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Patrick Reusse

Columnist | Sports
Phone: 612-673-7129
Recent content from Patrick Reusse
Gophers sports information director Otis J. Dypwick watched a fooball game in October 1961.

Reusse: Otis Dypwick, golf author, to be part of 2020 Hall of Fame class

Best known for his role publicizing Gophers sports, he also produced instructional golf books.
Minnesota Crookston football players Joe Warner, left, and Will Cross.

Reusse: Time is right to honor sport's resolute: Meet Joe Warner and Will Cross

They played football at Minnesota Crookston, where victory came around only every few years.
September 12, 1981: Mickey Hatcher gave Dave Engle a high five after Engle hit his first major league home run to lead the Twins to a 4-3 victory over

Reusse: Twins' second-half run in '81 should give woeful Tigers hope

A bad Twins team somehow got in playoff contention the second half of the 1981 split season.
St. Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck

Reusse: Daughter's death took wind out of St. Paul Saints owner Veeck

Only now is the baseball showman starting to show signs of at least a partial return to his affable self.
Legendary Russian goalie Vladislav Tretiak was quite a catch for John and Lyn Erickson at their Detroit Lakes hockey camp in 1991.

Reusse: How did a Russian sports legend end up in Detroit Lakes?

In the early '90s, goalie Vladislav Tretiak became a goalie instructor at a hockey camp -- and faced tough questions from 9-year-olds.
Reusse: Four-man Gibbon track team gave metro powers a run for 1954 title

Reusse: Four-man Gibbon track team gave metro powers a run for 1954 title

Dr. Edgar Taggatz "keeps the Wildcats spirit alive," one of the key figures says.
Calvin Griffith applauded Rod Carew after the Twins star was named 1977 AL MVP. But Carew was gone by the 1979 season.

Reusse: Yes, tear down the Griffith statue — and also listen to Carew

Remember former Twins owner Calvin Griffith in whatever way you choose, but there's no defending his racist comments of 1978.
Alex Richter (31) and his Augustana (S.D.) teammates celebrated after defeating Lincoln Memorial 90-81 in the NCAA Division II championship basketball

Reusse: Summit League deals blow to Augustana's Division I hopes

Seven months after offering St. Thomas membership, the conference denied the South Dakota's schools application to join.
The Elrosa Saints changed into their uniforms in the dugout before Friday's Stearns County League game against the Cold Spring Rockies, before Gov. Ti

Reusse: In defiance of governor, it's 'Play ball!' in Stearns County

Tradition (and beautiful weather) override concerns over the coronavirus pandemic in townball hotbeds such as the Stearns County League.
Baseball is making a comeback in ballparks such as Milroy.

Town ballers run through Walz's stop sign, will play games this weekend

Facing growing unrest from teams, the Minnesota Baseball Association board agreed not to punish teams under MBA rules if they were to start playing this weekend under specific conditions.
Town ball baseball traditions have deep roots in Minnesota.

Reusse: Hunger for baseball is obvious in Minnesota's town ball communities

Minnesota town ball teams, barred by restrictions, have been traveling to neighboring states to play. ""People want to see baseball so badly we've had 40, 50 people watching us practice," said Milroy Irish manager Bob Dolan.
John Henry and Butch Davis

Reusse: On Hiawatha's tees, black golfers group sees course of America changing

At Hiawatha Golf Club on Tuesday, there was a search for perspective on where we are, where we could be going, in a city and a state these older black men have made home.
The sun sets over Irish Yard in Milroy, Minn., in 2018.

Reusse: Threat to Minnesota summer baseball is a false alarm

There had been a hint baseball was classified as "high risk" by Gov. Tim Walz's latest briefing and there was no go-ahead to finally start the Town Ball season. But teams can relax.
MSU Mankato hockey coach Mike Hastings

Reusse: MSU Mankato was biggest loser when college hockey shut down

The Mavericks had veterans dedicated to putting past NCAA woes behind them, a 31-5-2 record, another WCHA regular-season title, and a grip on a No. 1 regional seed.
September 7, 1980: Gophers football players William Humphries, Ken Dallafior, Kent Penovlch and Ed Olson. Bob Rohde, the team’s weight-training

Reusse: Longtime Gophers strength coach weighs in on way to retirement

Bob Rohde will retire Friday a couple of months short of 41 years with the Gophers. He was hired for football, although all athletes could use the weightlifting room at the Bierman Building. And they did.
Nicollet Baseball Park

Reusse: Baseball memories of Lake Street turn to ashes

The final game at Nicollet Baseball Park was Sept. 28, 1955. The site became a bank, which was torched Friday night.
Former Hopkins basketball player Royce White spoke at a rally in downtown Minneapolis on Friday.

