MSR News Online

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer The Big Ten Network (BTN) has been in operation for three years, but actually most of us have only seen it for two of those years because it wasn’t being carried by many cable systems, including Comcast locally. Now BTN is in over 75 million homes across the United States […]

By Mitchell P. McDonald Contributing Writer With the prep basketball season officially underway, this column will highlight St. Paul Johnson point guard ESTAN TYLER. Tyler, a 6’-1”, 175-pound senior, recently signed a letter of intent to play basketball at the University of Missouri Kansas City. He averaged 14 points per game last season while leading […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer Earlier this season, a reporter asked Minnesota Head Coach Mike Hebert what it would take for his volleyball squad to reach the post-season. He responded that a 5-5 mark in their last 10 games probably would be needed. Instead, the Gophers finished the 2010 regular season with seven straight victories […]

By Kwame JC McDonald Contributing Writer LESLIE FRAZIER is the new Vikings football coach. He has been designated as the interim coach. Many are hoping that the word “permanent” will soon replace “interim.” Some think that the team’s performance will determine whether or not he becomes permanent. It will not solely depend on his win-loss […]

By Larry Fitzgerald Contributing Writer The boiling point that is the Minnesota Vikings 2010 season finally boiled over as owner Zygi Wilf replaced Brad Childress as head coach after the Vikings were dominated 31-3 by the Green Bay Packers Sunday. Childress had a record of 39-35 in the regular season and 1-2 in the playoffs. […]

By Kwame JC McDonald Contributing Writer Teams and coaches winning in week 11 were PITTSBURGH (MIKE TOMLIN) 35, OAKLAND 3; CINCINNATI (MARVIN LEWIS) 31, BUFFALO 3; CHICAGO (LOVIE SMITH) 16, MIAMI 0; TAMPA BAY (KAREEM MORRIS) 14, SAN FRANCISCO (MIKE SINGLETARY) 0. The losers, in addition to Singletary, were INDIANAPOLIS (JIM CALDWELL) 14 to NEW […]

By Larry Fitzgerald Contributing Writer Rogers and Packers hammer Vikings 31-3 This just in: The (7-3) Green Bay Packers are pretty good and now share first place in the NFC North with Chicago. Sunday, the green and gold delivered a knockout performance to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 31-3 to sweep the 2010 series. […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer First it was Proposition 48 in the early 1990s. Then regulations were passed in the early 2000s holding schools more accountable for student-athletes’ graduation rates. Is it now time for real reform in college athletes, since student-athletes still seem to lag behind the NCAA, coaches and the schools in terms […]

By Larry Fitzgerald Contributing Writer CHICAGO, ILL — If Sunday’s Vikings game in Chicago against the Bears was a must-win game for the Vikings, than the reality is now quite clear: The Vikings are done! Playoffs? Are you kidding me? When you continue to lose close games, and any games to good teams, sooner or […]

By Charles Hallman Contributing Writer Coaches hope officials will make more consistent calls Basketball Hall of Famer Earl “The Pearl” Monroe perfected the spin move into an art form during the 1960s. Two decades later, Allen Iverson took it to another level, but too many over-copied it to the point that, when not executed properly, […]

By Mitchell P. McDonald Contributing Writer As a senior lineman at St. Thomas Academy during the 1989 football season, AKOBAYE DREXELL STAFFORD quietly led the Cadets to the semifinals of the Class AA state playoffs. Stafford, described by family, friends and colleagues as a husband, father, poet, athlete, soldier, advisor and care provider, died Friday, […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer A long-held belief that a college student-athlete gets a “full ride” or a “free ride” in which his or her college expenses are fully paid is debunked in a recent report that sheds light on the actual financial circumstances of many athletic scholarship recipients. Whatever a scholarship does not cover, […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer ESPN last week held its 24-hour college hoops marathon: 22 live games played all across the U.S. However, just one women’s game was included — UConn vs. Baylor. “We’ve had one [women’s] game per year for three years,” admitted ESPN Vice President of Programming and Acquisitions Carol Stiff during a […]

By Larry Fitzgerald Contributing Writer When you pay the greatest quarterback in NFL history, three-time MVP Brett Favre, $1 million per game to play his final season and final chapter of a Hall-of-Fame career with the hope that at age 40 he can again generate the kind of magic from that position he did in […]

By Kwame JC McDonald Contributing Writer Chicago (LOVIE SMITH) 22, Buffalo 15; Pittsburgh (MIKE TOMLIN) 27, Cincinnati (MARVIN LEWIS) 21; Philadelphia 26, Indianapolis (JIM CALDWELL) 24; Atlanta 27, Tampa Bay (RAHEEM MORRIS) 21. San Francisco (MIKE SINGLETARY) was idle. The Black NFL coaches are now 24-24 in their composite win-loss record. Iowa trounces Concordia-St. Paul […]

By Mitchell P. McDonald Contributing Writer Quarterback MUNEER AL-HAMEED (Minneapolis Washburn) had a 73-yard touchdown run and fired a 14-yard scoring pass in leading Augsburg College to a 17-14 victory over Gustavus Adolphus in an MIAC Conference football game last week. The senior, who played wide receiver the previous three seasons, sealed the victory with […]

By Charles Hallman Staff Writer A lack of ‘notoriety’ should not rule out these seasoned coaches A barely-got-noticed historic occasion in college football took place two weekends ago. Virginia defeated Eastern Michigan by 27 points October 23 in a first-ever game where two schools with a Black head football coach and a Black athletic director […]

By Mitchell P. McDonald Contributing Writer For Minneapolis Washburn, it’s as if the Twin Cities football game never happened. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Millers were losing handily to St. Paul City Conference champion Central. Washburn, who shared the Minneapolis crown with South and Southwest, lost 56-6. The setback, which some feel led […]

By Larry Fitzgerald Contributing Writer Childress makes a costly emotional decision I give up. I have seen it all over the last three decades come full circle: Vikings founder Max Winter and team President Mike Lynn’s ownership fight, Pecos River, the Herschel Walker trade, the Love Boat cruise, the Dennis Green years, Head Coach Mike […]