My first time back at the Target Center after leaving the Wolves, two people made a point of coming over to dap me up, ask me about the family, etc, Mike Conley, widely known as all class, and Naz Reid

I’m so proud of @anikabesst.bsky.social!! She noticed a big gap in our newsroom — no one is dedicated to women’s sports coverage. She’s worked very hard to make MPR a better place for women’s sports fans 💜😌 follow along!

My spouse and I are in week three of torturing each other with Reflecting Pool nonsense

The Athletic’s John Hollinger has the most nuanced, and maybe most grown-up, look at the Wolves’ LaMelo acquisition: www.nytimes.com/athletic/739... (gift link)

I think it’s been two weeks since we broke 80 at the airport

Welcome to the latest whiplash from Tim Connelly’s annual summer jubilee, writes Britt Robson.

FUCK ICE

How the Timberwolves’ latest blockbuster came together and brought LaMelo Ball to Minnesota. (Free read) www.nytimes.com/athletic/739...

Why did Zendejas get the works? That’s nobody’s business but the Turks.

“It’s time to go to war” “Sir, you don’t mean—” “Yes, I want equivocating op-eds in the NY Times AND the Atlantic” <faints>

Lavender mag folds on the eve of Pride. Not my community but struck me as the All of Mpls or Hill & Lake Press of gay publications. Did I glean that correctly?

You’ve queued your last NRB

My only comment on Emmer’s latest racism is that there‘s a local through line almost 3 decades old, when KQRS ratings kingpin Tom Barnard told immigrants to “assimilate or get the hell out.“ (In Barnard’s case it was the Hmong.) Barnard paved the way for Emmer & his ilk. archive.is/xpk1v

Jamison Whiting missed the bathhouse vote because he was playing handball

One elder + their anecdotes vs the Aliveness Project and several other vital gay organizations, Minneapolis politics in a nutshell. (Pun not intended, but what the hey.) I think Shaffer was looking for a human face to carry water for Frey being surly about finding regulatory $ for this.

If you're wondering if it's going any better in the Charlotte Hornets fan base, the answer is it's not

Great day at the Posting Factory

For at least the fourth time in my life, we are headed toward an expensive, intrusive Nicollet Mall fix that’s unlikely to work. Good money after bad again, while kicking out the few folks who do use it. Not a hater, it just doesn’t work without office occupants. www.startribune.com/nicollet-mal...

Big fat D+ for the Timberwolves in the Naz trade: www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

Deleted a post about the Hawaii gun law decision because it seems clear it’s not relevant to Minnesota. Thanks, those who replied!

New “Conservates are the new punk rock” just dropped: “‘Centrist Democrats, normie Democrats, need to realize we’re the insurgents, and they’re the new establishment,’ said Liam Kerr, a co-founder of the moderate-aligned WelcomePAC.”

Your Grandpa finally scored tickets to Angine de Poitrine, all praise to @perilinpink.bsky.social & @solace.bsky.social for the hand-holding

“Did Tim Connolly touch you here” [points to tattoo]

Naz/LaMelo trade summed up: 🐝 Hornets receive: - A local cult Indie musician with a lot of range only played regularly in The Current's rotation. 🐺 Wolves receive: - Viral pop musician who relies on autotune that the kids really enjoy 6️⃣ 7️⃣

The LaMelo trade will at least put to rest the argument Lore & Rodriguez won’t spend money, assuming they ink the 2-year, $116 million extension of his current deal that would kick in 2029-30

Head Minneapolis precinct election judge here: Relevant section of the Minneapolis elections manual. Would note ICE agents ARE NOT police. Will keep you posted on our training this year about what to do in this situation, but I would ask them to leave and have other judges call head office.

[with tears in my eyes] It's TSR time.

What does a team already short of forwards do, they trade a forward for 2 guards & throws in a bunch of picks. Donte’s contract better bring in peak-era Karl Malone.

[Picks up rucksack, marches through the hedgerows, joins the ranks of the Connelly critics]

Did see a Willians Astudillo tonight & that made me smile

One of the most Minneapolis things I’ve ever done I did tonight: bike through the Wedge Live Cat Tour on my way to the Twins game. Madness.

Tonight’s Twins game a sellout yet? Asking for a guy already getting there a half-hour early to get in the joint (with season ticket holder access but still).

My rooting interest in Bosnia-Herzegovina v Qatar is “not a tie” right? US would rather play one of them than Senegal or Algeria?

Hot take: everything Jeffries said is perfectly reasonable. A lot of Dem congressfolk are gonna be pissed their incumbent buds lost, just like Senate Republicans are pissed about theirs losing. He disagrees with Mamdani, which is honest at least, a Kinsey-level gaffe (telling the truth).

Angie Craig could win the DFL primary. She leads in the only non-internal poll and is winning the fundraising war. If you want Peggy Flanagan as your senator you need to get out on the doors, phone bank, and donate. The NY primaries are not necessarily what is going to happen in MN.

Love Bosnia but FUCK Herzegovina

Brad Lander’s election is giving a lot of regular people a window into the way the mainstream Jewish communal world maligns and attacks Jews who refuse to turn away from Palestinian humanity and it feels validating and also absolutely terrible

New reflecting pool just dropped

I love that there's like 2-3 guys On Here who used to live in Minnesota, moved away some time ago, about every other month they initiate some discourse about how Minnesotans talk about themselves too much, and then in between I (despite not following them!) regularly see them posting about Minnesota

GREAT angle & as a mostly non-neurodivergent person this strikes me as yet another set of accommodations all of us would benefit from.

Criminally ignorant about gaming & would never deny its joys but I am amused by the ones that seem like Sim City: Douchebag Edition

Water Gate

Put in an online Minneapolis 311 request to fix construction cutouts in the 3200 block of Blaisdell bike lane. City looks like they’ve ignored & closed the request. Most effective way to escalate? It’s 4 or 5 3-foot squares that are exposed dirt & rocks, never covered from some spring project. Thx.

Still buzzing about NYC going DSA, but it is distressing to read about the crypto & AI bros getting their hooks deeper into the centrists who won elsewhere.

Who the fuk are you vaguebooking about because in my neck of the woods, the DSA and sewer socialists pretty much form the core of the DFL time & energy investors. I don‘t really give a shit if they send the DFL a valentine.

Latest Wolves: The Randle trade attempts to rectify a mistake. How you feel about it likely corresponds with your attitude about the team. www.minnpost.com/sports/timbe...

I do wish centrist Ds would be grateful so many DSA/socialists are choosing to work within the party, meaning the Republicans are likelier to get the UK Reform-like splinter first. But I don’t expect they can think that strategically, it’s all vibes & bile & entitlement.

A lot of centrists finding out the bubble they thought leftists lived in was, in fact, their own. But they’ll still deny it.

Every time I see this photo I think, “Thanos-level chin”