Reusse: Stephen Jackson, other activists score with straight talk at Mpls. City Hall

Longtime NBA player Stephen Jackson bared his soul in talking about George Floyd, a dead friend that he called his "twin."
Much of Danielle Andersen’s card playing these days is with her son, Easton, and their neighbors Emmerson (on lap) and Kendall.

Pro poker player Anderson waits for 'real Vegas' to return to life

With casinos closed, Minnesota native Danielle Andersen has resorted to playing card games with neighborhood kids.
From Left to right: Mohammed Kayongo, Marchello Roland, Ryan Burnet, D’Trell Larkins, Garrett Neal, Phil Williams at Northside Boxing.

Reusse: Brothers in boxing can't fully share pain over George Floyd's death

For Phil Williams and Ryan Burnet, bonded by their work together at a boxing gym in north Minneapolis, emotions are running raw in the wake of Floyd's death.
Lakefield native Teresa Resch, with the 2019 Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy won by the Toronto Raptors, was the first woman hired by Masai Ujiri,

Minnesota native thriving as executive with Toronto Raptors

Lakefield native Teresa Resch was the first in a succession of women — now numbering 14 — whom Masai Ujiri hired for his Toronto Raptors.
Jerry Havens, the soldier whose life Rich Nuessle helped save in Vietnam, visits Nuessle’s grave every year to pay his respects.

Reusse: Remembering a good Marine and a beloved sports photojournalist

Rich Nuessle was once a staple in the Twin Cities sports media. If you were in that circle and failed to have a wacky adventure with Rich, you had to be in quarantine. Behind the fun, though, was a hero with a tortured soul.
Aaron of FSV Mainz 05 took a corner kick during the Bundesliga soccer match at FC Cologne on Sunday. Germany's Bundesliga is the world's first major s

Patrick Plus: Mainz becomes my main team in European soccer

Swansea City, Borussia Fulda both let me down.
A family portrait from Christmas of Denard Span and Anne Schleper and their two sons, Jace (now 6 months) and D.J. (now 2½).

Reusse: Faith, not Minnesota ties, brought Denard Span, Anne Schleper together

The former Twins outfielder was hoping to play in majors this season; instead he has been spending quality family time with his wife, a former Gophers hockey standout.
The grounds crew cut the grass at Target Field on March 27. There is still no definitive date for baseball's return.

Reusse: There's room to roam in MLB parks, so let's get teams back

Players in other sports might have more trouble social distancing in smaller arenas and/or with more inherent collisions, but MLB is over-regulating with its 67-page list of dos and don'ts for reopening in the coronavirus era.
Then-Janesville Parker head coach Tom Klawitter encouraged his team during the first half of a girls’ basketball game at Verona High School in Veron

Reusse: 'Klaw' might have been an 'opener' for Twins before its time

Was Tom Klawitter's start in 1985 the first "opener" in the major leagues?
Lumpy 1 Mike Leuthner, left, and Tim Herron, Lumpy 2, were part of a group of pals at Wayzata High School in the late ’80s.

Reusse: Herron will always be Lumpy 2 among Wayzata peers

Before Tim Herron became known as Lumpy on the PGA Tour, he asked Wayzata's first Lumpy for permission.
Joe Mauer played catcher, starting in eighth grade with Cretin-Derham Hall High School and from 2004-2013 with the Twins, but never during a coronavir

Reusse: Can catchers stay safe at home in pandemic baseball?

Former Twins Joe Mauer and Mike Redmond -- as well as catchers from the Gophers, the minors and amateur ball -- talked with Patrick Reusse about what could be ahead.
Janie and Jake Reed were both standout athletes at Oregon. Janie is now a United States Olympic softball player, while Jake is a Twins minor league re

Reusse: For Jake and Janie Reed, athletic careers on hold together

Jake Reed was signed by the Twins out of Oregon in 2014. He has pitched in more than 100 games in Class AAA but never in the majors. Janie Reed, Jake's wife, has waited longer to be an Olympian.
Ryan Stang’s Buffalo Bills delegation before an AFC wild-card playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 7, 2018, in Jacksonville, Fla. (

Reusse: Bills Mafia gets ready to hit Vegas Strip

Are you ready for this? Buffalo at Las Vegas on Oct. 4. Even if it still had the real Mafia running the town, the Strip might be overmatched by Bills Mafia.
Since 1926, Howard’s Point Marina in Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka has served up live bait, fishing accessories, refreshments and other necessities f

