THE OPENER: Are you ready to divvy up your sports fandom? The Wolves and Wild open their playoffs. We’re one week from the NFL Draft. The Gophers are on their way to the NCAA gymnastics finals and the Lynx are about to start training camp after a tumultuous week of player moves. And there’s a first-place team, for the moment, at Target Field that’s defying what we thought they’d be. We also have an in-depth look at high school athletic transfers and what it means to be the nicest guy in the NBA. Let’s get to it! — Howard Sinker
FIRST-PLACE TWINS: The first three weeks of a six-month season can be filled with illusions. Hot starts give way to cold reality as the daily grind casts aside teams that aren’t built to last. Whether the Twins’ early success is an illusion or the product of quality few people associated with them is up for debate. Sweeping Detroit in four games and then winning two of three from Toronto and Boston boosted the Twins to the best record in the American League (11-8) and has made Target Field a fun place to be for now, even if they’re playing to substantially more empty seats than filled ones.
‘HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THIS?’ A friend texted that to me during Tuesday’s 6-0 win over the Red Sox, which followed the Monday game when the Twins scored 11 runs in the first two innings off Boston ace Garrett Crochet. MY REPLY, SLIGHTLY EXPANDED: (1) The starting pitching and hitting has been better than expected, and that’s covered for a mediocre bullpen that will need to be upgraded. (2) The team minimized the sloppy defense and at-bats that soured the opening of the season. A week nine-game start has been followed by a strong 10-game run. (3) I suspect that that after the 3-6 start, Manager Derek Shelton found a way to ask the team “WTF is going on here?” Shelton appears to have a command of the team that Rocco Baldelli didn’t — a supportive but stern elder replacing a mellow modern dude. I could be overthinking and it may not be more that the Twins responding to a fresh voice. We’ll see how Shelton ages with the players (or if the players age Shelton).
POSITIVE/NEGATIVE: POSITIVE: Below-average defense can be neutralized by making smart decisions. Starting pitchers Taj Bradley and Mick Abel, two of the acquisitions during last summer’s roster purge, have been excellent. Outfielder Austin Martin and the catchers — Ryan Jeffers and Victor Caratini — are off to hot starts. NEGATIVE: The bullpen is untrustworthy. None of the Twins relievers would inspire confidence if asked to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning, a situation that has yet to occur in their first 19 games.
A REMINDER: The successes are reminders of what could have been if management had taken a couple more steps over the winter to rebuild the roster by adding a proven closer and another quality right-handed bat in the outfield. If other teams drift toward mediocrity, those players would become available — and the organization needs to get after them. The meager attendance so far shows that trust still needs to be built.
BULLPEN THEORY? Via La Velle E. Neal III at Star Tribune: Derek Shelton explained that he sets up “pockets” of potential matchups for his relievers in each game, which could come up starting in the fifth or sixth inning. VERBATIM: “It’s going to take probably a full month to have actual defined roles of where we’re at,” Shelton said. “Then again, we may not. We just may mix and match the whole time.” MY TAKE: “Actual defined roles” will happen when the Twins have pitchers who can actually fill them. And that’s not coming from the current group. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/bullpen0416
MLB STANDINGS | TWINS STATISTICS
DISAPPOINTING LYNX FANS: You could hardly find a voice among WNBA fans who didn’t side with the players during the contract talks that led to their groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement reached last month. But now it isn’t hard to find Lynx fans upset that (1) players decided to cash in on their new opportunity and go elsewhere for big money or (2) that Lynx Coach/GM Cheryl Reeve couldn’t keep last year’s roster together.
NUMBERS 101: Players are cashing in. Four key members of the 2025 Lynx are gone through free agency. Alanna Smith went to Dallas, getting a raise from $150,000 last season to a three-year deal that averages $1.25 million. Jessica Shepard, also gone to Dallas, made $79,000 last season and now has a two-year deal that averages $1.025 million. Natisha Hiedeman made $605,000 combined in her first seven years in the WNBA. She signed with Dallas for two seasons at an average of $762,500. DiJonai Carrington made $472,000 in her first five pro seasons and will make $650,000 this season in Chicago.
NUMBERS 201: The team salary cap has gone from $1.5 million in 2025 to about $7 million this year. The 2026 salaries of the four players who left and the three key players who have reached deals with the Lynx — Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams and free-agent Natasha Howard — add up to about $6.65 million. And that doesn’t include the qualifying offer of $1.4 million made to superstar Napheesa Collier, who has yet to sign, that kept her from becoming a free agent. The departed Lynx weren’t going to get anything from the Lynx close to what other teams offered.
