THE OPENER — There are times when I take heart in this quote from Earl Warren, the chief justice of the Supreme Court when I was growing up: "I always turn to the sports section first. The sports page records people's accomplishments; the front page has nothing but man's failures." My life definitely isn’t sports-section first right now. But sports is one way for me to escape for a few minutes or a few hours. I know it’s not always practical or possible, but I’m hoping Sports Take gives you a break to recharge and refocus. Be safe — Howard Sinker
BRIAN FLORES TRACKER: This may become a weekly thing until we know what’s going on with Vikings’ defensive coordinator Brian Flores, whose contract has expired. The playing field shifted significantly when Mike Tomlin announced his resignation as Pittsburgh’s head coach on Tuesday after 19 seasons. HOT ANGLE: Before Tomlin went to the Steelers, he was the Vikings’ defensive coordinator for a season under Mike Tice. Many teams look to change direction with a coaching hire — including the Vikings going from Mike Zimmer (defensive background) to Kevin O’Connell (offense) and the Bears replacing Matt Eberflus with Ben Johnson. So why would Pittsburgh not follow that path?
VERBATIM: Via Mike DeFabo at The Athletic. “Shortly after the Dolphins fired Flores after a three-year run during which he compiled a 24-25 record, he brought a lawsuit against the NFL alleging a pattern of racist hiring practices by teams and racial discrimination during the interview process. At the time, he was somewhat of a pariah when the Steelers opened their doors to Flores, hiring him as a senior defensive assistant and linebackers coach for the 2022 season. The move helped Flores get back on track, and now, after three years as the Vikings’ defensive coordinator, he’s one of the hot names in this coaching cycle. A creative and innovative defensive mind, Flores would fit neatly into the Blitzburgh identity and could help make the most of a roster full of expensive, aging defensive stars.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/flores0115
A CASE FOR LEAVING: Via Jace Frederick at Pioneer Press. If Flores doesn’t land a head coaching job, his route to that goal may be best served by leaving the Vikings. VERBATIM: “Flores was brilliant this season, but the shine on his achievements was somewhat muted by the team’s flubs. If he went somewhere else — say, Washington or Dallas — and turned around a second defense in a short window, perhaps leading to championship-level team success thanks to the cemented quarterback play on the other side of the ball, that would be impossible for any organization to ignore.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/move0115
REALLY THAT GOOD? COULD BE: The Timberwolves and Wild want to be viewed as title contenders this season and I will give them the benefit of any doubt about that. I have more doubts about the Wolves claiming that status, but I’m not going to argue it here or be overly concerned about some recent results. But I do have one fan-based concern to share.
ON THE WILD: The Wild won their first four games in the adrenaline rush that followed the Quinn Hughes trade. Since then, they’ve lost seven of 11 games, including three by shootout and one in overtime. A wacky schedule caused by the World Juniors moving into Grand Casino Arena forced a seven-game road trip into the recent schedule, but they also lost the final games before leaving town last month and their first two since returning last weekend. The Wild have a dozen more games before the three-week Olympic break, and then two dozen before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. Despite their recent results, the Wild are third in the Western Conference, with a seven-point gap on the fourth-place team. Good goaltending and another roster enhancement before the March 6 trade deadline would be the biggest keys to a title run. SCHEDULE, RESULTS | STANDINGS
ON THE WOLVES: This one is more interesting and more concerning. The Wolves have won seven of their last 10, including Tuesday’s 33-point thumping of Milwaukee and the weekend’s thrilling rally to beat the Spurs 104-103. The problem? The three losses in that stretch were to Brooklyn, Atlanta and Cleveland — all by 12 points or more against teams that are mediocre or worse. The 27-14 record is nice, but seven of the 15 teams in the West have a winning percentage of .600 or better. I have two main concerns: (1) Will losses to inferior teams cost them in playoff seeding? (2) No matter how good the Wolves are at their best, are they good enough for a playoff challenge that will likely include two of these three teams — defending champ Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Denver? I need to be convinced the Wolves are that good. SCHEDULE, RESULTS | STANDINGS
