THE OPENER: This is a time-flying note. Welcome to the 25th Sports Take newsletter. I’ve been at this for just over six months, even since meeting with Blois Olson on the patio behind the Westwood Hills Nature Center to make this happen, and it really feels like I just started. After years as an editor, it’s been nice to have a voice again and I’m doing my best to use it in a way that’s interesting, informational and keeps sports in context. One of my goals is for you to have as much fun reading Sports Take as I do putting it together. Some of the good stuff comes from readers, so if you have anything to share (or want to make a suggestion) as we move toward Issue 250 . . . or 2,500 . . . shoot me an email here. — Howard Sinker
BEFORE YOU READ ANYTHING ELSE: Edina and Iron Range hockey legend Willard Ikola died Monday at age 92 (more on that below). Standing out from all the tributes is a sweet remembrance from Star Tribune’s Patrick Reusse, who writes his way through the 25% pay cut Ikola accepted to take the Edina job, a $5 hat and the team of 10-year-olds who represented Jackson Street on the indoor rinks of Eveleth. It’s Minnesota history disguised as a sports column. READ IT HERE: https://fluence-media.co/patrick0124
BIG DOINGS: There’s been a lot going on and a lot coming up. Here are six highlights.
O’CONNELL SIGNED: Via Ben Goessling at Star Tribune. We were all pretty sure it was going to happen, despite some fretting that turned out to be more wind than anything else. Amid all the details, here’s what’s important about coach Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings staying together. VERBATIM: “A new deal for the head coach puts the Vikings on more stable footing before their biggest decision of the offseason. Sam Darnold, who threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns on a one-year contract, will be a free agent in March, and the Vikings will have to decide whether to keep the 27-year-old or move forward with J.J. McCarthy, who missed his entire rookie season because of a torn meniscus. The Vikings also have 25 unrestricted or restricted free agents and could have between $65 and $70 million in salary cap space, setting them up for another active free agency period before a draft where they’re projected to have only four picks. O’Connell’s deal . . . though, ensures he’ll continue to mold the Vikings for years to come.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/koc0124
KAPRISOV, SPURGEON RETURN TONIGHT: Via Jess Myers at Pioneer Press. Wild star forward Kirill Kaprisov (out 12 games) and captain Jared Spurgeon (out nine) both appear set to play their first game of 2025 against Utah at the X. (7 p.m. FDSN) Both were out with lower body injuries. The Wild hung in without Kaprizov, going 7-5 in the games he missed and staying near the top of the Western Conference. They went 5-4 without Spurgeon. David Jiricek took Spurgeon’s defensive spot for six games and did well before being returned to the minors Wednesday. VERBATIM: “(Coach John Hynes) said there has been no sense of rushing either player back into the lineup, adding there is an emotional lift that comes from having them back in practice. ‘I think it certainly helps when you have guys obviously coming back and being part of the practice,” he said. “Not only is the team excited, but I also think the players that are coming back from injury (are) glad to be around the guys and the team and being at practice. . . . Each side fuels each other.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wild0124
DEATH OF A LEGEND: Via Tom Hauser at KSTP. VERBATIM: “Former Eveleth High School state champion, Olympic silver medalist and eight-time Minnesota state high school championship coach Willard Ikola passed away Monday night at age 92. Ikola is best known in more recent years for his record eight state high school hockey champions with the Edina Hornets, a fixture behind the bench in his houndstooth hat. However, his legend began to grow as a player in the Minnesota State Hockey Tournament from 1947-50. As a freshman goalie, his team lost in the semifinals in 1947. He never lost a high school game again. With Ikola in goal, Eveleth won state championships the next three years. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/iikola0124
VAZQUEZ TO PADRES? Via Dan Hayes and Dennis Lin at The Athletic. The San Diego Padres have a catching weakness significant enough that they have been talking to the Twins about acquiring catcher Christian Vazquez in a deal that could include San Diego’s top pitcher. VERBATIM: “The Padres are seeking a new primary catcher, and the list of free-agent options has dwindled. The Twins, meanwhile, would like to reallocate resources and are among the teams with interest in San Diego’s top starting pitcher, Dylan Cease, according to league sources.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/tradetalk0124
NEWEST SPORTS BETTING BILL INTRODUCED: A third version of legislation to legalize sports betting in Minnesota is being introduced today by Sen. Jeremy Miller (R-Winona). TWO THINGS TO NOTE: (1) The current version would give each of Minnesotan’s 11 tribes a license to run on-site and/or mobile betting. (2) Proposed tax revenue split: 50% for tax relief on charitable gambling, 25% for bringing sporting events to Minnesota, 20% for the state’s horse racing industry, 2.5% for problem gambling issues, 2.5% for youth sports grants. (DISCLOSURE: The Sports Betting Alliance is a client and sponsor of Fluence Media, which publishes Sports Take).
