OPENING NOTE: Happy 2025! Good to be back after a week off for holidays, family and other breaks from the routine. Waiting for my son-in-law Alex to take the Zamboni driving lesson he got for Christmas (There will be video!) and for the start of Lynx season to use the tickets Santa brought my wife Julie. (She already has the blue-and-green sparkly jacket.) But right now, we have the Vikings and some serious high-stakes football coming up to distract us from the inconsistencies and inactivity of the other local teams. Things come to a stop Sunday night for Vikings vs. Lions. Winning gets a playoff bye and home field advantage until that game in February you don’t dare dream about reaching. Losing starts a long and winding postseason road — and rekindles your worst fears, right? We have stuff to look back on and a whole lot to look ahead to. Let’s go! — Howard Sinker
BEFORE YOU READ ANYTHING ELSE: Kent Youngblood’s Star Tribune profile on Napheesa Collier shows why she was an easy choice as the newspaper’s Sportsperson of the Year. Olympic gold, surprising (and excruciating) runner-up in the WNBA, starting the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league. Collier dominated on many levels in 2024 and will be building something new in 2025.
MORE: (Teammate Kayla) McBride has more than a decade in the WNBA, and she has never seen such a combination of ability and amity. “Phee” was both the Lynx’s engine and its fuel. “At this point in my career I can safely say Phee is one of one,” McBride said. “In her ability to be tenacious, so completive, just a superstar. I mean, this is a superstar. But she is also one of the humblest, nerdiest, normal human beings. That is what makes her so special. She knows who she is. When the game stops she goes back to being Phee. That’s refreshing.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/phee0102
HOW BIG? Via Brian Murphy at Purple Insider. VERBATIM: “The Vikings and Lions have earned their showcase and label as Super Bowl favorites through dominance and sheer will. Detroit has been wearing their badge since pushing the 49ers to the brink in last season’s NFC championship game and weathering a withering rash of injuries while Minnesota ascended to the top this year while most of the NFL wasn’t looking. These two forlorn franchises have been passing through the night for 65 years. They’ve never played in the postseason and I dare you to find a consequential one among their 126 regular-season games. Five forgettable Thanksgiving Day matchups. One of these teams might as well be in the AFC South.”
MORE MURPHY: Strutting out of Ford Field with the division flag between their teeth means the Vikings will get a valuable week off as the No. 1 seed. The only postseason road trip they would take is to the Big Easy for the Big One. Playoff byes are gold. Teams that watched the wild card round from their couch won seven consecutive Super Bowls between 2013-19. Since the league added a seventh playoff team in each conference, Tom Brady’s 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only wild-card team to win it all. READ IT ALL: https://fluence-media.co/murphy0102
SAM IN THE PRESENT: Via Dane Mizutani at Pioneer Press. After an interview with Brady following his career day against the Packers, Sam Darnold walked into a celebration unlike any he’s experienced. It was planned . . . until it wasn’t. VERBATIM: As the water bottles started to fly, defensive tackle Harrison Phillips and running back Aaron Jones collectively called an audible at the last second, hoisting Darnold up onto their shoulders while chaos ensued around them. . . .The pure unadulterated joy on Darnold’s face said more than words ever could. He flung his hat into the air, slicked back his hair, and let out a roar. His teammates jumped up and down while chanting the chorus from “Many Men” by 50 Cent. As the celebration unfolded in front of him, (Coach Kevin) O’Connell stood off to the side by himself, smiling and shaking his head. He looked very much like a proud father as he allowed himself to soak in the moment. It was a manifestation of the culture he had worked so hard to build. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/darnold0102
SAM IN THE FUTURE?: What happens after this season? Let’s take some time off from that debate and roll with what’s playing out right now.
