As fond as I am of non-sequiturs, there's really no substitute for a good oxymoron. MERKIN came up with one recently: Minnesota Football. I didn't realize how fond I'd become of this deeply conflicted idea until I woke up at 5:30 AM this morning, and turned the radio on, to a local disc jockey named Andrea Blaine, whose breathy Irish lilt is so full of charm, that hearing her voice is like a kiss good morning.
In November 1986, the Minnesota Vikings were hosting the New York Giants, and with 72 seconds left in the game, the Vikings were clinging to a 20-19 lead, and had the Giants at midfield facing a 4th and 17. Vikings cornerback Isaac Holt, a big, physical guy, decided to press his receiver rather than defend the first down marker, and Phil Simms completed a 22 yard pass over him to Donny (?) Johnson, which led to a field goal and a 22-20 Giants victory. It was one in a string of closely fought games in which the Giants repeatedly prevailed. They finished the regular season with 14 wins, and if memory serves, were never seriously challenged in the playoffs, which they finished by trouncing the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. The Vikings ended at 9-7 and missed the playoffs by a single game. Phil Simms later recalled that win as the favorite game of his career.
Andrea Blaine might be syndicated. She's the overnight voice on classical MPR (the House that Garrison Built) Thursday and Friday nights, and gentlemen, hers is a voice that can take you to places you've never visited, or places that you had forgotten (perhaps a mixed blessing) ever existed.
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