QUICK START: Lots going on between new beginnings (Vikings, Gophers, preps and more) and newsy updates (Twins, Lynx, media and more). Let’s get it started with some quick hits . . .
JOHNNIES-TOMMIES RIVALRY RESUMES (ONE NIGHT ONLY): Friday Update via St. John’s and St. Thomas media relations. St. Thomas will host St. John’s on Dec. 11 in its new basketball arena in St. Paul, bringing back the dominant MIAC sports rivalry from that existed before the Tommies moved to Division I in 2021. The game will be an exhibition for the Johnnies but count as a regular-season game for the Tommies. (The first basketball games at the Lee & Penny Anderson will be against Army — Lee Anderson’s alma mater — on Nov. 8.) “It is common for Division I men's basketball programs to play select Division III programs, and the Johnnies are a fitting opponent, as we continue to honor our past while welcoming a new era of Tommie Athletics,” said Phil Esten, St. Thomas director of athletics.
BUECKERS SETS WNBA SCORING RECORD: Paige Bueckers set a WNBA rookie scoring record and scored a league-wide season high of 44 points Wednesday in her Dallas team’s 81-80 loss to Los Angeles. Bueckers hit 17 of 21 shots from the field, including all four of her three-point tries, and went 6-for-6 on free throws. (The Wings lost when Kelsey Plum hit a buzzer-beater.)
LYNX LOCK UP LOTTERY PICK: The Chicago Sky were eliminated from playoff contention Wednesday night — and the Lynx have their No.1 pick in the 2026 draft. So the potential WNBA champs also have the potential for the first pick in the draft, thanks to the trade that let the Sky draft Angel Reese. (More on this below.)
‘SELL THE TEAM’ CHANTS RETURN: Twins fans broke out in another round of “sell the team” chants after a 10th inning home run gave the Athletics a 4-2 win Wednesday, a(nother) night when the Twins offense failed repeatedly.
VIKINGS TRADE CAPTAIN: Harrison Phillips, the defensive tackle and team captain who had started every game since his arrival three years ago, was traded to the Jets for two low-round draft choices. (Keep reading for context.)
U WRESTLER WINS WORLD TITLE: Via USA Wrestling. Max McEnelly, the Waconia graduate who finished third in the NCAA tournament at 184 pounds, won the world title in the 86-kilo division of the Under-20 world championships in Bulgaria on Wednesday. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/max0821
ROAD TRIP: Doing anything on Monday that can’t be blown off? Former Gophers and St. Cloud Cathedral star Nate Schmidt is bringing the Stanley Cup to his hometown, where it will be on display and available for photos from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. at St. Cloud’s Municipal Athletic Complex. Schmidt was on the Florida Panthers team that won the Cup last season and, as is tradition, each member of the team gets to bring it somewhere in the months following. Doors at 11, Cup is set to arrive at noon. Schmidt, a pro since 2013, signed a three-year contract with Utah in July.
BEST LAP EVER: Via Bryan Zollman at Let’s Play Hockey. Schmidt was the 38th Minnesota-born player to be on a Stanley Cup-winning team, and the first from St. Cloud. VERBATIM: “I can’t even tell you what that lap is like when you have that thing,” Schmidt said in a TV interview following the game. “It’s just phenomenal, you know, the family and friends who stuck with you through everything. It’s just amazing. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/cup0821
SWEET VIKINGS READ: Via Alec Lewis at The Athletic. An inside look at Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who doesn’t often take people inside his head. Lewis wrote that Adofo-Mensah originally turned down the interview request, but “eventually, he relented.” Glad he did. VERBATIM: “Adofo-Mensah is undeniably different. It’s not just that he entered the professional sports ecosystem through the world of analytics. He is the son of Ghanaian immigrants. He got his bachelor’s in economics from Princeton and did his master’s at Stanford. . . . Calling himself a ‘normal-ass dude’ is his way of trying to connect to others in the insular NFL world. It isn’t a new challenge. He encountered people with dismissive attitudes in his first job with the San Francisco 49ers. There were skeptics when he worked for the Cleveland Browns, too. No matter. He doesn’t mind working hard or explaining why his worldview is the way it is.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/kwesi0821
KWESI IN ACTION: Via Ben Goessling at Star Tribune. One strength of the Vikings going into training camp was known to be depth on defensive line. But trading Harrison Phillips to the Jets on Wednesday for a pair of sixth-round draft choices in 2026 was a surprise move. Phillips started every game over the last three seasons at tackle and was a team captain, but the team also signed veteran free agents Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave for the three-man interior. VERBATIM: “Jalen Redmond, last year’s standout former XFL defender who earned a roster spot and a role, is a virtual lock to make the initial 53-man roster next Tuesday. Redmond stepped into a package alongside Allen and Hargrave when Phillips wasn’t at practice on Wednesday. Second-year Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, the rookie fifth-round pick, also appear likely to make the team. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/trade0821
