Lynx win 10 in a row, Savannah Bananas taking over Target Field and other Minnesota sports news
Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams celebrates with teammates after making a basket during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Indiana Fever, Sunday.
Abbie Parr | AP
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Audio transcript
KELLY GORDON: The WNBA's two highest-scoring teams played a whirlwind of a game this weekend. The dust settled on a win for the Minnesota Lynx, who beat the Indiana Fever 108 to 100. The close game also played out against a political backdrop.
Protesters gathered outside Target Center to show support and opposition to Indiana guard, Sophie Cunningham's, stance against transgender athletes participating in girls' and women's sports. Inside the arena, a few people wore shirts that said, trans kids belong, including Lynx coach, Cheryl Reeve. She talked with Cunningham on the sidelines before the game and later said she appreciated the face-to-face dialogue.
CHERYL REEVE: I think both of us understand that we have platforms. And we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate. And there are some things that we have in common and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. And I think it's how you handle things. And so it was nice to be in person, for sure.
KELLY GORDON: By the way, that Lynx W, their 10 win in a row, makes this their longest winning streak since 2016. Joining me to talk about what's next for them and other Minnesota sports news are our sports contributors, Wally Longfellow and Eric Nelson. Hi, guys.
ERIC NELSON: Hey.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Happy Monday.
KELLY GORDON: Yes, happy Monday. We can say that. So Wally, the Indiana Fever have the best ranked offense in the WNBA. And the Lynx are the top seed with the number two defense. So it's probably no surprise that the game was exciting. What stood out to you?
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Well, obviously, a 108, 100 score tells you basically everything you need to know. It was a high-scoring affair. 3 pointers were at a premium.
And I think that the 16,000-plus fans that showed up at Target Center-- certainly, they came to watch the Lynx. But I think it's fair to say they all came to watch Caitlin Clark, as well, which is-- she is the poster child for the WNBA these days. She really is. And she has helped bring that league to the next level, as far as exposure.
And I think the excitement that she brings, as well, is evident. You watch a game. And at the end of the game, she had, like, two or three different chances to hit 3s that perhaps would have pulled them within 1 point. This was within the last, like, 30 seconds of the game. And they were all off the mark.
But it was still fun to watch how they operate-- and as you said, a high-scoring game. Kelsey Mitchell finished with 37 points--
KELLY GORDON: Wow.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: --for Indiana. So you got Caitlin Clark, who had 19 on 8 of 18 shooting. But Kelsey Mitchell pours in 37. You don't even bat an eye at it.
KELLY GORDON: Yeah.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: And I read something earlier today. It said that the Lynx, in their first season, they averaged 67 points a game. So you scored 108. We're talking 25 years ago when that was going on. But now they scored 108 yesterday.
So it shows you how the game has changed. They'll be back home again. They played Thursday. They've got Los Angeles Sparks in town. And then Saturday, Las Vegas is in town.
And so that'll be a big match-up, as well. The Aces are in town-- so some great basketball, ABC coverage. They were on national television last night or yesterday afternoon. So it's fun to watch Lynx basketball these days, no question.
KELLY GORDON: Yeah. And hopefully, they'll continue that winning streak. We'll see. Eric, let's talk about the Twins, too. Because today is the trading deadline for the MLB. I know that Minnesota lost to the Mariners in Seattle yesterday. So what's the latest? What's the scuttlebutt?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, well, the comeback on Sunday for the Twins just fell short as they lost to the Mariners. Minnesota was down 6, 0 but tied the game with 5 runs in the eighth inning and 1 in the ninth on Luke Keaschall's solo home run. But Seattle gets a game-winning RBI single from Colt Emerson in the bottom of the ninth. And the Mariners recorded their second straight walk-off win against the Twins.
Now CAAL Raleigh, who, last year, was second in the AL MVP voting, just behind the New York Yankees' slugger, Aaron Judge, crushed a 3-run tater for Seattle in the game. So that was the big blow for the Mariners. The Twins now are 56 and 57 on the season. They're four games behind first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, one back of second place, Cleveland.
