The Bludog Chronicle

Another Barrier Broken at the Oscars

2010-03-08T01:04:00.000-06:00

Once again, the motion picture academy decides to bestow its Oscar on yet another depressing film that almost no one saw, and starring nobody you've ever heard of. This time it was "The Hurt Locker", the story of a group of American soldiers who defuse bombs during the Iraq war. It won six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay.

Kathryn Bigelow made history as the first woman to win an Oscar for directing "Hurt Locker". Not to begrudge her accomplishment, but would anyone have heard of her if she wasn't once married to James Cameron, who was nominated in the same category for "Avatar"? By the way, the biggest grossing movie of all time nabbed three technical awards.

Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for her role in "The Blind Side", one of those movies where a rich white person saves a black person from a terrible fate. Bullock's also the recipient of a Razzie for her role in the future DVD clearance bin classic "All About Steve". So she's had quite a weekend.

Mo'Nique won for Best Supporting Actress in the pretentiously-titled "Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' by Sapphire". Is there going to be a point where an African-American who wins an Oscar is no longer such a big deal?

Best Actor went to Jeff Bridges for "Crazy Heart", playing a broken-down country singer.

Christoph Walz' role in Quentin Tarantino's "Inglorious Basterds" netted him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The three-and-a-half hour Academy Award telecast was hosted by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, who appeared with nominee Meryl Streep in the film "It's Complicated". Their routine wasn't easy to understand, either, as several jokes fell flat.

Other observations:

What happened to the phrase "And the Oscar goes to . . . "? No one used it this year.
Finding new ways to test the patience of the audience during an already-long show, the Academy brought back testimonials to the nominated actors and actresses. They should have taken a cue from Tom Hanks, who simply announced that "Hurt Locker" had won best picture without bothering to read the rest of the nominees.

Is a Cure For The Health Care Debate In Sight?

2010-03-04T23:56:00.000-06:00

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The debate over health care has been with us forever. Well, it may not be forever. But it sure seems like it.

President Barack Obama, who's apparently ready to move on just like the rest of us, has told Congress that he wants the $950 million health care package he's been stumping for on his desk to sign before the end of this month.

The President must have come to that conclusion after hosting a much-ballyhooed summit, consisting of congressional leaders from both parties. It was a mind-numbing snooze-fest, seemingly made for C-SPAN, that was full of the usual partisan talking points and not much else. But then again, laws aren't usually made in front of the TV cameras.

Having failed to do much of anything with a super-majority, Senate Democrats must now pass Obama's plan by themselves through a process called reconcilliation--which simply means it's a majority vote, and they just happen to have the numbers. The Republicans might object, but they've used it in the past to push through tax cuts (twice) for George W. Bush when he was president.

The GOP won't be of much help in the upcoming voting. They say they want a do-over because they believe Obama's version of health care is too much of a bitter pill for the American People to swallow. What's their alternative? It seems they want no bill at all or, if there must be one, it would be written in such a way that it would favor the health care providers.

If you want to know how desperate the situation is for people who can't afford health care, look at Minnesota. Governor Tim Pawlenty has vetoed a bill that would continue General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) for poor and indigent individuals past April 1, citing its expense with the state facing a $994 million deficit. The Minnesota Senate overrode the veto, but the House did not. Negotiations are ongoing for some kind of compromise.

If GAMC is not renewed, its 30,000-odd participants would be moved to Minnesota Care, which some people view as an inadequate solution. What happens when these people get sick? They go to the hospital emergency room, where by law doctors have to treat them. And who pays for this? Minnesota taxpayers.

There are similar stories like this all over the country. While the debate goes on in Washington, people are getting sicker (and in some cases dying) because the cost of health care is getting beyond their reach. It's time to stop talking and start acting on a healthier America. Because something this important shouldn't wait forever.

Vancouver 2010: And So It Ends

2010-02-28T23:26:00.000-06:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Winter Olympic Games concluded with a men's hockey game that belongs right up there with the 1980 "Miracle On Ice". Sidney Crosby's overtime goal gave Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States, fulfilling their destiny of winning a gold medal before the home folks. The way the game was played, this might do for hockey what the 1958 NFL championship game between the Colts and Giants did for pro football--put it on the map in a big way in the United States and around the world.

Otherwise, these Olympics have been very good for the United States. They won 37 medals (including nine gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze), more than anyone else in Winter Games history. Not only that, but they struck gold in unlikely places. Billy Demong and Johnny Spillane finished 1-2 in the men's Nordic combined (that's large hill ski jumping and cross country skiing)--the first American medals ever in that sport, while Steve Holcomb piloted the U.S. four-man bobsled team to its first gold since 1948.

The American alpine ski team, which had been loading up on medals during the first week, fizzled in the second week due to injuries and controversy. Lindsey Vonn disqualified in her last two races, including her crash in the Giant Slalom that looked much worse than it was in the snow and fog (she broke a pinky). But teammate Julia Mancuso had more reason to be upset, because her run immediately following Vonn's was halted halfway down the hill by officials, causing her to replay her run as the weather got worse and finished out of the running.

Host country Canada may not have "owned the podium" like they said they would, but they did lay claim to a record haul of gold not seen in those parts since the 1890s. They finished third in the medals (Germany was second) with 14 gold, seven silver and five bronze for a total of 26. The golds came in men's and women's hockey, men's curling and ice dancing.

The women's hockey team, upon winning the gold over the United States, had a private celebration on center ice at Canada Hockey Place. Thanks to You Tube, we could see the players quaffing champagne and beer. So why does the song "Tik Tok" by Ke$ha come to mind?

For those of you who hit the remote whenever NBC put its prime time showcase on figure skating, the winners were Kim Yu-Na of South Korea in the 'ladies' category, and Evan Lysacek of the United States in the men's.

As the Games closed with the dousing of the flames at Vancouver's B.C. Place Stadium (which looks eerily like the Metrodome), the memories of bad weather, trucked-in snow and the death of a Georgian luger still linger. But Canada should be proud of the way they hosted these Olympics in spite of everthing. All they really did was to set the bar higher for the next Winter Olympics host, Sochi, Russia, in 2014.

Beauty,eh?

Vancouver 2010: Oh No, Canada

2010-02-23T23:46:00.000-06:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

From the Maritime provinces to the metropolises of Toronto and Montreal, to the prairies of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and to the shores of the Olympic city of Vancouver, everyone's wondering the same thing: What happened to all those medals we were supposed to get?

