DA OPENER (IT’S A BEAUTY): I know a lot of you are still in stages of grief about the Twins. But they’ll reap what they sow (Galatians 6: 7-8) for the rest of the season, and possibly into the future if the right moves aren’t made (Sell, rebuild, reconnect with fans . . . win.) BUT WE HAVE OPTIONS! Lots of them. J.J. McCarthy is on the field Saturday for the Vikings, the Lynx are 25-5 with roster/injury drama and five games against the Liberty and Indiana in the next few weeks, the Loons are contenders for two trophies (down from three last week), Gophers football is getting in gear, the state townball tournament (your best Twins alternative) starts next week and Da Beauty League is bringing summer hockey — with pros, top amateurs and fun quirks — to Braemar Arena in Edina for the rest of the month. Your choice: Be glum or have some fun . . . or both.
BEFORE YOU READ ANYTHING ELSE: Via Daniel Graham at MplsStPaul. Minnesota’s quirky summer hockey tradition — Da Beauty League — is turning 10 years old this summer and has two more nights of regular season play (Aug. 13 and 20) before the playoffs and finals the following week. Players keep skills sharp and have more than a little fun, explained Ben Hankinson, a 1980s-era Gophers player who had 43 NHL games and is now an agent. It also raises money for charity and features three games per night — two men’s games and a women’s game — in the chase for the John Scott Cup.
VERBATIM: “Da Beauty League’s rulebook features its fair share of oddities, with four-on-four games played in 23-minute halves. Once a game, each team can turn on a red light to trigger “Da Dick’s House of Sport Double Puck,” a two-minute window during which each of their goals count twice. In overtime, teams have a three-puck shootout, where players take turns shooting on the other team’s goalie in real time until one team scores three goals. While it’s a fun game, Hankinson says players take it seriously. ‘It's not going to be like we're playing for the Stanley Cup,’ Hankinson said. ‘But they're all competitive. [If] there's a clock, if there's a scoreboard, if there's refs, if there's fans, they're all going to go hard. They don't want to embarrass themselves.’ “ STORY: https://fluence-media.co/dabeauty0807 SCHEDULE, TICKETS, STREAMING: https://fluence-media.co/braemar0807
LOTS TO SEE HERE: The Vikings start their preseason schedule Saturday vs. and it’ll be more interesting that your usual practice opener, if only because of J.J. McCarthy. Providing he stays healthy, it will be more of a tease than anything substantial. But still, there’s reason to watch. BIG QUESTIONS: How much will he play Saturday? Coach Kevin O’Connell isn’t saying yet. How much will he play in the other two preseason games? Maybe not at all. The best bet for seeing McCarthy in action after Saturday are the joint practices with New England on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. Preseason games vs. the Patriots and at Tennessee will probably be more about the backup QB duel among Sam Howell, Brett Rypien and Max Brosmer
OUR FAVORITE STORY? Via Ted Nguyen and Alec Lewis at The Athletic. The opening of the story about the Vikings defense pretty much forces you to read the rest. VERBATIM: “Something is happening in Minnesota. Those who know, know. Coordinator Brian Flores didn’t just develop a defense unlike any other. He concocted a living, breathing virus inflicting pain on coaches, quarterbacks and offensive linemen in ways that seem almost preternatural. Its magic isn’t stored away in a playbook. It happens organically when the Vikings meet. ‘How can I put this in a way that most people would understand?’ safety Josh Metellus wondered aloud last week. “It’s, like, when you’ve got a group of friends, and you’re trying to figure out what y’all are doing for the weekend. Everybody’s throwing out ideas.’ “ THE REST: https://fluence-media.co/defense0807
ROSTER PROJECTION: Via Dane Mizutani at Pioneer Press. It’s too early to expect the writer to hit 100%, but here’s his look at a roster projection for the regular-season opener against the Bears. CHART: https://fluence-media.co/roster0807
GAMEDAY: Vikings vs. Houston, 3 p.m. Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. TV: FOX9. RADIO: KFAN (100.3 FM), WREY 630 AM and 94.9 FM (Spanish). SIRIUSXM: Ch. 88. Vikings Audio Network. DEPTH CHARTS: Vikings | Houston. LINE: Vikings by 1.5, Over/Under 38.
