TO BE A VIKING – Matt Blair | Looking For a Good Book

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A BOOK FROM MY SHELF

All right, the truth comes out…I am a long time, die-hard Minnesota Viking fan. I’m not sure how or why this particular book came to my attention, but I’m glad to have had it available to me.

Matt Blair, a familiar name to Viking fans, interviews a variety of former Viking players and personnel and shares them here. We get some sports stats that might otherwise be unknown (the sports each athlete played in high school and college) and then a series of questions and answers.

Blair takes his role as a former Viking very seriously, which I greatly appreciate. It has meant something to him to wear the purple and gold, and I feel as though he’s hoping to get some similar responses from those he interviews. Not everyone responds in kind, however. In fact some of the responses make it seem as though the player didn’t remember being with the Vikings (punter Darren Bennett for example).

Some of the questions Blair puts forth feel a little awkward (“Did you win any contest during training camp?” “I won Best Singer.” “What was the hardest thing about training camp?” “The boredom.”) Some questions I wish had been asked of everyone (“What goals did you set in your career and did you accomplish them?”)

Still, this was, over-all, a really nice, leisurely read, and I enjoyed the insight to many of the players.

Included in this book are interviews with:

Fran Tarkington
Tommy Kramer
Brad Johnson
Daunte Culpepper
Rickey Young
Ted Brown
Jim Kleinsasser
Michael Bennett
Mewelde Moore
Sammy White
Nate Burleson
Ryan Hoag
Stu Voigt
Steve Jordan
Jermaine Wiggins
Matt Birk
Adam Goldberg
Mick Tinglehoff
Tim Irwin
Randall McDaniel
Jim Marshall
Carl Eller
Bob Lurtsema
Fred McNeill
Matt Blair
Scott Studwell
Rufus Bess
Joey Browner
Antoine Winfield
Darren Sharper
Darren Bennett
Bud Grant
Jerry Burns
Mike Tice
Fred Zambreletti (Trainer)
Chuck Barta (Trainer)
Frank Gilliam (Director of Player Personnel)
Kirsten Lindberg (Asistant to Head Coaches)
Bobbe Daggett (Financial)
Dennis Ryan (Equipment Manager)
Sid Hartman (Sports Writer)