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While most Vikings fans and sports writers are salivating over the prospect of signing Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre to the purple’s roster, I remain adamant on this much: I don’t want him in purple.

Ten years ago? Sure. Five years ago? Maybe. Now? No way. At 39 and soon 40, Favre is over-the-hill, playing with an arm that’s not 100 percent, and is likely to be as interception-prone as ever. No thanks.

As a QB coach? Sure! But as a player, I just don’t see Favre as being an attractive option, even though our roster of signal-callers is certainly not NFL Hall of Fame-caliber.

Brett Favre spent a long career as one of the Vikings’ mortal enemies. He should go out of the game and into the Hall of Fame with that image still intact, no matter how many calls on cellular phones Coach Childress gets from 80-year-old season ticket holders who went to high school with Brett.

Tags: Brett Favre, cellular phones, Minnesota Vikings, NFL Hall of Fame

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It may seem weird … really weird, in fact. But new Wolves GM David Kahn’s choice to draft not one, but two point guards back-to-back with high picks (five and six) in the NBA Draft last Thursday is making more sense as time goes on.

First, of course, is PG Ricky Rubio’s dodgy contract status with his team in Spain; it’s a big $6 million mess and the Wolves are restricted from helping Rubio out of it too much. With their hands tied, it appears the Wolves may need to wait a year, perhaps even two, before Rubio can run with the Wolves. And Kahn is patient enough to wait Rubio out, considering the kid’s only 18.

Jonny Flynn, the other point guard taken right behind Rubio, is another great player; he is insurance against the Wolves finding themselves without Rubio for a year or two; while lacking Rubio’s flash, Flynn is an extremely talented point guard who excels at speed, passing and setting up his teammates to make them better.

See, the truth is, a really great pure point guard is a rare commodity in the NBA. The Wolves haven’t really had one since the days of Stephon Marbury, and even he became more scoring-focused as he adjusted to the NBA. Since then, most of the Wolves’ point guards have been combo guards, or shooting guards with some passing skills.

Now, we have Flynn for sure, and Rubio eventually. While that may seem like a luxury on a team that needs plenty of help, it’s not; Flynn might not develop into a true point guard at the NBA level; he could also bust. If so, Rubio’s still there once he joins the team.

Same goes for Rubio. He could turn into more of a scoring threat as he grows into his body; he might have contract troubles keep him out of the NBA for up to two seasons; and he might act like a brat and try to force a trade if he decides he really doesn’t like Minnesota, the way Marbury did. If so, we will be fine at point with Flynn.

It’s unlikely both will bust. That would be akin to someone being unhappy with their Wilmington NC real estate purchase; it just doesn’t seem the least bit likely.

Yes, the Wolves need help at shooting guard; free agency is still ahead of us. A true center would also be nice, and again, free agency could patch a hole there. Small forward is probably set, though, as long as Ryan Gomes comes back healthy, and power forward is definitely set if Al Jefferson stays at his true position, though he may move to center to make room for Kevin Love in the starting lineup.

So we didn’t necessarily need to draft a young shooting guard in the six-spot, if we’re planning to get help in free agency from a more experienced, veteran player. And in the meantime, we can rest easy knowing that we have one true point guard for the future, and perhaps someday, we may have two.

That’s two more than many teams enjoy.

Tags: Jonny Flynn, Ricky Rubio, Wilmington NC real estate

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OK, sure, I know … new Wolves GM David Kahn puckered up and smacked rump on Kevin McHale before, during and even after firing him. That’s all well and good, but the important thing is, he’s gone at long last, no matter how many lip-marks his rear bears.

That’s a relief, but it’s only really a beginning.

The next test for Kahn, now that he’s shown he has some teeth, is to leverage Minnesota’s underperforming but young squad, ample cap space, and three first-round draft picks into a winning combination of wheeling and dealing so that we can get the right pieces in place to start building the Wolves into a perennial winner. That only starts with the draft; it will continue in free agency. Fire up the barcode scanner and let’s start dealing!

And if that all means trading away some of the current talent to bring new talent in, so much the better. I, for one, am ready for some positive changes, and finding a way to come out of the draft with Hasheem Thrabeet and one of the top point guards in the draft, while also maybe bringing in some veteran talent, than I for one wouldn’t weep a whole lot if it meant losing Mike Love in the deal, or even Al Jefferson.

