Recent content from Sid Hartman

Hartman: Packers controlled the ball, and the game against Vikings
It's becoming a familiar pattern, with Aaron Rodgers keeping the Vikings offense off the field.

Hartman: With Tom Moore coaching Tom Brady, a historic career continues
The Minnesota native is getting paired with another Hall of Fame quarterback this year.

Hartman: Zimmer, Fleck face uneven playing field due to league choices
The NFL and NCAA are putting the local head coaches in a bind because there is no consensus on what is or isn't allowed for each team or conference.

Hartman: Vikings' tackle Johnson could bring big help to new-look defense
With the Vikings losing several veterans, 2017 fourth-round draft pick Jaleel Johnson could emerge in a larger role this season.

Hartman: Zimmer, Cousins right duo for Vikings' title hopes
The Vikings' decision to give contract extensions to quarterback Kirk Cousins and coach Mike Zimmer this offseason mean that this club has made its decision on who can lead it to a Super Bowl.

Hartman: St. Peter says focus on playing entire season, winning title
The Twins will play in an environment very different from previous seasons, and that's not lost on anybody within our club, president Dave St. Peter said.

Hartman: Vikings growth on offensive line key 2020 factor
Center Garrett Bradbury said that the continuity from last season should put the team at a big advantage when it ends its virtual training camp and gets back on the field in July.

Hartman: Hughes, drafted in 2018, has most seniority among Vikings cornerbacks
That Mike Hughes is the most veteran cornerback shows that the group will have a lot of learning to do when Vikings camp opens.

Hartman: Vikings set standard high on defense despite big change
Last year the Vikings ranked second in the NFC, allowing 303 points. Still, a lot of people around the club, including Mike Zimmer, felt the team could use a fresh start on defense.

Hartman: U football doesn't sacrifice values while recruiting top talent
The Gophers have five four-star football recruits, and they definitely stand out. But coach P.J. Fleck also looks for high character.

Hartman: Vikings must find a way to pay Cook
Dalvin Cook is signed through 2020, but he'll be looking for a big payday: he's only the 39th-highest-paid running back in the NFL.

Hartman: Unrest in Minneapolis echoes summer of '67
Two Vikings players, guard Milt Sunde and linebacker Ron Acks, were in the National Guard and got called up to help calm the riots in Minneapolis during the summer of 1967.

Hartman: Thielen, Jefferson both diamonds in the rough
Adam Thielen didn't receive a single Division I offer after graduating from Detroit Lakes. Justin Jefferson was rated 308th among receiver prospects in the Class of 2017. LSU was the only program to offer him a scholarship.

Hartman: Minnesota team owners will lead way as sports start to return
The Pohlad family with the Twins, the Wilf family with the Vikings, Glen Taylor with the Timberwolves and Craig Leipold with the Wild are all among the wealthiest owners in sports and some of the smartest business minds around.

Hartman: U's 2021 football recruiting among nation's best
Despite the NCAA shutdown of in-person recruiting, Fleck and his staff have secured 14 commitments for the Class of 2021.

Hartman: Twins President St. Peter says team is 'prepared to be nimble'
Dave St. Peter said safety is the No. 1 priority but the Twins are prepared to do anything they can to play games this season.

Hartman: Vikings face big call on safety Harris' future
Anthony Harris was retained by the Vikings via the franchise tag, but GM Rick Spielman might be considering trade offers.

Hartman: Wolves owner Taylor hopeful NBA can return to action soon
The reason some remain hopeful for the NBA's return is leagues in Asia have restarted in the past week after taking two months off.

Hartman: The sports world has stopped before, but it always returns
Sports have many times taken a back seat to much larger concerns in the country, but they have also been a key part of holding Minnesota and the country together during difficult times.

Hartman: Can the Vikings afford to re-sign Cousins?
Kirk Cousins' numbers rank with the NFL's best. He has one year left with the Vikings but it's a deal that has a salary cap hit that leaves little room for other players.

Hartman: Wilfs invest more than $1 billion into state of Minnesota
The Wilf family, which owns the Vikings, continues to believe it is doing the right thing by putting its own money into the community, both at U.S. Bank Stadium and in Eagan at the TCO Performance Center.

Hartman: Garver ready to take over as Twins' full-time catcher
It was a historic 2019 season for Mitch Garver in terms of power, but he also believes the experience he got behind the plate can carry over to this year.

Hartman: Twins end Donaldson's long wait for big payday
He has never had a contract of longer than two seasons before now.

Hartman: Wolves hurt on the court, and in the stands
After beginning the season with some promise, the Timberwolves have been on a 5-24 slide. Home attendance has dropped to 14,569 per game, the lowest in the league, according to ESPN.

Hartman: Healthier Kepler prepares for another big season for Twins
One of the Twins' best front-office decisions last year was signing Max Kepler to a contract that locked him into the team's plans through 2024.

Hartman: Vikings trail rival Packers in talent, cap space
Tough roster choices are ahead for the Vikings, needed to free up salary and see if developing players are ready. Overall, the Packers appear to have a more competitive roster than the Vikings' from top to bottom.

Hartman: Fleck teaching his Gophers about winning as a front-runner
Winning as the favorite at Northwestern on Saturday is the next challenge as coach P.J. Fleck teaches his team about "championship football."

