Recent content from Patrick Reusse
Reusse: Battle for Stearns County football supremacy shows St. John's the victor
The Johnnies remain a college football force while St. Cloud State has decided to pack up the program.
Reusse: Hall of Fame class driven differently to same successful end
There was a quality beyond the norm to be found in all of this year's six people who were inducted in the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.
Mankato linebacker finalist for college football's 'Academic Heisman'
MSU-Mankato linebacker Alex Goettl has a 3.93 grade-point average, and scored on an interception after figuring out an opponent's trick play during Saturday's Division II quarterfinals.
Reusse: Hopkins guard Bueckers shows she's the real deal
Much like the Miller twins, Coco and Kelly, from Rochester Mayo two decades ago, Hopkins' Paige Bueckers is on another level.
Reusse: One big thing still missing in Mankato's hockey turnaround
Minnesota State Mankato carries the No. 1 ranking in both men's college hockey polls but still has yet to win an NCAA tournament game. The Mavericks are 0-6 all time.
Reusse: MSU Mankato quarterbacks share the job — and team's success
You've heard it a lot: "If you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one." Minnesota State thinks it has proof otherwise, as well as one of the nation's best Division II teams.
Reusse: Ford joined life in fast lane in 1960s
The Shelby Ford started a rivalry with General Motors' Corvette in Sports Car Club of America racing in the United States, featured in the current movie "Ford vs. Ferrari," and also in "24 Hour War," from 2016.
Reusse: Roseville not surprised by Horsted's play with Bears
Jesper Horsted made an over-his-helmet, 18-yard touchdown reception Thursday.
Reusse: Caledonia's 67-game streak features a style more than hair
Traditions within Caledonia's football team run deep, from early mornings to tough practices to blond dye-jobs.
Patrick Reusse's 2019 Turkey of the Year
A tradition since 1978: Here is Patrick Reusse's Thanksgiving Day column.
Reusse: Enthusiastic fans? Determined skaters? Wild still has both
The sellout streak is over and the announced attendance of 17,574 was padded perhaps by a couple of thousand. But the alleged decline in interest in this team was not felt at the X.
Reusse: In era of chucking threes, pure NBA shooters hard to find
There's a growing number of NBA players who are firing away from three-point range based on the analytical arithmetic, not on outside shooting skill.
Reusse: All because Jim Beattie answered a boxing ad
Jim Beattie, who recently died at 77, was a 6-foot-9 heavyweight who had one of the most interesting stories you will find among Minnesota's home-state athletes.
Reusse: A ref, a coach and a columnist walk into an arena ...
Patrick Reusse kicked off the college basketball season with a 475-mile round trip through threatening weather with veteran Division I official Eric Curry. Here's how it went.
Reusse: LeClair took on a bear; the result is in dispute
In 1974, Jim LeClair, a young linebacker with the Bengals from St. Paul, was convinced to accept the challenge to take on a wrestling bear.
Reusse: Gophers football is latest target for 'Prove It' sect of fans
Do you need more evidence of Gophers and Vikings progress? Perhaps you're a member of the Prove-It-To-Me sect of Minnesota fans, who came into prominence during the Twins' season.
Reusse: St. Thomas football bids Northfield a 56-7 adieu
St. Olaf's major accomplishment was a touchdown at the end of the third quarter that ended a streak of being outscored 221-0 by the Tommies.
Reusse: The one that got away lives on in memories in Cambridge
The Minnesota prep football playoffs started in 1972. Conference champions were rated by a computer. And 45 years later, 60-year-old men from Cambridge still wonder about the process.
Reusse: Hutchinson football makes long-awaited return trip to state
Hutchinson and Marshall were both 8-0 in the regular season. Hutch was rated No. 1 in the final 4A ratings and Marshall at No. 8.
Reusse: Meet Gophers volleyball's newest leader: CC McGraw
Former Prior Lake star CC McGraw was 13 years old and competed with older players well enough to be offered a scholarship by the Gophers while she was still a ninth-grader.
Reusse: Delany's Rutgers/Big Ten idea was bad then and is worse now
Commissioner Jim Delany recruited Maryland and Rutgers to give the Big Ten an East Coast presence. Maryland brought a tolerable résumé. Rutgers seemed silly then and is a farce now.
Reusse: Faith in players, keen mind carried Wemeier to prep football greatness
George Wemeier, whose Minneapolis Washburn teams went unbeaten for 60 games in the late 1960s and early '70s, died this week.
Reusse: Wolves have new style and staff, but not the players to win
During the exhibition seasons, the Wolves showed themselves to be a collection of sub-mediocre shooters denting rims in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and Milwaukee.
Reusse: MLB wants to downsize minors; is St. Paul a new option?
A report in Baseball America states MLB's aggressive proposal to the minor leagues calls for a reduction in affiliates from 160 to 120 and that St. Paul is one spot where MLB wants to place minor league affiliates.
Reusse: St. John's O-line paves the way to victory
What led to Saturday's second-half domination was the manner in which the Johnnies offensive line destroyed the Tommies' pass rush.
