SOAPBOXING: The other day on Bluesky — my social platform of choice, even if it does sometimes feel like a place where fun goes to die from purity testing — someone sucked the oxygen out of cyberspace with a post that included this line about sports: “Those of us with education and intelligence prefer to discuss topics pertinent to our lives.” I’ve heard knockoffs of that before: the blowhard journalist who would proudly announced himself as “asportsual” when in a room with sports chatter, the condescending term “sportsball” and other self-congratulatory shows of derision.
THE RETORT: While pondering a defense against that attitude — something more eloquent than “stfu and leave the room, why don’cha” — I came across an eloquent retort from ESPN’s wonderful feature writer Wyatt Thompson in a profile by Ben Yoder on the Awful Announcing web site. VERBATIM: “The empathy that defines Thompson’s work is rooted in the belief that sports are rarely just about the games themselves. They are the setting where families, communities, and generations find connection with one another.”
THE QUOTE: Thompson told Yoder, “The reason sportswriting isn’t dead and the reason sportswriting won’t die is that writing about sports is really writing about your family. It’s writing about yourself. It’s writing about your community. It’s writing about your hopes and dreams. It’s writing about your inheritance. Those things will always matter, no matter how the culture zig-zags. Those things will always represent our better angels. Sports can be very divisive, but the best of us lives at its soul.”
Read Sports Take and then scroll back here for the profile on Thompson. And don’t leave the room. There’s a lot to like and to learn. — Howard Sinker
THE BEST OF US: Via Jim Paulsen at Strib Varsity. Lorenzo Hampton III won his first state track title representing Fridley as a sophomore and is hoping to close his high school career this weekend with more honors at the state track and field meet at St. Michael-Albertville. The meet runs today through Saturday. Fridley was among the schools most impacted by the ICE surge over the winter, and Hampton was quick to get involved in reacting. He saw the toll being taken on the wrestling team, of which he was a member. VERBATIM: “The team’s practices were sparsely attended in the winter. Sports didn’t seem quite as important anymore. ‘I was inside my head too much,’ Hampton said. ‘We had less days in school, less students. In wrestling, there were less practices. Some things were canceled.’ There were questions that occupied him: ‘How could I make a difference? How do I make people aware of what’s going on?' I started being a leader, in protests and checking in on friends.’ “
FAST FORWARD: Hampton had committed to Idaho State University in the fall. But that was before the University of St. Thomas, noting his 3.99 GPA and his other activities, offered him a full-tuition scholarship named for former college president Rev. Dennis Dease. The award goes to 10 first-year students with high financial need who have displayed “a proven track record of leadership, community engagement, and academic excellence.” Hampton has talked to St. Thomas’ coaches about joining the track and field program. VERBATIM: “He works very hard, in academics and athletics, and has a lot of heart,” Fridley track and field coach Elizabeth Winkelman said. “He has a calming, humble character you don’t often see in someone who competes at his level.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/hampton0604
LARRY FITZGERALD SR. (1953-2026): Via Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. Larry Fitzgerald Sr. pointed all of us — journalists and readers — toward stories that weren’t likely to be told unless he was doing the telling, whether it was his early-career work for KMOJ radio, when I first met him, or the decades he spent writing for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. VERBATIM: “For nearly five decades, Fitzgerald Sr. was a fixture in Minnesota sports journalism and a trusted voice who made it his life’s work to ensure Black athletes and coaches received the attention and coverage they deserved. He covered dozens of Super Bowls and major sporting events across the country, earning the respect of the Twin Cities journalism community and the broader sports world alike.”
MORE: From the Spokesman-Recorder obituary. “Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder sports columnist Charles Hallman, who worked alongside Fitzgerald Sr. for more than three decades, shared a personal remembrance of his friend and colleague. ‘Larry and I became colleagues at the MSR in 1990. Prior to that we worked together at KMOJ-FM for several years during the 1980s and competed against each other of sorts when I was at Insight News,’ Hallman wrote. ‘We both were cut from the same cloth as strong advocates for Black athletes and coaches in that if we didn’t do it, they might not get the proper attention in coverage as they should.’ “ From WNBA broadcaster Lea B. Olsen on Facebook: “For more than 30 years, Larry Fitzgerald Sr. was someone I could always count on for a warm greeting and a meaningful conversation. He would always ask me how is your big sis DeeDee doing? He understood the importance of showing up, being present in your community, and making a difference by being in the room. Grateful I got to know him! Rest easy, Larry.”
