December 2, 2025 • 55 mins
92Noon goes to Scheels for a Toys for Tots toy drive, where Vikings Tight End TJ Hockenson joins the show to talk about what keeps him motivated during a tough season.
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Speaker 1 (00:55):
Hey, what's going on? Shiels.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
This is nine to noon. I'm Paul Allen, Good morning,
Good morning, Shields. I'm Paul Allen. He's Eric North Quiz,
good morning. It is the annual Toys for Tots Drive
and the Power Trip Morning Show. Holy cal wildly successful,
highly talented. How about a loud round of applause for
them so they can hear them all all the way
over to that Farris wheel. Alrighty, alrighty. It's an honor
(01:19):
to be here every single year, and this is going
to be different this year in that at eleven o'clock,
yours truly has the honor of interviewing Minnesota Vikings head
coach Kevin O'Connell. Now, Kevin's not going to be here
today like last year, so his part will be virtual
(01:40):
and yours truly will be here and we'll get a
good twenty twenty five minute conversation with the head coach
of the Minnesota Vikings, who probably ain't feeling too good
about that four and eight start. Kind of like the announcer,
the host of Vikings fan line and the fans here
at Shiels, So not that he's listening, but maybe maybe
in symbol like fashion, let's let's give the coach of
(02:03):
the year allowed round of applause of positivity, because things
are quite negative right now with the Minnesota Vikings covenant.
And that's really the least we can do from afar.
But here's here's what yours truly is pondering for the
eleven o'clock hour. And I met my main man Connor
(02:24):
right there and chatted with him for a few minutes,
and and Connor was the genesis of this idea. If
you happen to be here, or if there happened to
be quote tots end quote here in the eleven o'clock hour,
Uh it it I'm not I'm not going to marry.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Myself to how many of these we may do.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
However, I think there's a great opportunity today for some
children to ask Kevin O'Connell a question. And I know
the father that is Kevin O'Connell greatly with a preiate
it yours truly who crafts these questions every single week
for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Let's be
(03:07):
vain opening. I would greatly appreciate it. The genuine, authentic,
child like nature of these tots who come to Shields
today for toys for tots, But i'd like to hear
the childlike approach with the head coach when it comes
to the start to this season that we've had.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
So Connor, you were the genesis of that idea.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
If you happen to be here at eleven oh five,
we can work on the question together, or you can
work on it with your family. You'll be first in
line and maybe a couple of other kids. You guys
back there if you're interested, if you want to talk
to Kevin O'Connell, we're gonna bring you up here. We're
gonna put some headphones on you. You're gonna talk to
the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Whether x's and
o's and Vikings dot Com likes it or not, that's
(03:55):
what we're going to do today. So anybody listening, no
guarantees if you bring your tots or your kids to
Shields that you know, if we got a bunch of them,
certainly probably not going to do ten or fifteen or so,
but definitely would love to do a few of those.
So those of you listening at f M one hundred
point three KFA and keep that in mind. It starts
(04:15):
at eleven o'clock. If you happen to be here, formulate
a question for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings
and it'll be he will be talking with a tot
as we assist with the Toys for Tots push today
at Shields. Now, what goes into this? How can people help?
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Well? What you do?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
First of all, just buy a toy and you can
drop it off here. Big thanks. We see members of
the Marine Corps out there. But the ability to just
come and drop off an unwrapped toy help. That's what
helps those and needs is holiday. Of course, listen to
our shows KFA in and the Minnesota Vikings. Let me
see here be one of the first fifty donations each
(04:54):
show today. So just drop off a toy and you
secure your own kfan and unreal beanie.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Not unlike what I'm wearing right now.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
This is not built for my head, my goodness, but
for normal people it's a wonderful, wonderful hat.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
But again, just stop here at Shields at.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Any point throughout the day from five point thirty through
the power trip onto bumper to bumper, drop off an
unwrapped toy and help some kids, help the tots this year,
thanks one real.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
And I love Shields.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Okay, I'm not here as much of late as I
have been in the past. I live like six minutes
away from here, and I love shields at really a
different level than picking up unreal garb or picking up
jerseys or even toys for tots. You see, there was
a couple of years ago at Canterbury Park where I
(05:43):
call races, and for those of you who have been
to Canterbury, you will watch the races on one side
of the track. Well all the way on the other
side of the track are a bunch of barns and
dorms and things like that, and that's where the horses
live during the spring and summer, and the horses are
(06:04):
trained by individuals. But there are people who work back
there called grooms, and they travel all around the country.
They go from Arizona to Minnesota, Oklahoma to Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana, Chicago,
Tampa Bay.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
They'll come to Minnesota for the spring.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
In the summer, and these grooms work seven days a week,
getting up at five thirty in the morning, generally done
about I don't know, six six thirty seven o'clock at night,
with breaks during the day these grooms have children. So
the kids are living lives that our kids or those
here we wouldn't know. And I've lived the gypsy life
(06:46):
of traveling around the country to call races. It ain't easy,
but I didn't do it as a kid. So I
see these families, and we see these families who are
doing the very best they can on backside USA to
raise a family, do schooling, teach, teach good ethics and
good moral ethics, and hard work and things like that,
(07:07):
you know, but they don't.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Really have much.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
So a couple of a couple of summers ago, I
came to Shields and we had an idea where we
with our ministry at Canterbury Park in the Chaplaincy program,
we wanted to provide the tots, the kids who live
on the backside, brand new bikes. And that ain't easy
(07:30):
and that ain't cheap unless you work with Shields. And
this Shields and the way they opened their hearts for
those children are something I never ever will forgive. So
Shields is where we do the show every single year,
and I don't exactly know what their gift is.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I don't really care because I know they give.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I don't know what their part is in this, but
let's give Shields a round of applause for the ownership
that I've gotten to know and just where their hearts
are rooted, which plays into us being here today for
Toys for Tots. So the Shields program is of the
philanthropic variety year round. This is a standalone day for
(08:14):
FM one hundred point three kfam and it's an honor
for all of the shows to be here today, and
each show will have at least one member of the
Minnesota Vikings. As I was entering, I saw a wide
receiver Jaalen Naylor leaving, so he was with.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
The Power Trip. TJ.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Hockinson will be here about twenty minutes from now, about
nine thirty with nine to now.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
How about the fact they do the shopping sprees with
the families right after they join us as well. But
that's what Jalen was doing there, and that's what TJ
and all the players who join us today. You know,
you talk about harkening back living the gypsy life. I
used to do every year, shop with a cop at
a kmart in Mancato, humble beginnings of Nords, Yeah, and
those types of moments, those types of opportunities, whether it's Shields,
(08:58):
it's the Minnesota Viking. Great, the kids will remember that
just like I do forever nearly forty.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
You know what thirty five is years later.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
It's the ability to buy presents for your family, maybe
get a little.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Toy for yourself.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, those types of opportunities are priceless. And that's what Shields.
That's the environment that we're seeing here. So un wrap toys,
all the support that you can give. Shields gives away
ten percent of their profits annually to organizations locally here.
So Shields is all about giving. There's no that's a
lot of that's a lot of money right there. They Shields.
Ladies and gentlemen. Give them another round of applause.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
How about that? Thank God, I'll LOUI you how about that?
It's so, it's the giving season. It is the giving season.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Now.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
There is a minus fifteen turnover differential one liner in
there that I just can't get to right now now,
and I don't want to get to it right now.
I got to a few of them yesterday and I'll
probably get to a few more tomorrow. But it's the
giving season. There's a minus fifteen minus fifteen in the
(10:00):
take give anytime you're behind the New York Jets and
anything that's bad for business. The problem wait, I said,
I wasn't going to get to the one liner, and
I did so. Other than that, it's the giving season
and the giving away of the football and the minus
fifteen and the turnover differential. Your announcer is just going
to put that to the side for the season. And
(10:23):
when it comes to the helping that people are going
to give today, that's the a topic and order laid
it out beautifully with ways people listening can come help TJ.
Hockinson here at nine thirty. And you know when it
comes to the Washington game this weekend at noon on
kfa N, or the final five games of the season,
(10:46):
I wonder if TJ. Hawkinson has any suggestions as to
ways not just he can help. TJ played with his
hair on fire this last weekend. Now, when you play
a position like Jay Hawkinson plays that that because that
that role is predicated on others giving. So therefore you
(11:09):
can work your way open and you can do everything
ten of ten perfect, but if it's not seen, or
it's missed, or somebody is sacked, well then then that
individual piece of work goes for nought. So that that's
part of that's part of the quirky unique existence when
it comes to executing your toil the way football players
(11:33):
and athletes do. Because you know, like last Friday, we're
a Buffalo wild Wings Mall of America and I'm talking
about the Seattle game and then the subsequent six games
and the human nature facet that that falls into it.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I mean, the.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Last thing these players are, players who are not going
to the postseason want to deal with is some significant
injury that hampers their downtime and their off season and
they got to rehab. All right, Well, how do you
handle that in a violent game? Well, if you play
slow the opposite of playing fast, you make yourself vulnerable
(12:11):
two set injury. So it's part of the job, no
matter what your record is, to give every single thing
you can, not only for the exorbitant amount of money
you make, not only for the attention you get, but
for those of you who are here in front of us. Now,
those of you who listen to the games on kfan,
(12:34):
you watch them, you go to the games. It's incumbent
upon them in the giving season and really around the
clock during the season to give everything they have to
try to win football games. You know, I've called Minnesota
Vikings games for nearly a quarter century, and I'm just
going to be straight with you this right now, this
(12:55):
four game losing streak right now, and the way things
are developing, and who on whom you can count, on
whom you can't count, and on whom you want to count.
But they're young, and you just got to be patient.
That's very, very difficult when it's right in front of
you and it's not going the right way. I mean,
(13:16):
I'm watching Drake May last night for the New England Patriots.
All right, Drake May is going to win an MVP
Award one year. He's getting that good. But this time
last year, if we're doing toys for Tots at Shields
in Boston and weei we're frustrated with Drake May, and
we're wondering what the next season, which is this season,
(13:39):
is going to look like. So I'm in no way
saying JJ McCarthy will ever be as good as Drake May.
And I'm also not saying he won't be better than
Drake May. But that's the lot in life right now.
What's right in front of us. The patient's required to
follow it, the detail that is required by them to
(14:01):
come through with it. But that's what hit me last
night watching a second year quarterback from North Carolina who
I believe one day will be the most valuable player in.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
The National Football League.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
And then I thought back and look back to what
he was doing this time last.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Year or a little bit before it, and it.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Didn't look anything like I saw last night, and the
slings and arrows of the outrageous negatives. I'm sure we're
all over him and this team is feeling that right now.
But what's in front of us right now is our
current reality, but it doesn't mean it's what everything's going
(14:44):
to look like forever. So as tough as that is,
and I'm preaching to myself right now, I really am
as difficult as that is to see. Sometimes for those
who care, those who work with it, those who want
people with whom they work to be happy, that can
be very difficult. But keeping the overarching view is so important.
