Bob CollinsIf you want to be a hockey star, you can’t be too hung up on little things like family. There are hockey factories, like Shattuck-St. Mary’s. But for the most part, kids have to play junior hockey in small towns across America and have to depend on other families for their families. Grantland today looks Read more →
MPR News Reflections and observations on the news
Sports
Minnesota native Melissa Bachman likes hunting big game but her recent lion hunt has the Internet furious. Read more →
One of the most famous Minneapolis Lakers has died. Vern Mikkelsen, an Askov, Minn., native, died Thursday night, the Star Tribune’s Patrick Reusse reports. He was 85. He had a stroke in 2002 and found it difficult to talk, so he started writing more and wrote his biography. “My stroke, ironically, gave me something to Read more →
Bob McDonald, it’s safe to say, never got rich in basketball; at least where money is concerned. And he probably hasn’t gotten the attention that young high schoolers have received. But he must have gotten something out of it because he’s been the head basketball coach in Chisholm, McGregor, and Barnum for nearly 60 years. He’ll get his 1,000th win sometime this season, which opens next Friday. Read more →
It’s a bittersweet time for Timberwolves fans. Because of our “we can’t have nice things” mentality, it’s assumed Love will head for a bigger spotlight when his contract is up in 2015. Read more →
A Gold Glove, batting-title winning catcher is more valuable — since there are not a lot of them — is a lot more valuable than a high-average, low-power first baseman. At $23 million a year, that’s a lot of money to pay. Read more →
The Braves are abandoning a stadium that is just 17 years old, but yet needs “hundreds of millions of dollars in improvements. Read more →
Sometimes, sports stars really can be appropriate role models. Read more →
Here’s why Indian mascots are a big deal. Read more →
The price of paying dues, the curse of affordable health care, famous misdials in history, the Minneapolis man who almost forced the Redskins to change their name, and the big dance before they remove your breasts. Read more →
Joy Johnson, 86, a Duluth native, ran her last marathon last weekend.
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An attempt to honor veterans is revealing an ongoing — and somewhat generational — split among veterans over the question of who can salute the flag. Read more →
A baseball championship is just a baseball championship. Period. Everything else is just a sportswriter who needs a catchy lede. Read more →
Blind fan Reggie Deal’s efforts to see baseball games in all 30 big league result in a telling video. Read more →
The Redskins’ owner says the name represents “who we are.” That’s the problem. Read more →