They're also just one game behind the Guardians for the third and final AL wild card spot. So Minnesota, despite a subpar record, very much in the playoff chase. And we're now into August. So we're getting deep into the season.
You mentioned that trading deadline. That comes at 5:00 PM Central time today. We'll see if the Twins make any moves. There have been media reports that they tried to do something last night. But Houston Astros owner, Jim Crane, blocked a trade that would have sent relief pitcher, Brian Abreu, to Minnesota for outfielder, Trevor Larnach.
And I think most people who follow the Twins know, they need to bolster their bullpen. They got rid of a lot of key guys last year when they had what I call a liquidation sale with 10 trades. But this deal has been blocked at this point in time. So the clock is ticking. And we'll see if any more moves are made today.
KELLY GORDON: OK. And of course, the Twins are going to be out of town this weekend, because the Savannah Bananas are taking over the Target Field for the first time ever. Tell us about that, Eric.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, how about that? Three-game series in Minneapolis Friday through Sunday-- the Savannah Bananas are baseball's version of the Harlem Globetrotters. Their act is chock full of fun, shtick, acrobatic, athletic--
KELLY GORDON: Shenanigans.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, shenanigans, definitely. They routinely pack ballparks and stadiums. Fans flock to see what they call Banana Ball. But the difference between the Bananas and the Globetrotters is these baseball games are not scripted. And they are competitive.
So Savannah plays five other teams on their world tour, which, this year, takes the Bananas to 45 states and 75 different venues. So the team will play, as I mentioned, the Loco Beach Coconuts. By the way, the largest crowd in Savannah Bananas' history was back on May 2 when they played the Texas Tailgaters before 102,000 fans in College Station, Texas.
KELLY GORDON: Wow.
ERIC NELSON: And right now, in Major League Baseball, Tristan Peters of the Chicago White Sox and Hayden Harris of the Atlanta Braves are two Banana alumni currently playing at the highest level. So these are some incredibly gifted athletes that fans will see in Minneapolis Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
KELLY GORDON: And are people here really excited about that? Are we hearing how many tickets are sold, how many people are going to be there-- record crowds, maybe?
ERIC NELSON: I would think they're going to pack the house. In fact, Target Field, by their standards, is a smaller venue. The capacity is around 40,000. Typically, as I mentioned, they'll play in football stadiums. And they'll get anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000. So they are literally a hot ticket.
KELLY GORDON: Yeah. Hey, Wally, speaking of football, Vikings training camp underway. Fans got a chance to check out the team at a practice on Saturday. How are they looking?
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Well, apparently Kyler Murray looked pretty good, the Vikings' new quarterback that they signed at a bargain basement price of just over a million dollars for the year. I know, it sounds like a lot to us. But to football players, it's not.
But he was 8 for 8 passing the football. He found Justin Jefferson five times-- JJ McCarthy, not so much. And Kevin O'Connell said afterwards, you certainly can't judge from one practice or two practices. It's going to be over the length of time over the next couple of weeks to see who ends up winning the position and emerging as the starting quarterback. I think they want Kyler Murray to be that guy.
And I think, clearly, they're going to give him every opportunity to be the number-one quarterback. But we shall see. We'll see how this thing plays out. And injuries will be a part of it, as well, I'm sure.
If you are planning to go out there to watch practice out in Eagan at the TCO Performance Center, be prepared. You buy your tickets online ahead of time. It costs you $10 to get in. It'll cost you another $10 to park.
If you go there and you don't buy your parking ahead of time, it's $20. Kids are $5. So just be prepared. Bring your credit card-- well, probably credit card. I wouldn't say bring cash, because nobody takes cash anymore.
KELLY GORDON: Right.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Bring your credit card, and be ready for Vikings practice. And it continues all week long. And it is available. So if you want to go out there and watch, it's a good time to go catch them this week.
KELLY GORDON: OK, that sounds great. And real quick here, Eric, I don't want to leave out the Minnesota United. They played San Diego. How did they do? We've got about 10 seconds.
ERIC NELSON: 1, 1 draw on Saturday. They have a Leagues Cup match on Wednesday against Juarez at Allianz Field in St. Paul.
