WINNERS, WINNERS, WINNERS: We’re not used to this, right? The Wolves won four in a row to advance in the NBA playoffs, the Twins have won 11 in a row, the Frost won three straight to take their PWHL series and Minnesota United was on a three-game winning streak until Wednesday’s loss to Houston. Add it up: That’s a 21-1 record. BONUS WINS: The Vikings have a winner of a 2025 schedule with more attention-grabbing games than in recent memory and the Lynx start their season Friday night hoping to overturn the perceived injustice of how the WNBA Finals ended in New York last year. It’s one of those times when Minnesota’s teams are smoking hot instead of leaking oil. ADVICE: Forget that you were ever skeptical. About the KAT trade. About how the Twins started their season. About whether the Loons would show out against Messi and Miami. I’m gonna act like I knew things would go this well. I invite you to join me. — Howard Sinker
THREE THINGS: So much was awaiting me when I woke up this morning because Wednesday was a Minnesota sports festival, with enough action for an entire week in ordinary times. These aren’t the top three. But they certainly caught my attention.
1. THE CHALLENGE: If you stuck around to watch the postgame interviews after Game 5, you probably have a favorite moment. I was struck by these words from Wolves coach Chris Finch. This is the boss you want to be, want to have or want to emulate.
2. THE TROUBLES: Via Graham Ruthven at The Guardian. I have received an education in the last few days about the unique ways soccer fans show their support. (More on that below.) The build-up and reaction to Minnesota United’s 4-1 stomping of Inter-Miami intrigued me. Yes, it was a great afternoon at Allianz Field. At the same time, Inter-Miami and its star-packed roster, featuring Lionel Messi, are going through harsh times that avid fans know about and the Loons exploited. VERBATIM: “Inter-Miami are used to having a target on their back by now, but no opponent has hit them harder than Minnesota United did on Saturday.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/intermiami0515.
3. OOPS: When I looked at my phone this morning, this headline was the first thing that popped up on my news feed:
The subject of this ill-timed take would like a word:
ALL EYES ON ANT: Via Jon Krawczynski at the Athletic. The Game 5 knockout blow was one of those nights to be pumping your fist at the TV and imagining what could be ahead for the Wolves — in the next few weeks as opposed to the next few years. This Anthony Edwards-focused story nails it. VERBATIM: “The Warriors went into Game 5 hell-bent on keeping his scoring down, but all that did was help him showcase how much his game has grown, and why this year’s Timberwolves may be a little more dangerous. His 22 points were nice, but the 12 assists were sensational. He also had three blocked shots, seven rebounds and hit five 3-pointers, putting the game to bed for good with a pull-up from 25 feet with under seven minutes to play. ‘He’s the brightest star in the world,’ Randle said on TNT. “Anywhere he goes, all eyes on him.’ His level of belief borders on the irrational, an audacity of hoop, and it is pulling one of the least successful franchises in professional sports out of the muck and into the light.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/edwards0515
AND RANDLE, TOO: Via Erich Richter at New York Post. The headline is spot on: “Incredible Julius Randle getting playoff redemption with Timberwolves.” The story is, too. VERBATIM: “Coach Steve Kerr was not expecting Julius Randle to author his Warriors downfall. Randle had two disappointing postseasons with the Knicks as he battled injuries. When he was traded to the Timberwolves this offseason, many felt the Knicks had won the deal while landing Karl Anthony-Towns. Kerr would have agreed earlier in the season after playing Minnesota — but not any more. . . . ‘Julius Randle was incredible. What a series,’ Kerr said postgame. ‘He’s always been a really good player in this league. I think he has taken a leap. I remember playing here early in the season and it looked like a tough fit. They didn’t have the spacing … They missed Towns. Fast forward to now, he’s 13 for 18. He was incredible the whole series. We couldn’t stop him.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/randle0515 (Image below via Reddit.)