PRO BOWLING: Via Lindsey Young at vikings.com. Six Vikings have been named to the Pro Bowl: Darnold, wide receiver Justin Jefferson, cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr., edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and long snapper Andrew DePaola. For all but Jefferson and DePaola, it’s the first time they’ve been chosen. VERBATIM: The grouping marks Minnesota's biggest since 2009, when eight Vikings were honored: Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Sidney Rice, Bryant McKinnie, Steve Hutchinson, Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Heath Farwell. Three of the 2024 team's six players — Darnold, Greenard and Van Ginkel — joined the Vikings as free agents last spring and have been sensational in their first season in Purple. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/probowl0102
ADDISON’S ADDED VALUE: Via Ben Goessling at Star Tribune. Going from having the best receiver in the league (Justin Jefferson) to having the best pass-catching tandem — a debate, but one you can win — has been a big boost for the Vikings. VERBATIM: Jefferson and Jordan Addison have referred to themselves as the best wide receiver duo in the league; Addison’s production in his second season has helped the Vikings make defenses pay for keying on Jefferson. On Sunday, he showed the footwork that attracted O’Connell to him in the first place. ”His route-running ability was what jumped off the tape from college, both at Pitt and USC in totally different offenses, doing totally different things in a lot of ways,” O’Connell said.
MORE FROM GOESSLING: How Addison’s skills played out vs. the Packers. VERBATIM: In one of his last meetings of the day on Saturday, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell let the team’s skill position players know he was making a slight change to a pass play they had in the game plan. . . .The play called for Jordan Addison to stop on a short route from the slot, before turning and breaking downfield while Justin Jefferson ran an intermediate in-breaking route. O’Connell wanted to adjust the timing of the play slightly, to account for the possibility the Packers would send pressure. “For him to be able to take the verbal cues of that adjustment, really not get a chance to practice again, and then do it in a pretty big spot there, kind of [shows] his ability to take some of those things and make them come to life,” O’Connell said.
FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/addison0102. WATCH THE PLAY: https://fluence-media.co/play0102
BLUESKY CORNER: Social media that captures the mood of the people heading into Sunday’s game.
LIONS GOOD, LIONS BAD: Via Chris Branch at The Athletic’s Pulse newsletter. VERBATIM: The Lions may be the most interesting elite team we have. Two reasons: This team is depleted. So many critical players on both sides of the ball — namely Aidan Hutchinson and David Montgomery — are out, particularly on defense. It’s easy to wonder if it’s too much to overcome in the playoffs. The thought of a dream season snuffed out by bad luck is tough to process as a neutral observer. Imagine what Lions fans are going through. And yet … this team has it, whatever it is. The Lions can clearly keep pace even as their defense flags. Over the last four weeks, Detroit’s defense has allowed an average of 32.5 points. Its offense put up 37.5 points a game in that stretch. Shootout wins count in the playoffs, too. Thus we get the ultimate Week 18 matchup: the 14-2 Lions hosting the 14-2 Vikings with the NFC North crown and the conference’s No. 1 seed on the line. Loser's on the road in the first round. Brutal. SUBSCRIBE: https://fluence-media.co/pulse0102
KEYS TO THE GAME? Via Matthew Coller at Purple Insider. Keep an eye on fourth-down decisions, trick plays and turnovers. VERBATIM: The matchup between the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football is filled with drama because of the stakes but what makes the game even more compelling is that each team has its own unique way of playing that helped them reach the 14-win mark this season. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/keys0102
JUST FACTS: KICKOFF: 7:20 p.m. Sunday at Detroit. TV: NBC. RADIO: KFAN 100.3 FM, Vikings Radio Network and stream. BETTING: Lions by 3, Over/Under: 56. STATS AND STUFF: https://fluence-media.co/vikingsweek18
TROUBLE BEHIND, TROUBLE AHEAD: The Wolves played a horrid third quarter Tuesday night in their loss at Oklahoma City, turning a double-digit lead into a double-digit disadvantage with a sorry stretch of bad ball-handling and silly mistakes. Up by 12 turned into down by 14 on their way to a 113-105 loss. The Thunder tied for the best record in the Western Conference last season and are currently tops in the West with a 27-5 record. The Wolves finished one game behind in 2023-24 and are now stumbling along among the play-in round contenders. Both teams made significant roster moves in the off-season, but the Thunder’s have, to this point, worked out better.