ANOTHER VIEW: Via Britt Robson at MinnPost. The writer is bullish on the Wolves’ playoff chances for a number of reasons. VERBATIM: “I’ve been critical of the indifferent character of this team for much of this season, allowing themselves to be lulled into mediocrity by inferior opponents. But after losing seven straight games to opponents with winning records, the Wolves are locked and loaded and thriving against much tougher competition.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wolves0115
MY OTHER ISSUE: Aside from the NFL’s 17-game sprint, most title teams go through tough stretches on their way to championships — something we may forget here because, umm, Minnesota teams (aside from the Lynx) aren’t familiar with championships. I do have a consumer issue with the lackluster stretches from a consumer perspective because paying to see an NBA or NHL game feels wasted when a team’s effort is less than 100% After the 123-107 loss to Brooklyn (11-26) last month, Anthony Edwards acknowledged and understood the booing from fans and added “I guess this is just Timberwolves basketball.” It shouldn’t be. Not when the average ticket price is $73 for the Wolves (2025-26 data) and $112 for the Wild (2024-25). Multiply by two tickets (or four), add beer (or pop) and parking.
SOLUTION: Don’t let pro and major college sports be the default. Go to a small college or high school game, get your kids close to the action, park for free, buy cheap concessions. On the day the Wolves slumbered through their loss to the Nets, i went to see two of the top three boys’ basketball teams in the state at the time — Tartan vs. Maple Grove. “Courtside” seats, cheap soda and 110% effort. I got the better deal.
WORTH IT? How much are tickets to the Indiana-Miami NCAA title game on Monday? It’s a lot. CHART: https://fluence-media.co/tickets0115
REVENGE GAME: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. After struggling on the court and off in his two seasons at Minnesota and leaving from a year in Tulsa, senior guard Braeden Carrington returned to The Barn on Tuesday and scored a career-high 21 points in Wisconsin’s 67-64 victory over the Gophers. Carrington, who was Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball as a senior at Park Center, hit seven three-pointers in 12 attempts and had some fun with Minnesota fans who trolled him throughout the game. VERBATIM: “I just wasn’t as confident as I am now, I think it obviously came down to, I was young, and I just let little things affect me a little more. As I grew, especially last year helped a lot with that. (The) coaching staff (at Tulsa), they instilled a lot of confidence in me. And coming here (to Wisconsin), it’s kind of the same thing. I’ve got a coaching staff that believes in me, knows what I can do, and obviously I have guys around me that believe in me, too. They want me to shoot the ball. They want me to go out there and perform.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/carrington0115
PORTAL CLAIMS COACHING VICTIM: Via Ned Seaton at Manhattan Mercury. Chris Klieman rose to prominence as head football coach at North Dakota State, where he was part of the Minnesota-fueled dynasty that has won 10 FCS titles, before leaving for Kansas State in 2019. Klieman, 58, didn’t take questions at the press conference when he announced his retirement, quietly slipping away and taking a quick trip to Fargo, where his son coaches and where a friend-of-Sports Take spotted him at a restaurant the next night. But he finally sounded off in an interview with Kansas State’s football beat writer a few days ago. TAKEAWAY: The transfer portal and all of its trappings made him do it.
VERBATIM: “I’ve been doing this for 35 years, (but) I’d die if I kept doing this job, I’d die. . . . I was gonna have a heart attack or I was gonna have a stroke. My blood pressure was through the roof. The stress and anxiety, not of winning and losing — my legacy is going to be fine on winning and losing.”
