Recent content from Patrick Reusse
Reusse: Gophers' Anderson expects pro baseball changes will boost college game
The shrinking of the minor leagues should result in more talent staying in school.
Reusse: Beebe an unrefined punt returner who gained redemption with Vikings
Most redemption stories, in sports or life, take a bit longer than Chad Beebe's in the Vikings' 28-27 victory over Carolina on Sunday.
Reusse: Logic takes vacation as Beasley rewarded, Rosario rejected
Overall, Wednesday was a day that reinforced this for Minnesotans: Life isn't fair, even in the lucrative world of professional sports.
Reusse: The tale of Shorty, Fast Eddie and putting for quarters — lots of them
The old time 'WPA' characters of Theodore Wirth golf course refined their short games in calculating ways.
Reusse: Going Division I all about planning for Caruso at St. Thomas
The move from Division III was going to be a big test for St. Thomas football coach Glenn Caruso under any circumstance, and a major test of his organizational skills.
Patrick Reusse's Turkey of the Year was done. Then 2020 happened ...
The annual tradition started in 1978 lives on after reports of its demise last November.
Reusse: Gophers football ace McNamara was a friend of tennis
Late football legend Bob McNamara turned to court sports — tennis, handball, racquetball — after his career was over. He became an ardent booster of the Gophers men's tennis team, as well as football.
Reusse: Timberwolves order up a second helping of Rickymania
The biggest news of NBA draft night for "casual" Wolves followers came soon after Minnesota made the pick at No. 1 overall: Ricky Rubio, just turned 30, was coming back
Reusse: Tragedy, not Canton, became the fate of former Chiefs star lineman Tyrer
Opponents and teammates agree that mountainous Kansas City left tackle Jim Tyrer would've been a Hall of Famer by acclamation, other than for the tragedy of Sept. 15, 1980.
Reusse: In our virus world, pins keep falling at Elsie's in Northeast
The Monday-night leagues did survive the state's new COVID rules that were just announced, although one significant adjustment will be required starting next week.
Brian Hartmann, part of standout Arlington sports family, dies of brain disease at 51
Brian Hartmann, the subject of Patrick Reusse’s column last Sunday, died Thursday from a rare brain disease. Hartmann, 51, was the youngest of…
Reusse: Grading which sports dealt best with the coronavirus
The financial hits have been onerous and TV ratings plunged, but how have the sports entities handled holding competition at a time when the biggest foe has been the coronavirus.
Reusse: Seeing players grow up keeps Eden Prairie's Grant coaching
Mike Grant is retiring from his AD job but not as Eden Prairie's football coach. "To see the years of effort those boys put in to be the players they've become, the people they've become, that's always the best part of coaching.''
(July 4, 2010) Reusse: Twins' first Fourth a golden moment for Becquer, fans
Memories of a walk-off grand slam 50 seasons ago by the pinch hitter still echo loud and clear.
Reusse: A grand Minnesota sports family — '77 of us' — is praying for one of its stars
Brian Hartmann, of Arlington's first family of sports, has a rare brain disease. And he has all the family support a guy could ever dream of.
Reusse: Via Burnsville and U, Martin starts making Packers highlights
Knee injuries have hampered Kamal Martin in his progression from high school to the pros. But his debut last weekend impressed Packers coach Matt LaFleur.
Reusse: An appreciation for Gladden, creator of blast and bloop bookends
While he waits for baseball's return, Dan Gladden recalls triumphs from World Series past: the slam, the double and some good baseball stories three decades later.
Reusse: All I want for my 75th birthday is these three into the Twins Hall of Fame
The Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, started with their 40th season in 2000, never can be a satisfying look at the franchise's history as long as three glaring omissions remain from the 1960s.
Reusse: Sundin's fate was ERA of infinity; his batterymate had it worse
Three Minnesota natives — Fred Bruckbauer, Doc Hamann and Gordie Sundin — are among 16 big-league pitchers with ERAs listed as infinity (no outs recorded, runs allowed). But there are greater tragedies.
Reusse: For Bob McDonald, basketball took players from 'diapers to death'
The legendary 87-year-old coach from Chisholm, who died Wednesday after contracting COVID-19, turned an Iron Range community in hockey country into a basketball hotbed for more than a half-century.
Reusse: Astonishing Rays keep on winning
Tampa-St. Petersburg is home to the most remarkable team in North American pro sports, and that's not the Stanley Cup-winning Lightning
Reusse: From hard times to fast times, North football aiming high
Last November, Minneapolis North lost the Class 2A title game to Caledonia. There will be no rematch, so the Polars are hoping to win 'em all — nine maximum — against larger schools in the metro.
Reusse: Ex-Twins reliever Kintzler's resurrection tale grows in Miami
Brandon Kintzler's story that took its biggest turn when he pitched for the Twins now includes a hotel quarantine and a remarkable run to the playoffs with the Marlins.
Five ex-Twins pitchers close out first round of playoffs for their teams
Five pitchers who finished a wild-card series previously worked for the Twins.
Reusse: '68 Tigers had story all their own besides beating Gibson in Game 7
Mickey Lolich, a lefty with a big gut, was selected World Series MVP after making three starts and defeating the sleek Bob Gibson.