MORE PATIENCE? Via Chris Hine at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: For the Wolves, the mission is to find a groove and chemistry with this roster that by the time the playoffs roll around, they can compete with anyone, regardless of seed. LOOK AHEAD: The Wolves will get a good, and potentially scary, chance to measure their progress next month when they play OKC three times in a 12-day span on either side of the All-Star break. Those come right after games against Eastern Conference powers Cleveland and Milwaukee. If the Wolves sputter through that stretch, optimism about the postseason would be harder to come by. HINE’S STORY: https://fluence-media.co/wolvesokc0102
DiVINCENZO FINALLY ADJUSTS: Via Jon Krawczynski at The Athletic. Wolves fans were justified in wondering why the Donte DiVincenzo they saw on the floor until recently barely resembled the player who the team insisted on getting to make it willing to trade Karl-Anthony Towns to New York. What happened? VERBATIM: It was a chance conversation with veteran guard (and Wolves nemesis) Dennis Schröder that helped crystalize DiVincenzo’s outlook. When Schröder was traded from Brooklyn to Golden State last (month), he sought out DiVincenzo for notes on what it was like to play for the Warriors. DiVincenzo raved about his experience in Golden State and offered some thoughts on how Schröder could acclimate to his new surroundings. Schröder then turned the tables on him. He told DiVincenzo that it was time to stop fixating on his transition from New York to Minnesota and just get out there and play. “He was just straightforward with his words,” DiVincenzo said.
AND THEN… VERBATIM: The key for DiVincenzo lately is that he has been so much more than just a shooter. He is grabbing rebounds in traffic, helping the Wolves out-board 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs 56-41 on Sunday night. He is finding some chemistry with Gobert, hitting him on lobs and pick-and-roll actions for easy buckets.
THE QUOTE: “Getting back to playing for the joy and love of the game versus comparing what I did and trying to build off of it,” DiVincenzo said. “Just being out there. You can’t take it for granted. You’re playing in the NBA, and you’re playing for one of the best teams in the league, and you’re playing with one of the best young superstars in the league. That dude has fun. Go have fun with him.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/donte0102
RANDLE’S REWIRING: Via Chris Hine at Star Tribune. Hine used Julius Randle’s standout performance against Dallas on Christmas to explain his adjustment to Minnesota. Hine laid out how Randle’s in a significantly different role than he had with the Knicks. VERBATIM: There, he was “wired to score” . . . and now he has had to rewire his game in Minnesota. That process is taking time. “That’s really been the biggest change. You’re somewhere for five years, playing a certain way and I come here and it’s a little bit different,” Randle said. “I love my role here. I love playing with my teammates, but finding what helps the team and what the team needs the most on a night-to-night basis has been the harder part, but everybody has been great with me, coaches included, helping me adjust and figuring things out.” The key word for him and his teammates? Not something fans always want to hear: patience. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/randle0102
CU$$-O-METER: Anthony Edwards was fined $100,000 for dropping an f-bomb and another curse word during a live interview after his game-winning shot against Houston last week. That’s brings his mouth-and-hands fine total to $235,000 for the season, about .5% of his $42,300,000 salary. There’s also been an extra $16,000 in fines for his seven technical fouls.
Got something to show or tell me? Email: sportstake@fluence-media.com
BOWL GAME FRIDAY: The Gophers will face a Virginia Tech team in Duke’s Mayo Bowl that has been depleted by 24 Hokies players entering the transfer portal after the regular season ended with a 37-17 rivalry-game win over Virginia. The departures have helped boost the Gophers from five-point favorites when betting lines were set to 7.5-point favorites now. The game, and the practices leading up to it, will be a nice exit for quarterback Max Brosmer and other seniors — and a chance for the Gophers to get some glimpses into their future. It’s a low-key way to close out the season and not much more. That’s pretty much become the culture of bowl games with the expansion of the College Football Playoffs and free agency made possible by the portal, NIL prospects and/or playing opportunities elsewhere.
