Faceoff

Scrimmage at 8:30 in the morning

PHERSY: Coach Fatis just got back to me regarding the scrimmage. The Ice Hawks are set to take on the Mass. Maple Leafs at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday). It's at the Rec Center and is free and open to the public.

The Ice Hawks were supposed to scrimmage the Maple Leafs today, but their bus broke down on the way out to Minnesota. But they're on track now, and the game is set. Should be a good scrimmage ... the Maple Leafs are always one of the best Junior B teams in the nation.

I'm going to attempt to get my rear end out of bed in the morning and head over to the Rec Center. I need to see some puck!! Go Hawks! Who's bringing the cow bell?

We're back ...

PHERSY: Well Feldy and I have been a bit absent lately, and there is a good reason ... the entire P-B sports department has been swamped trying to put together our annual Pigskin Preview.

My responsibility for the Pigskin is designing and laying out every page. And this year, there were 92 pages! So that consumed my life all of last week, but I was happy to put that project to bed Friday afternoon. It's easily our biggest project of the year, but it's worth the extra work. Feldy was busy doing a lot of the writing for that project, and I know he also has been busy covering the local racetracks and their end-of-season activities.

But we're back at it, and we're ready to kick off high school football season this week. I suppose that means Feldy and I will have to start making our picks again (even if a few fans can't handle us picking against their teams). Feldy, who won our little picking contest last year?? Hmmm ... oh yeah, it was me! Hopefully Feldy will start figuring out the local high school football scene this season and at least be competitive. 

Here's a quick "daily 3" to get the week jump-started, and Feldy and I will be checking back often this week for high school football notes and of course, VIkings thoughts.

No. 1 — The Whizzinator has a new home. A Mankato bar owner recently purchased the Whizzinator used by former Viking Onterrio Smith for $750. Now that's a Monday morning talker for you. The Whizzinator now will be "proudly" displayed at Buster's in Mankato, the bar owned by Matt Little, who purchased the device last week. Hey, for the publicity he's getting, I'd say that's the best $750 he's ever spent!

No. 2 — Just when you think the Twins are dead, they wake up from their coma. Don't look now, but the Minnesota Twins are now just 4.5 games behind Detroit in the AL Central. The Twins managed to escape with a win on Sunday, despite allowing Texas to load the bases with nobody out in the ninth inning. IT was a big win for the Twins, and a big loss for the Rangers, who are chasing the Red Sox for the AL Wild Card. The Twins welcome the struggling Chicago White Sox to town this week for a three-game set. Sweeping the White Sox would be a nice way for the Twins to officially jump back into the playoff race, and essentially eliminate the Sox from playoff contention. The Twins have been getting better pitching, and that's been a big help. They've also been receiving big hits from players you wouldn't expect. That must continue for this team to truly get back into this race. There's time, but the Twins are running short, especially since the Tigers don't seem to be cooling off.

No. 3 — Feldy's favorite QB is expected to play the entire first half tonight against Houston in the Vikings' third preseason game. Personally, I'm hoping Mario Williams takes a nice run at Favre, and he won't be able to play for the rest of the season ... maybe Williams could just play it off as payback for what Jared Allen did to Matt Schaub last year. I'll turn the game on after halftime to watch Sage and T-Jack. That should be more entertaining. Really, there aren't many big-time position battles going on, so it's tough to get excited about another preseason game. I'm ready for the real games to begin ... and I have two fantasy football drafts this week to prove it!

Back at it, Ice Hawks version

PHERSY: The Ice Hawks have some practices under their belts now, so it’s time for a little bit of an update. I know I said I’d be posting a roster a while back, but coach Nick Fatis has asked that I wait until Wednesday this week. He has a few players in town today and tomorrow, guys who he needs to speak with before he commits to them. So he wanted to wait until his roster is set before I put it on the blog.

First, the bad news ... the Ice Hawks are really dinged up. And that’s probably an understatement.

The Ice Hawks have suffered through many injuries over the last two weeks, and there will be several players who won’t suit up this Saturday when the Ice Hawks open the season in Maple Grove against the Minnesota Wildcats.

So, let’s run down a few of the injuries ...

