StarTribune - Sports

Wisconsin football game at Nebraska canceled because of COVID spread

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 01:44:29 GMT

The Badgers paused all team activities for seven days and announced they've had 12 positive coronavirus tests, including for head coach Paul Chyrst.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins reviews miscues, readjusts to face rival Packers

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 01:38:06 GMT

Kirk Cousins will travel to Green Bay this weekend in search of his first win at Lambeau Field in his third trip, at a juncture when a victory could at least temporarily ease some of the angst over his play.

Lessons were learned in loss to Michigan, Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. says

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 01:23:36 GMT

Mike Sanford Jr. said Wednesday he felt there were limited communication issues among himself, co-offensive coordinator Matt Simon and quarterback Tanner Morgan in the season opener.

Lindsay Whalen's attempt to close borders in recruiting is starting to pay off

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 01:23:20 GMT

While there have been some notable misses on in-state recruits, Lindsay Whalen has kept her promise to mine Minnesota for talent.

With draft three weeks out, Wolves are 'ready to pick'

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:36:36 GMT

The Wolves are still preparing for the Nov. 18 draft, but a top official said Wednesday they'd be ready to go if the draft was held right now.

Vikings' Dalvin Cook is back at practice and expected to be ready to play Packers

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:35:31 GMT

The Vikings' top running back, who is recovering from a groin injury, said after the bye week he's "getting back to feeling like Dalvin."

Kamal Martin compiles highlight reel for Blaze, Gophers and now Packers

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:15:28 GMT

Kamal Martin, the former Burnsville quarterback turned linebacker has overcome two knee injuries in his progression from the preps to the pros.

Twins decline 2021 option on pitcher Sergio Romo

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 00:08:52 GMT

Veteran reliever Sergio Romo, who made $4.75 million this season, is now a free agent, but the Twins wouldn't rule out signing him to a lesser deal.

Jack Morris stunned by Tampa Bay manager's decision to yank starter

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 23:43:34 GMT

Twins fans know Morris knows about staying on the mound in tough games. During a Game 6 phone call, the Hall of Fame pitcher went off on "analytics guys [who] think numbers are more important than having an ace at his best on the hill.'

Vikings place Cameron Dantzler on COVID-19 reserve list

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 22:22:25 GMT

The Vikings' cornerback group was already thin after the bye week, with Mike Hughes and Holton Hill still not practicing because of injuries. On Wednesday afternoon, they had to use the NFL's COVID-19 reserve list for the first time since training camp on another one of their corners. The team placed rookie Cameron Dantzler on the reserve list Wednesday, after Dantzler was not seen at their afternoon practice. Dantzler's placement on the list either means he tested positive for the coronavirus or was in close contact with someone who did. Vikings players were required to stay in the Twin Cities and undergo daily COVID-19 testing at the team facility during the bye week. Dantzler's placement on the list means he could miss the team's game against the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday. The NFL updated its coronavirus protocol last week, requiring players to isolate for five days if they're deemed a "high-risk" close contact with an individual who tested positive. The Vikings added cornerback Mark Fields to the active roster on Monday, and claimed former Lions cornerback Chris Jones off waivers, while adding Marcus Sayles — who spent part of the offseason with the team — to the practice squad. When asked on Wednesday about the batch of new players in the secondary, coach Mike Zimmer said, "Well, we've had guys hurt. What else? It's a five-day, six-day [process] before they can enter [the building] so if guys are hurt, it's going to take a while for them to get up to speed, and we don't know if these other guys can play or not, so we'll just see."

With draft three weeks out, Wolves say they're 'ready to pick'

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 18:18:47 GMT

The Wolves are still preparing for the Nov. 18 draft, but a top official said Wednesday they'd be ready to go if the draft was held right now.

No. 9 Wisconsin cancels Nebraska game; Chryst tests positive

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 17:58:43 GMT

No. 9 Wisconsin has canceled its game at Nebraska on Saturday and paused team activities for at least seven days after a dozen people within the program including coach Paul Chryst tested positive for COVID-19.

Danielle Hunter undergoes "successful surgery" on neck, per Mike Zimmer, who explains ...

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 17:20:21 GMT

Defensive end Danielle Hunter underwent successful surgery on Tuesday and is expected to return to the field in 2021, according to coach Mike Zimmer. Hunter underwent an operation to repair a herniated disc in his neck, a season-ending injury Zimmer twice called a tweak on Aug. 17 and Aug. 27, which was nearly two weeks after Hunter last practiced. Hunter initially thought the injury was due to a poor night's rest, according to Zimmer, as the team didn't have the full scope of the injury leading up to the season. Zimmer said the team realized it was a more significant injury after an MRI "sometime during training camp." General manager Rick Spielman has previously said the team still didn't know the extent of Hunter's injury as late as Aug. 30, when they traded for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. "When you guys give me crap about this thing being a tweak, when it all started, he woke up and thought he slept on his neck wrong," Zimmer said Wednesday, "so that's why it was a tweak." Hunter last participated in a non-padded practice on Aug. 14, after which a review of the practice film revealed a freak injury. "It was.. hardly anything. Hardly anything," Zimmer said. "When we went back and looked at the tape from the previous, I don't know what it was, a week later, I mean, it could've happened to anybody at any point." Before choosing to undergo surgery, Hunter got a second medical opinion in New York earlier this month. He's expected to make a full recovery, per Zimmer, who didn't provide a timeline for when Hunter can return to the field. The two-time Pro Bowler is under contract through the 2023 season, and an NFL Network report last week suggested Hunter was unhappy with the deal that has him as the 18th-highest paid edge rusher by average annual salary. Hunter is one of the NFL's best defenders when healthy, becoming the youngest player to 50 career sacks last year. He turns 26 years old on Thursday, and league sources have indicated to the Star Tribune that the Vikings would look to avoid a contractual standoff with Hunter in the event he seeks a new deal.

Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan takes Michigan's lumps and pledges to play better

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 17:11:48 GMT

Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan blames himself first for the 49-24 loss to Michigan on Saturday, saying 'things run through me.'

Justin Turner's COVID celebration was an abundance of recklessness

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 13:47:00 GMT

For most of Tuesday night, it seemed as if Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash's decision to remove dominant starting pitcher Blake Snell from Game 6 of the World Series while he was cruising with a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning would hold up as easily the dumbest and most controversial thing we would see and remember. Even if you look at the numbers and see that Snell tends to get hit a lot harder as games go on, there is a difference between the average game and the type of game Snell was throwing Tuesday. Cash deserves to be criticized for not recognizing how hot Snell's left hand really was. But he was let off the hook to a large degree by the aftermath of the Dodgers' 3-1 victory — whereby we learned not only that Justin Turner had been pulled from the game because of a positive Covid test but also watched him join the post-game celebration, post-diagnosis, including posing for a team picture and kissing his wife without his mask. "I don't think there was anyone that was going to stop him," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after the game of Turner joining the celebration. How stupid and thoughtless can a sport, an organization and a player be? (Quick conspiracy theory aside: The Dodgers learned of Turner's confirmed positive test in the sixth inning — the same inning in which Snell was mysteriously pulled. Now there's a tiny piece of me that wonders if Commissioner Rob Manfred ordered the Code Red, telling the Rays to stand down given any comeback victory would have led to a delay of Game 7 and even more embarrassment for MLB). The sheer hubris of both decisions can lead a person into strange places. But one was a baseball move that can at least be argued with supporting data. The other? Well, the data says there have been nearly 9 million Covid cases and close to 230,000 deaths this year from the viral disease in the United States alone. The numbers say many parts of the country are experiencing a surge in cases — even as MLB brazenly turned the NLCS and World Series into a potential super-spreader event by allowing 11,500 fans, many of them with masks dangling from their faces or not visible at all, into every game. Turner tweeted after the game that he feels great and has no symptoms. Good for him. But: The data says people with Covid are most contagious about 24-48 hours before they experience symptoms,meaning he is quite possibly at that peak. The data says people with pre-existing conditions or compromised immune systems are vulnerable to more complications from Covid. Turner took off his mask at the exact moment he was posing for a team picture next to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, a cancer survivor who also wasn't wearing a mask. There was not a shred of caution. There was an abundance of recklessness. Turner decided he wanted to celebrate because he was entitled to it. The Dodgers and Manfred — who was there and surely could have stopped it, knowing both the optics and real consequences could be dire — instead enabled it. Millions of Americans have gotten sick and will get sick. Millions more are feeling the effect of an economy ravaged by the barely checked virus. A lot of us are being as safe as we can be — forgoing outings with friends and dinners with extended family even if everyone is presumed healthy because we know that the virus spreads quickly and often asymptomatically. But a known contagious baseball player celebrated with teammates, at times without wearing a mask, about an hour after getting pulled from a World Series game because of a positive test. I guess the 2020 baseball season had a fitting end, which is not at all a compliment.

Dodgers star Justin Turner benched during Game 6 after positive COVID-19 test

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 12:36:40 GMT

Turner's positive test during Game 6 put a damper on the end-of-season celebrations and raised questions about the handling of the situation by both MLB and the Dodgers.

Rays manager Kevin Cash roasted for pulling Snell in Game 6

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 11:43:54 GMT

Blake Snell turned away from his manager and yelled an expletive as Kevin Cash headed to the mound. In control all night, the Tampa Bay ace no longer had the ball in his potent left hand.

Fitting finale: Dodgers win title, Turner tests positive

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 09:10:14 GMT

No large dogpile, no champagne and a mask on nearly every face — the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated their first World Series title since 1988 in a manner no one could have imagined prior to the coronavirus pandemic.

Wisconsin football game vs. Nebraska might be in jeopardy

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 04:30:38 GMT

Wisconsin's game at Nebraska this weekend has had some doubt cast over it due to the Badgers being hit hard by COVID-19.

Gentlemen's agreement will keep the Loons' Kei Kamara on bench vs. Colorado

Wed, 28 Oct 2020 02:33:16 GMT

As part last month's deal that sent Kei Kamara to Minnesota United from Colorado, the Loons agreed Kamara won't play when his new team meets his former one Wednesday at Allianz Field.