Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN) articles from November 2002

Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN) archives from November 2002

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Dave Beal Column.
November 30, 2002... Byline: Dave Beal Nov. 30--Time for a snap quiz: What do Flint Hills Resources, Thrivent Financial, Xcel Energy, Velocity Express, SoftBrands Marketing, Target and Lakes Entertainment have in common? They are all companies based in...

St. Paul, Minn., Based Loan Maker Has Too Many Mobile Homes on Hand.
November 30, 2002... Byline: Sheryl Jean Nov. 30--As Conseco Finance Corp. officials continue to seek buyers for the company, industry observers are growing more concerned about the firm's future. The St. Paul-based maker of mobile-home and other...

Online Users Found Bargains on Store Web Sites.
November 30, 2002... Byline: Leslie Brooks Suzukamo Nov. 30--Online shoppers have a name for all you bleary-eyed bargain hunters who had to be the first to hit the after-Thanksgiving Day holiday bargains on Friday: Slowpokes. Target.com, for instance,...

Newport, Minn., Confronts Business Shortfalls Caused by Road Construction.
November 30, 2002... Byline: Mary Divine Nov. 30--The drive-in restaurant closed three weeks early this year, the local liquor store reported a 25 percent drop in business, and Tom Bartl is worried that he may have to close his hardware store. As the...

No. 24 Minnesota tops No. 17 Georgia on desperation heave.
November 30, 2002... Byline: Brian Hamilton MINNEAPOLIS _ Michael Bauer didn't hoist a single shot from Tuesday through Friday. He tried at one point, but the pain in his left shoulder sharply rebuked that idea. Saturday, in a tie game with No. 17...

Pandemonium reigns in Minnesota.
November 30, 2002... Byline: Bob Sansevere MINNEAPOLIS _ As every last second drained from the clock, Rick Rickert was under the basket thinking maybe Michael Bauer would pass the ball to him. Bauer had other plans. He saw the clock, saw time dwindling. So...

Wild on the bumps-and-bruises list.
November 30, 2002... Byline: Tom Powers ST. PAUL _ The Minnesota Wild locker room is not for the squeamish. Many of the lads are beginning to resemble chopped sirloin. They spit out teeth like so many Chiclets. And several of them are hard to spot beneath...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Business People Column.
November 29, 2002... Nov. 29--ACCOUNTS: Provident Partners LLC, St. Paul, will provide marketing services to Appolis Inc. --Creative Woodwork International, Minneapolis, selected David Aquilina, Minneapolis, as its public relations consultant. ...

St. Paul, Minn., Crackdown on Gambling Abuse Intensifies as Charges Are Filed.
November 29, 2002... Byline: Murali Balaji Nov. 29--St. Paul pressure on charitable gambling abuse the past half year has generated 30 investigations into organizations that engage in the state-sanctioned gambling and, so far, has resulted in felony theft...

Survey Tracks Soaring Sales of Holiday Gift Cards.
November 29, 2002... Byline: Scott Carlson Nov. 29--Kathy Daly is philosophical about holiday spending on her teen-age daughters: Giving gift cards sometimes can be a shopper's best present. "They are hard to shop for," said Daly, of Columbia Heights,...

Mobile-home loan company Conseco teeters on bankruptcy.
November 29, 2002... Byline: Sheryl Jean ST. PAUL, Minn. _ As Conseco Finance Corp. officials continue to seek buyers for the company, industry observers are growing more concerned about the firm's future. The St. Paul-based maker of mobile-home and...

It's time to loosen up school rules.
November 29, 2002... Byline: Rick Shefchik It appears reefer madness will always be with us. An 18-year-old senior was kicked out of Breck prep school in Golden Valley, Minn., a month ago for possessing marijuana. His parents sued to have him reinstated,...

Wild, Avalanche all tied up.
November 29, 2002... Byline: Brian Murphy MINNEAPOLIS _ The Wild knew their two-game slide had the potential to turn into a sinkhole that could have swallowed the momentum and confidence they had steadily built during the first seven weeks of the season. ...

