in what many call the biggest choke in history

1999: Fans buy tickets, tickets and tickets. Tailgating in Minnesota is cool again. It's common knowledge that the squad is just one defensive player away from winning the big one. The Vikes, happy with their QB situation in RC, trade former starter Brad Johnson to the Redskins for a 1st round pick. With Jevon Kearse just sitting there on the draft board, Dennis Green drafts a QB from UCF who comes with dynamic resume. Daunte Culpepper is sold to the fans as the once in a lifetime opportunity to draft the future franchise QB. With the bonus first round pick, Coach "Take a Knee," the Sherriff drafts Dimitrious Underwood who he thinks is the steal of the draft but turns out to be a pyschotic, troubled quitter. Randall Cunningham starts the season as the starter but is ineffective with a 2-4 start. Instead of putting the future QB at risk, the Vikings launch the NFL's most notorious a-hole Jeff George (my cousin went to an Indy High School with him and proclaimed that he in fact wore a t-shirt that said "Yes, I am THAT Jeff George!") to launch his ego bombs at Moss and CC. Admittedingly, this was a really fun 2nd half of the season as the Vikings marched on to 6 straight wins. In the playoffs the team is out-coached by Crybaby Dick Vermeil and the "Greatest Show on Turf" in St. Louis. Moss squirts a Ref with gatorade, and the Purple Nation goes into another typical off season tiffy tirade.

2000: Daunte Leads the Vikes all season after after debuting with 3 TD runs in the season opener vs. the Bears. The Vikings tank late in the season and blow homefield advantage to the New York Giants. A great playoff win over the Saints sees "Rip it up Randy" take a slant pass 70-yards to that house. Robert Smith finally shows up all season, but, it is the Giants who skunk the purple 41-0 in the NFC title game. Minnesota media types are rumored to be laughing and high-fiving in the press box as the Vikes implode. Moss is accused of complaining that his posse is not allowed on the field for pre-game warm-ups. Vikings fan claim that Giants were stealing plays from the radio transmissions. Everyone feels stupid, cheated and pimped. Pressure is immense, and Dennis Green feels the heat.

2001: Korey Stringer dies of heat exhaustion in summer training camp under the care of offensive line coach Mike Tice. The Vikings implode again as the season progresses, and Coach Green quits (or is fired) before the las game of the year against the World Champion Ravens. Daunte gets hurt, Todd Bouman and Michael Bennett show flashes of brilliance. The Viking boards start preaching the gospel of Bouman, and call for the Minnesota Home Boy to named their starting QB for life. When he gets hurt for the last 2 games of the season, Spergon Wynn takes over and leads the Vikings to embarrasing blowouts. Mike Tice is named the most underqualified head coach in the history of the NFL.

2002: Under Tice, the Vikings fans are treated to an era of candid press antics. The loveable lug from New York embraces the media, talks a good game, but can only beat the Lions, Aint's and Dolphins. The screwball Texan owner, after realizing that his investment will never get a new stadium, flips Minnesota fans the bird by cutting the budget. Bad Coaches, reclamation project players, and superstars in trouble with the law run rampant at Winter Park. The players love their slacker coach who suits up in uniform and runs sprints with the team. The Randy Ratio is implemented, the Vikings offensive is molded to fit free wheeling Daunte under Scott Linehan's creative, but scaled down offensive game plans, but wins don't come easy.

2003: For the 2nd year in a row, the Vikings bumble up their draft pick, and look like unprepared clowns to the NFL community. The squad starts out hot, winning their first six games, but then go 3-7 the rest of the way. In Arizona, on the last week of the season, the team needs only to beat the hapless Cardinals to finish 10-6 and claim the NFC North title and first round playoff game at home. On the last play of the season, on 4th down, Josh McCown finds Nate Poole in the end zone and the Vikes lose everything. No playoffs. Fans are PISSED!