BIG TV CHANGE: Today ESPN launches its new direct-to-consumer streaming bundle that includes a streaming option for what had previously been their “cable and satellite networks” — with a fistful of add-ons. HIGHLIGHTS: ESPN Unlimited ($30/month, $300/year) will include all of the ESPN networks and upcoming acquisitions, including WWE and NFL Network programming. ESPN Select ($12 month/$120 year) will be the renamed ESPN+ package that’s currently available in addition to the network programming. The ESPN App will also get a makeover. FACT SHEET, SIGN UP LINK: https://fluence-media.co/espn0821
TWINS TO ESPN? Via Alex Sherman at CNBC. The ESPN changes are in play at the same time as MLB is sorting through its baseball future on TV and other platforms. During the All-Star break last month, Sherman reported that while ESPN may lose Sunday Night Baseball, it doesn’t want a complete break from MLB, based on a conversation with Commissioner Rob Manfred. VERBATIM: “He told me he’s in talks to include five MLB teams’ local rights in these renewed discussions. MLB currently produces and distributes local games for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres. If ESPN were to strike a deal with MLB, it would want those rights immediately – in time for the 2026 season. This isn’t surprising. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro has publicly spoken about his desire to be part of MLB’s long-term local solution as the league moves away from relying on regional sports networks for the majority of its local revenue. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/twinstv0821
LOCAL TV CHANGE: Strib Varsity, the ambitious high school start-up from Star Tribune, debuts its livestreaming at 7:15 p.m. today with a girls volleyball match between Marshall and Willmar, two of the top three teams in Class 3A. The site is also promoting three football games next week, including one involving Jackson County Central, whose star quarterback Roman Voss is the top Minnesota player in this year’s recruiting class and has committed to the Gophers over Alabama and others. DETAILS, WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/varsity0821
2 THINGS I SEE: Varsity appears to be playing hardball with freebies. The “gift” link option that appears on regular Star Tribune articles does not exist on Varsity — for now, anyway. I say “for now” because things can change quickly, as witnessed by Varsity’s $50/year intro price at the beginning of last week disappearing by midweek in favor of the $260/year regular rate. Last Thursday, about an hour after Sports Take was published, I received another $50/year intro offer. LESSON: Not claiming cause-and-effect, but if you don’t like today’s price, there’s likely to be a better one coming. ALSO: The streams are separate from NSPN.TV, the statewide streaming service that charges $33/year for several hundred prep livestreams per month, and which has had Star Tribune as a major advertiser. NSPN INFO: https://fluence-media.co/nspn0821
TWINS ANGER: I went to three of the four Twins-Detroit games last weekend and there wasn’t much joy at Target Field. The Twins are fielding a slapped-together roster filled with minimally talented players who magnify all the team’s flaws. Poor fielding, overmatched pitching, opponents stealing bases almost at will and an out-of-balance roster are a combo platter that totally disrespects the fans who are still showing up. Fan reaction is a mix of anger and apathy, which will become more toxic if (1) more key players are traded after the season, (2) no attempt is made to rebuild the roster with a mix of established players and top prospects and (3) if the 2026 Opening Day roster is viewed to be as uncompetitive as the current one. I’m saying as much as a season-ticket holder (40-game plan) as I am as a writer with a reasonably good background in baseball.
CULTURE WARS? Via John Shipley at Pioneer Press. Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez has thoughtful criticism about the need for change in the Twins clubhouse. VERBATIM: “We have an opportunity here to take this clubhouse and say, ‘Hey, let’s take this opportunity to create the culture that we’ve been lacking the last couple years,’ the culture that prevents good teams from losing a lot of games, a good culture where instead of losing five games, you lose two and the guys pick themselves up so fast that it’s like, ‘Hey, we lost two; let’s get back in the winning column.'” Lopez said.
