WRITING WITH SADNESS: Former Star Tribune sports and metro columnist Doug Grow died Wednesday. He was one of my mentors and a great travel companion for big events. He treated everyone with dignity and his opinions were backed up by reporting. Doug left the Strib in 2007, describing his departure in a final column as “accepting a so-called voluntary buyout.” He also wrote in that column, “Being a newspaper reporter isn't a job. It's a daily rush.” On social media, former Gov. Arne Carlson paid tribute: “Doug Grow was an unusually talented journalist who truly made us think and, in so doing, compelled better public policy. He will be sorely missed.” His memory is a blessing. — Howard Sinker
LISTEN: Doug’s final column was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered. https://fluence-media.co/doug0709
LOOK NOW, FINISH LATER: Lynx guard Courtney Williams has been selected to play in the WNBA All-Star game on July 25 in Chicago. She authored a first-person story about her life and upbringing for The Players Tribune that is gold from start to finish. VERBATIM: “I realized the world didn’t think kids like me were ever gonna amount to anything. We weren’t worth saving.” READ IT HERE: https://fluence-media.co/courtney0709
LET’S DO THIS, TWINS: The MLB trade deadline is August 3 and the Twins play 22 games until then, so there’s a very good chance the Twins will still be — of all things I couldn’t have imagined in April — a postseason contender. Fangraphs current gives the Twins a 42.2% chance of qualifying. The burning question for many teams right now is whether they should be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Last year, as you remember, the Twins held an estate sale at the deadline. This year, they could do anything from fall apart in the next few weeks to passing Chicago and Cleveland in the AL Central standings by the end of this weekend. FANGRAPHS: https://fluence-media.co/playoffs0709
OVERACHIEVERS: Many of us started the season thinking the Twins were a candidate to lose 100 games. That won’t happen. For one thing, there are so many mediocre teams this season that none of them, not even the MLB-worst Angels, are on pace to do that. In the case of the Twins, they have overachieved and scrambled their way to stay near .500 and currently trail the Guardians by one game and the first-place White Sox by two. The entire infield has been made over, the outfield has been in a season-long state of flux and the batting order has been scrambled and re-scrambled. The defense is still subpar but the offense is among league leaders in all sorts of categories. Amid all the shuffling the Twins present as a cohesive group that has rolled with the needed changes.
SO HERE’S THE PLAN: Baseball’s norm is that teams choose among being buyers, sellers or standing pat at the trade deadline. No matter what happens in the next few weeks, the Twins should break the norm. They should be buyers and sellers. The best case, obviously, is playing meaningful baseball for the final two months of the regular season. The worst is that they start a downward tumble. Either way, they should react the same. If things go well, strengthen the roster. If things go badly, strengthen the roster. The St. Paul Saints are stocked with promising players waiting for their shot, so the Twins don’t need to add to that logjam by trading elite players for prospects.
DEALS TO MAKE: Here’s a fine chance for rookie principal owner Tom Pohlad to back up his words with actions. The Twins still need to strengthen their pitching and upgrade their bench. They have assets that would help other teams who also see themselves as contenders and should barter for assets that would help themselves in 2026, as well as down the road. Do not set back the starting rotation by trading Joe Ryan, and broadcast far and wide that Byron Buxton will not be asked to waive his no-trade clause.
SPECIFICS, PLEASE: Four things. 1. Trade Trevor Larnach while his value is at a peak. Larnach is in the midst of a stunningly good season He’s only 13 plate appearances short of qualifying to be on the official MLB leaderboard, but his .380 on-base percentage would tie him for 18th among those who officially qualify. It’s an opportunity to sell high. 2. Take offers for Ryan Jeffers if he shows himself to be healthy enough to command value. The Victor Caratini/Alex Jackson catching combo is good enough to get through the season — something I didn’t expect — and Jeffers fetches immediate and future. Jeffers is rehabbing with the Saints from his broken hand and is 6-for-13 with two homers in four games. 3. Add another veteran. Find the player who would add as much to the team with his presence as with his performance, someone to complement Buxton’s leadership. In 1987, when the Twins won the World Series, that player was Don Baylor, whose impact went well beyond his 49 at-bats at the end of the season. 4. Keep improving the bullpen. Somewhere in this equation, the Twins need to have help for Yoendrys Gomez and Andrew Morris, the only currently reliable relievers.
BUXTON THOUGHT: Before Tuesday’s win over Cleveland, the Twins showed scoreboard video of manager Derek Shelton telling the team that Buxton had been named an All-Star (even though he’ll miss the game with a hip injury). This one sentence was worth 1,000 words: “I’m having the best time of my life with you guys,” Buxton told his teammates. I keep comparing his understated leadership to the leadership style of look-at-me guys (If you think Carlos Correa is in that group, we’re in agreement), and I’ll take what Buxton gives eight days a week and 13 months a year.
