Who our sports contributors are watching at the Olympics, Vikings training camp
Regan Smith swims during a Women's 100 backstroke semifinals on June 17, at the U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.
Darron Cummings | AP
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There are just under 24 hours to go until the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics. And more than two dozen athletes with ties to Minnesota will be competing in the summer games.
Plus, football season is here, with training camp underway for the Minnesota Vikings.
Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson is the other host of that show and Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS' Eye on Football and Sirius XM. They joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share what they’re watching in Minnesota sports.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
CATHY WURZER: It's Minnesota Now here on a Thursday. I'm Cathy Wurzer. There are just under 24 hours to go until the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and there are more than two dozen athletes with ties to Minnesota who will be competing in the Summer Games. For the Minnesota angle on the Olympics and a bunch of other sports news, our sports guys Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson are joining us right now. Wally happens to be in Blaine enjoying the 3M Open, is that right?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You are correct. Perfect day for it, too, Cathy. Just look out your window. I know you're trapped inside, but it's a perfect day here out in Blaine at the 3M.
CATHY WURZER: Nice. Hey, let's start with the Twins. We'll get to the 3M Open in a bit here. But let's talk about the Twins. Let's see. Is there this July 30 trade deadline we have to worry about?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I don't know if worry is the right word. I think if you're a Twins fan, you'd like to see them make a move before the deadline. But the Twins have been really reluctant this year, in the off-season at least, to make any moves that adds to their payroll. As a matter of fact, they cut about, what, $30 million in payroll off of from last year.
So I would say if the Twins do make a move, they want to add a starting pitcher. But you know, get in line. Every competing team for a playoff spot right now wants to add a pitcher. I mean, that's just the way it is. Everybody would love to add a starting pitcher. So the price is going to be high because there are probably at least 10 teams, if not more, looking to add a starting pitcher to the rotation. And that's probably the number one need.
The Twins scored runs. I mean, they scored-- they ended up beating Philadelphia two out of three. They won yesterday, despite the fact that probably their four best hitters did not play, or were not significant contributors. Byron Buxton got hit by a pitch yesterday and did not play the latter part of the game. No Carlos Correa, no Royce Lewis, no José Miranda. A couple of those guys are going to be coming off the injured list this weekend. But they score runs.
So I would say with regard to your question on the trade deadline, which is Tuesday, if the Twins do add something, look for them to probably do something, a second-tier type of starting pitcher to add to the rotation. Probably their biggest need right now.
CATHY WURZER: OK. So Eric, we got the Detroit Tigers coming in, is that right?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, the Twins are going to Pure Michigan this weekend, take on Detroit at Comerica Park in downtown Motown. That'll start on Friday, and then they'll play Saturday and Sunday. In fact, the Tigers as we speak are playing the Cleveland Guardians. And that's the team the Twins are trying to focus on right now because they entered the day Minnesota five games behind Cleveland.
But some early good news, if you're a Twins fan-- the Tigers in the top of the third inning lead the Guardians 3-0. So if Detroit wins, Minnesota would go into the weekend just four and a half games out of first place in the American League Central. We should also not sleep on the Kansas City Royals. They've been one of the surprise teams in Major League Baseball. They're also very much in the race in the AL Central.
And Wally mentioned all the guys who are banged up. For Byron Buxton, who has really been in the lineup a lot this season compared to years past, they're calling it a right forearm contusion. He left yesterday's game against Philadelphia, and all of Twins territory definitely hoping this is not serious and he won't go on the injured reserve list.
As far as tomorrow's game it'll be Pablo López, the ace of the Twins rotation, against Keider Montero for the Detroit Tigers. So the Twins are off on another road trip after a homestand where they lost 2 to Milwaukee, but as Wally said, won two of three against Philadelphia, team with the best record in Major League Baseball.
CATHY WURZER: See, I thought about you yesterday, Eric, when I noticed a little bit of video from TCO Stadium there. The Vikes have started summer training camp. And because you're the Vikings NFL reporter for CBS's Eye on Football, I thought, oh, where have I been? I forgot about training camp starting. So how did the guys look out there?
