Let’s start with the truth no one in Eagan will say out loud: the Wilf family doesn’t want to spend real money on a starting quarterback. Not this year. Not when they can pitch a rookie lottery ticket, cash in on “development” buzz, and pocket the difference.
But let’s not pretend McCarthy walked into this job. The Vikings didn’t sign a bridge quarterback to block him — they didn’t even really try. They rolled the dice on him winning the job by default, not dominance. And in 2025, that might be enough.
Duluth’s the perfect sandbox for your off-book genius experiments. Want to pilot direct wind-to-HPC microgrids? Try novel battery chemistries that need stable cool ambient temps? Prototype closed-loop lake-assisted liquid cooling that halves compressor hours?
We can’t bet the farm on whether it rains for Grandma’s Marathon. We need long-haul industries, fresh tech, world-class freshwater diplomacy, and new-school manufacturing. And we need to protect Lake Superior like it’s the last ace we’ve got — because in many ways, it is.
Extend Ham for two more years. Let him keep blocking, keep mentoring, keep representing everything you claim to value as an organization — hard work, humility, community.
So buckle up, Minnesota. Stock the fridge. Keep the jumper cables handy. And get ready to add one more page to our scrapbook of heartbreak. Because odds are, by next January we’ll be saying the same old line we’ve polished to perfection: “Hey, at least it’s almost Twins season.”
If I were running a local news outfit, I’d drop print tomorrow. I’d shove every last nickel into being the most relentless, indispensable, hyper-local digital news shop this side of the Mississippi. I’d break stories first, tell them sharper, dig harder than any neighboring outlet.
Essentia’s playing lawyer ball with the National Labor Relations Board’s Health Care Rule, which basically says: hospitals and clinics shouldn’t be smashed into one bargaining zoo because, you know, patients need care.
Incoming forward Daniel Shlaine arrives with elite credentials after excelling at Shattuck-St. Mary's Prep and the USHL's Lincoln Stars. The 6-foot, 185-pound lefty from Russia is an elite playmaker with slick puck-handling skills and a quick release.