Story #2

The Minnesota Vikings have started their campaign 0-3. This marks the second time in three seasons the team has started this way.

There are many personnel to blame. Quarterback Kirk Cousins and the offense have given the ball up nine times through their first three games, leading the whole league in turnovers. Fans Tami Bern, Jake McBride, and Jerry Buum weigh in on their team.

Lifelong Viking fan Jake McBride said, “This year’s team is a dumpster fire like never before. That being said, um I do, however, think that they can turn it around. I am the stereotypical fan where I have unlimited amounts of optimism.”

2020 was the last time the Vikings started 0-3. They did catch a hot streak later in the season, but they ended up missing the playoffs and finished 7-9.

Head coach Kevin O’Connell is in his second season with the Vikings, and the team is coming off a 13-4 season. Expectations for the organization were extremely high this season, and two of the games they played this season they should have won. 

O’Connell was hired last year by first year General Manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah who came to Minnesota from the Cleveland Browns front office. Coach won the Big Game with the Los Angeles Rams, as the Offensive Coordinator. He is the second youngest head coach, only behind the Rams head coach Sean McVay. 

“From top to bottom the whole organization should be blamed for the slow start. O’Connell has made some questionable play calls late in the game. However, the turnovers are what is costing us the games. Cousins, Hockenson (tight end), Mattison (running back), and others have butterfingers. The team has the talent to make it to the playoffs, there is no denying that” (Tami Bern).

Talent does not always equal success in the NFL, as the Vikings have demonstrated over the past three games. The team has one of the best receivers in Justin Jefferson. Kirk Cousins is arguably one of the top ten quarterbacks in the league. His offensive line has done much better thus year, as Cousins has been pressured very little, and the teams ranks fifth-best in this category. 

So who is to blame? Is it O’Connell? Is he failing at getting the best out of the players? Is it Kwesi? Is he not fielding a good enough team? The players are the ones committing the turnovers, but what can stop these and keep the offense on the field?

“I think it is time to start from scratch. Cousins is aging, and not as fine wine. Trade him, and get his contract off the books. Trade Danielle Hunter for some draft picks, and use the leftover cash in free agency. There are so many players on defense that just seem to be getting slower. Start new, and start young. Too many franchises are scared to start over and admit their wrongdoings. However, with the right people in the front office a rebuild can be accelerated” (Jerry Buum).

Fourteen games remain in the season, and tough games lie ahead for the purple and gold. Kansas City, Detroit, and San Francisco are going to be no easy task, as these are teams that have playmakers on both sides of the ball.

Optimism remains in the Vikings fans mentioned above except for Jake. “Good thing we have the Wild and Timberwolves to look forward to if the Vikings continue to disappoint like they are.”

Overall the purple and gold have lots of work to do to get where they want to be. The NFC North Division might belong in another team’s hands other than the Vikings and PAckers this year. The Detroit Lions look really good this year, and Minnesota will have to play them twice this year. It will not be easy, but only time will tell. 

In his letter to shareholders, Target CEO, Brian Cornell highlights the company’s ever-growing profits, and how their new efforts to meet the demands of their customers will ensure the company will keep growing.

As Target looks ahead, Cornell states, “The revenue gains we anticipate in the years ahead will be built on a base of nearly $110 billion, not the $78 billion that served as our starting mark in 2019.”

The company clearly did not expect to benefit from the pandemic in the past couple of years, but it is clear that they are ready for the most unpredictable events to occur.

Cornell has a positive outlook on the future,”we see tremendous opportunities”, and Target shareholders should be more than happy with how the company has done over the last couple of years.

Title of Article: Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell threatens to bench players over turnover issues

Article by: Kevin Seifert

Overview: The Minnesota Vikings have started out the season 0-3. Before the season even started fans and players alike would have guessed the Vikings would be 2-1, but they find themselves in the sellar to start the 2023 campaign. In this past weekends lose to the Los Angeles Chargers, tight end T.J. Hockenson fumbled in plus territory, and running back Alexander Mattison fumbled as well. This is news to Vikings fans as their coach says he will make sure the turnover issues will get resolved, and they will clean up their play. If the Vikings are not able to control their turnover issues, coach O’Connell may be finding his way out of Minnesota. If this does happen, the Vikings will once again be in the rebuilding phase.