NO SATISFACTION — YET: Via Dave McMenamin at ESPN.com. VERBATIM: “While it felt like a momentous night in the building, with Edwards joining Kevin Garnett as the only other Timberwolves player with at least 1,000 career playoff points and Minnesota clinching a series at home for the first time since Garnett played for them 21 years ago, the team kept its focus forward. ‘There is no satisfaction,’ Edwards said. ‘We just got here. We haven't [done] anything yet.’ Not satisfied, but perhaps better prepared than a year ago as they earned at least three days off before the start of the conference finals. The earliest the series will start is Sunday in Oklahoma City, if the Thunder, who are up 3-2, beat the Nuggets in Game 6 on Thursday.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/next0515
THE JOURNEY: Via Jace Frederick at Pioneer Press. Need a refresher on how bleak things were during the regular season? READ THIS: https://fluence-media.co/bleak0515
THE SCHEDULE: If the Thunder beat Denver tonight, the Western Conference finals start Sunday in Oklahoma. If the Nuggets win and force Game 7, the series starts Tuesday in OKC or Denver. FULL SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/schedule0515
WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?: Yes, those are the Twins holding down the third Wild Card spot for now in the American League standings. It doesn’t mean much with 118 games left to play. But it’s fun to look at, huh? A few weeks back, I noted that the Twins had little margin for mistake in order for them to win a game. Right now, it’s 180-degrees different. In Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep in Baltimore, they won without playing close to their best. The opener was a 4-3 victory despite making four errors and pitching walking six batters. In the second game, they overcame a meltdown inning by starter Simeon Woods Richardson and rallied for an 8-6 win, holding the lead mainly with second-line relievers who didn’t pitch in the first game.
NEXT UP: After today’s 4-0 win in Baltimore, the Twins are off to Milwaukee for three games against the Brewers (a sub-.500 team) and then some fun begins at Target Field next week with three against the Guardians and three against the Royals. The Twins lost three of four games to both teams during their miserable April. If they come through the homestand with a winning record, maybe the hopeful among us will come close to outnumbering the skeptics.
RICHARDSON GONE: Fallout from Wednesday featured the demotion of Woods Richardson to St. Paul. He didn’t make it through the sixth inning in any of his eight starts, a shortcoming that taxed the bullpen. In his last three starts, he yielded 10 earned runs in 13 1/3 innings. The doubleheader gave the Twins a logical reason for making the move now because there are no days off until next Thursday. Either Zebby Matthews (2-1, 1.93 at St. Paul) or David Festa (2-1, 3.60 ERA) will be the likely call-up. Matthews and Festa are scheduled to start for the Saints on Friday and Saturday. If one of them gets pulled, that’s the indication they’ll be starting Sunday in Milwaukee. For now, reliever Kody Funderburk stays.
QUARTER-SEASON MVPS: Via Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic. Here’s the case for Byron Buxton and Harrison Bader. VERBATIM: “Bader and Buxton have been as good defensively as any outfield duo in the league, and arguably in Twins history, forming an impenetrable no-fly zone for would-be extra-base hits. The Twins’ outfield leads the AL in outs above average and ranks second in Defensive Runs Saved. ‘Our outfield defense has been outstanding,’ Baldelli said. ‘Not only is it a strength of ours, but I can’t imagine an outfield defense that’s helping their team win games the way ours does.’ And like great artists admiring each other’s latest work, Buxton and Bader have formed something of a mutual admiration society for great grabs.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/mvps0515
CLOSING FAST: Via Betsy Helfand at Pioneer Press. After some struggles last season, Jhoan Duran has returned to elite closer form. He lost weight over the winter and has tweaked his pitch selection. The result so far is an 0.89 ERA, 8-for-8 in save situations and less than one runner on base per inning. VERBATIM: “Though he’s not lighting up the radar gun at 103 and 104 mph like he was a couple of years ago, he’s still throwing plenty hard — his four-seam fastball is averaging 100.5 mph, on par with where it was last season and close to 2022, as well. And after his four-seamer got hit a little bit last year — opponents hit .296 off it — he tweaked his pitch usage. For the first time, that pitch, one of the hardest in the game, isn’t his most-used offering. That has been replaced by his splinker, a pitch he throws at, on average, 97.8 mph. As a rookie, that pitch was thrown 16 percent of the time. Now, it’s all the way up to 37.5 percent.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/duran0515
BAD MANNERS? I pondered that question after MNUFC’s 4-1 win over Miami and the social media dust-up that followed. It started with the above post on X and Instagram, which refers to Miami’s team color and Chappell Roan’s song. The post attracted the attention of David Beckham, the soccer legend who owns Inter-Miami and responded with: "Show a little respect, be elegant in triumph." The back-and-forth continued: MNUFC making reference to its team culture; Beckham with another response about “respect.” MY TAKE: My initial reaction was that the local social media trolling was a bit over the top. I’m a fan of teams “acting like they’ve been there.” But I was curious about others with more soccer credibility thought. So I asked for reactions to the question, “Fun trolling or a bad look?”