Canada spent $118 million training its athletes to "Own The Podium", an effort to grab as many medals during these Winter Olympics as they possibly can. The net result? Eleven total medals as of Tuesday night, including six gold, placing fifth overall.

So who's really owning the podium thus far? It's none other than the United States with 26 medals, including seven gold. Most of that is due to the performances of Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn on the ski slopes.

There will still be plenty of opportunities for the Canadians to win gold before the competition ends Sunday. They have an excellent chance in men's and women's curling, and the women's hockey team plays the U.S. in the gold medal final Thursday.

But the men's hockey team has become a source of concern across Canada. You would think that, with Sidney Crosby, Jarome Iginla, Dany Heatley, Martin Brodeur and all the NHL talent the country has to offer, they'd be a shoo-in for gold. But Team Canada needed a shootout to defeat Switzerland. And they lost to the Americans 5-3. Now they're in danger of not medaling at all.

(Since the U.S.'s victory occurred one day shy of the thirtieth anniversary of the "Miracle On Ice", when a bunch of college kids took down the mighty Soviet Union in a historic match at Lake Placid, some people have been comparing that game to the one on Sunday. Please don't. In this case, it was "our pros" beating "their pros".)

(MSNBC, normally the home of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, televised the U.S.-Canada game to record numbers for the news and opinion channel. NBC broke from taped bobsledding during its prime time coverage to present the last 30 seconds of the game. We were surprised that they showed it at all.)

Team Canada can still win the gold and calm a nation's anxieties. They cruised past Germany 8-2 Tuesday night at Canada Hockey Place (known as General Motors Place when the NHL Canucks are playing). But the road become much tougher when they face Russia (and Alexander Ovechkin) Wednesday night.

By not playing to its stereotype of being reserved, Canadians have been learning a valuable lesson in hosting these Winter Olympics: Never promise more than you can deliver. To do otherwise would be downright . . . American.

Tiger Woods Declawed

2010-02-19T22:51:00.000-06:00

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In an address to the world that any disgraced politician would envy, Tiger Woods apologized to just about anyone who listened Friday: his wife Elin, his family, fans, parents and the PGA Tour. He sounded sincere in telling us how sorry he was for cavorting with an assortment of women, and for behaving like a jerk on and off the golf course. After listening to that, Woods should be damn lucky he's still married to Elin, who--tellingly--wasn't in the same room during his mea culpa.

The timing of Woods' announcement was dictated by his rehab schedule, where he is reportedly being treated for sex addiction, and not because he wanted to stick it to one of his former sponsors. Accenture, which dropped Woods in December when the news about him got to be too much for them, is putting its name to a match play golf tournament in Arizona this weekend.

Coverage of the Tiger Woods Show was seen on all networks, broadcast and cable. Only reporters from wire services were permitted in, asking no questions. This tight control of the message was greeted with derision by most of the other media. Doesn't this sound like Michael Jackson to you?

Among the other things Woods told the assembled family and friends: He blasted the tabloid media for stalking his family. And what really happened to sour the relationship between him and his wife should remain between them. No argument there.

Oh yes, about the golf. Woods says he might return to playing someday, but didn't say when. If he does, it'll be a long time, if ever. Forget the Masters or the U.S. Open. The most important thing in his life right now is to get his life together, and that has no timetable.

If Tiger Woods really, truly wants to become a better man, then whatever he's doing now is the first step in a long process. We wish him the best.

Vancouver 2010: What You See Is What You Get

2010-02-19T00:03:00.000-06:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Every Olympics, it seems, people complain about NBC's handling (or mishandling) of the events it covers, and when it chooses to show them.

The Winter Games in Vancouver offers a better opportunity for NBC to show more events live than it did for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, simply because the time difference is much less daunting. However, to recoup their considerable investment in the eyes of advertisers who want to appeal to 18-49 women, they hold the best events that might appeal to that demographic in prime time. That's why you won't see much live streaming of events on your computer, because NBC needs every eyeball they can get.

Take Wednesday night, for example. Lindsey Vonn's gold medal run in the women's downhill was held for broadcast until midway through the prime time show, sandwiched between live coverage of men's snowboarding and speed skating. (Although we could have done without witnessing that private moment between Vonn and her coach/husband after she had won the gold. It was uncomfortable to watch.)

Those sports not considered quite as desirable to the young and distaff by advertisers are relegated either to late afternoons and weekends (for biathlon and cross-country skiing), or to cable networks not normally associated with sports (that would be ice hockey and curling).

And then there are the often-ridiculed profiles of athletes who have Beaten The Odds, or whose motivation comes from a relative who's dying of a fatal disease. Those have been around since the days of "ABC's Wide World of Sports". Come to think of it, the evolution of Olympics TV coverage stems from that show alone.

It must be working. Thus far, the Winter Olympics have been enjoying the biggest increase in viewers since the Salt Lake City Games of 2002, the last time they were held on this continent. They've even edged out "American Idol", the Fox show that took them to the cleaners in 2006.

Get used to this, folks. No matter who wins the American broadcast rights to the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, embargoed coverage and targeted marketing will be the patterns we're stuck with.

Vancouver 2010: What Could Go Wrong?

2010-02-17T00:14:00.000-06:00

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The Winter Olympics in Vancouver got off to a tragic start with the death of Nadar Komaritashvili, a Georgian athlete who crashed on the luge course during a practice run prior to the Games. As a result, the men's competition started where the women were supposed to, and the women started theirs where the juniors would have been, in order to cut down the speed on a track that some have called dangerous.

But that was only the beginning. There was a malfunctioning torch at the Opening Ceremonies, Zamboni problems at the speed skating oval, and Alpine skiing events were postponed because of either too little snow or too much--which allowed American skiier Lindsey Vonn to give her celebrated shin a chance to heal.

Other than that, the big story so far is that Canadians have finally won Olympic gold on their own soil, even if it is in events deemed more suitable for ESPN's X Games. Alex Bilodeau in men's moguls and Moelle Ricker in women's snowboardcross made history for the Maple Leaf. Jenn Heil in women's moguls would have been the first, had she not lost to American Hannah Kearney.

The most significan accomplishment for the United States thus far is that Apolo Anton Ohno became the most decorated male athlete ever at the Winter Games with six medals. He won a silver in the men's 1500-meter short track speed skating event. Bode Miller won the bronze in the men's downhill.