SOAPBOXING: The huge salary cap bump reinforces that relationships between WNBA players and their teams are just as transactional as relationships in the major men’s pro leagues. Anyone thinking it would be different was horrifically naive.. To her credit, Cheryl Reeve created a culture that made Lynx players that much more in demand in free agency. Now, it’s on her to find the right replacements on a tight budget. The Lynx may not be better in 2026, but women’s sports will be better for what the WNBA player’s union accomplished.
IN CONCLUSION: You can’t support the players without supporting them taking full advantage of their new-found wealth.
INCONVENIENT TRUTH: The Lynx suffered one of the biggest in-game meltdowns in Minnesota pro sports history last season when they blew a 20-point second-half lead to Phoenix in Game 2 of the semifinals and lost in overtime. The Lynx lost their next two games to drop the series. Maybe a reset is a good thing.
MILES AND MORE MILES: Reeve made the call that the Lynx needed to draft a player who could run their offense more than they needed a post player as part of their reset. Enter point guard Olivia Miles, the No. 2 overall pick after a standout college career at Notre Dame and Texas Christian.
UNDERSTANDING THE LYNX: Via Anika Besst at MPR News. At a press conference Wednesday, Miles made it clear she understands the important role the Lynx have played in the growth and development of women’s sports. VERBATIM: “It’s special, I think, to have the opportunity to look up to such amazing, strong women who have truly seen it all. I can't wait again to be a sponge and soak up all of their information and everything that they have to share Nothing they say, basically, will be too much for me, and I can't wait to take it in and follow in their footsteps and carry that responsibility forward.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/miles0416
HIGHLIGHT REEL: This video makes a solid case for why Miles was the second overall pick — and why you’re going to hear comparisons to Hall of Famer Lindsay Whalen.
VIKINGS DRAFT DRAMA: At this time last week, prevailing wisdom among NFL mock drafts was that the Vikings would take Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman as a major move in revamping their secondary. Over the last few days, however, revised drafts have moved toward the Vikings filling other needs with their first-round pick, currently the 18th overall. ONE EXAMPLE: Todd McShay, the former ESPN analyst who has moved to The Ringer, has the Vikings taking wide receiver Denzel Boston of Washington. VERBATIM: “The Vikings had real issues catching the football last season, and the situation hasn’t exactly improved. With Jalen Nailor now in las Vegas, the Vikings are planning to give Tai Felton and his three rookie receptions a starting role. That’s a problem.” MORE ON BOSTON: https://fluence-media.co/boston0416
OTHERS: Here’s what some of the highest-profile mock drafts have the Vikings doing with their first-round pick.
Dane Brugler at The Athletic: Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee. “McCoy is a tough player to project in a mock draft — some teams are comfortable with his 2025 knee injury, while others won’t consider him in the first round. I don’t know how the Vikings feel, but adding his level of talent to a Brian Flores defense would be fun to watch.”
Adam Rank at NFL.com: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo. “I'm going to give it to you straight, Vikes: You need to find a long-term answer at safety, with Harrison Smith likely at the end of the line. McNeil-Warren is the solution. Like Smith, he's the kind of guy you grow to appreciate -- or, if he's not on your side, you grow to hate seeing.”
Tom Fornelli at CBS Sports: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame with the No. 9 pick after a trade with Kansas City. “The Vikings have a need at running back and nine picks in this draft. Rather than sitting back and hoping Love falls, they get aggressive and snap him up.”
Mel Kiper at ESPN: Thieneman. “Along with many evaluators, I've been projecting Thieneman to Minnesota since before the combine. There's still uncertainty around Harrison Smith's status, but it's sort of irrelevant because the Vikings have to start planning for the future at safety whether or not Smith is back there in 2026. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores would have Thieneman lined up all over the place to create havoc”
MOCK DRAFTS: The Athletic | ESPN | The Ringer | NFL.com | CBS Sports
AND ONE MORE OPTION: Via Matthew Coller at Purple Insider. Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill still doesn’t have a new contract and left tackle Christian Darrisaw is an elite player who has been compromised by knee problems. So what about drafting for the offensive line in the first round? VERBATIM: “Acting GM Rob Brzezinski talked at the NFL Combine and the owner’s meetings about building a draft board objectively to pick the best players, not adjusting the rankings for need. Well, this draft appears to be strong with offensive tackles. Mock Draft Database lists six tackles (among its) top 32 players on its consensus big board.”
