Recent content from Jim Souhan
Souhan: Twins are back at Target Field but nothing feels normal
The crack of the bat is supposed to be accompanied by cheers or gasps, not resolute silence. The final words spoken on the loudspeaker should not be "Attendance: Zero."
Souhan: Mahomes' megabucks deal a reminder American sports flush with cash
The measure of any large sports contract is not whether the owner can afford it, but whether it makes sense within the salary and payroll structure of that team and league.
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Souhan: Sports world finds its voice in difficult times
There are examples everywhere of people trying to effect change.
Souhan: Restarting sports in virus-deep Florida was horrible mistake
Sports leagues should have ignored the welcome mat offered by the Sunshine State.
Souhan: 60-game version of Twins could be more dangerous
With ridiculous power and underrated pitching depth, the Twins were well-prepared to succeed over 162 games. As they begin workouts this weekend at Target Field, they may be even more formidable than they were a few months ago.
Souhan: A short, experimental baseball season? Bring it on
A universal designated hitter? Expanded rosters? Runners on second base to start extra innings? This MLB season could be loads more fun than the usual 162-game slog.
Souhan: Maya Moore more deserving than Cruz for ESPYs' Humanitarian award
Nelson Cruz was a deserving winner, but the Lynx star gave up her career to dedicate her life to criminal justice reform, and should have won the award.
Souhan: Pohlads weather storms to sit solidly in charge of Twins
Among many Twins fans, the name Pohlad is synonymous with cheapness. As the team prepares for a long-delayed Opening Day, this is a good time to ask whether the family deserves the reputation.
Souhan: Ex-Wolves coach Casey lauds strong words from white peers
It shouldn't need to be this way, but having Gregg Popovich, Steve Kerr and others speak out has made a difference in the month since the killing of George Floyd.
Souhan: Owners to blame for baseball deal taking so long
MLB owners didn't want a regular season longer than 60 games. They slow-played the negotiations until imposing a 60-game schedule, finalized Tuesday, became more a matter of necessity than a matter of choice.
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Souhan: The biggest sports buffet ever could soon be served to fans
If baseball owners prove they care about their sport and other things go right, we could be approaching the most saturated nine-month stretch of sports in American history.
Souhan: A true patriot sees the American flag as more
It's time for Americans to choose: Do you care about citizens or symbols?
Souhan: U assistant Thibault-DuDonis leans on family of coaches
"Family" isn't a coaching cliché for Gophers women's basketball assistant Carly Thibault-DuDonis. Her father is in the WNBA and her husband is the head coach at Wisconsin-River Falls.
Souhan: 'The Match' made in golf/football heaven should get a sequel
The made-for-TV charity event was gobbled up by fans craving any sort of live sports, but it was compelling enough with personalities, banter and insight to merit imitators.
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Souhan: Strong statement needed, and Vikings signing Kaepernick would do it
Signing Colin Kaepernick would signal the Vikings care about social justice, and that the NFL acknowledges its wrongful blackballing of a talented quarterback. It would also make football sense.
Souhan: Major League Baseball can't afford to take season off
If players and owners can't agree on salaries this year, it would be another blow to the game
Baseball was Hunter's safe haven, and he grew into a star
Torii Hunter listened to veteran teammates and slowly learned. He progressed from a talented youngster who couldn't identify the spin of offspeed pitches to a slugger who crushed them.
Souhan: Black athletes call out again for justice. Will we listen this time?
For many white Americans, exposure to what it is like to be black in the United States often comes through black athletes and entertainers. We should listen to them.
Souhan: Restarted NHL season could play right into Wild's hands
Had the NHL stuck to the traditional 16-team bracket, the Wild would have been out. Instead, it will get to play a best-of-five series against Vancouver. Minnesota's players could have the edge.
Kicker Reveiz never made excuses as he found footing with Vikings
Born in Bogota, Colombia, his family moved to Miami when he was 11. A friend saw Fuad Reveiz kicking a soccer ball and talked him into trying football.
Souhan: Darrell Thompson expects Gophers to have even greater success
But the former standout running back is worried about his mentoring program for at-risk kids and troubled by the NFL's apathy toward former players with needs.
Souhan: Fans should enjoy any Wild playoff run even if sportstuff will be missing
Sportstuff won't return for Stanley Cup playoffs, but fans should try to enjoy the sport at least.
Souhan: With more controls, 'Wild West' feel gone from sports reporting
Sports coverage will never be as wild and personal as it was when an angry Wolves player walked into the media room and announced he was calling his own press conference.
Souhan: Ignoring blacks for top NFL jobs is racist and stupid
If you're not angry about discrimination, you should be angry about so many teams breaking the golden rule of sports. They're not doing all they can to win.
Souhan: Public should side with rich, not wealthy, in MLB pay debate
We are in danger of returning to the bad old days of sports-talk debate, where fans conclude that millionaire players are greedier than billionaire owners.
Souhan: Ban spitting. Dial down celebrations. Bring on robot umps.
When Major League Baseball games return post-pandemic, there are a handful of changes that should be made - for the better.