Hartman: Grad transfer St.-Juste took unique path to U starting job
Defensive back Benjamin St.-Juste graduated high school at 16 and had already graduated from Michigan before transferring to the Gophers in the offseason.

Hartman: Vikings fortunate in rallying to beat Denver
Coach Mike Zimmer said that while he's pleased with the record, he thinks his team has a long way to go before it starts thinking about postseason success.

Hartman: Gophers beat themselves in first loss of the season
Then they almost completely dominated in the second half, but they just had too many uncharacteristic plays.

Hartman: Ex-GMs Ryan, Smith had a hand in building Twins success
The Twins' first trip to the playoffs in a decade shows how long it can take to build a winner, and also how old managers and front office executives often take the fall for underperforming teams while building foundations.

Hartman: Impressive win over Oakland will quiet Vikings doubters
The fact is that the Vikings have played 16 bad minutes this season, when they gave up 21 points to the Packers r last weekend.

Hartman: How will the Twins compete with upgraded Cleveland roster?
Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and manager Rocco Baldelli were in the longest postgame meeting of the season after the Twins lost to Atlanta on Wednesday

Hartman: For do-it-all broadcaster Nantz, Final Four retains aura
On Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium, Jim Nantz called his 29th Final Four for CBS, a record among broadcasters that doesn't figure to be matched any time soon.

Hartman: Beard's coaching legacy at Texas Tech started under Knight
One of the first assistant coaches Bobby Knight hired when he took over at Texas Tech in 2001 was Chris Beard

Hartman: Vikings have NFC North-heavy schedule the rest of the way
Five of their remaining eight games will be against teams in their own division.

Hartman: Statistics don't mean anything in Vikings' loss to Saints
The Vikings didn't look like an inferior team compared to the Saints, but their mistakes really turned the game.

Hartman: Rudolph's path to stardom a more conventional one for Vikings
While several Vikings stars took unique paths to become elite NFL players, Kyle Rudolph was a five-star recruit, the No. 1-rated tight end and the No. 20 overall prospect in the country coming out of high school.

Hartman: Vikings face challenge of high expectations
Rick Spielman continues to say he is withholding judgment on his team until training camp. But there is just no denying that Spielman and the entire staff know this is a Super Bowl-caliber club.

Hartman: Rosario, Escobar should be MLB All-Stars
Neither Eddie Rosario nor Eduardo Escobar had can't-miss profiles when the Twins acquired them, but they have carried the team this season.

Hartman: Struggling Twins need Mauer back in lineup
The offense has not been able to do much since the first baseman landed on the disabled list.

Hartman: Molitor, Anderson have had a lasting friendship
Baseball lifers Paul Molitor and John Anderson first met more than 43 years ago while at the University of Minnesota.

Hartman: Escobar, Kepler fuel Twins offense
Escobar's versatility and production have kept him in the lineup; Kepler has improved vs. lefties.

Hartman: Twins play through errors, injuries
Manager Paul Molitor sees some positives with the Twins despite the team's recent 3-12 downswing.
Hartman: Grant's first draft with Vikings was a memorable one
The Vikings had three first-round picks and made their decisions in Jim Finks' hospital room.

Hartman: Wolves show ability to adjust in NBA playoffs
Saturday's Game 3 win displayed new resilience, especially by some of the team's youngest stars.

Hartman: Vikings feel confident drafting from a position of success
"The good thing is we have a pretty good football team, so we can kind of be selective on taking the best player available and not try to fill too many holes," Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.

Hartman: With Cousins and Richardson, Vikings learn that talent draws talent
Cousins and Richardson came to Minnesota as free agents in part because of team's success.

Hartman: Dozier still hopeful for new Twins deal
Second baseman Brian Dozier has been a bargain for how he has performed during his Twins career.

Hartman: Eagles show their effort against Vikings was no fluke
There is no doubt that the Eagles' victory over this New England franchise proves that the Vikings lost to a truly great team two weeks ago.

Hartman: Without U.S. Bank Stadium, we'd have no Vikings or Super Bowl
There was no shot of the Super Bowl returning here without Gov. Mark Dayton and the Minneapolis City Council working together to get stadium financing.

Hartman: Greenway ponders future with Vikings
Chad Greenway, the 11th-year linebacker, after anticipating 2016 would be his final season, is weighing his options.

Hartman: Gophers athletic department hasn't shared stability of more successful rivals
The overall picture of the men's athletics department and specifically Gophers football simply hasn't been able to maintain steady employment at key positions.

Hartman: Q&A with Mike Zimmer: 'Our guys competed ... pretty darn hard'
While the season ended with one of their most difficult playoff losses coach Mike Zimmer believes that the Vikings are only going to improve going forward.
Hartman: Kill, Teague rarely worked together at U
The relationship between Jerry Kill and Norwood Teague was strained.

Hartman: Zimmer excited by Vikings' prospects with Peterson
Mike Zimmer expects Adrian Peterson's presence after missing almost all of last season to make a lot of difference in the passing game.

April 25: Hartman: Former North Star Parise enjoys son's play with Wild
J.P. Parise and Wild star Zach Parise share a competitive streak, but dad says his son has him beat on skill level.