MORE: “I don’t blame any of these kids. It’s not their fault, but you get done playing Colorado, and come Monday, man, there’s 20 (agents) that want to know a number, or they’re ready to go into the portal. . . . That’s all I’m going to do the whole month of December and January, is work with whatever 80 of our kids to see if we can keep them, and if not, go work with 580 kids to fill the 30 spots we’re going to need, and that’s all of December and January. That’s not recruiting. That’s just finding ways to make deals. You’re just putting compensation packages together. And once again, that’s not me. That’s the way college football is, and I’m OK with that, but I don’t have to be a part of it if that’s the way it’s going down." FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/klieman0115
WHAT’S THE DEAL? Via Yahoo! Sports. Klieman made $5.25 last year and had $42.25 million remaining on a contract that ran through 2032. The contracts called for him to pay $6 million to Kansas State if he left with more than five years remaining on the deal. But that figure is likely to be renegotiated. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/deal0115
THE PERICH DECISION: Koi Perich would rather chase a national title by transferring to Oregon than play for his home-state school. It was a logical decision for the No. 1-ranked safety in the transfer portal, where he’ll join former Nebraska starting quarterback Dylan Raiola and former Baylor safety Carl Williams IV, also among the biggest names in the transfer portal at their positions. (Oregon lost six defensive backs and safeties through the portal.) QUESTION: Is this just a one-year stop for Perich, in light of quote from last year’s Minnesota media day? “I would just skip through college if I could and just gone straight to the Vikings. But you’ve got to do your three years.” REVENGE GAME? Won’t happen because Minnesota doesn’t play Oregon until 2028.
MY HALL OF FAME BALLOT: Results of baseball’s Hall of Fame balloting will be announced Tuesday. I’ve been a voter since in 2019, when I reached the required 10 consecutive years of membership in the Baseball Writers Association of America. My ballot is posted above. I added Felix Hernandez and Chase Utley this season to the six players I voted for last year. (You can vote for a maximum of 10.) I’m pretty certain Carlos Beltran will be elected this year and that Andruw Jones will either make it or miss by a handful of votes in his ninth year of the 10 that a player can be on the ballot. DRUG GUYS: Yes, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez were suspended for drug violations during their careers. That was a deal-breaker for me until Bud Selig, the commissioner who oversaw the “steroid era,” was inducted. You admit management, then you have to admit the workers. ADDING GUYS: People sometimes ask how can a player get added to your ballot? Did he suddenly become a hall of Famer? Valid questions. When you talk to experts and reassess data every year, opinions can change.
TORII HUNTER? Nope. I’d vote for him for the Hall of Very Good. No hometown favors. OTHER VOTES: You can see the ballots of voters who have made their ballots public on Ryan Thibodaux’s Hall of Fame Tracker, which currently includes the selections of about 45% of the voters. VOTERS: https://fluence-media.co/tracker0115
TWINS TOP 40 PROSPECTS: Via Aaron Gleeman at the Athletic. Gleeman’s annual list, which he’s done for 20 years, is the best of the deep dives into the Twins’ minor-league system. Among the current Top 10, three players were first-round picks, including No. 1 prospect Walker Jenkins, and three more were acquired during the July trading frenzy. VERBATIM: “It’s reasonable to think as many as seven of the Twins’ top 10 prospects will spend part of 2026 in the big leagues, including one of MLB’s elite prospects and several other consensus top-100 talents. Nearly every national ranking has the Twins’ system in the top 10 and it’s ready to start paying dividends.” LIST: https://fluence-media.co/prospects0115
IN LESS OPTIMISTIC NEWS: The Twins’ off-season player moves have so far been limited to second-tier first basemen and possible roster reserves. It’s been like a trip to Five Below for stocking stuffers. It would be nice to see some significant bullpen help, don’t you think? TRANSACTIONS: https://fluence-media.co/moves0115
THE WEIRDEST INJURY: Via Jayson Stark at The Athletic. The veteran baseball writer compiles an annual list of baseball’s quirkiest injuries and topping the 2025 list was former Twins infielder Jose Miranda, whose troubles only got worse last season after he was demoted to St. Paul following a major base-running mess-up. Now in the San Diego organization, we hope there isn’t a sequel to a story that involves a trip to Target and a case of water. THE STORY: https://fluence-media.co/jose0115
