BEFORE YOU READ ANYTHING ELSE: More than 300 Minnesota high school seniors committed to Division I and II colleges on Wednesday. Star Tribune's massive Big List tells you where they're going. THE LIST: https://fluence-media.co/biglist24
THE ST. PETER STORY: Dave St. Peter’s departure as president of the Twins is a stunning move that shouldn’t have come as a surprise, not after the also-unexpected news last month that the Pohlad family is putting the team up for sale.
Think about it: After 22 years as team president and all of the chaos that needed to be managed, what did St. Peter stand to gain from sticking around for a situation over which he’d have little control? The Pohlads are going to decide if (and to whom) they’ll sell.
If the team really is sold, new ownership would likely want to put its people in key positions. Better to go out, as much as possible, on your own terms and take your expertise someplace else. Yes, Derek Falvey has an expanded role for now, running both the baseball and business sides of the Twins. But it doesn’t take a Carlson School graduate to know that new owners can create new positions to let people know who’s really in charge.
St. Peter is 57 an says he's not retiring. It’s a pretty safe bet that he wasn’t deeply involved in the decision to sell because the Pohlads aren’t the type to go around asking, “Hey, what would you think if we decided to . . .?”
Despite being the most visible business-side presence in the organization, St. Peter isn’t a Pohlad.
Consider the issues facing the Twins: rebounding from a late-season collapse, the frozen player payroll, a suboptimal TV/streaming situation and an anger-and-apathy mix from fans. If you had a chance to move on, what would you do?
Even if this isn’t something St. Peter was planning at the start of the year, everything that’s happened since makes it a logical move now. He’ll land well, most likely doing something interesting but without as much responsibility.
Fans can hope the Twins will land well in their final chapter under the Pohlads and then under whomever the new owners turn out to be.
St. Peter’s future is a better bet.
PATRICK REUSSE'S VIEW: Via Star Tribune. VERBATIM: There will be attempts in the grand world of social media to trace this move to all the heat the team was taking. Sorry. St. Peter’s resignation and public and media abuse toward the Twins are not related. COLUMN: https://fluence-media.co/reusse1114
YES, THE SALE NEWS MATTERED. Via Dan Hayes at The Athletic. VERBATIM: Though the succession plan was already in place, St. Peter said that ownership’s Oct. 10 sale announcement sped up the timeline to place Falvey into a hybrid role in which he’ll oversee the team’s baseball and business operations. Both Falvey and St. Peter suggested several department heads in business and baseball operations would take on expanded roles to reduce the number of tasks Falvey handles. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/stpeter
ONE LAST TASK. Via Judd Zulgad at SKOR North. VERBATIM: It will be St. Peter who remains the point man in the Twins’ move to having Major League Baseball produce and distribute the team’s games on television. “Derek and Joe (Pohlad) have asked me to lead on that,” St. Peter said. “I’ll still be our lead voice on TV for a bit of time here. For me, it really, probably just includes seeing through the move to MLB Media and then to some extent, I suppose, helping us navigate what 2026 can look like on television.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/zulgad1114
MINNESOTA SPORTS TRIVIA: There were two interns in the Minnesota North Stars media relations office in 1989. They were St. Peter and Zulgad.
ACTUAL ON-FIELD THOUGHTS: Via Betsy Helfand at Pioneer Press. If you need a break from the off-the-field uncertainties, Helfand has a series of Twins position breakdowns that can return you to where the game is actually played. THEY'RE HERE: https://fluence-media.co/twinsoutlook24
TOTAL BASKETBALL MELTDOWN: The Timberwolves and Gophers men gave their fans two nights of unvarnished ineptitude this week. After a bad loss to Miami on Sunday, the Wolves went to Portland and were wretched in a pair of losses to the weak Trail Blazers. The Gophers lost at the Barn to North Texas State, which was picked seventh in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll.
