Rod's Sunday Take n Things

Minnesota Vikings fans. You should be proud of offensive tackle and Prow Bowl player Bryant McKinnie. Makes the NFL All Star team for the first time in his career. Decides to skip practice and get's kicked off the NFC team before the game. NFL says he will be fined. Big deal. He should be suspended for the first two or three games next year. Don't play. Don't get to play. That seems to be the only way some of these guys who don't understand the tradition of the game and what the game is all about and that the game is bigger than the person will get it through their thick skulls that what they are doing is something thousands and thousands of football players can only dream of doing. Don't fine em. It means nothing. They don't even miss the money. Or fine them 1/2 a year of their salary. Something that has some bite to it. It is just another example of this year's Vikings team and all the off the field BS that went on. From the Williams boys to the Brett Favre fiasco that was allowed tohappen to Erin Henderson and the list goes on. Zigi, get some guys that will make your organizatiion proud.

Andy Shoe's Scuttlebutts

Well it's time for the Super Bowl and although I know there are a lot of Viking fan's that are disappointed I think it will be a good game. I want to write a little on the Pro-Bowl. The question I have is what the heck were they thinking putting the Pro-Bowl a week in front of the big game. You know the reason had something to do with sagging ratings with the telecast and a game that really doesn't mean anything to either the fans or the players. I think that Major League Baseball has done a great job making the All star Game a game that the players want to win with the home field advantage in the World Series thing. Why not make the Pro-Bowl similar with contract incentives for the players. Incentives to not only play in the game but play hard and make it a game worth watching. The concept of an all-star game for pro football is a good one. The problem lies in that the game is played after the season is over and the Champions have been crowned. The Super Bowl is the most watched event on TV, and people are tired of football after the game has been played. Why not make it a mid-season game like The All star game in baseball then you won't have players backing out of the game because they are playing in the Super Bowl. It would give a big boost to the fan of the game when the season seems to be getting a little long and it would give the players a chance to have a break if they didn't make the Pro-Bowl. The All star game in baseball is perfect in the way it is set up and The NFL could learn from it. I have heard from so many people that have said they won't even watch the game because of the lack of talent. I think it's time to rethink things but sometimes rethinking can back fire on you. I think the Pro-Bowl this year is going to back fire on the NFL.

With that said everyone enjoy the game and good luck to the Saints and Colts the following weekend. Remember if you are going to a Super Bowl Party be careful and above all be safe.

Brian's Tuesday Tweet

Hi everybody, it's me, Brian - or Radio, to those that only know me by that name. I've been a little busy, so it's been hard to keep up, but watching the Purdue Women's upset of Ohio St. made me feel like I had something worth saying again. First of all, what an exciting win for that group. The upper class starters came out and stunk up the joint, and when the freshmen came in, the light switch finally came on. Purdue was down 16-0 right away, but were back within 3 at halftime, 32-29, up by 5 late, but won the game, 63-61. I'm sure OSU thinks there's no way they should have lost that game, which dropped them to 20-2. They're not UCONN, but they're still decent - 4th ranked, actually. And how about the efforts of that freshman phenom, what's her name? Oh yeah, KK Houser. 18 points and just a real spark plug - she's gonna be a good one.

Then Purdue has this Ostarello girl. She's got some skillz, too. Fourteen points, 7 rebounds, including the offense board and put-back that really sealed the deal with a little over a minute left. A couple of steals, only one assist, but should have been more, if not for some missed layups by teammates. I dare say our little girl is growing up before our very eyes - on National TV - and not in a Gary Coleman sort of way (thank God!). I tell you what, it's fun to watch, but even more fun to listen to what the commentators have to say about Sam's efforts and abilities, and then to also read about them in the write-ups, especially for a game of that magnitude.

Now, for those that don't have the Big 10 Network, Purdue will be on ESPN2 once more, this coming weekend, at Iowa - 2:00 Sunday afternoon, so if you haven't had a chance to watch yet, keep that date & time in mind. In the meantime, check these out:

http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100126/capt.d1ca9cbc39a143c2964ec84d429ba7e1.ohio_st_purdue_basketball_wlf110.jpg
http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100126/capt.576a047b2b094c1eaf8a40e1160975ca.ohio_st_purdue_basketball_wlf102.jpg

As for the Vikings, well, maybe Boyle was right. Favre actually did kill the season with one bad decision. Other than that....the words "shoulda, coulda, woulda" keep running through my mind. To me, the biggest play of the game, though, is still the fumbled handoff exchange before the end of the first half. If the Vikings go into the half, with a lead, whether 3 or 7 points that were basically handed to them, that would have changed the complexion of the whole second half. Who knows, if the Vikings don't lose that fumble, then maybe the fumblitis flood gates would have never opened in the second half.

