While they may not be responsible for every negative thing that’s happened over the past 45 years, there’s no doubt that the Pohlad Family, from Carl to Jim to Joe and on down, deserve far and away the most blame of anyone involved.

Thus, there are a lot of reasons why MN Twins fans and various media members are sick and tired of the Pohlad ownership group. Most are well-documented, and I’ll briefly get into a few examples below. But when it comes to Pohlad critics, some are louder than others.

KFAN’s Dan Barreiro loses his mind on Minnesota Twins owners

But on Thursday, former Star Tribune columnist – turned KFAN afternoon drivetime radio host – Dan Barreiro hit his Pohlad breaking point. During the first hour of his daily show on Minnesota’s lead sports talk station, longtime local media veteran neatly laid out the timeline of Twins ownership incompetency over the past two years.

From there, he proceeded to verbally undress Joe Pohlad for in what ended up being 10 minutes of absolute radio gold that, really, no angry Twins should have to miss. So, here it is. I have transcribed some of the best moments below, but the entire clip is worth listening to. If you can’t, KFAN transcribed the entire thing in the clip.

"This two year stretch in of itself will end up being in the sports economic textbooks as literally the most shining example of how to screw up your own franchise."@DanBarreiroKFAN did not hold back on the Pohlad family's announcement today that they will not be selling the… pic.twitter.com/RGLT1PDBuN

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) August 13, 2025

“This two-year stretch, in and of itself, will end up being in the sports economic textbooks as literally the most shining example of how to screw up your own franchise.”

“Not only do you change your mind. You wanna talk about, God, tone deafness? Did you see what Joe Pohlad said to the Star Tribune?”

[reads Joe Pohlad’s quote on how great this outcome was for the family and excitement over new minority partners]

“Why you wouldn’t want to name [your new partners] at the time you make this announcement, who knows. But again, these are the Pohlads! If they can find a way to screw up their own chances, THEY’LL DO IT!!”

“What is [Joe Pohlad] smoking?! What is he thinking? How in God’s name can you go about, over an almost two-year period, screwing things up as often as this ownership group has and say with a straight face, ‘all is forgotten, we’re back [and] we’re going to make this work together’? What are you smoking?! It’s uncanny!”

Dan Barreiro – KFAN Radio

Related: Potential MN Twins Buyers SHOCKED by Pohlad Announcement

Joe Pohlad took control of the Twins in 2022. Following the change in leadership, Minnesota signed Carlos Correa, traded for Pablo Lopez and extended Byron Buxton. In 2023, they parlayed that offseason aggression into the organization’s deepest playoff run in two decades.

Unfortunately, after their TV partnership with Diamond Sports Group began to go sour, due to DSG’s bankruptcy, the Twins stood to lose $50 million in guaranteed yearly revenue, which was a major driving force in president Derek Falvey’s fateful announcement in November, 2023, that the Twins were dialing back payroll by $30 million.

In other words, the Pohlads were more interested in saving a pretty short term penny, over winning baseball games and making further playoff runs. From there, Minnesota’s play on the field has continually deteriorated, which ultimately led to the biggest trade deadline sell-off in team history, just a couple weeks ago.

Barreiro pleads with Twins fans to stop showing up at Target Field

And sitting in the backdrop of all these budget cuts, deadline teardowns and disappointing baseball… has been the attempted sale of the organization, which was first announced last September.

But of course, even selling the team in a 2025 market where sports franchises are being sold over asking price just about every other day, is too much to ask of the Pohalds, who pulled the rug from underneath their sale on Wednesday.

Revealed: Why Pohlads Cancelled MN Twins Sale + Details on New Investors

And that brings us back to Dan Barreiro’s KFAN rant, which he ended by urging fans to stay as far away from Target Field as possible. His argument: Do not give this family any sense of fiscal satisfaction for what they have done to you.

“I’ve gotta be honest, I don’t understand why anyone would want to send any kind of message that [says] ‘this is the team I want to embrace, with an ownership group that continues, every several months, to find a way to get things to an even worse place than their previous decision [did].”

“Few things at this point leave me gobsmacked, when it comes to the way the Pohlads run this thing. And I can honestly say, I could not with a good conscience — again, it’s your money — but I could not spend another dime on any aspect [of this team].

I don’t care how good the weather is, I don’t care how coole the ballpark is. The degree to which they have squandered — blown — this responsibility. Then multiply out, exponentially, the screw ups, to this being the latest and obviously the biggest, I wouldn’t give them a buck.”

Dan Barreiro – KFAN Radio

Owner incompetence runs in Pohlad Family

It was Carl Pohlad who repeatedly threatened (and attempted) to move, then contract, the Twins out of Minnesota, all the while serially lowballing just about every talented player who ever stepped foot on the Metrodome turf.

