Staff & Contributors

Marc Elliott

Marc Elliott is a free lance sports opinion writer. Elliott recently wrote “The Masked Fan Speaks” column for the Lake County News Chronicle for the past ten years.

Content By This Contributor:

Murder-Suicide Rocks The NFL In Kansas City, Another Big WCHA Weekend, & The Mfan NFL Picks For Week 14!

Marc Elliott

BARKER ISLAND… Saturday morning as I was having some coffee, halfway listening to some college football warm-up shows, and reading some news online, the news first came across that an NFL football player from the Kansas City Chiefs had shot his girlfriend, then departed that crime scene and gone to the club’s practice facility, where he somehow came across the team’s coach Romeo Crennell and team GM Scott Pioli. At that point, some conversation ensued, and then the

Happy Turkey Day! Loads And Loads Of No Hockey!! Plus The Mfan NFL Picks For Week 12!

Marc Elliott

STEWART LAKE… Yes, the NHL lockout is ongoing, sadly. The more I think about it, the more irritated I get. As time has gone on with this debacle, my opinions have evolved a bit, but my basic stances on who, what, where, when, and why haven’t changed too much. Based on the actions and thus inaction of Commissioner Ga

The Hunting Of The Gray Wolf: Necessity Or Frivolity? The Mfan NFL Picks For Week 11!

Marc Elliott

LARSMONT… I have seen few outdoor issues as divisive as the hunting of the wolf. There are few opinions in the middle; people have lined up pretty much either for or against. For me, I’ll state honestly here that I love the outdoors. I enjoy doing things outdoors as much as possible. I’m not a hunter and never have been. I’m not against it per se—I just come from a fam

The San Fran Giants Come Up Giant-Like, NHL In The Tank, And The Mfan NFL Picks For Week 9!

Marc Elliott

FRENCH RIVER…. The Fall Classic has concluded with the San Fran Gigantes besting the Detroit Tigers in a four-game sweep. Game 4 was the first in which the Tigers put up some sort of resistance to the Giants’ onslaught, but they eventually went down, losing 4-3 in 10 innings. TV ratings were reportedly very low and that is a shame. But with the election cycle in full s

This Week: The Potpourri Of Sports And The Mfan Nfl Picks For Week 7!

Marc Elliott

SCANLON… Have you been watching the MLB playoffs? I have, and I must say that I have seen some excellent, very exciting games so far. As I have noted previously, I am no fan of the new wildcard “extension” series preceding the real playoffs (although the Cards-Braves tilt was awesome, crummy umpiring notwithstan

NFL “Real” Refs Finally Return And Why You Should Be Mad, And The Mfan Nfl Picks For Week 5!

Marc Elliott

LARSMONT… As you know by now the National Football League has agreed on a new contract with the leagues regular officials. After a Monday Night Football game ending debacle between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks on the 24th, created by a quite apparent wrong call on a last second hail Mary play, fans, players, coaches, team exec’s, and 35 polka bands from the Cheese state, were joined by just about e

News, Views, & Wooooooooooooooo! And The Mfan NFL Picks For Week 2!

Marc Elliott

STONY POINT…. There was sports excitement in the air in the Metroplex today as the Minnesota Vikings bested the Jacksonville Jaguars in OT 26-23. Rookie kicker Blair Walsh from the University of Georgia tied the game at 23 each at the end of the fourth quarter, then got the winner in OT. With the new NFL rule for overtime games in effect, the Jags got one more possession and sputtered, giving the Purple their fir

The Best Baseball Tourney In The Land Concludes, And Can You Make Sense Of Nonsense In The Nhl Cba Talks?

Marc Elliott

MOUNT ROYAL… I have just finished watching a couple of weeks of some of the best, purest baseball you will find anywhere on the planet. The Little League World Series has concluded this afternoon with international champion Japan besting the United States champion from Goodlettsville, TN, by a 12-2 score. This tilt concluded in the bottom of the fifth inning when the 10-run lead rule was invoked. The games were great folks; the stories off of the field of play were even better.

Did You Think The Drug Problem In Major League Baseball Had Really Gone Away? Nhl Cba Situation And More!

Marc Elliott

PROCTOR… Just last week the office of MLB suspended San Francisco Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera for 50 games for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) after being caught with high levels of synthetic testosterone in his system. Just when you think all on the western front might be quiet for once, whammo! — another player gets caught up in the web of MLB justice. It

Are The Twins A Better Club Without Frankie Liriano? Will The Nhl Season Start On Time? What Color Was That Porsche 911, Johnny Gilbert?

Marc Elliott

WEST MEMPHIS…. In a move that’s been rumored and talked about for months now, the Minnesota Twins have traded Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox for some prospects. Frankie goes to the pale hose for pitching prospect left-hander Pedro Hernandez and shortstop Eduardo Escobar. Both have been assigned to the club’s Rochester affiliate. This is the second trade of any magnitude in the past 12 months where a former Twins player has been traded to a division rival. Late in the trade s

Can Penn State Football And Athletics Survive This? Mfan Shorts And More!