But let us brace ourselves for another off-season filled with talk of retire/rehire. John & Kate may be history, but this soap opera is about to enter its fifth season. If I were to predict the thoughts of #4, I'd be thinking, "Wow, that game really hurt, and I just don't think I can take any more of this punishment (not to mention a bunch of cheap shots). I sure hate to put my beloved Deanna through that kind of anguish again. But on the other hand, there is no reason on earth that we shouldn't have won that game, and with pretty much the exact same team all together next year, too, why should there be any reason to think that we can give it one more try, especially since I'm still under contract?" Funny how 10 years ago, I couldn't wait for Favre to retire, but now, I would really love to see him go out a champion. It's just too bad (for Vikings fans) that the Steelers are going to rise to the top and take it all again next year - YEAH, BABY!!!

Rod's Monday Take n Things

Memo from Rod to Bears head coach Lovie Smith: Did you watch the New York Jets in the post season? Do you see how they had the success they had? Defense, running the ball and then pass. In that order. They did pretty good. Kinda like the Bears use to do! 2nd place is better than wherever the Bears finished. Especially when you don't have draft choices in rounds 1 and 2!

Memo to Vikings fans from Rod: Too bad! Not unexpected! Again, home field, home field, home field. The Vikings could have had it but stunk in December on the road. If the Vikings play at home yesterday. They win! They didn't, and they didn't. I will say, Brett Favre was something the way he kept coming back and coming back and coming back, but in the end same ole same ole. He tried to make a big play instead of making the little play that probably would have put the Vikings in the Super Bowl. Now, Brad Childress will need to tell several members of his team some things in the off season. To the Williams boys: Always read and follow label instructions. And know what is in the pill your taking!!!!!!! To Brett: You still have a year left on your contract. See you in training camp this year! To Zigi: We can't hold on to the football in a controlled climate and you want us to play outside in November and December in Minneapolis? To the team: Don't let this loss get you down. There is always next year! After all, we still play in one of the weakest divisions in professional sports. And just in case, Tavaris and Sage, you might want to be ready to play. You know how Brett is getting to be!

Darren Boyle and his weekly words of wisdom....A cute title escapes me

Emmett Pearson is a 79 year old man from Red Wing, Minnesota. Since the Vikings lost the 1974 super bowl to the Steelers, he hasnt shaved. He doesnt plan to shave until the Vikings win the super bowl. Guess it wont be this year. Its too bad that old #4 waited until the NFC championship game to revert back to his gunslinger ways. Only the true Viking fan knew that the last interception was coming. Back to that later. Didnt the Saints do a pretty good job of knocking the dogsnot out of Farve? It seems that after the second roughing penalty, someone on the Viking defense should have knocked Drew Brees on his tail even if it drew a flag. Like when someone gets hit in baseball, you have to protect your teammate right???? Maybe when your teammate just showed up during the tailend of training camp you're not that close to him. This game came down to a simple big game fact, you cannot turn the football over, period. Even after all of the turnovers the Vikes were in the position to try a game winning field goal at the end of regulation, that is until old #4 threw interception #2. If you are a positive Viking fan you will only remember the TD Farve threw to Greg Lewis to beat the 49ers. All I am going to remember is the last minute of regulation when Joe and Troy were talking about how accurate Ryan Longwell is and how the Vikings were in range. That is before Farve rolled to his right, didnt you think he had at least five yards out in front of him? Wouldnt those five yards have been enough for a decent field goal try? Maybe because of the beating he took all game long he had no interest in running.

Now would be the time for me to write about how I was right all along, Farve would be great until it came to the biggest game and then he would fold. Our coach, (who just got a contract extension by the way) would make some kind of stupid coaching decision that would cost us a game. AP would have a disasterous game that would prove that he is on the decline. The Viking defense wouldnt be able to keep up with the Saints. Ben Leber has the best hands in football. The last statement was an attempt at sarcasm by the way.

