Eyes That See the Good in Things - January 22, 2018

I wasn’t going to do it. As fun as that Vikings win was on Sunday, it just didn’t have that “good in things” feel. Until I heard this.

 In what’s been tabbed the Minnesota Miracle, the Vikings won in a combination of some pretty awesome athletic talent by Stefon Diggs, and a big stroke of luck.

 However, a sports talk show I was listening to said the true test would be their next game. He said that’s the game when the Vikings historically ‘choke.’ If they win that one, though, they will be playing in their fifth Super Bowl at home in their own brand-new stadium. How awesome would that be?

 We did a little checking on Vikings history in the Transcript office yesterday. The website I checked reported Super Bowl winners and the number of team appearances. For the Vikings Super Bowl wins, the site said NEVER. And yes, it was all caps, just like that. Taunting us. And then they said it’s been a 40-year drought since they had a Super Bowl appearance. So yes, I’d say we’re due.

 The stories that caught my eye, though, were the little things that invariably come up in situations like these, when the fans get involved. After their heart-breaking loss on Sunday, Saints fans showed up at the New Orleans airport at 1:00 a.m. to welcome their team back home again. Some held signs saying, “We love you, Marcus.” Marcus Williams was the player who missed the tackle that could have saved the game for the Saints.

 Marc and Jill Winston had raised three sons who had played high school sports and they knew how harsh athletes could be on themselves.

 “I was just thinking about how bad this kid must feel,” Jill Winston, 66, said. “They’re so hard on themselves. I just wanted to give him a big hug and some love.”

 “He’s only, like 20 or 21,” Marc, 72, said. “Those players get to be in the spotlight, but that spotlight can be a little bright.”

 The couple had lengthy careers in the advertising business. They composed the phrase, “Dat’s OK Marcus, We (big pink heart) our Saints” and posted it electronically on a big lighted billboard in New Orleans.

 If you watched the game on Sunday, you saw that Saints punter Thomas Morstead was injured early in the game. You could tell he was hurting every time he came out on the field, but he kept coming out and doing his job. One picture I saw showed him standing with his back to the camera, with his head down. You can read “Morstead” on the back of the jersey and the number 6.

 The message read, “when you punt with broken ribs and then show up first to the last play for the defense…you have given it your all.”

 In a strange turn of events, the last play of the game was ten minutes after the winning touchdown and the entire Saints team was already in the locker room. Vikings players were already doing media interviews, according to an article in the New Orleans Times-Picaune.

 “Someone told me that they needed 11 guys out there,” Morstead said. “I didn’t realize I was the first guy leading the troops out there. We were just trying to get out there and finish the game and be done with it.”

 Morstead shook hands with several of the Vikings players before the play. He said Vikings quarterback, Case Keenum assured him their plan was simply to take a knee.

 “You better, because I’m hurting and I’m lining up across from some of your big offensive linemen,” Morstead replied to Keenum. “I just had this image of (the movie) Little Giants, with this little kid squatting down in front of the big linemen,” Morstead recalled.

 Since then, Vikings fans have inundated Morstead’s foundation, What You Give Will Grow, with donations to show their appreciation and support. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 600 Vikings fans had given more than $34,000. A $10,000 check came from Love Your Melon, a MN-based organization that gives half of its profits to fight pediatric cancer. The Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints organizations have each been reported to have given $10,000 gifts. Most of the gifts, though, have been small, individual donations.

 What no fan expected was that Morstead would send the donations right back to Minnesota, giving to the Children’s Minnesota Child Life division. Morstead tweeted that if donations hit $100,000, he’d fly back to Minneapolis to personally deliver the check.

 By Wednesday evening, more than 2500 people had donated more than $108,000 and Morstead has now scheduled a trip back to Minnesota the week before Super Bowl. When I checked this morning (Thursday, Jan. 18), the amount was over $149,000. As I am making the corrections, I see it is over $155,000, with three days still remaining in the campaign.

 Child Life programs provide emotional support for children and families, working hard to find creative ways to bring joy to kids in the hospital. To date, the What You Give Will Grow organization has given out well over $2.5 million.

 “Alright Minnesota, you guys are officially ridiculous,” Morstead said in a video on the donation page, adding he’s “totally blown away” by everything.

 “You guys should all be proud of yourselves, that’s a group effort and it’s going to affect everybody in your community in a positive way,” he said. “I may be forced to root for you guys all the way through the Super Bowl now.”

 To donate to Morstead’s charity as a Vikings fan, go to http://vikings.wygwg.org/

 We would love to share your stories about the good things your eyes are seeing.

  Stop in to share your stories with us, give us a call at 947-2417 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Or send a letter to Eyes That See the Good in Things, c/o Allison Lindgren, The Transcript, 6 8th St N., New Rockford, ND 58356.