Reusse: Griffiths got to enjoy only one championship in nation's capital
The only World Series title for the franchise had come in 1924, beating John McGraw's New York Giants 4-3 in 12 innings in the seventh game at Washington's Griffith Stadium.
Reusse: Most upset about St. Thomas leaving MIAC? It's the Johnnies
Since the drama started last spring that resulted in St. Thomas being asked to leave the conference, St. John's fans are feeling more angst than their Tommies counterparts.
Reusse: Idea for Twins rotation: four starters, one 'pairing'
One factor making this strategy viable is the move to a 26-player roster in 2020. That makes it basically a given that teams will have 13 pitchers from Opening Day through Aug. 31.
Reusse: Good cheer was a process at the U
Gophers cheerleaders and dancers are letter-winning athletes with fully-staffed squads that perform at games and compete nationally. It was not always this way.
Reusse: Despite playoff sweep, Twins brought relevance to long summer
In the Age of the Internet, there are people who watch baseball as if they are watching football, where every blip is a crisis. That's not how the 2019 Twins should be judged.
Reusse: There is no Yankees jinx over Twins, just Yankees superiority
Even when the Twins proved plenty worthy by making the playoffs, the Yankees were simply a better ballclub.
Reusse: Even a playoff flop would reflect positively on Baldelli
Rocco Baldelli's qualities as a manager don't appear to be enough to stop this Yankees lineup. But they assisted greatly in winning 101 games.
Right at home: Encarnacion always enjoys hitting at Target Field
Yankees veteran slugger Edwin Encarnacion shares the lead for visiting home runs at the Twins ballpark.
Reusse: Game 2 starter Dobnak had big-league material well before joining Twins
A consistent release point has enabled rookie righthander Randy Dobnak to command his excellent sinker.
Reusse: Wild needs to win more, score more to bring back buzz
Add dull to another season of subpar results by the Wild and that will put an end to the passion of the team's fans, even in the State of Hockey.
Reusse: As Twins reach playoffs, it's time to remember feisty 2002 club
As Rocco Baldelli's improbable sluggers prepare for a best-of-five division series vs. the Yankees, the '02 Twins remain the franchise's last to win a postseason series.
Reusse: Pineda's absence fits in with Twins playoff lore
Michael Pineda throwing the starting pitching options into disarray with a 60-game suspension for use of a banned substance has continued a Twins postseason tradition.
Reusse: Did Twins' big surprise Arraez come out of nowhere? (No, Iowa)
It's hard to overstate what rookie Luis Arraez has meant to the Twins' lineup during this playoffs-bound season.
Reusse: Loons join Minnesota's phenomenal summer playoff parade
A phenomenal summer on the Twin Cities sports scene got brighter Wednesday night at Allianz Field when Minnesota United earned its first-ever MLS playoff berth.
Lefty Taylor Rogers takes up where others in Twins history left off
He is following in the same steps as other Twins lefthanded closers.
Reusse: They grow college hockey players on the prairie now?
The results — namely, Jaxon Nelson and Chaz Smedsrud — of hockey fever hitting far southwestern Minnesota two decades ago are now appearing on college rosters.
Reusse: Twins need Gibson at his best, but he's battling more than hitters
Kyle Gibson has yet to fully recover from E. coli he picked up last winter, which likely is tied to the colitis he was diagnosed with after the All-Star break.
Reusse: Was Curly Lambeau a 'miserable' coach?
A least one former Packers player from the 1940s was no fan of the legendary coach.
Reusse: What if the Vikings, not Raiders, went to the AFL?
Sixty years ago, Minneapolis-St. Paul was among six franchises announced for the AFL before ultimately backing out and waiting out an invite to the NFL in 1961. But what if?
Reusse: Celebrating a full year of free-swinging 'La Tortuga'
Willians Astudillo lives to swing the bat. He will play most anywhere on a diamond, anywhere that he's wanted, to get his hacks. Last September, he became a folk hero in Minnesota.
Reusse: Twins catchers keep contributing, and give Baldelli credit
The catcher position has never been handled better than it has been by Rocco Baldelli and his staff. Garver has looked fresh and strong, and so has Castro, coming off a season when he had knee surgery.
Reusse: Winning Super Bowl would ruin Vikings fans' sweet angst
Winning when your fans have relied on angst for so long is dangerous stuff.
Reusse: The relief route is quicker path to majors for Twins pitching prospects
Pitchers are groomed to be starters, but after the rotation is set, "you're either a reliever or in the minors."
Reusse: For seasons of improbable success, Twins compare to '09 Vikings
Aging players coming through in the clutch. Dynamic rookies. Emerging veterans. Injuries on defense. Does this sound familiar to you?
Reusse: Vikings needed help, and Kubiak was perfect for the job
Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman needed to get real help for new offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski. Enter Gary Kubiak into a situation where jobs are on the line.