Now isnt the time for that kind of talk, there is an ESPN columnist by the name of Bill Simmons who writes that in the NFL the most tortured fans over the years have been fans of the Browns, Bills and Vikings. The Browns because they suck. The Bills because they have made it to the Super Bowl four times and after the "wide right" game with the Giants they got their butt kicked in the other three. Viking fans, he writes are the most tortured because no team does more to raise expectations, then tear the hearts out of their fans than the Vikings do. I couldnt agree more, The better the Vikes moved the ball vs. the Saints, the more hopeful I became. Then when they had the ball at the two minute warning, I reminded myself this is the Minnesota Vikings and their quarterback is Brett Farve... What more can I say. Bet Zygy Wylf is in his jet on his way back home right now, taking a hammer or some other object to the scale model of the new stadium the folks in Minnesota would have built if they won the super bowl.

In the end each of us Viking fans will have to determine for ourselves if the Farve signing was worth it. They would have barely made the playoffs with either Jackson or Rosenfels as quarterback. Childress would have over used AP by week 12 trying to hold leads without Farve. So now what? Thats why there are blogs, forums and sports talk radio, everyone has an opinion and that's what makes sports so great. I am sure we will address what is needed to fix the Vikings in several future blogs before training camp opens. But for now, on to the next pressing issue......ANYONE HAVE A RADIO TOWER I CAN BORROW?

Rod's Sunday Take n Things while it snows and blows

I had a chance this weekend considering every sporting event in the area was postponed or cancelled due to the weather to watch and follow some college basketball. My overall favorite team, Nebraska of course, lost to Missouri so the Huskers still remain winless in Big 12 play. It is their women’s team that is one of only 3 unbeaten teams left in the nation. I wonder how long men’s coach Doc Sadler will last. He has a very good record against non conference teams but when they get to their Big 12 schedule, its struggle time every year he has been there so far. I kinda follow Creighton since they are in Omaha and I used to listen to their games on the radio growing up in southeast Nebraska but they are struggling this year. So now we move to my sentimental favorites. North Dakota State and Pacific. Why? Michael Tveidt and Sam Willard of course. Pacific was on TV on ESPNU Saturday, so watched Sammy play. I thought to my self from a basketball standpoint, what a smart choice he made going to Pacific. He is the perfect fit in that system. 9 points 8 rebounds Saturday in their win over Cal-Davis. Just a regular night for Sam and I think a night any coach would take on a per game basis. Michael’s college basketball ventures have been a little more widely known mainly for last year and NDSU making the NCAA tournament and the games Michael had against Kansas and the Summit League championship win over Oakland. Well, this year, Michael’s role has changed and he is more of the leader, much like he was when he and Sam played together for the Pierre Governors. NDSU is having it’s struggles this year which is expected but once the Summit League tournament comes around, look for the Bison and Michael to be there. If the bracketing works out wouldn’t a NDSU-SDSU men’s championship game be something! I also watched another former area player now playing college ball on Saturday. Louie Krogman at South Dakota. He and his teammates easily beat North Dakota Saturday. Louie of course is the all time leading scorer in South Dakota basketball history when it comes to high school. He is finding out that NCAA Division 1 is a different game as witnessed by some of his struggles scoring, but then again, that team is not built around Louie. He is a role player and it looks like he enjoys it. I think Michael and Sam will tell you they enjoy “role player” monikers more than the “Go To” guy they have both played in their careers. Now with all that said my point is this. Players that come out of South Dakota high school, no matter how great they seem, when it comes to the big time, are pretty smart. They know they can be very good players at the lower level of D1 and choose to go that route. They make the good choice. Just like Steph Paluch and Katie Lingle have chosen at the women’s basketball level at SDSU. The Eric Piatkowski’s and Mike Miller’s and Becky Hammon’s of the state only come along once in awhile. Who knows. Perhaps Matt Ferris of Pierre might be that South Dakota diamond in the rough in hockey. If nothing else, he will be getting an Ivy League education beginning next year. Sounds smart to me.

No Sports this weekend

As far as high school sports is concerned, there is nothing. All games have been postponed or cancelled. The Pierre varsity boys hockey was the last team to postpone their scheduled game at Mitchell this afternoon. Girls Hockey at Mitchell this weekend is postponed. "Governor boys basketball at Aberdeen Central last night is postponed to Tuesday, Feb. 9. Southern Plains Conference girls basketball tournament semi finals in Ft. Pierre will be Monday. East West duals wrestling in Pierre today is cancelled. And no Gymnastics for Pierre either as Gym o Rama in Rapid City is cancelled.