TALE OF THE TIFO: Central to much of the reaction was the tifo assembled by Loons supporters before the match and displayed in the supporters’ section. It mocked Inter-Miami with the message: “History over Hype. Culture over Cash.” TRANSLATION: Minnesota soccer is richer in history and culture with all of the professional iterations that lead to MNUFC joining MLS in 2017. Foremost to many supporters is the 2011 season, when the Minnesota Stars stunned the Fort Lauderdale Strikers — the Miami-area team of the era — to win the title of the North American Soccer League. WHAT’S A TIFO? https://fluence-media.co/tifo0515
MATT PRIVRATSKY: Equal Time Soccer web site and podcast (and interim St. Paul city council member): “Situations like this are what make being a sports fan fun. The Minnesota United supporters put together an amazing tifo elevating the team’s long history in the Twin Cities (History over Hype. Culture over Cash — with both “Culture” and “Cash” in Miami toned pink and the rest in MNUFC colors). Then the team social media account rightfully chided an opposing team using a Chappell Roan reference (calling Miami "Pink Phony Club" ala her "Pink Pony Club") after a big home win over one of the best athletes of all time (Messi). Beckham got indignant, ensuring that way way more people were aware of the situation. And now thousands more people will hopefully see that beautiful, creative tifo.”
WES BURDINE, Loons blogger and owner of the Black Hart bar near Allianz Field: “Yes the team trolled [Beckham] and it was funny. But the massive tifo from the supporters was a testament to the fact that we won a trophy in Miami’s stadium at ‘Crappy Old Lockhart’ and those Miami fans wouldn’t know anything about it. Because they didn’t support the club until Beckham showed up. So yeah, we love trolling a club without history. The fact that Minnesota United exists today is because fans kept it alive. And boy it felt good to beat those suckers.”
JON MARTHALER, Star Tribune soccer writer: “I was simply surprised that Beckham would choose to get involved, in any way, with social media jibes. This is a man who played for some of the biggest clubs in the world and in some of the biggest games in history. I would have thought he'd be far above responding to a pun from the opposing team and a banner from the opposing fans. But I guess losing four out of five games can make even the most stoic owner mad online.”
I GET IT NOW: Sometimes acting like you’ve been there is best accomplished with some social media fire, even if Beckham wouldn’t agree. Carry on, Loons fans.
YES, I KNOW: You could have been watching something else while the Frost’s playoff triumph was unfolding. So here’s a look at the end, which capped a game in which Toronto never trailed — until this:
GAME-WINNING GOAL: Via Jess Myers at Pioneer Press. It was the first goal of the playoffs for Taylor Heise, who had eight in the 30-game regular season and tied for second on the team with 22 points. VERBATIM: “I probably missed the net three times leading up to that. But just the belief in my teammates, every time I came back to the bench, I had three or four teammates tapping me on the back, saying, ‘You’ve got this,’ ” Heise said. “The last one, I just waited it out a little bit. And like I said, we had so many good screens, so many good passes today, I wanted to do it for the team.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/frost0515
REPEAT PERFORMANCE: For the second straight year, the Frost have made the playoffs as the bottom (No. 4) seed and knocked off No. 1 Toronto in the Walter Cup semifinals. They get a chance to finish their journey after the Montreal-Ottawa semifinal is completed either Friday or Sunday.
ATTENDANCE BUMP COMING? Wednesday night’s game drew 3,107 people to the X, compared to 2,766 who attended the last game in Minnesota of the 2024 semifinals. The crowds picked up for the title series last year, with Game 4 against Boston — the last game at home — drawing 13,104 fans.
VIDEO VERSION: If you’re squeamish about tattoos, we suggest you pass on this one: https://fluence-media.co/videosked0515
WORD VERSION: Via Andrew Krammer at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: “J.J. McCarthy and the Vikings are scheduled to play seven nationally televised games, including four nighttime kickoffs, on the 2025 regular-season slate that was announced Wednesday. That’s the prize for winning 14 games a season ago, vaulting the Vikings into the category of prime-time darlings for NFL schedule-makers. Only Kansas City has more nationally televised games next season than Minnesota.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/vikingssked0515.