Maren is junior here at Morningside, and her hobbies include: bowling, coloring, and creative writing. When asked about the upcoming months she had this to say, “I am looking forward to the bowling season. Our team has a few good freshman, and we will be very competitive this year.” When she is not bowling, doing homework, or on TikTok, Maren enjoys coloring. She just invested in a ipad pro, which allows her to color and draw!

There was a robbery last night at BJ’s Drug located on 1625 11th Ave.

The two robbers were wearing ski masks, so the identities of the men remain unkown.

There is a gun located behind the check out counter; however, Joseph decided against using it.

Ben Joseph, owner of BJ’s Drug, states that his father had experienced a similar robbery many years ago.

Owner Ben Joseph states, “Dad resisted, I guess. They found him shot to death, his own gun in his hand, and a bullet in the store’s ceiling. I’d rather part with my money than my life,” he said.

Article: Tampa Bay Rays set to announce new stadium in St. Petersburg, which will open in 2028 season

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/rays/2023/09/18/tampa-bay-rays-new-stadium-ballpark-2028/70890727007/

The professional baseball team, Tampa Bay Rays are set to get a new stadium in 2028. A new stadium has been needed for years. I recently just visited Tropicana Field this past summer, and it was a lackluster experience to say the least. This new stadium is not only important news to the Tampa Bay and St Petersburg area, but to baseball fans across North America. The Rays have been rumored to relocate to Nashville and even Montreal. Now that a new stadium is in the works these cities will no longer be in the running for a professional baseball team. This is great news for the Tampa and St. Petersburg area, as attendance for Rays games has plummeted. The Rays are one of the best teams in baseball, so hopefully a new stadium will drive fans to show up to support a great franchise.

Overal I am looking forward to seeing a new ballpark, as I am on the quest to see every MLB stadium. I have gone to twenty out of the thirty, but I will need to go to the new stadiums once they are built, and I will count those towards my total.

Hayden Carver was my first contact, and he had this to say about the upcoming fall weather, “I can not wait for the fall temperatures. Football practice will be more bearable with the falling indexes.” Hayden is a transfer student from Mankato State Community College, and this is his second semester here at Morningside.

Dylan Ades is a baseball player here at Morningside, and when asked about how the dropping temperatures he had this to say, “We travel down to the south and west coast for fall ball, but the fall weather can certainly make it easier on us when practicing outside.”

Overall fall is almost upon us, and it is safe to say some of the athletes at Morningside are very grateful for that.

Men’s Tennis has been dominated over the past few decades by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. None of those superstars are from the U.S., and it has been nearly a decade since the U.S. has produced a top player, the last of which was Andy Roddick. 

However, at just twenty years of age, Ben Shelton has opened eyes this September in the U.S. Open. The rising superstar will take on arguably the greatest player of all time, Novak Djokovic, in the U.S. Open Semifinal on Friday. Shelton’s improbable run is quite the spark for U.S. tennis; however, his young career has been far from perfect. 

The USA Today’s Dan Wolken says, “The former Florida Gator and NCAA Men’s Singles Champion, Ben Shelton, turned pro shortly after winning the title.” 

Shelton’s father, Bryan Shelton, was a tennis professional in the 1990s and was the coach of Florida when Ben won his NCAA Men’s Single Championship. 

After watching Shelton’s impressive victory over fellow American Francis Tiafoe, it is clear that Ben is a stellar athlete. His serve can reach an unusual 140 miles per hour. Though Ben’s ability is nonnegotiable, he needs more experience on the big stage. 

Earlier this year, he went 4-11. Shelton’s love for the game will prove beneficial when put in difficult situations on the court. However, things began to look upward for Shelton as he reached the Australian Open QuarterFinals and now the U.S. Open Semifinals.

