Bob Collins
The kid gets the ball. That’s the unwritten code at the nation’s ballparks for foul balls or gifts from the players. Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Sports
A professional baseball player for the New York Mets — insert obvious New York Mets joke here — missed opening day this week because his wife had a baby.
Honk if you don’t see what’s coming next. Hint: It involves only men and sports talk radio. Read more →
A Winnipeg couple will not be able to see their Pee Wee hockey-playing son on the ice again for three years because of a fight the couple had with coaches at a tournament in West Fargo. Read more →
Maybe there no longer is such a thing as spontaneity in the world. Maybe every documented bit of kindness, every cute scene, every bit of wonderful whimsy is nothing but the detritus of Mad Men.
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The Pioneer Press has details today of a study involving some Minnesotans that showed participants recruited from the Twin Cities Marathon had more coronary plaque than sedentary people who were studied. Read more →
If you’re one of the many local marathoners heading to Boston later this month, you’re probably going to come back with a scarf around your neck. Read more →
The baseball fans in Tampa — all dozen or so of them — showed us how to settle our differences yesterday when a bat went flying into the stands and several gentlemen claimed ownership. Read more →
In a perfect world on April Fool’s Day, the Boston Red Sox would’ve played a great joke on teammate Johnny Gomes, who bought all of his teammates the ridiculous sport coats I wrote about last week to wear at their White House meeting with President Obama today. They were being honored for last year’s World Series victory.
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The Star Tribune, predictably, has come out with solid support for giving the National Football League whatever it wants in exchange for letting Minneapolis host a Super Bowl in 2018 or 2019.
In its editorial today, the Strib stretches credulity in dispelling the notion that a Super Bowl is a chit in exchange for taxpayers ponying up a massive amount of money for the new home for the Vikings, in which the Super Bowl would be played. Read more →
Oh, nothing, just Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers surprising three girls at the Milwaukee Art Museum, to highlight the work of an organization that tried to help kids in tough situations. Read more →
There’s something comforting about watching kids at a chess tournament. Read more →
Snow? Rain? Who cares? It’s opening day in the baseball season. It doesn’t matter — yet — that the local nine have no chance at a World Series. There’s green grass, warm temps, and ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame’s to sing instead of shoveling snow, wind chill calculations, and school closings to talk about. Endlessly. Read more →
Baseball broadcaster Jerry Remy defends providing legal support for his son, who is charged with murder, and says doing so shouldn’t cost him his job. Read more →
Give the University of Minnesota basketball players who had staff members write their papers for them years ago a little credit: At least they knew they’d flunk if they turned in the kind of academic work they were actually capable of. Sure, it was academic fraud but at least they put some effort into covering it up.
How will the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill explain this third-grade level essay, turned in by one of its football players? Read more →
This was supposed to be the season when things finally blossomed for the Minnesota Timberwolves. But the team will miss the playoffs again. In many ways, this team is more frustrating than the 15- and 17-win teams of recent seasons past. Those had no talent; this one did. Read more →