All that stuff about Canadians "owning the podium" has yet to pan out, with Germany leading the medal count as of Tuesday night.

NBC's coverage benefits from the Games being in the same hemisphere as its audience, which was not the case in Beijing two years ago. They're even showing some of the major events live in prime time. Or is it "plausibly live"? However, not everyone is so fortunate. A quick check of the website for KING, NBC's Seattle affiliate, tells us that the West Coast is getting the Olympics coverage on tape delay even though it's in their own time zone.

In the past, we've been hearing from viewers in Detroit, Buffalo and International Falls talk about how much better the Olympics coverage is on Canadian television than on NBC. Since CTV, not CBC, is covering these Games, we've yet to hear if it's still true.

The forecast for Vancouver and environs is for improving conditions, which would be enough to make every event remain on schedule, cramped though it may be. Everyone involved--the athletes, organizers and TV networks--is keeping their fingers crossed that everything else goes off without a hitch.

KSTP-AM Gets In The Game

2010-02-14T23:48:00.000-06:00

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The news that KSTP (AM 1500) is changing its talk format from politics to sports, and is becoming an ESPN Radio affiliate, caught a lot of people off guard. It might very well become a game changer, so to speak, in local radio if things roll their way.

KSTP's ratings have been in the dumper since they lost Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to conservative talker KTLK (FM 100.3) a few years ago. They used to be the home of well-regarded local talent such as Barbara Carlson, Bob Yates, Don Vogel and T.D. Mischke.

Now, after getting rid of hosts Shawn Prebil, Chris Murphy, Jay Kolls and Al Malmberg, KSTP is left with its two most marketable commodities: Patrick Reusse and Joe Soucheray, who have been with the station since the 1980s. They will now be filling the afternoons together and separately. But both have been veering away from sports in recent years. Reusse, who still writes a sports column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, has been known to talk about movies and politics at times. Soucheray, who's keeping his "Garage Logic" show and his St. Paul Pioneer Press column (unless something happens with the paper itself), dropped sports a long time ago and is now best known as a neo-conservative who doesn't believe in climate change. Collectively, their act is getting tired.

Not even being the Minnesota Twins' flagship station has helped KSTP. First, there's their lack of a strong 50,000-watt signal, which can't be helped because of FCC regulations. Second, baseball is a family-friendly sport, while dissing President Barack Obama and the Democrats on a regular basis is not. Will the Twins be impressed by KSTP's switch enough to keep from going back to WCCO?

ESPN Radio is currently heard on a part-time basis on KFAN (AM 1130) and KFXN (AM 690), its daytime-only sibling. KFAN seems to need ESPN mainly for live coverage of the World Series, NBA playoffs, and college football bowl games, while most of the talk shows go to KFXN. ESPN also has a reputation for constant self-promotion and caring only about certain teams such as the Yankees and Red Sox, which is not they way to endear yourself to the folks in, let's say, Paducah, Kentucky.

It's not known whether KSTP will drop ABC radio news (for whom they've been an affiliate since 1982). But if they do, it'll be interesting to see who ends up with it because there are no obvious choices. WCCO is owned by CBS. Clear Channel has a deal with Fox News Radio for talk stations such as KTLK. And progressive talker KTNF (AM 950) currently runs CNN news.

But the biggest question seems to be this: Does the Twin Cities really need another sports talk station? KFAN has been doing this format for two decades, and even they understand that sports talk around here begins and ends with the Minnesota Vikings--and not just because the station has the radio rights to their games. So that's why they let their hosts delve into other topics such as politics and pop culture. WCCO has Mike Max and Dark Star during the week, and Sid Hartman on Sunday mornings. The key, folks, is local, local, local. KSTP tried that for years, but now they face an uphill battle with the likes of "Mike and Mike In The Morning".

Five Ring Circus Comes to Canada

2010-02-12T00:53:00.000-06:00

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The Winter Olympic begin in Vancouver Friday. The Canadian city is one of the crown jewels of the Pacific Northwest, and is a wonderful place for Alaskan-bound cruise ships and for budget-conscious TV and movie producers.

Vancouver's weather is similar to Seattle and Portland, so if they held the Olympics in those cities, few would notice the difference. But lately, there's been a big problem. All that winter weather which is typical for the host city has instead been diverted to places such as Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore. Snow had to be trucked in from elsewhere, so the skiing competitions could take place without downhills taking place on bare ground.

Canada is on a mission to win more medals than anyone else at these Olympics, having pumped tons of money into their national sports system. And they probably will win the medal count, too. If not, Ottawa should launch an investigation. Expect to hear lots of "Oh Canada" at the podium.

One of those gold medals for the Maple Leaf should come in men's hockey, where the Canadians have assembled a massive amount of NHL talent that might prove to be overwhelming. Enjoy it while you can, because this may be the last Olympics in which NHL players compete. For this the league is taking two weeks off from its already-long regular season schedule.

The United States has its own team of competitors aiming for gold and endorsement contracts. Most of them are household names within their own households. The rest are snowboarding legend Shaun White, short-track speedskating (and "Dancing With The Stars") whiz Apolo Anton Ohno, and this year's It Girl Lindsay Vonn.

Let's talk about Vonn for a minute. She's been presented to us as this Great American Hope for winning medals in the women's skiing events, which she could very well do. Unfortunately, she has a bruised shin which might jeopardize her Olympic run. Should Vonn bow out, all the efforts to make her a star--the NBC commercials, the Sports Illustrated cover of her crouching provocatively, and the swimsuits she wore for that magazine--will have gone to waste.

Facing the possible loss of their meal ticket, NBC will still show plenty of skiing, snowboarding and figure skating in prime time. (If you want to watch hockey or curling, go to cable.) Network officials expect not only a loss of viewers (mainly to "American Idol"), but also a big drop in revenues. That's why ESPN and Fox are considered the front runners to come away with the rights to the 2014 and '16 Olympics. But does the International Olympic Committee want anything to do with Rupert Murdoch?

So sit back and enjoy the show for the next two weeks. Maybe by then you'll think of Vancouver as a place to book your next vacation instead of as a stopover on the way to Sarah Palin country.

A Tale of Two (Snowy) Cities

2010-02-09T23:35:00.000-06:00

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Washington, D.C. has become the nation's capital of snow, with over two feet being dumped this past week. During a normal winter, they usually get around 15 inches. Another two feet will fall, according to forecasters, before it ends Wednesday.

