Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 9.9.24
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We’re just an hour away from PWHL team names, unveiled on Good Morning America. Sure seems like Superior based on a patent 18 months ago…Is new GM Melissa Caruso “Mother Superior”? Stolen joke from a Takeout subscriber.
Vikings Dominate Overmatched Giants 24-6
Sam Darnold is 1-0. Kirk Cousins is 0-1. Packers’ QB Jordan Love is out for at least a month. Life is good for the Vikings, who beat the Giants 24-6 at what I’ll always call The Meadowlands. It marked the Vikings’ first three-score win since December 2019.
Now, before you make that Vikings’ Super Bowl future. The Giants are abhorrent and will be lucky to win six games (sorry, Dad).
But for one day at least, Vikings fans could watch the fourth quarter of a laugher, while enjoying their Mich Golden Light.
You don’t realize how overmatched Alexander Mattison was the last year-plus as a starting running back in the NFL. Not until you saw even an aging Aaron Jones go for 94 yards on 14 carries. While Darnold isn’t an elite QB in this league, if Jones nears 100 yards per game and his offensive line protects him like yesterday, he will win as many games in Minnesota as Cousins does in Atlanta. Darnold went 19-for-24 for 208 yards and two touchdowns - his interception wasn’t a factor.
The Giants tried to take away Justin Jefferson (four catches), but Darnold found seven other receivers, too.
The defense? Again, Daniel Jones isn’t great. But the Vikings’ defensive 11 didn’t allow a touchdown. In fact, they scored one, when Andrew Van Ginkel, signed as a free agent for two years, jumped a route and intercepted Jones just 1.16 seconds from the snap. Van Ginkel has the two fastest interceptions in the last two seasons.
It won’t be easy Sunday, when the Super Bowl participant San Francisco 49ers come to town for the Vikings’ home opener. It’ll be a short week for the Niners, who host Aaron Rodgers Jets debut re-do tonight.
Is THIS Rock Bottom for the Twins?
“That was as unprofessional a series of baseball we played and that’s all I’ve got for you.”
Those were the words of one Rocco Baldelli, who kept his post-game scrum short and sweet yesterday, after the Twins were swept three games by the Royals by a combined 9-2 score.
While his team played uninspired two of the three nights, for sure, wait till you hear the latest Baldelli bullpen implosion on the night the Twins actually could have won.
Saturday, the Twins were up 2-0, with Baily Ober throwing just a shade over 80 pitches and retiring 15 batters in a row. Not only does Rocco give him the hook, he brings in his alleged CLOSER Jhoan Duran, on the road, in the eighth inning. Duran gave up three baserunners immediately in an inning that ended with Griffin Jax on the road, and not before the Twins were down 4-2.
Now, no one quite knows why Baldelli brought Duran into the game in the eighth and not Jax. Conjecture says that Baldelli could have remembered Bobby Witt, who would have batted in the ninth if Duran did his job, hit a grand slam against the Twins’ closer last season. I’m not sure Rocco’s computer goes back that far.
First issue is, taking Ober out. He hadn’t even reached 85 pitches. Your stud all year. Two-run lead, not a one-run lead. Jax is your eighth inning guy. Now isn’t the time to start experimenting.
The Twins, who had division title dreams a couple short weeks ago, are now five games back of Cleveland, 2.5 back of Kansas City and suddenly only 3.5 games up for the final wild card. Detroit and Seattle have surged past fading Boston.
The tonic the Twins need should be in the form of the Angels and Reds, who come to Target Field this week. But with Baldelli lighting into the team in the media after his closed door meeting with them, your guess is as good as mine.
The Twins are still 88 percent to make the playoffs, which would make a collapse monumental.
Gophers Blow Out Rhode Island 48-0
The Gophers did exactly what was expected against FCS member Rhode Island, blowing out the Rams 48-0 on a sun-kissed day at Huntingdon Bank Stadium.
Minnesota shook off a slow start - 3-0 after 15 minutes - with transfer QB Max Brosmer throwing for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Darius Taylor returned from injury to run for 64 yards and a touchdown.
The Gophers totally outclassed Rhode Island, and should do the same next week against Nevada, which squeaked by Troy on Saturday. The Gophers opened up 14.5-point favorites. Gametime is 2:30.
MVPhee Leads Lynx to Two More Wins
With five games left in the Lynx season, they’re pretty much locked into the No. 2 seed overall. They’ve won 10-of-11, following up a win in Indiana on Friday with a 78-71 win at Washington yesterday behind 19 points and 12 rebounds from Napheesa Collier. Collier should at minimum be top three in MVP voting - what a year she’s had.
Three of the Lynx’ final five games are against bottom feeders, starting with Atlanta on Tuesday. They trail New York by three for the best record and No. 1 overall seed, with a road matchup left versus the Liberty on Sunday. The Lynx more than likely will play Phoenix in the best-of-three first round in two weeks.
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