The Friday Link for 11/18/22

Football.  As a Minnesota Vikings fan, it's not an easy subject. 

I've seen teams that were destined for Super Bowl glory sputter and fail.  A few years back we had the Minnesota Miracle, an insane comeback win where the Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints on the last play of the game.  Everyone remembers that but not so much the next week when the Vikings got run off the field by the Philadelphia Eagles. 

This year the Vikings are good.  Early this year they started coming from behind to win games.  Initially, a lot of nay-sayers insisted it was a fault ("why are they always scrambling to come back?"). Then as it kept happening, the mentality changed to "Wow!  These guys are never out of it!"

There are certain football games that you will remember forever.  Last week's Vikings at the Buffalo Bills matchup was one of them.  That game was crazy, and like before, the Vikings came back from 17 points down early in the 3rd quarter.  There is a common trait among Championship teams; the ball always seems to bounce their way when it matters most.  Two insane catches, a fumble in the end zone, and an overtime clinching interception lead the Vikings to the win.

I don't usually include sports highlights as the Friday Link, but come on.  This game was memorable! (FYI, due to the NFL copyright rules, I can't link it.  Click on the link and watch the highlights on YouTube)

Another view of this game, this time from the radio play-by-play voice of Paul Allen.  He's the best voice play-by-play guy out there today.  I was so impressed with him when the Vikings were trying to figure out who was going to be the new play-by-play guy that I called the Vikings and told them they would be fools if they did not hire him.

I now know my doing so was WILDLY overstepping my bounds, but only two years earlier I had worked for the Iowas State station in Ames, Iowa.  I had worked there for three years and we had gotten a pretty good relationship with some of the high-level people, including coaches and the AD.  Because of that past experience, me calling the local sports team and offering a suggestion didn't seem like an overreach at that point.  Now I know better.

I was right though.  Paul Allen is great.  The video is inverted and it was a little weird, but here you go.

 

Finally, tonight is another insane ending to a game, this one a Thanksgiving game from 1993 where an insane play at the end of the game leads to a miracle win for Miami.  As I said, great games last a long time in people's memories.  The same thing with the other video, click through to see it. 

As far as the Vikings this year, it'll be deep in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl, and the team will be up by 20 and then I MIGHT start thinking it's our year.  Don't blame me, blame the franchise!

Get your COVID shots, get your flu shots (that's picking up a lot!), and wear a mask in crowded buildings.

Have a great weekend everyone.