Almost everything there has been shut down, from schools and businesses to the federal government. This is a city where a light dusting would put officials on high alert. More than that is a catastrophe.

(The storm in the mid-Atlantic was partially responsible for the Super Bowl's record TV audience of 106.5 million viewers, surpassing the final episode of "M*A*S*H" as the most-watched show in history. Only CBS, indeed.)

Here in the Twin Cities, we just concluded a snowstorm that lasted three days and accumulations in most of the area was less than a foot. All it really did was to bring traffic to a standstill. The season-to-date totals, according to KSTP.com, comes to 37.8 inches. But then, we have a phalanx of snowplows and sanding trucks at the ready (as the budget allows) to keep the roads passable. Washington doesn't have as many.

We don't mean to be smug about winter weather. Not in the least. It's just that it's more a fact of life which makes us better prepared to deal with it. Those who don't like it can always go to Florida.

Colts Got Fooled By Saints, 31-17

2010-02-08T00:30:00.000-06:00

It's party time on Bourbon Street, as all the denizens who chose to remain in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina are celebrating the Saints' Super Bowl championship. It's been a long time since they had a reason to celebrate anything.

The Saints, who had been big-time losers from the day they joined the National Football League, defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Miami 31-17. Saints' coach Sean Payton's risk-taking and Drew Brees' MVP-caliber quarterbacking are what won them the game. On the second-half kickoff, they recovered an on-side kick, which led to a touchdown. Then in the fourth quarter, they went ahead with another touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion that initially failed, but was overturned after reviewing the replay.

Peyton Manning of the Colts threw for two touchdowns. But it was those two interceptions he threw towards the end of the game, the first of which was run back for a Saints score, that defined his performance in this game. Now he and Brett Favre of the Vikings have one thing in common. Also, do the Colts have any second thoughts about not playing to win at the end of the regular season?

The Who provided the halftime musical entertainment, continuing the NFL's policy of showcasing only Baby Boomer talent after the Janet Jackson fiasco of a few years ago. Here Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and whoever they could round up to complete the band played the Reader's Digest version of hits, which should be familiar to anyone who listens to KQRS, or watches the "CSI" shows. (The game was televised by CBS, after all) But they still knew how to rock.

Maybe you watched the game for the commercials. There was the usual array of moronic beer ads (mostly Bud Light), movies that won't open in theaters for months, and ads that depict guys as spineless doofuses. Then there was the one where Tim Tebow's mother told us she was glad she made the "choice" to keep her son, the superstar college quarterback. No matter what you think of Focus On The (Christian) Family, the organization that sponsored this ad, hot-button political issues should be off limits on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Saints' winning a championship won't magically transform a city still trying to recover from Katrina, nor will it calm the lingering resentment over the government's handling of it. But it will bring a lot of self-esteem to a region that sorely needs it right now.

Chill Out! Just Enjoy The Game

2010-02-05T22:47:00.000-06:00

I know that a lot of you are still angry about the Minnesota Vikings failing to make the Super Bowl, and have threatened to boycott Sunday's game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts. We're hearing that every day through talk radio and the blogosphere.

I'm also aware that there is a petition running on Facebook pleading with quarterback Brett Favre to return next season. But after seeing the beating Favre took against the Saints in the NFC Championship game (and the pictures of his damaged joints that accompanied it, I'm not so sure he should. Favre and his family need to think long and hard before committing to another season.

There are fans and then there are fanatics. There are those who live and die with the home team, and there are others who move on. It's great when your team makes it to the Big Game, but when it finally comes you become so obsessed with it that you can't enjoy it. It's also true when you personally know someone who's playing in that game. And when that player is injured, nothing else matters.

It may be heresy to say this, but I think it's best for one's mental and physical health if your team is NOT playing for the world championship. If your team wins, that's great. Go celebrate like there's no tomorrow. If they lose, especially if the score is close, don't take it out on your furniture or your loved ones whether or not you've had one too many beers. It's a game, folks, not a matter of life or death. The sun will rise tomorrow morning no matter what the result.

This is what fans in New Orleans and Indianapolis will face this Sunday. They won't care about how well the other team played, or how good the commercials were. They just want to see their team win. The rest of us will be noshing on snacks and enjoying the game.
***
As for who we think will actually win the game, we're going with the Colts. Never bet against Peyton Manning.

Unfinished Business At The State Capitol

2010-02-04T23:47:00.000-06:00

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The Minnesota Legislature has reconvened for its 2010 session, faced with the same problems they left behind last year: a monstrous budget deficit--$1.2 billion--and a lame-duck governor who thinks he can "unallot" his way out of red ink.

There's something else this year. It seems that half the legislators, such as House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelleher (a Democrat) and Rep. Marty Seifert (a Republican),want to run for Governor Tim Pawlenty's job, and the distraction factor is high. Pawlenty is currently running a pseudo-campaign for President in 2012. And at least one--assistant Senate majority leader Tarryl Clark, a Democrat--wants to end the reign of weirdness that is Third District Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, a Republican.

In the statewide caucuses that were held Tuesday night, those who bothered to show up (no Obama fever this year) chose Seifert in the GOP straw poll, and Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak for the Democrats. Former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton, considered the front-runner in terms of finances (he's reportedly funding his own campaign), chose to sit this one out and wait for the primaries.

Meanwhile, back at their day jobs . . . Among the early items on the Legislature's to-do list (once they slay the budget dragon) is a focus on getting people back to work, a bill to fund new building projects, and an effort to restore cutbacks in health care for the poor.

And there's that new Vikings stadium. Governor Pawlenty made the suggestion that, now that Minnesota has joined the Mega Millions lottery game, some of that money should go toward funding the stadium. But legislators are still awfully ambivalent toward giving the football franchise the money to build their new playground, money they should be spending themselves.

Of course, all of this is subject to the approval of Governor Pawlenty, for whom the word "compromise" is not in his vocabulary. It's up to him if he wants to see Minnesota succeed or fail based on what he does with his trusty veto pen before he leaves office. And whichever one of those legislators manages to stand up to Pawlenty, then that person's chances of succeeding him in the Governor's Mansion improves greatly come November.

At The Grammys, The Rewards Go To The (Taylor) Swift

2010-01-31T23:53:00.001-06:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

It was billed as "Ladies Night" at the 52nd Grammy Awards Sunday night with Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift leading the pack (and CBS' promotional push) in nominations and in-demand performances. And that it was, but there were a couple of interlopers.

