The Wake

Still Got It Award: Brad Johnson – Minnesota Vikings
After taking a backup role in Tampa Bay last season, Brad Johnson was released in March. The Vikings nabbed Brad Johnson in free agency and are pleased with their decision. Following the Daunte Culpepper’s injury, Johnson has led the team to a winning record. Although he isn’t the most mobile quarterback nor does he possess the strongest arm, his knowledge of the game has proved to be invaluable. Congratulations to Brad Johnson for showing that he still has what it takes to be a starter in the National Football League.

Worst Sports story award: Fox 9 investigations
College athletes are drinking alcohol and receiving special treatment? No way. Impossible. Word on the street is college athletes sometimes also engage in pre-marital sex. Dumbfounding isn’t it? Fox 9’s investigation about Gopher hockey players drinking underage was equivalent to telling us Paris Hilton is not a virgin. It just isn’t newsworthy. Underage drinking is illegal and should be controlled, but it isn’t worth an undercover investigation.

Lactose Intolerance Award: Florida Marlins Batboy and Major League Baseball Rules
Milk does a body good. But what if you drink a gallon in less than one hour? A Florida Marlins batboy attempted to do just that after making a $500 bet with Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny before a game at Dolphins Stadium. The batboy finished the gallon of milk, but not in the designated one-hour time period. If chugging an absurd amount of milk while losing a bet is not bad enough, the batboy was also suspended by the Marlins for six games for his actions. The suspension for steroid use at the time is ten games. Now let’s decide what is worst: a kid with a fun summer job guzzling a gallon of milk for $500? Or, overpaid professional baseball players illegally taking steroids to cheat their way to lucrative contracts and fame? I hate tough questions.

Record-breaking running game award: Minnesota Gopher football
It’s official, there will be no Gopher sightings at the Rose Bowl this season, and the Orange Bowl will definitely be Gopher-free. Despite another disappointing finish and another middle-of-the-pack bowl game, the Gophers’ record-breaking running game is something to be enthusiastic about. For the third straight season, the first time in NCAA history, Minnesota has produced two running backs with at least 1,000 yards rushing. A little-known school on the west coast, the University of Southern California (you may have heard of them), also produced two 1,000-yard rushers this season, but USC is still two years shy of tying Minnesota’s record. I wonder if they got a bowl game.

Bet you didn’t know award: Minnesota Women’s Cross Country
Not only did the women’s cross-country team make it to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2001, but they also accomplished one other small feat: the greatest finish in Minnesota women’s cross country history. Their ninth place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championship topped their tenth place finish in 1983 as the school’s best.

Future Football Stars from the Big Ten

Brett Basanez – Northwestern
Basanez surpassed the 10,000 yard mark for career passing yards this season. He is the just the third quarterback in Big Ten history to reach that milestone. He carried the Wildcats to record of 7-4, earning them a bowl bid.

A.J. Hawk – Ohio State
This Buckeye tackled everything in sight this season. Hawk finished the year with 109 tackles and 7.5 sacks. He received first team honors in the Big Ten for his third straight year and he figures to be one of the top defensive selections in the draft.

Laurence Maroney – Minnesota
Behind an offensive line boasting two All-Americans, Laurence Maroney ran tremendously this year. He finished the regular season with 1,413 yards and 11 total touchdowns. He will be an exceptional running back for those in the market come April.