Rod's Monday Take n Things

It will be the Minnesota Vikings vs. the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl. Brett Favre has not come this far to let New Orleans spoil his party. Indy will not pull their starters at halftime this time against the Jets. Dallas is incredibly bad when it comes to big games. Wade Philips needs to go and so does Tony Romo. They can't win when they have to. San Diego is a choker too. Go ahead. Go to the history books and prove me wrong? Oh, by the way in my bold predictions this weekend that the 3 dome teams would lose and the lone outside team wouldn't, didn't work out for me. So if your a Vikings or a Colts fan, Oh Oh. The kiss of death has just been smacked.

Darren Boyle's weekly words of wisdom... How does crow taste with purple kool-aid?

I would like to be thought of as a man of my word. For example, if I was skeptical of a 40 year old quarterback joining a football team that was just one piece away from really being a contender, and the qb in question exceeded even the most stalwart Viking fan's hopes and dreams, wouldnt it seem like I should admit I was wrong, right? Ok then, Brett Farve has shown that even at the age of 40, he is still one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL. I will even go on a limb and say that if he doesnt get hurt next weekend, or if he doesnt pull something while doing one of those Wrangler jeans commercials, he should say right now that he is playing next year. But I have to ask, how many games does the Vikings have to win in the playoffs for the Farve experiment to be succesful? Is one playoff win enough? If so, Wade Philips job in Dallas is safe right?

Is a win next weekend in New Orleans enough? Can the purple handle the aerial assault of the Saints? Is the Viking's special teams unit smart enough not to kick to Reggie Bush? Can the offense match the Saints point for point and make the one stop they need in the end? Are two wins in the playoffs enough to call the season successful?

Then lets assume for a minute they make it to Miami and take on the Colts. Will the Vikes be able to pull the genie out of the bottle one last time and get the win? Can the coaching staff figure out a way to keep all the players focused and still come up with a game plan to stop Peyton Manning? How many times had the offensive genius Brad Childress had to prepare for a game of that magnitude? Would a loss in the Super Bowl still make the season a success??

Whether or not the season is a success probally depends on how much purple you wear. For some beating the Packers twice was enough. Others will be happy that the Vikings are back in the NFC championship game for the first time in ten years no matter what else happens. The first to say that the season was one of the best in team history will be the true VSK, Brad Childress. He could see that Adrian Peterson couldnt get the team to the playoffs by himself, and just maybe Childress realized that by trying that strategy the past three seasons he has probably shortened AP's career so something had to be done this season. That's why the calls were made immediately after the first preseason game to Farve's house and the deal was done to get #4 to the Vikes. It was one of the biggest gambles in recent sports history, and to me it seems that it has paid off. If nothing else Childress got his contract extension so we are gonna have to live with VSK for awhile whatever happens the rest of this year and no matter what Farve decides to do next season. Is it all worth it? We still dont know

Governor Saturday sports stuff

Watertown scored a season high 148.025 to win the team title of the Pierre Invitational Gymnastics meet Saturday. Led by a 1-2 finish from Caitlin Mack and Lynne Hanten in the All Around competition, the Arrows outdistanced runner up Rapid City Central by nearly 7 points. Pierre had their troubles on the Balance Beam, their first event of the day which set the tone for the Lady Govs who finished 8th in the 8 team event with a 127.275 score, over points behind 7th place finishing Rapid City Stevens. Cheyna Lodg finish 19th in the All Around with a 32.600 score for the Lady Govs top individual finish for the day. Lodge finished 9th while Shelby Gerber was 8th in the Floor Exercise for the only top 10 individual event finish on the day. The Lady Govs travel to Rapid City to compete in the Rapid City Gym O Rama next weekend.



The Pierre Governor Wrestling team had 5 wrestlers place Saturday at the Mitchell Invitational wrestling tournament. Caleb Stoltenberg had the best finish of the day for the Governors with a runner up finish at 112 lbs. The Governors had 3 3rd place finishes. They came from Tanner Monfore (103), Chase Lettau (160) and Terrance Maier (171). The other Governors place winner on the day was a 4th place finish from Jacob Wagoner at 130 lbs. The Governors had a 7th place finish in the team standings in the tournament scoring 80 points finishing ahead of Winner, Watertown and Parkston. Sturgis won the team title with a 162.5 team score, 30 points better than runner up Rapid City Stevens.