FITTING TRIBUTE: In February, Fitzgerald was inducted as a charter member of the Southside Sports Hall of Fame during a celebration at Sabathani Community Center. As much as I thought I knew about Larry, Hallman and the other inductees, I learned a lot from going to the ceremony. His memory will be a blessing.
READ MORE: Spokesman-Recorder obituary | Patrick Reusse’s column | The Athletic | ESPN
NEW MAN ON THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS: If the Vikings front office was as fractured as indicated in the reporting following the firing of GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — and I don’t doubt that it was — then going outside the organization for his replacement was a logical move. But that’s about all I’m willing to commit to regarding the hiring of Nolan Teasley away from the Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks. For all the superlatives and optimism, the question of whether he can inject what Seattle does well into the Vikings’ culture can’t be answered. C-suites and other sports leadership job trails have no shortage of those who couldn’t replicate success as they moved up or along. I’ll join the “right person” chorus when the Vikings improve on what was accomplished under Adofo-Mensah.
WHO’S REALLY IN CHARGE? Via Kevin Seifert at ESPN. Cutting through all the accolades at Wednesday’s media gathering was the question of how the new leadership team will work. It was heartening to hear co-owner Mark Wilf give what I thought was the right answer. VERBATIM: “It might have seemed odd or even disruptive on a day the organization meant as a celebration, but it was important for anyone who knows the Vikings’ recent and even not-so-recent history. As the team sought to portray collaborative leadership moving forward between Teasley, coach Kevin O’Connell and executive vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski, it was necessary to ask: Who is in charge? ‘Nolan is,’ Wilf said. ‘He’s the general manager of the organization. He has final say on the roster, of the 53 (players), but in the end, he’s going to lean heavily ... on our head coach, obviously, and people like Rob Brzezinski in the building that have deep experience and skill sets that are complementary. So I think we have it all put together in a great way.’ ”
BOOM! Seifert’s story came with an unsubtle admission that things didn’t work well under previous management and that “who’s in charge” better not be an issue going forward. VERBATIM: “Wilf went on to say that both Teasley and O’Connell will report directly to ownership. Brzezinski, the team’s longtime contract negotiator and salary cap analyst who served as interim general manager for four months this spring, will report to Teasley. ‘That’s the structure,’ Wilf said. ‘That’s the way it is. [But] if it comes to structure, we’ve got a problem. The end result is making sure leaders collaborate, work together.’ ” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/gm0604
ROYCE’S REVIVAL: Via Dan Hayes at The Athletic. In 11 games since he was sent to St. Paul, infielder Royce Lewis has smashed eight home runs, has a .370 batting average and 19 RBI in 51 plate appearances. That included a grand slam and two singles on Wednesday. But the Twins may have dropped the biggest hint about his future in the last 48 hours — a start at second base on defense and taking ground balls at first base in practice. The moves are a hint of what could happen when Lewis comes back to the Twins. Does Luke Keaschall move to the outfield or become a trade candidate? Does Lewis replace the committee of first basemen that has been the norm this season? Does Brooks Lee stay at third base or return to shortstop? And, most important, will mashing minor-league pitching translate to reaching the MLB potential that made Lewis the first overall pick in the 2017 draft? VERBATIM: “We’re thinking about all this stuff on a daily basis,” Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said. “We all know that these things are really fluid. Our lineup and defensive configuration was one way, and then we look up a few days later and Kody Clemens is in center field. … Obviously, a lot of these things interplay with one another. I think a lot of these things are moment in time as we try to sort through them.” FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/royce0604
KEY SERIES: The Twins open a telling four-game series against Kansas City tonight at Target Field. Since last week’s outburst of optimism, the Twins finished off a five-game losing streak and were smoked 8-0 by the White Sox on Wednesday, falling seven games from first place in the AL Central and two games behind for the third Wild Card spot (with three teams ahead of them). The Royals arrive with a 9-21 road record and MLB’s third worst overall record. In other words, a subpar weekend could tell us something about the Twins than an optimist doesn’t want to admit. And in case you were wondering, Baseball Prospectus gives the Twins an 8.2% chance of reaching the postseason.
