Let me start a quarterback controversy. After all, does it really matter what I think anyway? Sam Bradford is hurt. His left knee apparently has bothered him to the point that you feel like a fool asking questions of Mike Zimmer about it. Since playing like the best quarterback in the NFL Monday night on opening weekend […]
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald is a longstanding contributing columnist at the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. He can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:25 am, on WDGY-AM 740 Monday and Friday at 9:10 am, and at www.Gamedaygold.com. He also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Follow him on Twitter at FitzBeatSr. Larry welcomes reader responses to info@larry-fitzgerald.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com.
Posted inSports
NFL protest should hit home!
The last year and a half, the NFL and the players who have chosen to protest have angered millions across the United States who have ignored the purpose and cause for the players’ issues on social injustice. Players are looked at as pawns by fans and some media who say, “Just play the damn game. […]
Posted inSports
World Series: Houston vs. Los Angeles!
It’s the Fall Classic with a rare match-up in the World Series. Houston vs. Los Angeles sound like two National League teams, but we are reminded that Major League Baseball (MLB) years ago moved the Astros to the American League to balance the Divisions. As recently as 2005, the Astros were in the World Series as […]
Posted inSports
Vikings moving on up
Beat Packers 23-10 My oh my, can the Vikings play defense, as shown by victories over QBs Drew Brees, Jameis Winston, Mitchell Trubisky, Aaron Rodgers and Brett Hundley. Only one team has scored 20 or more points against them, and that’s Pittsburgh. So far, injuries and protests have highlighted the 2017 NFL season, and we have […]
Posted inSports
Vikings back in the mix? (audio interview)
CHICAGO — The first half of Monday Night Football’s (MNF) Vikings vs. Bears game was football to snooze by. It was the debut of Chicago rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky, the Bears’ number-two overall pick in the 2017 Draft. The Vikings have their own issues with QB starter Sam Bradford, who played for the first time in almost […]
Posted inSports
Vikings lose big one at home!
We’ve learned over time that there are no guarantees on anything that relates to expectations of better days and future bigger events. Sunday’s first big Division test for the Vikings was part of the first sign — good or bad, positive or negative — in testing the strength of the NFC North. The current appears to be […]
Posted inSports
Donald Trump assaults NFL players
America, the Land of the Free, has become the land of confrontations. Now the sports world has taken center stage in these confrontations. Sunday it was one silent protest after another across the NFL, including in London, where Jacksonville played Baltimore. In Minneapolis (Vikings vs. Tampa Bay), Vikings players, coaches, general manager and owners locked arms in […]
Posted inSports
Gophers ‘rowing the boat’ at 3-0
Little did I know about the name P.J. Fleck until recently. My time might be drawing to an end. Back in 1992, while doing talk radio on KFAN, the Gophers’ flagship station, I told my broadcast partner Eric Nelson and our listening audience that things were so bad here in the culture of the program […]
Posted inSports
Will this be a Vikings Super Bowl season?
The preliminaries are over. The rosters have been trimmed to 53 players, and all indications are that the 2017 Vikings are good but not good enough. The worst running team in football last year has Sam Bradford at quarterback. Bradford has a career-losing record as a starter. He’s never won a playoff game. You find […]
Posted inSports
Mayweather stops McGregor by TKO
LAS VEGAS — The legend of Floyd Mayweather, Jr. grows after defeating mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in the 10th round by TKO in a marvelously entertaining Las Vegas spectacle. McGregor is the biggest name in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and his flair and showmanship have made him a name that sparks fire […]
Posted inSports
Vikings: How good will they be?
So much is riding on this 2017 Vikings season it makes you nervous even thinking about it. Playing the Seattle Seahawks in the pre-season last week was a measuring stick game. You know how good and consistent Seattle is, and how well-coached they are, and they seldom lose at home. Seattle 20, Vikings 13 — […]
Posted inSports
After 52 Years in Mankato, that’s all, folks!
MANKATO — August 8, 2017 marks the official end of an era when, after 52 years, the NFL Minnesota Vikings left Mankato State University and the city of Mankato for the very last time. After all these years, the Vikings will move to their new permanent office and training headquarters in Eagan, Minnesota in March […]
Posted inTimberwolves/NBA
Should the Timberwolves acquire Kyrie Irving?
Nobody has done more to improve their roster than the Minnesota Timberwolves since Golden State captured their second NBA title in June over Cleveland. After the team finished 31-51, missing the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season, Tom Thibodeau and Scott Layden took their time, rolled up their sleeves, and worked the system. Suddenly the […]
Posted inSports
Just like that, summer’s over!
Summer — where did it go? Yes, it has been hot, humid and muggy. I was just getting used to it and bam! It’s over! Yes, we are still in July, mind you, but the Vikings are in Mankato. And when the Vikings go to Mankato, you know what that means: back-to-school sales and the […]
Posted inSports
Athletes must weigh risks vs. rewards
When you measure the risk versus the rewards of the price that ultimately must be paid by all athletes to compete, sometimes that sacrifice is overlooked or forgotten. Somehow a love for competing takes over and athletes, regardless of the sport or competition, don’t even consider some of the risk they take on to play […]
Posted inSports
Twins among MLB’s surprise teams
An old cliché that has stood the test of time is “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” With this in mind, look at the two best teams in baseball as we have reached the mid-summer classic. The Los Angeles Dodgers are on fire with the best record in the big leagues, 61-29, […]
Posted inSports
Timberwolves get a new beginning
It finally has arrived after 13 years of absolute failure, four different head coaches in four years, and four team presidents. In 2017-18 the Timberwolves will return to the NBA living. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on renovating Target Center. The three-time WNBA champion Lynx have been sent to St. Paul this year while […]
Posted inVikings/NFL
Vikings believe it’s their year
It’s about time, you might say. The Minnesota Vikings, born in 1961 with zero championships on their resume, believe 2018 is the year they finally win the big one. The first Sunday in February in U.S. Bank Stadium the Super Bowl will be here, a home game, and if you can play your games right, just maybe […]
Posted inSports
The Warriors — simply the best!
OAKLAND — It’s no secret, start spreading the news: the Golden State Warriors are the champions of basketball. They completed the greatest playoff run to a championship in the 71 years of the NBA Finals. The Warriors 129-120 win in game five gave them an NBA best-ever 16-1 record. Need I say this Warriors group […]
Posted inSports
There’s no stopping Golden State!
OAKLAND — The Golden State Warriors are on a mission, and that mission is to cement themselves as among the greatest teams in NBA history. They are halfway to the greatest Championship post-season run in NBA history. After smashing the defending NBA Champion Cleveland Cavaliers 113-91 and 132-113 in the first two games at Oracle Arena […]