HOW BAD? GOPHERS EDITION: Via Marcus Fuller at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: An atrocious offensive performance in the first half against North Texas had the Gophers scoring just 14 points and trailing by nine at halftime after shooting 3-for-21. The worst shooting half in years drew jeers from the Williams Arena crowd and was too much to overcome as the Gophers fell 54-51. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/northtexasstate
HOW BAD? WOLVES EDITION: Via Jace Frederick at Pioneer Press. VERBATIM: In no way was Portland intimidated by Minnesota. In fact, it was the Blazers taking the fight to the Wolves. Late in the game, play was stopped briefly as Dalano Banton was jawing in the face of (Anthony) Edwards. It wasn’t unlike the fourth quarter of Tuesday’s blowout, in which the Blazers openly celebrated and smack talked the Timberwolves, knowing very well they were going to see them again the following evening.Why not bark at these Wolves? Currently, there’s little reason to believe Minnesota will bite back. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/trailblazers
SOUNDTRACK FOR THE NEXT ITEM: Via The Clash. https://fluence-media.co/rudiecantfail
RUDY CAN FAIL: Via Chris Hine at Star Tribune. Rudy Gobert didn't play well in the two clashes with Portland, and he owned it. VERBATIM: Gobert said the past two games were on him, that he didn’t lead the Wolves defense as well as he should have. The best big man on the floor was Portland rookie Donovan Clingan, the former Connecticut Huskies center who had 15 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks. “Those two games are mostly on me defensively,” Gobert said. “I need to set the tone for the team, and I haven’t done it these last two games.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/rudyinportland
WHAT'S NEXT? The Wolves try to avoid a total West Coast disaster when they play Friday night at Sacramento, also a must-win game in your care about the Emirates NBA Cup schedule sidelight. The Gophers host Yale on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs lost 92-84 at Purdue earlier this week.
SPLAT: Via Andy Greder at Pioneer Press. A backhanded compliment: Who thought the Gophers would be good enough this season to have a trap game on their schedule? Well, they are . . . and they fell into the trap set by Rutgers and former U quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, losing 26-19 on the road after a disastrous fourth quarter that I followed on my phone while watching a basketball game with a member of the Golden Dunkers. (In other words, a booster who was feeling the pain without watching.) Touchdown, safety, field goal. Minnesota turns 16-14 with eight minutes left into mush. It was especially sweet for Kaliakmanis -- even as he stayed low-key classy in discussing the win -- because he chose to leave Minnesota after P.J. Fleck told him he was going to dip into the transfer portal for a QB. Kaliakmanis was smart, obviously, to know that being allowed to "compete" for the job wasn't likely to be a fair competition. VERBATIM: “I wouldn’t say it was difficult,” Kaliakmanis said. “I think that was something that I did when I was in the portal to be honest with you. I wanted a fresh start. I wanted to come somewhere and do things — just start over. That is what I did.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/rutgers26gophers19
WHAT COMES NOW? A bye week and then games with Penn State at 2:30 p.m. a week from Saturday and at Wisconsin on the morning after Thanksgiving. That kickoff is at 11 a.m.
BOWL UPDATE. Via Randy Johnson at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: The last two games have meaning. First, the Gophers are playing for bowl positioning. A 2-0 finish with an upset of Penn State, and maybe they get back in the mix for one of two Florida bowls, the Citrus in Orlando and Reliaquest in Tampa. Go 1-1, and Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte and the Music City Bowl in Nashville are possibilities. An 0-2 finish for a 6-6 record could drop them to the Rate Bowl in Phoenix, the Pinstripe Bowl in New York and even, again, to Detroit . . . MORE: https://fluence-media.co/bowlupdate1114
THAT DETROIT GAME'S NAME: The Quick Lane Bowl, the hind end of bowl games that had included the Gophers more often than any other team, has a new name that sounds like one of those "He Gets Us" commercials than anything else. Heaven help us! HERE IT IS: https://fluence-media.co/bowlname
'COMMITMENT' BROKEN. Via Randy Johnson at Star Tribune. Andover wide receiver Cameron Begalle made a verbal commitment in April and broke it Wednesday. STORY: https://fluence-media.co/broken1114
WHO'S WITH ME?: I understand verbal commitments are made to be broken. But I'd like to never read another social post with these words or anything similar: “I want to thank (insert school here) for the opportunity to play for its program. However, after careful consideration and talking with my family ..."