DEEP, DEEP DIVE: Mock Draft Database is what the name implies, data from multiple sources that’s used to create prospect rankings. DIVE IN: https://fluence-media.co/mock0416
TOMMIES TAKE A HIT: Via Chip Scoggins at Star Tribune. After losing their Nos. 2 and 3 scorers to the transfer portal, there was hope at St. Thomas that an offer could be made that would keep leading scorer Nolan Minessale at the school. Didn’t happen. Smaller D-I schools like St. Thomas — “mid-majors” is the popular term — are simply going to be feeder schools for more powerful programs. VERBATIM: “Minessale loved his two seasons at St. Thomas. He often spoke glowingly about Coach Johnny Tauer and the program in interviews. But he is a skilled wing who undoubtedly will earn a six-figure contract from some school a level above St. Thomas. And it’s likely that his contract will be closer to seven figures than five figures.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/nolan0416
WEALTH MANAGEMENT: I’m going to be conservative here. let’s say Minessale can save $600,000 from whatever offer he gets from his next school. With a 6% annual return for 40 years, that gives him almost $6.2 million in 2066. At 8% annually, that $600,000 becomes $13 million in 40 years. Not a bad payoff for attending college, right?
GOPHERS GET ONE: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. Nolan Groves, the Orono High star who played only 5.8 minutes per game during his freshman year at Texas Tech, will be joining the Gophers. The 6-foot-5 forward averaged only 5.8 minutes and 0.9 points per game at Texas Tech, where he went after originally committing to Yale. In high school, he led Orono to the 2025 Class 3A tournament and had a career-high of 57 points against St. Louis Park. VERBATIM: “Groves now fills one of five scholarship openings for the 2026-27 roster. Two key remaining needs include a starting-caliber guard and primary center.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/groves0416
HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFERS: Via Strib Varsity. The Star Tribune’s high school section is on the front end of a two-week series about high school athletes who change schools for athletic reasons. Thursday’s reporting explains why the issue is front-and-center. VERBATIM: “Transfer students make up just 1% of Minnesota’s high school athletes, but their impact on top teams is far greater — and increasingly visible on championship stages. . . . A Strib Varsity review of top teams found nine of the Top 25 boys basketball teams in the state began the year with a key contributor who transferred in during high school. In girls basketball, eight of the top 12 teams had the same, including the entire top five. Seven of the 12 hockey and basketball teams that won boys or girls state titles this winter had a transfer student playing a key role.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/transfer0416
IMPERFECT SYSTEM: The Strib Varsity reporting included a lengthy Q&A on how the system is supposed to work, including an explanation of the Minnesota State High School league’s version of the “transfer portal.” There’s also a question about whether Minnesota should follow some other states and let students make one free transfer. It’s a good read, even if it’s hard to take some of what respondents are saying at face value. READ IT: https://fluence-media.co/qa416
ARCHAIC, AMBIGUOUS, ARBITRARY: Via Stinson LLP. The Minneapolis law firm offers this guide and critique of the MSHSL transfer system geared toward parents. VERBATIM: “The MSHSL Bylaws are intended to prevent unfair competition, but are archaic, ambiguous and vague. To make matters worse, MSHSL rules are frequently applied arbitrarily to the detriment of parents and students, and the cost of appealing an adverse decision is high. As such, it is prudent that parents and students understand the MSHSL rules before transferring so they can avoid an ineligibility determination and subsequent loss of their right to participate in their chosen activity.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/stinson0416
BOILING IT DOWN: The transfer rules don’t really matter. As one coach told me, “Rules are only enforced if the ADs choose to enforce.”