At the top of the list is captain Justin Phelps. It appears Phelps has suffered a career-ending injury. The last-year player suffered a right shoulder separation, and Fatis said the injury is much more serious than he originally thought. Fatis said Phelps separated his AC joint, and also dislocated his shoulder from his sternum and broke his collar bone in two places. “It looks like it will be a good five months of recovery time,” Fatis said. “He’s pretty much done for the year. It’s tough, but Phelps is still going to be a big part of this program. He was selected captain for a reason, and we’re going to keep him involved as much as we can.”

Goalie Simon Erickson also will be out this weekend. Erickson has a groin injury. Fatis said they will know more about this injury today when Erickson heads to the doctor. They’re not sure how long the injury will keep him out, but Fatis said it could be a significant amount of time. “Any time you have a leg or a lower-body injury for a goalie, it can stay with them for a long time,” Fatis said. “We hope it’s not long term, but we need to wait until that pain goes away.”

Goalie Sam Hingtgen also will miss his weekend’s game due to injury. Hingtgen dislocated his knee cap at another team’s camp, but he’s starting rehab today. He had been skating through the pain, but it was making the injury worse and he had to pull himself out of practice. Fatis said he felt Hingtgen would be out another two weeks. “We just want to make sure he’s 100 percent healthy before he comes back,” Fatis said.

Forward Cory Volk has been cleared to play. Volk had been off the ice for quite a while, but Fatis is hoping he’ll be ready for opening night.

Andrew Fairbanks is back home, and he’s finally started skating a little bit again. Fairbanks’ knee is still recovering, and Fatis said it’s likely he won’t be able to skate in live game action until November. “That’s another injury that we just have to make sure he’s 100 percent. Fairbanks isn’t the kind of player we want coming back before he’s completely ready, because know how hard he likes to play,” Fatis said.

Rochester Mayo’s Adam Truex, who is expected to skate a split season with the Spartans and Ice Hawks, will not play this weekend. He took a hard cross check in the back, and Fatis said it has been a very painful injury for Truex. “He’s probably not going to be ready this weekend, but we’re hoping he’ll be ready to go in a couple of weeks.”

George Jackson recently had his cast removed and he’s now walking in a boot. Fatis said he started pool workouts, and he should be in full rehab mode in the near future. “He’s trying to come back as soon as possible, but we want him to take his time. We don’t want him to rush back. We need him to be healthy for the (end of the season),” Fatis said.

So, that’s it for injury news. It’s a long list! Hopefully most of these guys will be ready to go for the home opener in a few weeks.

Now a few roster moves ...

Tyler Groth has decided to rejoin the Ice Hawks. He was skating with a Tier II team up in Canada, but he has decided to leave the team and come back to Rochester. Groth will be a nice addition up front, as the Ice Hawks can definitely use his scoring. Fatis expected Groth to be in town today and skating with the team as early as tomorrow. “He was up in Canada, and he didn’t like the ice time he was going to be offered, and he just decided it wasn’t for him,” Fatis said.

One other roster move that happened over the weekend — forward Erik Aepelbacher has left the team. It sounds like he’s not planning to play hockey this year, though that’s not 100 percent clear. Fatis said all he knows for sure is that Aepelbacher has left the team and won’t be with the Ice Hawks this season.

Other news ...

With Erickson and Hingtgen out this weekend, Mike Becker will be the starter Saturday in Maple Grove. Becker has been great in practice, Fatis said. Coach has been happy with Becker in every way, shape and form. “Mike has had a great attitude. He’s been very coachable, and I love what’s he’s shown us so far, as a person and as a goalie. He’s been looking great in practice, so we’re feeling really good about him heading into this weekend’s game,” Fatis said.

Backing up Becker will be Andrew Bromberg, who practiced with the team last season. “Bromberg worked his butt off over the summer, and he keeps improving,” Fatis said.

The Ice Hawks were scheduled to play a scrimmage today against the Mass. Maple Leafs. But that scrimmage has been postponed until tomorrow morning. Fatis said he would text me with the time (in case anyone wants to come out and watch the team), and as soon as  I get that time, I’ll post it here on Faceoff. The Maple Leafs, a Junior B team, had a little trouble on the way to Minnesota; their bus broke down, and they’re currently stranded. But Fatis said it looks like the scrimmage is a go for tomorrow morning.

Watch for an official announcement some time this week about Ice Hawks games being broadcast on the Internet this season. I spoke with Doc Fatis on Friday, and Doc was very excited about this opportunity. I’m not sure of all the details at this point, but it sounds like a great deal for Ice Hawks fans and for the team.