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IT'S NEVER ENOUGH, HUH? Before the season started, you could bet $100 on the Vikings to win more than 6.5 games and make a $125 profit if they did it. Beating Jacksonville on Sunday cashed that bet. By comparison, the win total "over-under" is currently 10.5, and you'd need to bet $120 to win $100. Keep those numbers in mind if you start picking apart their 7-2 start. Not saying you're a bozo for criticizing, but remember the context.
KOC ON DARNOLD: Via Andrew Krammer at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: Sam Darnold’s league-leading 13 turnovers are a “critical point” at TCO Performance Center in Eagan this week, coach Kevin O’Connell said, as Darnold continues to work on managing games. Darnold has thrown a league-high 10 interceptions, including two in the Jaguars end zone last week when the Vikings dominated Jacksonville in yardage but were unable to score a touchdown during a 12-7 win. Darnold has committed six of his 13 turnovers in the past two games, against the Colts and Jaguars. . . . “We’re doing a lot of little things that normally lead to having good chances to win,” O’Connell said, “but clearly the turnovers are keeping these games very close and relying on other aspects of our team to overcome for that.
MORE FROM KRAMMER: Sometimes you don't know if the numbers lie until the games are played. VERBATIM: According to CBS Sports, Darnold is the first quarterback to commit at least 13 turnovers and win at least seven of nine games to start a season since the Broncos’ Peyton Manning in 2015, when he was benched midseason before returning to lead a Super Bowl run. FULL STORY: https://fluence-media.co/vikings7and2
OUTTA MY WAY, COACH! Via Jeff Wald at Fox9. When recently signed kicker John Parker Romo had a failed tryout with the Vikings this summer, there was a bit of a run-in with O'Connell. JPR thought the head coach was crowding him a bit while he was showing off his kicking skills. Kicking four field goals in the 12-7 win fully healed any hurt. VERBATIM: "I was probably standing a little too close. The competitive look on his face basically saying, ‘I know you saw that, now get out of the way type of thing.’ I remember just feeling like he had a great edge to him, but in a good way," O’Connell said. "Half the time it’s like Happy Gilmore when the caddie is supposed to help him stay out of the way and he does not do that. He didn’t like where I was, and his look said everything I needed to hear from him." MORE: https://fluence-media.co/romo1114
AARON JONES, UPDATE + CONTEXT: Via Dane Mizutani at Pioneer Press. Running back Aaron Jones says he's planning to play Sunday at Tennessee despite the ugly-looking rib injury that sidelined him for a chunk of the Jacksonville win. There was some anguish when Jones was carted from the sideline to a medical room after the injury -- and more when he re-entered the game after a dramatic-looking exit. VERBATIM: Though the cart appeared to be a very bad sign for the Vikings at the time, Jones set the record straight this week, revealing that it was simply a mode of transportation with the X-ray machine on the other side of the stadium. As soon as the results came back negative, Jones returned to the sideline and popped his helmet back on. “I started feeling a little better, little better, little better,” Jones said. “I was moving around trying to get back out there.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/aaronjones1114
FUN READ: Via Mark Craig at Star Tribune. Vikings midseason awards, including the half-season MVP, the victory of the half-season . . . and the "most annoying" award, which goes to . . . STORY: https://fluence-media.co/craigawards