Act this month to reduce your taxes in April.
November 29, 2002... Byline: Gail MarksJarvis Sometimes, even the best intentions just don't work out. For the last couple of years you may have been diligently contributing to the kids' 529 College Savings plans, your IRA or your Roth IRA, and now you...

For people in their 60s, many choices await.
November 29, 2002... Byline: Amy Lindgren Remember the car commercial that proclaimed, "This is not your father's Oldsmobile?" If you are 60 or older, this will not be anything like your parents' old age. Today's 60-year-olds are healthier, stronger and...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Real World Economics Column.
November 28, 2002... Byline: Edward Lotterman Nov. 28--I have so many things to be thankful for today I cannot begin to count them. Life has been very good to me. I am glad I live in a nation that is just, peaceful and prosperous. Though there are many...

Despite Recent Stock Gains, Economists Doubt Quick Recovery.
November 28, 2002... Byline: Mike Hughlett Nov. 28--The Dow Jones industrial average is almost back to 9,000. Economic output was strong during the third quarter. And consumers seem to be buying more. The good times are back, right? Hold on. ...

Edina, Minn.-Based Food Wholesaler's Stock Falls Upon Delisting News.
November 28, 2002... Byline: Lee Egerstrom Nov. 28--Nash Finch Co. stock took another beating Wednesday after the company acknowledged that the Nasdaq Stock Market may remove, or "delist," the company's stock from trading. Nasdaq's staff has recommended...

Same-Sex Partner Benefits for Minnesota State Workers Imperil Union Agreements.
November 28, 2002... Byline: Brian Bakst Nov. 28--At the Arden Hills hotel where the biggest-ever state worker strike was settled, leaders of one union gathered anew last week to begin preparing for talks early next year on a contract for 2004 and 2005. ...

Montana Officials Charge Former U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray Worker with Fraud.
November 28, 2002... Byline: Tim Huber Nov. 28--Minneapolis-based brokerage U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray faces more trouble from regulators. Montana state investigators allege a former Piper Jaffray broker in Butte, Mont., made 6,000 unauthorized trades in...

Minnesota Sits near the Head of the Table When It Comes to Turkey Production.
November 28, 2002... Byline: Kermit Pattison Nov. 28--The accommodations weren't exactly luxurious, but these toms had reason to be thankful for making it this far. Here it was, just a few days before Thanksgiving, and 750 turkeys were roaming around a...

CenterPoint, Minnesota Settle 'No Surprise Bill' Dispute.
November 28, 2002... Byline: David Hanners Nov. 28--CenterPoint Energy Minnegasco will repay $350,000 to some of its customers and change the way it runs its "No Surprise Bill" program as part of a settlement of a complaint by state regulators. The...

Timberwolves hand Kings worst loss of season, 90-74.
November 28, 2002... Byline: Robbi Pickeral MINNEAPOLIS _ According to Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves were in the locker room at halftime Wednesday night when coach Flip Saunders started to remind them, "They're going to make a run... ." Garnett cut...

Dress rehearsal teaches students polite conventions of business world.
November 27, 2002... Byline: Cynthia Boyd ST. PAUL, Minn. _ Dana Yoder learned the proper handshake Monday night, the one that impresses prospective bosses from Fortune 500 companies and graduate school interviewers _ and maybe even future in-laws. ...

HEADLINE HERE.
November 27, 2002... Bc-EXTREMEOPS :SP _ entertainmentreview (220 words) he movie include snowboarding, boogie boarding and daredevil skiing. They're six hotdoggers, assembled for a commercial shoot in Austria, who stumble onto an evil plot and, because they...

Motorists scramble for cash after bag containing $50,000 falls off truck.
November 27, 2002... Byline: Kermit Pattison ST. PAUL, Minn. _ Money doesn't grow on trees, but $50 and $20 bills blew like leaves over Interstate 94 in St. Paul during rush hour Wednesday morning. A bank bag containing $50,000 that was supposed to be...

