Anniversary "gift"

It was 35 years ago today at this very minute when the Minnesota Twins won the World Series in a thrilling Game 7. 

OTD in 1991, Jack Morris turned in arguably the best big-game performance ever 😤 Morris threw 10 scoreless innings in Game 7 of the World Series as the Twins beat the Braves 1-0 in one of the most dramatic Postseason games of all time. Scattering 7 hits and striking out 8, Morris became just the 3rd pitcher to throw a shutout of more than 9 innings in the World Series, joining Christy Mathewson (1913) and Clem Labine (1956) The @Twins won the game in the bottom of the 10th on Gene Larkin’s pinch-hit single to give Minnesota its second World Series championship in five years.

— MLB (@MLB) October 27, 2026

In my humble (but accurate) opinion, the 1991 World Series is still the greatest, most exhilarating Fall Classic ever, culminating in that 1-0, 10-inning thriller. 

It's also been the last time one of the Minnesota men's pro sports team has won a championship. Heck, none have even appeared in a title game/finals series since then. 

There are 21 metropolitan areas in North America which are home to at least 3 of the 4 men's pro sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL). The Twin Cities has the longest active championship drought - 35 years and counting. The second longest is Phoenix at 25 years. 

Hey, but at least there are glimmers of hope this season, right? 

• The Vikings are 6-0. 
• The Wild are off to a nice start, tied for most points in the NHL's Western Conference. 
• The Timberwolves have had a dream start, winning their first three games by 20+ plus points before being edged in OT Wednesday night on the second evening of a back-to-back. Superstar Anthony Edwards (who's not even 100% due to a knee issue) has already scored 40+ points twice. 

Yep. The only thing that could possibly dampen the spirits of a Minnesota sports nut at this point would be........

Just in: Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his ailing right knee and miss up to two months, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/HenrAY2APs

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 27, 2026

Ugh. That would do it. 

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Box Score of the Week (Final one of 2026)

Game 6 of the 1980 World Series - Kansas City Royals at Philadelphia Phillies.

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The current World Series matchup of Tampa Bay Rays-Milwaukee Brewers means one of these two teams will secure their franchise's first ever championship. 

This week's featured game marks the end of the 1980 Fall Classic, which was the last time a World Series featured two franchises looking to capture their first title.

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The NARN Closer's playlist - 10/25/2026

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I have a tendency to wear my mind on my sleeve..........

We're down to single digit number of days until Election Day, so you can pretty much guess the theme of our shows from now until November 3. Today's edition of my radio show The Closer will air from 1:00 until 3 PM Central Time. 

At 1:30, Republican candidate for MN House Patty Bradway will be on to discuss her candidacy on MN House District 36B (White Bear Lake, Vadnais Heights). 

At 2:00, GOP gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth will check in to discuss the latest in her campaign, specifically her opponent propping up the parents of dead kids in order to smear Demuth. 

In non-guest segments, I'll discuss a potential DFL civil war as well as a positive development for Republicans in the US Senate race out of Minnesota. 

So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

 

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis"). If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page, where we also conduct a "Live Stream" of the broadcast.

Until then.....

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Still chasing ambulances after all these years

Despite having served in the U.S. Senate for nearly 20 years, Amy Klobuchar still has that bottom-feeding, ambulance-chasing attorney mindset etched deep in her soul. As such, she's propping up the parents of dead kids in an effort to augment her chances of being elected Governor of Minnesota in a little more than a week. 

Gun legislation has become a major point of tension in Minnesota's governor race as the parents of the girl killed in the Annunciation shooting campaign with Klobuchar.

At a campaign event for Klobuchar, Jackie Flavin and Mike Moyski said they had met with lawmakers after the Annunciation shooting to push for what they called meaningful gun control legislation after their 10-year-old daughter was killed.

Flavin and Moyski said Demuth told them she would not block a bill that would ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines from reaching a floor vote. They said that when a bill with those provisions passed the Senate and reached the House, Demuth declined to bring it up for a floor vote.

"And we did ask her if she could help support a vote or help let it go through, and she told that she wouldn't block it. But then as we know, she did," said Flavin.

"So I think she lied to us in our living room intentionally, I don't know, but then continued to lie as we called it out," said Moyski.

I certainly can't speak to what Demuth told these people in private. All I know is she has been consistent in publicly stating that anything involving gun bans is a nonstarter. That of course is the correct mindset given gun bans a) would have done nothing to stop the Annunciation shooting or any similar incidents in the future and b) are unconstitutional, resulting in a legal challenge where such bills likely would be shot down. And it's the MN taxpayers who get dinged for the legal costs of having to defend such legislation. The thing is, Klobee likely knows all this, but there's an election that needs winnin', dang it, so grieving parents get used as pawns in her little game. 