FINDING THE ‘SECRET’: The Gophers women’s basketball team spit up big leads in the second half of games against Top 25 teams Maryland and Michigan earlier this season. On Sunday, they figured out that the secret to beating ranked teams may be to lose a big lead early and then rally. Minnesota jumped to a 10-0 lead and then fell behind 30-20 — and later by as many as 13 points — before a second-half comeback to beat No. 21 USC 63-62 on Sunday at the Barn. It also snapped a 36-game losing streak against Top 25 poll opponents that dated back to 2019. But the Gophers couldn’t run the streak to two, losing 76-58 to No. 3 UCLA on Wednesday. The Gophers are 12-5 on the season, 3-3 in the Big Ten and don’t face another ranked opponent until going to Iowa on Feb. 5. SCHEDULE, RESULTS | STANDINGS
WNBA FREE AGENCY STALLED: Via Annie Costabile at Front Office Sports (FOS). This would have been the week that WNBA free-agency would have started. But the labor dispute between the league and its players has resulted in a moratorium on signing until a deal is reached. That agreement was reached after players reacted strongly to a recent league memo telling teams they could begin the free agency process. VERBATIM: “The moratorium will apply specifically to free agency, sources told FOS, including the sending out of qualifying offers, core designations, signings, and all negotiations. An email was sent to front office executives on Monday evening explaining the terms of the moratorium, league sources told FOS. The free-agency pause will end once a new collective bargaining agreement is ratified.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wnba0115
FUN TO SEE: Via Chris Hine at Star Tribune. The Timberwolves blowout in Milwaukee on Tuesday featured teenage rookie Joan Beringer getting rotation minutes for the first time because of Rudy Gobert’s one-game suspension for flagrant fouls. Coach Chris Finch had a glowing review of Beringer’s 30-minute, 13-point showing. VERBATIM: “Hustle plays, just kept a number of balls alive. Got a couple tip-ins around the basket. Energy plays, hustle plays, challenged everything, loose balls, everything at the rim was contested. From where he was before he went to the G-League until now, you can just see he’s figured out the composure of how he needs to play and how to use his energy.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/beringer0115
LOGICAL BUT LOW PROFILE: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. New Minnesota United head coach Cameron Knowles kept a low profile after joining the club five years ago and has served in a variety of roles, including interim coach between the departure of Adrian Heath and hiring of Eric Ramsay one month into the 2024 season. VERBATIM: “Over the last two years, I’ve seen nothing but growth in both his leadership (and) how he connects with the players, how the players respond to him,” chief soccer officer Khaled El-Ahmad said. “Then, when you know the whole situation with Eric moving on, (our) philosophy was very simple. We already knew what we wanted to do, and that’s why we acted very swiftly.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/knowles0115
BATTLE OF THE BEST: Via CCX Sports. Maple Grove, No. 4 in the most recent Class 4A poll, knocked off No. 1 Wayzata 77-75 on Tuesday. The Crimson were led by North Dakota State-bound point guard Max Iversen, who scored 25 points and 21 from junior forward Baboucarr Ann, who has an offer from the U. Maple Grove, which also features 7-foot-1 junior center Jack Thelen, plays at Edina at 7 p.m. Friday. MAPLE GROVE VS. EDINA TICKETS | STATE RANKINGS
BATTLE OF THE BEST II: Via Tris Wykes at Pioneer Press. No. 4 St. Thomas Academy avenged a 3-2 loss to No. 3 Edina earlier this month with a 3-2 victory in Tuesday’s rematch. St. Thomas is making another state tournament run despite losing 10 players from last season’s tournament team. Replacements include four seniors who were on the JV through their junior season. Are they good enough? VERBATIM: “I think so, but I’ll have a better idea a month from now,” coach Mark Strobel said. “We’ll see where our minds are heading into the playoffs. You have to get lucky but it’s hard work and buying into your team’s system in your own end. Because not a lot of high school kids want to play defense.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/stthomas0115
