Former Vikings DT John Randle was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame  on Saturday.. Chosen by the Hall’s Board of Selectors, Randall joins nine former Vikings who have also earned the prestigious honor. He will be enshrined in Canton on Saturday, August 7, 2010.

Minnesota Score’s Eric Nelson spoke with Hall of Famers Steve Young and Rod Woodson about Randle’s election.

 “We are extremely proud today that John has been selected as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2010,” said Vikings Owner and Chairman Zygi Wilf. “As an undrafted rookie free agent, John’s hard work and perseverance paid off as he became one of the greatest defensive linemen to play the game. We look forward to having John enshrined in Canton, and we are grateful for his part in Minnesota Vikings history.”

Randle, who was originally acquired by the Vikings in 1990 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Texas A&I, went on to play 14 seasons in the NFL (13 years as a starter) and became the NFL’s all-time sack leader among defensive tackles. His 137.5 sacks rank tied for 6^th among all players in league history and his 114.0 with Minnesota rank 3^rd among Vikings.

Beginning as a special teams player during his rookie season, Randle was selected to seven Pro Bowls, including six consecutive from 1993-98, and was named All-Pro six times. He played in 219 career games and was named a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s. During his career with Minnesota and Seattle, Randle led or tied for the team lead in sacks 10 times, and in his 13 years as a starter, only one of Randle’s teams finished with a losing record (Seattle at 7-9 in 2002), as the rest made the playoffs 9 times.

Randle was inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor on November 30, 2008.

Minnesota Score’s Eric Nelson has been in South Florida all week covering Super Bowl 44. Here are some of the interviews he has done, of course with a Minnesota angle.

 Joey Browner Interview

Garrett Hartley Interview (Saints Kicker)

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have agreed to terms with second baseman Orlando Hudson on a one-year contract for the 2010 season.

                Hudson, 32, batted .283 (156-for-551) with 35 doubles, six triples, nine home runs and 62 rbi in 149 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.  He was named to his second career All-Star team (2007) and also won his fourth career Rawlings Gold Glove Award (2005, 2006 and 2007).  Following the 2009 season, Hudson was named the Best Defensive Second Baseman by Baseball America in its annual tools issue.

                Since making his Major League debut in 2002, Hudson has a career batting-average of .282 (1035-for-3670) with 214 doubles, 50 triples, 77 home runs and 434 rbi in 1014 games with Toronto, Arizona and Los Angeles (NL).  He has recorded 120-or-more hits in each of the last seven seasons. 

Yes it’s Super Bowl week, but I can’t get over what a stir the NFL made by moving the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl instead of the week after.

If you’re keeping track, it’s been about 30 years (maybe more?) now that sports journalists have found complaining about the Pro Bowl to be an annual event. On many points they are absolutely right. There’s no dispute that the players seem to be more concerned about staying injury free than they are about winning the game. That the list of those who bail out from playing seems to outnumber those who do. That playing an all-star game after a season is a no-win situation. That maybe there shouldn’t even be an NFL “All-Star” game.

Back in the 60’s, 70’s and even into the 80’s,  pro all-star games had a lot of luster. My league vs your league…Watching the best of the best on the field, court or ice all at the same time. For the most part that luster is gone. Players make so much money now, that the lure of making $45,000 instead of $22,500 for a win, is lost. Baseball has even had to go to the extreme of handing out home field advantage in the World Series to the winner of their game in order to put some meaning back into it.

So what is the answer, particularly in the case of the Pro Bowl? I don’t think there is one. But I know this, complaining about the NFL’s attempt to right the ship is getting old.

1) The league finally realized this year that playing an all-star game after their biggest event is stupid and anti-climatic.

2) They realized that TV ratings will be much better one week before the Super Bowl instead of 5 weeks after their regular season.

3) They realized that they have a 32 team league that is loaded with plenty of talent, and that the few players from the Super Bowl who would’ve chosen to play the week after the game, can be replaced.

4)That Hawaii is a nice place to visit, but it’s not home to an NFL team and there are other places the game can be played…

5) That you can offer the Pro Bowl as an opportunity for fans in the Super Bowl city to see a game for those who can’t afford or don’t get to go to the Super Bowl.

6) That the 4 hours of Pro Bowl TV game coverage can be used as a launching point for Super Bowl week.

7) That having all the league’s best players in the Super Bowl city one week prior to the game is a good thing, except for Bryant McKinnie.

That Brett Favre isn’t going to show up no matter where or when you play the game.

I’ve wondered for years why the NFL hadn’t done this with the Pro Bowl. Okay, it’s a stupid game…but give Roger Goodell and the NFL credit on this one. They’ve made an effort to at the very least make the most out of a deteriorating situation.

Note to my colleagues. The game is not going to go away, so quit your whining and realize that in playing the game the week before the Super Bowl,  in the Super Bowl city, makes financial sense  for the league and garnered TV ratings like they hadn’t seen in 9 or 10 years. It’s the Pro Bowl. It’s supposed to be for the fans, not for you to get a trip to Hawaii at your employer’s expense.

For the second time in three weeks, Minnesota freshman forward Zach Budish has been named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Rookie of the Week.

Budish had five points in the Gophers’ weekend split with Alaska Anchorage in continuing his recent hot play. He had the game-winning goal and three assists in Friday’s 7-4 win, marking the first four-point game by any Minnesota player this season. Budish followed on Saturday by scoring the team’s lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the Seawolves.

For the season, Budish ranks fourth on the team and fifth among WCHA freshmen in scoring with seven goals and eight assists for 15 points. He also leads the Gophers with a plus-seven rating.

Budish was also the WCHA Rookie of the Week following the Gophers’ series against North Dakota on Jan. 15-16. He has three goals and five assists for eight points over the last six games and has not committed a penalty over the team’s last 12 contests.

Minnesota has this weekend off before returning to the ice on Feb. 12-13 for a two-game series at WCHA leader and second-ranked Denver.