Gift cards more than just stocking-stuffers this holiday season.
November 27, 2002... Byline: Scott Carlson ST. PAUL, Minn. _ Kathy Daly is philosophical about holiday spending on her teen-age daughters: Giving gift cards sometimes can be a shopper's best present. "They are hard to shop for," said Daly, of Columbia...

Minnesota Transition Team Leans Center-Right.
November 27, 2002... Nov. 27--As Gov.-elect Tim Pawlenty named a new team of advisers Tuesday, a glimpse of who will have the new governor's ear began to emerge. On the political spectrum, Pawlenty said his 13-member transition advisory committee ranges from...

Group, Councilman Seek to Law to Ban Predatory Lending in Minneapolis.
November 27, 2002... Byline: Sheryl Jean Nov. 27--Housing advocacy group ACORN along with Minneapolis City Councilman Dean Zimmerman on Tuesday unveiled plans to push for legislation to ban certain kinds of so-called predatory lending practices in the city...

Minnesota Vikings Told to Revisit Proposed Stadium Site.
November 27, 2002... Nov. 27--The Minnesota Vikings might be running around the University of Minnesota campus yet. Key Minnesota legislators said Tuesday that the Vikings should give the proposed campus stadium site another serious look if the team wants...

`8 Crazy Nights'.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Chris Hewitt Sometimes a movie is so good it seems to pass in an instant. And sometimes a movie feels like it lasts "8 Crazy Nights." Schmaltzy and unfunny, Adam Sandler's cartoon about Hanukkah is numbingly bad, "Little...

Cast off by Timberwolves, Jackson lives like a King.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Robbi Pickeral MINNEAPOLIS _ When Bobby Jackson was a fill-in starter for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1999-2000, his teams had a winning record. So it isn't surprising that he returns to Target Center Wednesday night with a...

Coffee-table books for the holidays.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Mary Ann Grossmann It's the season for Big Books _ literally. Despite the lousy economy, publishers are offering coffee-table books on an amazing range of topics. Unlike previous years, there are no gorgeous photo books of...

Canucks short-circuit Wild power play.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Brian Murphy ST. PAUL, Minn. _ The crowd finally found its groove Monday night as the Minnesota Wild, riding the momentum of a late goal, jumped on their ninth power play against the Vancouver Canucks. Granted, the Canucks...

Holiday musical feast includes CDs for every taste.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Kathy Berdan From smooth jazz to chewy country to big bites of traditional orchestration, artists and record companies are serving up a musical feast again this holiday season. There's plenty to digest for all you gluttons of...

Cauldron of conflict.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Stephen Scott Several followers of major religions hold views of the end times in which the current state of Israel plays a key role: _ Within Christianity, some evangelicals and fundamentalists interpret the Bible to mean...

Eden Prairie, Minn., Testing Company to Pay $12 Million for Scoring Mishap.
November 26, 2002... Byline: John Welsh Nov. 26--The Minnesota testing company that wrongly scored thousands of Minnesota Basic Skills Tests will pay up to $12 million to settle a lawsuit brought by students and their families. The settlement, announced...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Investor's Eye Column.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Gail MarksJarvis Nov. 26--Sometimes the stress of running one's own small business prevents people from doing what's best. Take the 40-year-old man who called recently. He runs a one-man repair business out of his home and...

Former Executives of NRG Energy Face Uphill Battle with Bankruptcy Petition.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Tim Huber Nov. 26--Asking a court to force NRG Energy Inc. into bankruptcy was the easy part. Convincing a judge to do so figures to be a tougher challenge for five former executives who filed a petition for an involuntary...

St. Paul, Minn.-Area Residents Could Do More Gift-Buying Online.
November 26, 2002... Byline: Jennifer Bjorhus Nov. 26--Most Twin Cities residents will spend about the same or a little bit less on holiday shopping this year compared to a year ago, but they'll do more of their gift-buying online. Those are among the...

