The biggest trade in Vikings history happened on this day, TODAY!  The New England Patriots and Vikings have finalized a trade to bring controversial star receiver Randy Moss back to Minnesota. The team expects Moss to be present at Thursday’s scheduled practice.

Meanwhile later tonight, the Twins start their quest for a 3rd World Series title, Read on…

Jay Glazer and several NFL news sources are reporting a possible return of the Superfreak to Minneapolis. Personally, as I wrote on this blog last month, this would be a dream come true! It would whip this state into a Frenzy if it happens.

Here is why:

Source: Minneapolis Star & Tribune and Jay Glazer:
File this under stunning news. FOXsports.com’s Jay Glazer is reporting that the Vikings are close to finalizing a trade that would bring wide receiver Randy Moss back to Minnesota.

Glazer said the Vikings and Patriots are engaged in “serious trade talks” but the deal hinges on the Vikings working out a contract with Moss first. Here is Glazer’s story.

The day the Vikings traded Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders was a dark day. It was March 2, 2005 and it was not fun. I will never forgive Red McCombs for dumping “Superfreak” just before he sold the team to Zygi Wilfe.

Five and one-half years later, the Vikings are again Super Bowl contenders in what appears to be an ALL-IN or bust season. They have a Hall of Fame quarterback playing his last season in the NFL (we’ll see about that) and loads of talent equal to if not before than the sum of players who Moss first joined as a rookie back in 1998.

In my opinion, it’s time to make a trade and BRING BACK RANDY! Here’s why:

According to the Boston Globe, September 7, 2010 Moss in no longer happy being a Patriot because they haven’t made him a contract offer.

“When you have done so much and put so much work in, it kind of feels like I am not wanted,” Moss said. “I am taking that in stride and playing my final year out and whatever the future holds is what it holds, but it is kind of a bad feeling — feeling not wanted. It is not like my production has gone down.”

The Vikings cut Javon Walker, and have only 4 wide receivers on their roster; Bernard Berrien, Percy Harvin, Greg Camarillo, and Greg Lewis. To make this trade happen, the Vikings might have to give one of them up (Berrien).

Moss is 33, and has always told Vikings fans that he wants to end his career where it started. Getting the Superfreak back for this 2010 run would send a lightning bolt of offensive joy into the fan base and make for an incredibly electric season.

Favre to Moss, Favre to Percy, AP busting loose, Longwell’s xtra point is good. Camrillo over the middle, CAUGHT! That’s another Vikings FIRST DOWN! Look at that truck bounce off the defense! Gerhart for 15 yards of real hard knocks! Visanthe into the end zone… TOUCHDOWN VIKINGS!!!!

I can just hear the Vikings horn in the Metrodome blasting away. Oh, and let’s not forget… Jared Allen tying mythical calves after he sacks opposing quarterbacks, the Williams Wall shutting down every running back they encounter, and the return of a healthy Antoine & EJ along with the South Dakota Hee Haw linebackers.

Man, I would not want to miss a game if Moss came back. Somewhere out there Lombardi would be rolling over in his grave as #4 and #84 hoisted the trophy in the land of “Staubach & Drew Pushed Off” in February.

Our guy, Beck DeRobertis from Bringmossback.com is at it again. YES! This time he was featured in the the Minneapolis Star Tribune column by Michael Rand. Read the stuff (Copy and Pasted Below) and make sure to check out the Red Hot Art Fest in downtown Minne this weekend.

Posted on May 29th, 2008 – 10:50 AM
By Michael Rand

You might recall that a couple of weeks back, we introduced RandBall readers to the site Bring Moss Back, a rather eclectic smattering put together over the past few years by one Beck DeRobertis. We concluded that post with, “Beck, send us an e-mail. A guest post or a Q&A might be in order.” Well, the good sir obliged with an e-mail. And here is the resulting Q&A. Please do enjoy. It was rather tasty.

RandBall: Can you describe the key ways in which VIDEOS, FASHION, and KITSCH might help return Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings?

Beck DeRobertis, Bring Moss Back: What I’m trying to do with this campaign is reinvent Randy Moss as a sports icon in Minnesota. When a player leaves town, even a player as incredible as Moss, most people forget them pretty fast, unfortunately. You can find number 84 Vikings jerseys for two dollars each at most thrift stores around town. I know, I’ve bought a lot of them. But just because someone leaves town, that doesn’t mean their legend has to go with them. With the Bring Moss Back campaign, I want to remind everybody how brilliant the Super Freak is, and how much of an outrage it is that the Vikings traded such a talented, spectacular, and hilarious player in his prime. And I also want Moss to know that the fans not only want him back in Minnesota, but that they never wanted him gone in the first place.

