Minnesota sports updates from the Vikings training camp

CATHY WURZER: It's been a sad week for Lynx fans, but the Twins may lift your spirits if they can deliver this weekend. We're going to dive into the latest sports news with our resident sports experts, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Wally is the founder of Minnesota Score magazine and the co-host of 10,000 Takes sports talk show on radio and TV. Eric Nelson is the other host of 10,000 Takes and the Minnesota vikings reporter for CBS sports radio's Eye on the NFL. They join us every week with the sports news we need to know. Hey, guys. How are you?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Good, Cathy. How are you?

CATHY WURZER: Good, thank you for asking. Eric?

ERIC NELSON: Cathy?

CATHY WURZER: Hi, Eric.

ERIC NELSON: Happy Thursday.

CATHY WURZER: Happy Thursday, my friends. I understand you're both at TCO Stadium watching the Vikes practice. Is that right?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: This is true. We just got done watching the Vikings and 49ers. They practice, and then they had scrimmages, which got a little testy at times to be honest. I mean, there were some pushing and shoving.

We talked to a couple of players afterwards. We talked to Eric Kendrick, the linebacker, and then we just got done talking to Alexander Madison about three minutes ago. And I think, while the players gain something from these practices, because it's nice to see a different color uniform, because, you know, they've been hitting each other in practice with each other for the last several weeks.

But they're a little concerned about the chippiness that happens, because after all, it's another team with a different color on. And as Alexander Madison just told us, he said, well, he says San Francisco treats us like a Sunday afternoon game. So not quite as thrilled with that aspect, but they do feel like they get something out of it.

Of course, the Vikings and 49ers play on Saturday night at US Bank Stadium. In the Vikings second preseason game, of course, they lost to the Raiders last Sunday, and Eric was up and all over the San Francisco 49ers angle. Because Trey Lance, the guy from Marshall, Minnesota was the center of attention. Wasn't he, Eric?

ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Cathy, and Wally, it's really a pretty cool scene out here at TCO Performance Center yesterday, today, and then, of course, on Saturday night when they played the actual exhibition game. But here we are in the heart of the purple nation, the twin cities, Vikings training camp, and Trey Lance, who played at North Dakota State, was the 49ers top pick a couple of years ago, a young quarterback from Marshall, Minnesota. And boy, he has so much upside and potential, and the entire Marshall football team showed up.

We talked to their head coach Terry Bahlmann, who just raves about Trey, not only as an athlete, but as a person. And the interesting thing is the Minnesota Gophers recruited Trey Lance, Cathy, but wanted him as a safety. And Trey said, no, I'm a quarterback. And North Dakota State said, you're going to play quarterback here.

So he went to the Bisons, won a national title, jumped to the NFL, and he now is one of the young, potential up-and-coming stars in the National Football League. So Trey Lance, Marshall, Minnesota, as much a part of the story here as the Vikings and 49ers.

CATHY WURZER: I love the fact that the Marshall Minnesota High School football team came out to watch. That is fantastic. Hey, by the way, guys, what's the feel like? What's the tone like at the practice facility? Is it full of fans? I mean, what's it like?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Oh, my goodness, yes. The stands, which I would believe this would be the south end of the practice field, so there's, like, four or five practice fields that butt up against each other in their stands. And they were packed. I know, Eric told me that he tried to get tickets for his kids to come.

There were no tickets available. It was completely sold out, so yeah, it's jam packed out here. Players were signing autographs once practice and the scrimmage had ended. Yeah, very upbeat and a lot of fans out here.

CATHY WURZER: Eric?

ERIC NELSON: Well, and, too, Cathy, training camp has become condensed now in the NFL. We remember when the Minnesota Vikings used to go down to Minnesota State Mankato, and for decades, that was where they went. Now, everything is centered here in Eagan, and they only have three preseason games.

But what the NFL has done with these joint practices by bringing the 49ers in to scrimmage against the Vikings twice during the week and then play them, it's almost like another exhibition game built into the schedule. Because as Wally said, you get the different looks, and it's spirited. It's physical.

San Francisco was a team last year that missed the super bowl by one game, but the vibe out here, very energetic. And this facility is spectacular. It has all the bells and whistles, and the outdoor grass fields, there's five of them 100 yards long. And I love the setting.

We're outside. You can see the clouds. And the rain didn't come, but it certainly looks like it might. And it's just a great place to come out and sample the NFL.

