BIG SANDY LAKE  – The Minnesota Vikings traveled east again this week for their third and final preseason tilt versus the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Making any projections on the outcomes of preseason games this year is fruitless. Few, if any, clubs are playing any of their best personnel. As expected, neither of these teams did so this afternoon either. 

The Eagles have had some pretty strong rosters and teams in the recent past, but with the retirement of the heart and soul of this team, center Jason Kelce, the team appears to be in the midst of a roster overhaul. 

I haven’t seen or heard anything that would indicate they are engaging in a major roster redo, but based on the abrupt end of last season, it appears they might need one.  

Perhaps the finish of last season was the forebearer of the immediate future for the Birds. After last year’s Thanksgiving weekend, they put up a 1-6 record, which included their season-ending first-round playoff loss to Tampa Bay. 

The Birds won the Super Bowl in 2017 in Minneapolis against New England but lost in 2022 versus Kansas City in Glendale, Ariz. 

These could be the Eagles of the late nineties because this roster doesn’t appear to be in a “contender” status. They are 1-3 all-time in Super Bowl appearances.

We all know the Vikes record in that regard, so I’m not going there. This afternoon, the Purple won this tilt by a 26-3 final. They complete the preseason with a 3-0 record. That and five bucks can get you a coffee. 

I can’t say that the past three weeks have been a go-through-the-motions situation, rather, it looks like they were pretty valuable to the backups and those still fighting for a roster spot. 

Without the Vike’s best players on the field, the team still looked pretty efficient and prepared to begin the season. They had the better of the Birds from bell to bell. Philly was the wagering favorite today.

The tale of the tape, teamwise, shows the Vikes had the most total yards. (293-253) The Birds had a slight edge in passing yardage. (181-174) The Vikings were better in the running game. (119-72) Average yards per play were a wash, and obviously, the Purple dominated the scoreboard. The Birds had three turnovers on two fumbles and one interception. The Birds also had an edge in sacks, with 4-2. 

The Vikes were superior in third-down efficiency, (50% to 33%) and in time of possession. (35:55 to 24:05) One area that will have to be addressed and cleaned up is in the penalties taken category. The Vikes had 8, the Birds had 7. 

Jaren Hall started for the Vikes and went 17-25 for 189 yards and two touchdowns. 

Newcomer Matt Corral came in and relieved Hall, and looked much better after getting a week in to learn and adjust to the Vikes game. Running back Miles Gaskin had 13 carries for 61 yards, and Lucky Jackson had four receptions for 53 yards. 

Will Reichard was 4 of 4 on Field Goals and 2 for 2 on extra points. Brian Asamoah had 5 tackles and one assist. Roster cutdown day took place on Tuesday, and as of this writing, I don’t have any knowledge of how the Vikings are approaching it or if any longshots had a chance at a roster spot. 

It is a stressful day for the staff and the players. The first 25 picks are pretty obvious, the next 20 might not be, and the real struggle takes place in choosing players for those 8 last places on the 53-man. 

And once you solidify your roster and send your cuts into the league by 3 pm CT, you will rack your brain for the next 24 hours watching the waiver wire. It’s a never-ending job that requires astute attention to detail. Your entire season could be riding on this day. 

And that season will kick off for the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 8, at noon in New York versus the Giants. 

I’m eager to get the season going so we can see what the Vikes will really look like this season! 

This past Thursday I had a couple of appointments to go to, and on the way home I tuned into the Chicago Cubs versus Milwaukee Brewers tilt on the radio. I had a few miles in when suddenly the broadcast brought out one of those “on this day in baseball history” segments. Sometimes they are interesting, sometimes not. So I turned the radio up slightly and gave it a listen. 

On Aug. 22, 1886, a player by the name of “Chicken” Wolf was playing for the Louisville Eclipse in the old American Association when he hit an inside-the-park walk-off homerun against the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The Red Stockings were incensed that this run counted and won the game for Louisville. 

It seems that a dog who had been lying against the outfield fence (on the safe side of it) had been exhibiting anger and was barking at the Red Stockings outfielder Abner Powell during the game. 

Simultaneously, as Wolf hit the ball to the deep outfield, the dog suddenly appeared out of nowhere and was now chasing Powell and biting his pant leg, preventing him from making a play on Wolf’s hit. The Eclipse won the game and the Red Stocking’s complaints about the canine fell on deaf ears. 

Well, I couldn’t stop laughing for a few miles. 

The American Association only lasted from 1882-1891, when it folded. Wolf was the only player to play in the league for all of its seasons. He wasn’t a power hitter but led the league in career hits, triples, total bases, most plate appearances and most games. 

In 1890 he led the Association in batting with a .363 average. In 1889 with the team starting the year at 2-8, the club relieved manager “Dude” Esterbrook of his duties and named Wolf to take over as a player-manager. Wolf fared no better with a 14-51 record and was replaced the next season. The American folded after 10 seasons.  

In the world of MLB oddities, it seems that a brand new one pops up about every season. So, this Monday past, (Aug. 26) the Boston Red Sox will meet the Toronto Blue Jays in Boston to complete a tilt from June 26 that went into the 2nd inning before being postponed. 

The Jays backup catcher at the time, Danny Jansen, was in the middle of an at-bat when the game was called. 

Before the MLB trade deadline on July 27, Jansen was dealt to the Sox. 

Last week Sox skipper Alex Cora announced his plan to substitute Jansen for Reese McGuire, (not on the active roster at this time) as Jansen was at bat for the Jays when the game was called. 

Technically this means that with the game resuming with Jansen at bat, Jays skipper John Schneider will then pinch hit for him, Jansen will take his position behind the plate for the Sox and the game will commence. 

He will be the first player in MLB history to play for both teams in the same game.

Is that confusing? Yes, it is. PEACE