2004: Again the team starts out hot but repeats a belly-up stretch drive, including a Christmas Eve loss at home to the Packers, and an embarrasing loss to the Redskins on the road. Randy Moss pulls an Alan Page, and walks off the field with time left on the clock. Everyone calls for his head, but not so fast... The Vikings end up clinching a playoff spot with an 8-8 record and back their way in to Green Bay for their first ever playoff game vs. their arch-rivals. At Lambeau, Daunte finally looks like the superstar he was projected to be, leading the Vikings to a wonderful revenge victory. The NFL world sees Randy Moss fake a mooning in the end zone- the greatest TD celebration ever, but the following week, the team is COMPLETELY outwitted by the Philly Birds.

2005 (and 2006): Moss gets traded to Oakland for chump change and some potato chips, and a first round pick that ends up to be a part time wide receiver who likes to take off practice time without permission. Red finally sells the team to Zygi Wilf late in the pre-season prep stages, so no swooping changes are eminent. Free Agency seems to be productive with the acquistions of Big Pat Williams, and Darren Sharper, but on opening day all faith is lost when the Vikes go belly up against Chuckie Gruden and his rookie Tight End. Of course Daunte looks lost without his babysitter Scott Linehan, and leads the team to a bumbling, fumbling ass end up 2-5 start before he blow out every ligament in his knee one week in Carolina. Enter Brad Johnson, the Viking who was traded in 1999 for that Dennis Greens bonus pick. The Opie like QB who spent a few years in the playoffs with the Redskins, then journeymanned his way to Tampa Bay and won a Super Bowl, had returned to Minnesota a Free Agent. Brad did nothing spectacular, but took his dysfunctional Sex Boat Partying teammates to a 7-2 finish.

Of course, the wins never came easy against the crappiest teams in the NFL, and the Vikings lost the 2 most important games on their schedule but everyone in purple land annointed good old Brad as the Vikings savior in their 9-7 non-playoff season. Brad did good enough, but he wasn't able to save Coach Tice from being axed just moments after the last game of the season- a big win over the Chicago Bears Junior Varsity team. One week later, the Vikings hire a respectable disciplinarian from the highly successful Philly Birds. Brad Childress, the offensive coordinator of the Eagles, Zygi Wilf's # 1 pick, was brought into Minnesota to restore order, to actually coach, to restore confidence back into the Purple Nation and to do things that will someday garner a championship.

Then the fun of this year's off-season began with headlines like:
"Daunte to be CUT! Daunte to be TRADED! Brad Johnson wants to START! Daunte Demands Raise! Daunte FIRES Agent! Vikings Interested in BREES! Daunte accuses Eyewitnesses/Police of Racism for Boat Scandal!"

And the quotes begin:

"You don't ever say never at this time of year. Never and always are two long periods of time." Coach Childress

"The Vikings have not yet spoken to other teams about trading me." -- Daunte, e-mail

"You don't not talk to people when they call. We've had inquiries. That's what happens this time of year. You listen to everything that's going on and find out what's subterfuge and kind of go from there." -- Coach Childress

"I shared my disappointment with the lack of communication and the false reports about me demanding more money coming out of Minnesota. I have requested further talks so that we can explore options for the future." -- Daunte, e-mail

"Each year they pay you to play is a gift. I expect that if there are no changes to my present contract then I should prepare for a year-by-year commitment. When I am ready to hit the field this year, wherever it may be, I plan on being better than ever and enjoying the ride." -- Daunte e-mail

"Because I am getting so many requests to comment about reported trade talks, I thought it best to make a clear statement that hopefully won't be misinterpreted. I have found over the years that 'people with knowledge of the situation' are usually the most ignorant, and 'anonymous sources' are usually synonymous with cowards who don't want to go on the record."-- Daunte e-mail.

