Brooks Bollinger, the Vikings new quarterback, makes an impression based on his career accomplishments, not on what he says about himself.  As a high school player from Grand Forks, North Dakota, the struggling University of Minnesota football program didn’t pursue him.  Wisconsin not only gave him a scholarship, the Badgers made him a four year starter.  Not a player with extraordinary physical abilities, Bollinger passed, ran and directed the offense so well the Badgers won 30 games, the most ever for a Badger quarterback.

While he had a great college career from a team standpoint, his personal performance didn’t create a lot of NFL expectations. Drafted sixth by the New York Jets in 2003, Bollinger played in just one game (in 2004) during his first two seasons in the NFL. Last season he started nine games for the Jets. 

It comes as a surprise to some people that Bollinger is still in the NFL, joining the Vikings in a trade with the Jets and hoping “to do whatever the organization needs me to do to win football games.”  That assignment is to prepare the best he can, probably become the No. 2 quarterback and grab his helmet if starter Brad Johnson can’t play. 

In the immediate days after joining the Vikings, Bollinger (not surprisingly) made a maximum effort to learn the Vikings offense.  He is a character guy, the type that would audition well for the all-American boy role with Wheaties.  Soft spoken and humble, Bollinger didn’t talk much about all the games he helped Wisconsin win and then said, “I think I accounted for some of the losses, too.”  

Viking coach Brad Childress recruited Bollinger when he was an assistant at Wisconsin.  “I am familiar with him,” Childress said. “I know how he is wired. He is a coach’s son. I talked to guys on the (Jets’) last staff. He’s notorious as a grinder.” 

 

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Extra Innings  

Twins broadcaster Bert Blyleven was suspended earlier this week for using an obscenity on TV Sunday, according to the Star Tribune.  Blyleven caught this viewer’s attention on Saturday’s FSN pre-game show.  While Jim Souhan was providing insights about the Twins, Blyleven, who wasn’t supposed to be in the picture, interrupted a few times including making a peace or victory sign above Souhan’s head.  

Randy Moss ranks No. 1 in pro football jersey sales to men, according to the NFL.  Among women, though, he ranks No. 9.  Donovan McNabb is No. 1 with women while Ben Roethlisberger is second among both men and women.  McNabb is No. 10 among men while Brett Favre, No. 2 with women, isn’t even on the top 10 men’s list. 

Viking coach Brad Childress talking about the Redskins’ FedExField, the NFL’s largest stadium and perhaps the loudest: “Your job is to make them sit on their hands.”   

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire on fickle followers:  “We call people Mr. Goin’ Good.  When everything is going good they sure like to ride that wagon.  But if it gets a little bumpy a lot of them like to jump off.  We just ask you to stay on it and we will be okay.” 

Gardenhire talking about the Detroit Tigers who visit the Metrodome for a four game series starting tomorrow:  “They are not going to fade away.  That’s a great team. They have been there all year.  It’s going to all depend on how their pitching staff goes along here in September as to how they finish.  Just like everybody else.” 

Torri Hunter, who had 23 home runs, 71 RBI and a .269 average earlier in the week, thinks he can finish the season with 30 home runs, 90 RBI, and a.280 average.  While those are his goals, he said “for me it’s all about getting to the playoffs and even winning the World Series.” 

Former Twins batting champion Tony Oliva hopes to visit his native Cuba next winter.  He still has sisters and brothers living there, plus close to 100 other relatives.   

Redskins’ coach Joe Gibbs quoted in the August 28 Washington Times on the team’s terrible performance in pre-season:  “We’ve been in messes before and we understand how to get out of them,” Gibbs said yesterday at Redskin Park. “We’re in a tough time right now and when you go through tough times, it’s always interesting to see how you get out of it.” 

John Gordon, Twins play-by-player announcer, said on a recent WCCO broadcast that Jim Kaat will retire from broadcasting New York Yankee games after this season. Kaat, a former Twins broadcaster and the team’s all-time pitching leader in career wins, plans to travel the country with his wife and visit family, Gordon said. 

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After a stumbling start this spring, the Twins have at times played the best baseball in the major leagues.  The Twins were four games under .500 and 12.5 games behind the Central Division leading Detroit Tigers on May 27.  Earlier this week the Twins had the best record in major league baseball dating back to June 8, 51 wins, 20 losses. 

The Twins won division championships three of the last four years.  With a nucleus of star players who are all 27 years old or younger, the likelihood of similar success is almost certain if ownership can keep these players under contract and surround them with productive support players. 

All of this is according to plan, manager Ron Gardenhire said.  Some clubs are willing to go in cycles, building and rebuilding.  Not the Twins.  “The one thing we have always talked about is just maintaining and getting better and better,” Gardenhire said.  “And now we have a good corps of players.  If we can keep surrounding them with good young players coming through our system and not having to force the issue we ought to be pretty good for awhile. …” 

With a young team including key players who have come to Minnesota from the farm system during the season, the expectation could have been that a championship season was in the future, but Gardenhire and the Twins expect to win now.   

Building for a World Series champion?  “No doubt.  That’s our ultimate goal and it’s not out of our minds this year believe me. …Right now we think we have a very good ball club.” 

Gardenhire said the new stadium, scheduled to open in 2010, will generate increased revenues, hopefully allowing ownership to pay the large future contracts that Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Francisco Liriano,Johan Santana and perhaps others will command.  With a current payroll of about $62 million, the Twins are far below the mega spending of some other teams and the budget that will be needed to satisfy their stars or super stars. 

 “I think the new stadium is going to be huge,” Gardenhire said. “It’s going to really help revenue out with our ball club and we will be able to keep a lot of these players.”

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