Running back LaDainian Tomlinson will have his first meeting with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. This is LT’s first meeting with any team since being released after nine seasons with the San Diego Chargers last month.
This is the first step by the Vikings to look into filling the void left by Chester Taylor’s departure to the Chicago Bears. LT is a fantastic option for the Vikings in comparison to the fumble prone Adrian Peterson.
AP lost 6 fumbles in 314 carries last season while LT has lost just 7 in his last 2,541 carries. AP has already accumulated 19 fumbles in his three seasons which matches LT’s career total.
LaDainian Career Stats
| G | ATT | YDS | AVG | FUM | TD |
| 141 | 2,880 | 12,490 | 4.3 | 19 | 138 |
Adrian Career Stats
| G | ATT | YDS | AVG | FUM | TD |
| 46 | 314 | 4,484 | 4.4 | 19 | 40 |
The Minnesota Twins signed Nick Blackburn to a 4-year deal worth $14 million with a club option for 2014. Blackburn has been fairly solid for the Twins but not exactly a dominant pitcher by any means. Blackburn earned an 11-11 record in ‘09 with a 4.03 ERA but also pitched the most innings of the entire rotation with 205 2/3.
When asked about the deal Blackburn had the following to say:
“It was a great feeling. A couple of years ago, I didn’t really think that would be an opportunity I would get. To get it done and get the security for my wife and I, and we have a baby on the way, it’s great. It’s a big step for us, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Over his career with the Twins he is 22-24 with a 4.14 ERA in 66 starts.
Career Stats
| G | CG | IP | SO | W | L | ERA |
| 72 | 3 | 410.2 | 202 | 22 | 24 | 4.14 |
Minnesota Sports Blog
Chester Taylor provided the perfect 1,2 punch for the Vikings along side Adrian Peterson but now that dynamic duo has shifted to another NFC rival. According to ESPN, Taylor signed a four-year, $12.5 million deal with the Chicago Bears. Taylor will be splitting time again with Matt Forte but it remains to see if that will be as their primary back or if he’ll be stuck in the same number two position.
The 31 year old Taylor, is fairly lucky himself that he found this sort of deal at his age when former star backs over 30 like LaDainian Tomlinson are still looking for work. This also leaves a hole in the Minnesota backfield to add to their list of uncertainties for next season.
Minnesota Sports Blog
Chester Taylor Career Stats
| G | ATT | YDS | AVG | TD |
| 123 | 1,028 | 4,396 | 4.3 | 22 |
Timberwolves center Al Jefferson was arrested Sunday night for a fourth degree DWI. Jefferson has already been suspended by the organization for the next two games which will cost him about $300,000. Jefferson issued the following apology:
“I want to apologize to the entire Timberwolves organization, owner Glen Taylor, my teammates, coaches and Wolves fans everywhere for my actions last night, I made a very poor decision and I am truly sorry for that. As a leader on this team, I know that more is expected of me, and I am disappointed in myself.”
Jefferson was initially pulled over for speeding in Minneapolis when a trooper spotted him doing 56 in a 40. He is scheduled to appear in court on April 23rd. Jefferson can receive up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.
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The Minnesota Twins agreed to terms on a one-year, $5 million deal with second basemen Orlando Hudson. The Twins beat out other potential candidates for Hudson in the Cleveland Indians and Washington Nationals. The switch hitting Hudson spent last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers after playing 4 years in Toronto and three with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Hudson is a four-time Gold Glove winner at 2B in ‘05-’07 and 2009.
Hudson is a perfect fit in the Twins lineup as another table setter behind Denard Span and in front of the slugging Mauer and Morneau. The move would force the usually struggling Nick Punto over to third where he would most likely split time with Brendan Harris.
The move is one of several impressive upgrades the Twins have made this off-season but the main focus still lies on the ability to sign Joe Mauer to a long term deal. The Hudson signing is also a little surprising considering that fact that the Twins will obviously have a huge amount of money tied up in Mauer’s deal.
Orlando Hudson 2009
| G | AB | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP % |
| 149 | 514 | 9 | 62 | 62 | 99 | .283 | .357 |
Minnesota Sports Blog
Opening series tickets:
You can register online here until February 10, 2010 to be placed in a pool for the opportunity to purchase opening series tickets against the Boston Red Sox on April 12, 14 & 15th. The winners of the random drawing can purchase up to four tickets.
The drawing is set to take place February 16th. Winners will be notified by email the following day.
Regular season tickets:
All regular season tickets will then go on sale Saturday, March 13th at 9:00 AM CT.
Minnesota Sports Blog
Multiple reports, first by WCCO’s Mark Rosen, are suggesting that Minnesota Twins fans can stop holding their collective breath…for a long time. The rumor mill says the potential deal for Joe Mauer is for 10 years valued around $220 million. Mauer will enter the 2010 season in the final year of his contract receiving around $12.5 million.
We all know Joe’s importance to not only the team but the community as well. The Twins organization would face tremendous backlash if they were to let the St. Paul native, MVP, batting champ, Gold Glove winner, Silver Slugger, All Star, you get the idea, get away. Although the initial reports aren’t being confirmed by the Twins organization or Mauer, it should only be a matter of time before an official deal is made/
In other Twins news, SS Orlando Cabrera signed a one-year, $3 million deal with the Cincinatti Reds. The Twins decided not to bring back the veteran after the trade of Carlos Gomez to the Brewers brought JJ Hardy to be the future at Short Stop.