After Jim Pohlad took control, he helped ownership finally get the new stadium it desired for so long. But still,, operations changed very little

And now, after the next generation of Pohalds tried and failed to make the MN Twins into a bigger market competitor, our lot in the baseball world doesn’t appear as if it will change anytime soon.

But time heals all wounds, and before long we’ll be thinking about 2025-26 and what the MN Wild will look like once they (hopefully) redo Kirill Kaprizov’s contract and spend some of the remaining cap space to acquire new talent. Cap space that won’t be impeded by Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyout penalties.

Minnesota Wild expected to trade Marco Rossi this offseason

No doubt, it should be an exciting offseason, and one that — according to Michael Russo (The Athletic) — will almost certainly include a trade of Marco Rossi, who was relegated to the fourth line and played less than 12 minutes per game during the NHL Playoffs.

In a fiery interview with KFAN Radio Sunday morning, the longtime Minnesota Wild insider told KFAN host Dan Barreiro that he’s more convinced than ever that the 23-year-old former No. 9 overall pick will be dealt at some point this offseason. How convinced? Russo puts the odds at “way higher than 75-80%”.

“Well, I’ve thought all year long that they’re going to trade him this summer and I think we’re talking probably way more than 75-80% [chance] now. Part of that is because I don’t know if he’s going to be willing to [take] even what [the Wild] would be willing to offer him right now. I don’t even know if that 5 year x $5 million contract they offered, that I reported a couple months ago, is even on the table anymore.”

Michael Russo – KFAN Radio

All regular season long, Marco Rossi was an incredibly important player for the Wild, especially once Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek went down with injuries that cost them much of the second half.

Related: New Minnesota Wild Arena Name and Sponsor Revealed…?

In fact, Rossi finished behind only Matt Boldy in assists (36) and points (60). Only Boldy and Kaprizov scored more goals than Rossi’s 24. He was also one of the only top-line regular season forwards who played in all 82 games, where he centered mostly the first or second line and was on the ice for 18:15 per game.

MARCO ROSSI IN OVERTIME. WILD WIN pic.twitter.com/28cqDJbqmj

— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) April 6, 2025

Then, the playoffs started and president of hockey ops Bill Guerin and his head coach John Hynes stuffed Marco Rossi down on the fourth line, presumably deciding his smaller frame and finesse-style game isn’t fit for the NHL postseason.

Marco Rossi’s people are big mad at the Minnesota Wild

Even with Gustav Nyquist and Freddy Goudreau playing poorly above him, Rossi never got off the fourth line. And while he did get run on the Minnesota Wild’s playoff power play, he still averaged just 11:08 total TOI, third least of any skater, behind only Yakov Trenin and Justin Brazeau.

Yet, Marco still potted 2 goals in six games and assisted on another. We still aren’t sure how Marco Rossi feels about his fourth line relegation. But according to Russo, those surrounding the young Austrian are not happy with what they believe was mistreatment of Rossi Minnesota Wild mistreated him during the 2024-25 playoffs.

“I can tell you his camp is not happy with the way that he was deployed down the stretch. It just felt like there was a double standard there. Obviously, he would up on the fourth line, was never elevated even though guys like Goudreau and Nyquist were absolutely awful in this series.

The times he was elevated, I think the Wild would point to, ‘well his fingerprints were on the winning goals in games five and six’. So, I can see both sides, but I just think that [Rossi’s camp] feels like he was mistreated throughout this postseason.”

Michael Russo – KFAN Radio

You can’t even blame Rossi’s camp for being upset

You can’t blame those around Marco Rossi for being upset with how he was utilized during the Minnesota Wild’s latest attempt at a playoff run. Hell, I was upset. Sure, he made mistakes in the minutes he did get on the ice, and he would have made more of them, had he played more often.

But as Russo pointed out during his KFAN interview Sunday, Gustav Nyquist went offsides in the third period of game five and may have cost Minnesota the entire series. Yet, there Rossi sat at the bottom of the Wild’s depth chart all series long. And when these sort of things happen, it never ends well.

“I think that ship has sailed on a short term deal, I don’t think the Wild want to invest in him on seven or eight year deals and that 5×5 I don’t even know is on the table anymore…I don’t think he’s going to spell out publicly that maybe he wasn’t happy during these playoffs, we’ll see, he is usually a pretty honest kid.

But I can tell from talking to people in his camp that they’re not happy, and I think that now affects things because I don’t think, where they feel he deserves to make money and term, I don’t think the Wild are going to go that route and the usually spells out the beginning of of a player on a team.”