Marc Elliott

CLOQUET LAKE… Just little more than an hour ago, NCAA president Mark Emmert issued the most severe set of penalties ever levied by the governing body of collegiate sports. For the Jerry Sandusky incidents involving sexual abuse of children, Penn State University has been fined $60 mil, cannot participate in bowl games for four years, will have its football scholarships substantially reduced for those same four years, and will vacate a

Minnesota Wild Drop 100 Megaton Bomb On The Planet Of Hockey! & Andy Griffith R.I.P.

Marc Elliott

LARSMONT…. I have to tell you folks, it is Monday morning, a full 8 days after the free agent signing period began in the NHL, and 5 days after the Minnesota Wild got their men, that’s right, that’s men as in plural, both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are now on the roster of the Wild. I am elated and I am still kind of in a state of disbelief. So much so that I probably am not allowing an hour to go by without getting

Nhl Free Agent Frenzy Begins! The Wild Are Going Fishin’!

Marc Elliott

ST. PAUL…. Usually in the middle of summer, there is not a lot shaking at the corner of West 7th Street and St. Peter in downtown St. Paul. Especially on a Sunday afternoon. And today is no different. Looks pretty much the same as always. Except if you were to go i

NHL Draft: Are The Wild Getting Back On Track? And The Mfan & Mr. Mohawk Invade Wrigley Field!

Marc Elliott

EAGLE MTN… The 2012 NHL entry draft was held over the weekend, and here are my thoughts. For the Minnesota Wild, jeez, I want to be optimistic about the club, but it has been a frustrating ride thus far, hasn’t it? And it’s not hard to see that the malaise of the last two to three seasons is born of the 2004–2008 entry draft bust-o-rama. You simply can’t go five drafts in a row in this league without hitting some pay dirt

Stanley Cup Recap, Nhl Heads Into The Offseason, & La King Fan Tribute To 9/11 Victims

Marc Elliott

PARK POINT…. As you must know by now, the Los Angeles Kings have finally won their first Stanley Cup in club history, and wrapped up an outstanding tournament performance with a Game 6 manhandling of the New Jersey Devils. The Game 6 final was 6-1 with a 1st-period KO, if the official scorers will allow that. The Kings finished the tournament with a 16-4 record. Folks, I have seen upwards of 50 Stanley Cup tourneys, and to say the Kings dominated their foes in the process of winning the greatest trophy in the world would be inadequate.

Triple “Crowner” Turns Out To Be Triple Downer, Stanley Cup Rages Forth

Marc Elliott

CLOVER VALLEY… I’ve said all along that winning the Triple Crown is a huge challenge and that whoever wins it will be considered immortal in the annals of equine history. The events of last week proved this to be true, but in the aftermath of I’ll Have Another’s withdrawal from the Belmont Stakes, there might be more questions than answers. In addition, he was retired from competition, leaving fans and supporters shocked and saddened at his sudden departure from the chance of a lifetime and from the sport itself. This has also hit NBC hard and the industry, too, since they both would have benefited from IHA’s appearance and try for the Crown.

Stanley Cup Action From Coast To Coast! Will We Witness Horse Racing History Saturday? Tune It In!

Marc Elliott

ISABELLA… Two games are complete in the Stanley Cup finals, and the LA Kings are in the Cup driver’s seat with a 2-0 series lead over the NJ Devils and a chance to close it out at home with two games coming up on the left coast. The Kings won both games courtesy of 2-1 OT scores. They scored first in each game, then the Devs scrapped back to tie only to lose in OT both times. Is there anything the Devs can do differently to obtain a different result in games three and four?

Do The Washington Capitals Have A “Russian” Problem? Stanley Cup Tourney Nearing Finals, And Triple Crown Possibilities

Marc Elliott

LARSMONT… Two days after the Washington Capitals were eliminated from the Stanley Cup tourney by the New York Rangers, their head coach and former star player, Dale Hunter, stepped down, saying he was going back home to be with his family. As is usual with these kinds of stories, the conjecture began immediately. When the club fired Bruce Boudreau in late November of last year, they brought Hunter in to fill the void. Based on some answer

Vikes Stadium Bill Showdown, Cup Tourney Closes In On Conference Finals, & The Mfan NHL Power Rank!

Marc Elliott

THE METROPLEX…. The HHH MetroDome opened its doors for the first time in April of 1982. I was at the first event to ever be held there, an MLB exhibition game between the Twins and Pete Rose’s Philadelphia Phillies. The Twins and the Vikings had both lobbied for a new stadium, with the Twins’ main push for a domed building based upon fan certainty that they could come to the ballpark and not be prevented from seeing a game due to a rainout or other weather event. The Vikes, I believe, liked it because the old Met Stadium had seen its better days and they could obtain a larger live audience with a new locale to play in.