Pierre-Ft. Pierre Capitals Hockey team beat Huron 6-2 Friday night and then edged Watertown 3-2 on Saturday night. Garrett Weber scored in the game winner for Pierre in the 15th minute of the 3rd period.

And former Pierre all star athletic standout Bruce Bad Moccasin is among the first class of inductees into the South Dakota Basketball Hall of Fame later this month. He is among 18 people to be inducted.

More in tomorrow's MY DAILY NEWS from the Dakota Radio Group

Rod Fisher

Darren Boyle's weekly words of wisdom the JCI day three.

As we expected, the White River Tigers won the Jones County Invitational for the fifth year. But it was a struggle for WR, they built a 20 plus point lead in the third quarter and appeared to be on their way before Lyman staged a major comeback. In fact the Raiders cut the lead to six before the Tigers pulled away for good.

Here is what we have figured out after three days of basketball. White River is a good as we thought,and they should be considered one of the top teams in class B. Since they were ranked #2 last week, I am not really going out on a limb with that statement.

Lyman is starting to really come together as a team. Their youngsters are becoming more experienced and they are on their way to becoming one of the favorites to win district 12A. Jones County has started to play some freshmen in their rotation and once they get some floortime they are are going to be alright. I think the Lyman vs. Jones County rivarly got renewed this weekend and its gonna be a good one for the next few years with all the freshmen and sophmortes playing big minutes now for both teams.

The team that suprised me the most was Philip, the Scotties are a team that is now 7-2, have big men who can run and finish, and right now have to be considered the favorite in District 14. Some of the players on Philip's team are from the Midland area and had to play varsity minutes as 7th graders during the last season at Midland High School. So this is their sixth season of high school basketball, and the experience shows.

All in all it was another good tournament, sure several of the games were lopsided especially on Thursday. But as the brackets shook out by Saturday we had four fairly competitive games. It is an annual January event and I was happy to be a part of it. I hope you enjoyed our coverage.

On the Viking front, Sunday's game should prove if I am right or wrong on the whole Farve deal and my final determination of who the real VSK is. Since I have been so vocal I wont be one to hide behind my computer screen when the game is over. Win or lose, I will blog tomorrow.

Anyone have some purple kool-aid?

Darren Boyle's weekly words of wisdom. The JCI day two

another day of basketball in the books at the Murdo auditorium, and White River and Lyman win their semi final games to meet in the championship game Saturday night. The best game of the night was the nightcap between Lyman and Jones County, a spirited affair with the lead going back and forth during the 4th quarter before Lyman got the lead for good in the final minute to come away with a 57-50 win. When you take a look at the rosters of both teams and realize how young they are you have to think that the JC-Lyman rivlary is set to be a good one again for the next few years. And who do you think was the happiest person in the Murdo Auditiorium? It was Eldon Marchall head coach of White River. The Tigers built a large enough lead over Philip in the other semifinal game to rest his starters in the fourth quarter, and I think that will make a difference tomorrow night. Do the Raiders have enough left to keep White River from winning 5 JCI tournamnets in a row? Four more games tomorrow, Colome will play Kadoka for 7th place at 1:00, Stanley County plays Bennett County for 5th. The evening session had Jones County taking on Philip for 3rd place at 6:30 and Lyman plays White River for the JCI title. I hope you have enjoyed our coverage.

Darren Boyle's weekly words of wisdom... The JCI day one

I things went pretty much as expected in the first day of the Jones County invitational. The first thing that comes to mind is that White River is GOOD..i know that the win at the LNI should have been a signal. But the way the Tigers get points from their defense makes me think that we may get the chance to broadcast the final night of the basketball season.. the best game of the day way our second game as Bennett County played Philip. Two evenly matched teams, and it was Philip who made the plays at the end to get the win and a semifinal matchup with the Tigers.the two evening games were not close. Lyman defeated Stanley County easily, I really expected the game to be much closer but the Buffalo offense struggled and the Raiders advanced. The nightcap was a big win for the host team Jones County, shooting 67% from the field for the game was the big stat and even though it was a 30 point or so margin of victory, I really didnt think Colome played that badly. As the brackets even out expect some good games both in the afternoon and evening session Friday. If you plan to attend Friday or Saturday night you better plan to be there early. At least the weather is nice for standing in line outside. See you at 12:45 tomorrow.