MORE LOPEZ: “That is something we’ve discussed as a group, like, ‘Hey, let’s reshape the philosophy and culture of who the Twins are: We hold each other accountable, we play hard, we compete and we don’t take anything for granted. We’re happy to be here. You’re fortunate and blessed enough to wear this (uniform), but you also have to play hard. Just being up here doesn’t fully cut it.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/pablo0821
WHO’S TO BLAME? Via Nick Nelson at Twins Daily. Many people bristle when the word '“culture” is used in a sports context. But any of us who have worked in a dysfunctional workplace know that expectations need to be set and met, whether from its leaders or by those doing the work. Nelson writes that placing the blame on the departed Carlos Correa is wrong-headed thinking. VERBATIM: “Let's be clear: culture has been lacking for this team in the last couple of years due to a top-down apathy overtaking the organization, and a snowballing deluge of losing, letdowns and collapse on the field. No one's going to smile or act ‘happy to be here’ while that's going on. If they did, it'd be pretty irritating.”
MORE NELSON: He takes aim at manager Rocco Baldelli. VERBATIM: “Somehow we're supposed to believe that Correa's desire to leave is a poor reflection of him and not this sad, rudderless organization. Correa's exit was not a solution. It's a manifestation of the core issues that will continue to plague this team until something actually changes for the better. That might start with a manager whose team can't start ‘playing loose’ until the games no longer matter and the most proven winner is gone from the clubhouse.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/culture0821
EVERY KIND OF BAD: Their last three losses have shown the Twins to be inept in all phases of baseball. SATURDAY: Pitchers put 21 runners on base in a loss to Detroit. TUESDAY: Defense flubbed three straight plays in the inning when the Athletics broke open the game. WEDNESDAY: Offense went 2-for-15 and left 12 runners on base in another loss to the Athletics.
TIME OUT, DEEP BREATH: Lopez hosted an event this week at Target Field where back-to-school packages were given to 49 teachers in the Twin Cities. That’s a good thing. But it only meets a sliver of the need — and it’s ridiculous that teachers need to ask for such help and pay for classroom supplies themselves. I’m married to a teacher who is blessed to work in a school where those lists aren’t needed. So I bought a few things from a list posted by a teacher at another school. If you’re able, help out. Go to this website and see lists posted by school districts throughout Minnesota. https://fluence-media.co/supplies0821
THOUGHTS AND TIPS: Share them with me. sportstake100@gmail.com
STATE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCED: Via Mike Bunge at KIMT-TV. The new project was announced this morning in Edina and will be headed by CEO Natalie Darwitz, the Gophers and U.S. National team star and former general manager of the Minnesota Frost. Plans call for a museum to open in 2028 that will include a rink and a performance space. VERBATIM: “Minnesota has an unrivaled amount of success and passion when it comes to hockey. This project will finally give our game the permanent home it deserves,” said Darwitz. “We’re celebrating the full journey of hockey in our state, from kids just learning the game to legends at the highest level. Every community in our state has a story worth telling.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/hall0821. ABOUT THE HALL: https://fluence-media.co/plans0821
A THIELEN RETURN? Via Dane Mizutani at Pioneer Press. The Vikings will be without wide receiver Jordan Addison for their first three games due to his suspension and Jalen Naylor has a hand injury that could sideline him when the regular season starts on Sept. 8. So it makes sense that the Vikings are looking for help. Could they bring back Adam Thielen, their former star currently playing for Carolina? Would the Vikings be up for taking on his $6 million salary. What are the other options? The story lists five of them. VERBATIM: Never mind that Thielen isn’t as impactful as he was with the Vikings at the peak of his powers. He’s shown he still has tread on the tires with steady production since signing with the Carolina Panthers. It’s not crazy to think the Panthers would be willing to part ways with Thielen if the price is right. They have a number of young receivers that need playing time. . . . The sticking point for the Vikings might end up being money.” ANOTHER OPTION: Free agent Odell Beckham Jr. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/thielen0821
PERICHMANIA: Via Associated Press. Gophers safety/offensive back/special teams standout Koi Perich has been named to the Associated Press preseason All-America second team. He’s one of only nine second-year players on the 54 players listed. This is the 100th year that AP has picked an All-America football team. SIDE NOTE: The Associated press is giving up on using a player’s academic year in school, using second-year, third-year and so on. LIST: https://fluence-media.co/allamerica0821
MUST BE THE MONEY: Via Jim Souhan at Star Tribune. During a recent media gathering, Coach P.J. Fleck went a bit off football in talking about Perich. VERBATIM: “Players make money. He’s so focused on what he wants to do, he has such intentionality with his money, he’s already thinking 10, 20, 30 years down the road, the sports facility he wants to open and franchise. He’s just an elite thinker. I give him a lot of credit, because for being so young, and having this thing hit him so fast, I think there’s a lot of people who are not mature enough to handle that.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/koi0821
