My favorite teams taking the hits

Two of my favorite sports teams took hits recently.

On a sad note, former Cincinnati Reds' manager Sparky Anderson, 76, died Thursday from complications of dementia.

Only one day earlier, Anderson had been placed in hospice care.

During his managerial career, Anderson won 2,194 games with the Reds and Detroit Tigers, currently ranking him sixth all-time in victories. He trails only Connie Mack, John McGraw, Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre for most wins as a manager. He was also a two-time AL Manager of the Year.

Anderson was the first manager to win World Series titles in both leagues and finished his career with three titles.

While leading the "Big Red Machine," Anderson guided the squad to back-to-back titles in 1975-76.

He was elected into Baseball's Hall of Fame in 2000.

Anderson is survived by his wife, two sons, one daughter and nine grandchildren.

My other favorite sports team is beginning to look like a scene straight out of "As The World Turns."

Season-long drama has propelled by beloved Minnesota Vikings to a 2-5 start this year.

Just a few weeks ago, many fans thought things might turn around after the squad traded for Randy Moss.

But Monday, the Vikings' brass waived the wide receiver.

This, along with the investigation the NFL is conducting into alleged improper messages sent by quarterback Brett Favre when he was a member of the New York Jets, has started a downward spiral the team may have a difficult time getting out of.

Through seven games, Favre is the 29th ranked quarterback in the league, with a rating of 69.8. He has thrown 11 interceptions after tossing just seven last year.

On Oct. 6, Vikings coach Brad Childress traded a third-round draft pick to the New England Patriots for Moss, who managed just 13 catches in four games.

Things are not looking good for a squad many believed were bound for the Super Bowl.

Coincidentally, Moss was picked up off waivers by the Tennessee Titans Wednesday.

The entire situation got me thinking. Does Childress want to manage this team like Tony Dungy did with the Indianapolis Colts?

Sometimes, bad behavior off the field often resulted in Colts players looking for work while Dungy was coach.

If this is the case, Childress did the right thing. He got rid of a potential problem in the locker room before it became a disaster.

But the way it was handled may speak volumes to the players in that locker room.

Regardless, even though Childress signed a contract extension in the offseason, his job is probably on the line now.