"Right from the beginning. As I mentioned, I never had a conversation with him about this football team. It was always about what he needed financially and money. I never heard team, I always heard me and I and 'I need 10 million dollars. I'm a 10 million-dollar-a-year quarterback.' It's the kind of things I talked to you about before."-- Coach Childress

Almost a year to the day after trading Randy Moss, the Vikings send Daunte to Miami for a 2nd Round pick in next months draft.

Bizzare? Soap Opera? Yup.

Former Viking, Cris Carter, who has his jersey hanging in the Metrodome rafters is praising the Miami Dolphins for acquiring Daunte Culpepper for so little a price. Personally, I think CC is still miffed that Gary Anderson nailed a 50-yard Field Goal against his Dolphin squad which gave Coach "Need a Hug" one of his rare wins in '02. CC all but called the new Vikings brass stupid for getting only a 2nd Round pick. Maybe he forgot that Daunte tore three ligaments in his knee in last October? Maybe he doesn't remember how often he ripped into Daunte on National TV in 2000 & 2001?

Come on, as good as the Pep was in 2004, he sucked in 2005, healthy or not. The type of injury he suffered doesn't just didn't just magically heal itself because he gets to stay in Florida and wear a #8 jersey! It has to take at leat a year to recover fully from just one ACL tear. I think the Vikings took the best deal they could get, and it might work out with the amount of talent available in this year's draft.

So Good luck to Pepper in Miami, the host city of Super Bowl XLI, and even better luck to Coach Childress as he finds out how insanely difficult it can be to deal with Minnesotans who so desperately want to vacation somewhere warm to watch their team play for trophy named after a frickin Cheesehead.

Tomorrow I am heading to Florida to watch some Twins baseball, but that's another story.

A Tommy Kramer Website: FINALLY

I just stumbled on to a cool website that needs to be further developed. I can't wait to view the photo gallery, multimedia and see how can order up my shot glass for tailgating. It's called TommyKramer.com

For those of you who know about TK's career, you will remember that he was the Vikings QB who excelled most with the least talented offense line around him for much of his career.

When he had the benefit of an o-line during the first 2-years of his career, and later in '86-87, there was no better QB in the NFL. Two-Minute Tommy was Brett Favre, before Brett Favre knew he was Brett Favre. See a Tommy Kramer video feature series on VikingsTailgate.com's multimedia page which will show everybody, once-and-for-all what a Viking QB should be like. Hint there is alot of Kapp, Kramer and Tark, some Moon, Punky QB and Cunningham type stuff coming online soon.

Vikings New Uniforms?

Rumor on the street is that the Vikings will be really starting fresh this season by not only trading superstars and firing coaches, but also implementing new uniforms. Many in several Vikings web board circles are in a state of panick (whining again). Apparently, they do not want to see the traditional "white purple horn" removed from their team's helmet. It has neither been confirmed or denied that these horns will be removed and replaced by the "Norseman" logo, but Vikingstailgate.com gained access to a website called http://rlcustoms.com/ which posted some designs that could potentially be the new look.

Personally, we think change is good, but we do want to retain the old white purple horn on the helmet as well. It's old school, and it's cool, and it's the most unique thing in the NFL. As for the uniforms, as long as they are new, and inlcude purple pants, we are all for it. It seems like teams with re-designed uniforms and new stadiums seem to fare well in the new NFL. Hmm.. Just saying...

The Puck Stops Here...

I can't believe the news today. I can't close my eyes and make it go away... Kirby Puckett, the greatest Minnesota Twin of all time, our hero growing up, a World Series champion, the little engine that could, did, and then would do again, is gone. The keys on my computer can't type words fast enough to explain my thoughts. The keys are crying as my emotions are scattered. I look for words that could possibly explain the loss to the Minnesota Sports World, but all I find is "Where have you gone Kirby Puckett?"

You see Puck was more than just an icon, Kirby was Minnesota baseball, he was the standard that all fans in the Midwest aspired to be. He was a great character, a fire plug. The Yankees had solution Joe and the Mick, the Red Sox had Yaz, and the Twins had the Puck. We had the Puck.

