Welcome to Around the Horns, our daily look at what's happening on the Vikings beat:
The Vikings will play their final game at the Metrodome on Sunday afternoon, and the team has already said it will have extra security on the field to prevent a repeat of what happened the last time the team shut down a stadium.
That happened on Dec. 20, 1981, when the Vikings lost a 10-6 game to the Kansas City Chiefs at old Met Stadium, which was home to the Vikings and Minnesota Twins in 1961-81. The stadium was slated for demolition as the Vikings and Twins moved to the new downtown dome, and the site in suburban Bloomington was repurposed for what would become the Mall of America. But before the stadium was razed, fans stormed the field to take home a piece -- any piece -- of the Met.
Thanks to the brilliance of YouTube and the diligence of Viking Update's John Holler, we get to watch a nine-minute cutup of two Twin Cities newscasts from the day of the Vikings' final game at Met Stadium. (Just search for "last Vikings home game at Met Stadium.") The footage, from TV stations WCCO and KSTP, shows fans making off with pieces of the Met's scoreboard, sound system, seats and even its turf. There's also a promotion for former Vikings receiver (and eventual TV personality) Ahmad Rashad's sports show toward the end.
The entire thing is worth watching, especially if you're nostalgic for outdoor football and looking forward to the Vikings' next two years at TCF Bank Stadium, but we'd particularly recommend tuning in around the 6:17 mark, for a lively altercation between a fan who disapproves of the raid and a drunken reveler, caught on camera and highlighted by the phrase, "Get out of here, you creep!"
They just don't do TV newscasts like they used to.
Here are today's other Vikings stories of note:
We looked at the news that Leslie Frazier has not talked with Vikings ownership or general manager Rick Spielman about his job status, and revisited the bizarre season of Josh Freeman, who once again will be on the bench in the Vikings' final game on Sunday.
Tight end Kyle Rudolph, who missed the final two months of the season with a fractured foot, wants to talk to the Vikings about a contract extension, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com wonders if it would be better for a team to have Adrian Peterson or embattled Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo for the next three seasons, considering how poor the Vikings' QB play has been and how essential the position is.