(15:10):
And then you just got to grow, and you got
to mature, and you got to hope. What's happening with
Drake May and the New England Patriots now which wasn't
the case last year. That's why they got the schedule
they got that. We are embarking on that not only
through the final five games this year, but into the
twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
You know at eleven o'clock when we have Kevin O'Connell on,
I think it's going to be great. Speaking of giving
that we may have, whether it's Connor or another young person.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Ask a question to the.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Coach, Connor getting a lot of run on the old
nine to nooner.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Well, and rightly so, because at some point we got
to remember this starts as as a kid's game. Now
there's a lot of money in this business and a
lot of jerseys are being sold and.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Jobs are on the line.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Of course, this has been among the heavier stretches of
Vikings football in terms of a season that I can
really remember in the last two decades, in terms of
the combination of what we expected, what we thought, what
we were excited for.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Let me take it a step farther, and I'm not
going to do it today. I didn't even bring the
little posted notes that I put together yesterday. It's not
just a couple of decades, Okay, Today's not the day
to dive into that minutia.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
That's my opinion. It's historical.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I mean we're sitting on some historically bad things. Yes,
we are involving the Minnesota Vikings offense. And the man
who joins us today at eleven o'clock is the one
who crafts that. So as much as as much as
people may bet on it, as much as may people
people may rely on it from a fantasy perspective or
(16:48):
a distraction factor, like little Connor and I'm talking to
him over there and we're talking about the team.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Connor, how old are you eight? Right?
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And when I said to him, I said this hurts,
doesn't it? His face changed and the eight year old
looked at me and said, yeah, this hurts badly. So
there's that perspective in it.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
That's an eight year old child hoping for the team
to win and pulling for it every single day of
the week. Well, think about the one who orchestrates it
and runs it and can't say everything he wants to
say to like like I could set up here in
this microphone as as the announcer put palms to the sky,
(17:35):
and I can open a vein and I can say yeah, yeah,
this hurts. Whether you think it's trite, stupid, or get
a hobby pall or whatever, I'm being honest with you.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
This hurts.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
He's not going to say that, and that's just how
it works in this image conscious world that is the
National Football League. But that's our eleven o'clock guest today,
And I don't know to the degree that he's hurting.
I don't know to the degree that he's frustrated. I'm
gonna ask him about how taxing it is on him
and the staff and the players, and how things are
handled with players and coaches when they're hurting and when
(18:07):
they're frustrated. But do know, with all the social media
posts and all the things that are said, and I
get to whom much is given, much is expected, I
understand that. But this, the eleven o'clock guest today, is
somebody that I would imagine is bewildered and perplexed. But
(18:29):
I clipped on Nordo because he said a couple of
decades and I'm gonna lay it more out tomorrow nine
to noon. Now we're going back to sixty one here
with some things.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
I don't have to go back to frand the man
on the fan or not. We're not there.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
We're not there norm but it it's getting there, okay.
And the eleven o'clock guest knows it is and can't
be happy about it.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And I'll be curious to see what he has to
say about all that.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And good morning, good morning, Well how all of you
here is Vikings fans like this is kind of like
a seasonal escape, and we love the hoop squad and
state of hockey, you know that tandem between the pipes
right now for the wild We love that, But this
is the seasonal escape. There's a reason, just even from
a schedule standpoint, to build up. You're working the nine
to five or the nine to noon like we do,
(19:13):
blessed as we are, and it all leads up, it
builds up, culminates in one of these seventeen regular season games.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Our favorite team's only won four of them.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
That's disastrous on many levels as just a fan, as
somebody that loves this team.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
But you continue now through five games.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Once we a little splash of the cold water and
we realize, hey, it's holiday season. I still get up
every morning. That's pretty sweet. I got people around me
in my life. I dig that too. Favorite football team's
absolutely disastrous and hideous right now, Okay, they got a
chance to change that. There's five games left and it'll
be the conversation around. I know it's different. We're not
talking about playoffs. We're not talking about MVP candidates like
(19:50):
Drake May. We're talking about finding a QB that has
a freaking pulse. We're talking about Dallas Turner who has
sacks and three straight games. First round draft pick, gave
up some equity to get him, and now a year
and a half later, we're waiting in the twenty two
year old, the baby kid, the pass rusher from Bama
starting to show out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
And see those two that he just mentioned as as
the professional, the professional lot in life God has given
them and what they do for a living. NFL players,
they're tots within their game. At twenty two years of age,
you are amongst the youngest players in a game where
I'm starting on the Washington Commanders. Now why am I
(20:30):
starting so early in the week Because I don't want
to freaking think about it on Saturday, That's why. And
I'm gonna call it on Sunday. I'm gonna give you
everything I have. I don't want to think about it
all week, so I'm gonna get it done early in
the week. So by doing that with the game calling
depth chart, Bobby Wagner fifteenth year, I mean, they's.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Been so good for so long.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
You've got Wagner, Deebo Samuel's been around for a while.
That their punter, tress Way is a lifetime Washington football player.
He was there before Kevin O'Connell got there in twenty seventeen,
during Kevin O'Connell's run with Washington, and he's still there.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
So he's been there for all three logos.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
So from the Skins the WTF slash FT Skins now
the Commander.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Skins though, but for that, they're not tots. Okay, those
are the veterans, the adults in the room, the two
he mentioned, JJ McCarthy and Dallas Turner.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Those are tots.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
As we go in this emotional, violent world of the
National Football League, this people pleasing world of the National
Football League, and you know, human nature gets to win
two as you may have heard me say a thousand times,
which means they may try to keep their phone over
here and not look at it. Now look at social
media not look at family members from around the country saying, dog,
(21:54):
did you see what so and so said about you
on X Dog? Did you see that picture of the
clown knows somebody put on you on Instagram? Now I
didn't see it. I really didn't want to hear about it. Now, okay,
I'll look. I mean those are hits. Those are human
nature hits right there. They ain't easy to take. Yes,
to whom much is given, much is expected, and they
will push through it.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
But Nordo mentions Dallas.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Turner, Dallas Turner this time last year was nothing close
to the Dallas Turner at age twenty two that he
is right now. Drake May this time last year nothing
close to the Drake May he is right now. Hopefully
the same thing with JJ McCarthy and good morning.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
And so it's not about like lecturing people, whether whether
it's on fan line or just nie to do and
you know you hear it. It's I hate this team
or I want this person out of the mix. And
we're already looking ahead to the twenty twenty sixth draft.
I would just say, you know, the patient's as bad
as it's bad.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
You have to in some.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Ways have belief that JJ McCarthy isn't the worst person
that's ever played the sport of football, that at some
point he will remember, Okay, that's a receiver.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I throw it like this and they catch it.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Catching it has been an issue of its own right
in recent weeks as well. Continue to support the team
and love the team to find those morsels in terms
of things that we can have momentum into the off season.
If you want to spend the entire offseason. I know
sometimes we can get negative when it gets cold, but
if you want to spend the whole offseason just talking
about who needs to go and this is bad and
(23:23):
this is worse, that's fine, and again free to do it.
It's not about controlling how people view this thing. I
just think that over the last five games, if we
can go into the off season with some nuggets of
optimism into twenty twenty six. I mean, teams year to
year so much change. Things can be very very different,
very very quickly. That's a point of emphasis for twenty
(23:44):
six as well. But in some ways, like some of
these young cats, if they can find momentum and find
a platform to reach from into the off season, that
is something I think we should be rooting for as
Vikings fans if you're interested in doing so.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
And I love the perspective Nordoja laid out because we're
we're not This is not the finger wagging covenant. We're
not going to try to manipulate your minds and tell
you how to think. We are blessed with the opportunity
to share with people how we think and we feel.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
I just want the team to win games when they're
up about.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
We just start with scoring a touchdown, Yeah, scoring points.
I mean just we haven't scored a touchdown in eight
quarters and again when you listen to nine to noon tomorrow,
off that and some other things. If this continues, the
twenty twenty five Minnesota Vikings will go down historically with
some of the worst situations in the history of this
(24:40):
football team. Nobody associated with this team, and that includes fans,
wants to be involved with that. So uh, that's that's
the preach. And I love al Noordo laid out the
perspective of it because like late August, we're at the
State there doing shows stuff like that. You know, schools
on the horizon for Nordo's kids. Season change. Just things
like that one thing we will say, either on the
(25:03):
microphone or off the microphone, is we're not in the
wishing away summer business because Minnesota Vikings football in the
NFL is on the horizon. But this is from a
distraction factor standpoint. Famly, well, my kids are done with
camps late July. Oh, we get into the wishing away
summer business. We need those girls at school quickly, I understand.
(25:24):
But when it comes to wishing away a football season,
a wishing away the fun that goes, generally speaking with
everything with which we're associated as play callers, hosts of
fanline fans, people who work for the team, everybody, you're
not supposed to want to wish it away. But when
(25:47):
things get so grimy and so dirty, and they're without explanation,
quite honestly, to a certain extent, for people like us,
where we're not in the meeting rooms, we're not hearing
the ten of ten of exactly what's going wrong, it
gets difficult. But wishing it away is something nine to
Noon prefers not to do, and honestly, I can't ever
(26:09):
see us doing that. The best news of today is
we are using our god given platform for others, and
that platform originates at Shields and Eden Prairie and we're
gonna help some kids today and that's what FM one
hundred point three KFA in does when we're here. If
you missed it earlier, once again, for those of you
(26:31):
listening heading over to Shields, TJ Hokinson tied end for
the team should be here soon. But if you want
to help, this is the best.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Route to do it. And here's Nordo.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Yeah, all you got to do thanks to Unreal, thanks
to the Vikings, thanks to Shields. Simply enough, just come
hang out, buy it on wrap toy, drop it in
the basket next.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
To the Marines.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
I believe they're right behind this wall in front of us.
And that's how you can give. We have Vikings guests
all day. First fifty donations each show today whether it's
common and noon, im pretty bumper. Starting at three, the
first fifty donations are going to get a KFA n
slash Unreal beanie. So again thanks to Shields for providing
the spot today where tots are going to get toys.
(27:11):
We have shopping sprees with the players themselves who choose
to show up.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Really awesome day here at Shields.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
It's beautiful and we thank you very much for giving
if and or when you do. He's Eric Nordquist on
Paul Allen. That's engineering extraordinaire. Jared Wells over there, Nick
Madden in the Street team second to none, and Shields
from the bottom of our and my heart, we love
you and thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Howkinson should be here soon. Thanks for listening. Hey, what's
(28:32):
going on, Shields. This is nine to noon. I'm Paul Allen.