ERIC NELSON: Well, it's real early and things will start heating up here in the next few days, and all of the NFL teams are reporting to training camp. I think right now going into camp, probably the story-- and it's a tragic one-- is what the Minnesota Vikings organization is doing for Khyree Jackson, who was tragically killed in an auto accident earlier this month in Maryland.
And I'll give the Purple credit. They're stepping up. They're going to pay the rest of Khyree Jackson's $827,000 signing bonus on his rookie contract to his estate, as well as contributing $20,000 for funeral expenses. Those services are Friday. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the team general manager, Kevin O'Connell, Brian Flores, the defensive coordinator, and other people from the Vikings will be there at the service. There's also going to be a private memorial here in Minnesota later on down the road.
And then you talked about TCO Performance Center out in Eagan. So Khyree's locker will not be used by anybody this year. That's similar to what the Vikings did with Korey Stringer when we had that unfortunate situation where he died on the practice field in Mankato. That was glass-encased. I remember seeing it many times out at Winter Park in Eden Prairie when they used to practice and train there.
Also, Khyree's number 31 will not be used this season, and Minnesota is going to have decals on the helmets that say KJ. So the Vikings are trying to step up and do the right thing in what is a tragic, tragic situation for the young cornerback who was out of Oregon.
CATHY WURZER: Mm. So sad. My gosh. I want to quickly talk about the Olympics before we run out of time here. So Wally, what, some 40 people, some 40 athletes with at least some Minnesota ties will be competing in Paris? That's pretty cool.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Right. Yeah, a number of them U of M athletes. Actual Minnesotans, there are a dozen who live and breathe and walk among us. Eight of them are on Team USA. Well, however you want to slice it.
But Dakotah Lindwurm, who Eric and I had on our TV and radio show a couple of weeks ago, she is a marathoner from Saint Francis. She lives in Hopkins now. Great story. She finished third time trials which gave her the berth on the team. Payton Otterdahl is a track and field athlete, a shot putter to be exact. We had him on last Olympics, believe it or not, four years ago. And he's from Rosemount.
And there's a number of others. Of course, Suni Lee from Saint Paul, the gymnast. All eyes will be on her and several others. Regan Smith, the swimmer from Lakeville. She's in the 100-meter backstroke. That begins on the 29th of July, so that's this weekend on Sunday. And then she's in the 200-meter backstroke as well. That's on August 1.
So there will be plenty of Minnesota athletes. Jordan Thompson, the volleyball player from Edina, and a few others as well. So yeah, busy time of year for Minnesota athletes. We're involved in the Olympics, no question.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Quick question for both of you. Your favorite Olympic event. Go, Wally.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Believe it or not, I like the swimming. I mean, of course, I love to see--
CATHY WURZER: What?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: --the men's basketball and the women's basketball, but I'm going with the swimming events. I think that those are the most intriguing.
CATHY WURZER: I'm surprised. OK. Eric?
ERIC NELSON: [CHUCKLES] I'll go with gymnastics, Cathy. That always moves the needle. So it's always--
WALLY LANGFELLOW: He hates the Olympics.
ERIC NELSON: --fun to see those athletes. I want to say real quickly, Cathy--
CATHY WURZER: What?
ERIC NELSON: I was at the golf the other day.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: (LAUGHING) He just doesn't like them.
ERIC NELSON: [LAUGHS]
CATHY WURZER: Yeah.
ERIC NELSON: So Blaine had the soccer cup last week, right? Target USA Cup. Now they've got the 3M Open. Governor Tim Walz had a ceremony with Larry Fitzgerald Jr. He has now dubbed Blaine Sports City USA because of these two events, which bring in approximately $100 million or a little bit less than that to the region. So welcome to Blaine. We're very sports-centric here.
CATHY WURZER: I've heard that. And so then we will end this with Mr. Langfellow, who's out at the 3M Open in Blaine. How does the TPC look, by the way? How's the course look?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: The course looks great. I mean, all the rain we've had this year has been just perfect for these guys who keep these golf courses the way they do. Mackenzie Hughes from Canada is the leader right now. He's at 7 under par and he is done for the day. And Patrick Hughes, he is also at 7 under. He is through 16 holes right now. The most recognizable name in the top let's say eight here is Stewart Cink. He is two shots off the lead through 17 holes. So busy weekend here in Blaine, as Eric pointed out.