Much as I appreciate both players, I’d appreciate a winning team even more, so show us what you can do with a lot of tools at your disposal, David Kahn. If not, don’t be surprised if fans are calling for your head a lot sooner and more passionately than they did for McHale’s.

Tags: barcode scanner, David Kahn, Kevin McHale

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Whoever succeeds Tim Pawlenty, the outgoing Republican governor of Minnesota, will either make Vikings history or make the Vikings history. That’s because the best chance for a state-sponsored stadium deal will come after the budget-trimming T-Paw leaves office.

Those who value low taxes and no stadium solution will want to support any GOP candidate except, perhaps, Norm Coleman. Those who don’t care about taxes or the Vikings will probably vote Democratic. But if you want budget restraint AND a stadium solution, the best bet for Zygi Wilf and company may indeed be Norm Coleman.

Let’s face it; like it or not, ACORN and Al Franken (who’s increasingly too big for his breeches) have successfully stolen an Minnesota US Senate seat and all Norm Coleman can do is delay the inevitable seating of Senator Election Fraud himself, Mr. Franken. The best way to come out of this smelling like a winner is for Coleman to announce he’ll seek to replace T-Paw as Minnesota’s next governor.

Coleman would be the immediate front-runner, ending the GOP contest of midgets currently underway and bringing enough name recognition to the table to make it a tough contest for any DFL contender, even in a borderline purple state like Minnesota.

Tags: Norm Coleman, staduim solution, Zygi Wilf

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The real suspense should be in how new Wolves GM David Kahn plays the hand he’s been dealt in the NBA Draft, according to Kahn himself, and not how soon he decided whether to retain McHale as coach of the team. While the suspense over McHale’s future has local sports writers popping Lipovox every hour on the hour (which is not advisable, by the way), Kahn made a good point recently.

“The draft,” he said, “has a deadline. A coaching change doesn’t.”

Subtle hint of a coaching change in the offing, or how he’s leaning? Don’t count in it!

Tags: David Kahn, Kevin McHale, Lipovox

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Any horse ridden by Calvin Borel of late is the horse to bet on.

Borel rode Mine That Bird to victory in the Kentucky Derby, then switched horses to Rachel Alexandra for the Preakness and won that race, too. Sure, there’s no Minnesota connection, exactly, but with the final leg of the Triple Crown coming up in a few weeks, here’s a hint on how to place a winning bet: Bet on Borel.

The diminutive jockey may spend most of his waking hours at the track, but you can bet with his winning streak, horse owners are treating him to Las Vegas hotels at night, trying to get him to ride their horse in the Belmont Stakes.

Tags: Calvin Borel, Las Vegas hotels, Mine That Bird, Rachel Alexandra

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Madison Memorial guard Vander Blue recently backed out of his oral commit to the Wisconsin Badgers and Tubby Smith’s Gophers now hope to steal Blue away from the Badgers, in what would certainly be a regional recruiting coup. Blue is ranked as one of the top 10 point guards in high school basketball and a Top 30 recruit by Rivals.com.

Also in the Gophers’ sights: Iowa’s Harrison Barnes, currently the top-ranked recruit in the nation for the Class of 2010. Barnes is close with Gophers signees Rodney Williams Jr. and Royce White. Additionally, coach Smith is close to Barnes’ mother, so Tubby should at least score an official visit at some point. Still, landing the best player in the nation’s a tall order; everyone’s after him. Barnes has to enjoy the attention though; beats reading nuphedra reviews.

Tags: Harrison Barnes, nuphedra reviews, Vander Blue

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Vikings QB Sage Rosenfels hasn’t tossed a single pass in purple-and-gold yet, and already many are wondering if a 39-year-old QB with a bad arm might be a better choice. No, not last year’s QB in a pinch solution, Gus Frerotte, but Mr. Packers Football himself, Brett Favre – a man most Vikings fans under 30 have grown up despising.

While most people would enjoy a seminar on mesothelioma more than the thought of Favre in purple at 39, imagine how Rosenfels feels; after the purple traded for him early in the off-season, now he’s already being cast aside in favor of Favre? What can any man say to that?

“It doesn’t make any sense to comment on something that hasn’t happened,” Rosenfels, a native of Maquoketa, Iowa, told the Des Moines Register.

