Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 7.2.25
Believe it or not, the first NFL pre-season game is THIS MONTH.
I’m so mad Wimbledon now has fifth-set tiebreaks, especially on work from home Tuesdays…
Clark-less Fever Beats Lynx for Commissioners Cup
The Commissioner’s Cup lost some luster hours before the game when the Fever announced Caitlin Clark would miss the game due to injury. It lost even more luster for Lynx fans when Indiana reeled off 18 straight second-quarter points to break open a close game en route to a 74-59 win in the final of the WNBA’s in-season tournament.
Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston each had double doubles (the Lynx had no answer inside) as Indiana earned the $500,000 bonus (more than $40K per person, or about half the WNBA entry level salary), plus additional in cryptocurrency.
Each Lynx player will receive around $10,000. Alanna Smith had 15 points - the lone Lynx player until late in the fourth quarter. Napheesa Collier had a sub-par game with 12 points on 6-of-18 shooting.
This game didn’t count in the WNBA regular season standings. If the league wants to showcase the Commissioner’s Cup, it can’t be buried on Prime. Could have easily been on ABC last night, but money talks.
The 14-2 Lynx return to regular season action Thursday when they host Washington.
Wild Brings Nico Sturm Back
It wasn’t quite the free agent frenzy many imagined, but on the first July 1 post Suter and Parise contracts, the Wild reached back and signed a player who was on those teams, center Nico Sturm. The Wild originally signed Sturm out of Clarkson as a free agent, traded him to Colorado and watched him go onto win Stanley Cups with the Avs and Florida Panthers.
I like this two-year move for the Wild, which couldn’t win a faceoff in many key stretches last season, especially when Joel Eriksson Ek was out. Sturm’s fiancee is from Spring Lake Park (a former player for the Whitecaps), and they couple resides here in the summer.
The Wild actually brought four Stanley Cups to Saint Paul this week, as they traded future considerations to Detroit for two-time Cup winner Vladimir Tarasenko. At first glance you think Tarasenko is washed up. The Wild will be his sixth team in three years. However, he’s still “only” 33 and if he’s finally over the injury bug, he can play a top six role on this team. And having another Russian around certainly won’t hurt Bill Guerin’s attempted long-term extension for Kirill Kaprizov. The sides continue to talk daily.
The Wild will be playing at Grand Casino Arena beginning this season. I’m meh on that name. I’ll just call it The X X.
Twins Bats Silent in Lewis’ Return
Royce Lewis did his part in his comeback from yet another leg injury, getting one of the Twins’ measly two hits in a 2-0 loss at Miami last night. Edward Cabrera threw seven shutout innings, outdueling Joe Ryan (one run in seven innings). Ryan deserved a better fate as the Twins got shut out for the second straight game.
Kyle Stowers’ solo homer in the fourth inning gave Cabrera all the support he’d need.
Simeon Woods Richardson toes the rubber for the Twins tonight.
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