Michael Russo – KFAN Radio

Was that because Rich Eisen isn’t very good at doing play-by-play broadcasting? Maybe. Could it be because of standard large market > fly-over country bias? Possibly. More than likely, it’s a combination of things. But the largest factor affecting the mood of today’s broadcast had to do with Eisen’s lifetime fanhood of the Jets.

We Jets fans are not allowed to have good things https://t.co/yfJh7da9sT

— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) October 23, 2022

That’s right, the guy calling today’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets is a diehard, lifelong fan of the Green Machine. Now looking back, can you hear the pain in Eisen’s calls throughout the contest, as Rodgers threw interception after interception, and his team fell further behind? Well, that’s because he was sad.

Rich Eisen called out for bias call of Minnesota Vikings vs New York Jets

How about during the Jets comeback… did you notice a sudden pep in Rich’s step? Oh, and there was nobody in Tottenham Hotspur stadium who was happier to see Rodgers put his helmet back on and trot onto the field, after the Vikings were called for roughing the punter.

It was a call that completely changed the entire trajectory of Sunday’s overseas contest, and nobody was more excited about it than Eisen. Notice the difference in tone between these calls. It doesn’t take a personality specialist to see what is happening.

BALLGAME!

📺: @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/wzT1WdC9wB

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 6, 2024

“Rodgers, quick throw… and… it’s intercepted! Stephon Gilmore gets the Jets again! As a Patriot, as a Bill and now as a Minnesota Viking. Mike Williams the intended target.”

How badly did Rich Eisen want Will Reichard to miss this kick…? 😂 pic.twitter.com/LI0fWcB7VM

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 6, 2024

“Big 41-yard attempt for Reichard. It is…….. goooood. Oh, that looked like it was leaking right, but it hooked right back in. And it is a six point lead for the Vikings with 3:07 to go.”

@kurt13warner and @richeisen are the best 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/dSVblrchM3

— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) October 6, 2024

“And it is of the 15 yard variety! He’s not dead yet, as they would say, Monty Python, here in London. Out he comes, it’s just a flesh wound!! Wow!”

If you noticed Rich Eisen’s bias, you weren’t the only one. There were people all over social media calling him out for what was clearly a Jets fan trying his best (unsuccessfully) to call a game between his favorite team and the Minnesota Vikings.

KFAN Radio personalities (and executives) pile on Eisen

Awful Announcing noticed it pretty quickly, as did many Vikings fans. Even Jets accounts were laughing at how obvious his fanhood was shining for everyone to hear. But it was also noticed by a bunch of personalities and high level executives at KFAN Radio.

KFAN is the home of the Minnesota Vikings, on radio. It’s where legendary play-by-play voice, Paul Allen, makes his living. Some of the biggest stars, including morning show star, Meatsauce Paul Lambert, along with Zach Halvorson, another morning show personality, voiced their displeasure.

Even their boss, and the guy who essentially runs KFAN Radio, Gregg Swedberg took to Twitter to savage the NFL Network broadcasting crew and Rich Eisen. It was an all out KFAN assault.

The NFL network wants the jets to win so bad

— Paul Lambert (@MeatSauce1) October 6, 2024

Related: TJ Hockenson is Officially Back at Minnesota Vikings Practice – What You Need to Know

That is gonna be a long, quiet, disappointing flight home for that NFL Network crew.

— Zach Halverson (@ZachHalverson) October 6, 2024

Hey @richeisen sorry your team lost but am glad we have local radio to cover you up @KFAN1003 @PAOnTheMic

— Gregg Swedberg (@ThatsALottaGs) October 6, 2024

Whether Eisen is a Jets fan or not, there is no way this should have happened. The NFL spent so much money getting everything out to London, for this game. Why not just pay an actual play-by-play commentator to call it?

Related: NFL Expert Kevin Durant Believes in the Minnesota Vikings and Sam Darnold

The whole thing makes zero sense and reeks like Eisen pushing his weight around, because he wanted to be in London to call the game of his favorite team. Of course, that is just speculation, but I cannot think of another reason why this would happen. Next time, let’s leave the studio go back in the studio, no matter how much he begs to go with. Focus on the product, not doing favors.

Live radio coverage, however is left in the hands of each organization. For example, the Vikings radio partner since 2001 has been KFAN Radio (100.3 FM), now owned by iHeartMedia.

Minnesota Vikings re-up with KFAN Radio

And on Friday morning, a new contract extension between KFAN and the Vikings was announced. It’s a 7-year deal that runs through the 2031 season. When it ends, the two sides will have been radio partners for 31 years. The Minnesota Vikings franchise will 70 years old (1961) when this extension expires.