Six Grammys went to Beyonce (a record for a female performer) mostly for "Single Ladies", one of which was for Song of the Year, an award that goes to the songwriter. Considering that she's a married lady now, she's already got her ring courtesy of Jay-Z. So for her, the song is out of date now, isn't it?

Taylor Swift's album "Fearless" won some Grammys, including Album of the Year. And Kanye West was nowhere in sight. She even performed with Stevie Nicks, which might not have been a wise idea since Nicks' voice is more powerful than Swift's. It'll be more interesting to see how her career pans out when she's had a little more life under her belt.

We mentioned the interlopers. Record of the Year didn't go to a woman, as was expected. Instead, it went to "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. And the Best New Artist went to the Zac Brown Band, who will now take their place with those past winners who have since found success. If we only knew who they were.

Other things we took from the Grammys:

Lady Gaga opened the TV show duetting with Elton John. Which is only appropriate because both of them share a taste for outrageous wardrobes.
The Grammys' inevitable tribute to Michael Jackson, who died last year, was wasted on a weak "heal the world" tune that was broadcast in 3D. (Even without those glasses, seeing it can still induce headaches) Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson and Usher became backup singers to an invisible voice. For this Jackson received a special award, which was accepted by his two children. But it was better than an all-star cast attempting to sing Jackson's classics.
Instead of the usual pronouncements of celebrities pretending to care for the plight of Hatians, we got Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli collaborating on "Bridge Over Troubled Water" as their musical tribute to that earthquake-stricken country. One thing: In Haiti, those bridges crumbled. And the ones that are still standing aren't the ones you'd want to be anywhere near right now.
We also got a rap collaboration between Drake, Eminem and Lil' Wayne, in which half of the lyrics were bleeped out by CBS. And you wonder why hip hop is so popular.

Welcome To The Real World, Mr. President

2010-01-29T00:04:00.000-06:00

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Last night's State of the Union address by President Barack Obama was the most informal I've ever seen, which for all its usual stuffiness and formality was really saying something. But then, I suppose it had to be that way. The President had a tough crowd to work with, in and out of the House chamber.

In the year since he took office, the President's approval ratings have dropped from their inevitable highs to something around 50 per cent. Why is this? First, everybody who voted for Obama thought he'd wave a magic wand, and all the sins of the Bush/Cheney era--two wars and a bad economy--would just disappear. Didn't happen. Then he pumped billions of dollars into a stimulus package that has yet to flower. And he spent the bulk of his legislative efforts on health care reform, which is currently in critical condition in Congress.

The other problem was that Obama was facing a Congress with Nervous Nellie Democrats too timid to take advantage of the majority they had, and with Republicans who still worship Reagan. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan, that is. The one who coined the phrase "just say no", though in a much different context.

This time, instead of lofty goals more worthy of Don Quixote than the federal budget, the President opted for more modest proposals. He made a jobs bill his top priority this session, announced a spending freeze on all federal programs except for the military and homeland security (whose own budgets are sky high, but too much is never enough for these guys), and asked for the rescinding of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy among gays and lesbians serving in the armed forces. He didn't, however, spend much time on foreign policy.

Obama also took the time to chastize the Supreme Court for its ruling allowing corporations to spend tons of money on political ads, while challenging Congress to pass new laws to address this. On TV, it looked like the justices were sitting like statues, save for Samuel Alito, who shook his head when the President made his comment. So what were they doing there if they knew they were going to be insulted like that?

Throughout the speech, we were witness to another SOTU tradition: the endless standing ovations the party in power (in this case the Democrats) gives its President each time he says something they agree with, while the opposition (that would be the GOP) sits on their hands. That's visual evidence of what Obama was talking about when he said that Washington is a place "where every day is Election Day". And it needs to stop.

The plea for bipartisanship by the President is likely to go unheeded by Republicans, who just sent Democrats cowering in fear for their political lives after former male model Scott Brown won the Senate seat in Massachusetts previously held for decades by Ted Kennedy. But they don't seem to have any ideas of their own besides "no new taxes" and parroting whatever Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity says.

As for the chances of Obama's proposals getting past Congress, no one really knows in an election year. On the one hand, they could push everything back to 2011. But then their opponents could snap back with :do-nothing Congress" as their campaign mantra. Anything they do pass, however, might come back to haunt them if it's seen as pandering to anyone but the folks back home.

Perhaps Obama's main accomplishment with his first State of the Union address is that he realizes he needs to come down to Earth. Health care reform and climate change initiatives are important, but people need jobs so they could afford insurance and fuel-efficient cars. What they don't need is, in the words of William Faulkner, more sound and fury signifying nothing.

It Didn't Come Easy In New Orleans

2010-01-26T23:48:00.000-06:00

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Here in Minnesota, the football-loving populace is shrouded in purple misery after yet another Vikings team found a way to avoid their first Super Bowl since 1977.

Losing 31-28 in the NFC Championship game in overtime to the New Orleans Saints at the Louisiana Superdome Sunday, it was not the greatest game ever played. Not even close. Oh, there were a lot of points scored, but neither team seemed to want this game badly enough.

It is said that the team making the most mistakes tend to lose games. So it went for the Vikings, with Adrian Peterson becoming a liability with his fumbles, quarterback Brett Favre throwing an ill-advised pass in the dying seconds of regulation, and the offense getting caught with too many men on the field. The Saints were handed this game on a silver platter.

The Saints defense revealed Favre to be an old, beat-up quarterback who could barely move at game's end. But he was an old, beat-up quarterback with a high threshold of pain, and for that he earned people's admiration.

After another successful but unfulfilled season, we're into the by-now-annual game of whether or not Favre wants to play another year. ESPN reports that Favre says it's "unlikely" he'd come back. If that's the case, then the Vikings should plan on signing a veteran free agent quarterback. Otherwise, check back with us in August.

We must congratulate the Saints for making it to their first Super Bowl since the franchise was founded in 1967. After all the team and the city of New Orleans has been through the last few years, they deserve this one.

They will play the AFC champion Indianapolis Colts February 7 at Your Name Here Stadium in Miami (actually it's Sun Life Stadium, the seventh name that place has had since it opened). Good luck trying to get past Peyton Manning, one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, who has already led the Colts to the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Back in Minnesota, people will be spending another cold winter's day wondering what the hell happened to a football team that had a successful season, but fell apart at the wrong time.