Minnesota Vikings Say University Stadium Site Is a No-Go.
November 26, 2002... Nov. 26--The Minnesota Vikings rejected a proposed joint stadium on the University of Minnesota campus, saying the site would work for the Gophers football team but is too small and isolated for a National Football League franchise. ...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Business Briefs Column.
November 25, 2002... Nov. 25--AIRLINES' REBOUND FALLS SHORT: The nation's big airlines are flying more people than they did last year. But traffic has yet to return to 2000 levels. "Although passenger volumes appear to have rebounded, nothing could be...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Business People Column.
November 25, 2002... Nov. 25--ACCOUNTS: Words at Work, Minneapolis, will develop corporate positioning and brand identity for KDV, a St. Cloud-based financial services and business consulting firm. -- Integrated Advertising Network, Minneapolis, becomes...

Former Executives Claim Severance Withheld, Push for NRG Energy Bankruptcy.
November 25, 2002... Nov. 25--Five former executives of NRG Energy Inc., who claim the debt-burdened company is withholding $23.5 million in severance and other payments, moved to force their former employer into bankruptcy Friday. Attorneys for the...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Technology Queries Column.
November 25, 2002... Byline: Jeffrey C. Kummer Nov. 25--QUESTION: I'm extremely new at the computer. Before I put any names in the Windows Address Book, I would like to know if I'll be able to use it later to print Christmas cards. If not, is there another...

Travel Experts Say Extra Security, Airline Rules to Hamper Holiday Travel.
November 25, 2002... Byline: Martin J. Moylan Nov. 25--Six-year-old Patrick Codote of Minneapolis lets out a big yawn as skycap Reuben Neil of St. Paul checks in baggage for Patrick's dad, Thomas, at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport last week. The...

St. Paul, Minn., College Wants Windmill for Energy, Environmental Statement.
November 25, 2002... Byline: Theresa Monsour Nov. 25--A windmill may be twirling on the skyline of Macalester College next spring. On Tuesday, a community council committee will consider the St. Paul college's plan to install a power-generating wind...

College kids' return for holidays can be happy if everyone's prepared.
November 25, 2002... Byline: Kristina Torres ST. PAUL, Minn. _ College students headed home for the holidays probably don't want to hear about curfews, dinner manners and getting up early in the mornings. Conversely, parents probably don't want to hear "I'm...

Wacko Jacko gets still another pass.
November 25, 2002... Byline: Rick Shefchik We've got a new leader in the race for Worst Parent of 2002. I thought it would be hard for anyone to top the tattooed dad who led his son onto the baseball field to beat up the Kansas City Royals' first base...

`Solaris'.
November 25, 2002... Byline: Chris Hewitt When, early in a movie, a character says something like, "I could tell you what's happening, but I don't know if that'd tell you what's happening," you can assume it's meant as advice to the viewer. Jeremy...

`Treasure Planet'.
November 25, 2002... Byline: Chris Hewitt A better title for "Treasure Planet" might be "Relentless Planet." Busy images rush at us like in a video game throughout Disney's new version of an old tale, Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island." There...

Local terror inquiry heats up.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Todd Nelson and Hannah Allam Federal investigators have intensified counterterrorism efforts in recent months to determine whether the Minnesota connections of three men with suspected ties to al-Qaida point to a coincidence or...

Time for Vikings coaches to take some hits.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Tom Powers FOXBORO, Mass. _ The Minnesota Vikings coaching staff has received a free pass all season. The coaches have received virtually no criticism, probably because most of us have taken pity upon them for having precious...

Vikings' road woes roll on in loss to Pats.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Sean Jensen FOXBORO, Mass. _ Mike Tice's formula for winning on the road might as well be Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity to the Minnesota Vikings. All last week, the Vikings coach stressed the keys to breaking the...