DEPLETED OPPONENT: Via Noel Thompson at Gopher Hole and Andy Bitter of Tech Sideline. VERBATIM: It has been a rough couple of weeks for the Hokies. Tech had 10 players make one of the three All-ACC teams or earn an honorable mention. Only two — punter Peter Moore and kicker John Love — will play Friday. In all, 13 of the 22 players who started on offense and defense in the UVa game on Nov. 30 will not be in the lineup against Minnesota. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/hokies0102
MORE PRESSURE ON FLECK: Via La Velle E. Neal III at Star Tribune. Expanding the playoffs from four teams to 12 means the Gophers should now be judged on whether they can be considered a contender for the postseason field. VERBATIM: It can be done, and especially when the schedule breaks your way. We should expect Fleck to craft a 10-win season every few years, not once in eight.
La VELLE WRITES: There have been too many mediocre seasons under Fleck. There’s the 34-36 conference record. There’s his 1-7 record against Iowa. This matters more now as college football no longer requires near perfection to reach the tournament. Entering the final week with 10 wins gets you in the conversation. Gophers fans should be watching playoff games this week wondering what it will take to join the party. There is an expanded pathway to college football’s postseason. Fleck’s future should depend on him finding it. FULL COLUMN: https://fluence-media.co/neal0102
JUST FACTS: KICKOFF: 6:30 p.m. Friday at Charlotte, N.C.. TV: ESPN. RADIO: KFAN 100.3 FM, Vikings Radio Network and stream. BETTING: Minnesota by 7.5, Over/Under: 40.5. STATS AND STUFF: https://fluence-media.co/mayobowl0102
‘I’M NOT DOING THAT’: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. Part of the lead-up to the game is a trip for players and coaches to Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was a bumpy ride for coach P.J. Fleck and Brosmer. The stock car Fleck was in spun out and Brosmer’s car shut down because of an engine fire. VERBATIM: “(The driver) was like, ‘Yeah, that was not supposed to happen.’ Then we went into the pits, got some new tires and went back out.” The Minnesota football team received a fuller NASCAR experience. . . . It included a mundane delay to remove water from the track, which holds the Coca-Cola 600 in May, and a more startling stoppage when one car holding Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer in the passenger seat had its engine explode near the finish line. A bowl official said the ride-alongs have been a perk before the Charlotte bowl game for each of its 23 years and that this was believed to be the first to include either a spin out or an engine fire.
MORE FROM GREDER: VERBATIM: Defensive tackle Deven Eastern lingered at the back of the line of players, clearly nervous about putting on a helmet and participating. The bus ride into the enormous, 95,000-spectator speedway had Gopher players gasping at the 24-degree banking in its corners. “You heard a lot of “Aw, hell no” when they saw the banking of the turns,” Fleck relayed. “It was a lot of, ‘I’m not doing that’ — like a roller coaster. But they are embracing it.’ “ FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/stockcar0102
UNDERESTIMATED? A reader suggested that I’ve underestimated the quality of the Gophers women’s basketball team based on my (valid) trolling of their early-season record that was run up against some awful opponents. Maybe I did. Minnesota scored two Big Ten wins in the last week, beating Penn State 90-54 on Saturday and Wisconsin 59-50 on Tuesday in Madison. The Gophers are now 14-1 and 27th in the NCAA’s NET rankings. I still need some convincing, though, especially because the team is without injured star Maya Braun and top reserve Taylor Woodson.