CATHY WURZER: Enjoy the weekend, you guys. We'll talk to you later. Thank you.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: See you, Cathy.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: See you. Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score sports magazine, the co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson is the other host of that show, and as I mentioned, the Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS's Eye on Football and Sirius XM.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: You are correct. Perfect day for it, too, Cathy. Just look out your window. I know you're trapped inside, but it's a perfect day here out in Blaine at the 3M.
CATHY WURZER: Nice. Hey, let's start with the Twins. We'll get to the 3M Open in a bit here. But let's talk about the Twins. Let's see. Is there this July 30 trade deadline we have to worry about?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I don't know if worry is the right word. I think if you're a Twins fan, you'd like to see them make a move before the deadline. But the Twins have been really reluctant this year, in the off-season at least, to make any moves that adds to their payroll. As a matter of fact, they cut about, what, $30 million in payroll off of from last year.
So I would say if the Twins do make a move, they want to add a starting pitcher. But you know, get in line. Every competing team for a playoff spot right now wants to add a pitcher. I mean, that's just the way it is. Everybody would love to add a starting pitcher. So the price is going to be high because there are probably at least 10 teams, if not more, looking to add a starting pitcher to the rotation. And that's probably the number one need.
The Twins scored runs. I mean, they scored-- they ended up beating Philadelphia two out of three. They won yesterday, despite the fact that probably their four best hitters did not play, or were not significant contributors. Byron Buxton got hit by a pitch yesterday and did not play the latter part of the game. No Carlos Correa, no Royce Lewis, no José Miranda. A couple of those guys are going to be coming off the injured list this weekend. But they score runs.
So I would say with regard to your question on the trade deadline, which is Tuesday, if the Twins do add something, look for them to probably do something, a second-tier type of starting pitcher to add to the rotation. Probably their biggest need right now.
CATHY WURZER: OK. So Eric, we got the Detroit Tigers coming in, is that right?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, the Twins are going to Pure Michigan this weekend, take on Detroit at Comerica Park in downtown Motown. That'll start on Friday, and then they'll play Saturday and Sunday. In fact, the Tigers as we speak are playing the Cleveland Guardians. And that's the team the Twins are trying to focus on right now because they entered the day Minnesota five games behind Cleveland.
But some early good news, if you're a Twins fan-- the Tigers in the top of the third inning lead the Guardians 3-0. So if Detroit wins, Minnesota would go into the weekend just four and a half games out of first place in the American League Central. We should also not sleep on the Kansas City Royals. They've been one of the surprise teams in Major League Baseball. They're also very much in the race in the AL Central.
And Wally mentioned all the guys who are banged up. For Byron Buxton, who has really been in the lineup a lot this season compared to years past, they're calling it a right forearm contusion. He left yesterday's game against Philadelphia, and all of Twins territory definitely hoping this is not serious and he won't go on the injured reserve list.
As far as tomorrow's game it'll be Pablo López, the ace of the Twins rotation, against Keider Montero for the Detroit Tigers. So the Twins are off on another road trip after a homestand where they lost 2 to Milwaukee, but as Wally said, won two of three against Philadelphia, team with the best record in Major League Baseball.
CATHY WURZER: See, I thought about you yesterday, Eric, when I noticed a little bit of video from TCO Stadium there. The Vikes have started summer training camp. And because you're the Vikings NFL reporter for CBS's Eye on Football, I thought, oh, where have I been? I forgot about training camp starting. So how did the guys look out there?
ERIC NELSON: Well, it's real early and things will start heating up here in the next few days, and all of the NFL teams are reporting to training camp. I think right now going into camp, probably the story-- and it's a tragic one-- is what the Minnesota Vikings organization is doing for Khyree Jackson, who was tragically killed in an auto accident earlier this month in Maryland.
And I'll give the Purple credit. They're stepping up. They're going to pay the rest of Khyree Jackson's $827,000 signing bonus on his rookie contract to his estate, as well as contributing $20,000 for funeral expenses. Those services are Friday. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, the team general manager, Kevin O'Connell, Brian Flores, the defensive coordinator, and other people from the Vikings will be there at the service. There's also going to be a private memorial here in Minnesota later on down the road.