Sports columnist Kurt Streeter of the New York Times stated, “There is no neutral with Shelton. He pumps his fists and shouts in celebration and shows what he feels at virtually every moment of every match — often with a broad, inviting smile.” It is such an excellent achievement for such a young star. He is undoubtedly climbing the ranks with his past few performances.

Streeter also has this to say about watching Shelton, “During his matches in Melbourne, he flashed an eye-widening talent that gave a tennis head like me goosebumps, reminding me of the first time I saw Roger Federer.” 

Overall, Ben Shelton has set the Tennis and sports worlds on fire. However, his next task is no small one. Second-ranked Novak Djokovic awaits him in the Semifinals. According to Adesina O. Koiki, Shelton had this to say about Djokovic, “It does not get much better than that. It has been tough the last two matches, playing against Americans, but hopefully, you guys can bring it for me two days from now.” 

Aside from Serena Williams, U.S. tennis has been in a drought of producing high-end talent for years, and now that three U.S. men are ranked in the top twenty (and Ben Shelton is not among those yet), U.S. tennis seems to be holding serve for quite some time. 

Index

Ben Shelton Makes history, reaches U.S. Open semifinals. (n.d.). Usopen.org. Retrieved September 6, 2023, from https://www.usopen.org/en_US/news/articles/2023-09-06/2023-09-05_ben_shelton_makes_history_reaches_us_open_semifinals.html

Streeter, K. (2023, September 2). The tennis education of Ben Shelton. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/02/sports/tennis/us-open-ben-shelton.html

Wolken, D. (2023, September 3). Meet Ben Shelton, a U.S. Open semifinalist poised to become the next American tennis star. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2023/09/03/us-open-ben-shelton-rising-american-star/70758627007/

https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/michigan-state-coach-mel-tucker-suspended-amid-investigation-into-sexual-harassment-of-rape-survivor-activist/

Title: Michigan State coach Mel Tucker suspended amid investigation into sexual harassment of rape survivor, activist

Article By: Shehan Jeyarajah

Big news out of College Football today, as Michigan State’s head football coach, Mel Tucker, is being investigated on claims of sexual harassment. It is said that Mel Tucker has harassed an activist who has spoken to his team a few times over the last couple of years. This is huge news, as it is news to Michigan State Football fans and the College Football world. This is news because there have already been multiple college coaches who have been either suspended or fired due to their misdoings. Northwestern just recently fired their football coach for harassment. This has raised not only the heads of college sports fans but also college students, their parents, and alums on how these sports programs treat players, staff, and others involved in the programs. Many more colleges will be under investigation for what has recently been uncovered. Hopefully, this article shines a light on what goes on behind the scenes with these universities. I hope these investigations get the personnel out of there, making these students and faculty feel unsafe. Although this is not worldwide news, I believe it is national news, as Michigan State is a large school. Their football program also brings in lots of money for the school every year, so if they cannot succeed under their interim head coach, they are in for a long season.

I love sports, and although college sports are not my favorite, I am very interested in how the sports programs affect the surrounding community. I am from Vermillion, South Dakota, home of the University of South Dakota, and we have had a mediocre football team for the past two decades that I have been alive. Meanwhile, South Dakota State, in Brookings, South Dakota, won the National Championship last year, and their town has been blossoming over the last couple of years, and a lot of that has to do with the success of their sports programs. The better the sports program, the more people come to the town to play games. These people eat out, stay at hotels, go shopping, and buy drinks. This last Saturday, both teams had home games. South Dakota State had an attendance of over 19,000 fans. Meanwhile, South Dakota had around 5,000. So, the suspension of Michigan State’s Mel Tucker is an even bigger deal if the team can not adapt accordingly.

Cathy Wensen, daughter of attorney Jim Wensen, was arrested last night for driving under the influence.

The arrest makes the third time in six months that the 22-year-old has been arrested for such charges. Cathy attends Vanderbilt University for Biology.

Cathy was this year’s homecoming queen, and after being a straight-A student, she certainly knows an extraordinary young mind in Biology.