SIX KEY TRANSFERS: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press and Daniel House at Gophers Guru. The Gophers will have more than 20 transfers on their roster when the season starts next Thursday night against Buffalo. Greder and House, founder of the https://gophersguru.com/about, each picked three that they think will play important roles. PICKS: https://fluence-media.co/transfers0821
LYNX BIG DRAFT WIN: Via Tankathon. The end result of the 2024 WNBA trade that let the Sky draft Angel Reese while the Lynx took recently released Alissa Pili is that the Lynx will have a lottery pick in the 2026 draft because the Sky (8-26) were just eliminated from the playoffs. HOW IT WORKS: The five teams that don’t make the playoffs will go into a lottery, with their chances for the No. 1 pick determined by their records over the last two seasons combined. Of the three teams that have been eliminated, Dallas is currently 18-58 this season and last, Chicago is 21-53 and Connecticut is 35-39. So the Lynx will likely have the second-best chance at the No. 1 pick. The top two picks are awarded through the lottery. Picks 3 through 5 are based on record. DRAFT DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/wnbadraft0821
HELLO, MEDIA? The lottery news is a big damn deal for Lynx and WNBA fans, but I didn’t see anything about it — or about Paige Bueckers’ huge game — on either the Star Tribune or Pioneer Press websites this morning. As “print deadlines” get earlier and earlier, web sites need to be more alert to breaking news with local connections. (Randy Johnson at the Strib did that with his story on U wrestler Max McEnelly winning gold in Bulgaria on Wednesday.) And as news platforms pour added resources into certain topics (the Vikings and prep sports at the Strib, for example), other coverage shouldn’t be relegated to junior varsity status.
TOUGH LYNX WEEKEND: After losing to the Liberty for the first time in four games this season, the Lynx get hit with three tough games over the next four nights — tonight in Atlanta (6:30 p.m., FDSN), Friday night in Indiana (6:30 p.m, ION) and 6 p.m. Sunday vs. the Fever at Target Center (6 p.m., FDSN and CBS Sports). Atlanta is tied for second with the Liberty and the only team to beat the Lynx on their home court in 18 regular-season games. The Fever also beat the Lynx at Target Center in the Commissioner’s Cup last month, which didn’t count in thestandings. The Lynx lead the WNBA by 6 1/2 games with 10 to play.
CAITLIN CLARK UPDATE: Via Alexa Phillipou at ESPN. Don’t expect Caitlin Clark on the floor for Sunday night’s game. In addition to the groin injury that has sidelined her for more than a month, Clark suffered a bone bruise to her ankle during a recent workout. VERBATIM: “Indiana coach Stephanie White told reporters on Sunday the ‘hope’ is for Clark to return before the end of the regular season then added Wednesday: ‘Until she can get into practice and until you guys see her in practice, it's really status quo.’ " MORE: https://fluence-media.co/clark0821
HURTING FEVER: In addition to Clark, Indiana has lost three players for the rest of the season to injuries in the last two weeks: Guards Aari McDonald, Sydney Colson and Sophie Cunningham. The Fever are in sixth place and battling to hold on to one of the final spots for the postseason. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
LOONS SELL HIGH, BUY LOW: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. Minnesota United is expected to close a deal by the end of the month that would send leading scorer Tani Oluwaseyi to Villarreal, one of the top teams in Spain’s top soccer league. The transfer price could be as high as $8 million. Why would the Loons be willing to part with one of their mainstays? VERBATIM: “MNUFC is helping a rising talent fulfill his dream of playing in Europe, while also finally becoming a seller in the global transfer market. The move of a rising player to one of the top leagues in the world, La Liga in Spain, can be used by United to recruit future players and show there is a developmental pathway. And reinvesting the transfer fee back into the team can help bring prospects to Minnesota.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/loons0821
NEW LOON: Via Greder. Replacing Oluwaseyi on the roster would be Momadou Dieng, a forward from Senegal who has been playing for Hartford Athletic of the United Soccer League. The Loons are also expected to reject an offer for another key player. VERBATIM: “The Loons are not planning to move midfielder Joaquin Pereryra after Turkish club Trabzonspor made an offer of approximately $8 million this week, a source said. This will limit the amount of transition the club goes through in the final stretch of the season.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/dieng0821
NEXT GAME: The Loons play at Real Salt Lake at 8:30 p.m. Saturday (Apple TV) with their next home game a week from Saturday vs. Portland. STANDINGS: https://fluence-media.co/mls0821
NEXT HOPKINS COACH: Via Marcus Fuller at Strib Varsity. James Ware, who coached Park Center to the 2022 Class 4A boys’ basketball title, is leaving to become an assistant at Hopkins, with the understanding that he’ll replace Ken Novak when he retires. Ware played for Novak and is associate principal at a junior high in the Hopkins district. He’s also been a college assistant and director of basketball operations for the Gophers.
