Lynx off to a sizzling start, Twins debut new uniforms and other sports headlines
Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin (20) shoots against Minnesota Lynx forward Alanna Smith (8) and forward Dorka Juhasz (14) during the first half of a WNBA basketball game Tuesday in Las Vegas.
Ellen Schmidt | Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP
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The Minnesota Twins have wrapped up their series against the Colorado Rockies with more home runs than they’ve made in a single game this season. They won 17-9 Wednesday.
And in basketball, the Lynx have also had a good week, beating the Las Vegas Aces 100-86 on Tuesday. Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson joined MPR News guest host Nina Moini to talk about what’s next for both teams.
Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: The Minnesota Twins have wrapped up their series against the Colorado Rockies with more home runs than they've made in a single game this season. They won 17 to 9 yesterday. And in basketball, the Lynx have also had a good week, beating the Las Vegas aces 100 to 86 on Tuesday. Joining me now to talk about what's next for both teams are Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Thanks for being here, guys.
ERIC NELSON: How's it going, Nina?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: How are you today?
NINA MOINI: I'm doing well, thank you. So the Minnesota Twins had a great game against the Rockies yesterday. Some taters, Eric. What stood out to you?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, see you later. It's a tater.
NINA MOINI: Oh.
ERIC NELSON: Well, I'll tell you what, Nina. The game should have been played on July 4 because there was a ton of offensive fireworks.
NINA MOINI: Oh. [LAUGHS]
ERIC NELSON: Twins won 17 to 9. They had a season high, 24 hits. That's the most they've had in a single game since 2017, when Minnesota had a team record 28 hits. Carlos Correa had five of those hits. That's a career high. And Royce Lewis had another home run. It was a two-run rocket to left center field, second deck. He has five home runs in nine games. And, oh, by the way, they had a 37-minute rain delay, but it did not dampen the Twins' offensive efforts.
NINA MOINI: All right. And I understand they are going to be debuting a new look, Wally, at tomorrow's game. What do you think of their new uniforms?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Oh, boy, you had to ask me that, didn't you?
NINA MOINI: [LAUGHS]
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I saw them. I've seen the photos of them. Actually, I saw people walking out of the game with some of that new swag on, on Monday night. Eric and I were there covering the Twins and the Rockies game on Monday. And I don't know. If you ask me, they look like pro fishermen outfits.
NINA MOINI: Oh. [LAUGHS]
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Bassmaster's is more like it or NASCAR driver, something along those lines. But it's called the Ripple Effect. It's got a very blue look to it. It's supposed to be reflective of the lakes, I guess, in Minnesota.
NINA MOINI: Oh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So every team does this City Connect thing, and apparently, that's what they're doing here. For those of you who haven't seen it, it kind of looks like the Brewers uniforms, the Milwaukee Brewers, from the '70s and the '80s, but not thrilled. But there are people who love them. I talked to a friend of mine last night, and he said, I can't wait. And I said, oh, boy, OK. To each his own, I guess.
NINA MOINI: Sure. Well, let's get back to the game, then, now. What are you expecting in their next series against the Oakland A's?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they open up tonight. It's a four-game series. Oakland is not a very good baseball team. They are among the cellar dwellers in Major League baseball this year. You know, as I said, it's a four-game home series. They just took two out of three from a not so good Colorado team. This is another opportunity for the Twins to pile up some wins against a team that they should beat.
Now, Oakland isn't as bad as we had thought they were going to be. This is a team that's on the verge of moving out of Oakland, potentially to Las Vegas here in a couple of years when they finally build them a stadium. They're probably going to be in no man's land for the next couple of years. Who knows where they're going to play? It sounds like they might play in a Minor League Stadium for the next couple of years. So they're really in disarray. Hopefully, the Twins can take advantage of it. That begins tonight at Target Field.
NINA MOINI: All right. And Eric, we want to touch on the Lynx here on a winning streak.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, for sure. Minnesota's off to a sizzling start. The Lynx are 9 and 3. They had an impressive win against Las Vegas on Tuesday night at Target Center. Right now, the Lynx have a one-game lead over the Seattle Storm for the top spot in the Western Conference. And Minnesota tomorrow night will host the LA Sparks. And they're only 4 and 8 this season. That'll be a 6:30 PM tip-off at Target Center.
Napheesa Collier, who's going to the Olympics, along with their head coach, Cheryl Reeve, in Paris, and her teammate, Kayla McBride, they are playing at an all-star-like level. So the Lynx are off and running.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and what about the Commissioner's Cup? Wrapping up today?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, and it's basically the WNBA's in-season tournament. And the goal is to raise the stakes of regular season play, bring in new sponsors, create more compensation for players who make it to the championship game. There's a $500,000 prize pool.
And the Cup also wants to put a focus on the WNBA's social justice efforts. As you probably know, Nina, the WNBA has been in the forefront of trying to shed light and spotlight some of the inequities we have in this country. And I think the WNBA has been very good at that, along with the NBA.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Well, we are going to have to leave it there, gentlemen. I thank you both for being here and appreciate your time.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: All right.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Have a good day.