Good morning, Good morning, Shields. I'm Paul Allen. He's Eric
north Quiz, Good morning. It is the annual Toys for
Tot's Drive and the Power Trip morning show. Holy cow,
wildly successful, highly talented. How about a loud round of
applause for them so they can hear them all all
the way over to that Ferris wheel.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Alrighty, alrighty.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
It's an honor to be here every single year, and
we this this is going to be different this year
in that at eleven o'clock, yours truly has the honor
of interviewing Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. Now, Kevin's
not going to be here today like last year, so
his part will be virtual and yours truly will be
(29:18):
here and we'll get a good twenty twenty five minute
conversation with the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, who
probably are feeling too good about that four and eight
star kind of like the announcer, the host of Vikings
fan line and the fans here at Shiel So not
that he's listening, but maybe maybe in symbolic fashion, let's
(29:38):
let's give the coach of the year a loud round
of applause of positivity, because things are quite negative right
now with the Minnesota Vikings covenant. And that's really the
least we can do from afar. But here's here's what
yours truly is pondering for the eleven o'clock hour. And
(29:59):
I met my a man Connor right there and chatted
with him for a few minutes. And Connor was the
genesis of this idea. If you happen to be here,
or if there happened to be quote tots end quote
here in the eleven o'clock hour, it I'm not I'm
(30:19):
not going to marry myself to how many of these
we may do. However, I think there's a great opportunity
today for some children to ask Kevin O'Connell a question,
and I know the father that is Kevin O'Connell greatly
would appreciate it. Yours truly, who crafts these questions every
(30:40):
single week for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
Let's be vain opening. I would greatly appreciate it. The genuine,
authentic childlike nature of these tots who come to Shields
today for toys for tots, But I'd like to hear
the childlike approach with the head coach when it comes
(31:01):
to the start to this season that we've had. So Connor,
you were the genesis of that idea. If you happen
to be here at eleven oh five, we can work
on the question together, or you can work on it
with your family. You'll be first in line and maybe
a couple of other kids. You guys back there, if
you're interested, if you want to talk to Kevin O'Connell,
we're going to bring you up here. We're gonna put
(31:22):
some headphones on you. You're going to talk to the
head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Whether x's and o's
and Vikings dot Com likes it or not, that's what
we're going to do. Today, So anybody listening, no guarantees
if you bring your tots or your kids to Shields
that that you know, if we got a bunch of them,
certainly probably not going to do ten or fifteen or so,
(31:45):
but definitely would love to do a few of those.
So those of you listening at FM one hundred point
three KFA and keep that in mind. It starts at
eleven o'clock. If you happen to be here, formulate a
question for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and
it'll be he will be talking with a tot as
we assist with the Toys for Tots push today at Shields. Now,
(32:07):
what goes into this? How can people help?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Well, what you do?
Speaker 3 (32:10):
First of all, just buy a toy and you can
drop it off here. Big thanks. We see members of
the Marine Corps out there. But the ability to just
come and drop off an unwrapped toy help. That's what
helps those and needs is holiday. Of course, listen to
our shows Kfan and the Minnesota Vikings. Let me see
here be one of the first fifty donations each show today.
(32:32):
So just drop off a toy and you secure your
own Kfan and unreal Beanie not unlike what I'm wearing
right now. This is not built for my head, my goodness,
but for normal people it's a wonderful, wonderful hat. But again,
just stop here at Shields at any point throughout the
day from five point thirty through the power trip onto
bumper to bumper, drop off an unwrapped toy and help
(32:53):
some kids. Help the tots this year. Thank you one
real And I love Shields.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Okay, I'm not here as much of late as I
have been in the past. I live like six minutes
away from here, and I love Shields at really a
different level than picking up unreal garb or picking up
jerseys or even toys for touch. You see, there was
a couple of years ago at Canterbury Park where I
(33:20):
call races, And for those of you who have been
to Canterbury, you will watch the races on one side
of the track, well all the way on the other
side of the track are a bunch of barns and
dorms and things like that, and that's where the horses
live during the spring and summer, and the horses are
(33:40):
trained by individuals. But there are people who work back
there called grooms and they travel all around the country.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
They go from Arizona.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
To Minnesota, Oklahoma to Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana, Chicago, Tampa Bay,
they'll come.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
To Minnesota for the spring.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
In the summer, and these growoms work seven days a week,
getting up at five thirty in the morning, generally done
about I don't know, six six thirty seven o'clock at night,
with breaks during the day. These grooms have children, so
the kids are living lives that our kids or those
here we wouldn't know. And I've lived the gypsy life
(34:22):
of traveling around the country to call races. It ain't easy,
but I didn't do it as a kid. So I
see these families, and we see these families who are
doing the very best they can on backside USA to
raise a family, do schooling, teach, teach good ethics and
good moral ethics, and hard work and things like that,
(34:44):
you know, but they don't.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Really have much.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
So a couple of a couple of summers ago, I
came to Shields and we had an idea where we
with our ministry at Canterbury Park in the Chaplaincy program,
we wanted to provide the tots, the kids who live
on the backside brand new bikes, and that ain't easy
(35:06):
and that ain't cheap unless you work with Shields. And
this Shields and the way they opened their hearts for
those children are something I never ever will forgive. So
Shields is where we do the show every single year.
And I don't exactly know what their give is. I
don't really care because I know they give. I don't
(35:27):
know what their part is in this, but let's give
Shields a round of applause for the ownership that I've
gotten to know and just where their hearts are rooted,
which plays into us being here today for Toys for Tots.
So the Shields program is of the philanthropic variety year round.
(35:48):
This is a standalone day for FM one hundred point
three KFAM and it's an honor for all of the
shows to be here today, and each show will have
at least one member of the Minnesota Vike Kings. As
I was entering, I saw Wide Receiver, Jail and Naylor leaving,
so he was with the Power Trip.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Hockinson will be here about twenty minutes from now, about
nine thirty with nine to New.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
How about the fact they do the shopping spreeze with
the families right after they join us as well. But
that's what Jalen was doing there, and that's what TJ
and all the players who join us today. You know,
you talk about herketing back, living the gypsy life I
used to do every year, shop with a cop at
a kmart in Mankato, humble beginnings of nords.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah, and those.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Types of moments, those types of opportunities, whether it's Shields,
it's the Minnesota Vikings. Great, the kids will remember that
just like I do forever nearly forty. You know what
thirty five is years later, it's the ability to buy
presents for your family, maybe get a little toy for yourself.
Those types of opportunities are priceless. And that's what Shields.
That's the environment that we're seeing here. So up wrapped toys,
(36:54):
all the support that you can give. Shields gives away
ten percent of their profits annually to organizations locally HEREO.
So Shields is all about giving. There's no that's a
lot of that's a lot of money right there.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
They Shields.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
Ladies and gentlemen, give them another round of applause. How
about that praise God, I'll Louis, how about that it's
so it's the giving season.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
It is the giving season. Now.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
There is a minus fifteen turnover differential one liner in
there that I just can't get to right now now,
and I don't want to get to it right now.
I got to a few of them yesterday and I'll
probably get to a few more tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
But it's the giving season.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
There's a minus fifteen minus fifteen in the take give
anytime you're behind the New York Jets and anything that's
bad for business. The problem wait, I said, I wasn't
going to get to the one liner, and I did so.
Other than that, it's the giving season and the giving
away of the football and the minus fifteen and the
(37:53):
turnover differential. H your announcer is just going to put
that to the side for the season. And when it
comes to the helping that that people are going to
give today, that's the a topic and in order laid
it out beautifully with ways people listening can come help.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Hockinson here at nine thirty and and you know when
it when it comes to the Washington game this weekend
at noon on KFA N or the the final five
games of the season.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
I wonder if if TJ.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Howkinson has any suggestions as to ways not just he
can help. TJ played with his hair on fire this
last weekend. Now, when you play a position like TJ.
Hawkinson plays, that that pause, that that role is predicated
on others giving. So therefore you can work your way
(38:46):
open and you can do everything ten of ten perfect.
But if it's not seen, or it's missed, or somebody
is sacked, well then then that individual.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Piece of work goes for nought.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
So that that's part of that's part of the quirky
unique existence when it comes to executing your toil the
way football players and athletes do. Because you know, like
last Friday, we're a Buffalo Wild Wings Mall of America,
and I'm talking about the Seattle game and then the
(39:19):
subsequent six games and the human nature facet that falls
into it. I mean, the last thing these players are
players who are not going to the postseason want to
deal with is some significant injury that hampers their downtime
and their off season and they got to rehab. All right, Well,
how do you handle that in a violent game? Well, you,
(39:43):
if you play slow the opposite of playing fast, you
make yourself vulnerable.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Two set injury.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
So it's part of the job, no matter what your
record is, to give every single thing you can, not
only for the exorbit an amount of money you make,
not only for the attention you get, but for those
of you who are here in front of us now,
those of you who listen to the games on Kfan,
(40:10):
you watch them, you go to the games. It's incumbent
upon them in the giving season and really around the
clock during the season to give everything they have to
try to win football games. You know, I've called Minnesota
Vikings games for nearly a quarter century. And I'm just
going to be straight with you this right now, this
(40:31):
four game losing streak right now, and the way things
are developing, and who on whom you can count, on
whom you can't count, and on whom you want to count.
But they're young, and you just got to be patient.
That's very, very difficult when it's right in front of
you and it's not going the right way. I mean,
(40:52):
I'm watching Drake May last night for the New England Patriots.
All right, Drake May is going to win an MVP
award one year. He's getting that good. But this time
last year, if we're doing Toys for Tots at Shields
in Boston, and weei were frustrated with Drake May, and
we're wondering what the next season, which is this season,
(41:15):
is going to look like. So I'm in no way
saying JJ McCarthy will ever be as good as Drake May.
And I'm also not saying he won't be better than
Drake May. But that's the lot in life right now,
what's right in front of us, the patients required to
follow it, the detail that is required by them to
(41:38):
come through with it. But that's what hit me last
night watching a second year quarterback from North Carolina who
I believe one day will be the most valuable player
in the National Football League. And then I thought back
and looked back to what he was doing this time
last year or a little bit before it, and it
(41:59):
didn't look anything like I saw last night, and the
slings and arrows of the outrageous negatives. I'm sure we're
all over him and this team is feeling that right now.
But what's in front of us right now is our
current reality. But it doesn't mean it's what everything's going
(42:20):
to look like forever. So as tough as that is,
and I'm preaching to myself right now, I really am
as difficult as that is to see. Sometimes for those
who care, those who work with it, those who want
people with whom they work to be happy, that can
be very difficult. But keeping the overarching view is so important.
(42:46):
And then you just got to grow and you got
to mature, and you got to hope. What's happening with
Drake May and the New England Patriots now, which wasn't
the case last year.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
That's why they got the schedule they.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Got that we are in bark on that not only
through the final five games this year but into the
twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
Amen, you know at eleven o'clock when we have Kevin
O'Connell on, I think it's going to be great. Speaking
of giving that we may have, whether it's Connor or
another young person.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
Ask a question to the coach Connor getting a lot
of run on the old nine to nooner.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Well, and rightly so, because at some point we got
to remember this starts as a kid's game.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Now there's a lot.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
Of money in this business and a lot of jerseys
are being sold and jobs are on the line. Of course,
this has been among the heavier stretches of Vikings football
in terms of a season that I can really remember
in the last two decades, in terms of the combination
of what we expected, what we thought, what we were
excited for.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
Let me take it a step farther, and I'm not
going to do it today. I didn't even bring the
little posted notes that I put together yesterday. It's not
just a couple of decades. Okay, Today's not the day
to dive into that minutia.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
That's my opinion. It's historical.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
I mean, we're sitting on some historically bad things. Yes,
we are involving the Minnesota Vikings offense. And the man
who joins us today at eleven o'clock is the one
who crafts that So as much as as much as
people may bet on it, as much as may people
people may rely on it from a fantasy perspective or
(44:24):
a distraction factor. Like little Connor and I'm talking to
him over there, and we're talking about the team.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Connor, how old are you eight? Right?