READY FOR THE OPENER: Via Mitchell Hansen at Canis Hoopus. The season opens on the road Friday against Paige Bueckers (and Dallas) and the home opener is next Wednesday against Bueckers. VERBATIM: “Something that plays into Minnesota’s favor that already sets itself apart from the rest of the league is the fact that this team is awfully similar — if not better — than it was during the Finals team a year ago. Everyone is familiar with each other and the chemistry is there, which has been noticeable in training camp and in preseason action. ‘We have a huge advantage coming back from last year. We talked about this, we’re not going to pick up where we left off in the final game of the season last year. There’s going to be another learning curve,’ Napheesa Collier said. ‘But it’s not going to take until the middle of season like if we were a new team, but we’re going to have a couple days where we are trying to find it. I feel like we are finding it really fast. ... We’re definitely at an advantage there.’ “ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/lynx0515
Lynx roster | Schedule and tickets | Power rankings
GOPHERS QB SITUATION A MESS? Via Will Backus at CBS Sports. Now that the transfer portal has settled down, analysts are looking at the best and worst of what’s taken place over the last couple months. In this list of the 10 worst quarterback situations among Power Four football conferences, the Gophers are at No. 2. VERBATIM: Minnesota hit transfer portal gold with quarterback Max Brosmer, but he moved on to the NFL after one year with the Golden Gophers. Minnesota went back to the portal to add Georgia Tech transfer Zach Pyron, who subsequently left the program and transferred to South Alabama in April. That leaves Minnesota with one quarterback -- Drake Lindsey -- who has attempted a pass at the collegiate level. Lindsey went 4 for 5 for 50 yards as a freshman last season and will likely start in 2025. Minnesota's staff is high on the 6-foot-5 second-year player, but his in-game ability is still a big question mark. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/qbs0515
GOOD BASEBALL BOOK: Via Tiffany Babb at Fan Files. Scott Miller, the former Pioneer Press baseball writer who now writes for The Athletic and others, is the author of “Skipper: Why Baseball Managers Matter and Always Will.” The book, released this week, goes deep on how the role of the manager has changed in the last 20 years or so. Twins fans can think of it as a timeline from Tom Kelly to Rocco Baldelli. VERBATIM from a Q&A about the book: “Front offices now are looking for more than a strong guy where you give the keys to the car and you say, ‘Take off and do what you want.’ Now, front offices are looking more for partners in a manager, a partner that they can trust. Someone they can trust to execute some of what they want to do, acknowledging that the manager has a little bit of freedom during the game as well to do what he's going to do. He's going to carry our plan forward and our philosophy forward.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/book0515
ORDER THE BOOK: It was released this week. https://fluence-media.co/managers0515
ANOTHER WINNER FOR JAY? After giving us the most likely winner for the Kentucky Derby, at 8-1 odds, Jay Lietzau has picks for Saturday’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Post time is scheduled for 6:01 p.m. on NBC.
MOST LIKELY WINNER: River Thames — Comes into Baltimore fresh after sitting out the Kentucky Derby. Narrowly missed in his last two Derby prep races including a neck loss to the eventual Derby winner Sovereignty in the Fountain of Youth Stakes in March. Starts for the very capable Todd Pletcher barn, will be ridden by the immensely talented Irad Ortiz and has tactical speed to work out the perfect trip.
TOP CHALLENGER: Journalism — Exits the Derby after a hard fought second-place finish. Ran exceptionally at Churchill Downs and could well be the best of his generation. However, how much did that race take out of him? Trainer Michael McCarthy’s modus operandi is to give his horses plenty of rest between races. In fact, of his last 1,940 starters, only 22 have returned in two weeks or less. Could be slightly vulnerable.
BEST OF THE REST: Sandman might not like the footing at Churchill Downs as his four atypical races have all occurred in Louisville. Throw out the Derby performance and expect an improved effort at Pimlico. (He also has the Minnesota tie of being bred by the late Bob Lothenbach.) Clever Again is rapidly improving, lightly raced starter for Steve Asmussen. Could be a pace presence early and bred to run all day.