Reusse: Packers were waiting to pounce before Vikings drafted Jefferson
Rookie Justin Jefferson's breakout game for the Vikings vs. Tennessee turned more than a few heads — perhaps, notably, even one in Green Bay.
Reusse: Twins must learn 'bomba ball' doesn't work when it matters most
A team that's only capable of jogging around the bases, with some of that based on a few hitters only capable of hitting meatballs, is not going to cut it in pressurized competition of the playoffs.
Reusse: One word describes Twins' Game 1 bullpen decisions: Brutal
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli used his bullpen as if playing in mid-August with a sub-.500 team in a full season instead of the opener of a best-of-three elimination series.
Reusse: Baldelli won't win another award, but 2nd year also impressive
Rocco Baldelli was AL Manager of the Year in 2019, but keeping this club together during a pandemic was even more impressive.
Reusse: Wrestling star 'Road Warrior Animal' was also a great father
Joe Laurinaitis died Tuesday at 60. The wrestling world lamented his passing as a great competitor and face-painted showman. Joe is remembered differently by a legion of his children's friends.
Reusse: In these different playoffs, Berrios under same pressure to produce
Playoff ball means it's Jose Berrios' time to bear down rather than backslide
Reusse: Seeing The Big Dipper in a little town in '59 a moment of glory
Patrick Reusse has met most of his boyhood heroes, but he only marveled at Wilt Chamberlain in 1959 in a packed Worthington gym.
More of Patrick Reusse's memories of Wilt Chamberlain
A further look back at a legendary career.
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Reusse: The many swings of Sano — big hits, lots of misses
There have been position changes, piles of strikeouts and legal entanglements, but there's always the chance he could become the most prodigious power hitter in the game.
Morneau says Gardenhire's managing style 'built me up'
Former Twins manager Ron Gardenhire announced his immediate retirement Saturday, saying he had to put his health before baseball. Justin Morneau fondly recalled Gardenhire's impact on his career.
Reusse: As we watch Butler, we gain insight into Wolves
Jimmy Butler is surrounded by Miami players, young and old, who appreciate the fire, reinforcing the opinion that Butler never was the star we should have been mad at in Minnesota.
Reusse: Dream of 'Porta Potty Park' not so absurd now
Former Twins CEO Chris Clouser wanted to build "Porta Potty Park" in a pasture near Metropolitan Stadium for one outdoor series in 2000.
Proposed Twins-Rangers outdoor series: how the games went down
A closer look at the three-game series, Sept. 18-20, 2000
Reusse: Wrong call, Coyle. Men's track program too good to cut
Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle should have made other decisions, and found the money necessary in football's fat budget to save the men's track team.
Calendar has changed, 'but it's still the U.S. Open,' Merritt says
The 120th U.S. Open starts at sunrise Thursday, and for the sixth time, the challenge will be the West Course at Winged Foot. The coronavirus moved the event from mid-June to mid-September, causing a pair of dramatic changes
Reusse: Dutcher's late '70s decision was the right one
Former Gophers basketball coach Jim Dutcher was part of Nike's first "Coaches Advisory Board" in the late 1970s, and it came with perks.
Reusse: Zimmer's lies about Hunter's injury shake out in Vikings' favor
We now can assume Mike Zimmer had added incentive for lying about Danielle Hunter's injury to keep Jacksonville from realizing how needy the Vikings were for a pass rusher as they pursued Yannick Ngakoue.
Reusse: This week, Vikings superfans must taunt Packers from a distance
"Playing the Packers … and we fans can't be there, trying to make life miserable for Aaron Rodgers. We haven't missed an opener since 1987. This is terrible." That's from a Vikings fan who lives in British Columbia.
Syd Davy's journey to becoming a Vikings superfan
A look back, from the early days until now.
Remembering the first training camps as the Vikings turn 60
The expansion Vikings started their 1961 training camp in Bemidji on July 8 and didn't bus the 240 miles back to the Twin Cities until Sept. 1. It barely resembled how teams train for the season now. Patrick Reusse writes about the way it was.
Reusse: Youngest Twins pitcher to start, saw career end in a blink
Jim Manning was 18 years, 281 days when he started for the Twins on April 28, 1962. His big league career was over shortly after.
Reusse: Thielbar back with Twins after long wait to pitch in big leagues again
Caleb Thielbar, signed on last fall to be Augustana's pitching coach, caught on with the Twins this spring more than five years after his last Major League appearance. He has pitched nine consecutive scoreless outings.
Reusse: Blyleven exits the Twins TV booth as Minnesota's 'Bert'
Bert Blyleven, a righthander with the wicked curveball who won a World Series with the Twins and spent 25 years in the TV broadcast booth, on Wednesday drew his final circle.
Patrick Plus: June 29, 1971, was a crippling day for Tony Oliva
He was never the same player after getting injured in the ninth inning in Oakland.
Reusse: Memories of my brother include broken shin guard, integrating Fulda baseball
This is a story of a brother's death on Wednesday, a resilient memory of 1940s racism in a small southern Minnesota town and how little things have changed.