CATHY WURZER: Let's talk about the Twins. I have fears, you guys, of the Twins imploding down the stretch here, because they now find themselves in, what, a three way race with Cleveland and the Chicago White Sox for the AL Central title?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: They do, and we're still-- you know, we still have about six weeks left of the regular season. But the upside is they did just got done sweeping Kansas City. The Royals did not look good at all. The Twins pitched well, including another win yesterday afternoon. So they're just one game out behind Cleveland.

Cleveland pulled one out late last night, or the Twins would have been tied for first. But they're just one game back. They've got Texas this weekend, and Cleveland and Minnesota have eight games coming up in September, three here and five in Cleveland. So it's going to come right down to the wire, and let's not forget about Chicago. Chicago's only two games out and one game behind the Twins at this point.

CATHY WURZER: Eric?

ERIC NELSON: Yeah, so the Twins off today, Cathy, and then comes the Texas rangers Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And it's a team that, on paper, the Twins should be able to handle. The Rangers are in the middle of the pack in the AL West, and they're not very good. There are many games below 500, but the one thing about the Twins being in this three team race, you can't afford to blow any games.

Everything now is magnified, and even though they won that ballgame yesterday over Kansas City, Tyler Mahle had to leave in the second inning, the starting pitcher with an injury. I think the main thing for the Twins, and look, I think a lot of their fans are still skittish. They're hesitant to dive into this team and wrap their arms around them, but the bottom line is this.

We're now looking at we're mid-August, and September is around the corner. If you're playing meaningful games in September, that's all you can really ask for, and I think that's clearly what's going to happen with the Twins. It's a three team horse race, Chicago, Texas, the opponent on Saturday, and, of course, then you've got the other team are batting in Cleveland.

CATHY WURZER: I would be remiss, you guys, if I didn't bring up the Lynx. Of course, they missed the playoffs. Sylvia Fowles retired, you know? A lot of sad faces over that. How will that team be different without a player, like Sylvia Fowles?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I think Cheryl Reeve has talked about a reset, Cathy, you know, that they have to reset, and that she never really was able to reach her team, like she had wanted to get the energy that they needed to be a playoff team this year. So obviously, losing Sylvia Fowles is huge. She's the all time rebounding champion in the history of the WNBA. She got over 4,000 rebounds, and she reached that plateau in the final game.

You know, she's headed to the hall of fame. She will be in the Springfield Basketball Hall of Fame, Springfield Mass in the not too distant future. So yeah, obviously, you're going to miss a player like that. But at the same time, they did they do need to do a reset, and I think coach Cheryl Reeve is the right person to lead the charge on that, no question.

CATHY WURZER: What do you think, Eric?

ERIC NELSON: Well, I think, first and foremost, Sylvia Fowles, and then before her, Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore, Simone Augustus, we got so spoiled here in Minnesota by that quartet of greatness. And let me throw in Rebecca Brunson, so a quintet of greatness. This is the first time the Lynx haven't made the playoffs since 2010. So in Minnesota, it's not only get to the playoffs, but it's win a title, which the Lynx did four times.

Sometimes, you do have to regroup. The Sylvia sendoff that they had last week against Seattle at Target Center was spectacular. Unfortunately, for Minnesota, you know, they got pummeled by the storm. They lost that game. They lost to Connecticut two days later, so it wasn't the way they wanted Sylvia to go out.

They thought they'd maybe have a playoff game, but they don't. But the one thing about Sylvia Fowles, whatever she's going to do, and I believe she's going to become a mortician in her real life career. So she will do very well at that. We can tag the Lynx toe this year. They're dead, but they will come back. And I know that Sylvia Fowles will be very good in her job as a mortician in the future.

CATHY WURZER: Well, she's actually-- she and I are going to be talking about that, that career switch. I'm doing an interview with her coming up here in the coming weeks, so I hope you guys enjoy your time out there at the TCO Stadium with the Vikes. It sounds like it's kind of fun out there.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, it is, and as long as the rain holds off, and they were talking about rain all morning. And it never hit us, so we've had clouds and sun. And it's been just fine.

CATHY WURZER: All right, guys, we'll talk to you next week. I appreciate it, thanks.

ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Cathy.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: See you, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: See ya. Wally Langfellow is the founder of Minnesota Square magazine, the co-host of 10,000 Takes sports talk show. Eric Nelson's the other host of that show. He's also the Minnesota Vikings reporter for CBS sports radio's Eye on the NFL.