NEXT: St. Thomas plays Two Rivers at 7 p.m. tonight at West St. Paul and hosts Benilde-St. Margaret’s at 2 p.m. Saturday. TICKETS | STATE POLLS
‘HOCKEY DAY’ GETS HUGE: Hockey Day Minnesota started in 2007 as a one-day event in the border community of Baudette. Since then, it has moved around the state and grown. This year’s HDM is Jan. 24 in Hastings, but the event has expanded to a full week featuring more than 30 games at various levels that begin with four high school games on Saturday, entertainment, VIP access and shuttles to the site if you want to avoid the $20 parking fee. Organizers are expecting 10,000 fans to attend this Saturday’s games. The actual Hockey Day games on Jan. 24 feature the Hastings boys’ and girls’ teams as well as St. Thomas Academy. The hotter attractions are during the week, including Warroad vs. Edina in girls’ hockey at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and the Iowa Wild playing Milwaukee in an American Hockey League game at 5 p.m. Friday. SCHEDULE, TICKETS AND MORE
GOPHERS HOCKEY PLUMMETS: Hope that Minnesota’s men’s hockey team would regroup and come back stronger after a holiday break were dashed last weekend in a pair of losses at No. 9-ranked Penn State. The Gophers are fifth in the seven-team Big Ten, 8-12-1 overall and host No, 1 Michigan this weekend at Mariucci Arena. (7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday, FOX9+) HOW BAD IS IT? The Gophers haven’t finished under .500 since 1998-99, which was Doug Woog’s final season as head coach. One thing is clear. The Gophers and Coach Bob Motzko need to take advantage of the loosened rules on recruiting players from Canadian junior teams, which they didn’t do this season.
DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN AGAIN: Via Joe Christensen at Strib Varsity. It’s tough enough to get tickets to the Class AA boys’ state hockey tournament, but it got even more difficult last year for the biggest fans of teams that advanced to the tournament semifinals and title games. Access codes intended for fans on the winning schools’ priority lists were being shared with others. Here’s how it played out for Stillwater, which lost to Moorhead 7-6 in the title game. VERBATIM: “Ponies activities director Nate Cox had a plan. At the designated time, he would release the code to the coaches and hockey families. Then, he would release the code to students and staff, then to Stillwater’s greater community in 10-minute intervals. ‘By the time that the code was emailed to students and staff and to our community, the tickets were already gone,’ Cox said. ‘I don’t want to throw my community under the bus, but when you make it to the state tournament for the first time in eight years, we just went nuts over it.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/tourney0115
AND FINALLY: Via Olivia Hicks at Strib Varsity. Want a next-level high school hockey experience? Have $63,500 for tuition, plus another $15,000 or so to cover hockey-related and other expenses? Say yes and you may be considering Shattuck St. Mary’s, the former military school and seminary that dates back to the 19th century in Faribault. Now, the school focuses in intensive programs in sports, academics and arts, including a hockey track for boys with pro hockey dreams. Sidney Crosby went there. So did Zach Parise and Macklin Celebrini, the No, 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft who plays for San Jose. The school’s teams play a national schedule and players have access, among other things, to a rink 24 hours a day.
VERBATIM: Tom Ward, Shattuck’s director of boys’ hockey, explained the admissions process. “To be one of the program’s 160 players, the process is similar to a college admissions cycle. Families fill out an inquiry form or contact the school anywhere from six to 18 months in advance. Then, Shattuck’s hockey staff vets players through video analysis before they make a trip to campus. While players are required to meet certain athletic qualifications, Ward couldn’t describe exactly what glimmer of potential he sees, just that he knows a hockey player when he sees one. ‘Hockey sense or moxie or whatever term you want to use,” Ward said. “We do hockey, and we do know hockey players. We know what one looks like and what one smells like at our level to be a good player and be competitive.’ “ FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/shattuck0115
ALSO: MORE ABOUT SHATTUCK ST. MARY’S, including an open house for prospective students on Monday.
THANKS FOR READING: Back with more next week.
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