Darren Boyle's weekly words of wisdom

Its a big week of sports in our area. Not because the Vikings are playing, but because it is the week of the annual Jones County Invitational Basketball tournament. It has been going on for over 40 years and continues to be the area's social event each January. Things start out Thursday afternoon at 1:00 as the White River Tigers, the four time defending champion of the JCI opens play vs. Kadoka. Philip vs. Bennett County completes the afternoon session. The night session tips off at 6:30 with Lyman taking on Stanley County and Jones County playing Colome. On paper it would appear that White River will have no problem winning the tournament for the fifth straight year, but if you have followed the tournament for any time at all you know that some crazy things happen on Thursday. KPLO will again broadcast all 12 games of the JCI, and all games will be webcast at dakotaradiogroup.com. It is very fun for me because it allows me to return to my old stomping grounds, and harken back to my high school days where I didnt play much but sure looked good during warmups. I really dont have much to say about the Vikings and their matchup on Sunday against the Cowboys. Yes the Cowboys looked good against the Eagles. But didnt it appear to you that the Eagles are a team with alot of players that are too young and a QB that is too old? Wont old #5 look good in purple next year? The vote of confidence McNabb got from Eagles coach Andy Reid only made me think of alot of coaches who get a vote of confidence from the team owner a couple of days before they are fired. The one thing I know for sure, is expectations for the Vikings havent been this high since the last time they let us down so you know whats gonna happen next. Sorry Jon Drayer, mission Miami will have to wait. Did you guys know that Mark McGuire took steriods? Really? I just heard. Wow, I am as shocked as you are.

Rod's Monday Take n Things

Packer fans are in mourning today and should be after giving up 51, count em, 51 points to Arizona yesterday. Normally, 45 points wins you football games. Indoor Football (as in Sioux Falls Storm type indoor football) would be an exception, but yesterday was not your normal day of playoff football. Baltimore scoring 33 on New England? And what in the world happened to the vaunted Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday? Giving up 27 in the second quarter? I will predict that only 1 home team will win next weekend and it will be in the AFC. And it will be the lone west coast team left in the playoffs. Arizona at Dallas for the NFC championship? It's a real possiblity. Baltimore at San Diego in the AFC? It's a real possiblity. And after yesterday, Who is the Best Quarterback in the league? Brett Favre? No. Drew Brees? No. Not Flacco, Peyton, Tony or Mark either! I think an Arizona vs. San Diego Super Bowl would be Super! I don't think I have ever seen a line of over-under in the 80 to 90 point range, but we will if that is the matchup. And what would be the most least attractive Super Bowl? How about the Vikings-Jets? Or the Jets-Saints? Jets-Cardinals would at least be interesting from the Jets defensive standpoint. But right now, Kurt Warner is in a zone and before he comes out of it, He may very well be going into the Hall of Fame the same year as Mr. Favreulous. And with bigger and better numbers!

Andy Shoe's Scuttlebutts

College Football and I have a dysfunctional relationship. Usually I am very disappointed with the end result. I am one of the growing few that think division one A college football need to play a play-off to determine The National Champion. I just can't get over the BCS computers and the formula they have to choose who plays in a National Championship game. If you are a fan of Hollywood Sports Films, like "Rocky," then you want to see a small school like Boise State play for The National Title after an undefeated season. I don't necessarily agree with that philosophy, but I do think if they end up in the top eight they should have a chance at playing in the play-off for The National Championship. Sure, this too will be flawed but it would also be on the right track to a true title run. If a team that plays in The Western Athletic Conference runs the table and plays some tough non-conference games against teams from power conferences like the PAC 10, then they should get a chance at a high seat in the play-off. On the other hand if a team has a couple of losses in a power conference like the Big 10 and played no one tough out side of their conference, this team should play in a small bowl game for entertainment points only. I grew up in a small state, as many who read this did as well, and when the one and only four year institution in my state played a big game it was, for us, as big as the Super Bowl. So as you can imagine it would be nice to think that one day my team in my little conference could have a chance at playing for a National Title some day even though they don't play in The South East Conference. Until the day comes that I can cheer for that then I will continue to be a fan even if I am a little frustrated. Oh well it's on to college hoops and I do love my March Madness. Happy New Year to all. May the New Year bring you prosperity and love.

