Is it still OK for coaches to scream at kids?
With Michigan State in town for the Final Four, the debate over head coach Tom Izzo berating one of his players during first-round NCAA Tournament game comes to Minneapolis.
Sports
The Twins really need Byron Buxton to be the player they’ve always thought he could be
If the Twins are to contend, they need everything Buxton can give them, things he provided in flashes over parts of four injury-plagued seasons.
Wait, a bunch of DFLers just voted to exempt some of Minnesota’s lowest-paid workers from the minimum wage?
The workers are athletes who suit up for the St. Paul Saints, the minor league baseball team that plays home games at the heavily public subsidized CHS Field in Lowertown, 1.2 miles away from the state Capitol.
Will Major League Baseball’s rule changes actually do anything to speed up the game?
As much as anything, lengthy breaks between half-innings — MLB’s concession to television to squeeze in more commercials — created this mess.
Can the Twins big data their way into a decent pitching staff?
Twins Executive Vice President and Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey is careful not to crow about the team’s investment in technology and analytics, since it merely brings the Twins in line with industry standard.
Midway miracle: Saturday night at the Black Hart of St. Paul
The Black Hart bills itself on Twitter as “queer soccer bar in Midway neighborhood of St. Paul,” in homage to the spot’s former occupant at 1415 University, the Town House bar.
Women are finally getting key roles to call men’s sports in the Twin Cities
Marney Gellner has just finished a stretch of shattering glass ceilings for FSN. And Channel 45 has enlisted WCCO-AM newscaster Sloane Martin to call boys Minnesota high school hockey tournament games, making her the first female play-by-play voice in the tournament’s 75 years.
Maybe Minnesota just isn’t a basketball school
How many coaches have to cycle through here before officials acknowledge what should have been obvious a long time ago: Middle-of-the-pack Big Ten finishes, with an occasional NCAA Tournament appearance, are the best Gopher fans can hope for.
How Taiye Bello became the Gopher women’s rebounding machine
Last season, Bello showed flashes of rebounding prowess for the Gophers, and her development this year has been one of the most impressive features of Whalen’s first season as a coach.
Have Twins fans, the most patient in baseball, finally run out of patience?
You can only sell a Minnesotan hope so many times before they tune you out and shut the door in your face. That door may be shutting on the Twins.
Moore or less: Why this offseason is so critical for the Lynx
Too often last year, the Lynx were a two-woman team, with center Sylvia Fowles and forward Maya Moore the only consistent scorers. And now Moore apparently isn’t certain she wants to play this season.
After 50 years at WCCO, Mark Rosen signs off
Rosen brought no schtick, no gimmicks, no catch-phrases to his work for WCCO. He always came across as a decent guy with a passion for Minnesota sports, which is exactly what he’s always been.
Huskers’ experience makes you wonder: Has Gophers volleyball outgrown the Pav?
Should it move at least some Big Ten Conference matches next door to Williams Arena, which holds 14,625?
Could legalized sports betting be coming to Minnesota sooner rather than later?
Legislation is already being drafted for lawmakers to take up the issue in 2019, the passage of which would add Minnesota to a growing list of states that have legalized betting on professional and college sports.
Why Minnesota United Football Club decided to host an actual football game at its fancy non-football stadium
Minnesota United FC sought to host the 89th edition of the St. John’s-St. Thomas extravaganza at the new Allianz Field for the same reason the Twins booked the 2017 game at Target Field: a serious payday.
When it comes to basketball history, the U of M has nothing on Hamline
On the same weekend that U.S. Bank Stadium will host two days of college hoops as a prelude to April’s NCAA Final Four, it’s worth revisiting what Hamline and its toasty arena used to be: the capital of college basketball in Minnesota.
When Jim Petersen broke up with Mike Krzyzewski at the Thunderbird Hotel
Before the NBA career, before the lengthy second act as a Minnesota Timberwolves television analyst and Minnesota Lynx assistant coach, Jim Petersen was an exceptionally big deal in basketball in the state of Minnesota. Think Tyus Jones, only taller.
Joe Mauer, Lindsay Whalen and the whims of being a hometown hero
Why Mauer caught such flak over the course of his career while Whalen remained universally beloved.
Joe Mauer’s retirement press conference included a lot of thank yous — and a lot of tears
Teary retirement press conferences are almost a cliché, but the rawness of this from someone so soft-spoken and stoic was something else. Mauer being Mauer, he even apologized to anyone he forgot to thank, promising to make up for it privately in the coming weeks.
Olympian Jessie Diggins opens up about her eating disorder, hoping to inspire others to get help
“This struggle was very hard for me,” Diggins said. “It made me feel awesome to be able to overcome my eating disorder and succeed as an athlete.”
