Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 8.31.26

Aug 31

Back to a normal Takeout schedule.

The Vikings lost 34-6 to the Broncos to end pre-season at 1-2, not that it matters. Some people are surprised that J.J. McCarthy made the 53-man roster. I’m not. You don’t just let first-round picks walk. It’s 13 days until the Vikings host the Packers in the first regular season game.

Gopher football opens up next against Eastern Illinois. Minnesota is favored by more than 40 points.

Novak Djokovic shocked at the U.S. Open last night after vomiting several times during the match. Forty-six year old Venus Williams is out, too.

Loons have points in two straight after a wild 3-3 tie against Orlando City at Allianz Field on Saturday. Three goals in five minutes. Minnesota is right now in a wild card spot. They visit Portland, a team they’re battling, on Saturday.

RIP Minnesota Twins, 2026

Twins fans, you’ll always have July.

The optimism of just two weeks ago - when the Twins had taken the lead in the wild card race - is all but gone after 2-7 slide that did culminate with a much needed 5-1 win over the White Sox at home yesterday.

But the Twins have fallen four back with 25 to play - more difficult is the fact they’ve got three teams between Cleveland and them.

The Twins do play six of their next nine against the Tigers, who aren’t all that far behind them in the standings.

Byron Buxton officially hit the injured list. No. 1 prospect Walker Jenkins went 2-for-9 in his debut series against the White Sox.

Lynx Lead Down to Two at World Cup Break; Four Games Left

The good news for the Lynx is that they can’t see their now two-game lead for No. 1 overall shrink over the next three weeks. The bad news is they’ve got three weeks to stew on their second set of back-to-back losses this season.

The Lynx dropped an 89-81 decision to Atlanta yesterday, and that result combined with Golden State winning, has Minnesota’s lead for No. 1 in the WNBA down to two games. Both teams have four to play, although the WNBA breaks for three weeks for the World Cup now. Terrible timing, by the way.

The Lynx doesn’t play again until Sept. 18. They’ve got the Liberty, Sun, and the Fever twice to end the regular season. Minnesota’s margin is bigger than it looks because they do hold the tiebreaker over Golden State.

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