Speaker 2 (44:33):
And when I said to him, I said this hurts,
doesn't it? His face changed and the eight year old
looked at me and said, yeah, this hurts badly.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
So there's that perspective in it.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
Now, that's an eight year old child hoping for the
team to win and pulling for it every single day
of the week. Well, think about the one who orchestrates
it and runs it and can't say everything he wants
to say to like, like I could set up here
(45:07):
on this microphone as as the announcer put palms to
the sky, and I can open a vein and I
can say, yeah, yeah, this hurts. Whether you think it's trite,
stupid or get a hobby, Paul or whatever, I'm being
honest with you, this hurts. He's not going to say that,
And that's just how it works in this image conscious
world that is the National Football League. But that's our
(45:29):
eleven o'clock guest today, And I don't know to the
degree that he's hurting. I don't know to the degree
that he's frustrated. I'm going to ask him about how
taxing it is on him and the staff and the
players and how things are handled with players and coaches
when they're hurting and when they're frustrated. But do know,
with all the social media posts and all the things
(45:50):
that are said, and I get to whom much is given,
much is expected. I understand that, but this, the eleven
o'clock guest today is somebody that I would imagine is
bewildered and perplexed. But I clipped on Nordo because he
said a couple of decades and I'm gonna lay it
more out tomorrow nine to noon. Now we're going back
(46:11):
to sixty one here with some things.
Speaker 1 (46:12):
I don't have to go back to Fran the man
on the fan.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Or we're not there. We're not there norm but it's
getting there, okay. And the eleven o'clock guest knows it
is and can't be happy about it. And I'll be
curious to see what he has to say about all that.
And good morning, good morning, Well.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
How all of you here is Vikings fans like this
is kind of like a seasonal escape, and we love
the hoop squad and state of hockey, you know that
tandem between the pipes right now for the wild We
love that. But this is the seasonal escape, right there's
a reason just even from a schedule standpoint, the build up,
you're working the nine to five or the nine to
noon like we do, blessed as we are, and it
(46:51):
all leads up, it builds up culminates in one of
these seventeen regular season games.
Speaker 1 (46:56):
Our favorite team's only won four of them.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
That's disastrous on many levels as just a fan, as
somebody that loves this team. But you continue now through
five games, once we a little splash of the cold
water and we realize, hey, it's holiday season. I still
get up every morning. That's pretty sweet. I got people
around me in my life. I dig that too.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Perspective.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Favorite football team's absolutely disastrous and hideous right now, Okay,
they got a chance to change that. There's five games left,
and it'll be the conversation around I know it's different.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
We're not talking about playoffs.
Speaker 3 (47:24):
We're not talking about MVP candidates like Drake May. We're
talking about finding a QB that has a freaking pulse. Yeah,
we're talking about Dallas Turner who has sacks and three
straight games. First round draft pick, gave up some equity
to get them, and now a year and a half later,
we're waiting in the twenty two year old, the baby kid,
the pass rusher from Bama starting to show out a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
And see those two that he just mentioned as as
the professional, the professional lot in life God has given
them and what they do for a living. NFL players,
they're tots within their game. At twenty two years of age,
you are amongst the youngest players in a game where
I'm starting on the Washington Commanders. Now, why am I
(48:06):
starting so early in the week Because I don't want
to freaking think about it on Saturday, That's why. And
I'm gonna call it on Sunday. I'm gonna give you
everything I have. I don't want to think about it
all week, so I'm gonna get it done early in
the week. So by doing that with the game calling
depth chart, Bobby Wagner fifteenth year, I mean, they's.
Speaker 1 (48:25):
Been so good for so long.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
You've got Wagner, Deebo Samuel's been around for a while.
That their punter, tress Way is a lifetime Washington football player.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
He was there before.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
Kevin O'Connell got there in twenty seventeen during Kevin O'Connell's
run with Washington, and he's still there.
Speaker 1 (48:44):
So he's been there for all three logos.
Speaker 3 (48:45):
So from the Skins, the WTF slash FT Skins though
now the Commander Skins though he he.
Speaker 2 (48:54):
But for that, they're not tots. Okay, those are the veterans,
the adults in the room, the two he mentioned, JJ
McCarthy and Dallas Turner, those are tots. As we go
in this emotional, violent world of the National Football League,
this people pleasing world of the National Football League, and
(49:17):
you know, human nature gets to win two, as you
may have heard me say a thousand times, which means
they may try to keep their phone over here and
not look at it now, look at social media, not
look at family members from around the country saying, dog,
did you see what so and so said about you
on x Dog? Did you see that picture of the
clown knows somebody put on you on Instagram? Now I
(49:38):
didn't see it. I really didn't want to hear about it. Okay,
I'll look. I mean those are hits. Those are human
nature hits right there. They ain't easy to take. Yes
to whom much is given, much is expected, and they
will push through it.
Speaker 1 (49:51):
But Nordo mentions Dallas Turner.
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Dallas Turner this time last year was nothing close to
the Dallas Turner at age.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Twe that he is right now.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
Drake May this time last year nothing close to the
Drake May he is right now hopefully the same thing
with JJ McCarthy in Good Morning.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
Yeah, and so it's it's not about like lecturing people,
whether whether it's on fan line or just nig to doone.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
You know, you hear it.
Speaker 3 (50:17):
It's I hate this team or I want this person
out of the mix. And we're already looking ahead to
the twenty twenty sixth draft. I would just say, you know,
the patient's as bad as it's bad. You have to
in some ways have belief that JJ McCarthy isn't the
worst person that's ever played the sport of football, that
at some point he will remember, Okay, that's a receiver.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
I throw it like this and they catch it.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
Catching it has been an issue of its own right
in recent weeks as well. Continue to support the team
and love the team to find those morsels in terms
of things that we can have momentum into the offseason.
If you want to spend the entire offseason. I know
sometimes we can get negative when it gets cold, but
if you want to spend the whole offseason just talking
about who needs to go and this is bad, this,
(51:00):
this is worse, that's fine, and again free to do it.
It's not about controlling how people view this thing.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
I just think that over the last five games, if
we can go into the off season with some with
some nuggets of optimism into twenty twenty six. I mean,
teams year to year so much change, things can be
very very different, very very quickly. That's a point of
emphasis for twenty six as well. But but in some ways,
like some of these young cats, if they can find
momentum and find a platform to reach from into the
(51:28):
off season, that is something I think we should be
rooting for as Vikings fans, if you're interested in doing so.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
And now I love the perspective Nordo just laid out
because we're noting. This is not the finger wagging covenant.
We're not going to try to manipulate your minds and
tell you how to think. We are blessed with the
opportunity to share with people how we think and we feel.
Speaker 3 (51:51):
I just want the team to win games an eye
when they're up about.
Speaker 1 (51:55):
We just start with scoring a touchdown? Yeah, scoring points?
Speaker 2 (51:57):
I mean justlt we have a score or to touchdown
in eight quarters and again when you listen to nine
to noon tomorrow, off that and some other things. If
this continues the twenty twenty five Minnesota Vikings will go
down historically with some of the worst situations in the
history of this football team. Nobody associated with this team,
(52:20):
and that includes fans, wants to be involved with that.
So that's the preach, and I love Al Noordo laid
out the perspective of it because like late August, we're
at the State Fair doing shows stuff like that. You know,
schools on the horizon for Nordo's kids. Season changes, things
like that. One thing we will say, either on the
microphone or off the microphone, is we're not in the
(52:42):
wishing away summer business because Minnesota Vikings football in the
NFL's on the horizon. But this is from a distraction
factor standpoint. Fall my kids are done with camps late July. Oh,
we get into the wishing away summer business. We need
those girls at school quickly, I understand. But when it
comes to wishing away a football season, wishing away the
(53:06):
fun that goes generally speaking with everything with which we're
associated as play callers, hosts of fanline, fans, people who
work for the team, everybody, You're not supposed to want
to wish it away. But when things get so grimy
and so dirty, and they're without explanation, quite honestly, to
(53:29):
a certain extent. For people like us, where we're not
in the meeting rooms, we're not hearing the ten of
ten of exactly what's going wrong. It gets difficult, but
wishing it away is something nine to noon prefers not
to do, and honestly, I can't ever see us doing that.
The best news of today is we are using our
(53:51):
god given platform for others, and that platform originates at
Shields and Eden Prairie and we're gonna up some kids
today and that's what FM one hundred point three kfan
does when we're here. If you missed it earlier, once again,
for those of you listening, heading over to Shields.
Speaker 1 (54:09):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (54:09):
Hockinson tight end for the team should be here soon.
But if you want to help, this is the best
route to do it.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
And here's Nordo.
Speaker 3 (54:16):
Yeah, all you got to do, thanks to Unreal, thanks
to the Vikings, thanks to Shields, simply enough, just come
hang out, buy it unwrapped toy, drop it in the
basket next to the Marines. I believe they're right behind
this wall in front of us. And that's how you
can give. We have Vikings guests all day. First fifty
donations each show today, whether it's Common and noon, Bumper
(54:36):
to Bumper. Starting three, the first fifty donations are going
to get a kfan slash Unreal beanie. So again thanks
to Shields for providing the spot today where tots are
going to get toys. We have shopping sprees with the
players themselves to choose to show up.
Speaker 2 (54:51):
Really awesome day here at Shields. It's beautiful and we
thank you very much for giving. If and or when
you do. He's Eric Nordquist on Paul Allen, that's her extraordinaire.
Jared Wells over there, Nick Madden in the Street team
second to none, and Shields from the bottom of our
and my heart, we love you and thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (55:10):
TJ. Howkinson should be here soon. Thanks for listening.
Hey, what's going on? Shiels.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
This is nine to noon. I'm Paul Allen, Good morning,
Good morning, Shields. I'm Paul Allen. He's Eric North Quiz,
good morning. It is the annual Toys for Tots Drive
and the Power Trip Morning Show. Holy cal wildly successful,
highly talented. How about a loud round of applause for
them so they can hear them all all the way
over to that Farris wheel. Alrighty, alrighty. It's an honor
(01:19):
to be here every single year, and this is going
to be different this year in that at eleven o'clock,
yours truly has the honor of interviewing Minnesota Vikings head
coach Kevin O'Connell. Now, Kevin's not going to be here
today like last year, so his part will be virtual
(01:40):
and yours truly will be here and we'll get a
good twenty twenty five minute conversation with the head coach
of the Minnesota Vikings, who probably ain't feeling too good
about that four and eight start. Kind of like the announcer,
the host of Vikings fan line and the fans here
at Shiels, So not that he's listening, but maybe maybe
in symbol like fashion, let's let's give the coach of
(02:03):
the year allowed round of applause of positivity, because things
are quite negative right now with the Minnesota Vikings covenant.