GOPHERS MEN WIN TWO: Not taking any credit here, but since we described the Gophers men’s basketball team as “profoundly bad” in last week’s Sports Take, they’ve beaten No. 21 Michigan (on a 40-foot overtime buzzer-beater by Dawson Garcia) and Iowa (on the road) after almost spitting up a comfortable lead in the final minutes. Good of them for being 2-6 instead of 0-8, as many expected, going into upcoming games against No. 15 Oregon at The Barn on Saturday (3 p.m. BIG) and at No. 8 Michigan State at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Peacock).
BIG TWIST FOR WNBA FREE AGENTS: Via Kent Youngblood at Star Tribune. Teams could start signing free agents on Tuesday and the biggest deal is that players are almost certain to sign one-year contracts. That’s because the league’s union agreement expires after this season and there’s expected to be much bigger money ahead starting in 20-26. The Lynx have just over $400,000 in salary cap space. The ;league’s maximum salary is $249,244. VERBATIM: “I think there are a few players that we think could be the missing piece to put ourselves in position to return to compete for the championship,” coach Cheryl Reeve said. “I think we feel we could use a couple players to really bolster our chances.” WANNA DREAM? Current free agents include Diana Taurasi, Britney Griner and Elena Delle Donne. STORY: https://fluence-media.co/lynx0124. FREE AGENT LIST: https://fluence-media.co/freeagents0124
BIG HOCKEY SERIES: Fourth-ranked Gophers men’s hockey plays at No. 2 Michigan State on Friday and Saturday. The Gophers are coming off a disappointing split against lowly Notre Dame and would like to do better than last month’s loss and tie to the Spartans at Mariucci. Games are at 6 p.m. Friday (BIG+) and 5 p.m. Saturday (BIG). Michigan State was No. 1 until splitting with Michigan last weekend. Minnesota dropped from No. 3. MY TAKE: Two of the best teams in country hidden on BIG+? Do better, Big Ten. And who’s No. 1 in the nation? POLL: https://fluence-media.co/puckpoll0124
HOCKEY DAY MINNESOTA: What you don’t see get promoted on TV is that Hockey Day is a multi-day event and it started Wednesday at Valleyfair. Today is Girls’ Hockey Day with three high school games starting at 3 p.m. and a 12U game between Shakopee and Alexandria at 9:30 p.m. There are boys’ games through the day on Friday and an 11:30 a.m. women’s game between the Gophers and Bemidji State anchors Saturday’s full day of games. (Yes, some of the rides will be open and there’s some important parking information on the schedule.) FULL SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/hdm0124. TV SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/hockeydaytv0124
CARRIED AWAY A BIT? One of my Facebook friends got kind of excited after the Gophers beat Iowa 72-67 on Tuesday:
THE GOOD NEWS: Coach Ben Johnson’s team looks to be playing with a bit more cohesion and took advantage of an Iowa team that looked disorganized and executed poorly. (The Hawkeyes are only 3-5 in the Big Ten, so it’s hard to call the victory much of a stunner, to be honest.) But it’s nice to be beyond the “find a game on the schedule where maybe they can win” thing that many of us had been doing.
THE TROUBLES: The Gophers led by 17 (63-46) with 6:15 to play and struggled to the point where Iowa had a potential game-tying possession in the final minute. If the Hawkeyes had completed the rally, we would be talking about Johnson calling Minnesota’s final time out with more than five minutes left. Instead, the chatter is about Iowa missing all of its three-pointers in the first half, finishing 3-for-21 on threes and having two players scoring 42 of the 67 points. It’s stunning that the Gophers have three rotation players shooting under 50% on free throws and two more who are under 60%. Minnesota is 343rd among the 355 D-I teams in free-throw percentage.
COURT STORMING: Sports Take is all in favor of storming the court as long as nobody gets hurt.
LEGEND? Via Marcus Fuller at Star Tribune. Dawson Garcia’s game-winner resulted in a story tracing his career from travel basketball star to Minnesota, his third college stop. VERBATIM: “Garcia’s game-winner to upset the Wolverines gave the Gophers their first Big Ten win this season and added to his legacy — one that started a decade ago as he climbed up Minnesota’s youth basketball ranks. The first buzzer-beater of Garcia’s career actually happened with Prior Lake’s traveling basketball program vs. Shakopee when he was a sixth-grader. Yup. Little but not so little 6-foot Dawson wasn’t yet a teenager. ‘He was so fun to coach,’ retired attorney and longtime Prior Lake youth coach Mike McDonald said. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/garcia0124
REUSSE REACTS: The Star Tribune columnist appears to think the Garcia hype may be getting a bit out of hand.