Reusse: Jackrabbits bringing 'Big Ten commitment' to battle with Gophers
South Dakota State made the move to Division I and along with that came the kind of facilities, including a $65 million football stadium, that you'd expect to see at a bigger-name school.
Reusse: Players Weekend uniforms latest example of overrated sports cuteness
The uniforms worn by big league players this weekend put a cap on an epidemic of cute that has taken over the Twin Cities sports market.
Reusse: Berrios' failures are growing intolerable
August has been subpar for Twins ace Jose Berrios in the past, but this season it's been worse. The earned run average for this month is 8.44, but he hasn't pitched that well.
Reusse: Minnesota volleyball player's drive leads to top Division II award
Growing up in rural Minnesota, Taylor Reiss established herself as a volleyball star who took on the role of much bigger players in college. "She was over-the-top in wanting to win," one of her coaches said.
Reusse: Has Minneapolis become the home of Cuba's best boxer ever
Ask David Morrell Jr. about his last tough fight and he'll tell you, "The only tough fight I've ever had was waiting 14 months in Mexico, waiting for the chance to live my dream." That's a title dream.
Reusse: Townball tradition rewarded amid tales of beer and cheese curds
The Cologne Hollanders townball team has rewarded its faithful followers in ways that set them apart from rivals and from baseball's mainstream. Their success is worth a look.
Reusse: Clipboard-toting mom directs Totino-Grace football 'family' with daughter's devotion
Yvette Woell remains close to the Eagles program nearly five years after daughter Rachel's death.
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Reusse: St. Paul's thriving summer sports scene all about a good time
It's a 35-minute train ride from the stop for Allianz Field to the last stop on the Green Line near CHS Field. And nobody's mad at the home teams who play in those stadiums.
Reusse: There's good reason for Gophers football's enthusiasm
When the No. 1 issue is deciding which terrific running back should get the most carries, it's an offensive show that should be enough to fill TCF Bank Stadium.
Reusse: Baldelli is facing first crisis as Twins manager
Injuries to key players and an evaporated lead in the AL Central are testing the Twins' first-year manager.
Reusse: Twins' power prowess is historic, so savor the blasts, fans
As the Twins close in on a team home run record, do we appreciate what's going on up here on the prairie with a history-shattering power display?
Reusse: Shot put or discus, three Otterdahl brothers let it fly
Brothers Payton, Trevor and Max Otterdahl starred at Rosemount and have moved on to promising careers in weight throwing.
Reusse: Cruz, Romo pick up slack where newcomer Dyson fails
Veteran players Nelson Cruz and Sergio Romo produced an antidote for newcomer-created angst by Sam Dyson.
Reusse: A 135-mile run that goes 8,639 feet up
Eric Tadt had been a cross-country and distance runner at Janesville (Wis.) Parker when he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin in 2005. The quality…
Reusse: Vikings' 2018 failure doesn't leave fans disenchanted with Zimmer
The opening of a new training camp begged this question to fans gathered in Eagan: Does Mike Zimmer still have your confidence as the Vikings coach?
Reusse: Past seven games a grinding diamond drama for Twins
There have been other dramatic home stretches for the Twins, indoors and outdoors, but this is a whole new era when it comes to wear-and-tear. The end of this homestand proved that.
Patrick Plus: A's Hendriks wants status as 100 mph man validated
It's been a long road for the Aussie, from Twins prospect to All-Star reliever.
Reusse: Twins' Rosario a remarkable hitter who can make head-scratching plays
For fans of a certain age, it's like this: Eddie Rosario is part Rod Carew, part Dan Ford.
Reusse: Twins fans demanding trade should remember loss of Ramos
If you're among the Twins fans clamoring for the team to make a drastic move to help the bullpen, a reminder that things often don't turn out in the long run.
Reusse: Duckpin bowling provides a diversion for traveler in D.C.
What's left of duckpin can be found in Maryland, Connecticut and Rhode Island. In the early 1960s, there were 450 duckpin centers on the East Coast, and that number is now 40 and declining.
Reusse: Racing prodigy Hailie Deegan shuns the soft pedal
Hailie Deegan, 17, will be running in the ARCA Menards Series race at Elko Speedway, a 250-lap feature that is the Twin Cities short track's event of the season.
Reusse: Baseball killed the 'Pennant Race' to serve the modern fan
Major League Baseball traded midsummer's pennant race for a wild-card race in baseball lexicon. It's a trade that had to be made to serve the modern sports consumer.
Patrick Plus: One week in 1959 changed Minnesota's sports life
The PGA Championship was not the only significant event in these parts that final week of July 1959.
Reusse: Golf grabbed Twin Cities spotlight in the summer of '59
Golf fans in 1959 were treated to the PGA Championship at Minneapolis Golf Club on July 30-Aug. 2, followed by the Trans-Mississippi Amateur at Woodhill Country Club on Aug. 17-22.
Reusse: Twins' pitching needs trickle downstream
The Twins have already used 23 pitchers this season. Sounds like chaos, although it's not by current big-league standards.