Darren Boyle's weekly words of wisdom

OK,OK the Vikings got the #2 seed in the playoffs and a first round bye. Yes they looked unstoppable against the New York Ghosts of the Giants. Didnt the Giants look like they would rather have been anywhere else rather than playing in Minneapolis yesterday. One of the terms I use to describe a defense that has given up is "they went matador. Well the Giants sure did. So did several teams yesterday. Let's see, maybe the Eagles, Cardinals, Colts, Saints, Bengals,and the Bronco coaching staff. Josh McDaniels decision to keep his best offensive player inactive for a must win game was another stroke of ego for the coach of the Broncos. Things would have been much better in the mile high city if the coach wouldnt have pissed off his qb the first week he had the job. Oh well, some folks dont have people skills. I promise you Mr. Fisher, next season you will like your QB. Keep an eye on things in Denver during the offseason. Anyway, I am glad that I didnt invest the time to sit at home and watch football Sunday. The total lack of effort of some teams would have ticked me off. I have gotten alot of flak from some of you about either my reluctance to jump on the Viking bandwagon, or that I have sold out and now am drinking the purple kool-aid. Well, neither is true. I am a Vikings fan, so I know what disapointment is. I watched the hail mary game with Dallas, saw the last three super bowl beat downs. Nobody is playing "Bud Grant 2010" on their video games if you havent noticed. And the disapointments have continued. Gary Anderson's only missed field goal of the year during the NFC championship game, the game last year with the Eagles. Do I need to go on? What is your "favorite" Viking playoff disapointment? That should get some responses. What I cant get out of mind is the thought that the Vikes will host the Packers on the 17th and how hard it is to beat a team three time in a year. How fitting would it be for Farve to have to face his old team to protect his legacy? After the play calling fiasco, do you really think Childress a.k.a. the real Viking Season Killer will want Brett around again next season? Especially if they dont make it to this years Super Bowl. On the local front, I broadcast games from the east-west shootout in Chamberlain over the weekend and saw some very good basketball. The best game of the five was the matchup between Belle Fourche and Beresford. Those are two very talented and well coached teams, and neither will probally make the state tournament because of the regions they are in. The local teams involved didnt fair so well, but should have gotten a glimpse of how much better they need to be. At this time of year, with alot of basketball to play that isnt a bad thing.

Rod's Monday Take n Things

I would just like to take this opportunity to thank the New York Giants for particpating in this year's NFL season. What a pathetic performance Eli and boys put on yesterday at the Metrodome. It was just as bad if not worse as the Bengals last night in New York. How somebody, who calls themselves a professional football player and plays the game for a living can put out an effort like the Giants did yesterday is baffling to say the least. You can not tell me that the Vikings are that, so much better, than the Giants. The Giants owner is one unhappy individual today and says heads are going to roll except for coach Tom Couglin and the General Manager, the two individual responsible for putting a team like the Giants on the field yesterday. Meanwhile, I am cautiously optomistic once again about the Bears. They looked like a team that knew what they were doing yesterday. Granted, they were playing Detroit, but it was at Detroit. Maybe, just maybe when the Bears get an offensive coordinator that understands the personell he has now and not 5 years ago they might make some strides. And for all of the Tavris Jackson nay sayers out there, Dante Culpepper will be available on the free agent market this off season. He was really not good yesterday and he was auditioning as the TV announcers would say for a job for next year. By the way, you can figure out the importance of the game by the pecking order of the announcers. The Bears and Lions had Chris Meyers and Trent Green yesterday. Meyers might be a good studio host but not as the play by play guy. And Trent Green comes accross as a nice guy but proving that quarterbacks aren't always the smartest guy on the team. Although I am living proof that the play by play guy isn't always the smartest guy on the team. And I in basketball anyway "is the team". Especially when it comes to describing the excitment of the athletic director's application of duct tape to hold the the rim of one of the baskets together. Always look for a ladder first is what I always say. (In case your unaware of what in the world I am talking about, go to the webcast of the Governors and Rapid City Stevens boys basketball game on www.dakotaradiogroup.com and listen in during the third quarter. Bet Joe Buck and Al Michaels couldn't of done a whole lot better). They might. They have higher contracts than I. But then some of the Giants players have better contracts than some of the Vikings players too. Eli is coming was more like Eli has left.