DANCING WITH NUMBERS, U OF M EDITION: Via Chip Scoggins at Star Tribune. In an interview to mark his 10-year tenure as athletic director at the University of Minnesota, Mark Coyle was asked about the school administration’s desire for the athletic department to have a balanced budget. HIS REPLY: “With the exception of COVID, we’ve always balanced our budget. This year, when we presented our athletic ’26 budget, we had a budget shortfall of about $8.75 million. The reason for that shortfall is we added the $20.5 million (revenue share with athletes) like everybody else did. This fiscal year, we feel like we will be near that $8.75 (million), plus or minus a percent on that budget. We’ll hit what we forecast with campus. We have reserves that we’ll work with campus on to get our budget balanced. We need to continue to generate revenue dollars because we can’t be running across campus (saying), ‘Hey, we need this, we need that.’ " FULL Q&A: https://fluence-media.co/coyle0604
IN OTHER WORDS: Answers like that make me check in with people who know more than I do. In this case, I asked someone who has a CEO/CFO background and is also familiar with college sports. QUESTION: “It looks like he’s saying, ‘We balanced the athletic budget but we didn’t balance the budget.’ Am I missing something here?” ANSWER: I wasn’t. The dramatic changes in contemporary college sports are forcing the U to dip into funds that could be used elsewhere to cover the cost of doing business. “They didn’t balance the budget and are calling from reserves from other parts of the university to cover.” NOTE: Drawing on reserves can be an intentional choice by a nonprofit, such as a university, to fund new initiatives on a temporary basis. The $20.5 million in revenue sharing with athletes, which was approved by the NCAA in June 2025, would be considered that kind of initiative. The bigger questions: How much should the U as a whole be propping up athletic department shortfalls? And for how long?
HOLMGREN UNDER FIRE: Via assorted sources. Chet Holmgren, the former Minnehaha Academy star, got the Julius Randle/Rudy Gobert treatment on a national level for his poor play when defending champion Oklahoma City was eliminated by San Antonio in the Western Conference finals. Holmgren was particularly bad in Game 7, scoring only four points (on two shots) with four rebounds in a 111-103 loss. Hey, it’s tough playing against 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama, d/b/a The Alien in the NBA. "In a perfect world, this would have been the last game Chet plays in an Oklahoma City uniform,” said Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take. “He shows every symptom of a playoff choker. He plays like he’s terrified of The Alien,” wrote Kevin O’Connor senior NBA writer for Yahoo! Sports. There was more.
OKLAHOMA CITY VIEW: Via Anthony Slater and Tim McMahon at ESPN. There was the natural reflex by Stephen A. and others that Holmgren should be traded. Don’t expect that to happen. The Thunder are more likely to deal with their salary cap issues by reworking the role players who surround Holmgren and superstar Shea Gilgeous-Alexander. VERBATIM: “ ‘I feel like there were definitely opportunities to get more (shots) up that I didn’t in the moment,’ Holmgren said. ‘That’s an area to improve.’ This continued a downward trend in Holmgren’s volume on the perimeter. His 3-point attempts have decreased from 4.3 to 3.6 to 3.5 in his three seasons and were only at 2.8 in these playoffs. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault called it a multilayered problem but did say it was a “priority” to correct that trend. Gilgeous-Alexander backed him ‘When he’s the best version of himself, we’re the best version of ourselves. It’s no secret. We need Chet. . . . I didn’t perform my greatest this series either.’ ” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/chet0604
GREAT WRITING (FROM A HIGH SCHOOLER): Via MinnPost. Even if I didn’t know that Juan Miguel Adams was a senior who graduates from St. Paul Academy on Sunday, I would have been taken in by the maturity and insight in his story about Julius Randle, the Timberwolves forward whose playoff performance left a lot to be desired and became the symbol of the team’s elimination by San Antonio. After a spin through the stats and Randle’s strengths — “There are nights where the game still bends around him. Nights where he barrels into smaller defenders and looks like an All-NBA player for six-minute stretches.” — Adams puts Randle’s career in context.
VERBATIM: “The flashes are real enough to convince organizations they can build around them. The NBA has spent a decade trying to solve the riddle of who Randle actually is. With the Los Angeles Lakers, he was raw potential. With the New Orleans Pelicans, under assistant coach Chris Finch, he evolved into a more dynamic offensive player, posting what was then the best season of his career. With the New York Knicks, he became both savior and scapegoat, dragging a starving franchise back into relevance before eventually becoming the symbol of its ceiling. Minnesota inherited all of it. The power. The volatility. The history. And Finch, more than anyone in the organization, believed he could make it work. Their relationship matters more than most fans realize. Finch coached Randle during his breakout year in New Orleans and has repeatedly defended him publicly in Minnesota, even as criticism mounted. Randle himself admitted earlier this season that Finch’s support ‘means everything’ to him. There is trust there. Familiarity. Finch understands the emotional machinery of Randle’s game better than most coaches ever have. That relationship is likely one reason Randle’s role remained so large even while his playoff inconsistencies became impossible to ignore.” READ THE REST: https://fluence-media.co/randle0604
NOTED: Adams will be attending Boston College. He was managing editor of the St. Paul Academy student newspaper and a participant in the St. Thomas-sponsored ThreeSixty Journalism program. More of his work is here.
