Second thoughts

— Eat less or hang with a lineman

ESPN’s Ed Werder sat down with Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen on Saturday in Lake Tahoe, Nev., to discuss the coming season.

In the segment that aired during SportsCenter, Werder asked what it’s like for Allen, whose Vikings almost made the Super Bowl two years ago, to be coming off a 3-13 season, especially as a 30-year-old player.

“It’s brutal,” Allen said. “It really is. When I came to the Vikings, I knew we had a core unit and about 4-5 years to be really good, maybe get a championship. Now we’ve got a young team. Training camp has a greater purpose now because we have to see what kind of team we have.”

Camp also has proven a bit frustrating for Allen, who led the NFL with 22 sacks last season.

Running back Adrian Peterson is making his return after suffering a torn ACL, and making Allen a little jealous along the way.

“I don’t think it’s going to be hard at all [for Peterson to get back to his previous level],” Allen said. “He is a manchild, dude; he’s a manimal. I was watching him run in minicamp, and that dude’s got muscles on top of muscles and he eats like two quarts of Cold Stone [ice cream] a day. I eat one bite of pizza, I put 13 pounds on.

“It’s ridiculous. This guy’s got 2 percent body fat and is shredded and I’m leaving my shirt on at the pool.”

Slide rule

Detroit Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder was recently forced to acknowledge his secret shame after a home game last week against the Los Angeles Angels.

“I just don’t know how to slide,” Fielder told MLive.com’s James Schmehl after the game, during which he dove head first into second base and launched Angels second baseman Maicer Izturis several feet down the base path toward third. “I’m trying to get there. I just want to be safe.

So, however I can get there, I just try to get it done.”

Fielder, who has played 1,539 major- and minor-league games in an 11-year professional career, was called safe on the play but was left a bit shaky after apparently making contact with Izturis’ left knee.

“I don’t know what I hit, but I was a little dizzy,” Fielder said. “I didn’t mean to. I just do not know how to slide.”

Fielder doesn’t expect his unconventional sliding technique will improve anytime soon.

“I just do that because that’s how I play,” Fielder said. “I don’t try to do it for any kind of spark. I just play hard.

“If I don’t know how to slide by now, it’s just going to stay the same.”

Want fries with that?

The U.S. Olympic team isn’t the only one having issues with their uniforms.

According to CBSSports.com, several Spanish athletes have taken to Twitter to air some not so-nice comments regarding the apparently fast-food flavored uniforms that were supplied free of charge by Russian design firm Bosco.

“It’s best I don’t comment,” tweeted canoeing gold medalist Saul Craviotto, along with a picture showing off the red-and gold polo shirt and red pants, along with a backpack in team colors.

CBSSports.com’s Jerry Hinnen, who described the uniforms as an “exploded hot dog stand look” added: “In a word: Eeeeeeeeeeeesh. In a few more: I’d like a No. 3 combo, small, no pickle or onion, please. Sprite to drink.”

It just goes to show you get what you pay for.

Mascot madness

According to Brad Dickson of the Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald, mascots have been invited to Big Ten media days.

“Apparently locking Coach Bo Pelini in a room with hundreds of print, TV and radio reporters isn’t traumatic enough,” Dickson wrote. “Now they have to throw in Bucky Badger.

“How embarrassing will it be when the line to interview Sparty is longer than the one to talk to the Purdue coach ?”

Quote of the day

“We’re not anybody’s little brother anymore. If you hit us in the mouth, you’d better expect to be hit back hard.” Vanderbilt cornerback Trey Wilson

Sports, Pages 14 on 07/23/2012

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