Democracy For Sale?

2010-01-24T23:23:00.000-06:00

This is what happens when a Supreme Court made up of five conservative makes decisions that benefit other conservatives, never mind the consequences to the country.

Not content to simply hand George W. Bush the 2000 presidential election, the justices voted 5-4 to allow corporations and practically anyone with an unlimited amount of money to fund political ads that attack or support causes and candidates in an election year. Funding through political parties would remain illegal.

That means corporations, if they wanted to, can spend whatever it wants to influence the elections of everyone from the President of the United States to the local dog catcher. And they can also weigh in on whether or not hot-button issues such as health care reform or same sex marriage becomes law. Which gives themselves a significant advantage over not-so-well-funded organizations that might have an opposing view.

Yes, we know this has been going on forever. Lobbyists representing top companies and organizations routinely try to convince lawmakers to see things their way. And some of those elected officials have been known to put a little corporate cash into their bank accounts. Nothing new here, except the Supreme Court just made it legal.

For Republicans, this is a win-win. Being the party of big business, its candidates can now expect oodles of money to come their way and eventually dominate politics for years to come. For Democrats, who usually rely on unions for their support, the impact of the ruling is not so good. Unions have been losing members, money and clout for decades through concessions to big business. And the moment any of these elected officials grow a spine and refuse to take corporate money, they risk being outspent and outwitted by better-funded opponents. The parties might risk being more irrelevant than they are now.

The corporations claim that they wouldn't use their money to exert their influence over the political process, because they don't want to offend the consumers who buy their products. Which begs the question: Since when has big business actually cared about consumers?

Keith Olbermann made a rather alarmist rant about the Court's ruling Thursday night, painting a bleak picture of America under the control of corporations. This all sounds rather depressing, until you realize that Olbermann's broadcast airs on General Electric-owned MSNBC. And his sponsors include drug companies and the petroleum industry, which makes him no different than most other newscasters on TV.

Members of Congress are talking about limiting the effects of the Supreme Court's ruling by passing emergency laws. But do they really want to do that? Baby needs a new pair of shoes, you know.

If there was ever a Political Golden Rule, it should be updated. The rule should now read: "He who has the gold makes the rules, and anyone who disagrees may do so at their peril".

Conan Walks. Air America Radio Crashes

2010-01-22T00:45:00.000-06:00

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Conan O'Brien Says Goodnight to "Tonight"

It's official, folks. Conan O'Brien is leaving NBC's "The Tonight Show" after only seven months because he decided the network was no longer big enough for him and Jay Leno, who will now get his old job back after his prime time show famously tanked. For this, O'Brien walks away with $45 million (12 million of which will go to his staffers), then will take a few months to cool his heels before his next big TV opportunity.

The reasons why have been well documented. But it seems as if every comedian on late night TV has been taking a whack at the pinata that NBC has become, depicting Leno as the bad guy and O'Brien as the victim. (Not that it wasn't deserved) Don't forget that it was O'Brien who was promised the "Tonight Show" a few years ago because NBC thought Leno was going to hang it up. Then Leno changed his mind, got offered the prime time show so he wouldn't jump to ABC, and O'Brien was left holding the bag.

Here's the thing: O'Brien's ratings had been abysmal since he took over the "Tonight Show" with or without Leno as a lead-in, getting regularly beaten by David Letterman on CBS and "Nightline" on ABC. Now that he's leaving, he's been winning the time period because he's been making these not-so-subtle potshots at the way he's been treated by NBC. Anywhere else, he would have been shown the door immediately.

Now NBC has to pick up the pieces of this debacle. Not only do they need to re-establish themselves as a late-night destination, but also to alter the public perception that the network is run by clueless boobs who don't know what they're doing. Maybe that's why General Electric is selling NBC to Comcast.

Air America Radio Grounded

In recent months, radio behemoths Clear Channel and Citadel Broadcasting have filed for bankruptcy because the economy and changes in the way we listen to music have taken their toll. After a few court-ordered instances of belt-tightening, both should be back in the pink in no time.

The same can't be said for the progressive radio network Air America, which says it is ceasing operations next week, leaving affiliates in the lurch as programs disappear. They've been having problems paying their bills almost from the time they first went on the air.

Created as an alternative to the conservative talk shows dominating the airwaves, Air America gave platforms to the likes of Al Franken, Rachel Maddow and Janeane Garofalo with their own shows. Then Franken became a U.S. Senator, Maddow got her own TV show, and Garofalo went back to acting. More recently, the only Air America personality of note has been Thom Hartmann. Most of its remaining affiliates have added shows form other sources hosted by Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Bill Press.

Air America practically invented the progressive talk format, which with the network's demise has made it an endangered species in the face of conservative talkers, who can usually be found on big-watt stations on both sides of the dial. But then, there's always NPR.

News From The Political Landscape

2010-01-19T21:22:00.000-06:00

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The Elephant Has Left The Room

Norm Coleman has decided to take a pass on entering the 2010 Minnesota Governor's race. The former Republican senator told his legions of Facebook followers that "(t)he timing on this race is both a bit too soon and a bit too late".

He's right on both counts. Having lost his U.S. Senate seate to Democrat Al Franken in a protracted recount and trial, there wasn't time to put together a new campaign with precinct caucuses starting soon. Besides, why risk losing another election to a novelty candidate?

Now that Coleman's made his decision, the other candidates no longer have to worry about him blocking their sunlight. If Coleman had run, his chances of succeeding Governor Tim Pawlenty looked pretty good.

It's a wide open field now with seven Republicans and 12 Democrats in the running. Most of the candidates, with the exception of former Democratic senator Mark Dayton, are familiar only to those political junkies who follow the goings-on at the Legislature. But it'll be a long campaign, so by the time October rolls around, you'll be thouroughly sick of the remaining two or three left.

Scott Brown Wins In Massachusetts

Everyone knew that filling the shoes of the late Ted Kennedy in the United States Senate was going to be difficult, if not impossible. Who knew it would end up being vital to the passage of health care reform?

The Associated Press reports that the seat that had been held by a member of the Kennedy family since the 1950s has gone to a Republican. Scott Brown, who was given little chance only a few weeks ago, has defeated Democrat Martha Coakley, the state's attorney general.

Coakley had been the front-runner in the special election, but she got lazy in her campaigning while Democrats watched in horror as her lead in the polls slipped away.