SEVEN MORE YEARS!

We are very proud to announce that The FAN and @iHeartRadio will be The Audio Home of #Vikings Football for another SEVEN years! @Vikings #Skol #KFANVikes pic.twitter.com/dS3XKxRcm9

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) September 27, 2024

This is good news. There really is no other market in the National Football League that has established a radio broadcast partnership like what the Vikings have with KFAN. And while that may not seem like a big deal, for those who watch games on TV and don’t pay attention to local sports radio during the week.

But KFAN Radio gives the Minnesota sports market a constant carousel of rotating local and sports news/discussion, even without a major sports market feel. Their partnership with the Vikings is a huge part of what has allowed KFAN to blossom, while other radio stations around the country are going out of business.

Related: Paul Allen Watches Timberwolves Games Exactly How You Would Expect

In their 24 year relationship, KFAN and the Minnesota Vikings have become synonymous with each other, in large part thanks to Paul Allen. PA has been a host on KFAN (1998) even longer than he has been the voice of the Vikings (2002). And it’s good to know that won’t be changing anytime soon.

Vikings need to win a Super Bowl for their radio Play by Play guy Paul Allen. He’s seen it all.
pic.twitter.com/342B9DnznP

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 16, 2022

Currently on WCCO-AM and 102.9 The Wolf FM in the local market, the Minnesota Twins radio deal could see a significant change before next season. WCCO has had the rights for the past six years, and they are hoping to keep the baseball team on their airwaves.

KFAN (iHeartMedia) vying for Minnesota Twins radio rights

But Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press notes reported on Sunday that they have heavy-hitter competition, with radio footprint giants, KFAN (iHeartMedia) and Hubbard broadcasting also “in the mix”.

Talks about a new Twins radio deal are underway. Incumbent WCCO-AM has had rights the last half-dozen years and is in the mix, but so are iHeart and Hubbard broadcasting.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

KFAN, 100.3-FM, is the notable home of the Minnesota Vikings (since 2001) and the flagship station for every other major sports team in Minnesota. The Timberwolves got their own channel on iHeartRadio last year, and that includes appearances on KFAN, depending on the Minnesota Wild’s schedule.

The Lynx were part of the deal that brought Wolves games to 100.3 and iHeartMedia. The Wild have called KFAN home since the 2011-12 season. But the popular radio station doesn’t stop with pro sports. iHeart and KFAN is also the radio home of Gophers sports.

The MN Twins moving to KFAN would be a very logical, fit from a package perspective, given their baseball programming is relatively limited and they seem to be on a mission to become broadcasting partners with every major team in town.

Related: Cory Provus Named Twins New TV Play-by-Play

Hubbard broadcasting is also said to be in the mix when it comes to bidding for a new deal. That would mean the Twins move to 94.5 FM. While it’s possible either WCCO or KSTP could ultimately retain/secure rights, it appears that KFAN is on a mission to gobble up all radio rights to local sports teams, and creating a central hub is hardly a bad thing.

Minnesota Twins broadcast rights also remain hanging in the balance

It’s not just radio rights that could change hands next season. Bally Sports North hasn’t been available on Comcast for months, and Diamond Sports Group is currently going through bankruptcy proceedings. Nothing has changed in recent weeks, and nothing is expected to until at least July 29th.

Related: Bally Sports Releases Tone Deaf Statement on Contract Battle with Comcast

The eagerly anticipated bankruptcy hearing is scheduled for that date, and it is at that point where some sort of change may be coming for Minnesota Twins fans. A possibility for games to be streamed, in market, may come to fruition, according to Walters. Currently, the Twins themselves, not Bally’s/Diamond, own the rights to stream their contests.

>> Twins TV: It’s status quo for the Comcast-Diamond Sports Group dilemma, meaning no progress. Diamond’s pivotal big bankruptcy hearing in Houston remains on schedule for July 29. Don’t be surprised if streaming for Twins games becomes an option after the hearing.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

Minnesota Timberwolves return to 100.3 KFAN (sometimes)

But Chris Finch sat down with legendary KFAN drivetime host and former Star Tribune columnist, Dan Barreiro, to announce a new partnership between iHeartRadio, which owns KFAN 100.3, and the Wolves.

It includes a 24/7 Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx streaming channel on the iHeart Radio app, that will live stream both teams’ games, along with new, regular content and game replays of all magnitude. KFAN already has a radio contract in place with the Minnesota Wild so not all Wolves games will be broadcast on 100.3.