And that's really the least we can do from afar.
But here's here's what yours truly is pondering for the
eleven o'clock hour. And I met my main man Connor
(02:24):
right there and chatted with him for a few minutes,
and and Connor was the genesis of this idea. If
you happen to be here, or if there happened to
be quote tots end quote here in the eleven o'clock hour,
Uh it it I'm not I'm not going to marry.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
Myself to how many of these we may do.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
However, I think there's a great opportunity today for some
children to ask Kevin O'Connell a question. And I know
the father that is Kevin O'Connell greatly with a preiate
it yours truly who crafts these questions every single week
for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Let's be
(03:07):
vain opening. I would greatly appreciate it. The genuine, authentic,
child like nature of these tots who come to Shields
today for toys for tots, But i'd like to hear
the childlike approach with the head coach when it comes
to the start to this season that we've had.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
So Connor, you were the genesis of that idea.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
If you happen to be here at eleven oh five,
we can work on the question together, or you can
work on it with your family. You'll be first in
line and maybe a couple of other kids. You guys
back there if you're interested, if you want to talk
to Kevin O'Connell, we're gonna bring you up here. We're
gonna put some headphones on you. You're gonna talk to
the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Whether x's and
o's and Vikings dot Com likes it or not, that's
(03:55):
what we're going to do today. So anybody listening, no
guarantees if you bring your tots or your kids to
Shields that you know, if we got a bunch of them,
certainly probably not going to do ten or fifteen or so,
but definitely would love to do a few of those.
So those of you listening at f M one hundred
point three KFA and keep that in mind. It starts
(04:15):
at eleven o'clock. If you happen to be here, formulate
a question for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings
and it'll be he will be talking with a tot
as we assist with the Toys for Tots push today
at Shields. Now, what goes into this? How can people help?
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Well? What you do?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
First of all, just buy a toy and you can
drop it off here. Big thanks. We see members of
the Marine Corps out there. But the ability to just
come and drop off an unwrapped toy help. That's what
helps those and needs is holiday. Of course, listen to
our shows KFA in and the Minnesota Vikings. Let me
see here be one of the first fifty donations each
(04:54):
show today. So just drop off a toy and you
secure your own kfan and unreal beanie.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
Not unlike what I'm wearing right now.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
This is not built for my head, my goodness, but
for normal people it's a wonderful, wonderful hat.
Speaker 1 (05:08):
But again, just stop here at Shields at.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Any point throughout the day from five point thirty through
the power trip onto bumper to bumper, drop off an
unwrapped toy and help some kids, help the tots this year,
thanks one real.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
And I love Shields.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Okay, I'm not here as much of late as I
have been in the past. I live like six minutes
away from here, and I love shields at really a
different level than picking up unreal garb or picking up
jerseys or even toys for tots. You see, there was
a couple of years ago at Canterbury Park where I
(05:43):
call races, and for those of you who have been
to Canterbury, you will watch the races on one side
of the track. Well all the way on the other
side of the track are a bunch of barns and
dorms and things like that, and that's where the horses
live during the spring and summer, and the horses are
(06:04):
trained by individuals. But there are people who work back
there called grooms, and they travel all around the country.
They go from Arizona to Minnesota, Oklahoma to Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana, Chicago,
Tampa Bay.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
They'll come to Minnesota for the spring.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
In the summer, and these grooms work seven days a week,
getting up at five thirty in the morning, generally done
about I don't know, six six thirty seven o'clock at night,
with breaks during the day these grooms have children. So
the kids are living lives that our kids or those
here we wouldn't know. And I've lived the gypsy life
(06:46):
of traveling around the country to call races. It ain't easy,
but I didn't do it as a kid. So I
see these families, and we see these families who are
doing the very best they can on backside USA to
raise a family, do schooling, teach, teach good ethics and
good moral ethics, and hard work and things like that,
(07:07):
you know, but they don't.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
Really have much.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
So a couple of a couple of summers ago, I
came to Shields and we had an idea where we
with our ministry at Canterbury Park in the Chaplaincy program,
we wanted to provide the tots, the kids who live
on the backside, brand new bikes. And that ain't easy
(07:30):
and that ain't cheap unless you work with Shields. And
this Shields and the way they opened their hearts for
those children are something I never ever will forgive. So
Shields is where we do the show every single year,
and I don't exactly know what their gift is.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
I don't really care because I know they give.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I don't know what their part is in this, but
let's give Shields a round of applause for the ownership
that I've gotten to know and just where their hearts
are rooted, which plays into us being here today for
Toys for Tots. So the Shields program is of the
philanthropic variety year round. This is a standalone day for
(08:14):
FM one hundred point three kfam and it's an honor
for all of the shows to be here today, and
each show will have at least one member of the
Minnesota Vikings. As I was entering, I saw a wide
receiver Jaalen Naylor leaving, so he was with.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
The Power Trip. TJ.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Hockinson will be here about twenty minutes from now, about
nine thirty with nine to now.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
How about the fact they do the shopping sprees with
the families right after they join us as well. But
that's what Jalen was doing there, and that's what TJ
and all the players who join us today. You know,
you talk about harkening back living the gypsy life. I
used to do every year, shop with a cop at
a kmart in Mancato, humble beginnings of Nords, Yeah, and
those types of moments, those types of opportunities, whether it's Shields,
(08:58):
it's the Minnesota Viking. Great, the kids will remember that
just like I do forever nearly forty.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
You know what thirty five is years later.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
It's the ability to buy presents for your family, maybe
get a little.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
Toy for yourself.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
Yeah, those types of opportunities are priceless. And that's what Shields.
That's the environment that we're seeing here. So un wrap toys,
all the support that you can give. Shields gives away
ten percent of their profits annually to organizations locally here.
So Shields is all about giving. There's no that's a
lot of that's a lot of money right there. They Shields.
Ladies and gentlemen. Give them another round of applause.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
How about that? Thank God, I'll LOUI you how about that?
It's so, it's the giving season. It is the giving season.
Speaker 1 (09:39):
Now.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
There is a minus fifteen turnover differential one liner in
there that I just can't get to right now now,
and I don't want to get to it right now.
I got to a few of them yesterday and I'll
probably get to a few more tomorrow. But it's the
giving season. There's a minus fifteen minus fifteen in the
(10:00):
take give anytime you're behind the New York Jets and
anything that's bad for business. The problem wait, I said,
I wasn't going to get to the one liner, and
I did so. Other than that, it's the giving season
and the giving away of the football and the minus
fifteen and the turnover differential. Your announcer is just going
to put that to the side for the season. And
(10:23):
when it comes to the helping that people are going
to give today, that's the a topic and order laid
it out beautifully with ways people listening can come help TJ.
Hockinson here at nine thirty. And you know when it
comes to the Washington game this weekend at noon on
kfa N, or the final five games of the season,
(10:46):
I wonder if TJ. Hawkinson has any suggestions as to
ways not just he can help. TJ played with his
hair on fire this last weekend. Now, when you play
a position like Jay Hawkinson plays that that because that
that role is predicated on others giving. So therefore you
(11:09):
can work your way open and you can do everything
ten of ten perfect, but if it's not seen, or
it's missed, or somebody is sacked, well then then that
individual piece of work goes for nought. So that that's
part of that's part of the quirky unique existence when
it comes to executing your toil the way football players
(11:33):
and athletes do. Because you know, like last Friday, we're
a Buffalo wild Wings Mall of America and I'm talking
about the Seattle game and then the subsequent six games
and the human nature facet that that falls into it.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
I mean, the.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Last thing these players are, players who are not going
to the postseason want to deal with is some significant
injury that hampers their downtime and their off season and
they got to rehab. All right, Well, how do you
handle that in a violent game? Well, if you play
slow the opposite of playing fast, you make yourself vulnerable
(12:11):
two set injury. So it's part of the job, no
matter what your record is, to give every single thing
you can, not only for the exorbitant amount of money
you make, not only for the attention you get, but
for those of you who are here in front of us. Now,
those of you who listen to the games on kfan,
(12:34):
you watch them, you go to the games. It's incumbent
upon them in the giving season and really around the
clock during the season to give everything they have to
try to win football games. You know, I've called Minnesota
Vikings games for nearly a quarter century, and I'm just
going to be straight with you this right now, this
(12:55):
four game losing streak right now, and the way things
are developing, and who on whom you can count, on
whom you can't count, and on whom you want to count.
But they're young, and you just got to be patient.
That's very, very difficult when it's right in front of
you and it's not going the right way. I mean,
(13:16):
I'm watching Drake May last night for the New England Patriots.
All right, Drake May is going to win an MVP
Award one year. He's getting that good. But this time
last year, if we're doing toys for Tots at Shields
in Boston and weei we're frustrated with Drake May, and
we're wondering what the next season, which is this season,
(13:39):
is going to look like. So I'm in no way
saying JJ McCarthy will ever be as good as Drake May.
And I'm also not saying he won't be better than
Drake May. But that's the lot in life right now.
What's right in front of us. The patient's required to
follow it, the detail that is required by them to
(14:01):
come through with it. But that's what hit me last
night watching a second year quarterback from North Carolina who
I believe one day will be the most valuable player in.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
The National Football League.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
And then I thought back and look back to what
he was doing this time last.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Year or a little bit before it, and it.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Didn't look anything like I saw last night, and the
slings and arrows of the outrageous negatives. I'm sure we're
all over him and this team is feeling that right now.
But what's in front of us right now is our
current reality, but it doesn't mean it's what everything's going
(14:44):
to look like forever. So as tough as that is,
and I'm preaching to myself right now, I really am
as difficult as that is to see. Sometimes for those
who care, those who work with it, those who want
people with whom they work to be happy, that can
be very difficult. But keeping the overarching view is so important.
(15:10):
And then you just got to grow, and you got
to mature, and you got to hope. What's happening with
Drake May and the New England Patriots now which wasn't
the case last year. That's why they got the schedule
they got that. We are embarking on that not only
through the final five games this year, but into the
twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Amen.
Speaker 3 (15:33):
You know at eleven o'clock when we have Kevin O'Connell on,
I think it's going to be great. Speaking of giving
that we may have, whether it's Connor or another young person.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Ask a question to the.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
Coach, Connor getting a lot of run on the old
nine to nooner.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
Well, and rightly so, because at some point we got
to remember this starts as as a kid's game. Now
there's a lot of money in this business and a
lot of jerseys are being sold and.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Jobs are on the line.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Of course, this has been among the heavier stretches of
Vikings football in terms of a season that I can
really remember in the last two decades, in terms of
the combination of what we expected, what we thought, what
we were excited for.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Let me take it a step farther, and I'm not
going to do it today. I didn't even bring the
little posted notes that I put together yesterday. It's not
just a couple of decades, Okay, Today's not the day
to dive into that minutia.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
That's my opinion. It's historical.