SOFTBALL POWERHOUSE: St. Mary’s of Winona, which went to the D-III World Series last season, is currently ranked No. 4 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches poll. The Cardinals are 24-2, including 10-0 in the MIAC, with doubleheaders today vs. St. Olaf, Saturday at Macalester and Sunday vs. St. Catherine’s. The Cardinals’ top player is Makayla Steffes, a junior from Winona, who is batting .486 with 15 steals and has a 13-1 record and 1.39 ERA in 14 starts as a pitcher. STATISTICS | LIVESTREAM | MIAC STANDINGS
MINNESOTA COACHES TAKE OVER: After losing its head coach to Utah State following an NCAA men’s basketball tournament berth, Northern Iowa has hired Kyle Green. He graduated from Washburn High School and Hamline before getting a master’s degree from St. Thomas. Joining him as an assistant and the team’s general manager is Abe Woldeslassie, a St. Thomas Academy grad and former Macalester head coach who was an assistant last season at Denver. Green is the father of Milwaukee Bucks guard A.J. Green. BIO: https://fluence-media.co/green0416
KOZ RETIRES: Via St. Olaf. St. Olaf is looking for a new men’s basketball coach after Dan Kosmoski announced his retirement. Kosmoski coaches at St. Olaf for 32 seasons after an eight years as an assistant at Minnesota under Jim Dutcher, Clem Haskins and Jimmy Williams. His teams had a 395-404 record and went to the D-III Sweet 16 in 2015. VERBATIM: "The great gift in this journey is for all my players to learn one of the most valuable lessons in life: how to work together to achieve your dream of a winning championship. The pursuit of excellence knowing that sometimes you never quite arrive, as John Wooden would say." MORE: https://fluence-media.co/koz0416
DISCLAIMER: Ellen Kosmoski — “Mrs. Koz” — catered our wedding in 2010!
AUTHOR/COACH RETIRES: Via Great Teams Better Leaders. Lake City basketball coach Greg Berge used his newsletter to announce his retirement after 20 years as the school’s boys’ basketball coach. He will stay on as principal. Berge’s teams had a 394-146 record and went to state three times, finishing second in the 2024 state 2A tournament. VERBATIM: “Coaching is one of the greatest jobs in the world. You get to impact kids. You get to build something bigger than yourself. You get to be part of moments that last a lifetime. But it also asks a lot. Time. Energy. Emotional investment. At some point, you have to ask yourself an honest question: Can I still give this what it deserves?”
MEMORIES: Berge’s departure newsletter included 20 memories from 20 seasons of coaching. READ: https://fluence-media.co/berge0416
INJUSTICE FOR THE WILD: Via The Athletic. The NHL system of seeding playoff teams is a bad one and the Wild vs. Dallas series is another exhibit why. VERBATIM: “Everyone knows the NHL’s playoff format is unjust; the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild aren’t the first teams to be screwed by the format and certainly won’t be the last. Still, this series feels like a new low for Gary Bettman’s NHL. Minnesota earned significantly more points than the fourth-best team in the West and will be rewarded for that incredible regular season with a matchup against the second-best team in the West. Unjust doesn’t even begin to describe it. A great team is going home early after what should be a very tight series. And it could be either one.”
ON THE ICE: The series is pretty much a toss-up, with a slight lean to Dallas. The Stars have been to the last three conference finals; Minnesota has lost their last eight first-round series. (Tap here for current odds) The Athletic’s detailed preview goes deep on how the acquisition of star defenseman Quinn Hughes made the Wild better even if their winning percentage didn’t change after he was acquired in December. VERBATIM: “The Wild’s early-season record was floated primarily by their goaltenders. In 12 pre-Hughes appearances, Jesper Wallstedt put up a .937 save percentage, saved nearly 13 goals more than expected, shut out four opponents and went 9-1-1. Filip Gustavsson, in 20 appearances, was solidly above average, as well. Those two helped wallpaper over intensely mediocre offensive numbers at five-on-five. . . .Wild general manager Bill Guerin recognized that, so he swung a blockbuster trade for an ultra-high-end player. Simple enough. And in the months since, Hughes has been as advertised: An offensive engine on the back end, capable of connecting effectively with Minnesota’s elite forwards and mitigating a lack of down-roster game-breakers.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/wild0416
