Just watching the MLB opener on ESPN, and it was really cool to see Neil Diamond perform live at Fenway Park. Some baseball traditions can actually start late in the history of the game. I have always admired the Red Sox fans passion, taking a song from the 70′s and rocking it out in a legendary stadium has made it part of their baseball lore. The Yankees have Day-Oh, and the Twins? I say bring back the Tires Plus race to Target Field, or get the Geardaddies to rock out some Minnesota Country version of “Win Twins” but nothing will ever top STAR WARS blasting out after the 1987 home runs. Check that, maybe Star Wars blasting out after home runs with fireworks in an outdoor stadium?

by Jon Azpiri | October 6, 2009 at 11:00 am

The Monday Night Football ratings for the Week 4 Packer vs Vikings game are in and it looks like a pretty big win for ESPN. The network had been promoting Brett Favre’s first time playing against his old Green Bay Packers and it seems to have paid off.

Favre gave ESPN the best MNF ratings they’ve ever had since they took over the program back in 2006. According to Sports Business Daily, the Favre-Packers MNF game received a 14.2 rating, 65 percent higher than last week’s MNF broadcast. In Minneapolis, the game earned a massive rating of 58.3. In Green Bay, the game got a 49.7 rating.

The killer MNF ratings make the Packers-Viking game one of the highest rated programs in cable history

According to ESPN Reporter, Ed Werder in a July 10th post:

“‘…Favre informed Bevell and Vikings head trainer Eric Sugarman that he wants to play in Minnesota during the upcoming season but remains unable to commit because he wants to be totally confident that he can provide the team with 16-plus healthy starts before doing so…”

What this means is that he is either stalling, holding out for more money in contract situation, or might have been playing the Vikings the whole time? Either way, all the jerseys, the hype and hoopla surrounding Favre as a sure thing in Minnesota is still just speculation.

Will the fun ever stop?

It will be a interesting next few weeks for sure.

Blog comments galore for the first half of this insane game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints played Oct 6, 2008:

• Vikings need a win badly and beating the Saints in N.O. would be huge.
• “I look for Adrian Peterson to either bust open this defense, wide open, for a big 200 yard day, or the Saints are really going to slow him down.”- Emmitt Smith Way to go out on a limb there Emmitt. Here’s my prediction for the night….either the Vikings will win….or they won’t.
• “You look at the Washington Redskins. They haven’t turned the ball over….on offense….yet this year.”- Keyshawn Johnson As opposed to the elusive, defensive turnover?
• I’m pretty sure I’ve seen this Adrian Peterson “Unmasked” thing about eight times now. It’s not bad, but you can only hear about someone’s “Diesel” tattoo so many times.”Diesel fuel is expensive, but that’s worth it.”- Chris Berman
• “There’s a rule that pertains to foot tangling?”- Tony Kornheiser”No footsies.”- Mike Tirico
• Brees to Henderson. And it’s six just like that for the Saints and boy was that easy. 7-0 New Orleans
• Time to see if Frerotte is Fr’real and Tirico and Tony freak out about a lady sticking her hand into the mouth of a gator. Vikes ball at their own 33 “She is about to perform animal dentistry and take the wisdom tooth out of the crocodile”- Tony
• FG attempt for Gramatica….>BLOCKED! Wow….and Antoine Winfield is going to take it to the house. How about that for a change of momentum7-7.
• Incomplete to Moore on first and Winfield nails Stecker on a second down screen for no gain. Third and long….Brees to Moore! Knocked away by Gordon!!! Great D there….Gramatica again….Good! 10-7 Saints…three minutes to go.
• ONSIDE KICK ATTEMPT! Vikings keep it. Wow that was tricky
• Incomplete pass and Longwell will attempt a 53 yarder….Nails it! We’re back to even….10-10.
• That’s the end of the first….10-10.
• “Thats 5,000 pounds of Williams’ on the front line” – Tony Kornheiser
• And what a way to start the second! Winfield just grabs the ball away from Drew Brees and it’ll be Vikings’ ball! Brees is shaking his hand a bit. Wow. Another momentum swing. 1st and goal from the five
• 3rd and goal now….incomplete but Will Smith was offsides. 3rd and Goal again from the 4 yard line….Chester Taylor to Shiancoe?!?!?! Umm okay? It’s still six though….17-10 Vikings
• Bush for another first and the Saints are moving it once again…..FUMBLE!!!! Bush drops the ball but he was taken down with a facemask! The Vikings picked it up and it will be their ball. Amazing that there was no call there and Sean Payton is flipping the hell out.
• Berrian with the nice catch and that’s a first down in Saints’ territory
• Brees to Bush for a first….FUMBLE! Oh man….bounces right to the Saints. What a lucky mofo. 1st and 10 at the 41
• Brees to Reggie Bush on play action and that was just too easy. 1st and goal at the nine. Vikings call timeout. Winfield takes out McAllister on first down…..
• Interception! Moore hands the ball to Lieber and Minnesota takes over.
• 251-48 yards for New Orleans and Minnesota is leading by seven. Insane. That’s the 2-minute warning
• Peterson up the middle and he just gets crushed by Vilma and fumbles! RULED DOWN!!! No way and the Saints are going to get screwed again here…..and now the fans see it. Wait…that’s actually kind of close. He loses it…gets it back and then it goes out. Here comes the review….Still the Vikings ball. Hochuli says that Peterson’s hand was still under the ball and the Saints’ fans are pissssssed. “The strong hand wins the contest.”- Ron Jaworski Is that a bible quote I’m not aware of?
• Gus to Berrian in the endzone….out of bounds. 3rd and 6….incomplete and almost picked off. Well at least they tried right? Here comes Longwell for another FG attempt….Good and that’ll make it 20-10 Vikings

Last night during and exciting 9-3 blow out over the White Sox, I thought it would be fun to flip through some old magazines, and visit some old web predictions to see where the Twins were projected to finish. Not suprising, from ESPN, to Lindy’s to Athlon, to (name one), the Twins were projected no higher than 4th, and most had them finishing DEAD LAST. Read more…