Joe Mauer heading into the Hall of Fame, Lynx players preparing for Olympics

[FARRUKO, "EL INCOMPRENDIDO"] CATHY WURZER: Twins fans may recognize--

[SINGING IN SPANISH]

--that song as part of the mash-up that plays when pitcher Jhoan Duran runs out to the mound at Target Field. The Twins have several home games coming up, Saturday through Wednesday of next week. Joining us to talk about what to expect on the latest in Minnesota sports-- Wally Langfellow, Eric Nelson. How are you guys doing?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Good, Cathy. How are you?

CATHY WURZER: Good. So far, so good. Halfway point of the baseball season right now. Wow. What are you guys taking away from the first half of the season, Wally?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, actually, we're really past the first half point. The All-Star game is the point at which you say it's halfway, but there are 96 games out of the 162. And I think the number one thing is-- and I hate to keep going back to this, but it's injuries. Royce Lewis getting hurt right before the All-Star break. José Miranda going on the injured list right before the All-Star break. Carlos Correa, who was chosen be an All-star, not playing in the All-Star game because of plantar fasciitis.

These are players that you thought, you know what? If these guys are all in the lineup, the Twins are going to do well. And they did. They made a nice run here towards the end of the first half, so to speak, got within four and a half games of Cleveland. But they're going to have to stay healthy, Cathy. And I don't think that there's any mystery here. If those four are playing-- and I include Byron Buxton in that mix-- the Twins have one of the best lineups in all of baseball. They'll score runs. But they've got to have these guys in the lineup. And right now, that does not look good.

Look, Royce Lewis, who is as exciting a player as the Twins have, has only played in 24 out of their 96 games, so that's one quarter of their games. Byron Buxton, who we're all elated about all the baseball he's played-- he actually has missed 24 games. He's played in 72 of the 96. So they need these guys on the field. If they play, the Twins are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the second half. If they're injured, who knows what happens?

CATHY WURZER: Wow. So what are you going to be watching for, Eric, during this weekend's home games against the Brewers?

ERIC NELSON: I think, first and foremost, the energy that the cheeseheads bring into Target Field. I've been to a number of these border battles, and they come in all fired up. Sometimes they're a little liquored up. And they're going to raise the energy level of the Twins' fan base. It's a lot of fun as long as everybody keeps it in check. We know what Packer fans do and Badger fans do when they come into the Twin Cities. They like to stage their own personal coup d'etat.

But as far as what goes on the diamond, these are two very good teams. The Brewers lead the National League Central. They clearly have their eyes on the postseason and maybe something beyond. Milwaukee's record is 55 and 42. The Twins are 54 and 42. So, despite all the injuries Wally talked about, the Twins are a solid team. They're clearly in the Wild Card chase in the American League, and they still think they can run down the Cleveland Guardians in the final few months of the regular season.

I think that one other announcement regarding the Twins today we should get in-- and I don't really know why MLB does this when they do it, Cathy. The NFL actually has a planned day to have a schedule release in the offseason. They make it a made-for-TV event. Well, Major League Baseball just drops it into the middle of their regular season. So we now know next year's Twins schedule even though this season's not over. They will open up at St. Louis on March 27, then go to the Chicago White Sox for three games. Then they have the home opener on April 3 against the Houston Astros.

So it doesn't get as much fanfare as the NFL does. MLB needs some lessons in marketing.

CATHY WURZER: Well, speaking of fanfare, of course, you got, this weekend, the Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. I am so happy, of course-- we all are-- that former Twin Joe Mauer is going to be added to the Hall of Fame this weekend. And Wally, who was I-- LaVelle Neal's column about the Cooperstown Corridor in St. Paul. Joe's not the first St. Paul native to receive this honor, so let's talk about that a little bit.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, yeah, and he's not the first guy from Cretin to get it, either. Of course, Paul Molitor got in several years ago, and Dave Winfield and Jack Morris. You've got four guys who came from St. Paul that are all in the Hall of Fame, or Joe Mauer will be in the Hall of Fame. And it really is amazing if you think about all the cities in the United States where baseball players come from. But to have four from one city that are in the Hall of Fame-- that's pretty good.

Obviously a big day for Joe, and to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And for some of our listeners, if you're not familiar with it, you get on the ballot five years after you retire from the game, and to make it immediately, to get voted in immediately, like Joe Mauer did-- it certainly is a great achievement for Joe Mauer. I know he's humbled by it. He's a humble guy anyway, but he's even more humbled by the fact that he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. And again, like you said, another guy from St. Paul to go along Molitor, Winfield, and Jack Morris.

CATHY WURZER: Wow. Hey, let's talk about the Lynx here, Eric. They played their last game before this really long Olympic break yesterday. How did it go?

ERIC NELSON: It went very well if you're a Lynx fan, as they knocked off the Atlanta Dream at Target Center last night, 86-79. So Minnesota will go into the All-Star break and the Olympic break. 17 and 8 is their record. That is third best in the WNBA. Kayla McBride-- she's an All-Star. She will be in Phoenix this weekend for the WNBA's All-Star game. 30 points, four 3 balls, and Natisha Hiedeman scored a season-high 18 points, and Cathy, 16 of those came in the fourth quarter. So Minnesota goes into this break with some momentum.

Cheryl Reeve is one of the All-Star coaches in Phoenix. She's also the Team USA Olympic coach. So I don't think her star can be shining any brighter than it is right now, certainly on the national stage and the international stage. So the Lynx have to be feeling pretty good about the first half that they have put up for this WNBA season. What you have to wonder is, with an All-Star break and an Olympic pause, what will that do to their momentum? Will they come back better than ever, or will they have to regroup and knock off the rust and the dust?

CATHY WURZER: Right. I don't know about you guys. I love the summer Olympics. I like the Olympics winter, too, but I like summer. And you're going to be watching, obviously. I know you guys. Which of the Lynx players are in the Olympics? I can't remember. Wally?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, just one. It's Napheesa Collier. But we'll see if she plays. I think she's missed five games now, out with an injury, and ironically, it's the same injury that Carlos Correa is dealing with, plantar fasciitis. So she did not play last night against Atlanta. And I think that she hopes to play.

And Cheryl Reeve, who, as Eric just pointed out, is the head coach for Team USA-- she was asked about a week or so ago, if this was a playoff game, if this was a WNBA playoff game, would Napheesa Collier play? And she intimated that she thought that Napheesa Collier would figure out a way to play. I think that that might be the case when we get to Paris. I think Napheesa Collier might figure out a way to play because she was there in 2020, but she was a minor role player. I think she'll have a much bigger role this time around, as they go to 2024 in Paris.

CATHY WURZER: Ah, it'll be fun to watch. All right, you guys. Hey, thanks. Have a good weekend. Talk to you next week.

ERIC NELSON: Cathy, you too.

CATHY WURZER: Thanks.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thanks, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: Wally Langfellow, the founder of Minnesota Score sports magazine, cohost of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson's the other host of that show. He's the Vikings NFL reporter for CBS's Eye on Football.