Today I showed up for work with the heaviest heart since the loss of Vikings Offensive Tackle Korey Stringer. Kirby was in dire state, suffering from a stroke. By all accounts, the man who gave us "See yah Tomorrow Night" had met his final "Yesterday."My morning coffee buddy could tell that I was not the same, and asked what was wrong. When I told her of my sorrow, she just sort of scoffed and said, "You mean you are sad for that wife beater?" I don't recall any court of law EVER convicting Kirby of any sort of thing.

I was shocked. Words avoided me all day. To hear that this was someone's only impression of Mr. Puckett a such a dire time, was as crass as it could get. It saddens me to think that this great baseball man could only be thought of in those terms, by many who would easily put him in the same category as O.J. Simpson. The man was fighting for his life.

I am sure the beating he took by the Minnesota court of public opinion after an acquittal of sexual harassment charges took its toll on the man. I am very sad about that. Kirby has always been one of my favorite sports guys of all-time. He brought Minnesota it's only REAL World Titles, and the community shunned him when they thought he was a fake, when he needed them most. The alledged wife beatings, and cheatings and all that, to me are just that. It's sad to see how his private life (what is true, what is not, what can be proven, what cannot) is ultimately what people will remember.

But I will always remember "Puck" as that dude who came over to a college student sitting alone by the Twins bullpen. He was jogging in from leftfield after shagging flies, and I called out, "Hey Puck!"

He nodded, and turned direction, catching me off guard as he ran right to where I was sitting.

"What's up big guy?" He asked now just a few feet away from me. I had nothing, I was just flabbergasted by the unexpected friendliness, "What do you want me to sign?"

I was wearing a Watertown, SD VFW hat, so I quickly pulled it off my head and offered it up.

"You got a pen?"

I was busted, and had to confess that I really didn't have anything. He started laughing, and clearly sensing my nervousnes quickly calmed me down like he would do for so many fans who he treated as equals.

"That's okay man, I'll just hang out here for awhile and there will a ton of kids with sharpies and stuff."

"So VFW huh? Do you play?"

"No, I was a coach."

"How did you guys do this season?"

We struck up a nice little 15 second or so conversation about VFW baseball, and soon enough, as predicted, a crowd of kids had migrated to us.

"See, I told you! Do any of you kids have a pen, so I can sign this guys VFW hat?"

I will never forget that whole short conversation. How it was that he ended up signing my hat and laughed with me about how funny it was that I didn't have a pen. It was that same guy, with that same disposition that put all of his teammates at ease when they needed it most; that clutch hit, the south side slang, a joke, a rub on the bald head, that intangible leadership, the home run stealing catch over the hefty bag, that rare thing called poise. You can't teach it, you can't acquire it, you just have it.

Kirby had it and needed more than anybody. He needed that adoring Minnesota Public, the fans he once called, "The Greatest fans in the World" more than life itself. Minnesota was Kirby's state, he earned the right, but guess what? When he needed it most, the land of 10,000 lakes turned its back on him.

He left his job in the Twins front office and moved to Arizona, to the land of retired baseball players. He had his rings, and Hall of Fame plaque and commnity awards, but he did not have his adoring public. Instead, Kirby must of felt as if his World had eaten him away.

In rare public appearances at Timberwolves games, or celebrity charity events, people were noticing that Kirby was growing in physical stature. As his body ballooned, his prominence as a baseball icon shrunk to nearly nothing. He was invited to Twins baseball events like Twinfest and the Winter Caravan tours, but he chose to stay out of the public eye.

Tonight, tomorrow and for the next week, local TV stations and dorky radio talk show hosts who publicly despise the game of baseball, will attempt to eulogize Kirby Puckett. I don't need them to remind me of how great Kirby was to all of us in this state, I need them to just shut up and let the baseball world speak for the Puck.