IF YOU COME AT THE KING: You’ll probably miss. LeBron James is trying to pick his next basketball team after deciding to leave the Lakers. He wants to be part of another NBA title-winner before retiring. NBA coverage is filled with analysts and insiders who are curating lists of most-possible destinations and longshots. Google “LeBron James and Timberwolves” for the latest updates, but the Wolves are solidly in the longshot camp. They need the 41-year-old James more than he needs them.
BRETT FAVRE REVISITED? Via Michael Rand at Star Tribune. The idea that Brett Favre would ever play for the Vikings seemed preposterous, until he signed as a free agent in 2009 for the final act of his Hall of Fame career. A replay? As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the predictions market Kalshi gave the Wolves a 2% chance of getting James — fifth behind Cleveland, Golden State, Miami and Philadelphia. VERBATIM: “The Timberwolves are a franchise that used to be stuck in a perpetual rebuild and used to almost give away season tickets for free. Being in the mix for arguably the greatest player of all-time when he has the free will to choose any team to end his career with is a huge signal of how far the franchise has come and where the Wolves could be headed. It’s good for the brand even if this LeBron “Decision” doesn’t go their way.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/lebron0709
MARATHON WEATHER: Via Star Tribune. Writer Bob Timmons produced an excellent package of stories about the weather-induced weekend change for the Twin Cities Marathon beginning in 2027. The move from the first Sunday in October to dates between Oct. 12 and 17 from 2027-31 was sparked by the cancellation of the 2023 race because of extreme heat and relied on an abundance of climate-change data. That ranged from the fact that seven of the 10 warmest autumns in Minnesota history have occurred in the last 25 years to the potential for a first snowfall as soon as October 20. The new dates also take into account putting the marathon on the weekend before Education Minnesota’s annual convention and school break.
KEY POINTS: Twin Cities Marathon (TCM) president Dean Orton and race director Ed Whetham summarized their case. VERBATIM: “Fall and winter are warming faster in Minnesota than other seasons, according to the state climatology office. Seven of the 10 warmest autumns on record have occurred since 2000. The warmth has moved peak fall color later in the year, too. ‘This is all about a fall experience. And that data’s clearly shifted, too,’ Orton said. ‘So, we want the full experience.’ Whetham emphasized that they tried to remove emotion from the decision — ‘of living through 2023’ — and let the data drive them toward picking a new marathon date. Orton agreed. ‘There is just too much data and too much potential for upside.’
AND THIS: "The data doesn’t lie to me," Whetham said. “It’s just stating, like, we’re just not getting those ideal conditions anymore."
FALL(OUT) IN MANKATO: The change is presenting challenges for the much-smaller Mankato Marathon, which is scheduled annually on the third Saturday of October. It will be run the same weekend as next year’s Twin Cities race and on the following weekend in 2028-2031. Joy Leafblad, sports tourism director for Greater Mankato Growth Inc., said TCM officials told her group they were considering a date change and called last week to give advance notice of the decision. Leafblad said the Mankato group intends to partner with TCM looking for ways to promote the southern Minnesota marathon, which emphasizes fall scenery and changed up the course this year to make it more runner-friendly. It’s also challenging enough to be a qualifying course for the Boston Marathon. Last year’s marathon had 380 finishers and more than 2,200 who competed in Mankato’s 5K, 10K and half-marathon. The Twin Cities Marathon had just over 7,000 finishers. In 2023, when the Twin Cities Marathon was canceled, Leafblad said her group added about 300 spots on short notice, bringing the field close to 600.
LINK FARM: Star Tribune coverage is here, here and here. Mankato Marathon information is here. MEA convention dates through 2036 are here.
REEVE’S NO. 1: Coach Cheryl Reeve became the winningest coach in WNBA regular-season history Wednesday when the Lynx won 76-70 at Connecticut. It was the 380th victory of her 17-year career and a standout milestone in a career that’s had many big moments ranging from four WNBA titles and induction last month into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. I recognize that times are tight at the local mainstream media orgs, but I have to think that if a men’s coach of a major local pro franchise or at the University of Minnesota was about to set such a record, they would have been on hand to cover it in person to better capture the magnitude of the moment.
VIDEO: Showing this interview for the wrong reason. I know, without a doubt, that local reporters and columnists who follow the Lynx would have done so much better than reducing Reeve’s moment to little more than a game wrap-up about beating the worst team in the league.