But hey, let's say for the sake of argument that Klobee is sincere about curbing "gun violence," especially instances where kids have been killed. Why, after the millisecond she announced her run for Gov, did she not go to, say, North Minneapolis and stand with the significant number of families who have had to bury loved ones killed with guns? I'm gonna guess that a fair number of residents in that area may be asking that same question, though I suspect it's being asked rhetorically. 

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Quick Hits: Volume CDXXVI

 - In looking at the Republican candidates for the statewide races in Minnesota, it has struck me that this may be the highest quality group the party has put forth in well more than a decade. At the same time, I find myself lamenting the fact it may be all for naught given the anti-GOP vibe permeating this election cycle. 

All that said, I'm at least hopeful the top of the MNGOP ticket won't adversely affect down ballot legislative races. In fact, the latest shift in a certain US Senate race provides some.....dare I say.....optimism????

The Cook Political Report shifted its rating of Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race toward Republicans on Tuesday, another sign that a contest Democrats once expected to win comfortably has become increasingly competitive in the closing weeks of the campaign.

Cook moved the race between Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) and Republican Michele Tafoya, a former NFL broadcaster, from “Likely Democrat” to “Lean Democrat.”

The shift is an unwelcome development for Democrats, who are trying to regain control of the Senate but now face a competitive race in a state that has long been reliably blue in federal elections.

Minnesota has not elected a Republican to the Senate since Norm Coleman in 2002. This seat has been held by Democrats since Al Franken defeated Coleman in 2008, and in the 2024 presidential election, Kamala Harris carried Minnesota by more than four percentage points.

But Tafoya, a longtime television sports reporter making her first run for public office, has kept the race close. Recent polls have shown the contest tightening, with some putting the candidates within the margin of error.

How goofy is this election cycle nationally? There is a nonzero chance that the US Senate races in Minnesota and Michigan flip to Republicans while Texas goes blue.

I legitimately don't know how this will all shake out, and I kinda like it that way. 

-  Kudos to Congresswoman Angie Craig and MN State Sen. Ron Latz for standing up to their party's association with an unapologetic America hater. 

She will never do lunch in Kenwood again. https://t.co/PptrMPm01H

— Mitch "The Wałęsa Project" Berg 🇺🇸🇳🇴🇪🇪🇦🇷 (@mitchpberg) October 20, 2026

As Democrats, we are right to speak out when Republicans spread hateful rhetoric. We have the same responsibility when it comes from our own side. Hasan Piker’s record of hateful rhetoric is clear. Senator Omar Fateh and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar should not lend him their platform. My full statement:

— Sen. Ron Latz (@RonLatzMN) October 20, 2026

As someone who is well right-of-center politically, it's tempting to sit back with the popcorn while elected officials of the opposite ideology make such an egregious error in judgement. But on the other hand, what if a plurality of Minnesotans actually don't care or, even worse, have a similar worldview to Piker? This is absolutely one instance where righties, independents and moderate Dems (to the extent there are even any moderates remaining) should be able to unify and call this for what it is. If not, Minnesota may well indeed be past the point of no return.  

- If you're an NFL fan, you've undoubtedly heard about the saga of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who will miss the remainder of the 2026 season due to issues with blood clots. 

However, the revelation of what Hurts endured ahead of his team's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on October 11 was jarring. 

On the advice of doctors, Jalen Hurts was advised not to sleep before playing in London, due to the blood clot in his leg. Hurts was reportedly awake for 36 hours before the Week 5 game against the Jaguars. https://t.co/0J6D9yjbjw

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 19, 2026

Look, I'm not doctor (and I didn't even stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night). However, it struck me as being medical malpractice to advise a guy to not sleep for 36 hours and then go out and play a football game. I get that Hurts is ultra competitive and will do anything to play. But aren't these medical professionals associated with NFL teams supposed to do what's best for the individual player's health as as opposed to elevating him to the absolute minimum condition to play an NFL game? Mind you, it's a game where the average player wakes up the next day feeling as though he'd been in an automobile accident. And this is only after Hurts and his teammates had to endure a 7-8 hour flight home to Philly from London, England. 

I'm guessing it's long past time for the NFL Players Association to step in and mitigate some of these issues before it, at minimum, ends a guy's career in an instant. Balking at an 18th regular season game as well as reigning in the transcontinental travel would be good places to start. 

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Submitted without comment

Watch this.

And then vote accordingly. 

🚨 BREAKING: Tad Jude just dropped the political ad of the cycle in Minnesota. You need to watch every second of this. It’s time to take our state back, Minnesota! https://t.co/jhqtzM3k86

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) October 20, 2026

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Box Score of the Week (Postseason edition)

Game 2 of the 2006 World Series - St Louis Cardinals at Detroit Tigers. 

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At age 41 years and 346 days, Detroit's Kenny Rogers still holds the record for oldest starting pitcher to win a World Series game. 

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