TWINS FALLOUT: Yeah, I advocated for burning it down in last week’s Sports Take, which went live a few hours before most of the deals took place. I did not imagine the Twins would burn down the house, the outbuildings and the surrounding countryside. Selling Carlos Correa? Good. Dumping replaceable veterans? Good. Trading every reliable reliever, including Louis Varland? WTAF? Amid the outrage, here are some things to think about.
UNDERPERFORMERS: The roster that was broken up underperformed. Badly at times. Yes, the Pohlads demanded that the team be fitted with spare parts to fill its needs. But the original roster was good enough to hit the low bar of making the playoffs. Sticking with it would have rewarded mediocrity.
CORREA: We learned that Correa started asking about moving from shortstop to third base in 2023, after the first year of his contract. He was denied. One of the team’s linchpin players asking to play a less demanding position that he knew was being filled by a rising star in Royce Lewis? Not a good look, especially compared to how Byron Buxton chafed at being forced into a DH-only role two years ago.
AT THE PLATE: I’m intrigued by the role of MLB coaches and skill development. So I was struck by a June report on Correa’s batting struggles and his reference to a private hitting coach. I thought “private coaches” were the domain of pushy youth sports parents. We'll likely never know if there were issues between Matt Borgschulte, who was hired before this season, and veteran players. But I’m watching to see how the younger players who clearly need to improve finish out the season.
PAINFUL PITCHING: Pitching auditions are in full swing. The Twins are wise to be cautious with the players they acquired. Taj Bradley is MLB ready but needs work on secondary pitches to be at the level where the Twins want to see him. Mick Abel needs to keep building on this season’s Class AAA success after going 3-12 at that level in 2024. Both had strong debuts for St. Paul on Sunday and Wednesday. The Twins are seeking out cheap help to get them through the season and hoping to find a couple of arms who can help in the future. In the meantime, no lead is safe with the current bullpen, which is the wrong kind of excitement.
AND MOST IMPORTANT: A brighter future is based on the Twins being sold. We will have baseball-on-the-cheap at Target Field until the Pohlads sell.
A CLASSY MOVE: Via Matt Gelb at The Athletic. Twins communications vice president Dustin Morse and his staff made sure that Jhoan Duran’s A++ entrance video was shipped off to Philadelphia in time for Duran’s debut with the Phillies the next night. That included sending every element, piece by piece, so the Phillies could rework and reassemble it at warp speed. VERBATIM: “Sam Henschen and Jeremy Loosbrock, who Morse said oversaw a project that took 500 hours over a few years, were happy and sad. They were the ones who made it what it was, who had the idea to incorporate fans with their phones. The team’s president messaged Morse to reiterate what they all knew. ‘It’s the right thing to do,’ Morse said. In 2025, when a team trades for a closer, it is trading for the entire experience. Duran is one of the best ninth-inning men in the sport, and his entrance in Minnesota became part of his ethos.” Here’s the story, which includes how things almost went sideways in Philly. READ: https://fluence-media.co/duran0807
RANKING THE NEW GUYS: Via Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic. The Twins picked up 13 new players in their dealing frenzy, and Nos. 1 and 2 on this list are the players who came from the Phillies organization in the Duran trade — catcher Eduardo Tait and pitcher Mick Abel. Here’s why Tait’s offensive numbers so far shouldn’t be cause for concern. VERBATIM: “At first glance, Tait batting .255/.319/.434 with 11 homers in 82 games this year is nothing special, but it’s important to note he was pushed extremely aggressively by the Phillies and spent the first three months in the power-deflating Low-A Florida State League. Tait out-hit the FSL average by 65 points of OPS and is now one of just two 18-year-old regulars in the High-A Midwest League. He’s widely regarded as having middle-of-the-order upside offensively, with a left-handed swing that combines scalding exit velocities and high contact rates.” RANKING: https://fluence-media.co/newtwins0708