Reusse: Run by characters and 'lake kids,' Lake Minnetonka marina is a keeper

Invasive species (of all kinds) keep things interesting on Lake Minnetonka. Howard's Point Marina is still going strong. The owner said he bought it because "it's a neighborhood treasure."
Derrin Lamker

Reusse: New coach Lamker says Augsburg football is 'going to change'

Derrin Lamker, the former high school coach at Edina and Osseo, led Augsburg to a MIAC title in 1997. But the Auggies of 2018 and 2019 were 4-16 overall and 1-15 in the MIAC. Now he's head coach at his alma mater.
Team USA coach Dave Peterson watched from the bench during a game against Switzerland in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. It was the Americans' final contes

Patrick Plus: Hockey coach Dave Peterson became villain at 1988 Winter Olympics by design

The former state championship-winning coach at Minneapolis Southwest wanted to take pressure off his players.
Twins clubhouse fixture Wayne “Big Fella” Hattaway was honored before a game in 2006 by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Reusse: A fond farewell to the Twins' 'Big Fella'

Wayne Hattaway, a staple in the Twins clubhouse for decades, died Thursday night at age 80.
Dan Gladden in 1991 had to return to the Metrodome to recover this treasure.

Reusse: An appreciation for Gladden, creator of blast and bloop bookends

While he waits for baseball's return, Dan Gladden recalls triumphs from World Series past: the slam, the double and some good baseball stories three decades later.
Among the Twins prospects to pass through Elizabethton over the years was Joe Mauer, here tagged out on a play at the plate in his professional debut

Reusse: End of Twins rookie team will devastate many in Tennessee town

The Twins rookie-ball affiliate in Elizabethton, Tenn., established in the 1970s, has been targeted for elimination as part of a trimming of the minor leagues.
Former Gophers, Fighting Saints and North Stars coach Glen Sonmor was a character who loved hockey.

Reusse: Retold Sonmor hockey stories still among the best

The only stories better than former Gophers, Fighting Saints and North Stars coach Glen Sonmor telling his were others telling theirs about him.
Christian Dawkins, who is featured in the HBO Sports documentary "The Scheme."

Reusse: HBO's 'The Scheme' on college basketball corruption a must-see

The first insistence received that I had to watch “The Scheme,’’ the freshly arrived HBO documentary on college basketball corruption, came from my wife. That…
Troy Williamson dropped a certain TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson in his last game as a Viking.

Reusse: Vikings forced to drop big dreams for T-Jack, Williamson

Tarvaris Jackson and Troy Williamson could never harness their raw talent together on the field for the Vikings in the mid-2000s.
Lew Ford, in 2006.

Reusse: Twins cult hero Ford still playing, still hearing 'Looooo' calls at age 43

Lew Ford played 499 games (including five in the postseason) for the Twins, and then came a little bit of everything. He's currently with the Long Island Ducks in independent ball.
TCF Bank Stadium

Reusse: Budget cuts for Gophers? Start with football

The first post-coronavirus gouge in athletic budgets should come in football — at Minnesota, and across the Power Five landscape.
After her Gophers career ended in 2008, Leslie Knight has played the past 11 seasons in Spain, where she now lives

Reusse: From the U to Spain, Knight sees different Holy Week at new home

Former Gophers player Leslie Knight has spent the last 11 years playing pro basketball and living in Spain — much more time than needed to absorb what Holy Week means in that country.

Here's how the Twins did during Patrick Reusse's (Target) Field of Dreams

The Twins won five of six during Patrick Reusse's mythical "homestand" at Target Field, revisiting games from the team's past while the coronavirus pandemic robs us of games of the present.
Bob Allison (shown in 1964) and Harmon Killebrew (1967) each slugged their way into the Twins record books.

Reusse's (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 7: A grand beginning to an epic drubbing

Two first-inning grand slams by legendary Twins sluggers Bob Allison and Harmon Killebrew made a lasting impression on one particular 16-year-old in the stands.
Quiet scenes: The interior of an an empty Target Field, shown Thursday an hour before the home opener against Oakland would have begun.