IN SUPPORT OF JOHNSON: Via Charles Hallman at Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. VERBATIM: “It’s . . . about halfway through the college basketball season, before criticism of Ben Johnson’s job as Minnesota men’s coach is being slyly planted into news reports by PWM (primarily white media), which in turn simultaneously plants seeds of doubt in Gopher fans who read such reports.” MORE: “From covering sports for over four decades, I know what it looks like when players quit on a coach, especially during losing times. This isn’t happening under Johnson’s watch.” FULL REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/johnson0124
Got something to show or tell me? Email: sportstake@fluence-media.com
TWINSFEST: It runs Friday and Saturday. Friday’s Twinsfest Live event at the Fillmore is sold out. Saturday’s autograph-themed event at Target Field runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $27 (and $11 in you’re under 12). Among other things, you can play mini-golf in the Twins clubhouse. The schedule link includes current Twins and alumni who are scheduled to attend, as well as an offer for a free bus or light rail ride to the event. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/twinsfest0124
TV NEWS (UPDATED): Via Jeff Wald at FOX9. The Twins announced their streaming plans on Friday. VERBATIM: “Consumers get a full season subscription for $99.99, or can do a monthly pass for $19.99. Twins season-ticket holders can get the full season for 50 percent off. Most importantly, there won't be any games blacked out in Minnesota, western Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota or Iowa. St. Peter said Twins' games will be able to reach 4.4 million homes, a 307 percent increase from last season.” Plans to make Twins TV available via cable and satellite will be announced later. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/twinstv0124
TV TALENT (AND A POLL): Last week’s announcement of the analysts who will work with Cory Provus came just after the Sports Take deadline, which did have the news of Roy Smalley’s departure. Returning is the rest of the 2024 crew: Primary analyst Justin Morneau and back-ups LaTroy Hawkins, Glen Perkins, Trevor Plouffe, and Denard Span.
TORII SURVIVES: 94.9% of those casting Hall of Fame ballots did not vote for Torii Hunter this year. That means he came one vote away from being removed from future ballots, but survived because he met the 5% threshold for getting another chance. (Players can stay on the ballot for up to 10 years.) There’s some hometown silliness on the web this week from someone calling Hunter “one of the greatest outfielders in Major League Baseball history” and inferring that “there’s still a chance” he can get elected. Go find it yourself if you want.
MEANWHILE: Via Sarah Langs at MLB.com. Billy Wagner, one of three players elected this week, received the second lowest vote percentage in his first year of anyone who finally reached the 75% mark needed for election. Wagner started at 10.5% and got 82.5% in his last chance on the ballot. The lowest debut total? That was Scott Rolen, who got 10.2% in 2018 and was elected in his sixth year. No, 5 on the list is Bert Blyleven, who went from 14.1% in 1999 to 79.7% in 2011. Blyleven’s election came when players could stay on the ballot for 15 years. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/ballot0124
FULL VOTING RESULTS: Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia, Wagner elected, a couple more players got close and a former Twin got shut out. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/results0124
WIN IS A WIN, RIGHT? Via Chris Hine at Star Tribune. The inconsistency of the Timberwolves is old news, so we won’t go deep on whatever frustration there is about the struggle to win in Dallas on Wednesday. The 115-114 final came against a Mavericks team that was missing Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall and Jaden Hardy. The heartening factor was the play of 73-year-old 37-year-old Mike Conley, who had a strong game in a season marred by injury and a sense that age is slowing him. VERBATIM: “He had eight of his 18 points and five of his eight assists in the third to keep the Wolves in the lead before they pushed it to double digits in the fourth. The 37-year-old had a rocky beginning to the season as he dealt with a right wrist injury in the offseason that hampered his ability to train. Just over halfway through the season, Conley said he is finally starting to feel comfortable, even as he has dealt with coming out of and then re-entering the starting lineup following the injury to (Dante) DiVincenzo.”
