StarTribune - Sports

A little fishing tackle goes a long way after kids' stolen gear replenished

Fri, 14 Aug 2020 00:12:25 GMT

Someone stole the fishing gear of three 12-year-olds in St. Michael, but a pro fishing guide led an effort to replenish it.

This adds up for Wild: Trade Zach Parise, keep Devan Dubnyk

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 23:36:05 GMT

What Wild GM Bill Guerin does with Zach Parise and Devan Dubnyk this offseason will be telling, and perhaps pivotal for the team's future success.

With no NFL preseason, Vikings practices may be more intense

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 23:34:48 GMT

Come Monday, coach Mike Zimmer will be allowed to put aside social distancing.

Loons' Ike Opara not expected back for first games of restarted regular season

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 21:43:47 GMT

Minnesota United expects to say more about the 2019 MLS Defender of the Year, who was not with the team in Florida during the MLS is Back tournament, in the next 10 days.

NSIC cancels all its sports competitions through the end of 2020

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:38:04 GMT

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, including MSU Mankato, UMD, Bemidji State and six other Minnesota schools, joined the national trend of conferences shutting down sports for the fall.

College basketball conferences reportedly looking at playing in a 'bubble'

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:10:00 GMT

The best thing we can do when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic is learn and adjust. Good example: The early word was that masks weren't going to help much. That changed, and a lot of us bought in. When it comes to big-time sports, we're learning what works and what doesn't work. Forming bubbles — essentially safe zones where athletes don't leave and are tested often for the virus — seems to work quite well. The NBA, WNBA and NHL have been humming along nicely without much of a hitch in their various bubbles. Major League Baseball? Um, not so great. Most teams, like the Twins, are doing OK. Some have had major disruptions from virus outbreaks. The St. Louis Blues have played four NHL games in August, while the St. Louis Cardinals have played zero MLB games. That should tell you a lot about the weirdness of sports in 2020 but also the relative effectiveness of bubble vs. no bubble. Baseball is already talking about shifting to a bubble for the playoffs, which would be smart. If the NFL was smart, it would be pivoting to a bubble right now. Maybe they will at some point? The assumption — at least from me, but I also think from plenty of others — was that one of the particular challenges facing college sports was that a bubble environment isn't feasible. The biggest reason: these are, ahem, student-athletes and as long as some schools are having classes in-person it isn't possible to send athletes to a central location for months at a time just to play sports. That's doable for pros who are under contract, but not college athletes. But in the wake of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and other smaller conferences postponing fall sports — including, of course, the big moneymaker college football — it appears as if the other big college sports cash cow, college basketball, is at least exploring the logistics of playing some sort of season in a bubble. ESPN is reporting on a non-conference bubble idea that has been pitched to at least 50 programs. The Gophers are one of them, a source told the Star Tribune's Marcus Fuller. Adam Zagoria reported at Forbes.com that the Big East is one of "several leagues" looking into the idea of a bubble for men's and women's basketball. That conference is reportedly looking at either playing at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. — where the WNBA is having its season — or Omaha, home of league member Creighton. One could imagine major conferences playing 16 to 20 league games in a bubble over two months, followed by a bubbled NCAA tournament — which as Gary Parrish notes at CBS Sports brings in nearly a billion dollars in ad revenue every year. But how exactly would that work for the student part of student-athlete? Parrish offers this: Considering most regular students will be learning remotely anyway, there's no sensible reason student-athletes can't also learn remotely while playing the sport they're on scholarship to play. I mean, what's the difference between a college basketball player taking virtual classes from an apartment two miles from campus or a hotel 200 (or even 2,000) miles from campus? Yeah, I suppose. But most isn't all. What about students who are attending class in-person? Do they have to opt out? Not to mention that the COVID landscape might actually look different and better in four months, with more classes happening in person than are happening now. It would make a mockery of academics and be a transparent money grab. Still, the fact that this is at least being discussed regarding basketball is interesting. It also makes one wonder if there could be momentum for a college football season in a bubble — say, during the 10 Saturdays starting two days after Thanksgiving and ending Jan. 30, when schools will be on break for a significant amount of time? We'll find out soon enough to what lengths schools, conferences and associations are willing to go to in order to play these seasons and generate revenue.

Podcast: Twins are in first place, but with plenty of room to improve

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:05:27 GMT

La Velle E. Neal III and Michael Rand discussed the Twins' reliance on early offense and home runs this season.

No. 1 Novak Djokovic says he'll play at US Open, after all

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 15:05:04 GMT

Big Ten 2020 football season likely gone for good

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 05:27:02 GMT

Spring football is under consideration, but more top athletes will opt out to prepare for NFL draft.

Big Ten decisionmakers wrestle with the complexities of playing spring football

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 05:26:16 GMT

The Big Ten has transitioned to spring football. How long is a season? What physical toll will it take on players? Many questions need answering in the weeks ahead.

Longtime Vikings lineman Everson Griffen agrees to one-year contract with Cowboys

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 05:24:33 GMT

Everson Griffen opted out of his contract in February after 10 years with the Vikings, though Mike Zimmer said throughout the offseason he wanted the him to return to Minnesota. Griffen, though, is headed to Dallas

Adam Thielen takes on new role as receiving mentor with old spirit

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 05:20:48 GMT

It's been a long time since Adam Thielen was the Division II kid trying to elbow his way onto the roster. But no matter how established Thielen is, there's a dose of the old fighting spirit

Byron Buxton, Twins crush Milwaukee 12-2 to end road trip

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 05:17:47 GMT

Byron Buxton hit two home runs, all nine starters had a hit by the fourth inning and righthander Kenta Maeda breezed to his 50th career win.

Gophers athletic department faces major financial decisions with loss of fall sports

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 04:36:42 GMT

The estimated $75 million loss opens the possibility of cutting sports, as Athletic Director Mark Coyle says, 'All things are on the table.'

After long journey, Odyssey Sims is ready for 2020 Lynx debut

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 04:35:37 GMT

Childbirth, a suspension and a pandemic stood in the way of Odyssey Sims playing so far this year for the Lynx.

Marlene Stollings' toxic coaching style dates back to Minnesota, former Gophers players say

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 04:35:14 GMT

Marlene Stollings was fired from Texas Tech last week. Three players with the Gophers said she mistreated them, too.

Big Ten decisionmakers wrestle with the complexities of playing spring football

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 22:39:37 GMT

The Big Ten has transitioned to spring football. How long is a season? What physical toll will it take on players? Many questions need answering in the weeks ahead.

After long journey, Odyssey Sims is ready for 2020 Lynx debut

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 22:17:30 GMT

Childbirth, a suspension and a pandemic stood in the way of Odyssey Sims playing so far this year for the Lynx.

Vikings' Anthony Harris says he isn't worried about his contract

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 22:15:56 GMT

Star safety Anthony Harris is playing under the franchise tag after not getting a long-term deal.

Penguins won't give Wild 2020 first-round pick

Wed, 12 Aug 2020 22:05:38 GMT

Pittsburgh had the option of giving the Wild its first-round pick this year or next as part of the Jason Zucker trade in February.