That’s it for now. I will have a short game preview in Wednesday’s Post-Bulletin, and we are holding off to do the full season preview until the Thursday prior to the first home game. That day, there will be a feature, a preview story and player profiles in the paper (I believe it’s Sept. 17).

Hope that keeps you guys satisfied for a little bit. I’ll get more news out there whenever I hear from coach. Now that we’ve finished our football preview special section (92 pages!!!!), I should have more time to devote to the Hawks and to Faceoff.

Wild fans, get your wallets out

FELDY: Didn't the Minnesota Wild just get rid of their green jerseys? Well, if you missed having a dark green sweater in the rotation, your brief wait is over. The Wild will unveil their new third jersey on Sunday at the Minnesota State Fair.

Actually, the Web site icethetics.info has already uncovered the new green jersey. You can find Wild D Brent Burns modeling it here. It's actually kind of a sharp jersey. Has a high-school jersey look to it, which should be popular in this state. It's a great complement to the Wild's white and red sweaters.

The Wild will officially unveil the jersey at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Fan Central building at the State Fair. Fans can pre-order the new sweater at the State Fair or at the Hockey Lodge stores at the Mall of America or the Xcel Energy Center. The new sweaters will not be available for pick-up until Oct. 21, the night the Wild will wear them in a game for the first time (against Colorado). The new green sweaters will be available only at the Hockey Lodge stores from Oct. 21-26, then elsewhere starting Oct. 27.

By the way, Wild preseason tickets are on sale now. Rochester native Bryce Lampman and the St. Louis Blues come to The X on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m., while cabby-beating Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks visit on Sept. 20 at 5 p.m.

H.S. Hockey: Heimer, Vesel honored by The Breakdown

FELDY: A pair of Rochester Lourdes juniors-to-be opened some eyes around Section 1 and the state last season when the Eagles won the consolation championship at the Class A state tournament in March. Goalie Nick Heimer and defenseman Rory Vesel have been named to the list of Minnesota's Top 75 juniors for the upcoming season by The Breakdown magazine and mnsportspreview.com.

Heimer went 18-7-0 for the Eagles last season with a goals-against average of 2.03 and an .882 save pct. Vesel had 3 goals and 21 assists (the most assists by a Lourdes d-man last season) for 24 points.

Lourdes opens its 2009-10 season on Dec. 3-4 at the Owatonna Invitational against Owatonna and New Richmond (Wis.).

Playing catch-up (not ketchup, I hate ketchup)

FELDY: It almost never fails that when I go to a game at the Metrodome the person sitting next to me or behind me or in front of me -- anywhere within smelling distance -- plops down with one of those gigantic hot dogs heaping with all kinds of nastiness such as ketchup, mustard, onions, relish, and whatever else they ruin those perfectly good hot dogs with. It happened again Friday night as I waited for No. 4's yawner of a debut in purple. Of course, it's tough to tell Mrs. Feldy to not eat that nasty hot dog. Every time I tell her to get something else, she threatens to spill ketchup on my shorts. Ick.

As for last Friday's game, would everyone just calm the heck down? My goodness, you'd think Favre's 1-for-4, 4-yard effort means he'll play no better than Spergon Wynn this season. He practiced for 2 1/2 days before that game; it's a victory that he didn't fumble a snap or botch a handoff. (No, by the way, I have not and probably will not add a purple No. 4 to the jersey collection. Still doesn't feel quite right.)

As for the rubes who think T-Jack deserves the starting job now, just take a look back at how he did in Week 1 of the preseason. He was brutal against Indianapolis' second-team defense, which was basically their third-team defense because half of the Colts starters didn't play. When the pressure's on and he actually has a chance to earn a starting job, T-Jack panics. Now that he knows he's either riding pine or being traded, of course he played well. That's how it's always been with him.

Nothing is more irritating than the Vikings fans who want to set the team's roster because of how guys performed in a meaningless preseason game. The same people who want T-Jack to be the starter now were the same ones who booed him when he walked onto the field on Friday. They're also the same people who wanted Brad Childress run out of town after HIS FIRST PRESEASON GAME three years ago because Chili went for a TD and a win (the Vikes lost) at the end of the fourth quarter rather than kick a field goal and send the game to OT. IT'S THE PRESEASON. CALM DOWN. Get a grip and relax. Meaningful games will be here soon enough, then you can call for T-Jack after one bad outing by No. 4.