Related: New Minnesota Timberwolves Throwback Uniforms Honor Franchise Originals from 1989-96

Others will be broadcast on KFAN+ and some will be stream-only, via the Timberwolves app OR the Timberwolves channel on the iHeartRadio App. In other words, if you regularly listen to the Wolves radio broadcast, you need to download the (free) iHeartRadio app or the (free) Timberwolves app OR risk not being able to listen to every single game.

Here are more details from the MInnesota Timberwolves / iHeartMedia joint press release:

Key Elements of the Deal: 

• A 24/7/365 Minnesota Timberwolves content channel streaming on the iHeartRadio app 
• Live game broadcasts available on three platforms (1. Timberwolves app 2. iHeartRadio app 3. KFAN 100.3) delivering increased accessibility and convenience. Select games to be broadcast on Minneapolis’ sports radio leader and new flagship station KFAN 100.3 
• Timberwolves postgame show on KFAN 100.3 for select matchups 
• In-season, weekly appearances by Timberwolves Head Coach Chris Finch with Paul Allen on KFAN 

• In-season, monthly appearances by Timberwolves Front Office executives with Dan Barreiro on KFAN, including Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly 
• Lynx Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Cheryl Reeve will have a regular presence on a variety of KFAN 100.3’s programming 
• Regular appearances from Timberwolves and Lynx players on iHeartRadio Minneapolis’ portfolio of nine stations 
• Marney Gellner to provide Timberwolves and Lynx analysis twice a week on KFAN 100.3’s The Power Trip Morning Show  
• Live studio show broadcasts on location from the Target Center Skyway Studio 

• Special programming such as an annual NBA Draft show and post-NBA Draft show on KFAN 100.3 
• Timberwolves & Lynx Ticket Giveaways across iHeartRadio’s Minneapolis portfolio of nine stations 

Related: Minnesota Timberwolves schedule 2023: TV, channel, and more

Now, PA is known around the NFL as one of the best and most unique voices in football. His calls of the Minneapolis Miracle in 2017-18, Blair Walsh’s missed field goal in 2015-16 and Brett Favre’s across the body interception in 2009-10 — among many many many others — are branded into Vikings fans brains forever. There’s no doubt, at this point in his career, that Paul Allen is one of the best and most unique broadcast voices in all of sports.

Vikings need to win a Super Bowl for their radio Play by Play guy Paul Allen. He’s seen it all.
pic.twitter.com/342B9DnznP

— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 16, 2022

Paul Allen and KFAN weekday sports radio

From 1998-2008, Paul Allen co-hosted a Monday through Friday sports radio show on KFAN called the “PA and Dubay” show. In 2008, Dubay was charged with crack cocaine possession and subsequently fired from KFAN. That’s when the local sports show was renamed “92Noon with Paul Allen”, which is the branding its held ever since.

For two decades, the 9 AM to Noon timeslot at KFAN is what has allowed the station to keep up its reputation as a mostly sports radio outlet. “The Power Trip Morning Show”, which precedes “9 to Noon”, has found substantial success with their humor over sports strategy.

“The Common Man” Dan Cole hits the airwaves after PA. “The Progrum” touts itself as a renaissance show that focuses on anything the host seems interested in that day. Usually that starts with his golf round from that morning and devolves from there.

Then, the legendary sports writer, turned radio personality, Dan Barreiro, takes over the mic from 3 PM to 6:30 PM. The “Bumper to Bumper” show covers hot-button political and/or sports topics equally, depending on what is more pressing that day.

Paul Allen doesn’t care about Minnesota sports anymore

So, that’s where I want to start this blog. I have been listening religiously to KFAN since 2014. But for decades, KFAN has had an addicting mix of sports, humor and news talk, which is how they have grown up to be one of the most successful sports radio stations in the country.

That has changed over the last couple of years, however. Not because The Power Trip, The Common Man or Dan Barreiro have mixed things up. Instead, the noticeable change has come from “9 to Noon” and Paul Allen, who doesn’t seem interested in keeping up with the local Minnesota sports scene any longer.

That’s not an exaggeration. I’ve listened to PA on an almost daily basis for nearly a decade, a commitment that has only grown stronger since creating MinnesotaSportsFan.com and developing it into my full-time occupation.

And with every episode of “9 to Noon” that goes by, it becomes more and more clear just how bored the host is with Minnesota sports. He doesn’t seem to watch games, read about results or keep up on rumors/news regarding any of the local pro or college teams.

Most days, PA uses “9 to Noon” (specifically his producer, Eric Nordquist) as his catch up time where Nordo can fill him in on everything he’s missed since he last left the studio. Nordo does the prep, then reads off questions and news stories to PA for him to react.

Honestly, I’d be surprised if Paul Allen could tell you the last time he picked up and read a sports piece from the Star Tribune, Pioneer Press or The Athletic. Again, that’s not sarcasm. He openly hates being on Twitter too, where almost all sports news is reported.