Guess that about sums it up, eh?

Tags: Brett Favre, mesothelioma, Sage Rosenfels

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As one local newspaper columnist observed, when a job with the Wolves is less appealing than being unemployed, something’s a bit frightening at Target Center. Glen Taylor had hoped his search for a new GM to fill the spot left vacant by Kevin McHale when McHale took over the coaching position would be over in “a couple weeks.” The search is now nearing a month and former Miami Heat GM Randy Pfund is the latest to withdraw his name from consideration, preferring to stay unemployed rather than manage the Wolves.

It’s widely believed Taylor wants to hire an outside man, but one who will agree to: a) Let Kevin McHale decide all by himself whether to return as coach, with no pressure from the new GM one way or another, and; b) Keep GM-in-training Fred Hoiberg on as his assistant.

Asking any new GM to take on that much baggage from a failed past is a steep request, so it’s no wonder both Dennis Lindsay of the Spurs and now the unemployed Randy Pfund have said, “No thanks” to the Wolves opportunity.

Now the search seems to be focusing in on Portland’s Tom Penn and Indiana’s David Kahn; both are cap experts and contracts guys, which would allow Taylor to foist Hoiberg on them as a strong number-two guy. Of course, Taylor could always just go ahead and elevate Hoiberg from within; if that’s the announcement after all this, one will have to wonder why Taylor took so long to make an obvious internal choice while cleaning area rugs with all the other candidates going in and out of Target Center? Maybe because Hoiberg isn’t quite ready?

Time will tell.

Tags: area rugs, David Kahn, Fred Hoiberg, Randy Pfund, Tom Penn

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The details of the NFL salary cap get more complex all the time, enough to fill up several SD cards, but one thing is clear after the NFL bumped up the salary cap from $123 million to $127 million over the weekend: the Vikings have plenty of money to sign their draftees, Antoine Winfield and – if he’s cleared to play – QB Brett Favre, should the Green Bay legend decide to come out of retirement.

Right now, the Vikes have about $18 million in cap space, and need to spend another $2.7 million just to be over the cap minimum, which is about what their draft picks would take up. With about $15 million to spare, there would still be plenty of room for both Favre and Winfield on the team’s cap.

So the question must not become: is Favre worth signing? I still say, “No.”

Tags: Antoine Winfield, Brett Favre, Minnesota Vikings, SD cards

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While I certainly don’t endorse Brett Favre becoming a Viking, there are $20 million reasons why Favre might flirt with the possibility; that’s the price Green Bay offered last year to Favre to retire and become an ambassador of Packers football. With his free-and-clear release from the Jets, Favre could play the possibility of signing with Minnesota against Green Bay to be given that offer again.

This time, Favre would take it, and I wouldn’t blame him. Just as long as Green Bay doesn’t call his bluff and force him into signing with the purple, I’m fine with that. But I’d much rather indulge in some Atro Phex than watch a 39-year-old Favre toss interception after interception for us.

Tags: Atro Phex, Brett Bavre

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Some members of the Minnesota sports media need to grow up.

I swear, if Brett Favre were to say, “At this time, I think the Vikings can kiss my fat rear end if they think I’m going to unretire. I’m done, I’m over, I’m kaput, I have a rifle aimed at my left foot and I’m about the pull the trigger to remove all doubt,” there are Minnesota sports “prognosticators” who would cling to “at this time” as a sign that Brett might wear purple this season, and hey, he never needed that left foot to be a Hall of Fame quarterback who at nearly 40 years old could still lead the Vikings to a SuperBowl anyway.

Or, like the old Saturday Night Live character, these sports nitwits would listen to such a rejection, only to say, “So what you’re telling me is… there’s still a chance, right?”

I mean, really, do they have any sense of shame? Whether the Vikings ship in on a perfect course or the vessel sinks due to all this Favre talk is to be determined, but it certainly can’t help matters.

Since it doesn’t appear we’re going to get any alternatives that are younger thank Favre, I say we forge ahead as planned with Sage Rosenfels, backed up by Tavaris Jackson, and hope the addition of Percy Harvin to the receiving corps helps solidify the offense.

And if it’s not, time to fire Brad Childress and bring in not only a solid QB, but a better coach, to boot. But let’s see how this coming season plays out first.

Tags: Brett Favre, vessel sinks

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