RB: The Bring Moss Backini does seem both super freaky and super sensual, as advertised. What was the creative process behind that treat? And does that come in a medium?

BD: After I decided to make a women’s fashion line based on Randy Moss, I convinced my friend Lauren to collaborate with me on the project. A bikini was one of the first things we decided to include, because what fun would fashion be without some sex appeal sprinkled in? The very punny title followed soon after. Interestingly, the initial sketches of the Backini featured Moss’ face (with Afro) [hilarity unfortunately redacted here]. For some reason, we decided not to go with that idea. And yes, the Backini is available for special order in all sizes.

RB: What would happen if the Vikings actually brought Moss back?

BD: I’m glad you asked that question, Michael. This is how I see it: In the next couple years, we trade with New England to reaquire Moss, teaming him with Adrian Peterson, who should be entering his prime (Purple Jesus meets the Super Freak!). Then, we sign some above par veteran QB, like Donovan McNabb, or I don’t know, Brett Favre. Combine that with the already superior Vikings defense, and we’ve got the recipe for a Super Bowl win, my friend! Oh, how sweet that purple nectar will taste. And then, I’d like to convince Moss to star in a buddy picture with Woody Allen (who will have to be convinced, as well).

RB: I dispute your claim that Rhoda Morgenstern is on the side of your campaign. Who are your sources?

BD: You’re absolutely right. Rhoda did not sign off on that advertisement. I’ve just always been a big Rhoda fan, and I wanted to restate my long held belief that Rhoda is much sexier than Mary, even though Mary wears a Fran Tarkenton Vikings jersey in the opening credits of the MTM Show. I also figured that if Valerie Harper (the actress who played Rhoda) sued, it would be good publicity for the campaign, and maybe I’d get the chance to ask her out on a date.

RB: Seriously, how did this all start?

BD: I first thought of the idea in the fall of 2006, a dismal season for the Vikings. I was still in shock that they’d traded Moss, even though it had been almost two years. I was outraged that the Vikings had traded my favorite player, and I started the campaign so that I would at least know that I did everything I could to try to bring him back. And then I realized that the campaign was a great venue for all sorts of fun projects, like videos and trading cards, etc. I’ve recruited most of my friends to work on the projects, and it’s been a fantastic time, with lots more to come. Rest assured, the Bring Moss Back campaign will continue until Randy Moss is back in the purple and gold.

RB: Did you weep openly the day Moss left?

BD: Yes, I was devastated. It didn’t make any sense. Why would you trade your best player when your team is improving? If you look at the 2005 posts on the Bring Moss Back website, you can read an essay I wrote on the night of the Moss trade. I was irate, and I still am.

RB: When you travel to New England, do they throw pennies at you?

BD: I have yet to venture into the New England area. But I hope that when I finally visit Boston, I am greeted with a parade for being a representative of the city that has given them so many fine professional athletes in recent years. And then Bill Simmons can present me with the key to the city.

RB: Any plans for a “Bring Troy Williamson Back” sister site?

BD: Absolutely not. Everything has already been said about the Troy Williamson debacle, the key word being “disappointment.”

RB: You seem like a guy that takes yourself pretty seriously. In 53 words exactly, tell me why I’m right.

BD: After Moss returns, I’d like to focus on directing low budget feature films. The films will be set in Minneapolis and will combine bright colors, lots of yuks, sensual bursts, and theme songs from old TV shows. I’ll become to Minneapolis what John Waters is to Baltimore and Woody Allen is to NY.

RB: Randy Moss cut a gold record using nothing but a jazz flute and his wisdom. True or false? Defend your answer.

BD: Romantic, but false. I mean, I feel like that would be on the guy’s Wikipedia if it were true. But I’d like to take this moment to invite everybody to the Red Hot Art fest this weekend at Stevens Square Park in Minneapolis, where my art partner Jenna Brouse and I will be peddling all sorts of glorious kitsch, including Bring Moss Back stuff and One Night Lexicons (our fun illustrated minizine). And thank you to the supporters of Bring Moss Back!

All is this talk, this chatter about trading Randy Moss has got to stop. The Vikings would be making a huge mistake if they let go of the most proficient offensive weapon this league has ever seen.

Moss told the league in ’98 that he would “rip it up” and he has delivered that promise both on the field and off it. Everybody knows that he is one the league’s bad boys and he gets media attention for all the wrong reasons, but he has created a new image for the Minnesota Vikings that should be kept.