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The addition of long time Twins killer Jim Thome is a puzzling one. Though it’s fairly low risk at a $1.5 million one-year deal, you have to question the motivation behind it. The Twins already have a powerful, left handed slugger in Jason Kubel. Kubel obviously lacks the experience and career numbers of Thome, but Kubel’s career seems to be on the rise while Thome’s numbers are on the decline. Thome will also turn 40 this year while Kubel will be turning just 28. Gardy has said Thome will serve as more than just a bench player for the Twins filling for DH or even an occasional first base.
This signing follows the unfortunate trend of the Twins organization of signing players who are clearly on the decline of their career. Another key question of this signing is why sign Thome at all when we still have question marks in the rotation, bullpen and third base?
The Twins solved their outfield surplus trading away Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy this off-season but now find themselves in a similar situation with finding time for Kubel as well as Thome. Kubel has expressed his interest in playing more outfield which creates an additional problem with finding time for Delmon Young.
Delmon and Kubel are about equal when it comes to fielding so there won’t be a huge issue there. The issue comes from playing time and plate appearances. Time and consistency are huge in baseball and dividing that time up between a few players and positions will only complicate things.
Jim Thome 2009 Stats
| G | AB | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | SLG % |
| 124 | 362 | 23 | 77 | 69 | 123 | .249 | .481 |
Jason Kubel 2009 Stats
| G | AB | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | SLG % |
| 146 | 514 | 28 | 103 | 56 | 106 | .300 | .539 |
Minnesota Sports Blog
The Minnesota Vikings beat themselves last night 31-28. A 40 yard field goal in overtime may have sealed the deal for the Vikings, but they decided their own fate much earlier. In a game where the stats suggest it could’ve been, would’ve been and should’ve been a dominant performance by the Vikings, the Vikings beat themselves on key and frequent turnovers.
Adrian Peterson led the implosion with 3 gigantic fumbles, one of which he was lucky enough to recover. One of his fumbles was charged to Brett Favre on a hand-off blunder but I’ll be generous and leave it with AP.
Favre did his part in the effort throwing two interceptions, one that eliminated the Vikings opportunity to kick a game winning field goal nearing the end of the fourth quarter. Bernard Berrian also fumbled away some momentum when the Vikings were charging down to the Saints ten yard line.
The Minnesota Vikings dominated nearly every offensive category but the 5 turnovers (3 fumbles, 2 INTs) spelled disaster. In a flashback to Favre’s last appearance in the Championship game against the New York Giants he threw a key late pick that eventually led to an opposing game winning field goal. This is the 5th Conference Championship game in a row the Vikings have unfortunately lost.
Offensive Stat Comparison
| TEAM | 1st Downs | Passing Yards | Rushing Yards | Total Yards | Time of Possession | Turnovers |
| Vikings | 27 | 310 | 165 | 475 | 36:49 | 5 |
| Saints | 12 | 189 | 68 | 257 | 27:56 | 1 |
Full box score
Those that are so quick to jump off the bandwagon and search for blame look to Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. Obviously this was not the ending to the fantastic season we were hoping for but it doesn’t take away from one of the best Vikings season in a long time. Favre had a remarkable year, one of the best of his career, and he put the team in a position to win.
AP has his struggles with hanging on to the ball but keep in mind the Saints are an extremely aggressive team that thrives on ripping the ball out at any given chance. Some times turnovers are a matter of right place right time and there is probably no one more upset than Adrian. He is still an incredible, explosive player that has had an extraordinary impact on the Vikings. Here’s to looking forward to an incredible 2010 season!
Minnesota Sports Blog
The Vikings return to the NFC Championship game for the first time since 2000 where they were embarrassed by the New York Giants 41-0. The Vikings will take on the explosive offense of the New Orleans Saints led by Drew Brees and the resurgent Reggie Bush. The Vikings have a fairly impressive offensive duo themselves in Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. The offensive side of the ball is nearly a sure thing for both teams but what the game is going to come down to is defense, which is where the Vikings have the sure edge.
Here is a breakdown of how each team ranked during the regular season in all of the NFL.
Offense
- Total Offense ( YPG): Saints 1st (403.8) vs. Vikings 5th (379.6)
- Passing (YPG): Saints 4th (272.2) vs. Vikings 8th (259.8)
- Rushing (YPG): Saints 6th (131.6) vs. Vikings 13th (119.9)
- Averaged ranking: Saints 5.5 vs Vikings 8.6
Defense
- Total Defense (YPG): Vikings 6th (305.5) vs. Saints 25th (357.8)
- Pass Defense (YPG): Vikings 19th (218.4) vs. Saints 26th (235.6)
- Rush Defense (YPG): Vikings 2nd (87.1) vs. Saints 21st (122.2)
- Averaged Ranking: Vikings 9th vs Saints 24th
Numbers can be deceiving but clearly the Saints and Vikings have very high powered offenses but only the Vikings have the shut down defense needed to win Championships. A huge challenge for the Vikings will be winning on the road in the incredibly loud dome of New Orleans. The Vikings were a perfect 9-0 at home this year but all 4 losses came on the road.
Playing for the NFC title and the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl will hopefully prove to be all the motivation the Vikings need to shut down the Saints on Sunday.
Sunday’s Game: Kick-off 5:30CT on FOX
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