PA struggles with Vikings’ offseason to-do list

The latest examples of PA’s ignorance came earlier this week, but really, this is just par for his course these days. The Vikings are the biggest team in town and, as previously mentioned, PA is their radio play-by-play voice. But nobody told PA that the NFL no longer has an offseason because, throughout Monday and Tuesday, he made it clear that he has not been following the team this offseason.

On Monday’s show, it dawned on PA that (EDGE) Danielle Hunter’s contract — which calls for him to make just $5 million in cash this season — could become a problem that needs addressed before fall. PA carried his concern into Tuesday’s show, where he couldn’t even concentrate on other topics, it was bothering him so much.

“Are we sure Danielle Hunter is not afraid to stare you down? And, if he stares you down regarding that $5 [million], because you need [all the money] you can get for [Justin Jefferson] and [Christian Darrisaw]… maybe some other things coming down the road. This defense, whether it’s a stand up outside guy [or] hand in the grass left defensive end — which Danielle Hunter is, at his very best. No matter what it is, he’s needed and he knows he’s needed. And [the Vikings] know he’s needed. Then you got that cash-strapped thing (Vikings salary cap problems). I’m not saying it’s lingering and I’m spitballing and I have no steam that this may be a thing. So I may be talking out of my metaphorical butt. I’m just asking, are we sure everything is square, copacetic and hunky dory with Danielle Hunter because that’s a defensive a topic for B-Flo (Brian Flores).”

Paul Allen – KFAN Radio on Tuesday

Oh if only there was information out there that would help PA understand what kind of headspace Danielle Hunter is in. Does he want a new deal? Does he need a new deal in order to play the upcoming season?

Lucky for PA, there are reputable reports, articles, podcasts, videos and blogs all over the internet confirming that Danielle Hunter is unlikely to play for the Vikings under his current contract. In fact, we aggregated a Darren Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP) report two months ago that disclosed that exact information.

Since then, I’ve written three more blogs on Hunter’s unhappiness and whether or not he will play for the Vikings next season. My most recent blog, written on May 4 and based on insider reporting, portrayed optimism that Danielle and Kwesi will find common ground on a new contract before the season begins.

• March 21: Danielle Hunter Unlikely to Play Under Current Contract
• April 12: Brian Flores Wants Danielle Hunter to Stay with Vikings
• April 17: Danielle Hunter Won’t Attend Vikings’ Offseason Program Under Current Contract
• May 4: Danielle Hunter, Vikings Standoff Expected to End in New Contract

But Danielle Hunter’s contract situation isn’t the only Vikings offseason news topic that Paul Allen has avoided like the plague over the last few months. On Tuesday’s episode of “9 to Noon”, Nordo dove into the contract situations of Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins.

PA cannot understand why the Vikings would extend JJ and not Kirk Cousins, even though the Vikings have already passed on their most obvious opportunity to sign Cousins to a new deal. Does that mean he won’t get one before the season starts? Not necessarily.

But one thing we can be pretty damn sure of (because it’s been widely reported for multiple months) is that Kwesi & Co will absolutely use this offseason to extend JJ, before he is even more expensive next summer.

NORDO: “If it was up to you, would you allocate the money to Justin Jefferson — as part of a massive [contract] re-do and extension or would you allocate that money to Danielle Hunter to make sure #99 is happy into 2023?”

PA: “Excellent, excellent, excellent question… because you didn’t press me on ‘after June 1st, what would you do with Dalvin’… I’m glad you didn’t do that. Without knowing exactly, or even close to exactly, how [Rob] Brzezinski “the money magician” can move those shells around… it’s a difficult question to answer. But the the overarching question that I will pose, in wonderment: Is there a chance Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins both head into the season without new deals [or] in the final years of deals… and what will that mean?”

Oh, and did you know the Vikings could release Dalvin Cook post June 1 and save an additional $9 million against the cap? If you follow Vikings news at all, like here, you probably did. But PA had no idea when informed of such information on Tuesday.

NORDO: “[The Vikings] have $9 million in cap space.”

PA: “Geez…”

NORDO: “Now Dalvin [Cook], should they look to move on from him — let’s say, with a post-June 1 designation — the team may add another $9 million to the mix.”

PA: “Wow…”

NORDO: “So, let’s call it $16-17 million that they got to play with.”

PA: “Damn, man… June 1 is in a week and change. It may be the love we lost in a week and change… that’s soon!”

9 to Noon – KFAN on Tuesday

These are only the most recent examples of how much Paul Allen refuses to keep up with the local MN sports scene, something that is not a sin for most people. But for PA, keeping up with Minnesota sports is literally his job.