Some Sunday morning sports stuff from Rod

It was a happy new year beginning for the Pierre Governor wrestling team as they belted Watertown 37-16 in an ESD Conference dual match Saturday night at Riggs High Gym. The Governors won 10 of the 13 matches with Chase Lettau (160 lbs.) and Tanner Schaefer (189 lbs.) recording pins and Terrance Maier (171 lbs) won by a major decision for the Governors in the highlight matches of the night. With the win, the Governors improved to 1-1 in ESD duals and 4-2 overall. The Governor JV's won big also b6 a 60-24 score.


Despite a season high 27 point effort from junior Jake Miller, the Stanley County Buffalos boys basketball team was no match for Canton Saturday at the East-West Classic in Chamberlain. The C-Hawks rolled to a 77-57 win over the Buffalos behind Jake Twedt’s 18 points. Brady Aberle added 8 points and Latrell LaRoche and Austin Lapour had 6 each.

The defending State B boys basketball champion Sully Buttes Chargers made a statement Saturday night at the Parkston Classic. That statement was, if you want to win the B state title this year, you will have to go through Onida, Blunt and Agar. The Chargers upended top ranked Viborg 53-52 in the feature game of the Classic. Tate Senftner led the Chargers with 16 points while Mitchell Foth and Jordan Lamb each added 10 apiece. Foth and Senftner each had 8 rebounds for Sully Buttes as well. Cory Jacobsen led Viborg with 17.

The Stanley County Lady Buffalos basketball team suffered their 2nd loss of the season as they were beaten 64-44 by Northwestern Area at the Redfield Classic. The Lady Buffalos dug themselves an early hole trailing 13-3 after 1 quarter and were down 26-12 at the half as they could not rebound from their slow start. Brandi Prince scored 22 points to lead Stanley County. Kori Nutter added 8 for the Lady Buffs who did outrebound Northwestern 40-30 but could not overcome 30 turnovers. Micah Taylor led Northwestern with 12 points.

The Brookings Rangers scored 3 first period goals on Saturday night and made it standup as they edged the Pierre-Ft. Pierre Capitals 3-2 in a state high school league game at the EXPO Center. Max Hanson scored a first period goal and Andy Zarecky added a second period power play goal for the Capitals who suffered their third 2nd 1 goal loss to Brookings this season in state high school league play. Cody Bishop made 21 saves in goal for Pierre-Ft. Pierre which out-shot Brookings 36-24 in the match. The Capitals and Rangers play again this afternoon at the EXPO Center.

We will have more details tomorrow morning on the air of the Dakota Radio Group Stations and in tomorrow's edition of My Daily News.

Rod's Football Bowling Take

Between a break in watching college football bowl games, we had a chance to take our Christmas decorations down for the year. Inside decorations I should say. It is down right frigid to take down the outside decorations. Maybee sometime in May the snow will be melted enough I can get on the roof and get those lights down. Amazing. It took 2 hours to undo that it to close to 8 hours to do back on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Thirty some bowl games this year. I did not watch all of them. I did watch every play of the Holiday Bowl of course and was very proud to be a Husker fan. Gone are the days when there were just 7 bowl games. 4 on New Years Day and 3 others. New Years Day bowls conisted of the Cotton, Sugar, Orange and Rose. The other 3 that were played between Christmas Day and News Year Day were the Liberty, Bluebonnet (later renamed Astro Blue Bonnett)and Gator. The Liberty and Gator were moved to Monday Night's after NFL Monday Night Football ended. The Astro Bluebonnet was on New Years Eve. There were some others a little bit later that didn't make it. The Gotham and Tangerine come to mind. I remember when the first Fiesta Bowl was played. Florida St. played Arizona St. I think the bowl was created to give Arizona State a game to play in. It wasn't long and Fiesta overtook the Cotton as a fan favorite and while the Cotton stayed on New Years Day it became a lower tier bowl and the Fiesta became one of the big 4. But when January 2nd came, the college football season was over. Not any more. Not sure If I like the current set up with bowl games going from December 15 to January 7 or 8, as long as Network TV continues to suck, I guess it's a good thing.