Moss has the Vikings branded as an explosive offense, and that’s exactly where they should stay. Who cares if Moss isn’t fan-friendly to adults or media? Really, does that matter anymore? The fans in Minnesota love Randy Moss because he can play football. Moss is the only guy in the history of the Vikings who can catch a TD at any given time in a split second. More important, Moss has done what every diehard Viking fan has dreamed of; he has gotten under the skin of the Packer Nation.

His unique skills should not be sacrificed for any draft prick or defensive reject from any other team, period. The Vikings should relish in the fact that they have the ultimate weapon in their arsenal, and he is locked up for 4 more years. This off-season the Vikings need to focus on defense and keep the AFRO (America’s Finest Receivers on Sundays) boys they have in their stable.

You don’t need to have the best public image to play in the NFL. If you did half of the Baltimore Ravens would be banned from the league. Randy has an image of a guy who quits on his team and plays when he wants to play. This is unfortunate because his image is as false as the desperate media dolts who kept bringing it up. I am tired of reading columns about this topic and listening to crappy Sports talk radio shows who over-analyze lives of players in the non-creative world of the NFL media.

From a Viking diehard fans perspective, Randy Moss is no better or worse than any other receiver in the league who runs out plays as a decoy so the ball can be carried on the other side of the field. The only difference is that some jackass in the media wanted to use Moss as a scapegoat so they could get ratings or sell their papers.

Back in 2001 Moss esponded to a question, “Does Dennis Green (or Cris Carter) motivate you to play in anyway?” by stating the now infamous line, “I play when I want to play!” The media jumped all over it. Merrill Hoge, that once-superstar-legend player for the Steelers gone analyst, dug up 5-10 plays from a given Sunday that clearly showed Randy “jogging out plays.” Oh, the travesty, HOW DARE HE?

The fact is you could take any NFL receiver, from any era in the league and do the same thing to them. I have seen every Vikings home game since Randy joined the squad in 1998, and I have attended a practice at Winter Park before the Bears game this year. I have never seen Moss dog it or quit. But I can guarantee you that because of the image that our beloved media has created for him, people assume he is quitting and they let him have it.

After the “play when I wanna play” quote, one local radio station ran a promotion that asked Vikings fans to bring their Moss apparel to the tailgate lots so they could burn it. The local press did interviews with fans and got their anti-moss sound bytes to fuel the flame even more. Give me break! I laugh at all this speculation now, because anyone in their right mind would STUPID to not want Moss on their team. Numbers don’t lie and Moss has the best for this stage in his career than ANYONE in the history of the NFL. Ya, go trade that…

Over the years I have noticed that whenever some bleeding heart story about how Moss the philanthropist comes out, he follows it up with some nasty stupid act or quote. I don’t think he wants to be a nice guy, and I don’t think he cares to be adored like some NFL playeesrs. Good for him, I say.

Before the last regular season game of ’04 against the Redskins, a story ran about Randy Moss that told of all his charity work. It documented that Randy had started a reading program at the school where Korey Stringer used to go teach at, and mentioned that he had started the same program at another local school. You could just hear all the mom’s in Brainerd saying,

“O Uff da, daat Randy is a nice boy der, what a good deal for da Vikes eh?”

A few days later, Moss actually quit a game as he walked off the field with 2 seconds left against the Redskins. Pundits responded with more Moss bashing, trade rumors, and teed off teammates stories. The fans, including myself, were all in a fuss over their Superstar’s antics once again. I didn’t like Randy’s move, because personally, I don’t think quitting is the answer to anything. Life in Minnesota was back to normal with the Vikings in chaos. They had backed into the playoffs, and every body was picking a Packer win in the Wildcard game.

The Vikings responded the following week by playing their best game of 2004 in a convincing 31-17 victory over at Lambeau Field.

Vikings fans had a new hero, “Bad Boy Randy.” What purple clad fan hasn’t dreamed of doing what Randy did in the end zone after scoring the game clinching touchdown? Randy’s Moon was a great way to exact revenge on the Vikings nemesis and win over the diehard Vikings fans again. The touchdown ended Titletown’s hope for a Super Bowl and the moon dance gave Vikings fans a chance to laugh at the Cheeseheads again. (Sidenote to Packers fans: you take this GAME way to serious! Sure you have championships, but it’s not a life breaker or maker. Just go out and have fun and enjoy the NFL.)

Even though Randy’s fake moon disgusted TV announcers, Cheeseheads, and reporters most Vikings fans agree that Randy’s move was an all-time classic, a showstopper! It was the ultimate response to the Lambeau Leap, and the most comical thing a Viking has ever done! Moss is a legend, a Minnesota icon, and trading him now would be like sending the legendary Paul Bunyon and Babe the Blue Ox to a state like Hawaii. It just wouldn’t be right.