WITHERING CRITICISM: Also from Gleeman. This is the harshest mainstream take on last week’s roster mayhem. VERBATIM: “It’s been just 21 months since an exciting, celebratory 2023 season in which the Twins won the division title and their first playoff series in two decades. There have been nothing but slashed payrolls, bad decisions, injuries, on-field collapses and various other sure-fire ways to wreck fan morale since then. Now, Twins fans are left hoping the trade deadline fire sale is followed by an actual sale, because 40 years of Pohlad ownership has led back to this familiar place that looks an awful lot like rock bottom. Fans deserve better, but they’re never going to get it until ownership changes.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/pohlads0708
GOPHERS SUPERFREAK: Via Bruce Feldman at the Athletic. For 20 years, Feldman has compiled a list of football players with extraordinary abilities that aren’t measured by game statistics. At No. 28 on this season’s list of 101 “freaks” is Gophers receiver Le’Meke Brockington. VERBATIM: “Last year, he started 11 games and made 18 catches for 282 yards and one touchdown. This offseason, the 6-0, 195-pounder, who has made a remarkable recovery from a broken leg in 2023, squatted a Gophers wide receiver record 664 pounds, breaking his own record from a year ago by 50 pounds. Brockington vertical jumped 42 inches, broad jumped 11-4 1/4 (an improvement of five inches from last year), ran a 4.19 shuttle time and had a 10-yard split of 1.43. His numbers, particularly his jumping and strength ones, are truly amazing.”
AT NO. 34: That’s North Dakota State wide receiver Bryce Lance, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Trey Lance and a Marshall, Minn., native. VERBATIM: “Trey Lance’s younger brother is a special athlete, too. At 6-3, 207 pounds, he vertical jumped 40 inches this offseason and broad jumped 10-10. That kind of explosiveness shows up on the field. The younger Lance set an NDSU record last season with 17 touchdown receptions, which led the FCS in 2024. The first-team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference pick had 75 catches for 1,071 yards for NDSU.” ALL THE FREAKS: https://fluence-media.co/freaks0708
UNLIKE THE OTHER ONES: Via La Velle E. Neal III at Star Tribune. Gophers defensive lineman Anthony Smith is a throwback to when college rosters weren’t filled with players on their third school in three years. He visited Minnesota in high school, stayed and resisted temptation on the way to becoming a standout on the defensive line. VERBATIM: “Smith is part of a shrinking classification in college sports. He came to Minnesota in 2022. And he hasn’t left. He didn’t portal his way to another school. He didn’t chase the NIL bag. He turned down overtures from elsewhere. He selected the Gophers and hasn’t looked back. ‘I’ve had all the reasons to leave I’ve had all the reasons to say that. I’ve had like four D-line coaches leave. I’ve had two [defensive coordinators] leave. I’ve [been] given all the reasons. Coach Fleck has been the real anchor of this team. I love that man. I bleed maroon and gold.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/smith0708
A TRADE TO LOVE: The Lynx made a solid move over the weekend in trading for defensive ace DiJonai Carrington to shore up a roster that took a hit with Napheesa Collier’s ankle injury, which will probably sideline her for several weeks. Carrington showed her value in her Lynx debut, scoring 13 points and adding two steals during their 91-87 win at Seattle. Carrington is a game influencer on both ends of the court and, as you’d expect, was happy to be liberated into title contention from the lowly Dallas Wings.
What’s better than a Courtney Williams postgame interview? It’s Williams and Carrington reunited from their days as teammates in Connecticut. Carrington’s description of the block-and-score highlight is filled with flair.