* * *

The Vikings defense shouldn't cause much concern right now, either. They pressured the heck out of Matt Cassel on Friday and Cassel made some plays with his feet. The Vikings outside linebackers failed to hold contain a few times, but that's not going to happen once the games get going for real. Last week, we talked about who should make this team on offense; let's look at the defense now:

DEFENSIVE END: Jared Allen and Ray Edwards will start. Brian Robison is as close to another lock as you can come. That leaves Otis Grigsby, Martail Burnett and Jayme Mitchell fighting for probably one spot. Mitchell has some good history with the Vikes and has played inside in a pinch before. Burnett has looked sharp in the first two preseason games. Grigsby is a veteran, but will have to leapfrog both Burnett and Mitchell to make the club. I'll say Mitchell makes the team, Burnett and Grigsby are out.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE: This one's a little tougher, considering the in-flux situtation of Pat and Kevin Williams. Assuming they both can play the whole season, that leaves Fred Evans, Tremaine Johnson, Jimmy Kennedy, Letroy Guion and Antoine Holmes battling for two, maybe three spots. Evans is a lock; he'll start for Pat Williams if the Williams Wall is suspended. Kennedy is a former first-round draft pick (by St. Louis) and Guion was a late-round pick by the Vikes last year and is a guy they like. I'll guess all three of those guys make the team out of camp with the uncertainty surrounding the Williamses. If Kevin and Pat indeed get suspended, perhaps the Vikes will go to the waiver wire to fill some backup roles.

CORNERBACK: Antoine Winfield and Cedric Griffin are starters; both signed nice extensions during the offseason. Asher Allen, a 3rd round pick this year, will get every chance to win the nickel back role, but Benny Sapp could be the guy there, too. Marcus McCauley and free-agent signee Karl Paymah will duke it out for the fifth CB spot. Marcus Walker and Derrick Roberson have made enough mistakes in the preseason games that they'll both probably be cut.

SAFTIES: Madieu Williams and Tyrell Johnson will start. A good battle for back-up jobs between veterans Eric Frampton and Husain Abdullah, and seventh-round draft pick Jamarca Sanford (who has looked sharp in camp and in both preseason games) is on. The Vikes won't keep five safeties, so at least one good player is out the door. Frampton and Abdullah have each been good on special teams.

LINEBACKERS: Maybe the best competitions in training camp this year are for the backup LB jobs. Chad Greenway, EJ Henderson and Ben Leber are entrenched as starters. Heath Farwell will make the team because he's a beast on special teams and a solid backup LB. Erin Henderson, David Herron and fifth-round pick Jasper Brinkley are probably battling for two spots. Again, one really good linebacker will be looking for a team in a couple of weeks.

Taking a break from Brett, and a look at the Vikings' offense

FELDY: The non-stop Favre-a-palooza on the radio and the 6-page special section devoted entirely to No. 4 in today's Minneapolis Star-Tribune has me already ready to take a break from the QB chatter  and think about how the Vikings roster might look when games begin for real on Sept. 13 at Cleveland.

With that in mind -- and I know only one preseason game is in the books -- let's take a look at the Vikes roster by position and see where some battles loom and where some guys are safe:

QUARTERBACK: Clearly, No. 4 is the starter here with Sage Rosenfels as the top backup.  .  The question looming here is 'who goes away?' My guess is Tarvaris Jackson's days in purple are numbered. The Vikes traded for Rosenfels for a good reason; they pursued Favre for a good reason -- they don't trust T-Jack. The guy is in his fourth season now as a pro and hasn't shown the ability to consistently perform under pressure.  Think about it: the two biggest games Jackson has played in are the late-season game against Washington two years ago, when a win would've sealed a playoff spot; and    the home playoff game against Philly last season. In both, he looked completely over-matched and confused.  He doesn't exude that confidence or presence in the huddle you want your starter to have. I don't know if this is more of an indictment on him or Brad Childress, but either way, T-Jack's days as a Viking should be done. Give the No. 3 job to the new No. 9, J.D. Booty.

