Dear Bungling Pohlads: Sell the MN Twins NOW, You Billionaire Bozos!

Welcome back to The Flyover, your daily digest of important, overlooked, and/or interesting Minnesota news stories.

We're Gonna Tailspin Twins, We're Gonna Bore

Nepo baby. Failson. Ex-CEO of a short-lived rap radio station.

Call Joe Pohlad whatever you'd like, just don't call the born-on-third-base scion a remotely competent baseball executive. With their mindless gutting of the Minnesota Twins this week, the Pohlad family put on a masterclass of how to: a) mismanage a baseball team; b) nuke whatever modicum of goodwill existed between the rudderless franchise and its tortured fanbase.

Some of the trade deadline moves made sense for a 51-57 team. Jettisoning the contracts of soon-to-be free agents for lottery ticket prospects? Sure, whatever. Offloading flame-throwing closer Jhoan Duran at the height of his trade value, and netting two stud prospects in return? Hate to see it, but, yeah, a case could be made.

But then you get to the weird stuff, the sorta stuff that feels like a middle finger to the fanbase. Consider the case of former All-Star shortstop Carlos Correa, whose trade amounted to a salary dump that only benefits the infinitely rich ownership. (Adding insult to injury: The Astros tossed in 26-year-old minor leaguer Matt Mikulski and his 6.46 career ERA.) Consider the case of Louis Varland, the Minnesota-raised reliever whose youth (27 years old), skill (2.02 ERA), and contract (five years of affordable team control) should have made him a centerpiece for whatever sort of rebuild the team has in mind. Gone.

In late 2023, after the franchise snapped a historic postseason series victory drought, the team instructed fans to, "Imagine what next season could be. Imagine Spring Training has already started. Actually, don't imagine. Believe." They proceeded to slash the payroll last year and, this year, field what amounts to a AAA team following this week's selling spree. Season ticket holders, who we imagine will soon flee in droves, received this cold, cynical comfort via email this morning.

The Pohlad family put the Twins on the market last October, yet they can't even get selling a rare, covetable, multi-billion-dollar asset right. Until then, enjoy a cut-rate roster that's reluctantly bankrolled by spiteful owners. Sell the team ASAP, you absolute bums! Twins Territory deserves a helluva lot better.

All that said, I'm no great baseball mind. Just an annoyed fan with a soapbox. Here's what friend of Racket Aaron Gleeman, the state's best hardball writer, had to say when we asked him WTF just happened...

I think the front office would say they traded 10 players, including paying $33 million to dump the other $71 million on Carlos Correa's contract, because the team has disappointed the past two seasons and the core roster just wasn't working.

And that's definitely all true, but I'm of the belief the ownership uncertainty, and the Pohlads' always present desire to shed payroll, was the primary motivation for this deadline going from "aggressive selling" to "fire sale." They shed about $25 million in costs for the rest of this season, and about $40 million for next season. And while they did bring back a handful of good young players with some upside, the overall quality of the trade returns seems underwhelming, especially considering how many good players with multiple years of team control they moved.

I think it was a good deadline for the Pohlads' bank accounts and a bad deadline for Twins fans.

For much more Twins chaos coverage, check out Gleeman's emergency Gleeman & the Geek podcast here; read his writing for The Athletic here.

Where Can You Buy (Legal) Marijuana?

Well, if we're talkin' recreationally and not medically, your Minnesota options—especially near the Twin Cities—remain pretty limited, as this handy map compiled by the Star Tribune's Anna Sago, Tom Nehil, and Matt DeLong shows.

After Minnesota legalized recreational marijuana use in 2023, the subsequent rollout of the new market has been slooow going, with just a few scattered tribal dispensaries up and running so far. (Island Peži, which Racket profiled in April, is by far the closest non-medical option for Minneapolitans and St. Paulites.) But bookmark that map, which the Strib plans to update as more dispensaries open.

And speaking of the troubled, lengthy rollout process: Even some of the businesses that have been approved are facing trouble. Earlier this week, MinnPost's Brian Arola reported on the curious case of The Smoking Tree cannabis dispensary in Albert Lea. It would have been the city's first cannabis shop, but earlier this week, its City Council voted 4-3 to deny owner Jacob Schlichter a license for his business, violating state law in the process.

Here's Arola:

Minnesota statutes give cities and counties limited authority over cannabis businesses. Local zoning ordinances can restrict where they’re located and how far they need to be from schools, daycares, parks and churches. Local governments also need only approve at least one cannabis business for every 12,500 residents; Albert Lea is required to register two by law. 

But they can’t prohibit businesses that otherwise meet state Office of Cannabis Management and local requirements, according to the law. Before Monday’s vote, Albert Lea’s attorney, Joel Holstad, told the City Council to expect litigation if they defy the state statute.

More like lit-igation, am I right folks? Someone should reefer them to the language in the state bill! Maybe they should form a, uh, a joint council to figure this thing out! Ha ha, hey, enjoy the weekend, everybody(high).

Indigenous Minnesotans Break Into Design Fields, Reclaim Others

According to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, 62% of U.S. architects are white men, with women of color at 8% and men of color at 13%. “Sam Olbekson estimates that he may be one of less than two dozen licensed Indigenous architects in the U.S.,” writes Izzy Wagener at Minnesota Reformer. In hopes of changing this, Olbekson is leading the way with Indigenous Design Camp, a summer program to get junior and high school students interested in the (often quite lucrative!) career. 

But it’s about more than making money.

“It’s just underscoring the importance of Indigenous people designing for Indigenous communities,” Olbekson says. “For too long, architecture and planning has been something that has been imposed on us, rather than coming from within.”

While Indigenous architects are helping youth break into the field, this interesting radio segment from MPR's Minnesota Now explores how Native artists are reclaiming work once appropriated by Minnetonka Moccasin. The Minneapolis-based company, founded in 1946, made money off Native art for decades. While MM apologized in 2021, last month it actually started doing something, launching Minnetonka Reclamation Collaborative. The program employs Native artists to design products and redesign pieces to better showcase their culture. But is it just a PR campaign to boost shoe sales?

“I think that all of us that have worked in this realm have had our own fears,” says project advisor Adrienne Benjamin, who is also a Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe member. “I know had to think about it before I took on this role, but in the end… I do believe heavily in allyship, and I believe that to get somewhere and to heal and be even just as people to take it into a micro aspect, we need that.”

Wanna Buy BUD FORCE ONE?

Over a year ago, back when Twitter wasn't a cesspool teeming with white nationalists, sports-betting bots, crypto freaks, and unavoidable pornography, I posted the following:

And while I stand by my assessment, the seller has wavered on their asking price. BUD FORCE ONE is still available, now for $5,000. The ol' girl clearly needs a lot of work, but it's easy to imagine yourself as the king (of beers) of the road behind the wheel of this hard-partying beauty with 10,000 miles on her diesel engine. Unburdened by punctuation, here's the Facebook Marketplace sales pitch:

Runs and drives has flat tire on the 2 axle witch is not needed been sitting but starts an drives every year when we get it out or mess with it got new camper don't need it taking up space cash king maybe trade it's got big bed and bathroom in back and other spots for cost also seating converted into a camper has a Detroit engine.

Alright, happy bus shopping and happy Friday. Take us into the weekend, Spuds!