The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Shane Frederick

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September 15, 2009

A few thoughts before hockey season starts

In just three weeks, the Minnesota State men’s hockey team will be in the midst of preparing for its opening series of the season — a pair of home games against Bowling Green — and I’ll be kicking off nearly seven months of covering hockey for The Free Press.

Along the way, there won’t be a lot of time to comment on other happenings in the world of sports.

Can that be exhausted on one column? Probably not. But here’s a stab at some things that took place over a very busy couple of days in the sports world:

Brett Favre’s debut: Having been born and raised in Wisconsin, it seemed awfully wrong to see Favre wearing purple Sunday in a game that really mattered. But what seemed even more out of place was Favre as game manager, happily handing off to Adrian Peterson and chucking the ball deep only a couple of times. How long can that last?

Adrian Peterson’s day: Why would you want a No. 4 Vikings jersey when you could have No. 28? The best part about Peterson’s 64-yard touchdown run? Everything. The jukes, the stiffarms and a blood-soaked, grass-stained uniform to boot.

The Cleveland Browns: Are bad.

Minnesota State football: The Mavericks are 3-0 for the first time since 1993. You can chalk that up to the Northern Sun, but that record includes a come-from-behind win and a dominating offensive performance both generated by backup quarterback Steve Pachan.

Gopher football: I had a chance to tour TCF Bank Stadium a couple of months ago, and it’s a beauty. It looked great on Saturday night when Minnesota played Air Force. But the Gophers couldn’t go all the way with the old-school, Big Ten, back-on-campus feel. Instead, they wore macaroni-and-cheese-colored jerseys and matching pants that made the Jim Wacker-era unis look like they were designed by Ralph Lauren.

High school football: Nearly every year, it seems, I draw the Loyola-Le Center game, and every year it’s been a dandy. It always seems to be a well-played, hard-hitting, respectable rivalry. This year, a 14-3 Le Center win, was no exception.

Serena Williams: Her meltdown on match point during the U.S. Open semifinals might not have been so bad for tennis. When she ended up coughing up the match to eventual champion Kim Clijsters with a profanity-filled tirade aimed at a lineswoman, there was no wiggle room in the rules to protect the star player. Act like a spoiled baby, even if you’re the best player in the world, and it will cost you. Golf, baseball — heck, any sport — could learn a lesson from that moment.

Owens vs. Moss: While the Patriots-Bills game had a great ending, the better matchup Monday evening was Juan Martin Del Poto vs. Roger Federer in the U.S. Open. They made up for the 3 p.m. start by taking five sets into prime time and finishing with a shocking upset.

The Twins: Are they still playing?

TV ads: When I was a kid, funny and sexy beer commercials during football games made some parents cringe when their children were watching. I wish there were more of those now though, so I wouldn’t have to run to the remote or make the kids leave the room every time there was an ad for Viagra/ Cialis; explosive, guns-a-blazing Fox shows; and super-scary vampire movies — even ones featuring Megan Fox.

Kanye West: Sounds like kind of a jerk, but I was watching the Packers and Bears.



Shane Frederick is a Free Press staff writer. Click here to access his college hockey blog or e-mail him at sfrederick@mankatofreepress.com.

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Shane Frederick