Brown benefitted not only from Coakley's blunder, but also from all the anger cooked up by anti-tax zealots who want to scuttle health care legislation and don't believe Barack Obama is a legitimate President of the United States. Or is it because the voters in Massachusetts were sick of the Kennedys, and the Democrats who acted as if that Senate seat was their birthright?

With one more vote in the Senate, Republicans now have enough to kill the compromise health care bill about to come up before it. The 'supermajority' the Democrats enjoyed since the last election is now gone. Not that they made much use of it, anyhow, because they kept trying to appease the conservatives in their own ranks.

Welcome back to gridlock.

Poor, Poor, Pitiful Haiti. And How It Got That Way.

2010-01-17T23:37:00.005-06:00

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A 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed much of the country of Haiti, leaving hundreds of thousands (according to current estimates) dead and its survivors fighting over what food and water is left. Billions of dollars worth of aid has been coming into Port-au-Prince from all over the world. But most of it can't be moved because of damaged roads and threats of violence.

Recession-plagued Americans are cleaning out what's left of their bank accounts to the charity cartel (the Red Cross, Salvation Army, etc.), under the illusion that they are actually helping those suffering folks they see on TV. That's wonderful, but what happens after the cameras are turned off and everyone moves on to the next big media event?

Haiti is already one hellhole of a country, its people being shortchanged for centuries by brutal dictatorships (often with help from the United States) and benign neglect of its environment, health care and economy. Thousands of Haitians have fled to North America (legally or not) to escape the conditions. Those that remain are serviced by multitudes of missionaries and non-governmental organizations (NGO), doing some of the work that the government there should be providing, but isn't.

Once this manna from heaven trickles down to the survivors (if it ever does), things won't change much. There will be promises to spend billions of dollars to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by the quake, as well as improving the economic climate. And people will still try to get out, because either those promises won't be kept, or the Haitian government will find a way to keep most of it to themselves.

For the United States, there's little incentive to help out its Caribbean neighbor outside of humanitarian relief. There's no oil or other natural resources to exploit. Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups aren't based there (yet). And cruise lines don't make Port-au-Prince its port of call (but they do on the island of Labadee, which is 100 miles away).

As the tragedy continues to unfold, recognize that your generosity will only benefit the people of Haiti for a short time. What they need is a long-term plan to pull itself out of the conditions imposed on them internally and externally. In other words, Haiti needs a miracle.

Return of the Prodigy

2010-01-14T23:26:00.001-06:00

Six years ago, Lindsay Whalen made women's basketball in Minnesota relevant in the same manner that George Mikan did with the Lakers in the 1950s and Kevin Garnett did with the Timberwolves in the early 2000s. She led the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers to the final four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament, set scoring records that have yet to be equaled, and became an inspiration for female players across the state.

Then Whalen went away. In spite of the hometown Minnesota Lynx' best efforts, the Conneticut Sun chose Whelen in the WNBA draft, and there she has played ever since as one of the stars of that league.

Now Whalen is returning to Minnesota for the 2010 season. The Lynx acquired her in a trade with the Sun for Renee Montgomery and the top pick in this year's draft. Conneticut gives up the number two pick.

The Lynx already have a talented roster that includes Seimone Augustus and Candice Wiggins, but they haven't made the playoffs since 2004. Having Whalen could improve their chances not only on the floor, but at the gate as well. It seems people would rather be outdoors on a summer's night than to come inside the Target Center to watch women's professional basketball.

The WNBA, which is an offshoot of the National Basketball Association, has been having problems keeping things together. The Houston Comets (winners of the first four league titles) and Sacramento Monarchs have folded. The Detroit Shock are now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Rosters have been trimmed from 13 to 11. And some teams are selling advertising on their jerseys.

Unlike in the NBA, players don't get rich playing in the WNBA. That's why they hightail it to Europe every winter not just to brush up on their skills, but to earn extra money playing in more lucrative leagues. Whalen, for example, plays for a team in the Czech Republic. Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars represented Russia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics because she played for a professional team in Moscow.

The task now facing Lindsay Whelan, besides helping her new team to a place in the WNBA playoffs, is to make the Lynx relevant to sports fans in Minnesota. If she does that, then she will have really accomplished something.

Mark McGwire: Apology Better Late Than Never

2010-01-12T23:53:00.000-06:00

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Disgraced baseball slugger Mark McGwire finally decided to talk about the past Monday, confirming what we've long suspected. Yes, he did take steroids during his career, which includes the year when he hit 70 home runs to break the single-season mark set by Roger Maris. No, they were not for recreational use. He said they were meant to mend the injuries that had been plaguing him. And yes, McGwire said he should never have used them. Also, he said he would have hit 583 home runs in his career whether he was on chemicals or not.

McGwire could have said all this back in March 2005 when a congressional panel interrogated him and other Major League Baseball players on alleged steroid use. But he chose to clam up on the advice of his attorneys, hoping to save his testimony for a court of law. Well, his day in court never came, but risking contempt of Congress didn't help him much in the Court of Public Opinion.

Now that he's going to work as the St. Louis Cardinals' hitting instructor this coming season, McGwire figured he'd better come clean now or risk getting hounded about it everywhere he goes. So he's been making the rounds in the sports media--MLB Network, ESPN, USA Today--to unburden himself to a skeptical public and the Hall of Fame voters who snubbed him once again. As with all the public apologies we've been seeing lately, you can never really tell whether he's being sincere or he deserves an Academy Award.

The other players that have been caught up in what is now known as the Steroid Era--Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds (who broke McGwire's record in 2001 with 73 homers)--have all denied that they juiced up, even though the evidence points otherwise. But Jose Canseco, Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte have fessed up.

Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees has also come clean about his use of performance enhancing drugs, but it's been pretty much forgotten since his team won the World Series.

They, like McGwire, stand accused of mucking up some of baseball's most-cherished records with an asterisk because they allegedly wanted an edge. But we don't care. We still dig the long ball, and that won't change whether players frequent the weight room or their doctors' offices.

NBC Demotes Leno, and Other Media Tales

2010-01-10T23:58:00.000-06:00

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Here's just some of what's been going on lately in the wonderful world of broadcast media.

