Minnesotans in the Olympics and more sports news

CATHY WURZER: It's been really hard doing this show today because I have one eye on my screens, and I'm talking to you. And I have another eye on NBC TV, and I'm watching the Summer Olympics, specifically the women's gymnastics individual finals. It's been just terrific. Suni Lee is defending her gold medal in the women's all-around. It's the first time she's competed in the all-around against her teammate, Simone Biles, who won gold in 2016.

Joining us right now to talk about Suni and other Minnesotans competing in the Olympics, plus other sports news, are our sports guys, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. How are you guys doing?

ERIC NELSON: Hey, Cathy.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Good, Cathy. How are you?

CATHY WURZER: Good. Thank you very much. Now, don't spoil anything for anybody here. But, Wally, have you been watching Suni and company here this afternoon?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Wait a minute. You don't want me to spoil it? I thought you wanted me to tell you what was going on.

CATHY WURZER: Well, I mean, yeah, OK. But just-- OK, fine. But, I mean, do you know if anyone's won at this point? Still going on?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: It hasn't happened yet. But Simone Biles is leading in the all-around through two rotations. They're just now into the third, and she's on top. But Suni Lee is not that far back. She's in third right now. And she is currently tied in the third rotation. So, yeah, as you said leading into this, it's been fascinating to watch this today. And let's not forget, Simone Biles was the Olympic champion back in 2016 and then had to pull out in Tokyo in 2021.

If she were to win the all-around, she'd become the oldest gymnast, I think the oldest American gymnast, to win this ever and the oldest since 1950-something to be at the age of 27 to win this. So it's quite a feat. She's spectacular to watch. And she is in the lead right now. And she is heavily favored to hang onto that lead. So, yeah, it's been fun to watch.

CATHY WURZER: It has been fun to watch. Say, Eric, I don't remember what you said last Thursday. Are you much of an Olympics fan at all?

ERIC NELSON: Occasionally, I will tune in, Cathy. I mean, to be honest, I'm swamped in trying to work three jobs and then pay attention to the Twins and the Vikings and Minnesota United and all the stuff going on. We had the 3M Open last weekend out here in the Twin Cities at TPC. That was a fantastic finish. A lot of drama. So I watch when I can.

CATHY WURZER: [LAUGHS]

OK, that's a no. Fine. All right, so let's talk about the Vikings because, I have to be honest, I am not watching the Vikings training camp. I'm going to leave that up to you. So what are you hearing?

ERIC NELSON: Well, I do know the Minnesota Vikings are thin at cornerback. We had the tragic loss of Khyree Jackson in the auto accident in July. There's been an injury to Mekhi Blackmon, the second year defensive back out of USC. So they're thin. And this is not good because the NFL focus is heavy on passing these days. I mean, the sport has really turned into a video game. And if you can't stop the opposition's aerial assault, you're going to get shredded up on a weekly basis.

So the Vikings, it's a patchwork secondary, especially at the cornerback position. They're counting on Shaq Griffin, Byron Murphy, Jr., Akayleb Evans, guys like that, to step up. They've just brought in Bobby Francisco and Duke Shelley to try to fortify the position. Even a safety, Jay Ward, is getting some looks at cornerback.

Obviously, a lot of the focus is on QB1, that would be Sam Darnold, and QB2, JJ McCarthy, the rookie out of Michigan. Some people think the Vikings should go with the veteran Darnold, who is trying to revive his career. And remember, he was a high draft choice a few years ago, just like McCarthy. Others, including Randy Moss, the legendary Viking wideout, are saying, hey, throw McCarthy into the fire right away and let him learn this position. But the ultimate vote will be cast by Head Coach Kevin O'Connell. I think it will be Sam Darnold, at least out of the gate.

CATHY WURZER: OK, that's positive. Hey, here's the one thing I really want to know. Given what you're seeing at this point, is there any hope? Or is it a snowball's chance in hell that we would actually get to the playoffs and do anything decent this year?