Reusse's (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 2: Baseball stories for a rainy day

This chilly Friday was to be an off day for the Twins. We're at Target Field anyway, listening to what's being said. In baseball the stories can be more entertaining than the ballgames.
Twins lefthander Johan Santana won two American League Cy Young Awards in 2004 and 2006. He pitched his last truly masterful game for the Twins in Aug

Reusse's (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 6: Santana's last blast with the Twins

The post-victory angst after the Twins' 1-0 victory over Texas was dictated by manager Ron Gardenhire's decision to remove Johan Santana after eight innings. Santana had 17 strikeouts on 112 pitches.
During this April 26, 1980 Twins-Oakland game at Met Stadium, play was halted in the sixth inning as Bloomington police, upper left, ejected fans who

Reusse's (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 5: Stop punching people, Billy!

Billy Martin brought the Oakland Athletics here as the manager for the first time and, this being Minnesota, it's no surprise that he quickly found himself in the middle of something.
Kirby Puckett takes a swing against Milwaukee's Juan Nieves during action at Milwaukee County Stadium.

Reusse's (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 4: Perfect place for Puckett's perfect day

Several thousand Brewers fans contributed to a full Target Field on Sunday. They seemed to congregate in the right field corner, with easy access to several beer locations.
August 7, 1976 Oh, So Close: The Twins' Steve Luebber was going for a no-hitter and was within one strike when disaster struck.

Reusse's (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 3: Who? Almost threw a what?

The Twins unveiled a hitting attack of great potential in Florida exhibitions, with Rod Carew, Lyman Bostock, Disco Dan Ford and Larry Hisle being joined by rookie catcher Butch Wynegar.
Ex -Twin Rod Carew was busy shaking hands and signing autographs for Minnesotans in April, 1979

Reusse: (Target) Field of Dreams, Day 1: A good day, a bad loss

We've asked Patrick Reusse to bring us baseball each morning during what should have been the Twins' opening homestand. Six games over seven days, beginning with the 1979 home opener reimagined for April 2020.
Ellsworth's Cody Schilling gestured to the crowd as he left the game as his team captured the Class 1A boys' basketball championship in 2008 at Target

Reusse: For first time since 1952, fan doesn't get his boys' state tournament fix

Wendell Fredin's 67-year streak of making it to the Twin Cities for the tournament came to an end.
Vikings quarterback Wade Wilson (11) and guard Terry Tausch (69) found common ground as striking Vikings in 1982.

Tausch goofed around, but was dependable Vikings teammate

His Vikings linemate Tim Irwin called the late guard "my left arm."
Samantha Seliger-Swenson, second from left, got together with other rookies on the Beziers Angels volleyball team in France, from left Alexa Smith, Al

Reusse: Former U standout Seliger-Swenson gets a taste of volleyball in France

"Triple S" enjoyed her time abroad before returning to Minnesota when the pandemic hit.
Twins outfielder Bob Allison (left), pitcher Pedro Ramos and third baseman Reno Bertoia celebrate in the locker room after defeating the New York Yank

Reusse: Colorful Ramos got Twins franchise started right in '61 opener

Take a look back at The Greatest Day in Minnesota Sports History: April 11, 1961. It was a three-hit shutout by Pedro Ramos, outlasting future Hall of Famer Whitey Ford
The 1970 boys’ basketball state championship trophy resided in a glass case at the Cup N’ Saucer Cafe in Sherburn.

Reusse: An epic ending to the era of Minnesota's one-class basketball

This Week in Minnesota Sports: There were the usual 18,000 customers inside Williams Arena to watch a state one-class basketball champion in 1970, when tiny Sherburn ended that era by beating South St. Paul.
NFL Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith spoke in the leadup to the Super Bowl on Jan. 30 in Miami Beach, Fla.

Reusse: NFL players led by dunderhead union boss

Most negotiators would not be as proud as DeMaurice Smith seems to be about producing a deal with a lower cut of revenues and a grant of unchallenged power to a power-mad commissioner.
Pitcher Amber Fiser got the Gophers to the 2019 Women’s College World Series and hoped to do it again until the college season was canceled.

Reusse: Fiser's run as U softball ace comes to an end — or does it?

Senior Amber Fiser pitched in 46 of the Gophers' 60 games last season. Her senior season - like so many - has been cut short. Will she move on or take advantage of an added year granted by the NCAA?
3M Open CEO Hollis Cavner described PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan as "solid in crisis mode" as the tour reacted to the coronavirus outbreak.

Reusse: Cavner says PGA Tour got virus action right

3M Open CEO says tour commissioner Jay Monahan "is solid in crisis mode."
Gophers baseball coach John Anderson

Reusse: U baseball players got reality check with quick end to season, Anderson says

A "do-over" season being offered by the NCAA can be viewed as an optimistic scenario given this week's shutdown events. But for some, another year means spending more money to stay in school.