FROST PROTECTS STARS (BUT WILL LOSE SOME): Via Cassidy Hettesheimer at Star Tribune. As the four PWHL expansion teams begin filling their rosters this week through the PWHL’s multi-step process, the Frost signed forwards Taylor Heise and Kelly Pannek, and goalie Maddie Rooney to new contracts, designating them as the three players who won’t be exposed to the new teams. That leaves captain Kendall Coyle Schofield and alternative captain Lee Stecklein, who were protected last year, among those available. More players will be eligible for protection by the Frost later in the six-step process, which will run through the month, but the 2026-27 roster should be substantially different. HOW IT WORKS: https://fluence-media.co/pwhl0604
DO NOT MESS WITH THE MASCOT RACE:
SAD HISTORY LESSON: Via Dennis Anderson at Star Tribune. Alan Johnston, 78, was one of the last three lamplighters employed by the U.S. Coast Guard until he was found in Lake of the Woods last month while performing his annual task of setting buoys that help boaters navigate the lake on the Minnesota-Canada border. Johnston was a third-generation lamplighter and Anderson’s story tells the history of lamplighters as well as being an obituary for Johnston. In the early 20th century, there were as many as 1,200 civilian lamplighters employed by the Coast Guard around the country. They received a stipend for their work and access to government health care. Now the work is typically done by full-time Coast Guard members or other government agencies. VERBATIM: “Most mariners never know the names of the people who maintain the lights and buoys that guide them safely through darkness, storms, and danger,” Coast Guard Great Lakes District Commander Rear Admiral Russell Dash said at Johnston’s memorial service. “But everyone on the water depends on them. Alan Johnston’s historic role as a lamplighter is a cornerstone of our navigational safety mission, and it is our honor to recognize his family’s enduring commitment to guiding others safely home.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/lamplighter0604
CELEBRATE THIS: Via Sabreena Merchant at the Athletic. Their 7-2 start has put the Lynx at the top of WNBA power rankings from The Athletic, ESPN and the league’s web site. Wonder of wonders, huh? VERBATIM: “It remains mind-boggling that a team missing Napheesa Collier (and Bridget Carleton, and Jess Shepard, and Alanna Smith, and Natisha Hiedeman) is sitting atop the WNBA standings. For all of the deserved love coming Olivia Miles and Natasha Howard’s way for their pick-and-roll partnership, the Lynx offense ranks eighth in the WNBA — exactly in the middle. Their league-leading defense (96.8 points allowed per 100 possessions) is the separating factor. Coach Cheryl Reeve has been cooking up elite defenses for more than a decade, and this season’s squad already has its principles intact, despite an offensive surge around the league.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/lynx0604
BUECKERS SETS ANOTHER RECORD: Via Devon Henderson at The Athletic. If you’re a women’s basketball fan or a collector of Minnesota memorabilia (or have too much discretionary cash), how much would you pay for the Dallas Wings jersey Paige Bueckers wore in her 2025 NBA debut? Collectibles store MeiGray reports that the jersey sold recently for $64,720. VERBATIM: “According to the store, the Bueckers jersey, which she wore on May 16, 2025, went for more than twice the previous mark for a game-worn WNBA jersey: $32,150, paid for a jersey A’ja Wilson wore in the 2025 WNBA Finals. It was also the highest public sale for any women’s sports game-worn, photo-matched item, according to MeiGray. . . . ‘That’s insane to me, just thinking about it,’ Bueckers told reporters. ‘It’s crazy. That much money is insane to me. I wouldn’t even pay $10 for my own jersey.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/jersey0604
HOMECOMING MUST-SEE: Bueckers and the Wings come to Target Center on Tuesday to face Miles and the Lynx (7 p.m., Victory+). All kinds of fun intrigue, including the two best point guards in the WNBA despite their youth. Miles was named the WNBA Rookie of the Month for May. Bueckers is averaging 18 points and five assists per game and is shooting just under 50% from the field. The Wings also have former Lynx players Shepard, Smith and Odyssey Sims. TICKETS
300-MILE PARTY: Via Star Tribune. The 300-mile Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota is celebrating its 40th anniversary on Saturday. In addition to celebrating by going for a hike one one the trail’s six sections of 50 to 60 miles, users are invited to “birthday parties” from 4 to 7 p.m. at venues in Grand Marais, Tofte, Two Harbors and Duluth. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/trail0604