BIG WEEK AT HOME: The Lynx start a four-game homestand on Saturday with a noon game vs. the Liberty (Noon, ABC), who beat them 99-86 in Brooklyn on July 3. Other opponents are Phoenix at 8 p.m. Monday (NBCSN, Peacock and Victory+), Los Angeles at noon Wednesday (Victory+) and Portland at 7 p.m. a week from Saturday (Victory+). Wednesday’s game is the annual high-decibel afternoon event that fills Target Center with summer campers. Bring ear plugs and enjoy the mashup of basketball, youthful energy and pop culture. WNBA STANDINGS | TICKETS
WORLD CUP PERSPECTIVE: Many of us got sucked in again by a perfect storm of expectations for the United States men’s team in the World Cup. I’m a soccer casual, who enjoyed being in the conversation and learning over the last few weeks from people who know more than I do. I will not be dismissive of the millions of Americans who bring the same passion to soccer as other fans bring to their favorite sports. But my sense is that many of us bought in because of the event’s magnitude and because the USA was a host nation, but few will be converted into soccer fanatics. It reminds me of the way people start following their home team during a playoff run or an NCAA tournament. Interest will be sparked again in 2030 when Morocco, Spain and Portugal will co-host (along with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting first-round matches to recognize the 100 years since the first World Cup, which was played in South America.) But without good reason, will we watch U.S. matches and be as invested? I doubt it.
ONE-PARAGRAPH REVIEW: The U.S. men’s team was the highest ranked in the group it won, didn’t face a stiff challenge in the first round of the expanded knockout stage (up from 16 teams to 32) and suffered a breakdown-filled butt-whipping in a 4-1 loss to Belgium. Fun while it lasted, but not a huge deal when it ended. In the end, I think many people were just ready to move on, in large measure because of the ham-handed silliness surrounding U.S. star Folarin Balogun’s red-card controversy and noted futbol expert Donald J. Trump’s ill-advised and awkward plea to FIFA to reconsider Balogun’s eligibility. My hope is in four years, that silliness will be long forgotten and U.S. soccer will be judged on its merits and without political taint.
SOUHAN RETIRES: Star Tribune columnist Jim Souhan is retiring after 36 years as a beat writer and columnist. He brought a beat writer’s sensibilities from covering the Vikings and Twins to becoming a columnist in 2004 (replacing Dan Barreiro), where his interviewing skills were key to his strong work. Souhan was an advocate for women’s sports and over the years developed a leftist political edge, which earned detractors from the stick-to-sports posse. In his next-to-last column, Souhan wrote: “Belatedly reflecting on more than 40 years of sports writing, including 36 at the Star Tribune, I’ve had an epiphany. Man, I made a lot of people mad.” In his departure column, he paid tribute to many of the people he worked with at the Strib, and he was also celebrated by colleague Patrick Reusse, one of the Strib’s three remaining sports columnists.
FINAL COLUMNS are here and here. | Reusse on Souhan
AURORA SLIGHTED: After an undefeated season and wins in the first two rounds of the postseason, Minnesota Aurora expected to play at home in this weekend’s semifinals of the USL W playoffs. Instead, the league chose opponent Salmon Bay FC of Seattle to host Saturday’s game, which resulted in an outrage post on Instagram.
HMMMM: The USL W’s playoff page states: “Being the highest seed in your conference does not guarantee the hosting of matches. Playoff hosts are determined via a bid process conducted by the League.” I emailed the league’s director of marketing and communications asking for information about the decision and did not receive a response. The game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Saturday and will be streamed on SportsEngine. Sun Country is offering a 50% discount on flights to and from Seattle for the game.
LOONS GATHER IN SECRET: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. Minnesota United will end a two-month break in the MLS schedule on July 22 at Sporting Kansas City, and is in the process of ramping up with three scrimmages that are closed to the public. The second was Wednesday at Allianz Field vs. Real Salt Lake and the Loons will play at Colorado Rapids next Wednesday. Wednesday’s scrimmage consisted of three 45-minute “halves” and the one at Colorado will more closely resemble actual game conditions. The Loons have 19 games remaining in the regular season and are currently holding eighth place in the Western Conference. The top nine teams will make the postseason. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/loons0709
WHO WILL TWINS DRAFT? Via Betty Helfand at Pioneer Press and Fangraphs. Baseball’s amateur draft is Saturday and the Twins have the third pick in a draft that appears to have three elite players. The most interesting thing is that the order in which they’ll likely be selected keeps changing, according to draft insiders and other close followers. The three are Roch Cholowsky, a shortstop from UCLA; Grady Emerson, a high school shortstop from Texas, and Vahn Lackey, a catcher from Georgia Tech. Lackey, who moved up in the rankings during a strong college season, had been the name most associated the Twins, but he could go to the White Sox or Rays, who have the first two picks, without it being a surprise. The Fangraphs mock draft has Emerson going to Chicago and Lackey going to the Rays, with Cholowsky being taken by Minnesota. PIONEER PRESS REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/draft0709. FANGRAPHS MOCK DRAFT: https://fluence-media.co/mock0708.
