MVN - Most Valuable Network

Vikings Notes: Media Talk, Kitna’s Annual Prediction

*Thanks to everyone who has suggested some article ideas…but, of course, the more ideas we get, the better! If there’s something you want us to write about during this slow period for the NFL, drop us a comment.

*Check back this weekend for an update on the death of Otis Grigsby’s uncle…I’ve been in contact with his family, and am currently preparing an article about the incident that will be posted by Saturday morning, at the very latest.

*TMZ tracked down some pretty funny pictures of Randy Moss “getting acquainted” with Miss Kentucky USA at a Kentucky Derby party. For me, the most disturbing part of these pictures isn’t the fact that Moss decided it would be a good idea to bend Miss Kentucky over and grind against her backside while a photographer snapped pictures — no, the most disturbing part is Randy’s strange-looking eyes in the second picture.

*Say what you want about Patrick Reusse, but I’ve always enjoyed his columns. Reading his articles brings back memories of listening to my grandpa rant semi-coherently about the follies of the Twin Cities’ sports scene…indeed, of all the folks who work for the Star Tribune’s sports department, Reusse’s certainly one of my favorites.

His column in Thursday’s paper is quite noteworthy because it discusses an extremely important issue in today’s sports media: As we progress further into the electronic age, what will become of newspapers?

The public can take or leave another Reusse column after roughly 8,000 of them, But if the Minnesota sports addicts don’t have Seifert, Zulgad, Christensen, Neal, Russo, Scoggins and Zgoda (to name a few) to get them the news, there will be a significant void.

And don’t kid yourself:

A doesn’t-cost-a-nickel, stand-alone Internet site is not going to have the quality of resources the Star Tribune has mustered for a rich sports section that lands on a doorstep.

I both agree and disagree with Reusse’s argument. On one hand, the access that beat writers possess for their particular teams can result in some great in-depth pieces that delve into the lives of the athletes on our favorite squads. Take, for instance, Judd Zulgad’s profile of Jaymar Johnson…in all honesty, Rusty, Chris and I would not have been able to write an article like that about Johnson, simply because we don’t have necessary access to provide such a thorough look at Johnson’s background and character.

However, locker room access is both a blessing and a curse. Here at Vikings War Cry (and every other Vikings blog), our complete and utter lack of access to the team gives us the ability to rip anyone we’d like, simply because we don’t need to concern ourselves about having our access revoked if we’re too harsh. Beat writers need to remain cozy with the squad they cover, and thus cannot provide unfiltered commentary of that team.

So, on the matter of newspaper reporting vs. internet reporting, Reusse is half correct. Beat writers will continue to be valuable, even as blogs continue to gain prominence in the sports media scene. Meanwhile, those of us without access to the team can provide pure, uncensored thoughts without fear of facing consequences from the franchise.

Bottom line: Although he makes good points about the value of newspaper reporting, Reusse is dismissing independent internet commentary far too easily. There’s room for both entities in sports media…I think we’ll be able to coexist.

*You’ve gotta love Jon Kitna. He recently made his annual unrealistic prediction for the Lions’ upcoming season, telling the USA Today, “We will be disappointed if we don’t win 10 games, because that will mean we’re not in the playoffs and that sucks.” So, you heard it here first: The Lions, and not the Packers, will provide the Vikings with the toughest competition for an NFC North title.

A suggestion to Kitna — shut your trap, stop making predictions that the perennially hopeless Lions will inevitably fail to achieve, and let your game do the talking.

As long as Matt Millen’s running the show in Detroit, the Lions will be nonfactors in the divisional race. Millen makes Kevin McHale look like Theo Epstein, and could hardly be more incapable of building a playoff-caliber team.

*Rotoworld reports that the Vikings will give Tyrell Johnson a chance as a nickel cornerback during training camp. This makes quite a bit of sense, as Marcus McCauley and Charles Gordon both experienced growing pains at the position last season. While this obviously isn’t Johnson’s natural position, this spot on the depth chart should be considered wide open, so it’s unsurprising that Johnson will be given an audition during training camp.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 11:52 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.