OFFENSIVE LINE: The Vikes are  set at left tackle (Bryant McKinnie) and left guard (Steve Hutchinson). The right guard spot is Anthony Herrera's, as his nice contract extension last winter would imply.    It looks like Chili wants John Sullivan to win the center job and Phil Loadholt to win the right tackle job.     As much as I think Loadholt is going to be the anchor of the right side of the line for years to come, he   clearly has plenty of learning to do. He looked good in running situations, but got completely worked by speed rushers twice in last Friday's win over the Colts.    He'll still probably end up as the starter when the season opens, but mainly because Ryan Cook (blech) is the alternative.    Cook and Artis Hicks will make the roster because they're both versatile in terms of how many positions they can play on the line.

RUNNING BACKS: Do we need to even talk about this? AP and Chester Taylor are one of the best 1-2 punches in the NFL. Albert Young looks like the No. 3; and Nafahu Tahi will resume his role as starting fullback/No. 1 receiving option on 3rd-and-7. Jeff Dugan will also be in the mix again as a fullback/special teams guy.

WIDE RECEIVERS: The locks: Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Bobby Wade. That leaves just one spot -- maybe two at the most -- up for grabs.    The Vikes have 10 receivers in camp which means half likely won't make the team. That fifth (and likely final) spot will probably come down to Jaymar Johnson vs. Darius Reynaud. Johnson has some media steam this preseason; he has looked good apprently on speical teams and returning kicks. Reynaud was a sparkplug kick returner last season until an injury cut his year short.    Free-agent signee Glenn Holt probably has an outside chance to make the team.

TIGHT ENDS: I would guess the Vikes will keep three, with Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser and Garrett Mills all making the roster.  Jake Nordin is the only other TE in camp.

We'll look at the defense tomorrow. Some of the best battles for roster spots are on that side of the ball, especially at linebacker.

Ice Hawks sign Brett Favre

PHERSY:I figured with a post name like "Ice Hawks sign Brett Favre" everyone would read this blog! HA!

So, unless you haven't turned on your computer, TV, cell phone or radio, you know already that Brett Favre is on a plane, headed for the Twin Cities, apparently to sign a contract to play for the Minnesota Vikings in 2009.

When I heard the news, I almost vomited. I can't stand Brett Favre, partly because he played for the Packers, but mostly because of his massive ego.

Honestly, I don't understand how true Vikings fans can like this move. Yes, true fans want the team to win. And maybe this gives the Vikings a better chance to win games. But everything in Vikings fans' DNA should tell them to hate Brett Favre and everything he stands for. He played the bulk of his career with our most hated rivals. He is the face of that franchise. Yes, Favre now isn't a big fan of the Packers, but he'll always be a Packer in my eyes. And for that reason, I can't stand seeing him in a Purple uni.

The other thing that bothers me ... why are all of these Vikings "fans" so sure that Favre is worth the risk? Is he really that much better than Sage Rosenfels? Favre's going to be 40 years old, he didn't come to training camp, and he's coming off an injury. He was terrible at the end of last season for the Jets.

And then there's his DIVA ways. Favre is the queen of all DIVAS! Will his DIVA ways be good for team chemistry? I doubt it. He waited until now to sign because he simply didn't want to come to training camp, didn't want to bond with the team, didn't want to sleep in a dorm.

So even if Favre does get this team another win or two, what will the franchise do next year? T-Jack already wants out of town, and Sage isn't getting any younger.

To me, the risks far outweigh the rewards with this egomaniac. And even if they didn't, I still wouldn't be able to stomach seeing Favre in that jersey.

It's going to be really hard to be a Vikings fan this season.

GO GOPHERS???

***

PHERSY: After doing a little thinking, I've decided to add a little bit to this post ... because I had a vision of exactly what will happen to the Vikings and Mr. Bretty this season.

The Vikings start the season with an extremely easy schedule. They open with the Cleveland Browns (4-12), Detroit Lions (0-16), San Francisco 49ers (7-9), Green Bay Packers (6-10) and St. Louis Rams (2-14). That's a combined 19-61! Yeah, that's bad, really bad.

There's a very good chance the Vikings open the season 5-0, even if Feldy takes over QB duties. Literally, they could just not use a QB and direct snap the ball to AP and probably start 4-1.

So, who will come in and take all the credit? Bretty!!! Yep, and Vikings fans will buy it. I can already hear some silly Vikings rube, "See, the Vikings are 5-0. Told you it was a good move to sign Favre!"