KELLY GORDON: OK, big deal. Thank you so much to Wally Langfellow and Eric Nielsen, our sports contributors-- really appreciate it.
Protesters gathered outside Target Center to show support and opposition to Indiana guard, Sophie Cunningham's, stance against transgender athletes participating in girls' and women's sports. Inside the arena, a few people wore shirts that said, trans kids belong, including Lynx coach, Cheryl Reeve. She talked with Cunningham on the sidelines before the game and later said she appreciated the face-to-face dialogue.
CHERYL REEVE: I think both of us understand that we have platforms. And we both talked about wanting to, more than anything, educate. And there are some things that we have in common and maybe some things you differ on, just like any issues. And I think it's how you handle things. And so it was nice to be in person, for sure.
KELLY GORDON: By the way, that Lynx W, their 10 win in a row, makes this their longest winning streak since 2016. Joining me to talk about what's next for them and other Minnesota sports news are our sports contributors, Wally Longfellow and Eric Nelson. Hi, guys.
ERIC NELSON: Hey.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Happy Monday.
KELLY GORDON: Yes, happy Monday. We can say that. So Wally, the Indiana Fever have the best ranked offense in the WNBA. And the Lynx are the top seed with the number two defense. So it's probably no surprise that the game was exciting. What stood out to you?
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Well, obviously, a 108, 100 score tells you basically everything you need to know. It was a high-scoring affair. 3 pointers were at a premium.
And I think that the 16,000-plus fans that showed up at Target Center-- certainly, they came to watch the Lynx. But I think it's fair to say they all came to watch Caitlin Clark, as well, which is-- she is the poster child for the WNBA these days. She really is. And she has helped bring that league to the next level, as far as exposure.
And I think the excitement that she brings, as well, is evident. You watch a game. And at the end of the game, she had, like, two or three different chances to hit 3s that perhaps would have pulled them within 1 point. This was within the last, like, 30 seconds of the game. And they were all off the mark.
But it was still fun to watch how they operate-- and as you said, a high-scoring game. Kelsey Mitchell finished with 37 points--
KELLY GORDON: Wow.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: --for Indiana. So you got Caitlin Clark, who had 19 on 8 of 18 shooting. But Kelsey Mitchell pours in 37. You don't even bat an eye at it.
KELLY GORDON: Yeah.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: And I read something earlier today. It said that the Lynx, in their first season, they averaged 67 points a game. So you scored 108. We're talking 25 years ago when that was going on. But now they scored 108 yesterday.
So it shows you how the game has changed. They'll be back home again. They played Thursday. They've got Los Angeles Sparks in town. And then Saturday, Las Vegas is in town.
And so that'll be a big match-up, as well. The Aces are in town-- so some great basketball, ABC coverage. They were on national television last night or yesterday afternoon. So it's fun to watch Lynx basketball these days, no question.
KELLY GORDON: Yeah. And hopefully, they'll continue that winning streak. We'll see. Eric, let's talk about the Twins, too. Because today is the trading deadline for the MLB. I know that Minnesota lost to the Mariners in Seattle yesterday. So what's the latest? What's the scuttlebutt?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, well, the comeback on Sunday for the Twins just fell short as they lost to the Mariners. Minnesota was down 6, 0 but tied the game with 5 runs in the eighth inning and 1 in the ninth on Luke Keaschall's solo home run. But Seattle gets a game-winning RBI single from Colt Emerson in the bottom of the ninth. And the Mariners recorded their second straight walk-off win against the Twins.
Now CAAL Raleigh, who, last year, was second in the AL MVP voting, just behind the New York Yankees' slugger, Aaron Judge, crushed a 3-run tater for Seattle in the game. So that was the big blow for the Mariners. The Twins now are 56 and 57 on the season. They're four games behind first-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, one back of second place, Cleveland.
They're also just one game behind the Guardians for the third and final AL wild card spot. So Minnesota, despite a subpar record, very much in the playoff chase. And we're now into August. So we're getting deep into the season.
