Aaron Gleeman, World’s Best MN Twins Writer, Goes Indie After The Athletic Eliminates His Twins Beat

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Gleeman Goes Independent

In our current moment, competition for the title of "dumbest motherfuckers alive" is perhaps at its historically most heated, and media executives are certainly in that mix. Exhibit A: a recent decision by The Athletic—the non-union startup the New York Times purchased to more or less become its country-spanning sports department—to remove the greatest living Minnesota Twins writer, Aaron Gleeman, from the Twins beat.

“I made the very difficult decision to leave The Athletic after seven great years there," Gleeman said atop Monday's episode of his podcast, Gleeman & the Geek. "In early April, after the MLB season had already started, they asked me to change roles from kind of local to national baseball. They wanted me to stay on staff and maybe even stay long term, but they wanted me to stop covering the Minnesota Twins.” 

Don't worry, local baseball fans; Gleeman wasted no time pivoting to the big reveal of AaronGleeman.com. That's where the veteran sportswriter will continue writing and reporting his Twins coverage, now with unfettered independence and voice. In his welcome post, Gleeman observes that Twins coverage is suffering everywhere due to our death-rattling industry, but he plans to keep working the beat with the "same critical eye and desire to share what I see, hear, and think."

Here's his *ahem* pitch to potential readers...

And that’s where I’m hoping you come in. This move is a huge professional risk, with equally big personal stakes for me. I’m committed to making this a success, but it can’t happen without your support. Let’s do this together. Let's prove them wrong about the audience that exists for quality Twins coverage. Again.

Racket members will be very familiar with how AaronGleeman.com works. For $8 per month or $75 per year, you get to personally bankroll the type of coverage you want to see in the world, in this case peerless stories about your favorite baseball team.

"I refused to give up my dream," Gleeman concludes. "Help me make it reality here. Welcome."

His bet on himself appears to be paying off...

How Teen Reporters Fought Back Against ICE

This past January 7, as ICE goons stormed the lawn of Roosevelt High School in south Minneapolis, junior Lila Dominguez knew she had a job to do. Hours later, the editor-in-chief of the Roseville Standard hit publish on an article, "ICE Needs to Get Out of Minneapolis," that'd reach far beyond the student paper's typical readership.

Last week, over at MPR News, reporter John Collins delivered a sweet profile of Dominguez and her colleagues, Signe Boler and Thora Anderson. In it, we learn how the cub reporters rose to meet the moment by helping inform their fellow students.

“That was a lot easier for me, to channel my energy into something that was more personal, instead of just repeating what everybody else on the planet was going to be saying in a couple hours,” Boler says of an emotional piece she wrote in mid-January. “I wanted something that my fellow students could actually take back to their personal lives.”

Today, the Standard's homepage is dedicated to stories about sports, the ACTs, and off-campus lunch spots. But Dominguez says covering Operation Metro Surge taught her newsroom “the power of truth" and that "journalism is a very powerful tool" to wield it. Keep it up!

Live Nation Won't Reveal Much About Massive New Amphitheater, So the Strib Deployed Its Drone

You can tell when a reporter is motivated by good-natured spite, and that's the case with Chris Riemenschneider's latest for the Strib. "Live Nation is not the most forthcoming corporation," he writes of the monopolistic concert giant that's set to open, after lengthy delays, the 19,000-capacity Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee on June 20.

And since Live Nation's PR team will only answer "some—but certainly not all—of the questions" the Strib has, the newspaper dispatched its damn drone to capture photos of the hulking new concert venue. Important matters such as the cost of concessions (beers range from $16.50-$19.50 at other LN amphitheaters), parking (a $70 premium "cruise in" rate is being offered for some shows), and VIP options haven't been made public, but Riemenschneider does his best to preview a structure that'll hold more concertgoers than Target Center or Grand Casino Arena.

The opening night party, at least, feels fan-forward; $20 will get you in the door to see Motion City Soundtrack, Ber, and Rocket Club, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the Salt Cure Restaurant Recovery Fund. Dylan-approved rap-rocker MGK and jammy shit-dumpers Dave Matthews Band then hold down opening weekend. Click here to see the 30+ other confirmed shows headed to Mystic Lake Amphitheater.

Greater MN News: Dylan's Boyhood Home Opens Up in Hibbing; Rare Log Cabin Wendy's Shuts Down in Nisswa

Two developing stories we're monitoring from above the state's north/south divide...

First up: Our buddy Jay Gabler of the Duluth News Tribune has a fun one outta Hibbing, where the owner of Bob Dylan's boyhood home recently agreed to let the DNT team inside for a photo shoot.

Mega-collector Bill Pagel, a retired Chicago pharmacist, purchased the ol' Zimmerman place in 2019; he'd acquired the family's Duluth home 18 years earlier. "Pagel rarely allows media to photograph the inside of the [Hibbing] house where Bob Dylan spent most of his youth, but he generously made an exception for the Duluth News Tribune," Gabler says.

Dylan lived there from 1947 until matriculating to the U of M in 1959, and while most of his family's furniture has been lost to time, Bob's nightstand, ceiling light fixture, and 9-inch TV still remain. Pagel reports Dylan has been spotted around Hibbing several times over the past five years.

Among the many fun tidbits in the story: The guest book to document folks on private tours, particularly the January 25, 2024 entry signed Timothée Chalamet. "Thank you for the great tour," it reads, "your deeply comprehensive knowledge of Bob's past and your passion."

Elsewhere, over in Nisswa, we have the sad demise of an architecturally significant Wendy's. Here's KFAN producer Zach Halverson...