And then you talked about TCO Performance Center out in Eagan. So Khyree's locker will not be used by anybody this year. That's similar to what the Vikings did with Korey Stringer when we had that unfortunate situation where he died on the practice field in Mankato. That was glass-encased. I remember seeing it many times out at Winter Park in Eden Prairie when they used to practice and train there.
Also, Khyree's number 31 will not be used this season, and Minnesota is going to have decals on the helmets that say KJ. So the Vikings are trying to step up and do the right thing in what is a tragic, tragic situation for the young cornerback who was out of Oregon.
CATHY WURZER: Mm. So sad. My gosh. I want to quickly talk about the Olympics before we run out of time here. So Wally, what, some 40 people, some 40 athletes with at least some Minnesota ties will be competing in Paris? That's pretty cool.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Right. Yeah, a number of them U of M athletes. Actual Minnesotans, there are a dozen who live and breathe and walk among us. Eight of them are on Team USA. Well, however you want to slice it.
But Dakotah Lindwurm, who Eric and I had on our TV and radio show a couple of weeks ago, she is a marathoner from Saint Francis. She lives in Hopkins now. Great story. She finished third time trials which gave her the berth on the team. Payton Otterdahl is a track and field athlete, a shot putter to be exact. We had him on last Olympics, believe it or not, four years ago. And he's from Rosemount.
And there's a number of others. Of course, Suni Lee from Saint Paul, the gymnast. All eyes will be on her and several others. Regan Smith, the swimmer from Lakeville. She's in the 100-meter backstroke. That begins on the 29th of July, so that's this weekend on Sunday. And then she's in the 200-meter backstroke as well. That's on August 1.
So there will be plenty of Minnesota athletes. Jordan Thompson, the volleyball player from Edina, and a few others as well. So yeah, busy time of year for Minnesota athletes. We're involved in the Olympics, no question.
CATHY WURZER: OK. Quick question for both of you. Your favorite Olympic event. Go, Wally.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Believe it or not, I like the swimming. I mean, of course, I love to see--
CATHY WURZER: What?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: --the men's basketball and the women's basketball, but I'm going with the swimming events. I think that those are the most intriguing.
CATHY WURZER: I'm surprised. OK. Eric?
ERIC NELSON: [CHUCKLES] I'll go with gymnastics, Cathy. That always moves the needle. So it's always--
WALLY LANGFELLOW: He hates the Olympics.
ERIC NELSON: --fun to see those athletes. I want to say real quickly, Cathy--
CATHY WURZER: What?
ERIC NELSON: I was at the golf the other day.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: (LAUGHING) He just doesn't like them.
ERIC NELSON: [LAUGHS]
CATHY WURZER: Yeah.
ERIC NELSON: So Blaine had the soccer cup last week, right? Target USA Cup. Now they've got the 3M Open. Governor Tim Walz had a ceremony with Larry Fitzgerald Jr. He has now dubbed Blaine Sports City USA because of these two events, which bring in approximately $100 million or a little bit less than that to the region. So welcome to Blaine. We're very sports-centric here.
CATHY WURZER: I've heard that. And so then we will end this with Mr. Langfellow, who's out at the 3M Open in Blaine. How does the TPC look, by the way? How's the course look?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: The course looks great. I mean, all the rain we've had this year has been just perfect for these guys who keep these golf courses the way they do. Mackenzie Hughes from Canada is the leader right now. He's at 7 under par and he is done for the day. And Patrick Hughes, he is also at 7 under. He is through 16 holes right now. The most recognizable name in the top let's say eight here is Stewart Cink. He is two shots off the lead through 17 holes. So busy weekend here in Blaine, as Eric pointed out.
CATHY WURZER: Enjoy the weekend, you guys. We'll talk to you later. Thank you.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: See you, Cathy.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Cathy.
CATHY WURZER: See you. Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score sports magazine, the co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson is the other host of that show, and as I mentioned, the Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS's Eye on Football and Sirius XM.
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