Moss-Culpepper relationship appears to be on icy side.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Staff Reports FOXBORO, Mass. _ The relationship between Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss and quarterback Daunte Culpepper appears to be getting icy as the team's record fell to 3-8 on Sunday in a 24-17 loss at New England. ...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Dave Beal Column.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Dave Beal Nov. 24--Attention deregulation fans: Cool your jets. That's the word from Ed Garvey. In September, Garvey wound up a lengthy stint on Minnesota's five-member Public Utilities Commission. That has liberated...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Career Column.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Amy Lindgren Nov. 24--In terms of careers, the 50s are the "now or never, do or die" decade. If you've always wanted a particular kind of work, this is the time to push forward. If you want to retire at a certain level of income,...

Best Buy PCs Challenge Sony, Apple.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Julio Ojeda-Zapata Nov. 24--Do you crave a computer with sleek styling as well as raw power this Christmas? Think Sony VAIO. Think Apple Macintosh. Think... Best Buy? That's the reaction Sheldon Laube says he gets when he...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Investor's Eye Column.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Gail MarksJarvis Nov. 24--Deflation is the worry du jour among professional investors. In a report last week, Prudential Financial strategist Edward Yardeni said deflation and its consequences are the all-consuming issues on...

Retailers Turn to Outside Companies to Boost Sales.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Scott Carlson Nov. 24--Inside a control room equipped with video cameras and a sound system, Tina Wilcox watches and eavesdrops on shoppers at her retail lab store, Once Famous. Wilcox, president of Minneapolis-based Fame...

Goodwill's New Store in St. Paul, Minn., Gets Down to Business.
November 24, 2002... Byline: Karl J. Karlson Nov. 24--An official grand opening of Goodwill/Easter Seals' new store and offices in St. Paul won't be held until early January, but the new operation is already in business a block north of University Avenue at...

FAA Clears Aviation Company Involved in Minnesota Senator's Fatal Crash.
November 23, 2002... Byline: Charles Laszewski Nov. 23--The company that provided the plane and pilots for Sen. Paul Wellstone's ill-fated trip to Eveleth, Minn., said all along they did nothing wrong in hiring their pilots. On Friday, a government agency...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Dave Beal Column.
November 23, 2002... Byline: Dave Beal Nov. 23--Hark the spark at Canterbury Park. Canterbury Park Holding's stock rose 11.1 percent Thursday to close at an all-time high of $11.54. That's nearly twice the stock's level a year ago and almost three times...

Shipping Season Soon to End in St. Paul, Minn.
November 23, 2002... Byline: Lee Egerstrom Nov. 23--The last towboat of the Twin Cities shipping season is set to leave St. Paul on Monday, ending an export-driven season that saw a 31 percent increase over last year in grain shipments from Minnesota ports,...

`RollerCoaster' takes you higher; `Unreal Tournament' aims low.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Phil LaRose If this is November, it must mean it's time for the annual game gold rush, when publishers flush a deluge of new titles onto the shelves in hopes of a bumper harvest of holiday sales. Hang onto your mouse because...

Flight diverted after man threatens others, claims to be terrorist.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Mara H. Gottfried ST. PAUL, Minn. _ Businessman Matthew Leggett left Houston, headed to the Twin Cities airport and boarded a Northwest Airlines Boeing 747 to Tokyo. He didn't make it to Japan. Instead, his trip was cut...

What's cool, what's new: Time travel.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Rob Hubbard An entertainment or product review _ anything from books and video games to Web sites and music. ___ Changes in our country's history often came about because some people were brave enough to criticize a...

Joshua Bell's `Red Violin' is close to his heart.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Matt Peiken Life imitated art for Joshua Bell, who performed the music for "The Red Violin," then lived the film's storyline. Stolen in 1919 and again in 1936, rediscovered a half-century later in a deathbed confession,...

Democrat majority died from old, Vietnam-era wounds.
November 22, 2002... Byline: D.J. Tice Democrats are having an awful time making peace with Republican victories in the recent election. A few rich and famous revolutionaries, like Bill Moyers and Garrison Keillor, are throwing embarrassing tantrums,...

`Grand Theft Auto: Vice City' clearly is addicting.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Mike DeArmond It's here! Parents, run for your picket signs. Or wait. Stop and think for a second. The kids that grew up with Atari and "Mario Brothers" are now in their 20s and 30s. They've matured, so why can't the content...