FUNNER READ: Via Brian Murphy at Purple Insider. The writer goes on an annual Vikings road trip. Here's what it was like going to Florida -- "the state where America goes to give up" -- for the Vikings-Jaguars game. VERBATIM: I am incredibly fortunate to have stumbled into a unique circle of rabid Vikings fans and (mostly) St. Paulites who travel to one road game a season like it’s Mardi Gras. Responsible partying with enough access to lawyers and bail money to occasionally step out onto the ledge, though no arraignments or wire transfers are on record yet. A very cool mashup of successful professionals, military veterans, high school buddies and recent retirees. All north of 50 with deep social roots in the Capital City. Each at various stages of domestic tranquility/chaos. READ THE REST: https://fluence-media.co/vikingsroadtrip24
JUST FACTS: KICKOFF: Noon Sunday. TV: CBS. RADIO: KFAN 100.3 FM, Vikings Radio Network and stream. BETTING: Vikings by 6, Over/Under: 39.5. STATS AND STUFF: https://fluence-media.co/week11
LATEST VIKINGS DEPTH CHART: https://fluence-media.co/vikingsdepth
Got something to show me or tell me about? Email: sportstake@fluence-media.com
U GETS WOMEN'S SOCCER BERTH: Via Star Tribune. Despite losing in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, Minnesota received a berth and a No. 6 seed. They'll play South Dakota State at 6 p.m. Friday at Elizabeth Lyle Robbie Stadium on the St. Paul Campus. It's their 12th NCAA appearance and first in six years. VERBATIM: The Gophers are led by Khyah Harper, the Big Ten forward of the year. In the regular season, the former Centennial High School star led the nation in points per game (2.22) and total points (40). She was second nationally in goals scored (17). Harper and Gophers midfielder Sophia Boman were named to the All-Big Ten first team. The second and third rounds are scheduled for next weekend. TICKETS: https://fluence-media.co/soccertix MORE: https://fluence-media.co/gophersdsu
BATTLE AMONG THE BEST: Via Fox21 Duluth. The No. 3 ranked Gophers women's hockey team goes to Duluth this weekend for a series against No. 4 UMD. Minnesota has won eight of the last 10 games between the teams. The Gophers are 8-3-1 with a four-game winning streak and UMD is 6-3-1 after winning three and tying one of its last four. Games are at 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday and will be on Fox9+ . VERBATIM from UMD coach Laura Schuler: “They have a ton of talent, ton of speed, they come at you really, really hard, super aggressive, 2-1-2 forecheck that type of a thing. Again a lot of it for us is going to be what’s the picture? How many are they sending at us because it’s not always the same. That’s the best thing out of hockey, it’s so dynamic, it’s constantly changing from picture to picture, from second to second. So we have to make sure we’re getting our heads up, really communicating with each other and talking well." VIDEO: https://fluence-media.co/gophersumd1114
LATEST WOMEN'S HOCKEY POLL: The WCHA holds the top four spots. https://fluence-media.co/wpoll1114
BACK TO 'REAL' WRESTLING: Via Randy Johnson at Star Tribune. After an unsuccessful stint in WWE, NCAA and Olympic champion Gable Steveson is coming back to the U. VERBATIM: Steveson, who won the Olympic 125-kilogram gold medal with a dramatic comeback in 2021, will return to the Gophers for the 2024-25 season and seek his third NCAA heavyweight championship, coach Brandon Eggum announced. Steveson, 24, still had one year of eligibility remaining when he retired from collegiate wrestling after winning his second consecutive NCAA championship in 2022. He’s expected to make his season debut on Nov. 24 against Campbell at Maturi Pavilion. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/return
ALL-MINNESOTA BATTLE? If things break right at the NCAA tournament, Steveson could face another Minnesotan for the heavyweight title. After Steveson won the '21 and '22 titles, Sibley graduate Greg Kerkvliet was the runner-up in 2023 and then won the 2024 title.