This could be similar to what happened last season with the Jets. Favre started well, dominating terrible defenses. Then at the end of the year, Favre was simply bad.

I hope I'm wrong!

* * *

FELDY: Sorry it took me so long to get to this, Phersy. I was carrying Brett Favre's bags into Winter Park.

Hold on just one second here .... FLIP! ... OK, one more second, please .... FLOP! Yes, that was me flip-flopping, just like our new QB. My first thought is, how much could I get now for my tickets to the Vikes-Packers Monday Night game on Week 4? Nah, I've had season tickets for 12 years; can't give these up.

Phersy, I think you know how I'll feel about this. Of course I like it. As to your question, 'Is Favre better than Rosenfels?' Honestly, that doesn't matter right now; the question is, 'Is Favre better than Tarvaris Jackson?' The answer to that one is obvious. I've written it many times before, but give me a Favre-Rosenfels-Booty depth chart any day over Rosenfels-Jackson-Booty.

We're going to have to agree to disagree on whether or not "true" Vikings fans should like or dislike this move. I like the move, and I think you'd call me a "true" Vikes fan. You don't like the move and I know you're a true Vikes fan.

All we can say for sure is that adding Favre makes the VIkings better. It doesn't guarantee a division title, or a Super Bowl. But we can hope, right? It certainly makes the odds better of the Vikes going deeper in the playoffs.

And guess what, Phersy? If Favre flops, you'll get two of your wishes granted -- Favre won't wear purple anymore and neither will Chili.

It is pretty amazing to listen to the rubes react to this, though. About 30 minutes after the report broke this morning, one rube actually suggested on talk radio that the Vikings could get a fourth-round pick in trade for Tarvaris Jackson. The Vikes couldn't get a fourth-pound hamburger in trade for T-Jack right now.

The last question to ponder: How much of Favre's $12 million will go to JD Booty to get the number 4?

ICE HAWKS: Injury update

PHERSY: The Rochester Ice Hawks had their final tryout/training camp over the weekend, and coach Nick Fatis whittled the team down as much as he could. At this time, he didn't want to release a full roster. He promised me I could put something up here on Friday with all of the names, so check back Friday afternoon, and I should have something up. In the meantime, if you have questions about certain players or anything for that matter, feel free to throw them on the blog, and I'll try to answer them ... or I'll call coach and force him to come up with a good answer!

OK, so the Ice Hawks had a great camp, but they did suffer quite a few injuries. I'll tell you what I know (keep in mind not all of these injuries happened in camp this weekend):

Justin Phelps -- He'll be out two weeks with a separated shoulder. Fatis said it doesn't sound like there will be any lasting damage, but Phelps will be out for about two weeks until that shoulder is ready for full contact.

Morgan Sanchez -- Sanchez took a puck to the top of his foot this weekend, but he returned to action on Sunday, and Fatis said he looked good. He's not expected to miss any more practice time ... he's just got a sore foot at this point

Cory Volk -- Volk will be out about two weeks with the famous "lower-body injury." Fatis said it's something in his hip, but he's not exactly sure what's going on at this point.

Urban Demo -- Demo will be out one week with a concussion. Pretty straight-forward with this one. He'll be back on the ice (and dry-land, yuck!) in a week.

George Jackson -- Out until the end of September or the beginning of October with a broken ankle. Fatis said Jackson wants to be back sooner, but it's unlikely he'll be ready to go full speed in September.

Andrew Fairbanks -- He's on the same timeline as Jackson ... out until the beginning of October with a knee injury.

So, it was a rough weekend, but a good one.

Coach said he was very encouraged by the goaltending situation. That's one area I can talk about right now. Simon Erickson and Sam Hingtgen both played well in camp. Fatis said Hingtgen didn't start well, but by Saturday he was looking fantastic. New defenseman Dan McCamey also had great things to say about those two guys (I spoke with McCamey today for a story that will run in Wednesday's PB ... so watch for it). Of Erickson, McCamey said: "His movement and everything he does is pretty solid. He stoned me more than a few times at camp this weekend. He's probably the best goalie I've ever gone against." Of Hingtgen, McCamey said: "He's really good, too. He stopped me a few times, and he's just solid all-around."

Fatis did decide to keep a third goaltender, and that's Mike Becker. Coach said he explained to Becker that he would be the No. 3 right now, which isn't always a promising situation for a last-year kid. But Fatis said Becker is totally thrilled to be with the team, and that he has a great attitude about everything right now. So that's encouraging. I know Fatis is pretty jacked up about the three kids he has on the roster now.