Career development strategies for workers in their 50s.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Amy Lindgren In terms of careers, the 50s are the "now or never, do or die" decade. If you've always wanted a particular kind of work, this is the time to push forward. If you want to retire at a certain level of income, you have...

Dispute Arises over Minneapolis Affordable-Housing Plan.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Judith Yates Borger Nov. 22--Minneapolis is thinking about letting developers build more homes on city lots as a way to increase the affordable-housing stock without spending public money. Although proponents of the idea...

Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, Cargill Form Marketing Alliance.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Lee Egerstrom Nov. 22--In a break with its sugar cooperative colleagues, the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative in Renville said Thursday it is forming a marketing alliance with Cargill to sell its sugar products. The...

Minneapolis Entertainment Center Provides Answer to Video Gamer's Dream.
November 22, 2002... Byline: William Wroblewski Nov. 22--The Dixieland jazz bouncing from the speakers at Copeland's in downtown Minneapolis is competing these days with the repetitive and rapid thuds and taps of techno stamping out of the new big boy on the...

Minneapolis Analyst Says Affordable-Housing Crisis Is Income Problem.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Mara H. Gottfried Nov. 22--It's not the housing market, stupid. It's the economy. So argues a Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis analyst who suggests that the affordable housing problem is not really a housing problem,...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Investor's Eye Column.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Gail MarksJarvis Nov. 22--QUESTION: I heard that a person can be a financial planner and have no training. Is that true? ANSWER: It is true. And that concerns me. After losing a lot of money managing their own money,...

Bondholders Demand Immediate Repayment of $750 Million from NRG Energy.
November 22, 2002... Byline: Tim Huber Nov. 22--NRG Energy was pushed closer to bankruptcy Thursday when bondholders demanded that the Minneapolis-based power generating company immediately repay $750 million worth of bonds that are in default. The...

University of Minnesota, Iowa Laboratory Scientists Break Cattle-Disease Code.
November 21, 2002... Byline: Lee Egerstrom Nov. 21--Scientists at the University of Minnesota and a federal research laboratory in Iowa have broken the code of the genetic structure for Johne's disease, opening the way for curing a disease that has plagued...

Saint Paul Pioneer Press, Minn., Real World Economics Column.
November 21, 2002... Byline: Edward Lotterman Nov. 21--Many years ago a British judge commented that "men are not hanged for stealing horses but rather that horses not be stolen." Qwest Communications may be glad that the Minnesota Public Utilities...

St. Paul, Minn.-Based Medical Device Firm Secures $20 Million in Venture Funds.
November 21, 2002... Byline: Jim McCartney Nov. 21--Despite a tight market for venture capital, Minnesota's start-up medical device firms are doing well raising cash. The latest example: $20 million in venture funding disclosed Wednesday by Acorn...

Minnesota Government's Budget Crisis Could Put Screws to Big Cities.
November 21, 2002... Byline: Tim Nelson Nov. 21--Double-digit property tax hikes were landing with a thud on front porches all over St. Paul and Minneapolis last week. And that's the good news. There may be even tougher times on the horizon because...

New York Firm to Buy Cloquet, Minn., Wood Products Manufacturer.
November 21, 2002... Byline: Jennifer Bjorhus Nov. 21--Jarden Corp., a New York-based maker of niche consumer products, announced Wednesday its intent to buy Cloquet-based Diamond Brands for $114 million in cash and assumed debt. Diamond Brands is the...

Santa's got great games for PC player on your list.
November 21, 2002... Byline: Phil LaRose It's been a banner year for PC game players with blockbuster titles released almost every month. For the gamer on your Christmas list (or hints for Santa), here are some can't-miss choices. If strategic dungeon...

These Vikings are slow starters.
November 21, 2002... Byline: Sean Jensen EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. _ Scoring hasn't been a problem for the Minnesota Vikings this season. They're tied for 11th in the NFL, averaging a respectable 23.7 points per game. The problem, the Vikings realized, has...