Speaker 2 (16:27):
I mean we're sitting on some historically bad things. Yes,
we are involving the Minnesota Vikings offense. And the man
who joins us today at eleven o'clock is the one
who crafts that. So as much as as much as
people may bet on it, as much as may people
people may rely on it from a fantasy perspective or
(16:48):
a distraction factor, like little Connor and I'm talking to
him over there and we're talking about the team.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Connor, how old are you eight? Right?
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And when I said to him, I said this hurts,
doesn't it? His face changed and the eight year old
looked at me and said, yeah, this hurts badly. So
there's that perspective in it.
Speaker 1 (17:11):
Now.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
That's an eight year old child hoping for the team
to win and pulling for it every single day of
the week. Well, think about the one who orchestrates it
and runs it and can't say everything he wants to
say to like like I could set up here in
this microphone as as the announcer put palms to the sky,
(17:35):
and I can open a vein and I can say yeah, yeah,
this hurts. Whether you think it's trite, stupid, or get
a hobby pall or whatever, I'm being honest with you.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
This hurts.
Speaker 2 (17:45):
He's not going to say that, and that's just how
it works in this image conscious world that is the
National Football League. But that's our eleven o'clock guest today,
And I don't know to the degree that he's hurting.
I don't know to the degree that he's frustrated. I'm
gonna ask him about how taxing it is on him
and the staff and the players, and how things are
handled with players and coaches when they're hurting and when
(18:07):
they're frustrated. But do know, with all the social media
posts and all the things that are said, and I
get to whom much is given, much is expected, I
understand that. But this, the eleven o'clock guest today, is
somebody that I would imagine is bewildered and perplexed. But
(18:29):
I clipped on Nordo because he said a couple of
decades and I'm gonna lay it more out tomorrow nine
to noon. Now we're going back to sixty one here
with some things.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
I don't have to go back to frand the man
on the fan or not. We're not there.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
We're not there norm but it it's getting there, okay.
And the eleven o'clock guest knows it is and can't
be happy about it.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
And I'll be curious to see what he has to
say about all that.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
And good morning, good morning, Well how all of you
here is Vikings fans like this is kind of like
a seasonal escape, and we love the hoop squad and
state of hockey, you know that tandem between the pipes
right now for the wild We love that, But this
is the seasonal escape. There's a reason, just even from
a schedule standpoint, to build up. You're working the nine
to five or the nine to noon like we do,
(19:13):
blessed as we are, and it all leads up, it
builds up, culminates in one of these seventeen regular season games.
Speaker 1 (19:19):
Our favorite team's only won four of them.
Speaker 3 (19:21):
That's disastrous on many levels as just a fan, as
somebody that loves this team.
Speaker 1 (19:26):
But you continue now through five games.
Speaker 3 (19:29):
Once we a little splash of the cold water and
we realize, hey, it's holiday season. I still get up
every morning. That's pretty sweet. I got people around me
in my life. I dig that too. Favorite football team's
absolutely disastrous and hideous right now, Okay, they got a
chance to change that. There's five games left and it'll
be the conversation around. I know it's different. We're not
talking about playoffs. We're not talking about MVP candidates like
(19:50):
Drake May. We're talking about finding a QB that has
a freaking pulse. We're talking about Dallas Turner who has
sacks and three straight games. First round draft pick, gave
up some equity to get him, and now a year
and a half later, we're waiting in the twenty two
year old, the baby kid, the pass rusher from Bama
starting to show out a little bit.
Speaker 2 (20:08):
And see those two that he just mentioned as as
the professional, the professional lot in life God has given
them and what they do for a living. NFL players,
they're tots within their game. At twenty two years of age,
you are amongst the youngest players in a game where
I'm starting on the Washington Commanders. Now why am I
(20:30):
starting so early in the week Because I don't want
to freaking think about it on Saturday, That's why. And
I'm gonna call it on Sunday. I'm gonna give you
everything I have. I don't want to think about it
all week, so I'm gonna get it done early in
the week. So by doing that with the game calling
depth chart, Bobby Wagner fifteenth year, I mean, they's.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
Been so good for so long.
Speaker 2 (20:50):
You've got Wagner, Deebo Samuel's been around for a while.
That their punter, tress Way is a lifetime Washington football player.
He was there before Kevin O'Connell got there in twenty seventeen,
during Kevin O'Connell's run with Washington, and he's still there.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
So he's been there for all three logos.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
So from the Skins the WTF slash FT Skins now
the Commander.
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Skins though, but for that, they're not tots. Okay, those
are the veterans, the adults in the room, the two
he mentioned, JJ McCarthy and Dallas Turner.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Those are tots.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
As we go in this emotional, violent world of the
National Football League, this people pleasing world of the National
Football League, and you know, human nature gets to win
two as you may have heard me say a thousand times,
which means they may try to keep their phone over
here and not look at it. Now look at social
media not look at family members from around the country saying, dog,
(21:54):
did you see what so and so said about you
on X Dog? Did you see that picture of the
clown knows somebody put on you on Instagram? Now I
didn't see it. I really didn't want to hear about it. Now, okay,
I'll look. I mean those are hits. Those are human
nature hits right there. They ain't easy to take. Yes,
to whom much is given, much is expected, and they
will push through it.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
But Nordo mentions Dallas.
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Turner, Dallas Turner this time last year was nothing close
to the Dallas Turner at age twenty two that he
is right now. Drake May this time last year nothing
close to the Drake May he is right now. Hopefully
the same thing with JJ McCarthy and good morning.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
And so it's not about like lecturing people, whether whether
it's on fan line or just nie to do and
you know you hear it. It's I hate this team
or I want this person out of the mix. And
we're already looking ahead to the twenty twenty sixth draft.
I would just say, you know, the patient's as bad
as it's bad.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
You have to in some.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
Ways have belief that JJ McCarthy isn't the worst person
that's ever played the sport of football, that at some
point he will remember, Okay, that's a receiver.
Speaker 1 (23:01):
I throw it like this and they catch it.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Catching it has been an issue of its own right
in recent weeks as well. Continue to support the team
and love the team to find those morsels in terms
of things that we can have momentum into the off season.
If you want to spend the entire offseason. I know
sometimes we can get negative when it gets cold, but
if you want to spend the whole offseason just talking
about who needs to go and this is bad and
(23:23):
this is worse, that's fine, and again free to do it.
It's not about controlling how people view this thing. I
just think that over the last five games, if we
can go into the off season with some nuggets of
optimism into twenty twenty six. I mean, teams year to
year so much change. Things can be very very different,
very very quickly. That's a point of emphasis for twenty
(23:44):
six as well. But in some ways, like some of
these young cats, if they can find momentum and find
a platform to reach from into the off season, that
is something I think we should be rooting for as
Vikings fans if you're interested in doing so.
Speaker 2 (23:57):
And I love the perspective Nordoja laid out because we're
we're not This is not the finger wagging covenant. We're
not going to try to manipulate your minds and tell
you how to think. We are blessed with the opportunity
to share with people how we think and we feel.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
I just want the team to win games when they're
up about.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
We just start with scoring a touchdown, Yeah, scoring points.
I mean just we haven't scored a touchdown in eight
quarters and again when you listen to nine to noon tomorrow,
off that and some other things. If this continues, the
twenty twenty five Minnesota Vikings will go down historically with
some of the worst situations in the history of this
(24:40):
football team. Nobody associated with this team, and that includes fans,
wants to be involved with that. So uh, that's that's
the preach. And I love al Noordo laid out the
perspective of it because like late August, we're at the
State there doing shows stuff like that. You know, schools
on the horizon for Nordo's kids. Season change. Just things
like that one thing we will say, either on the
(25:03):
microphone or off the microphone, is we're not in the
wishing away summer business because Minnesota Vikings football in the
NFL is on the horizon. But this is from a
distraction factor standpoint. Famly, well, my kids are done with
camps late July. Oh, we get into the wishing away
summer business. We need those girls at school quickly, I understand.
(25:24):
But when it comes to wishing away a football season,
a wishing away the fun that goes, generally speaking with
everything with which we're associated as play callers, hosts of
fanline fans, people who work for the team, everybody, you're
not supposed to want to wish it away. But when
(25:47):
things get so grimy and so dirty, and they're without explanation,
quite honestly, to a certain extent, for people like us,
where we're not in the meeting rooms, we're not hearing
the ten of ten of exactly what's going wrong, it
gets difficult. But wishing it away is something nine to
Noon prefers not to do, and honestly, I can't ever
(26:09):
see us doing that. The best news of today is
we are using our god given platform for others, and
that platform originates at Shields and Eden Prairie and we're
gonna help some kids today and that's what FM one
hundred point three KFA in does when we're here. If
you missed it earlier, once again, for those of you
(26:31):
listening heading over to Shields, TJ Hokinson tied end for
the team should be here soon. But if you want
to help, this is the best.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Route to do it. And here's Nordo.
Speaker 3 (26:39):
Yeah, all you got to do thanks to Unreal, thanks
to the Vikings, thanks to Shields. Simply enough, just come
hang out, buy it on wrap toy, drop it in
the basket next.
Speaker 1 (26:49):
To the Marines.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
I believe they're right behind this wall in front of us.
And that's how you can give. We have Vikings guests
all day. First fifty donations each show today whether it's
common and noon, im pretty bumper. Starting at three, the
first fifty donations are going to get a KFA n
slash Unreal beanie. So again thanks to Shields for providing
the spot today where tots are going to get toys.
(27:11):
We have shopping sprees with the players themselves who choose
to show up.
Speaker 1 (27:15):
Really awesome day here at Shields.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
It's beautiful and we thank you very much for giving
if and or when you do. He's Eric Nordquist on
Paul Allen. That's engineering extraordinaire. Jared Wells over there, Nick
Madden in the Street team second to none, and Shields
from the bottom of our and my heart, we love
you and thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
Howkinson should be here soon. Thanks for listening. Hey, what's
(28:32):
going on, Shields. This is nine to noon. I'm Paul Allen.
Good morning, Good morning, Shields. I'm Paul Allen. He's Eric
north Quiz, Good morning. It is the annual Toys for
Tot's Drive and the Power Trip morning show. Holy cow,
wildly successful, highly talented. How about a loud round of
applause for them so they can hear them all all
the way over to that Ferris wheel.
