Minnesotans haven’t experienced dozens of heart-wrenching late-season and postseason defeats like fan bases with perennial contenders, but that doesn’t mean the folks up north haven’t been tormented for the last half-century. The Minnesota faithful only has a handful of depressing playoff losses, including last Sunday’s shocking defeat to the Seahawks after Blair Walsh botched a 27-yard field goal. However, a major Minnesota sports team has not won a title since the Twins won the 1991 World Series.
The Vikings, Timberwolves and Wild have never won a crown and none have even appeared in a championship game or series since the Vikings’ loss in Super Bowl XI in 1977. Additionally, the University of Minnesota has found little success on the gridiron and hardwood, with the football program last winning a Big Ten title in 1967 and the hoops team last reaching a Final Four in 1997 (later vacated).
After decades of misery, most Minnesota fans are numb to failures. That doesn’t mean they appreciate opening the morning newspaper and seeing wall-to-wall coverage of the unsuccessful teams in town, as was the case in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Friday, Jan. 15:
Yes, all of those stories were written on the same day. The most exciting news in Friday’s paper was that second-year Twins’ slugger Miguel Sano signed with Jay-Z’s management company, Roc Nation.
adoughty [8:24 PM]
