Gene's Blog: Vikings fans been there, done Dat

January 25, 2010

There’s never a dull moment involving the Minnesota Vikings.

I moved to Minnesota in 1988, and after politics (Jon Grunseth, Jesse Ventura, Paul Wellstone, Norm and Al's recount) Viking football has been the second-most fascinating subject to follow.

Whether the owners are the so-called Gang of 10, a suspense novelist named Clancy, a slick Texan named Red, or a real-estate guy named Zygi, and whether the coach is named Burnsie, Denny, Tice or Chilly, the last 25 years have produced a litle bit of everything,

Everything but a Super Bowl.

It’s been a strange mix of success, letdowns, controversy, heroes, goats, high hopes, criticism, and the bizarre.

Last week alone, Prince wrote a song about the team, yet it was overshadowed in the music department. Brett Favre lit up both the Cowboys and YouTube with his passing… and his rendition of an American Idol creation called “Pants on the ground.”

"Pants on the ground?" This week’s YouTube video should be called “Ball on the ground.”

Prince may have to write a sequel –- Party Like it's 1998.

Minnesota pro sports fans must feel jinxed. The Vikings don’t win the OT flip. The Wolves can’t win, with or without a Flip.

Turnover troubles

Several 2009 Minnesota football teams seemed victimized by a home-state curse. In key games, teams from the Gopher state produced more turnovers than Pillsbury’s Dough Boy.

On the college scene, the football Gophers, Tommies, Johnnies, UMD Bulldogs and Minnesota State Mavericks all were bitten by the turnover bug in postseason losses.

--In the Insight Bowl on New Year’s Eve, Minnesota was driving late for a go-ahead score against Iowa State when back-up QB Marquis Gray lost a fumble at ISU’s 15-yard line. The Cyclones ran out the final 4:00 and won 14-13. The Gophers were the lone team in 33 college bowls to allow 14 or less points in bowl game -- and still lose.

--Defending Division II champ Minnesota Duluth threw four interceptions in a 24-10 season-ending home NCAA playoff loss to Grand Valley State.

--Division II’s Minnesota State Mankato lost a fumble on the first possession of overtime. Four plays later Hillsdale kicked a 34-yard field goal and the Mavericks lost 27-24 in a season-ending home NCAA playoff game. Minnesota State was plus-17 in turnovers during the regular season.

--St. John’s had a nine-game home NCAA playoff win streak end as it turned over the ball six times in a season-ending 34-27 loss to Coe. SJU had only 16 turnovers in 10 regular-season games before the Coe meltdown.

--Even our Tommies weren’t immune. UST’s 11-win season came to an end with a uncharacteristic five-turnover day in a 31-20 road NCAA playoff loss at Linfield. The Toms were plus-14 in turnover margin in their 11 wins but minus-7 in their two defeats.

--Sunday, In the game with the highest stakes, the 31-28 Vikings’ overtime loss was marred by the Purple’s two picks and three lost fumbles. This by a team that came in with just 18 turnovers in 17 previous games.

The book

You could write a book about the Vikings.

Actually in 1997, I did write a book about the Vikes -- then coach Denny Green's autobiography, "No Room for Crybabies."

The book? Well, you could write a book about that book. In a nutshell, it generated a lot of controversy and media scrutiny with its criticism of and veiled threat to sue the owners -- and the revelation that the team was for sale. Shortly after the book was released, sale plans were acknowledged by members of the 10-person ownership group.

When it came out in midseason 1997, the book created such a firestorm that the NFL commissioner put a gag order on the owners and Green. (By the way, when a prominent figure can't promote his book, it can be a buzz kill to book sales). No Room for Crybabies sold out at most bookstores, but the publisher, stung by the controversy, was nervous about producing a big run of more copies. Despite national hype, it never saw a second printing.

Led by a rookie phenom WR named Randy Moss, the 1998 Vikings raced to a 15-1 start. They were the toast of the NFL, so the publisher had plans to re-release No Room for Crybabies in paperback form, with three new chapters on the 1998 season. I purchased a $600 round-trip plane ticket to Miami, with Super Bowl game tickets and a hotel room arranged by Green. We would produce a behind-the-scenes chapter on the game and the week.

There was just that one last detail in order for the paperback to happen -- the Viikes only had to beat Atlanta at home in the NFC Championship game.

Stop me if you've heard this one... 

Gary Anderson's stunning miss gave way to Morten Andersen's painful winning OT kick. The Dirty Birds, not the Vikings, were Super Bowl bound.

There was no room on the book shelves for another No Room For Crybabies. My Miami ticket went unused. I watched the Super Bowl on TV in freezing Minnesota instead of outdoors in balmy Miami.

A trio of blondes cried in the stands, and their image was captured on page one in the next morning's Star Tribune. They became known as the "'Weeping Blondes," and became local celebrities.

I think they even had a book -- "Much Gloom for Yeah Babies!"

Call the Minnesota Vikings many things -- inspirational, maddening or even cursed. But you can never call them dull.