Speaker 1 (28:53):
Alrighty, alrighty.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
It's an honor to be here every single year, and
we this this is going to be different this year
in that at eleven o'clock, yours truly has the honor
of interviewing Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell. Now, Kevin's
not going to be here today like last year, so
his part will be virtual and yours truly will be
(29:18):
here and we'll get a good twenty twenty five minute
conversation with the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, who
probably are feeling too good about that four and eight
star kind of like the announcer, the host of Vikings
fan line and the fans here at Shiel So not
that he's listening, but maybe maybe in symbolic fashion, let's
(29:38):
let's give the coach of the year a loud round
of applause of positivity, because things are quite negative right
now with the Minnesota Vikings covenant. And that's really the
least we can do from afar. But here's here's what
yours truly is pondering for the eleven o'clock hour. And
(29:59):
I met my a man Connor right there and chatted
with him for a few minutes. And Connor was the
genesis of this idea. If you happen to be here,
or if there happened to be quote tots end quote
here in the eleven o'clock hour, it I'm not I'm
(30:19):
not going to marry myself to how many of these
we may do. However, I think there's a great opportunity
today for some children to ask Kevin O'Connell a question,
and I know the father that is Kevin O'Connell greatly
would appreciate it. Yours truly, who crafts these questions every
(30:40):
single week for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
Let's be vain opening. I would greatly appreciate it. The genuine,
authentic childlike nature of these tots who come to Shields
today for toys for tots, But I'd like to hear
the childlike approach with the head coach when it comes
(31:01):
to the start to this season that we've had. So Connor,
you were the genesis of that idea. If you happen
to be here at eleven oh five, we can work
on the question together, or you can work on it
with your family. You'll be first in line and maybe
a couple of other kids. You guys back there, if
you're interested, if you want to talk to Kevin O'Connell,
we're going to bring you up here. We're gonna put
(31:22):
some headphones on you. You're going to talk to the
head coach of the Minnesota Vikings. Whether x's and o's
and Vikings dot Com likes it or not, that's what
we're going to do. Today, So anybody listening, no guarantees
if you bring your tots or your kids to Shields
that that you know, if we got a bunch of them,
certainly probably not going to do ten or fifteen or so,
(31:45):
but definitely would love to do a few of those.
So those of you listening at FM one hundred point
three KFA and keep that in mind. It starts at
eleven o'clock. If you happen to be here, formulate a
question for the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and
it'll be he will be talking with a tot as
we assist with the Toys for Tots push today at Shields. Now,
(32:07):
what goes into this? How can people help?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
Well, what you do?
Speaker 3 (32:10):
First of all, just buy a toy and you can
drop it off here. Big thanks. We see members of
the Marine Corps out there. But the ability to just
come and drop off an unwrapped toy help. That's what
helps those and needs is holiday. Of course, listen to
our shows Kfan and the Minnesota Vikings. Let me see
here be one of the first fifty donations each show today.
(32:32):
So just drop off a toy and you secure your
own Kfan and unreal Beanie not unlike what I'm wearing
right now. This is not built for my head, my goodness,
but for normal people it's a wonderful, wonderful hat. But again,
just stop here at Shields at any point throughout the
day from five point thirty through the power trip onto
bumper to bumper, drop off an unwrapped toy and help
(32:53):
some kids. Help the tots this year. Thank you one
real And I love Shields.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Okay, I'm not here as much of late as I
have been in the past. I live like six minutes
away from here, and I love Shields at really a
different level than picking up unreal garb or picking up
jerseys or even toys for touch. You see, there was
a couple of years ago at Canterbury Park where I
(33:20):
call races, And for those of you who have been
to Canterbury, you will watch the races on one side
of the track, well all the way on the other
side of the track are a bunch of barns and
dorms and things like that, and that's where the horses
live during the spring and summer, and the horses are
(33:40):
trained by individuals. But there are people who work back
there called grooms and they travel all around the country.
Speaker 1 (33:48):
They go from Arizona.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
To Minnesota, Oklahoma to Minnesota, Texas, Louisiana, Chicago, Tampa Bay,
they'll come.
Speaker 1 (33:56):
To Minnesota for the spring.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
In the summer, and these growoms work seven days a week,
getting up at five thirty in the morning, generally done
about I don't know, six six thirty seven o'clock at night,
with breaks during the day. These grooms have children, so
the kids are living lives that our kids or those
here we wouldn't know. And I've lived the gypsy life
(34:22):
of traveling around the country to call races. It ain't easy,
but I didn't do it as a kid. So I
see these families, and we see these families who are
doing the very best they can on backside USA to
raise a family, do schooling, teach, teach good ethics and
good moral ethics, and hard work and things like that,
(34:44):
you know, but they don't.
Speaker 1 (34:45):
Really have much.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
So a couple of a couple of summers ago, I
came to Shields and we had an idea where we
with our ministry at Canterbury Park in the Chaplaincy program,
we wanted to provide the tots, the kids who live
on the backside brand new bikes, and that ain't easy
(35:06):
and that ain't cheap unless you work with Shields. And
this Shields and the way they opened their hearts for
those children are something I never ever will forgive. So
Shields is where we do the show every single year.
And I don't exactly know what their give is. I
don't really care because I know they give. I don't
(35:27):
know what their part is in this, but let's give
Shields a round of applause for the ownership that I've
gotten to know and just where their hearts are rooted,
which plays into us being here today for Toys for Tots.
So the Shields program is of the philanthropic variety year round.
(35:48):
This is a standalone day for FM one hundred point
three KFAM and it's an honor for all of the
shows to be here today, and each show will have
at least one member of the Minnesota Vike Kings. As
I was entering, I saw Wide Receiver, Jail and Naylor leaving,
so he was with the Power Trip.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Hockinson will be here about twenty minutes from now, about
nine thirty with nine to New.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
How about the fact they do the shopping spreeze with
the families right after they join us as well. But
that's what Jalen was doing there, and that's what TJ
and all the players who join us today. You know,
you talk about herketing back, living the gypsy life I
used to do every year, shop with a cop at
a kmart in Mankato, humble beginnings of nords.
Speaker 1 (36:31):
Yeah, and those.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
Types of moments, those types of opportunities, whether it's Shields,
it's the Minnesota Vikings. Great, the kids will remember that
just like I do forever nearly forty. You know what
thirty five is years later, it's the ability to buy
presents for your family, maybe get a little toy for yourself.
Those types of opportunities are priceless. And that's what Shields.
That's the environment that we're seeing here. So up wrapped toys,
(36:54):
all the support that you can give. Shields gives away
ten percent of their profits annually to organizations locally HEREO.
So Shields is all about giving. There's no that's a
lot of that's a lot of money right there.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
They Shields.
Speaker 2 (37:06):
Ladies and gentlemen, give them another round of applause. How
about that praise God, I'll Louis, how about that it's
so it's the giving season.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
It is the giving season. Now.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
There is a minus fifteen turnover differential one liner in
there that I just can't get to right now now,
and I don't want to get to it right now.
I got to a few of them yesterday and I'll
probably get to a few more tomorrow.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
But it's the giving season.
Speaker 2 (37:32):
There's a minus fifteen minus fifteen in the take give
anytime you're behind the New York Jets and anything that's
bad for business. The problem wait, I said, I wasn't
going to get to the one liner, and I did so.
Other than that, it's the giving season and the giving
away of the football and the minus fifteen and the
(37:53):
turnover differential. H your announcer is just going to put
that to the side for the season. And when it
comes to the helping that that people are going to
give today, that's the a topic and in order laid
it out beautifully with ways people listening can come help.
Speaker 1 (38:09):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
Hockinson here at nine thirty and and you know when
it when it comes to the Washington game this weekend
at noon on KFA N or the the final five
games of the season.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
I wonder if if TJ.
Speaker 2 (38:24):
Howkinson has any suggestions as to ways not just he
can help. TJ played with his hair on fire this
last weekend. Now, when you play a position like TJ.
Hawkinson plays, that that pause, that that role is predicated
on others giving. So therefore you can work your way
(38:46):
open and you can do everything ten of ten perfect.
But if it's not seen, or it's missed, or somebody
is sacked, well then then that individual.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
Piece of work goes for nought.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
So that that's part of that's part of the quirky
unique existence when it comes to executing your toil the
way football players and athletes do. Because you know, like
last Friday, we're a Buffalo Wild Wings Mall of America,
and I'm talking about the Seattle game and then the
(39:19):
subsequent six games and the human nature facet that falls
into it. I mean, the last thing these players are
players who are not going to the postseason want to
deal with is some significant injury that hampers their downtime
and their off season and they got to rehab. All right, Well,
how do you handle that in a violent game? Well, you,
(39:43):
if you play slow the opposite of playing fast, you
make yourself vulnerable.
Speaker 1 (39:48):
Two set injury.
Speaker 2 (39:49):
So it's part of the job, no matter what your
record is, to give every single thing you can, not
only for the exorbit an amount of money you make,
not only for the attention you get, but for those
of you who are here in front of us now,
those of you who listen to the games on Kfan,
(40:10):
you watch them, you go to the games. It's incumbent
upon them in the giving season and really around the
clock during the season to give everything they have to
try to win football games. You know, I've called Minnesota
Vikings games for nearly a quarter century. And I'm just
going to be straight with you this right now, this
(40:31):
four game losing streak right now, and the way things
are developing, and who on whom you can count, on
whom you can't count, and on whom you want to count.
But they're young, and you just got to be patient.
That's very, very difficult when it's right in front of
you and it's not going the right way. I mean,
(40:52):
I'm watching Drake May last night for the New England Patriots.
All right, Drake May is going to win an MVP
award one year. He's getting that good. But this time
last year, if we're doing Toys for Tots at Shields
in Boston, and weei were frustrated with Drake May, and
we're wondering what the next season, which is this season,
(41:15):
is going to look like. So I'm in no way
saying JJ McCarthy will ever be as good as Drake May.
And I'm also not saying he won't be better than
Drake May. But that's the lot in life right now,
what's right in front of us, the patients required to
follow it, the detail that is required by them to
(41:38):
come through with it. But that's what hit me last
night watching a second year quarterback from North Carolina who
I believe one day will be the most valuable player
in the National Football League. And then I thought back
and looked back to what he was doing this time
last year or a little bit before it, and it
(41:59):
didn't look anything like I saw last night, and the
slings and arrows of the outrageous negatives. I'm sure we're
all over him and this team is feeling that right now.
But what's in front of us right now is our
current reality. But it doesn't mean it's what everything's going
(42:20):
to look like forever. So as tough as that is,
and I'm preaching to myself right now, I really am
as difficult as that is to see. Sometimes for those
who care, those who work with it, those who want
people with whom they work to be happy, that can
be very difficult. But keeping the overarching view is so important.
(42:46):
And then you just got to grow and you got
to mature, and you got to hope. What's happening with
Drake May and the New England Patriots now, which wasn't
the case last year.
Speaker 1 (42:56):
That's why they got the schedule they.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Got that we are in bark on that not only
through the final five games this year but into the
twenty twenty sixth season.
Speaker 3 (43:07):
Amen, you know at eleven o'clock when we have Kevin
O'Connell on, I think it's going to be great. Speaking
of giving that we may have, whether it's Connor or
another young person.
Speaker 2 (43:16):
Ask a question to the coach Connor getting a lot
of run on the old nine to nooner.
Speaker 3 (43:20):
Well, and rightly so, because at some point we got
to remember this starts as a kid's game.
Speaker 1 (43:26):
Now there's a lot.
Speaker 3 (43:27):
Of money in this business and a lot of jerseys
are being sold and jobs are on the line. Of course,
this has been among the heavier stretches of Vikings football
in terms of a season that I can really remember
in the last two decades, in terms of the combination
of what we expected, what we thought, what we were
excited for.