Brew chief: Tschida goes from behind plate to behind bar
Former Major League Baseball umpire Tim Tschida left baseball in 2012. He's been back in St. Paul since, tending bar in his hometown.
Tim Tschida's MLB umpiring career
Tim Tschida: MLB umpire • Umpired the first of his 3,358 regular-season MLB games on July 24, 1985. • Was a full-time major league umpire from 1987…
June 2, 1998: Tschida ejects 13 from Angels-Royals game
Tim Tschida recalls the outbreak of brawls.
Reusse: In person is the only way to watch soccer
Loons supporters on Friday night miss out on chance to cheer team on its return to Allianz Field after 10 months.
Reusse: New kid Jeffers catches on pretty quick
Ryan Jeffers, called-up on Thursday, made an immediate impression for the Twins. That's not new for the 23-year-old, who has been on a fast track to the majors.
Reusse: Left outside NBA bubble, Saunders and Wolves work on their own
A madeover roster didn't get much of a chance to play together before the season was shut down, and the Wolves weren't invited to Florida when it resumed.
Reusse: Uecker remains a Milwaukee treasure in 50th year behind the mic
Widely known for his self-deprecating baseball stories and memorable cameos in movies and commercials, his work with Make-A-Wish families has often turned tears into smiles.
Reusse: Now we have clarity on why Stollings had detractors at the U
Marlene Stollings was 24-9 in 2017-18 as coach for the Gophers, yet athletic director Mark Coyle was quick to make no counteroffer when Stollings informed she had a better deal on the table. Now we know why.
Reusse: Questions plentiful for Johnnies standout center Neumann
A longer spring football season likely would force Nick Neumann to sit out, but there would be that game against St. Thomas he'd have to miss.
Reusse: Tennis? With no volleyball, Glencoe-Silver Lake's Monahan may try
Miah Monahan will be a Glencoe-Silver Lake senior, and in May accepted a scholarship to play guard for Eastern Illinois. She also plays volleyball but with that sport delayed until spring there could be a new challenge.
Reusse: Regional networks get their night baseball, defy pandemic
If this 60-game schedule is to be completed, the Twins will occupy nine out-of-town hotels and move in and out 11 visiting clubhouses. Why so much moving around and no bubble? Money.
Reusse: For Buxton, the mind is willing, but the luck isn't
A great coach once said: "An athlete is someone who can do what his mind tells him to do.'' The mind rarely asked too much of Byron Buxton as an athlete. The body has been another matter.
Noel Jenke, a three-sport athlete for the Gophers in late 1960s, dies at 73
Jenke was a hard-hitting linebacker and potent lefthanded hitter in baseball. Remarkably, he played Gophers hockey after arriving from a high school without a hockey program.
MIAC to move several fall sports, including football, to the spring
Some coaches and athletes have been told that football, volleyball and soccer are among the sports that will switched from this fall to the spring if the NCAA and public health officials allows it.
Reusse: North Stars' Blair pulled a fast one in 1967 with camp setup
Wild athletes will have it much more comfortable as they embark on this great coronavirus-era experiment than did the North Stars, as they were launching Minnesota into the NHL as an expansion team 53 years ago.
Reusse: Bulgarian lifter Krastev found a home in Minnesota
Antonio Krastev was heading east on Hwy. 13 in Mendota Heights at 3 a.m. on July 9, speeding and driving on the wrong side of…
Reusse: After long and bumpy road, reliever Duffey plays key Twins role
The many twists in Tyler Duffey's now-lengthy tenure with the Twins is confirmation of how difficult it is to rise through the minor leagues and land successfully in the majors.
Reusse: Small-town Minnesota lefty has Clemens' phone number, Blue Jays' interest
Brody Rodning of Gaylord, a three-sport high school star, is the only player still employed by an MLB organization with a waiver to be competing in Minnesota amateur baseball.
Reusse: Bud Chapman was popular club golfer, artist and storyteller
Chapman was an artist and became famous in the golf world with drawings of fantasy holes located at some of this planet's greatest natural wonders.
Reusse: 'Town team' wins with guys who'll remind you of Puckett, Ripken
Led by three star players, the Minnetonka Millers are shooting for their 15th state championship among amateur teams that are based in the metro area.
Reusse: Brainerd racetrack deserves a victory
Brainerd International Raceway will host a Trans Am Series event this weekend, with social distancing rules in place.
Patrick Plus: Howard University celebrates another whopper of an upset — in hoops recruiting
One of the nation's top college basketball prospects is headed to a historically Black college.
Reusse: You can expect unpredictable Twins' season to zoom right by
This will be a Twins season that's going to be like none other in more ways than one and with no guarantees: not in the result from 60 games, nor from a pandemic that might not allow that many.
Reusse: U baseball standouts plan on sticking around
Jack Wassel and Patrick Fredrickson went unselected in an abbreviated MLB draft and are aiming to win a Big Ten title in 2021 instead.
Reusse: Otis Dypwick, golf author, to be part of 2020 Hall of Fame class
Best known for his role publicizing Gophers sports, he also produced instructional golf books.