You mentioned that trading deadline. That comes at 5:00 PM Central time today. We'll see if the Twins make any moves. There have been media reports that they tried to do something last night. But Houston Astros owner, Jim Crane, blocked a trade that would have sent relief pitcher, Brian Abreu, to Minnesota for outfielder, Trevor Larnach.
And I think most people who follow the Twins know, they need to bolster their bullpen. They got rid of a lot of key guys last year when they had what I call a liquidation sale with 10 trades. But this deal has been blocked at this point in time. So the clock is ticking. And we'll see if any more moves are made today.
KELLY GORDON: OK. And of course, the Twins are going to be out of town this weekend, because the Savannah Bananas are taking over the Target Field for the first time ever. Tell us about that, Eric.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, how about that? Three-game series in Minneapolis Friday through Sunday-- the Savannah Bananas are baseball's version of the Harlem Globetrotters. Their act is chock full of fun, shtick, acrobatic, athletic--
KELLY GORDON: Shenanigans.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, shenanigans, definitely. They routinely pack ballparks and stadiums. Fans flock to see what they call Banana Ball. But the difference between the Bananas and the Globetrotters is these baseball games are not scripted. And they are competitive.
So Savannah plays five other teams on their world tour, which, this year, takes the Bananas to 45 states and 75 different venues. So the team will play, as I mentioned, the Loco Beach Coconuts. By the way, the largest crowd in Savannah Bananas' history was back on May 2 when they played the Texas Tailgaters before 102,000 fans in College Station, Texas.
KELLY GORDON: Wow.
ERIC NELSON: And right now, in Major League Baseball, Tristan Peters of the Chicago White Sox and Hayden Harris of the Atlanta Braves are two Banana alumni currently playing at the highest level. So these are some incredibly gifted athletes that fans will see in Minneapolis Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
KELLY GORDON: And are people here really excited about that? Are we hearing how many tickets are sold, how many people are going to be there-- record crowds, maybe?
ERIC NELSON: I would think they're going to pack the house. In fact, Target Field, by their standards, is a smaller venue. The capacity is around 40,000. Typically, as I mentioned, they'll play in football stadiums. And they'll get anywhere from 70,000 to 80,000. So they are literally a hot ticket.
KELLY GORDON: Yeah. Hey, Wally, speaking of football, Vikings training camp underway. Fans got a chance to check out the team at a practice on Saturday. How are they looking?
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Well, apparently Kyler Murray looked pretty good, the Vikings' new quarterback that they signed at a bargain basement price of just over a million dollars for the year. I know, it sounds like a lot to us. But to football players, it's not.
But he was 8 for 8 passing the football. He found Justin Jefferson five times-- JJ McCarthy, not so much. And Kevin O'Connell said afterwards, you certainly can't judge from one practice or two practices. It's going to be over the length of time over the next couple of weeks to see who ends up winning the position and emerging as the starting quarterback. I think they want Kyler Murray to be that guy.
And I think, clearly, they're going to give him every opportunity to be the number-one quarterback. But we shall see. We'll see how this thing plays out. And injuries will be a part of it, as well, I'm sure.
If you are planning to go out there to watch practice out in Eagan at the TCO Performance Center, be prepared. You buy your tickets online ahead of time. It costs you $10 to get in. It'll cost you another $10 to park.
If you go there and you don't buy your parking ahead of time, it's $20. Kids are $5. So just be prepared. Bring your credit card-- well, probably credit card. I wouldn't say bring cash, because nobody takes cash anymore.
KELLY GORDON: Right.
WALLY LONGFELLOW: Bring your credit card, and be ready for Vikings practice. And it continues all week long. And it is available. So if you want to go out there and watch, it's a good time to go catch them this week.
KELLY GORDON: OK, that sounds great. And real quick here, Eric, I don't want to leave out the Minnesota United. They played San Diego. How did they do? We've got about 10 seconds.
ERIC NELSON: 1, 1 draw on Saturday. They have a Leagues Cup match on Wednesday against Juarez at Allianz Field in St. Paul.
KELLY GORDON: OK, big deal. Thank you so much to Wally Langfellow and Eric Nielsen, our sports contributors-- really appreciate it.
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