Speaker 2 (43:44):
Let me take it a step farther, and I'm not
going to do it today. I didn't even bring the
little posted notes that I put together yesterday. It's not
just a couple of decades. Okay, Today's not the day
to dive into that minutia.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
That's my opinion. It's historical.
Speaker 2 (44:03):
I mean, we're sitting on some historically bad things. Yes,
we are involving the Minnesota Vikings offense. And the man
who joins us today at eleven o'clock is the one
who crafts that So as much as as much as
people may bet on it, as much as may people
people may rely on it from a fantasy perspective or
(44:24):
a distraction factor. Like little Connor and I'm talking to
him over there, and we're talking about the team.
Speaker 1 (44:29):
Connor, how old are you eight? Right?
Speaker 2 (44:33):
And when I said to him, I said this hurts,
doesn't it? His face changed and the eight year old
looked at me and said, yeah, this hurts badly.
Speaker 1 (44:45):
So there's that perspective in it.
Speaker 2 (44:47):
Now, that's an eight year old child hoping for the
team to win and pulling for it every single day
of the week. Well, think about the one who orchestrates
it and runs it and can't say everything he wants
to say to like, like I could set up here
(45:07):
on this microphone as as the announcer put palms to
the sky, and I can open a vein and I
can say, yeah, yeah, this hurts. Whether you think it's trite,
stupid or get a hobby, Paul or whatever, I'm being
honest with you, this hurts. He's not going to say that,
And that's just how it works in this image conscious
world that is the National Football League. But that's our
(45:29):
eleven o'clock guest today, And I don't know to the
degree that he's hurting. I don't know to the degree
that he's frustrated. I'm going to ask him about how
taxing it is on him and the staff and the
players and how things are handled with players and coaches
when they're hurting and when they're frustrated. But do know,
with all the social media posts and all the things
(45:50):
that are said, and I get to whom much is given,
much is expected. I understand that, but this, the eleven
o'clock guest today is somebody that I would imagine is
bewildered and perplexed. But I clipped on Nordo because he
said a couple of decades and I'm gonna lay it
more out tomorrow nine to noon. Now we're going back
(46:11):
to sixty one here with some things.
Speaker 1 (46:12):
I don't have to go back to Fran the man
on the fan.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
Or we're not there. We're not there norm but it's
getting there, okay. And the eleven o'clock guest knows it
is and can't be happy about it. And I'll be
curious to see what he has to say about all that.
And good morning, good morning, Well.
Speaker 3 (46:30):
How all of you here is Vikings fans like this
is kind of like a seasonal escape, and we love
the hoop squad and state of hockey, you know that
tandem between the pipes right now for the wild We
love that. But this is the seasonal escape, right there's
a reason just even from a schedule standpoint, the build up,
you're working the nine to five or the nine to
noon like we do, blessed as we are, and it
(46:51):
all leads up, it builds up culminates in one of
these seventeen regular season games.
Speaker 1 (46:56):
Our favorite team's only won four of them.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
That's disastrous on many levels as just a fan, as
somebody that loves this team. But you continue now through
five games, once we a little splash of the cold
water and we realize, hey, it's holiday season. I still
get up every morning. That's pretty sweet. I got people
around me in my life. I dig that too.
Speaker 1 (47:13):
Perspective.
Speaker 3 (47:14):
Favorite football team's absolutely disastrous and hideous right now, Okay,
they got a chance to change that. There's five games left,
and it'll be the conversation around I know it's different.
Speaker 1 (47:23):
We're not talking about playoffs.
Speaker 3 (47:24):
We're not talking about MVP candidates like Drake May. We're
talking about finding a QB that has a freaking pulse. Yeah,
we're talking about Dallas Turner who has sacks and three
straight games. First round draft pick, gave up some equity
to get them, and now a year and a half later,
we're waiting in the twenty two year old, the baby kid,
the pass rusher from Bama starting to show out a
little bit.
Speaker 2 (47:44):
And see those two that he just mentioned as as
the professional, the professional lot in life God has given
them and what they do for a living. NFL players,
they're tots within their game. At twenty two years of age,
you are amongst the youngest players in a game where
I'm starting on the Washington Commanders. Now, why am I
(48:06):
starting so early in the week Because I don't want
to freaking think about it on Saturday, That's why. And
I'm gonna call it on Sunday. I'm gonna give you
everything I have. I don't want to think about it
all week, so I'm gonna get it done early in
the week. So by doing that with the game calling
depth chart, Bobby Wagner fifteenth year, I mean, they's.
Speaker 1 (48:25):
Been so good for so long.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
You've got Wagner, Deebo Samuel's been around for a while.
That their punter, tress Way is a lifetime Washington football player.
Speaker 1 (48:35):
He was there before.
Speaker 2 (48:37):
Kevin O'Connell got there in twenty seventeen during Kevin O'Connell's
run with Washington, and he's still there.
Speaker 1 (48:44):
So he's been there for all three logos.
Speaker 3 (48:45):
So from the Skins, the WTF slash FT Skins though
now the Commander Skins though he he.
Speaker 2 (48:54):
But for that, they're not tots. Okay, those are the veterans,
the adults in the room, the two he mentioned, JJ
McCarthy and Dallas Turner, those are tots. As we go
in this emotional, violent world of the National Football League,
this people pleasing world of the National Football League, and
(49:17):
you know, human nature gets to win two, as you
may have heard me say a thousand times, which means
they may try to keep their phone over here and
not look at it now, look at social media, not
look at family members from around the country saying, dog,
did you see what so and so said about you
on x Dog? Did you see that picture of the
clown knows somebody put on you on Instagram? Now I
(49:38):
didn't see it. I really didn't want to hear about it. Okay,
I'll look. I mean those are hits. Those are human
nature hits right there. They ain't easy to take. Yes
to whom much is given, much is expected, and they
will push through it.
Speaker 1 (49:51):
But Nordo mentions Dallas Turner.
Speaker 2 (49:53):
Dallas Turner this time last year was nothing close to
the Dallas Turner at age.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
Twe that he is right now.
Speaker 2 (50:02):
Drake May this time last year nothing close to the
Drake May he is right now hopefully the same thing
with JJ McCarthy in Good Morning.
Speaker 3 (50:10):
Yeah, and so it's it's not about like lecturing people,
whether whether it's on fan line or just nig to doone.
Speaker 1 (50:16):
You know, you hear it.
Speaker 3 (50:17):
It's I hate this team or I want this person
out of the mix. And we're already looking ahead to
the twenty twenty sixth draft. I would just say, you know,
the patient's as bad as it's bad. You have to
in some ways have belief that JJ McCarthy isn't the
worst person that's ever played the sport of football, that
at some point he will remember, Okay, that's a receiver.
Speaker 1 (50:37):
I throw it like this and they catch it.
Speaker 3 (50:39):
Catching it has been an issue of its own right
in recent weeks as well. Continue to support the team
and love the team to find those morsels in terms
of things that we can have momentum into the offseason.
If you want to spend the entire offseason. I know
sometimes we can get negative when it gets cold, but
if you want to spend the whole offseason just talking
about who needs to go and this is bad, this,
(51:00):
this is worse, that's fine, and again free to do it.
It's not about controlling how people view this thing.
Speaker 1 (51:05):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
I just think that over the last five games, if
we can go into the off season with some with
some nuggets of optimism into twenty twenty six. I mean,
teams year to year so much change, things can be
very very different, very very quickly. That's a point of
emphasis for twenty six as well. But but in some ways,
like some of these young cats, if they can find
momentum and find a platform to reach from into the
(51:28):
off season, that is something I think we should be
rooting for as Vikings fans, if you're interested in doing so.
Speaker 2 (51:33):
And now I love the perspective Nordo just laid out
because we're noting. This is not the finger wagging covenant.
We're not going to try to manipulate your minds and
tell you how to think. We are blessed with the
opportunity to share with people how we think and we feel.
Speaker 3 (51:51):
I just want the team to win games an eye
when they're up about.
Speaker 1 (51:55):
We just start with scoring a touchdown? Yeah, scoring points?
Speaker 2 (51:57):
I mean justlt we have a score or to touchdown
in eight quarters and again when you listen to nine
to noon tomorrow, off that and some other things. If
this continues the twenty twenty five Minnesota Vikings will go
down historically with some of the worst situations in the
history of this football team. Nobody associated with this team,
(52:20):
and that includes fans, wants to be involved with that.
So that's the preach, and I love Al Noordo laid
out the perspective of it because like late August, we're
at the State Fair doing shows stuff like that. You know,
schools on the horizon for Nordo's kids. Season changes, things
like that. One thing we will say, either on the
microphone or off the microphone, is we're not in the
(52:42):
wishing away summer business because Minnesota Vikings football in the
NFL's on the horizon. But this is from a distraction
factor standpoint. Fall my kids are done with camps late July. Oh,
we get into the wishing away summer business. We need
those girls at school quickly, I understand. But when it
comes to wishing away a football season, wishing away the
(53:06):
fun that goes generally speaking with everything with which we're
associated as play callers, hosts of fanline, fans, people who
work for the team, everybody, You're not supposed to want
to wish it away. But when things get so grimy
and so dirty, and they're without explanation, quite honestly, to
(53:29):
a certain extent. For people like us, where we're not
in the meeting rooms, we're not hearing the ten of
ten of exactly what's going wrong. It gets difficult, but
wishing it away is something nine to noon prefers not
to do, and honestly, I can't ever see us doing that.
The best news of today is we are using our
(53:51):
god given platform for others, and that platform originates at
Shields and Eden Prairie and we're gonna up some kids
today and that's what FM one hundred point three kfan
does when we're here. If you missed it earlier, once again,
for those of you listening, heading over to Shields.
Speaker 1 (54:09):
TJ.
Speaker 2 (54:09):
Hockinson tight end for the team should be here soon.
But if you want to help, this is the best
route to do it.
Speaker 1 (54:15):
And here's Nordo.
Speaker 3 (54:16):
Yeah, all you got to do, thanks to Unreal, thanks
to the Vikings, thanks to Shields, simply enough, just come
hang out, buy it unwrapped toy, drop it in the
basket next to the Marines. I believe they're right behind
this wall in front of us. And that's how you
can give. We have Vikings guests all day. First fifty
donations each show today, whether it's Common and noon, Bumper
(54:36):
to Bumper. Starting three, the first fifty donations are going
to get a kfan slash Unreal beanie. So again thanks
to Shields for providing the spot today where tots are
going to get toys. We have shopping sprees with the
players themselves to choose to show up.
Speaker 2 (54:51):
Really awesome day here at Shields. It's beautiful and we
thank you very much for giving. If and or when
you do. He's Eric Nordquist on Paul Allen, that's her extraordinaire.
Jared Wells over there, Nick Madden in the Street team
second to none, and Shields from the bottom of our
and my heart, we love you and thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (55:10):
TJ. Howkinson should be here soon. Thanks for listening.
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Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.