Souhan: MJ making it to the majors would have been a minor miracle
Some believe NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan could have eventually played baseball in the major leagues. Former Twin Gene Larkin and manager Tom Kelly are not among them.
Souhan: Teerlinck had knack for motivating Vikings players he coached
John Teerlinck spent just three seasons with the Vikings, but columnist Jim Souhan considers him one of the great characters and coaches in a franchise history filled with high achievers and great characters.
Souhan: Rodgers to the Vikings? Weirder things have happened
Remember, there was never any way Brett Favre could ever play for the Vikings ... and then we had Brad Childress picking him up at the airport.
Souhan: Interim coach Evason deserves shot to stick with Wild
He has only had 12 games under his belt filling in for Bruce Boudreau, but his relationship with Kevin Fiala is a critical factor.
Souhan: Building Gophers through transfers has merit for Pitino
While not getting the state's best high school players, Richard Pitino could be devising a strategy that could allow the Gophers to compete with better Big Ten programs.
Souhan: The role of a backup QB? Depends who you ask
NFL teams differ on what they want from the backup quarterback position: An heir apparent, a reclamation project, a multi-tasking gadget QB or a thrifty insurance policy.
Souhan: Spielman just made Vikings stronger with deft handling of draft
Yes, picking Gophers stars Antoine Winfield Jr. and Tyler Johnson would have made nice stories, but that's not what the team was after.
Souhan: By not making mistakes, Vikings lead NFC North in draft success
While none of us can predict the future, we can always assess real-time logic. The Vikings made use of it during the 2020 NFL draft. Their closest competitors did not.
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Souhan: Selecting Jefferson won't repeat Williamson fiasco
Troy Williamson was fast and raw. Justin Jefferson is built like a prototype NFL receiver, he has excellent hands and he excelled in the biggest games in college football last year.
Souhan: The NFL draft is all-important. (Here's why that's a lie)
The draft feels important because the NFL has made it feel important, and because the draft is filled with mystery and speculation, and every once in a while your team drafts the perfect player.
Souhan: NFL franchise needs that go beyond the draft
Some teams are out to select the best athlete available, but a lot of them have bigger problems that won't be fixed this week.
Souhan: Vikings have gotten into trouble drafting need over talent
Need is a terrible evaluator. For many NFL fans, that phrase has become a cliche, but it is the kind of phrase that becomes a cliche because it is so true.
Souhan: Lynx's draft picks point more toward the long term
The Lynx could have taken a more polished player or a pure point guard at No. 6. Instead, they gambled on upside. They are hoping to position themselves for next year's free-agents, and get back to taking swings at a title.
Souhan: Tamara Moore well-prepared to be a men's basketball coach
Tamara Moore, who has played against and coached men before, will be the only woman coaching a men's college team next season at Mesabi Range.
Souhan: In this WNBA mock draft, Lynx go big and with a winner
Many national mock drafts have the Lynx taking a point guard to fill the void left when Lindsay Whalen retired. But draft wisdom tell us that what you hear and what really happens don't always match up.
Souhan: Jamal James ready for WBA title fight — whenever it happens
Jamal James' title bout was supposed to have taken place Saturday at the Armory. Even after the fight was canceled because of COVID-19, with no makeup date, James maintained his grueling training regimen.
Souhan: Masters memories never fade for St. John's star Schmitz
In 2015, Sammy Schmitz, the former All-America from St. John's, won the U.S. Mid-Am to earn a berth in the 2016 Masters. He played two rounds at the Masters, missing the cut but gaining lifelong memories.
Souhan: Is MLB so desperate for games it would put lives at risk?
COVID-19 isn't just a disease. It's an intelligence test. If baseball tries this, its entire management team will get a failing grade.
Souhan: Garnett is Minnesota's most valuable athlete since ... ever
More than Randy Moss. More than Kirby Puckett, Harmon Killebrew or Maya Moore. Without KG, the Timberwolves' history would be one of complete oblivion.
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Souhan: Postpone drafts in WNBA and NFL. It's the right thing to do
A month ago, holding sports drafts made sense; an antidote to the lethargy and boredom of our new lives. But our awareness of what we're up against has changed, so the leagues' plans should change as well.
Souhan: Baldelli has baseball in his head while music soothes his restless mind
Performing in front of demanding crowds is what groups do, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli — currently with a lot of unexpected time on his hands — takes lessons from watching his team or his favorite band.
Souhan: Missing sports clichés, the comfort food of English language
There's an "i" in cliché, but this is all about team, and columnist Jim Souhan is a team-first guy, but it's a business and he's got to be able to feed his family.
![“Baseball will return. Our job is to be ready for that, assuming it happens. But do we know that’s going to happen [in 2020]? No, we don’t.”
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Souhan: Sports world's reaction paints grim image to issue's severity
The cancellation of events through the end of 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic doesn't seem so far-fetched.
Souhan: Compressed NFL season would hinder relocated QBs
Kirk Cousins' return under center for a third season could help give the Vikings a leg up on their competition.
