Jim Souhan is a typically lousy columnist.

The Strib's Jim Souhan is a predictably bad columnist, so I don't usually bother ripping on him. But today's column ripping the Vikings and Timberwolves is worthy of our scorn. Go see his column "Wolves, Vikings need a plan, not a prayer."

Souhan begins:

"If you were to assess the local pro sports scene in one sentence it would be: Having a plan is good.

Unfortunately for the Wolves and Vikings, hope is not a plan."

He then goes on to praise the Twins: horrible in 1999, they sacrificed winning now to win in the future, with great results. He then talks about the Wild, and how they've had a plan to succeed and that it's working.

He turns his ridicule to the Timberwolves, VERY deserving of it (though he cherry picks facts similarly to how Reusse picks facts in comparing Dwane Casey and Randy Wittman). Clearly Glen Taylor and Kevin McHale haven't had a good plan in destroying the Timberwolves.

Then he goes on to the Vikings, lumping them with the Timberwolves (no plan) in contrast to the Twins and Wild (plan).

"This is the Vikings' problem, as well. Owner Zygi Wilf's decisions -- firing Mike Tice and hiring Brad Childress, Fran Foley and Rick Spielman -- were the result of his lack of a guiding philosophy."

Hmm. Interesting idea. Do you have any evidence for this, Mr. Souhan? Do you have any analysis for why these decisions show no plan?

"Wilf's standard for hiring someone apparently is, "He said what I wanted to hear.""

Well, I'm not quite sure your random speculation is evidence that Wilf has no plan.

"Wilf commissioned a lengthy "Code of Conduct" that nobody will ever read, and his dealings with local officials in his search for a stadium has followed no logical or productive pattern."

So the fact that he indeed HAS a plan with his "Code of Conduct" doesn't matter because, according to Souhan, "nobody will ever read" it. So ACTUALLY having a plan doesn't matter. And the complexities of the stadium issue, local communities, and the legislature are not nearly simply enough that Wilf can be blamed for having no plan.

And...oh, what? That's it? Now we're on to talk about the Gophers? Oh, wait, at the end we're back to the Vikings:

"The Vikings and the Timberwolves don't seem to have any plans -- unless their real goals are franchise relocation."

Souhan presents no real evidence that the Vikings have no plan. He doesn't even present real analysis that the Vikings have no plan. He just lumps them in and insults them without showing or proving any of his claims. He doesn't look at on-the-field issues. He doesn't actually go and ask anybody about any plan and report on it. He does what all lousy, lazy columnists do. He doesn't report (there's not a single REAL quote in this column, though he does MAKE UP two quotes), he doesn't analyze, and he doesn't attempt to provide real evidence or make a legitimate argument; instead, he vaguely insults.