BIG WEEKEND FOR GIRLS' HOCKEY: We're one week into the girls' high school hockey season and the next three days marks a shift into higher gear with 75 games around the state over the next three days. Defending Class AA champion and No. 1-ranked Edina opens its season tonight by hosting Rogers at 7 p.m. and plays Proctor/Hermantown at 2 p.m. Saturday. COOL ROAD TRIP: No. 10 Holy Family and No. 18 Lakeville North are heading to the border for the weekend for games at Warroad and Roseau. Both games are at Braemar Arena. Holy Family plays at (No. 1/A) Warroad on Friday night and at (No. 9/AA) Roseau Saturday afternoon. Lakeville North plays Roseau and then Warroad. The only thing better would be if the games were scheduled as doubleheaders -- one at Roseau and the other at Warroad. A fan can dream, right?
THE EARLY RANKINGS: Here are the Top 20s in both classes from Let's Play Hockey. https://fluence-media.co/top20girlshockey
SCHEDULES AND SCORES: Star Tribune crushes the competition in most high school sports coverage with its hub schedule/results pages. Would be extra good if the Strib made it easier to get people to this info from its main web site. These sites are a great save. https://fluence-media.co/ghockey2425
LYNX LOSING LEADERS: Two key members of the organization are leaving the Lynx. General Manager Clare Duwelius has been named GM and executive vice president of the 3-on-3 Unrivaled women's league that starts play in Florida in January. In effect, she'll be employed by one of her former employees, as Napheesa Collier is one of Unrivaled's founders. Assistant head coach Katie Smith is departing to become an assistant at Ohio State, her alma mater.
WHY IS SMITH LEAVING? Via Brianna Mac Kay at Columbus Dispatch. This will be the first time since 1999 that Smith won't be involved with a WNBA team as a player or coach, including two seasons as head coach of the New York Liberty and seven seasons of playing for the Lynx. VERBATIM: Despite there being five head coaching jobs up for grabs in the WNBA, and Smith having the experience to be in the running for those spots, she wanted to be in Columbus. She has maintained a home in central Ohio throughout her WNBA career. (Smith) got married last year, has two kids (one who is a seventh grader and the other a freshman at OSU), and cited wanting to spend time with her aging parents. "Life goes in different directions and things happen," Smith said. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/katiesmith
HALL OF FAMERS: Via MPR and Associated Press. Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell were among the players inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is headquartered in Toronto. Darwitz played for Eagan and Wendell for Park Center before going on to be teammates with the Gophers and on U.S. national teams. Ceremonies were held over the weekend and wrapped up Monday night. WENDELL: “The greatest thing about hockey was not winning championships or medals. But the people that I got to meet along the way.” DARWITZ: “I wasn’t your everyday little girl and somehow my mom was on to me. On my fifth birthday, my blonde French braids strolled into the hockey rink.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/hhof24
BRING ON THE FROST: The defending PWHL champs play exhibition games next Wednesday and Thursday against Toronto and New York in Toronto and open the regular season Dec. 1 vs. New York at the X. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/frost2425
PWHL EXPANSION: Via John Wawrow at Associated Press. The league is looking to add two teams for the 2025-26 season and it sounds like there will be many more than two candidates looking to join the women's Original Six. VERBATIM: To reinforce how open-ended the PWHL’s expansion search will be, senior VP for business operations Amy Scheer told the AP the league has targeted more than 20 markets to be issued requests for proposals for expansion by next week. And that doesn’t include additional markets that might approach the league for consideration. “I think we want to be an open book, and I think we want to be open to things that we haven’t thought about or things that we haven’t considered,” Scheer said. MORE: https://fluence-media.co/pwhlexpansion
UNIFORMS FOR SALE! Wondering if former Breck School and Gophers star Grace Zumwinkle ever imagined that fans could buy a replica of her jersey. The PWHL teams have a pro shop now and you can get a Zumwinkle jersey for $225. SHOP: https://fluence-media.co/pwhlshop
TOMMIES STEPPING UP: St. Thomas men's and women's basketball teams are on the road for step-up games against name opponents. The women play at No. 8 Iowa State at 6:30 tonight and at Wichita State at 2 p.m. Saturday. Beating the Shockers in the second game of the trip wouldn't be a huge shock. The men play at Arizona State at 7 p.m. Sunday. All three games are on ESPN+.