Souhan: 2009 Game 163 replay is a reminder of Loose Cannons' heroics for Twins
Carlos Gomez and Alexi Casilla, both promising but erratic players, delivered when called off the bench in an epic Metrodome finale.
Souhan: While waiting for baseball, Bremer's book a fine way to pass time
Broadcaster Dick Bremer should be preparing to announce the Twins' opener in Oakland on Thursday. Instead, he'll be at home in the northern suburbs, trying to distract himself from our new reality.
Souhan: Logic means postponing games, but logic doesn't always guide IOC
Logic dictates that the Games be postponed until the summer of 2021. It would be criminally stupid to hold them this summer, during a worldwide pandemic.
Souhan: Vikings need Dalvin Cook now more than ever
After all of their roster changes, the Vikings are now more dependent on Cook remaining healthy and performing spectacularly than they were even last year.
Souhan: No spring training trip this year, and it sure was missed
Columnist Jim Souhan didn't make it to Twins spring training in Florida for the first time since 1992. It's not the perks he missed; it's the job.
Souhan: Vikings' latest moves won't help unless draft fills gaping holes
GM Rick Spielman made a great move in dealing Stefon Diggs and the logical move in extending Kirk Cousins, but he'll need to procure young, inexpensive talent to plug other gaps.
Souhan: A virus knocks us all from our NCAA pools at the same time
The bracket is what makes March Madness a societal phenomenon. The bracket is the greatest driver of sports conversations in America. The bracket is what we will miss the most.
Souhan: Full stop for sports? Impossible
The games have stopped, but the business of sports never will.
How the sports world came to a standstill: a timeline
The New York Post's Ryan Dunleavy chronicled it all, including the indefinite suspension or delayed start of three major professional leagues and the abrupt end of the college basketball season, without March Madness (all times Eastern):
Souhan: When American sports leagues shut down, they got it right
Thursday, the sports world stopped cold. Except that this isn't really about sports. This is about American sports reflecting America's reality, instead of serving as diversion.
Souhan: Teams using grubby locker rooms as excuse to keep media out
The decision to bar media from sports locker rooms in the wake of the coronavirus crisis is a cynical, calculated move more than a safety measure.
Souhan: Winning Whitecaps keep commitment to grow women's hockey
Comparing a startup women's league with no television deal to established male sports is pointless. Whitecaps players see a chance to grow their game by attracting girls to hockey.
Souhan: Wild's recent moves a page out of the Twins playbook
Twice in the past three years a team on the fringe of contention has decided to sell rather than buy at the trade deadline, then watched its supposedly depleted team go on a successful run.
Souhan: Newcomer Steeves appreciates state tournament's exceptional appeal
Eden Prairie's Ben Steeves, who played last season in Michigan, said there has been "no exaggeration" of Minnesota's boys' hockey tournament lore.
Souhan: Surging Fiala adds plenty of 'magic' to Wild's playoff push
Kevin Fiala looked dangerous all game. Most endearing, he continued to play like hockey is a fun sport instead of a prison sentence.
Souhan: Perhaps a certain former Wild GM was right about Fiala
The forward has been a sight for jaded eyes during his scoring spurt.
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Souhan: Vastly different coaching scenarios for Pitino, Saunders
Richard Pitino's career head coaching winning percentage is .544. Ryan Saunders' is .340. So why would Saunders enjoy more job security? Because circumstances matter more than stats.
Souhan: Home losses may ruin season of promise, alter U's future
The worst aspect of the loss to Maryland is that it might limit the number of times we get to see Daniel Oturu and Marcus Carr play together.
Souhan: Warren brings his common touch from Vikings to Big Ten
Most commissioners of moneymaking sports leagues have two primary jobs: Protecting the rich, and making them richer. That's not how Kevin Warren works.
Souhan: Lynx lag at rebuilding in WNBA's most dramatic offseason
The Lynx may never be quite the same, unless they can navigate the WNBA's new promising-yet-perilous landscape.
Souhan: Griffen is first domino to fall for Vikings in salary-cap crunch
The likely loss of Everson Griffen is the first piece removed. There are more players who will force the Vikings to make difficult decisions in the coming months
Souhan: Pitino's Gophers trending from pretty good to pretty awful
The Indiana loss may have ended any reasonable hope of an NCAA tournament bid. Will it prove as decisive for coach Richard Pitino's Minnesota career?
Souhan: For your 'Miracle on Ice' memories, 'The Boys of Winter' satisfies
The 40th anniversary of a most Minnesota-centric accomplishment is near, and that memorable run is captured in Wayne Coffey's book.
Souhan: Hired to fix Wild, Guerin begins repairs with two big moves
The question isn't why Bill Guerin this week traded away Jason Zucker and fired coach Bruce Boudreau; it's whether he waited too long.
Souhan: Feelings aside, Wild made good move in trading Zucker
Jason Zucker was a popular player here. But he underperformed, and the Wild made a good deal shipping him to Pittsburgh for winger Alex Galchenyuk, defense prospect Calen Addison and a first-round draft pick.