ERIC NELSON: Well, I mean, the so-called experts are not giving the Vikings a lot of hope because there's a big question mark at that quarterback position. But if Darnold or McCarthy steps up, things could change in a Minnesota minute. They've got a very good running back, Aaron Jones, who came over from Green Bay. So they should be able to lean on the running game. They do have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson, guys like that. So there are weapons for these quarterbacks to get the ball to.

The NFC North right now, to me, it looks like Green Bay and Detroit on top, with Chicago and Minnesota, both with rookie quarterbacks, trying to find their way into the mix. But in the NFL, you never know. Things can change quickly. And I should mention, Cathy, if you're interested, a week from Saturday, 3:00 PM, Las Vegas at Minnesota. Cheapest tickets, $6. So you can go out and watch some counterfeit football, the preseason.

CATHY WURZER: Thanks a lot. OK, I'll make sure I get out there. Let's talk about the Twins. Before we get into the Twins here, Wally, good news for Twins fans who've not been able to see the games on Comcast. Evidently, there's this Comcast-Bally deal now, thankfully.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: There is. It goes into effect today, as a matter of fact. Twins are off today, by the way. But, yeah, if you have Comcast, there is now an option. And I should emphasize that because what they've basically done is they have packaged it into a higher level. More cost, bottom line here. So if you want to watch them, you can. It's just going to cost you more. They put them into a higher tier of sports packages. And so if you're willing to shell it out, you can watch the Twins on television if you have Comcast. I guess that's the bottom line to this whole thing.

CATHY WURZER: OK, that's good. Say, but Twins fans don't seem to be really excited, because evidently, the team didn't really make a big trade or anything.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: No.

CATHY WURZER: Some people are posting it's pretty pathetic. Yeah, what about that?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah. No, you're right. They did the minimum. They went out and got a middle reliever, which is basically what I think I said last week on the show when you asked me about it. I said, well, I think if they do anything, it'll probably be a middle reliever. And that's what they got. But they did not go out and try and grab a starting pitcher, which is probably their biggest need. They'll hit the baseball. I mean, we've seen that. They'll score some runs.

And it's understandable. They shaved off about $35 million in contract expenses this year coming into the season. And this is after they made the playoffs last year. And Twins fans are kind of scratching their heads. Wait a minute. You made the playoffs. You won some playoff games last year for the first time in a millennium. And now you're shaving down your ability to pay players. So they didn't do much.

But let's put it this way, and don't forget this. Last year, they did nothing at the trade deadline, and they won their first playoff game. They broke that 18-game playoff losing streak. So it doesn't necessarily mean a failure. But it does mean something you just said, that the fans might not be quite as excited because they don't think that the team is invested.

CATHY WURZER: Sure. Hey, before we go, let's talk soccer quickly here. How are the Loons doing, Eric?

ERIC NELSON: Well, they're in this Leagues Cup, Cathy. And they won on Tuesday night in St. Paul, 1-0, as they say in soccer, over Necaxa. That's out of Liga MX, a Mexican team. And Minnesota United goalkeeper Dayne St. Clair was outstanding. He had a Leagues Cup record 16 saves. And he gave MinnU the chance to advance to the tournament's knockout stages.

Now, we're going to know whether the Loons do move on on Sunday because what they need is for the Seattle Sounders basically to knock out Necaxa. But if Necaxa is able to get a win, it'll come down to tiebreakers to see who moves on in Leagues Cup. Now, Leagues Cup is a pause in the middle of the Major League Soccer season. And the Loons don't have another MLS game until Saturday night, August 24, in St. Paul, when they take on Seattle.

And, oh, by the way, MinnU right now with 33 points, that's good enough for ninth in the MLS Western Conference. The top nine teams in each conference qualify for the playoffs. So you can safely say Minnesota United is on the bubble. And they're going to have to keep winning soccer matches and gaining ground in the West if they want to solidify a playoff spot.

CATHY WURZER: Hmm, OK. So we covered a lot there, you guys. Thank you. I hope you have a good weekend.

ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Cathy, thank you.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Stay dry.

CATHY WURZER: Yeah, you too. Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Score Sports Magazine and cohost of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes on radio and TV. Eric Nelson is the other host of said show and the Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS's Eye on Football and Sirius XM.