One last note ... I wasn't at all of camp, but from what I did see, forward Matt Rucinski is the real deal. He kind of fell into Fatis' lap here recently, and he was lights out this weekend. He looked phenomenal ... he's the type of skill player this team needs on its top two lines. Great hands, great vision, good speed ... great find for coach Fatis. I think the kid can flourish here with some good coaching.

Anyway, that's all for now. I'll check back with Fatis in a few days to see how these brutal dry-land practices are going, and I'll put something up Friday for sure, earlier if needed.

Today's 3: The 'It feels so(rta) good to be back' edition

FELDY: First off, happy belated b-day to Phersy! He turned 57 on Wednesday, yet he somehow still has about 35 years until he can retire. Go figure.

Also, Brad Childress just announced on KFAN that Sage Rosenfels will start for our Purple tonight in an August preview of February's Super Bowl. OK, OK, that's stretching it a bit. We all know that next Friday's game at the Metrodome is probably the real Super Bowl Preview, when Kansas City Comes to town.

Back to Rosenfels in a bit, but first I'll say it's so(rta) good to be back after Mrs. Feldy and I took a nice long vacation, sipping umbrella drinks on the beach and watching the ocean while Toddler Feldy played in the sand. ... OK, now that is stretching the truth. We were actually at Mrs. Feldy's parents cattle ranch in middle-of-nowhere western South Dakota. For some reason, our silver van didn't fit in with all the hogs at the Sturgis bike rally.

Lots of stuff to catch up on:

3. Ice Hawks open camp today! Phersy posted this yesterday, but hockey season is upon us! The Rochester Ice Hawks open their training camp today, with what amounts to a three-day invitation-only tryout camp. Get out to the scrimmages this weekend if you need your hockey fix (6:30 tonight and Saturday; 10:30 a.m. Sunday).

2. Vikes QB competition still clear as mud. As mentioned earlier, coach Brad Childress said this morning that Sage Rosenfels will start tonight's preseason opener against Indianapolis. It sounds like Rosenfels has ever-so-slightly outplayed T-Jack so far in training camp. From the three camp practices I watched in Mankato, I can't say I was really impressed with either QB. T-Jack clearly has the stronger arm, Rosenfels looks a little more polished and poised. Still, both threw plenty of quacking ducks and rarely hit on any deep balls over the past two weeks. Watching some 7-on-7 drills earlier this week, both T-Jack and Sage were quickly checking down to RBs coming out of the backfield ... in a 7-on-7 drill where THERE IS NO PASS RUSH! I supposed judgement should be held until we see at least a couple of preseason games, but with a true competition going for the starting job, you'd think one of these guys would step up and seize the opportunity.

1. Mike Vick's an Eagle. Thankfully he didn't end up in purple. I've made my disdain for Vick quite clear before. I'm not buying a word of his apologies. "I was naive," he says. "If I can help more animals than I hurt, I'm doing my part," he says. Please. It's easy to sit at a press conference and sound apologetic. The guy's a thug. He's not sorry for the torture and cruel deaths he made so many dogs suffer through. He's sorry he got caught. Now he's making millions again with the Eagles. Disgusting. If Vick really wants to SHOW that he's changing (and not just talk about it), maybe he should take most (or all) of his $1.6 million salary this season and give it to humane socities. How much good do you think that money would do for humane socities?

Bonus T3. The Twins ... what the heck? Hopefully Minnesota's front office geniuses are sitting up and taking notice of what a waste of a season this is becoming for our favorite ball club. Three summers ago when it was announced that the Twins would get a new stadium, we heard Jerry Bell and others come and say they would be putting much more money into their payroll. In fact, that payroll has DECREASED by about $20 million. Sticking that $20 million back into the payroll this offseason would be a good start, and should be the bare minimum that Twins fans will accept heading into 2010 and that beautiful new park in downtown Minneapolis.$20 million can improve your starting rotation and your bullpen dramatically. When the state's taxpayers are sitting in the new park that they paid for, they shouldn't have to watch Class AA ballplayers trot out in a big league uniform. No more call-ups from New Britain to solve big problems. Fix the roster, Bill Smith, or you're gonna get the same heat (and more) that your manager is getting now.