COMING UP: Beating Illinois, a team getting votes in the AP poll, at The Barn on Sunday would be a nice step (2 p.m., BIG+). After playing Rutgers at home next Wednesday, Minnesota will face a tougher test at No. 8 Maryland on Jan. 14. Win those (or win the first two and give Maryland a tough battle) and I’ll be up for believing. NET RANKINGS: https://fluence-media.co/netrankings0102
AND THE MEN: The Gophers (8-5) play No. 20 Purdue tonight at the Barn followed by four teams in the “also receiving votes” category of the AP Top 25. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/schedule0102
UGLY INJURY: Via Michael Russo and Joe Smith at The Athletic. Wild captain and defenseman Jared Spurgeon suffered an injury Tuesday that put him on crutches and could result in significant time off the ice. He was “slew-footed” by Nashville rookie Zachary L’Heureux, whose cheap shot sent Spurgeon crashing into the boards and L’Heureux to an NHL disciplinary hearing. L’Heureux, 21, has an ugly minor-league history. VERBATIM: Even though he is not deemed a “repeat offender” by the NHL, at only 21 years old, L’Heureux has previously been suspended 11 times — nine times in the Quebec League and twice in the AHL. L’Heureux, the NHL’s rookie leader with 106 hits, was assessed a match penalty for taking his left leg, sticking it behind both of Spurgeon’s legs and sweeping Spurgeon’s legs out from under him. Spurgeon’s right leg slammed directly into the end boards. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/slewfoot0102
NET RESULT: Via Sarah McLellan at Star Tribune. Spurgeon’s injury, on top of all the others to Wild players, means even more pressure on goalie Filip Gustavsson. VERBATIM: Leading scorer Kirill Kaprizov, top-pairing defenseman Jake Middleton and depth winger Jakub Lauko are also on the mend, with Kaprizov joining Middleton and Lauko on injured reserve, and none of the Wild’s injured players traveled for the road trip that starts Thursday at Washington. These absences make stingy goaltending even more important, and Gustavsson’s bounce-back season has proved he can provide that for the Wild. “He’s a rock back there, for sure, for our team,” defenseman Declan Chisholm said. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/gus0102
THIELBAR TO CUBS: Via Jordan Bastian at mlb.com. Lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar will attempt to win a spot in the Cubs bullpen in 2025 after a season of struggles with the Twins. Thielbar is coming off career worsts in ERA 5.32, walks (4.6 per nine innings) and WHIP (1.6 walks and hits per inning) VERBATIM: Given the issues within the bullpen early last season, creating more depth -- and finding some lefty pieces in the process -- was a must for the North Siders this winter. MY TAKE: Good luck, Cubbies. See you (and Caleb?) are Target Field in July. FULL REPORT: https://fluence-media.co/thielbar0102
ANYTHING MISSING HERE? Via The Athletic. I’m a fan of creative rankings, like the recent one by The Athletic, which polled 40 executives and coaches from what it called “the four major leagues” — MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — and asked them to rate the best front offices in those sports. (Apparently, the WNBA isn’t a major league. Who knew?) THE TOP THREE: Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Ravens. MINNESOTA’S TEAMS: The Timberwolves were tied with the Packers for 20th; the Twins tied for 34th with the New York Rangers, and the Wild tied for 52th with the Dallas Mavericks. VERBATIM: The word “culture” comes up often in discussions about the Minnesota Twins. . . .“Everybody who goes there loves it,” one MLB executive said. “You hear it from every player who played for them. Derek Falvey has done a lot of hard work from a culture standpoint, and it’s made a difference.”
AS I WAS SAYING: There are 124 teams in the four men’s major leagues. (Major League Soccer might like a word, but I’ll let them fight that battle.) There were 69 teams that got at least one vote. The Vikings — 14-2, excellent personnel upgrades, playing for the No. 1 seed in the NFC — were shut out. It didn’t go unnoticed in the story comments. VERBATIM: Not a single vote for the Minnesota Vikings after the team and future flexibility that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has built while inheriting an old and expensive roster? Moving from Cousins to Darnold/McCarthy was risky but looks brilliant now, the coaching staff is one of the best in the NFL, and one of the league’s top defenses was built off the scrap heap. He’s probably the most underrated GM in pro sports if this list is any indication! ONE MORE THING: The person who left that comment used the name “Kevin O.” Is that you, Kevin O’Connell? FULL RANKING: https://fluence-media.co/frontoffice0102
