Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 8.30.24
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No Takeout Monday, we’ll celebrate the first day of school (big yikes) on Tuesday with the next Takeout.
Devastating breaking news this morning, as charismatic American hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed late last night when the bicycles they were riding were hit by a car in New Jersey. “Johnny Hockey”, who plays for Columbus, and his brother were in New Jersey for their sister’s wedding tonight. Unimaginable.
Bloomington Kennedy will no longer ice a boys’ hockey team, instead joining Jefferson. More schools struggling with numbers should do this, to be honest. This isn’t the 1980’s anymore.
Does anyone know the real story on why the PWHL has not announced team names or logos after promising it would happen in August? There are lawyers involved, shockingly.
The PGA end of season championship is a sham, although at least the best player on the planet is sure to win.
What Twins players represent which popular State Fair Foods? My latest from Pulltab.
Make Glove not W.A.R. podcast hit up the State Fair over the weekend.
UNC Outlasts Gophers in Football Opener
North Carolina out Minnesotad Minnesota.
The Tar Heels began the second half with a Minnesota-like 17-play, eight-plus minute drive, rallying from a seven-point halftime deficit for a 19-17 win in a rain delayed season opener.
North Carolina managed just a field goal on that drive - one of four Tar Heel field goals in the second half - but it demoralized the Gophers, whose own offense struggled under transfer quarterback Max Brosmer. One of Minnesota’s two touchdowns was set up when Justin Walley returned an interception 69 yards.
Dragan Kesich, last year’s Big 10 Kicker of the Year, earlier missed a gimmee but had given the Gophers a 17-16 lead with 3:41 left. But Connor Harrell, subbing for a gruesomely injured Max Johnson (knee), connected on a 32-yard pass to set up the game-winning field goal.
Rosmer, a transfer from lower-level New Hampshire, wasn’t spectacular but showed more as the game progressed. He ran for a TD late in the first half to give the Gophers their first lead. He finished 13-of-21 for 166 yards. Whatever you do Gopher fans, do not look at what Athan Kaliakmanis did for Rutgers last night.
The Gophers played without star RB Darius Taylor (hamstring). Backup Marcus Major ran 20 times for 75 yards.
The game was delayed an hour due to severe storms.
Twins Desperate for a Win or Three
I’ve got a saying I use often. “It could always be worse.” But man it’s hard to see the ship sinking faster than the Twins are right now.
If I’m Rocco Baldelli, I told these 25 players to go think about anything but baseball on their day off yesterday. That day came after a 5-1 loss to Atlanta that dropped the Twins to 1-5 on a nine-game homestand that continues tonight against Toronto.
It’s not just that they’re losing. It’s how they’re losing. Listless comes to mind. And their third base coach has cost them two runs in two games, and on a team with this offense and bullpen woes you just can’t do that.
Rocco let David Festes start the seventh in a 1-1 game but yanked him after he walked the leadoff hitter. You know what happened next. Caleb Thielbar needs to find his 2023 form in a hurry, because it was 5-1 before you could blink an eye.
The Twins are as close to being out of the playoffs - 3.5 game lead over Boston - as they are to first-place Cleveland.
At least the Blue Jays are in last place in the A.L. East, but it hasn’t mattered who the Twins are playing lately.
Anyone seen Carlos Correa or Byron Buxton?
Lynx Win Streak Hits Eight
How much are the Lynx rolling right now? They won their eighth straight, by 13 in Phoenix on Wednesday, despite Napheesia Collier scoring just 12 points.
They’re at Dallas tonight. The Wings are 11th in the 12-team WNBA.
Minnesota is comfortably ahead in the West, but that doesn’t really matter. They’re 2.5 games back of New York for first overall and a half game ahead of Connecticut for the second seed. Nine games remain.
Loons in San Jose on Saturday
If the Loons can’t beat five-win San Jose, a team 14 points behind them in the MLS standings (keep in mind Minnesota is 11th of 15 in the West), the season is toast. They face an uphill climb even with a win.
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