GUIDE TO THE TRAIL: https://fluence-media.co/superior0604
BASKETBALL SHOWCASE: More than 100 college coaches from all levels are expected in White Bear Lake on June 12-13 for a boys’ high school basketball showcase with 126 players from Minnesota and the Dakotas invited. The weekend includes training sessions with coaches, games on Friday night and Saturday, a 3-on-3 tournament and a parent education session. Spectator passes for the games sell for $15 for adults and $10 for students. TICKETS | SCHEDULE
U WANTS EIGHTH-GRADE QUARTERBACK: Via Marcus Fuller at Strib Varsity. The Gophers have offered a scholarship to Carter Cupito of Minnehaha Academy, whose father Bryan is the third-leading passer in the U’s football record books. Cupito started last season for the SMB cooperative team, which also includes The Blake School, St. Paul Academy and Hope Academy and had a 7-3 record last season. Cupito also was a starting guard of the Minnehaha boys’ basketball team that won the Class 2A state title. If these details sound vaguely familiar it may be because Gophers coach P.J. Fleck also sought Jalen Suggs, who played the same combination of sports and positions at the same school before choosing basketball and going on to Gonzaga and the Orlando Magic. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/cupito0604
DYNASTIES: Via Strib Varsity and Pioneer Press. St. Paul Academy won its fifth straight Class 1A tennis title Wednesday, beating Breck School 4-3 in the championship match. Wayzata won for the fourth straight time in Class 2A. Both matches were tied at 3-3, pending the outcome of a last singles match. Individual tournament play is today and Friday. STORIES: Class 2A | Class 1A | Brackets, Program, Streaming
BLOW OFF WORK FOR BASEBALL: No. 2 seed Edina (19-6) plays No. 1 Wayzata (19-9) in the finals of the Section 6AAAA baseball tournament today at Parade Stadium. Game time is noon with a second game following if Wayzata wins the first one. Wayzata won both regular-season games between the teams. Edina features ninth-grade pitcher Ari Miller, a 6-foot-1 left-hander who has a 9-0 record and didn’t face Wayzata in the first two games. The state baseball tournaments start next Thursday in St. Paul, St. Cloud and Jordan with the finals in four classes set for June 15 at Target Field. EDINA-WAYZATA LIVESTREAM | TICKETS
SPRING TOURNAMENTS: As a group, spring high school tournaments typically gather the least amount of attention without showcase sports — football and volleyball in the fall; hockey and basketball in the winter — to grab attention. But there will be excellent athletes competing and good stories to be told. Softball and tennis conclude four-day runs today and Friday. Track and Field goes from today through Saturday. Baseball, lacrosse, golf and boys’ volleyball are next week. Here’s the calendar, including information about sites, tickets, streaming and who’s playing when. https://fluence-media.co/mshsl0604
NEED BOXSCORES? The double blow of shrinking newspapers and way-too-early print deadlines has resulted in the deemphasis and/or elimination of box scores from newspapers — and many websites don’t make them easy to find. Jeff Blankenburg, an Ohio-based software developer, has created a daily email that includes boxscores, statistics and emails that used to be a newspaper staple. The email is free and available for all of MLB or for individual teams, and he’s planning to expand to other sports. It’s now part of my morning time-suck. INFO, SUBSCRIBE: https://fluence-media.co/boxscore0604
COMING NEXT WEEK: The World Cup opens next Thursday and runs through June 19. I’ll have a library of links to get you through your soccer watching.
HOUSEKEEPING: Previous editions of Sports Take are here. Also, whenever possible, I’m using gift links that allow you to read stories for free on pay sites.
AND FINALLY: Via New York Times. Let’s play a game. This is the first season that MLB umpires can have their ball and strike calls challenged by catchers, batters and pitchers. Their calls are overturned just over half the time, but the most intriguing thing to me is how close the calls are. When a strike call is overturned or a ball is confirmed, TV and stadium scoreboard graphics show how far outside the strike zone the pitch ended up. Typically it’s less than a half-inch. So how would you do? Try calling these seven pitches from your keyboard to find out. PLAY: https://fluence-media.co/ump0604
THAT’S ALL FOR NOW: Oh, yeah. I got two of the seven right. A friend who tried got four. “Send me to The Show!” she said.
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