On the Vikings' 20-17 season-opening home loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon: Fred Friedman: "Brutal interior offensive line play means a poor season. Suggest you follow baseball or pick another NFL team. Failure to protect your quarterback means turnovers, incompletions and a losing year."
Kenny Kalligher: "A bad performance especially on the day the team honored Bud Grant. Too many blown opportunities. And, do we miss Adam Thielen or what?"
"Melissa and John are both personal friends. Melissa was the mentor for my freshman class when I was elected to the House. John and I served in the Senate together and quickly became friends." -- Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert
"I think we have some real playmakers this year who are excited for the challenge ahead. We graduated only eight seniors, although several were major contributors. For the first time in a long time, I like our depth." -- Hermantown Hawks football coach Mike Zagelmeyer
"I’m loving my time in Duluth and getting to work with this fantastic group of young men. We’ve improved tremendously as a team (tactically, technically, physically, and mentally), and we have a lot of room for growth, which is super exciting for the staff and I." -- Thomas Pazo
The lesson for Minnesota and Midwestern states trying to revive downtowns, strengthen universities and create reasons for young people to stay: progress requires more than announcing a vision. It requires choosing priorities, committing resources and completing projects that people can see and use.
Mayor Reinert is an experienced and politically skilled communicator. He regularly uses video to promote city projects, explain policy and shape his administration’s message. That makes his reluctance to participate in unscripted questioning during a public-safety scare more conspicuous, not less.
If replacement ice could not be secured at Amsoil Arena or another regional rink, the tournament might have to eliminate teams, reduce divisions or reconsider its four-game guarantee. Any of those outcomes would weaken one of the event’s greatest selling points.
This autumn, northeastern Minnesota won't simply be watching one of the state's best running backs. It may be witnessing the final high school season of the greatest running back Hermantown has ever produced.