VIDEO: CHOLOWSKY | EMERSON | LACKEY
TV INFO, GO DEEPER: Via Twins Daily. the draft starts at noon Saturday. The first four rounds will be held Saturday with Rounds 5 through 20 on Sunday. The first 10 picks will be shown on NBC and Peacock. The rest of the draft will be streamed on MLB.com. DRAFT PRIMER: https://fluence-media.co/primer0709
FIVE-IN-FIVE EXPLAINED WELL: Via IMG Academy. The NCAA’s new eligibility rules — giving most players five years of college eligibility while doing away with redshirts, injury waivers and other exceptions — was both a hot story last month and a major change that left fans with questions about the details. IMG Academy, the private school for students with college and pro sports aspirations, has published a guide that includes key changes and takeaways. GUIDE: https://fluence-media.co/ncaa0709
MOST UNDERRATED VIKINGS EVER. Via Matthew Collar and Josh Smith at Purple Insider. The Vikings news site has produced a ranking of the 20 most underrated players in team history and the winner is . . . wide receiver Jake Reed, who played for them from 1991-2001. VERBATIM: “We probably don’t think about Jake Reed enough. And we certainly don’t think about him when we reminisce on that game. Yet, there he was, lighting the fuse for an offensive explosion — and then just stepping back. After a frustrating journey to gain a role, Reed was, in most circles, just the lesser known sidekick to record-breaking Cris Carter. Then, after Randy Moss landed in Minnesota’s lap, he selflessly accepted even more of a complementary job as the offense set the league ablaze. It’s easy to forget that, at various points, without much individual fanfare, Reed was the other guy in perhaps the finest WR tandem and trio in NFL history. For these reasons and several others we’ll exhibit, Reed wears the crown as our list’s most underrated Viking.” ENTIRE LIST: https://fluence-media.co/underrated0709
ONE COACH HIRED, ANOTHER REINSTATED: Via Marcus Fuller at Strib Varsity. Hill-Murray, one of the state’s most successful girls’ basketball programs, has hired former Benilde-St. Margaret’s coach Bob Lyons, who retired from that job in 2019. Lyons is Hill-Murray’s third coach in three years, replacing Betsy Thull, who resigned after leading the Pioneers to a 28-4 record and the Class 3A consolation title. Trull’s predecessor who Erin Herman, who was let go by the school after 36 seasons and more than 600 wins. Lyons’ 2010 Benilde team won the Class 3A championship. REINSTATED: Maple Grove coach Mark Cook, who was placed on administrative leave for unspecified reasons in February, has been returned to the job for his 22nd season at the school. Maple Grove reached the 4A semifinals in March before losing to Hopkins. MORE: HILL-MURRAY | MAPLE GROVE
MOVING ON: Madeline Buckley is leaving Macalester after four seasons to become head women’s soccer coach at Vassar College in New York. Vassar has gone to the NCAA Division III tournament for the last two seasons and is a member of the Liberty League; Buckley was that conference’s Player of the Year playing for William Smith College in 2014.
BIG NAME TO 3M OPEN: Jordan Spieth has been added to the field of the 3M Open, which starts July 23 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. Spieth becomes the ninth player with a Top 100 ranking to enter. He’s ranked 54th and his only previous stop in Minnesota was for the 2016 Ryder Cup. The list of top players is headed by No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler. TOP ENTRANTS | TICKETS
AND FINALLY: Via Bobby Nightengale at Star Tribune. During the Dodgers-Twins series, my season-ticket partner noticed that Nightengale wasn’t in his usual front-row press box seat at the start of the game that Shohei Ohtani pitched. We speculated. Watching with Japanese reporters on the scene? A one-on-one visit with Tom Pohlad? Nope. Nightengale was hanging with the crew that produces the between-inning lookalike segment during games. Among my group, we’ve always wondered how it came together and Nightengale’s sweet story answered almost all the important questions. VERBATIM: “Inside the Twins scoreboard room, it’s an hours-long project to find the best look-alikes before it turns into a mad 90-second scramble when the mid-inning segment arrives. ‘We get a lot of requests for videos, and ‘Celebrity Look-Alikes’ is usually the one that is most popular, ‘Hey, do you have a copy of me as this person?’ ‘ said Sam Henschen, senior director of the Twins gameday experience. ‘That tells you people are really looking for it.’ The Twins don’t use facial-recognition software or artificial intelligence to find potential subjects. The work typically starts about 30 minutes after gates open. . . . Inside the scoreboard room, there are six people watching the camera feeds for possible matches. If they can’t think of a celeb look-alike within 30-45 seconds, they move onto other fans. ‘It’s really a bunch of people up here who have all different pop culture backgrounds whether you’re a music fan, a cartoon fan, a movie fan, a TV fan,’ Henschen said.”
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW: More questions, more fun, more thoughts next week.
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