The Wild Post-Season Wrap, Part Three; The Stanley Cup, Round Two; And The Mfan Cup Power Rank, The M5!

Marc Elliott

CANAL PARK… To say that injuries drastically altered the course of the Minnesota Wild’s season would be an understatement. The club dressed a record 47 different players over the past campaign. One injury in particular seemed to have a sudden effect on the team that they would not recover from. On December 13th the team was in Winnipeg and was in first place in the league’s overall standings. Late in the third period and down by a 2-1 score, the Jets’ Zach Bogosian checked Pierre-Marc Bouchard from behind, and PMB went into the boards face-first and went down hard.

Wild Season Wrap Part 2, Stanley Cup Tourney Rages On, And The Masked Fan Cup Power Rank, The M5!

Marc Elliott

SAWBILL LAKE…. Last week I was getting kind of emotional about the Minnesota Wild. First off, I love hockey like crazy and I’m a Minnesota guy, so there. Having an NHL club back in Minny has meant the world to me. Sure, it’s been 11 seasons of frustration, with one huge highlight in the 2003 Conference Finals, but my hopes for an eventual championship for the club are undiminished. This week, let’s look at some of the hard data from the season just concluded. With a mix of established veterans of varying degrees of success and some up-and-coming young talent, here are some important stats.

Minnesota Wild Post-Season Wrap, Part One, The Stanley Cup Rages Forth, & The Mfan Cup Power Rank, The M5!

Marc Elliott

CARLTON PEAK… The Minnesota Wild have concluded their 11th season of competition, posting a record of 35-36-1—or if you are like me and just want the W-L record in black and white, they went 35-47. They put on a surge of sorts going 5-5 in their last 10 tilts. However, I am saddened to report that they missed the playoffs once again. In fact, to be honest, after 11 seasons, the highlight list for the club is kind of a short read. Out of expansion teams that have come into the NHL over the past 15 years, the Wild and Columbus are the two that still seem to be finding their way.

News, Views And Wooooooooooooooooo! The Frozen Four, The NHL And The Mfan NHL M5!

Marc Elliott

SILVER CLIFF…. It’s two a.m. in the morning, and sitting around a nice little campfire atop this magnificent perch high above the majestic Gitche Gumee are myself along with the Grand Hockey Mystic, the Very Reverend Swami Puckta. I have been sipping some excellent, well, let’s call it “extract of cactus,” and the Swami—I’m not sure, but it looks like

Vikings Settle Stadium Issue And Agree To Pay All Construction Costs, NCAA Hockey Tourney & More!

Marc Elliott

THE METROPLEX… The Minnesota Vikings football club and the Minnesota state legislature have come to an agreement on a new stadium for the team. The new agreement calls for a stadium to be constructed on the latest popular site, which happens to be next to the current site of the HHH Metrodome. Since the early nineties, several sites have come and g

Manning To Broncos? NCAA Hockey Is Here! The Mfan Top 5 NHL Power Rank & More!

Marc Elliott

CLOQUET LAKE… Where would you rather be right now, northern Minny or south Florida? Since the weather is about the same as of late, I’ll take the peace and quiet of the good old North Star state any day of the week. As of Tuesday morning, it appears that all-world QB Peyton Manning is set to become a Denver Bronco. Well, that’s great. I have been to Denver several times and I really like it there. I wouldn’t mind spending a few years there, in fact. The beautiful Rocky Mountains are close by with plenty of outdoor recreation pursui

It’s State Hockey Tourney Time! Masked Fan Sports Shorts & Much, Much More!

Marc Elliott

LARSMONT… Just two summers ago, my son William, my little brother Tom Zamberletti and I went over to the St. Paul neighborhood where we grew up. A few years had passed by since I had been over there, and my son wanted to see where it was that we lived when we were younger. Not 200 feet off of West 7th S

Minnesota Wild Woes Continue Part One, And The Mfan Extra! Here We Go!

Marc Elliott

BILLINGS PARK…. I wrote back in October that I felt the 2011-12 version of the Minnesota Wild were going to finish in the 11th to 12th place neighborhood of the NHL Western Conference and I took a lot of heat for it. Lo and behold the club surprised everyone and in early December while Santa and the Elves were getting ready for a return engagement to your chimney, this team, yes this team, found themselves on top of the NHL points race. Then shazam! The hockey genie was put back into the bottle.

A Sports Legend Passes On: Joe Paterno Dead At 85.

Marc Elliott

SILVER CREEK… It is a sad and indifferent day in the world of sports, especially in the universe of college football. Some 74 days after being fired from a job he had worked at for 61 years, 44 of which he served as the head coach, former ...

Baseball Contract Madness

Marc Elliott

PARK POINT… Well, baseball fans, it’s done: the first major and idiotic contract of the free agent season has been signed, sealed, and delivered. The former St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Albert Pujols has signed a whopper ...

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