HOW HOT IS THE FEVER? It’s not just the resale market that’s bonkers for the Lynx-Fever game at Target Center on August 24. The Lynx use dynamic pricing — adjusting price based on demand — and if you want a seat in the top row of the lower level for that game, the current ask is $399. And that’s with Caitlin Clark’s health status still uncertain. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/fevertix0807
LOONS LOSS FOR THE BEST? Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. Losing 2-0 to Atletico de San Luis on Wednesday knocked Minnesota United out of the Leagues Cup tournament that included teams from MLS and Mexico’s top league. It also allowed the Loons to concentrate on their regular season and on the U.S. Open Cup, where they’ve reached the semifinals. Coach Eric Ramsay didn’t use his strongest lineup and acknowledged the challenge of managing his roster. VERBATIM: “It’s my responsibility more than anyone’s here to make sure we keep the 15, 16 senior players that we got at the moment in really good shape. That was reflected in the team we picked at the beginning, the way we made changes, but ultimately there is the bigger picture at play. We are in the Open Cup semifinal. We do have an incredibly important run of games in MLS and I want to make sure the guys are fresh.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/loons0807
BACK TO MLS: The regular schedule resumes at 5 p.m. Sunday when the Loons play Colorado at Allianz Field. SCHEDULE, TICKETS | STANDINGS
GOPHERS-TOMMIES UPDATE: Via Nadine Babu at Gopher Hole. There was a twist in the medianovela over a potential men’s basketball game between Minnesota and St. Thomas recently when an unsourced mention by Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters (“A little birdie” is not a source, IMO) said that new Gophers coach Niko Medved reached out to St. Thomas and offered to play the first game in their new arena this fall. The real reporting was done by Babu, who runs the Gopher Hole fan site and pointed out it was an “offer” that was bound to be refused:
BUY GAME? That’s when a smaller program travels to play a larger program in return for cash and without having to schedule a return game. Last season, for example, the Tommies has buy games at Oklahoma State and Arizona State. Most of Minnesota’s nonconference home schedule is comprised of buy games.
SAD GOPHERS NEWS: Via Charles Hallman at Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Two key members of Gophers athletic teams died this summer. Sue Jackson, a three-time volleyball captain in the 1990s and the school’s first Black volleyball standout, died in June. Kevin Smith, who played on coach Jim Dutcher’s final teams in the 1980s, died in July. HALLMAN: “As someone who’s covered Gopher sports for over 40 years, I had the privilege of interviewing and reporting on both Jackson and Smith during their time at Minnesota and beyond. News of their passing has been hard to process. . . . May their legacies continue to inspire.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/obit0708
NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Via Camden High on Facebook. Camden High (formerly known as Patrick Henry) has named Brett McNeal as its new athletic director. A basketball standout in the 1980s and former boys’ basketball coach at North from 2001-2007, McNeal has worked for the Minneapolis public schools in various administrative capacities since 2012. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/camden0807
LEAVING HIS TEAM: Via Dylan Callaghan-Croley at On3. Dajohn Yarborough, a 330-pound junior who was considered the top high school offensive lineman in Minnesota, is leaving Benilde-St. Margaret’s to attend Basha High School, an Arizona football power. Yarborough has been offered scholarships by the Gophers and a dozen other Power Four schools, including Alabama, Nebraska and Wisconsin. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/dajohn0807
AT CANTERBURY: Two of the season’s biggest races will be run Saturday with $75,000 purses on the line in the Minnesota Derby and Minnesota Oaks. HORSE TO WATCH: Sushi Man in the Minnesota Derby has won both of his Canterbury starts this season, including the Canterbury Derby in June. You won’t make much betting on him, but you may be seeing a horse on his way to bigger things after the local season ends. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/canterbury0807
BASEBALL ALTERNATIVE: The state townball tournament starts a week from Friday and runs through Labor Day at Hutchinson, Brownton, Gaylord and Glencoe. An updated format will have three state champions being crowned after an experiment with two divisions was tried in 2024. The biggest changes? The revised Class B tournament will include the top Class C teams from previous seasons and Class C will include the next tier of teams, primarily from smaller communities. One goal is to give more small towns a chance to compete for a state title. Region and section playoffs are going on now. SCHEDULES, TICKETS, RESULTS: https://fluence-media.co/townball0807
BWCA FOR NEWBIES: Via Alex Chhith at Star Tribune. I don’t camp and appreciate the wilderness on a drive-through-and-out basis. But I’m also a sucker for stories about people who take on the challenge, in this case a group of first-time visitors to the Boundary Waters. For example, I’m trying to imagine feeling this: "As my arms throbbed from portaging gear and paddling nearly 10 miles, that first open foul-smelling, feces-littered campsite suddenly sounded like a luxurious five-star hotel.” This is a good and informative read-along, which hardened my feelings about never going along on this kind of adventure.