NINA MOINI: Wally Longfellow's the founder of Minnesota Score Sports magazine and co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson is the other host of that show and Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS Eye on Football and SiriusXM. That's it for us on Minnesota Now this week. I'm Nina Moini, in for Cathy Wurzer. Thanks so much for being here with us.
ERIC NELSON: How's it going, Nina?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: How are you today?
NINA MOINI: I'm doing well, thank you. So the Minnesota Twins had a great game against the Rockies yesterday. Some taters, Eric. What stood out to you?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, see you later. It's a tater.
NINA MOINI: Oh.
ERIC NELSON: Well, I'll tell you what, Nina. The game should have been played on July 4 because there was a ton of offensive fireworks.
NINA MOINI: Oh. [LAUGHS]
ERIC NELSON: Twins won 17 to 9. They had a season high, 24 hits. That's the most they've had in a single game since 2017, when Minnesota had a team record 28 hits. Carlos Correa had five of those hits. That's a career high. And Royce Lewis had another home run. It was a two-run rocket to left center field, second deck. He has five home runs in nine games. And, oh, by the way, they had a 37-minute rain delay, but it did not dampen the Twins' offensive efforts.
NINA MOINI: All right. And I understand they are going to be debuting a new look, Wally, at tomorrow's game. What do you think of their new uniforms?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Oh, boy, you had to ask me that, didn't you?
NINA MOINI: [LAUGHS]
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I saw them. I've seen the photos of them. Actually, I saw people walking out of the game with some of that new swag on, on Monday night. Eric and I were there covering the Twins and the Rockies game on Monday. And I don't know. If you ask me, they look like pro fishermen outfits.
NINA MOINI: Oh. [LAUGHS]
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Bassmaster's is more like it or NASCAR driver, something along those lines. But it's called the Ripple Effect. It's got a very blue look to it. It's supposed to be reflective of the lakes, I guess, in Minnesota.
NINA MOINI: Oh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So every team does this City Connect thing, and apparently, that's what they're doing here. For those of you who haven't seen it, it kind of looks like the Brewers uniforms, the Milwaukee Brewers, from the '70s and the '80s, but not thrilled. But there are people who love them. I talked to a friend of mine last night, and he said, I can't wait. And I said, oh, boy, OK. To each his own, I guess.
NINA MOINI: Sure. Well, let's get back to the game, then, now. What are you expecting in their next series against the Oakland A's?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, they open up tonight. It's a four-game series. Oakland is not a very good baseball team. They are among the cellar dwellers in Major League baseball this year. You know, as I said, it's a four-game home series. They just took two out of three from a not so good Colorado team. This is another opportunity for the Twins to pile up some wins against a team that they should beat.
Now, Oakland isn't as bad as we had thought they were going to be. This is a team that's on the verge of moving out of Oakland, potentially to Las Vegas here in a couple of years when they finally build them a stadium. They're probably going to be in no man's land for the next couple of years. Who knows where they're going to play? It sounds like they might play in a Minor League Stadium for the next couple of years. So they're really in disarray. Hopefully, the Twins can take advantage of it. That begins tonight at Target Field.
NINA MOINI: All right. And Eric, we want to touch on the Lynx here on a winning streak.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, for sure. Minnesota's off to a sizzling start. The Lynx are 9 and 3. They had an impressive win against Las Vegas on Tuesday night at Target Center. Right now, the Lynx have a one-game lead over the Seattle Storm for the top spot in the Western Conference. And Minnesota tomorrow night will host the LA Sparks. And they're only 4 and 8 this season. That'll be a 6:30 PM tip-off at Target Center.
Napheesa Collier, who's going to the Olympics, along with their head coach, Cheryl Reeve, in Paris, and her teammate, Kayla McBride, they are playing at an all-star-like level. So the Lynx are off and running.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, and what about the Commissioner's Cup? Wrapping up today?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, and it's basically the WNBA's in-season tournament. And the goal is to raise the stakes of regular season play, bring in new sponsors, create more compensation for players who make it to the championship game. There's a $500,000 prize pool.
And the Cup also wants to put a focus on the WNBA's social justice efforts. As you probably know, Nina, the WNBA has been in the forefront of trying to shed light and spotlight some of the inequities we have in this country. And I think the WNBA has been very good at that, along with the NBA.
NINA MOINI: Yeah. Well, we are going to have to leave it there, gentlemen. I thank you both for being here and appreciate your time.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: All right.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Have a good day.
NINA MOINI: Wally Longfellow's the founder of Minnesota Score Sports magazine and co-host of the sports talk show 10,000 Takes. Eric Nelson is the other host of that show and Minnesota Vikings NFL reporter for CBS Eye on Football and SiriusXM. That's it for us on Minnesota Now this week. I'm Nina Moini, in for Cathy Wurzer. Thanks so much for being here with us.
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