$50 WAGER: $20 win bet on River Thames; $10 exacta: River Thames first and Journalism second. $10 exacta: Journalism first and River Thames second. $5 exacta: River Thames first with Sandman and Clever Again second. LIVE ODDS: https://fluence-media.co/preakness0515
ANOTHER ‘MINNESOTA ANGLE: Via Paulick Report. Pay Billy, a 20-1 longshot is owned by RKTN Racing, which is headed by Minneapolis attorney Nate Nelson. They’ll have a group of about 30 people at the Preakness, said trainer Michael Gorham. VERBATIM: “They’re really excited, and they’re new owners in the game so they probably don’t even know the extent of what’s actually happening like [someone] that’s been around the game forever,” Gorham said. “They probably don’t know it’s as big a deal as it really is.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/billy0515
SMALL SCHOOLS VS. BIG SCHOOLS: Via Jim Paulsen at Star Tribune. How could there be six 1A schools ranked among the Top 25 in the state in Star Tribune’s latest rankings of softball teams, including United South Central, located near the Iowa border, at No. 8 and Randolph at No. 9? VERBATIM: “Softball is a little different than most team sports. The success of one player — the pitcher — carries weight on a softball team, which is why I’m not averse to ranking the small school teams among the bigs. One great pitcher is a great equalizer. Take United South Central, for example. Located in the southern Minnesota town of Wells, the school represents six separate communities located in the Interstate 90 corridor.”
DETAILS: Paulsen cites Monday’s game between United South Central (17-0) and Randolph (18-1): “USC, with junior Mariah Anderson throwing heat at Randolph’s hitters, won a nine-inning marathon 1-0 when Anderson hit an inside-the-park home run for the game’s only run. Anderson outdueled Randolph’s Carter Raymond, shutting down the Rockets on four hits while striking out 19 to improve her state-leading strikeout total to 260. Raymond, the 2024 Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and a University of Minnesota signee, was almost as good, allowing just four hits while striking out 13.” STORY AND RANKINGS: https://fluence-media.co/small0515
D-III BASEBALL, SOFTBALL NATIONALS: St. Mary’s of Winona is hosting a D-III softball regional starting today. The Cardinals were 22-0 in MIAC play, won two more games to win the conference tournament and defeated Husson University of Maine 5-2 in this morning’s regional opener. Simpson and DePauw are the other teams in the double-elimination bracket. Bethany Lutheran of Mankato, the UMAC winner, lost to regional host Illinois Wesleyan 6-3 in another regional. BASEBALL: Bethany plays at UW-LaCrosse in the first-round at 11 a.m. Friday and MIAC champ Gustavus opens against Beloit at 1:30 p.m. Friday in Oshkosh. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/dthree0515. BRACKETS: https://fluence-media.co/brackets0515
SOUND VS FURY: Via KARE 11. Last week it was the mean neighbor in St. Louis Park going to court to keep kids from shooting hoops in their own driveway. This week, it’s a family in Maple Grove complaining about noise from the pickleball courts at a park close to where they live, which has resulted for now in the courts being shut down and painted over. The better news here is that the sides are hoping for a compromise. (The complaining family, which lives within 100 feet of the park, has asked to remain anonymous, saying it has received threats because of the complaint.) The park board meets tonight.
KNOWING WHEN TO SHUT UP: Via Awful Announcing. Rocco Baldelli was ejected from Saturday’s game against the Giants and announcers Jason Benetti (one of the greats) and Tom Verducci (one of the wisest) quickly figured out they were on to something special, and decided to let the argument over ball-and-strike calls play out without their interference. As you’ll hear, they saved their wit and understatement for afterward.
HOW BAD WAS THE UMPIRING? Via Umpire Auditor. This bad:
ENCORE: Via Giants on NBC Sports Bay Area. Baldelli and the umpires went at it again Sunday over an odd no-pitch call during the 10th inning. If Saturday’s TV work merited an A+, this was probably an A-. Better sound quality, but it took longer than it should have for the announcers to STFU.
Thanks for reading. I’m taking next week off to get an early start on Memorial Day weekend. Back in two weeks.
HOWARD ON THE WEB:
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Tips and thoughts: sportstake100@gmail.com
HOW TO WATCH ALMOST ANYTHING
ESPN's guide to sports on about 250 channels and streaming services: https://fluence-media.co/3T4rYw4
Minnesota Division II and III sports: MIAC Network | Northern Sun Network | Upper Midwest Network
NSPN Minnesota high school livestreams: https://fluence-media.co/3My8Tyv
NFHS Minnesota high school livestreams: https://fluence-media.co/3MvFSU6