Yahoo Sports Jason Cole, reported that the Vikings are involved in another Brett Favre schism. You might remember last year? Favre shows up, players take T-Jack’s defense, a supposed riff happens in the Vikings lockerroom? The same type of hyperbole is happening all over again.

According to this Yahoo Sports Report Favre and Brad Childress are the combatants. The report quoted unamed players as saying,

“Brett thinks Childress has no clue about offense!”

One only has to watch last year’s games with the Panthers and Bears to see that they disagree on offense. I am not a football guru, head coach or Hall of Fame QB, but I do know about body language. It was clear that the coach and player did have a disagreement on offensive philosophy. But I also know that in any relationship (say, between a husband and wife) there will be disagreements, and arguments. This doesn’t mean that one should lose all hope, quite, give up or retire.  It also doesen’t mean that all is lost for the Vikings.

If Childress and Favre can agree to disagree on philosophy of NFL playcalling, they still can work together on the business of winning.  Afterall, for both parties, it’s all about winning. Childress wins if Favre plays, and Favre wins because he comes here for his last season to help his loyal teammates win.

I at least give them both credit for realizing that they stand to benefit personally from the team’s success (if that does happen.), 

It doesn’t matter if you believe that Childress is  an average coach with a good track record for assembling talent.  Some of the worst coaches in history have rings on their fingers because talent was put on the table for them (George Seifert, Barry Switzer).  Childress might be smart enough to back off the offense, and let Favre run it… that would be credible to his desire to win.

People have to realize that this might be the ONLY chance the Vikings will have to go to the Super Bow for the next decade. It’s an ALL IN season! All the chips are on the table. With a lock out looming, and no Vikings stadium planned or being built, there is an off chance that this season might be the last season ever for the Vikings in Minnesota.

The NFL as we currently know it, may no longer exist after this season. Big changes to the rules, schedules, settlements, infrastructure,  contracts and unions may all be in place after a lock out.

So Vikings fans,  enjoy the heck out of this season. Take everything in this year like it is the last time you will see it, because that just might be the case.

Go Vikes

I once heard a wise old owl tell me that any good relationship is based on the ability to laugh at each other, together and separately.

“You know, many husbands and wives will go through tough times, but you will always know that you can work anything out if you can still laugh. Once the laughter is gone, the love might soon follow.”

So what do sports dad really need from their partner? Laughter.

I always get a kick out of seeing my wife laugh, and I there is nothing better than seeing her smile. It is one of the best ways to break tension, and show mutual appeal. When a sports dad takes the time to share a story with his wife, it means he honestly wants to share a moment.

Most Sports dads aren’t as good as the Chris Rock’s and Adam Sandler’s of the world, so please be patient with our clumsy deliveries and lack of a punch line. Wives, when you hear a story where the effort is being put forth to connect with you, show your husband a smile. The sports daddy’s really do like seeing their wives looking happy in general.

This doesn’t mean going around with a fake grin and condescending courtesy laugh. Pretending everything is fine when it isn’t, is not being true, but even in tough times, it is important to keep that sense of humor. There is always hope if you can “table” any negative issues (even temporarily) to share a laugh or two with your spouse.

The same old wise owl also told me many years ago, “When She’s happy, you’re happy.”

So smile and laugh damnit!

Cheaters BBQ Results:

Finally the moment had come. Time to serve the meal and hear the reviews. The first person who get a serving was the baby, who had just turned 1 year 3 months old. We chopped out the turkey breast for her and put it on the tray.

“Mmmmmmmmmm,” she mumbled, signalling for more.

“Well I am one for one!, ” I proclaimed proudly, knowing that she pretty much says the same thing for any meat or poultry we serve up to her.

Next, came the 5-year old mite hockey player. He is bit more finicky, and has not ever been a fan of poultry or pork. This would be a tough sell.

I cut off a few slices, and put them on his plate. He ate, smiled and said, “I like it daddy, I like it better than anything mommy has cooked, EVER!”

Now, that’s a loyal son, but I really think he was exaggerating. My wife is a fantastic cook, and actually could be a professional chef if she wanted. The woman does recipes from America’s Test Kitchen, and has a collection of cook books that rival my collection of Vikings games on DVD. I mean, if there was ever an expert of fine cooking, I am proud to say, that it would be her.

“So…. what do you think?” I asked her, expecting a direct and poignant critique.

“Well, honestly, it is really good. The breast is a little dry, but most turkey breast is hard to keep completely moist, and that is not the recipe’s fault. I think you did well, and the taste is very good. You could do this again, and try some other rubs with it too to keep it different. I am impressed that you could pull this off with just a crock pot, and basic preparations. Good job.”

So, there you have it. One recipe, one random attempt, and plenty of left overs later, I am very proud of my first achievement with the help of this book. I would strongly recommend this resource for those who need to impress a hearty lot of tailgaters from the lot, a first date, or those with no cooking experience at all (like me).

I know I will be using this book more in the future, as I try to become a better cook for my family.

Cheater BBQ is less than $20, and You can buy at Amazon.com. You won’t get a better bargain for such a great assortment of tailgating recipes!!!

Is Cheater Barbecue good? It’s fantastic. Does it taste like barbecue? Yes, it does. In test after test around the kitchen table, Cheater Pulled Pork and Cheater Ribs disappeared just as fast as Memphis’ Corky’s, Nashville’s Witt’s and even backyard-smoked pork and ribs.

It’s simple. Live, love, cheat.

Read Part 1

I know, what does that headline mean? To save a marriage, you have to barbecue.

The Sports Daddy recently decided that I wanted to start helping more in the kitchen of our house. After 12 years of covering my meal night obligations with fast food pick ups, frozen pizzas, or reheating leftovers from my wife’s elaborately prepared recipes, I was kind of getting the impression that I was “taking shortcuts.”

If I was an NFL player, this is a sure fire way of getting “cut” or placed on waivers, so I had to do something to show that I still wanted to improve my game. I signed up for a Community College Cooking class, but it was cancelled. Turns out I was the only the one to sign up?

But low and behold, wonders of the intranet, I was contacted by Todd M. , from JKSCommunications, the publicist for a new book titled “Cheater BBQ- Barbecue Anytime, Anywhere, in Any Weather”

The premise of the book was perfect for my cook slacking at home, and also ideal for possible improvement of our lot menu in the Vikingstailgate.com parking lot.

The Experiment:
Normally for book reviews, I read the entire book, and write my opinion, but for this one, I was going to try something completely different. This time, I was going to test a few random recipes, and then serve them to my harshest cooking critics; my wife, and my two kids.

The Preparation:

I chose the recipe Hobo Crock Turkey Breast (page 99) with the Cheater Basic Rub (page 44). It looked healthy, tempting and most importantly it looked like something I could do with ease. All I needed was crock pot, and the ingredients.

I went to Cub Foods in here Minnesota, and bought everything on the list. With a little coaching from my wife on my way out door, I was told I could find all the good spices somewhere between the Vegetables and meat.

I had only one problem finding one of the items; the LIQUID, aka BOTTLED SMOKE. With my son at my side, we walked up and down every aisle, scouring for this needle in the hay stack. Finally, against every fiber of instinct in my being, I stopped and asked for directions.

I was told that I could find this precious ingredient in the same aisle as the ketchup, mustard and BBQ sauces. “It will be in a clear bottle, and it will look like smokey.”

With that sage advice, I went to aisle. With a whiny, tired kid at my side, and sore feet to boot, I grabbed a bottled that looked like it fit the bill. We went home with our turkey breast and fixins’, but I had an uneasy feeling that I had picked the wrong item.