Get back in the game… or move on with your life

And given the fact that PA works with so many people inside the Vikings organization, it can be argued that he should know more about the offseason storylines of Dalvin Cook, Danielle Hunter, Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson than any media personality in town or nationally.

With the connections he has, PA should be helping us decipher Vikings’ news and notes throughout the year. Instead, he’s the last one to know about everything and most of his daily topics have already been run into the ground by others, by the time he realizes such topics exist. How does that happen? Because he doesn’t care to stay updated.

PA seems to be at a point in his life where his job as a daily sports radio host at KFAN is falling to the backburner of his priority list. He is devout in his christian faith (see his Twitter bio), and commits a lot of his off time to preaching gospel. He also headlines as the main track announcer at Canterbury Park, which he loves doing.

There’s nothing wrong with a change in priorities. It happens to the best of us, for a variety of reasons. But sometimes those priorities no longer align with what you’re doing in life. And if Paul Allen no longer follows or cares about Minnesota sports, it’s difficult to host a radio show that focuses on Minnesota sports.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

And if you screw it up, that moment can last forever in the minds of America. Just ask Connor McGregor, 50 Cent, John Wall or a host of others who have been etched into the most embarrassing category of baseball history.

First Pitch Sauce

But none of those legendary first pitches can hold a candle to what KFAN Radio’s, Paul “Meatsauce” Lambert (Power Trip Morning Show), did on Wednesday before a St. Paul Saints game. Lambert doesn’t tout himself as an athlete on the radio or on Twitter. But he found out first hand on Wednesday just how stupid and uncoordinated a bad first pitch can make anyone look.

Ummm…we need to talk about Sauce’s first pitch…Wut was that?! ???? #powertripdayoff @MeatSauce1 @PowerTripKFAN pic.twitter.com/rxv4LYrX7l

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) June 29, 2022

As you can see, Meatsauce and the other two main attraction morning show personalities, Chris Hawkey and Cory Cove, threw first pitches out simultaneously. Did having his two cohorts next to him take any eyes off of Lambert’s awful toss?

Probably not. How can you take eyes off of the worst first pitch in the history of baseball?

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Barreiro vs Falvey

The seasoned KFAN radio host, formerly sports columnist, started the interview off (05:40 mark above) by lobbing some friendly softballs to the Twins’ PoBO. First, about Luis Arraez’ success and then the league plunging itself into the new dead ball era. But after that, Barreiro turned to the Donaldson locker room dynamic and if that was part of why he was traded. Falvey, handled it like a pro and wiggled out pretty easily.

So Dan, always up for a challenge, decided to pick at the biggest scabs currently bothering Minnesota Twins fans.

• Buxton’s ever-decreasing workload and his “100 game” goal
• Rocco’s in-game (rigid) bullpen/starting pitching management

Falvey may have dodged the Donaldson question like a pro. But Barreiro wasn’t going to let him get off that easy in other areas. When the KFAN host didn’t like the answer he got about the team’s cautiousness with Byron Buxton, something about ‘well Carlos Correa already told you what’s up with Byron Buxton‘, Barreiro doubled down and asked Falvey to answer again. And by golly, the answer he got the 2nd time through was much more satisfactory.

Barreiro wanted answers on Buxton’s availability and wasn’t going to stop until Falvey gave him something worthwhile. Love this. #MNTwins (via @KFAN1003) pic.twitter.com/ZcEMMfMQm7

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) June 9, 2022

[18:34 mark of original KFAN – Barreiro Show Podcast]

Barreiro: “It strikes, I think some as a bit of an indictment That the process, you know, he’s not 42 years old. We understand he’s got a history with this. That process is so elaborate. that in the course of a game, even if you intended at the start of the night to not use him because that’s part of the plan, you have an opportunity to plug them in. That in effect, you’re saying you can’t because that’s too great a risk. That’s quite a concession, isn’t it?”

Falvey: “Well, it’s part of the calculus, no question. And as you said, these are, these are challenging conversations to have. And sometimes there aren’t perfect answers. But for Byron, we’re certainly working with him. Nothing’s as rigid as ‘this guy will never show up in the game late in the game. Certainly he’s done that already for us at different junctures and ultimately hopefully he will as the as the year wears on some of its dependent upon how he’s feeling and where he’s at and how the last number of days have gone.”

“So we work and partner with him you know, obviously with the medical staff with the coaches and otherwise to figure out what’s the best path. For that and ultimately every night he’ll make that he’ll have that conversation with Rocco and the staff and figure out. If that’s the right night to use him. There have been times where I know he talked about getting himself ready later in the game to come into a game and that’s something we’ll deploy when the time’s right”

What about the pitcher management?