Patrick Reusse on Sid Hartman: The birthday boy is awesome (literally)

  I nteractions with Sid Hartman have caused people to be annoyed, alarmed, amused, afraid, agonized, alienated and accepting, and those are just the “a’’…
Farmington’s fans celebrated a three-point shot as they took on Eden Prairie during the first half of their matchup in the Class 4A girls’ basketb

Reusse: Cheers despite concerns continued at state tournament

At the same time that pro and college sports were taking dramatic action, Minnesota's girls' basketball tournament was going on as scheduled, and no complaints were overheard.
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Nick Anderson delivers a pitch against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning of Game 5 of a baseball American Leagu

Reusse: Brainerd's Anderson will pitch 'when it matters' for Rays

Nick Anderson's path to the major leagues detoured through the home remodeling business, amateur baseball and independent ball.
Willians Astudillo

Reusse: Twins' roster math not helping La Tortuga

The Twins figure to start the season with four true outfielders, as Marwin Gonzalez rebounds from knee surgery he can't be classified as the main spare. That means Willians Astudillo is a long shot for Opening Day.
Mike Bell

Reusse: Twins bench coach Bell and Edina hockey: It's all relative

There is a connection from the 1954 Major League Baseball All-Star Game to this season's Edina Squirt A team. You just have to know where to look.

Reusse: For Twins prospect Ober, other numbers outweigh pitch speed

Bailey Ober pitched a total of 78⅔ innings at three levels last season, and stands 6-9 and with a right arm extension in his delivery that makes 90 mph get on a hitter quickly.
Alex Kirilloff signed autographs at spring training last year.

Reusse: New dad Kirilloff hopes injury issues are behind him

At 22, Alex Kirilloff is happily married with an infant daughter. He hopes his baseball life quickly catches up with his family life.
Ehire Adrianza.

Reusse: Adrianza finds his place — and occasional power — with Twins

The Twins claimed Ehire Adrianza in 2017 for his fielding. His versatility and hitting since then have been a pleasant bonus.
(From left) Host Lea B. Olson, Lindsay Whalen, Willard Ikola, Jim Gagliardi, John Randle, Randall McDaniel, host Anthony LaPanta and Star Tribune spor

Reusse: Hall of Fame class driven differently to same successful end

There was a quality beyond the norm to be found in all of this year's six people who were inducted in the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame on Wednesday night.
A Boston Red Sox worker watched players take the field after changing the manual score board at JetBlue Park during 2019 spring training.

Reusse: At spring training, it's times of trouble for Red Sox

The angst surrounding the Red Sox, some based on the forthcoming results of an investigation into sign stealing; more so, this month's trade of outfielder Mookie Betts, are obvious.
Minnesota Twins special coaches Torii Hunter and Michael Cuddyer joked after hitting balls to outfielders during practice on Wednesday in Fort Myers.

Reusse: Former Twins players weary of Astros-bashing

"This isn't a good time for the players to be this split,'' former Twins player rep Michael Cuddyer said. "You have to let it end.''
Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson spoke with Jhoulys Chacin last week in Fort Myers.

Reusse: K-Vest? Rapsodo? Trackman? Twins, Gophers get high-tech help

The Twins and Gophers have added an array of high-tech tools to better analyze performance. Another plus? Bringing coaches to the pros from college programs that embrace technology.
Byron Buxton

Reusse: Buxton has belief, now needs health

Twins center fielder Byron Buxton, injured at the end of last season, says he "found myself" once before, and has belief again.
Tim Herron watches his shot from the ninth fairway during the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational last March.

Reusse: 'Lumpy' is par for the course in his Champions Tour debut

Tim Herron, the Wayzata pro affectionately known as "Lumpy" throughout his career, will be a popular addition to the 50-and-over Champions Tour.
Pitcher Caleb Thielbar threw at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida, during the first day of pitchers and catchers workouts.

Reusse: Five years after last MLB pitch, Thielbar resurfaces with Twins

Lefthanded reliever Caleb Thielbar, a training camp invite from Randolph, Minn., has found extra jump in his fastball after reaching the age of 30.
Chaim Bloom

Reusse: Duress no excuse for Red Sox to back out of bad deal

The Red Sox and their new general manager the Red Sox needed an excuse after the reaction to trading star Mookie Betts to the Dodgers.
Amber Fiser spoke to the media before the team left for College World Series last May.

Reusse: With Fiser in the circle, expectations high for Gophers despite changes

Amber Fiser keeps working to improve even after a first team All-America season.