VERBATIM: “I felt like a child again. I caught a crayfish that I intended to use as bait, but it reminded me too much of my pet crayfish that I had in the third grade. Instead, I dug for worms and spent hours with my fishing line in the water, hoping for a bite. I needed to prove to myself (and to my family) that I could provide. See, by the second day at breakfast, we realized we had to ration our food. We didn’t pack enough and I felt responsible. I had told my brother and fiancé we didn’t need to buy more before we left the Twin Cities. . . . We decided we’d skip lunch on days two and three. Three of us split one packet of risotto for dinner on day two. The package said it held two servings.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/bwca0807
GOPHERS HOCKEY HAUL: Via Randy Johnson at Star Tribune. The last week has been a bountiful one for the U’s men’s hockey team, capped by a commitment from Luca Jarvis, a standout from Stillwater who plans to play in the USHL during his final two high school seasons. He’s expected to enroll at the U in 2027. VERBATIM: “The commitment of Jarvis follows the Gophers landing brothers Wyatt and Brooks Cullen earlier in the week. Wyatt Cullen, 16, pledged to Minnesota on Monday, and Brooks, 18, followed by rescinding his November commitment to Michigan State and choosing the Gophers on Tuesday. In addition, coach Bob Motzko and his staff received commitments from Lakeville North center Gunnar Conboy and former Grand Rapids goalie Carter Casey last week.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/uhockey0708
‘VARSITY’ ARRIVES: Star Tribune will roll out Varsity, its updated coverage of high school sports next week, which is timed with the beginning of fall sports practices. The newspaper is betting on enhanced high school coverage as a moneymaker through subscriptions and other revenue sources, and has reassigned some of its veteran staff to the project.
GOODBYE GOLF COURSE: Via Ren Clayton at WCCO. The U is shutting down its 109-year-old Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights after selling the land. The course is employing 60 students this year, and it hasn’t been unusual for students to start there as undergraduates and work through grad school. Golfers are dismayed, including assistant course director Adam Tilsner, who said he didn’t know about the closing until the day it was announced. VERBATIM: "Probably the best memories is the comradery here and the friends I've met over the years," said David Okita, a former club president at Les Bolstad. "Ranging from the students that work here to the senior guys who've been playing here probably since before I was born."
AND FINALLY: Via Azhae’la Hanson at North News. The Lynx have a new MC working the floor before and during their games and her story is a good one. Brynne Crockett, who goes by Bdot, has is a rapper who has been an announcer at North High athletic events and a host on KMOJ radio. VERBATIM: “ ‘I love the job. It's a mix of all the fields I already work in, which is community building, media, and entertainment, plus my love for women's sports I can help cultivate a space I have been a part of as a fan, and now as a professional.’ Crockett has always had an ease with the mic, much like Napheesa Collier with her fadeaway jumper. . . . When asked what her story is, Crockett says it begins with her as a young girl who fell in love with Hip-hop. ‘Hip-hop is an art, a platform for our culture, for critical thought, and self-expression.’ “
MORE: “Crockett has always had a way with words. She grew up in a musical family. Amongst rap battling uncles and cousins freestyling for fun, a curly-brown puff ball would emerge and send the adults fleeing in defeat. Her passion for connecting with the world as she sees it inspired her to begin writing her own songs. Her bedroom was Prince’s former studio in his formative years, in the basement of the late musical matriarch, Bernadette Anderson, who helped raise Prince.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/bdot0807
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