JULIUS RANDLE SAYS: “He’s starting to really turn the corner and find his rhythm. He’s old as hell, so it takes older people a little bit longer.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/conley0124
BE CAREFUL OUT THERE: The Wolves had a four-point lead and were passively watching the clock run out when Dallas star Kyrie Irving decided to throw up a doesn’t-matter three-point try as time expired. At least, it didn’t matter unless you’d bet on the Wolves, who were 3 1/2-point favorites. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/kyrie0124
SPECULATION SEASON STARTS: Via Emily Leiker at Star Tribune. Gaps among the final play of the season, the start of free agency and the draft get filled with analysis and speculation in the NFL’s quest to be relevant on a year-round basis. Why else would the league have some called the “legal tampering period” in March just before free agency starts? Beyond the QB and offensive line issues, the highest-profile chatter is likely to be about the running back situation. Aaron Jones and Cam Akers want to return. But do the Vikings want them back? (I mentioned the Jones situation in last week’s Sports Take. ) VERBATIM: “They finished in the bottom half of the league in total rushing yards (1,855), yards per attempt (4.1) and yards per game (109.1) during the regular season. Most glaring was their nine rushing touchdowns, third-fewest in the league; only the Browns and Jets (8) and Cowboys (6) scored fewer. And while those issues were often covered up by a successful passing attack, the final two games of the season showed how critical it is to have a run game that can relieve pressure from the quarterback and force defenses to diversify.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/rushing0124
TOP 100 FREE AGENTS: Via Pro Football Focus. There are seven 2024 Vikings among them. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/freeagent0124
POSITION-BY-POSITION: Via Purple Insider. Matthew Coller has published the first four parts of his look ahead — and more are coming. SEE THEM: https://fluence-media.co/purple
FREE AGENT GRADES: Via Dane Mizutani at Pioneer Press. Grades are handed out for the members of Minnesota’s 2024 free-agent class. MY TAKE: My college GPA would have been higher if I’d taken classes from Dane. REPORT CARD: https://fluence-media.co/grades0124
THREE FINALISTS FOR AWARDS: Via Craig Peters at vikings.com. More confirmation than surprise: Kevin O’Connell is one of five finalists for the Coach of the Year Award, Brian Flores for Assistant Coach of the Year and Sam Darnold for Comeback Player of the Year. Awards are presented by The Associated Press and will be announced on Feb. 6. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/awards0124
BIG TOMMIES GAME TONIGHT: St. Thomas men’s basketball is at Omaha tonight in a battle for first place in the Summit League between teams with 5-0 conference records. No other team has fewer than two conference losses. St. Thomas survived at scare Saturday, seeing a 17-point halftime lead shrink to two points before recovering to beat Denver, which is winless in the Summit. WANT TO WATCH? The game will be streamed at Tiffany Sports Lounge, 2051 Ford Parkway. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.
GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL: Via Vikings in the Community. Jason Defoe is a 380-pound lineman on the Clearbook-Gonvick High School team in northwestern Minnesota. This Instagram post from the Vikings tells the rest of the story. TAP HERE: https://fluence-media.co/jason0124
FROST GOES COLD: A three-game losing streak has put the Minnesota Frost in second place, three points behind PWHL-leading Montreal. The Frost has games at the X at 2 p.m. Sunday against Boston and 6 p.m. Tuesday against Toronto — the bottom two teams in the six-team league. Both are on FanDuel Sports North. STANDINGS: https://fluence-media.co/pwhlstandings
MIAC DRAMA BUILDS: St. John’s and Gustavus improved their men’s basketball records to 8-0 Wednesday night. The Johnnies won at Augsburg and the Gusties at Hamline. Because the MIAC reduced the conference schedule from 20 games (a double round-robin format) to 16, the teams will meet only once — Feb. 15 at St. Peter. Six teams make the conference tournament — and there are five teams mashed within two games of one another in fifth through ninth places at the midway point of the league schedule. STANDINGS: https://fluence-media.co/miacmbball
600th WIN: Via Joel Rippel at Star Tribune. Mountain Iron-Buhl girls basketball coach Jeff Buffetta raised his career record to 600-160 on Wednesday when his Iron Range team defeated Cass Lake-Bena 60-57. MIB is ranked fourth in Class1A, has a 14-2 record and gone to the state title game the last two seasons, winning in 2023 and taking second in 2024. He is the 14th girls coach in the state to reach that milestone. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/mib0124
AND FINALLY: I was featured on a podcast this week. If you want to listen to me talk about sports media, my journey from writing to editing, favorites foods and more, settle in and tap here.
Thanks for reading. Back with more next week.
HOWARD ON THE WEB:
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Tips and takes: sportstake@fluence-media.com
HOW TO WATCH ALMOST ANYTHING
ESPN's guide to sports on about 250 channels and streaming services: https://fluence-media.co/3T4rYw4
Minnesota Division II and III sports: MIAC Network | Northern Sun Network | Upper Midwest Network
NSPN Minnesota high school livestreams: https://fluence-media.co/3My8Tyv
NFHS Minnesota high school livestreams: https://fluence-media.co/3MvFSU6