Somehow, the management of Byron Buxton isn’t even the biggest question mark facing the way Rocco Baldelli and the Minnesota Twins manage their roster on game days. Many questions have risen regarding the pitching staff. Pulling starting pitchers too early, often in favor for Tyler Duffey, has cost the team multiple victories already this season.

Falvey’s answer was damn good. He mentioned innings oftentimes being a bigger factor than someone’s pitch count, in when they come out of the game. That cooling down and ramping back up over and over again might mean more to the Twins thought process, when pulling a pitcher, than the cumulative number of times they’ve thrown to the catcher.

And quite honestly, that makes some sense. Amazing what happens when you let your guard down and answer questions with thought and honesty.

[21:13 mark of original KFAN – Barreiro Show Podcast]

Barreiro: “Is the team too programmed, to the point where, is the manager allowed to make decisions on the fly, on the basis of ‘okay here’s what’s happening within the game, that seemed like a good plan before the game, but maybe we steal an extra inning with [the starter] and then maybe we don’t have to go as deep into the bullpen’. Can you help me understand that?”

Falvey: “One of the things you hear from relievers a lot is, ‘hey, if you can give me a sense of where in the game, roughly, I’m going to come in, it helps me kind of prepare and do my pre-prep routine.’ So a lot of that is a partnership with those guys.”

“The other thing I would point out is, sometimes we get fixated on that pitch count number. It’s a big part of the game of baseball. But oftentimes, in Chris [Archer]’s case, a guy who’s come off of two surgeries the last couple years. Ultimately, trying to figure out what’s the best cadence for him, to continue to get through a whole season.”

“And what we hear sometimes, is it’s the up and down as much as it is the pitch count. The between innings, the sitting down, the coming back out. So, while pitch count does become a focus, sometimes it’s about the number of innings a guy has gone. Even with those numbers of pitches.”

Pushing the Envelope Matters

This may have been the most pointed interview I’ve heard Derek Falvey do. Until now, he has always been the slimiest interview in town. That’s not to say he is a snake, in the common epithetical meaning. It’s just impossible to get a straight answer out of him or anyone in the Minnesota Twins organization.

But who is asking the question matters even more. If the interviewer, like Barreiro does regularly, is willing to push the envelope, then even guys like Falvey is capable of giving legitimate answers.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Bill Guerin Gets Angry

Some moments will forever be etched into the brains of Minnesota sports fans forever. Things really started to get interesting around the 12:30 mark when Dan asks a question about Ryan Suter and only gets better from there. But it was the questions about Marc-Andre Fleury vs Cam Talbot and Matt Dumba vs Kevin Fiala that really set Billy off. The entire back-half is must listen. I included a few of the quotes below the video.

If I sound a little pissed off or annoyed, I am. All I hear is Matt [Dumba] getting dumped on and, you know what, it’s not easy doing what he did. Playing in the condition that he did. I like Matt Dumba. I think he’s a damn good defenseman. And people want people want to ride him out of town because Kevin [Fiala] had three good months.

Bill Guerin – Wild GM (KFAN)

“Hey listen, I know there are a lot of ‘experts’ out there. I tell people this all the time. Just be careful when you’re commenting on guys on our team, when you hear from ‘they’ or ‘somebody who told me’. Because ‘they’ don’t know what’s going on. ‘They’ don’t know the conversations we have with other teams. ‘They’ are full of crap.”

“You know what? I’m protecting my guys. I like these guys. I’m done hearing ‘this guy’s gotta go’, ‘that guy’s gotta go’. You know what? We’ll make the decisions. Nobody has to go and nobody has to stay. We have to make educated decisions.”

“Tell ‘they’ that they don’t know what the hell they’re talking about and you call me.”

Bill Guerin – Wild GM (KFAN)

Wow, what an interview…

I don’t know if Dan woke up this morning hoping to get into a verbal altercation with the Minnesota Wild’s general manager, but you could hear the happiness in his voice the longer the conversation drug on. You know it’s a good interview when half of your body desperately wants to shut it off while the other half wants to see how hostile the interaction will get.

Could we see an angry hangup from the normally well-collected Guerin? It didn’t go that far. Barreiro eventually threw him a life raft with some late jokes that helped bring Billy G out of his spiral of rage. Had the seasoned interviewer continued pushing, who knows where it would have landed.

Nonetheless, it was a memorable moment for those who caught it live, like me. Billy’s “I’m pissed off” interview will only add to Barreiro’s local (already HOF) media resume. No sweat for the Minnesota Wild GM, though. You can’t be a successful professional sports executive until you’ve put a good rant on record.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan