Next Gjallarhorn up.
How cold was it in Minneapolis for Sunday's NFL playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks?
According to NFL.com, it was 6 degrees below zero just before kickoff, making it the third-coldest NFL playoff game ever and the coldest Vikings game ever played. The windchill factor made it feel up to 25 degrees below zero.
It was so cold that TV crews were having to warm up their camera batteries with sideline heaters, a 4.5 million BTU heater was being used to keep the field thawed out, and perhaps most important, Minnesota's famous Viking horn, called the Gjallarhorn, that's blown at every Viking home game, was shattered into pieces by the cold temperatures.
Not the type to give up easily, the Vikings' stadium crew dug up the 2009 version of the horn and put it into service for Sunday's game.
It didn't bring the luck they hoped for, as the Seahawks held on for a 10-9 victory.
Legal cheese
Some things are more important than the law.
Just ask Pennsylvania attorney Curtis Creveling. A lifelong resident of Allentown, Pa., Creveling is a rarity in his hometown, a true cheesehead -- that is, a Green Bay Packers fan -- in the land of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Long story short, Creveling found out last month that he'd won a ticket to a Packers home playoff game. Not knowing for sure where or when the game would be held and with a case scheduled for court and a willing client, Creveling appealed to the judge for a continuance.
According to the Wall Street Journal's Law Blog, the judge's response made Creveling a little nervous.
"Your contingent Continuance request will be taken under advisement. I am more concerned with your ethical responsibilities with candor before a tribunal," wrote Judge Bruce K. Doman.
"I thought I was in trouble," Creveling said. Not so much.
"It requires a great stretch in credibility to even imagine that long after the days of Lombardi, Taylor, Starr, and even Favre, any Pennsylvanian would be a fan of the Green Bay Packers," Dorman continued. "You will be able to re-establish your credibility when you next appear before me wearing your gigantic cheese head. All true Packer fans have them."
The situation resolved itself when the Packers lost to the Vikings last week, giving the Washington Redskins the home-field advantage, but Creveling still complied with the judge's recommendation. When he showed up in court last week, he was fully equipped with the requisite cheese head hat and an explanation for his puzzled, then amused, opposing counsel.
Hey, it's good to have a lawyer who shows loyalty, even if it is to the Packers.
Party foul
Mike Russell of KTAR News, 92.3 FM, in Phoenix, is a proud father and a football fan, which led to a dilemma when his youngest child's birthday fell in the middle of the NFL playoffs. Well, sort of.
"My youngest is turning 8 years old, which makes me feel old," wrote Russell on KTAR.com. "So are we having a birthday party? Nope. We are smack dab in the middle of the NFL playoffs."
But what if the unthinkable happens and an invitation arrives?
"I say you have the right to call the hosts and ask if there will be: 1. drinks; 2. football (multiple games on multiple TVs), and 3. nachos. There needs to be nachos.
"If the hosts answer no to any of these questions, consider yourself excused from attending. Pop a gift card in the mail and wish the kid luck in life. The kid's going to need luck because his parents are lame.
"And let's face it: You didn't like his parents anyway."
Sports quiz
The Minnesota Vikings last won a playoff game in 2009. Who did they beat?
Answer
The Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys, 34-3, in the divisional round.
Sports on 01/11/2016