WHEN WILL NOVAK LEAVE? VERBATIM: “He is closing in on legend Bob McDonald’s all-time Minnesota boys’ basketball record of 1,012 wins, ranking second with 993 victories entering this year. ‘I always take it one year at a time,’ Novak said. ‘I plan to be here for at least a couple years, but my time is winding down.’ ” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/hopkins0821
TOP 25 ATHLETES: Via Jim Paulsen at Strib Varsity. I’ve read a few too many “best of the quarter-century lists,” but this one — picking Minnesota’s 25 best high school athletes since 2000 — is very, very good. VERBATIM: “Sounds fun, right? Looking back at past athletes and assembling a list of those whose star didn’t dim over time. Easy? Hardly. While some athletes came to mind quickly, reaching 25 required a little memory-jogging. The more one digs into the record books, the more candidates emerge. Keeping the list at 25 became more difficult than finding them. At one point, I had more than 60 athletes with the bona fides to be worthy candidates. How to winnow it to just 25?” TOP THREE: 1. Joe Mauer (Cretin-Derham Hall), 2. Jessie Diggins (Stillwater), 3. Paige Bueckers (Hopkins). THE REST: https://fluence-media.co/best0821
COMMENTERS GO OFF: Lots of fans took lots of issue with Paulsen’s picks in the story comments. Many overlooked the fact that the list only went back to 2000. As Paulsen’s colleague Patrick Reusse posted on social media: “If you want evidence of the grand tradition of commenters sharing their insights on a subject without actually reading the article, many responses here are classic.”
ROCCO’S EJECTION: You may have seen it during the Tigers series, but you probably haven’t seen it with the play-by-play of Jason Benetti, Detroit’s A+ lead announcer:
ONE FINAL READ: Via Sofia Barnett at Star Tribune. Traditional lacrosse is making a return to northern Minnesotan’s Indigenous reservations, with Leech lake bring the focal point. VERBATIM: “ ‘It’s the Creator’s Game,’ said Dan Ninham, a 2025 Minnesota Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee and Oneida educator who has spent decades reintroducing lacrosse and other Native sports to schools and communities. ‘If someone was sick, a game might be played to help with healing. If people had a disagreement, they could play, and the result would settle it.’ Stories of the game vary. In some communities, lacrosse was called the ‘little brother of war,’ with strategies echoing battlefield maneuvers. In others, it was a way to prevent conflict — competition standing in for violence. What ties the traditions together is the idea that playing hard, but with respect, produces good medicine for everyone involved.”
MORE: The tradition’s return wasn’t always well received because lacrosse was viewed as far removed from its roots. VERBATIM: “The skepticism wasn’t unfounded. By the mid-20th century, traditional lacrosse had largely faded from Ojibwe country, while the modern version thrived at East Coast prep schools and Ivy League colleges. Its Native origins were obscured, its reputation recast as an elite pastime. But history was on the organizers’ side. Archival research revealed a former lacrosse field in Fond du Lac’s old village. Elders remembered stories of massive summer games in Ball Club in Itasca County, where bands from across the region once gathered. As kids returned from camp eager to play, perceptions shifted.” READ THE REST: https://fluence-media.co/lacrosse0821
THANKS FOR READING: Taking next week off for a long Labor Day weekend and back with more after that.
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