Jay Leno Not Ready for Prime Time

It has become painfully obvious that the decision made by NBC to give Jay Leno five nights of prime time a week, as an incentive for not jumping to another network, was not a good one. Poor ratings had a trickle-down effect from local news to the late-night shows that follow it. So now it appears that NBC will move Leno back to late night after the Olympic Winter Games conclude, with the rest of the lineup (Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon and Carson Daly) backed up half an hour. Which leads to the following conclusions:

NBC now needs five hours of programming at 10 p.m. Eastern (9 Central), which means putting the "Law & Order" shows back where they belong for the time being. They already gave away the crime drama "Southland" to cable's TNT.
Conan O'Brien has to realize that, as long as he stays at NBC, he'll always play second fiddle to Leno. So don't be surprised if he bolts.
Comcast, which is purchasing NBC Universal, might be taking on more than it can handle.
Isn't David Letterman enjoying this right now?

B-96 B-Gone

Twin Cities radio station KTTB (96.3 FM) has ditched the hip hop/R&B music to focus on more contemporary hits, and is changing its name to KHTC. Which means that, for the first time in two decades, KDWB (101.3 FM) will be getting some competition. (Anyone remember WLOL-FM before Minnesota Public Radio bought the station and turned it into a classical outlet?) The new 96-3 Now will differ from KDWB (which has been in the Top 40 business since today's listeners' parents were toddlers) in that it will be more Lady Gaga and less Nickelback. Hip hop won't go away, since half of the pop charts are rap-oriented anyway.

KHTC is owned by the Pohlad family, which also owns the Minnesota Twins. Since this could be the team's last season on KSTP (1500 AM), there's a possibility that, if WCCO doesn't pick up the radio rights, 96-3 just might.

Schmit Back at KSTP-TV

Now that his old boss Tom Petters is headed for prison, Joe Schmit is returning to his old job as sports director at KSTP-TV. He replaces Phil Aldredge, who's moving to weekends. This has become quite a habit for KSTP, bringing back old faces such as Cyndi Brucato and Art Baron to anchor "5 Eyewitness News". Before Schmit went to work for Petters, some of you might remember that he was a news anchor for awhile, and he did pretty well at it. Now if they could only bring back their old ratings.

Fly The Reactionary Skies

2010-01-06T00:28:00.000-06:00

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As the new year (and decade) begins, what nearly happened in Detroit on Christmas Day has politicians and other government officials pointing fingers while airline passengers are treated even more like criminals.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is currently being held at a federal prison somewhere in Michigan awaiting trial. He allegedly tried to bring down a Delta/Northwest flight from Amsterdam wearing bomb-making material in his underwear. It took several passengers to keep him from carrying out his plot.

There were many mistakes on the intelligence front, despite Homeland Security secretary Janet Napolitano's initial insistence that "the system worked". The father of Abdulmutallab warned authorities in Nigeria that his son might be a flight risk, but boarded a flight from there to Amsterdam anyway. Once he was there, security either didn't notice or just waved him through. Then he was on his way to the U.S.

While all this was going on, President Barack Obama and his family were in Hawaii on vacation. He monitored the situation and made some statements, but he seemed to give the impression that it was no big deal as long as nobody was killed. He really should have gone back to Washington immediately.

Today, the President announced stringent new security measures for international flights that come into the U.S. Among them: more emphasis on passengers that come from parts of the world where terrorist activities might be taking place.

What a novel approach. Since 9/11/01, the symbol of America's war on terror has been the knee jerk reaction to an incident, and airline passengers have been the victims of it. It goes like this:

You fly airplanes into our buildings, and we'll invade your countries, whether they had anything to do with it or not.
You try to detonate yourself with shoes, liquids or underwear in an airplane. Then we'll force everyone to take off their shoes, throw liquids in the trash, and submit them to body scans. And that includes babies and grandmothers.
You try to come in through Canada or Mexico without so much as a visa, then we'll make everyone buy passports even though those two countries are within driving distance. We might throw in Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico for good measure.
You try to sneak past security, then we'll make everyone go through it again.

No wonder Al Qaeda is laughing its heads off, because all this is costing the United States billions of dollars a year. And this nonsense will keep happening unless there is a rational, clear-headed plan to protect people's right to have a safe and relatively painless flight.

If you must fly, this is the way it's going to be from now on. For the rest of us, there are other modes of transportation that don't require restrictions on what you can and cannot bring. And the price of gas doesn't seem so bad by comparison.

Vikings In Playoffs. Now What?

2010-01-03T23:20:00.000-06:00

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The Minnesota Vikings ended the NFL regular season with a 44-7 blowout of the New York Giants on Sunday, but that hasn't stopped the question marks that began surfacing about their chances in the playoffs. Even though they won the NFC North, they only got the number two seed courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys, who shut out the Philadelphia Eagles in one of the late games. Over the past month, it's become increasingly clear that the Vikings are hothouse flowers--that is, they're undefeated at home inside a dome, but have a losing record in the Great Outdoors. Especially when it's freezing.

You can't say that relations between quarterback Brett Favre and coach Brad Childress have deteriorated. But what was that heated discussion on the sidelines during the game at Carolina about? The Vikings were going nowhere that night, and Childress wanted to change quarterbacks, but Favre wanted none of it and won the argument. Both sides said it was no big deal, but with each Vikings loss, perception tends to become reality.

Off the field, owner Zygi Wilf began his strongest push yet for a new football stadium, with the lease at the Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (or the MOADome, if you prefer) about to expire. Wilf hasn't said it openly, but he's implying that if the powers-that-be don't give him a billion dollar stadium with a retractable roof, the Vikings would move to Los Angeles.

First of all, the Vikings aren't the only possible tenants that have been mentioned for that new L.A. stadium. There's the Chargers, Bills, Jaguars, etc. It's also no big secret that the NFL would prefer two teams, one from each conference, to share the stadium. That could happen by the end of the coming decade. But the residents of the City of Angels have gotten used to life without NFL football (except on TV), so it's a question of whether they'd want it back.

Second, if Wilf really wants a new stadium, he'd be wise to make it an open-air facility. Bseides saving millions, it might make the Vikings more competitive against the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears--whom you'll notice don't play home games indoors. Fans of a certain age will long remember those games at Metropolitan Stadium in the 1970s, when Bud Grant's playoff teams used the cold and snow to their advantage. It might be nice to host a men's final four in college basketball, but is that really necessary?

Before the season, we thought the Vikings with Brett Fave would be good enough to win the division and make some noise in the playoffs, but would not make the Super Bowl. We still feel that way.

As for who we think will be meeting in Miami a month from now, we give you: Dallas vs. New England.