GOOD TO GO RANKINGS: Via Eder Campuzano at Star Tribune. Strib newsletter editor Eder Campuzano came to the Twin Cities three years ago after living in Oregon and listed 30 things he’s learned as a Minnesota transplant. The joy of attending pro sports made his list. VERBATIM: Oregonians don’t exactly have much to root for when it comes to sports. There’s the Portland Trail Blazers, Portland Thorns, University of Oregon football and . . . that’s about it. So color me as surprised as anyone that I’ve become a fan of attending pro sporting events here. WHO’S NO. 1? Campuzano ranked “how much fun I’ve had as a spectator” watching each of the seven pro teams in the Twin Cities. THE LIST: https://fluence-media.co/fun0102
BOZO OF THE YEAR, DULUTH DIVISION: Via Duluth News Tribune. A 23-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the theft of hockey sticks belonging to the Mankato West boys’ hockey team, which was in Duluth for a holiday tournament. VERBATIM: Public information officer Mattie Hjelseth confirmed in a news release that police met with representatives of the Mankato West team and returned the recovered items — which also included the missing duffel bag. Scarlets coach Nate Olsen estimated the bag contained $10,000-$12,000 worth of hockey sticks. Late Saturday evening, police saw a man walking in the 100 block of East Third Street with a few of the items, Hjelseth said in a statement Sunday morning. The man told officers he found the items behind the Chum shelter. He didn’t match the suspect's description but was arrested on an unrelated warrant, Hjelseth said. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/sticks0102
IF YOU MISSED IT: Via James Walsh and Tony Kennedy at Star Tribune. Here’s the original story about the hockey stick heist. (Mankato West plays at Osseo tonight at 7 p.m.) VERBATIM: Thinking they must have left the sticks at the rink the day before, Olsen said calls to the other teams turned up nothing. A review of surveillance camera footage confirmed that the team manager had loaded the sticks onto the bus shortly after the Scarlets returned to their hotel around 2:30 p.m. Friday. Olsen figures someone boarded the bus after dark and took the bag of sticks. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/mankato0102
NDSU GOES FOR THE TITLE: Via Eric Peterson at The Forum. Monday night’s FCS title game between No. 2-ranked North Dakota State (13-2) and No. 1 Montana State (15-0) features two quarterbacks who decided against stepping up to a major-college program (6 p.m., ESPN). Cam Miller of NDSU and Tommy Mellott of Montana State opted to keep running their elite teams. VERBATIM: “There wasn’t going to be an option outside of that I would ever consider to leave," said Mellott, from Butte, Montana. “It’s not about money, it’s about going out there and playing football and that’s what it should be about.” North Dakota State senior quarterback Cam Miller, like Mellott, could have entered the portal and potentially landed with a Division I FBS program "Both of them probably could have left and played Power Five FBS football somewhere, but it tells how much they care about their program and their university," said Bison senior defensive tackle Eli Mostaert. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/ndsu0102
TENTH TITLE: North Dakota State will be trying for its 10th FCS title since 2011. That includes five in a row from 2011-15 and three straight from 2017-2019. The Bison also won the 2021 title, when they beat Montana State 38-10. HISTORY: https://fluence-media.co/fcs0102
FROM THE STRIB EDITOR: Via Ryan Kostecka at Star Tribune. The sports editor, hired last summer, wrote about changes and challenges ahead. VERBATIM: Not every decision we make will be perfect. Some ideas will flop. But the lessons we take away from those failures and how we use them to shape our future will allow us to reach new heights. That makes this a scary time, but it’s precisely what’s needed if we are to thrive for another century. QUICK TAKE: Reader comments at the end of the piece speak to the difficulty in building community or consensus on a major-market news platform. There’s no magic formula: Smart reporting, writing and presentation beats everything. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/kostecka0102
AND FINALLY: Via Jess Myers at Pioneer Press. It has been more than a year since former Star Tribune sportswriter and NHL executive Chris Snow died after being diagnosed with ALS in 2019. Kelsie Snow talked to Myers about how “joy and grief sharpen each other.” VERBATIM: It has been more than a year now without Chris, and the Snows are getting by. Kelsie hosts a podcast about dealing with grief and loss, called “Sorry, I’m Sad” and she writes often about their new, harsh reality. The challenge of raising two children without their father is hard, and also a blessing, in those moments where life offers “pockets of distraction” like making lunch for the kids, driving them to hockey practice, taking them to horseback riding lessons or other moments that provide a chance to think about something other than loss. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/chris0102 PODCAST: https://fluence-media.co/sorryimsad
Thanks for reading. Back with more next week.
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