WOLVES MUST FLIP SWITCH: Via Britt Robson at MinnPost. The Wolves-Denver series starts Saturday and Minnesota is a huge underdog. (Tap here for current odds.) The Nuggets will enter the playoffs on a 12-game winning streak while the Wolves sputtered their way through much of the season. VERBATIM: “The Wolves forfeited the right to be dubbed plucky by overestimating their commitment to a championship mentality, specifically by reneging on their promises to build teamwork and momentum game-by-game over the course of the season. ‘I’ve said it all year. We know this team — who we can be and who we have been,’ said head coach Chris Finch after practice on Tuesday, referencing the Wolves previous two years making the conference finals and its tendency to lock in and play the league’s best teams on equal terms this season. ‘It’s about whether we can maintain that. We don’t ever really want to be a flip-a-switch team but we do have a switch to flip and we have to flip it now. And when we do that, everybody becomes the best version of themselves and brings out that continuity and connection that we need.’ “
DIALOGUE: “So you do think there is a switch to flip?, asked Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “I mean, we’ll see,” Finch said with a short, rueful laugh. “We’ll see.” PREVIEW: https://fluence-media.co/wolves0416
TWINS INVESTIGATING INCIDENT: Via Dan Hayes and Jen McCaffrey at The Athletic. Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran told Boston media after Tuesday game against the Twins that he made an obscene gesture toward fans at Target Field who were heckling him about mental health issues he’s been open about during his career. So far, the Twins have not been able to verify his account. VERBATIM: “Because Duran didn’t alert his teammates, coaches or security personnel, a Twins official said the club was unaware of the alleged incident until after the game. A league source said multiple people seated in the area had been interviewed. One person with knowledge of the event said fans were bragging afterward that Duran had raised his middle finger at them after they had mocked his swing. Though the announced crowd was 16,220, only about 10,000 fans were in attendance at Target Field. In spite of the subdued crowd noise, field and television microphones didn’t pick up fans yelling for Duran to harm himself or mocking his swing. Additional audio or video of the incident has yet to surface on social media or in the public sphere.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/taunt0416
FRESHMAN BOOSTS U TO NATIONALS: Via Grace Praxmarer at Star Tribune. Gophers freshman Arianna Ostrum is a rarity in college gymnastics, competing in all four events that comprise the all-around competition. Typically, a first-year competitor would participate in only one or two. But Ostrum came to the Gophers from Stevens Point, Wis., with impressive credentials on a national level and was named Big ten Freshman of the Year. VERBATIM: “It hasn’t happened in a while where we’ve had [someone] compete in the all-around as a freshman, but she’s really risen to the occasion and embraced it,” Gophers coach Jenny Hansen said. “She’s done everything she can to not only compete on all four events, but really be a huge contributing member for the team.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/gymnast0416
HOW IT WORKS: The Gophers compete at 8 p.m. tonight (ESPN2) against Oklahoma, UCLA and Arkansas. The top two teams advance to Saturday’s finals at 3 p.m. on ABC. You can also watch a livestream focused on Minnesota and get live scoring updates here.
ANOTHER NATIONAL POWER: Carleton College’s ultimate team (“Ultimate frisbee” isn’t the proper term) is among the nation’s best of all schools regardless of size. The Carleton women are 19-0 this season and ranked No. 1. The men are 20-2 and No. 3 behind Colorado and Oregon. The men won the USA Ultimate championship in 2025, their sixth national title, and the women finished second. The team was founded in 1977. HISTORY: https://fluence-media.co/ultimate0416
AND FINALLY: Via Katie Heindl at The Ringer. The word nice has a negative connotation in sports. Nice guys finish last, and all that. Calling someone’s game nice is a good thing. Calling someone nice often isn’t. VERBATIM: “Mamba Mentality, which redefined Kobe Bryant’s image and influenced a generation of players, was based on being a solitary, selfish, singular asshole. Nice, we hear over and over, is antithetical to winning. It won’t get you a signature shoe, and it’s not going to get you paid.”
ENTER MIKE CONLEY: Wolves veteran Mike Conley is generally regarded as the NBA’s ultimate nice guy. VERBATIM: “Conley is unanimously the nicest guy in the league — the person whom players, fans, and anyone orbiting the game will point to as the most considerate, thoughtful, and generous with his time. And, of course, he’s also the most principled; he has zero career technical fouls in over 1,200 games, which speaks for itself. . . . ‘t’s a false narrative, in a sense, that people think you have to be the asshole,’ Conley says. ‘In my mind, inside every bone in my body, I want to go and score 40 points and dominate you and be as ruthless as I can on the court.’ Conley and several other Nice Guys around the NBA are changing the rules for how players can act. They’re competitive, but they’re also considerate and empathetic, and their self-awareness allows them to maintain a presence without taking up all the oxygen in a room.” GREAT READ: https://fluence-media.co/nice0416
THANKS FOR READING, STAYING IN TOUCH AND BEING NICE.
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