Stanzel’s Sports Takeout — BREAKING NEWS: 9.2.26

Sep 2

Back to a normal Takeout schedule.

Alexander Zverev narrowly avoided becoming the first men’s top seed to fall in the first round of a major since 2003. I only watched the first two sets, but the giant German looked rather disengaged against Lorenzo Sonego, seemingly thinking he could waltz into Arthur Ashe Stadium and cruise to a win.

The Vikings are expected to sign edge rusher Kyle Van Noy, who played for Brian Flores in Miami.

Gophers are nearly a six TD favorite over Eastern Illinois in their season opener tomorrow. Their first three games are at home; Mississippi State is up next.

Twins’ Win Streak Hits Three, but No Ground Made Up

The difficult thing about the position the Twins have put themselves in with several long losing streaks this season is that if they string a few wins together, they’re not making up much ground.

The Twins’ win streak hit three last night with a resounding 15-2 win over the Tigers at Target Field, but they’re still 3.5 back of the last wild card spot with 23 games to play. Worse yet, there are three teams between Cleveland and the Twins.

Now, maybe the Twins realize it’s over and there’s less pressure, but honestly the team doesn’t look like its toast at least in the last 72 hours. Kody Clemens hit his 24th homer of the season last night - never mind he’s batting .238. Royce Lewis and Ryan Jeffers also hit homers. Connor Prielipp pitched five shutout innings in relief.

Help could be on the horizon, too, as Joe Ryan pitched three innings in Saint Paul last night. But the Twins had better not count on him for much in the next four weeks.

Will Quinn Hughes Sign Long Term?

Good on Billy Guerin for showing up at the State Fair to face the fire from the media over the Quinn Hughes negotiations. Or, lack thereof?

There’s limited news on Guerin’s talks with the planet’s second-best defenseman. The best? Well he just got $20 million a year from the Colorado Avalance. Hughes deserves that much, if that’s what the market is at.

Here’s the thing - the NHL’s salary cap is $104 million this season. Kirill Kaprizov makes $17 million. If Hughes makes more than that, you’re suddenly looking at a Suter and Parise situation with the top two players making almost 40 percent of your salary cap.

But listen, Hughes is no stranger to making things public if he’s not happy. Vancouver had to get rid of him and everyone knew it. So if Hughes is being quiet, there’s still a good chance this gets worked out. However, it’s not likely to be the deal that Leipold and co. wants. Look for Hughes to get a shorter deal to match up with his brother’s potential exit from Jersey in three years.

Arizona State in World of Trouble over Military Workout

The Arizona State hockey program is in deep water and rightfully so after a military style off-season workout by a Green Beret has one of its players fighting for his life.

Matthew Mayich, a transfer from Clarkson, is “highly unlikely” to recover from his injuries. The temperature was 87 degrees for the early morning workout, and water was reportedly limited especially if you were not near the front of the pack.

Coaches were not present, but obviously signed off on the workout. It’s hard to punish the rest of the players, but I find it hard to believe the Sun Devils will sport a team this season. At the very least, the coaching staff should be fired. Arizona State has taken zero responsibility thus far, and of course the Green Beret is putting this on ASU.

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