WONDERING IF . . . The new arena that's scheduled to open next year will bring bigger name opponents to St. Thomas instead of having the Tommies hit the road. If not, as the programs mature, it would be nice if they could host at the X.
IT WOULD BE NICER. . . If they could get on the Gophers schedule, don't you think?
BOOSTER DO'S AND DON'T'S: In the wild world of NIL, it's a solid move by St. Thomas to have a "Booster Education Tipsheet" under the "Fans" heading on its web page. SEE IT: https://fluence-media.co/boosters
STATE FOOTBALL GOES INDOORS: The first if 14 semifinal games in Minnesota's seven classes kicked off at 10:30 a.m. with Becker playing Marshall in a Class 3A semifinal. Today's marquee game is the 6A semi at 7 p.m. between Minnetonka and Anoka. In between those two are nine-player semifinals, which both have solid stories even before the opening kickoff. At 1 p.m., Hills-Beaver Creek (the last exit on I-90 near the borders of South Dakota and Iowa) plays No. 1 seed and northeastern power Mountain Iron-Buhl, which averaged 1.4 points per minute in compiling a 12-0 record. That's 780 points in 576 minutes, if you need to know. The 4 p.m. game has Fertile-Beltrami playing LeRoy Ostrander, which features standout quarterback Camden Hungerholt, who rushed for 35 touchdowns this season and passed for 31 more. In his team's 50-0 quarterfinal win, Hungrerholt rushed for four TDs and threw for three more. There are five games each on Friday and Saturday. The Prep Bowl is a week from Friday and Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/footballsemis
MORE HUNGERHOLT: Via Chip Scoggins at Star Tribune. VERBATIM: “I think he’s the best football player in Minnesota — especially in Nine-Man,” LeRoy-Ostrander coach Trevor Carrier said. Hungerholt is committed to sign with Minnesota State Mankato as a defensive back. But he might be moved to wide receiver. He plays quarterback and middle linebacker this season. He also could play running back if needed. “Wherever Coach wants me to play,” he said, “I’ll go out there and play.” MORE: https://fluence-media.co/camhungerholt
WATCHING THE GAMES: The semifinals can be streamed for a fee. GO HERE: https://fluence-media.co/fbsemifinals24
ST. OLAF SOCCER REPEAT? The Oles, who are the defending D-III national champions, and Gustavus will host men's soccer regionals this weekend. St. Olaf, a tournament qualifier for the fourth year in a row, will play Wartburg at 11 a.m. Saturday in Northfield. The winner of that game will play North Park or UW-Superior at 1 p.m. Sunday. Gustavus plays Milwaukee School of Engineering at 11 a.m. Saturday in St. Peter. That winner plays UW-Platteville or North Central College at 1 p.m. Sunday. In women's D-III soccer playoffs, St. Catherine's and Carleton are in the same region. The Katies play undefeated host Loras at 1 p.m. Saturday and the Knights play UW-Superior at 3:30 p.m. The winners play at 3 p.m. Sunday. WATCH THE GAMES: https://fluence-media.co/d3soccer
BETHEL'S REVENGE? It's Championship Week in MIAC football, which means a rematch between St. John's and Bethel. The Johnnies won 45-20 earlier this season but the Royals should give them a better game Saturday in Collegeville. The weekend features games between identical-placed teams in the MIAC's Northwoods and Skyline Divisions. This is the last year of division play. For the next two years, MIAC teams will play a seven-game conference schedule along with two nonconference games and a Championship Week that will feature the top two teams playing for the title and automatic D-III tournament berth.
AND FINALLY: Referee Shawn Hochuli worked the mostly forgettable game between the Giants and Panthers in Munich last Sunday. Here's the highlight. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/hochuli
Thanks for reading, Back with more next week.
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