10,000 Takes: November 5, 2026

This is 10,000 Takes, brought to you by Minnesota Score Radio, Wally and Eric back for yet another day and yet another month, and the votes are in, and it's official, we've won in a landslide, they asked us to come back, imagine that, it's stunning news, imagine that, we're back for yet another run, well, speaking of another run, we've got two teams, Your Minnesota Vikings. And the Buffalo Bills playing this coming Monday night. Two teams that are both in first place heading into this game. Two teams that have been to the Super Bowl. They've both been there four times, right? Combined 0 for 8. 0 for 8. Neither team has ever won the Super Bowl. But they're both on top as we head into this kind of a mid-season contest on a Monday night. And it will be played at your favorite house of noise, the U.S. Bank Stadium glass house. And I've got a question for you. uh Is Troy Aikman going to throw some punches at Joe Buck? I think keep an eye up on that booth. Yeah, if you're going to the game, focus your binoculars on the ABC broadcast booth right. and check out the body language between Troy and Joe because there's huge acrimony between those two and the egos of those two. My goodness, they both need zip codes for their egos. So it's ridiculous to me. They make obscene amounts of money, gobs of cash, and it's not enough. You want to pile on the players and the coaches? We'll start piling on overpaid broadcasters, too. And, yeah, I don't know. It may be more physical in the booth than down on the field because there's no referees in the booth. That's true. That's true. And, well, look, the Vikings' defense is what they've been living on, right? I think the Bills live on their offense, and Josh Allen, to tell you the truth. So this is going to be an interesting contrast between these two squads. But, yeah, it is interesting that you think about this quote-unquote rivalry. Two teams that have been there four times each but have never won a Super Bowl. And both are legit. Challengers to do it this year. Yeah, absolutely. And both the Bills and the Vikings basically came into, in Buffalo's case, the AFL in like 1961, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, same year. So they've been around for, you know, six and a half decades. And they're still chasing that Super Bowl ring, that parade that, you know, coronates winning and bringing the Lombardi Trophy home. You figure one of these days, one of those franchises will get it done. Buffalo brings in Josh Allen, who's certainly one of the top three quarterbacks in the NFL, an MVP, and they think maybe this is their year. Obviously, the Vikings are saying the same thing. What's going to give, like you said, Buffalo has a, you know, just a, an explosive offense and Minnesota has a lights out defense suffocating the last time they played in Buffalo. That's when Justin Jefferson, I think really had his coming out party with those acrobatic grabs and the Vikings wound up winning on the road. So, uh, it'll be a fun game. Yeah. At least it could be, should be, could be, might be. We'll see. Um, I saw a quote. From your guy, Aaron Rodgers. This was after the Steelers had played the Saints over in Paris. And, you know, at the time there was unrest going on. Thank And, you know, fans had to basically shelter in place and then try to make their way to the game and all that. you And he was, I mean, outwardly upset about the fact that the NFL is doing this for and doing these games overseas. And basically the owners are just cashing checks your without consideration for player safety. And I think he makes a great point. time. I know you've been harping on this for years between Thursday night football and Astro turf or field turf fields and now Wednesday night football and Friday football. I mean. Short weeks and moving the bye weeks and not giving them, they should give them two bye weeks if they're going to do this, going from 16 to 17. All these things. Aaron Rodgers came out against it, and I thought it was kind of interesting to hear him talk about this. And basically, I agree with him. Completely. I mean, kudos to Aaron Rodgers. And he's got the leverage to say it. This is a guy who's going to go to the Hall of Fame, and he's probably in his final season with Pittsburgh. And he has that I don't care attitude. I mean, they can't do anything to Aaron Rodgers. Not at this point. But he's spot on. But he's not the only one saying it. You know, we've harped on it in the media. I think a lot of fans are getting tired of the NFL's cash grab mindset. You know, John Gruden, who won a Super Bowl a few years back Tampa Bay said recently, we don't need Thursday night football. Nobody wants it. The players certainly don't. And in a league that preaches safety, they're hypocrites. You wouldn't have Thursday night football if you really cared about safety. You'd eliminate field turf. We saw what happened when the World Cup came to the States. All these venues, such as MetLife in East Rutherford or SoFi in Inglewood, out goes the field turf and went to grass. Once the soccer was done, goodbye grass, field turf back. So the NFL is losing a lot of fans. I know it's not showing in the ratings. Everybody wants to gamble. They've got a fantasy team. They've got a favorite team. I get it. But at some point, it's going to come back to haunt the shield. And I want to make this point, too. How about the Green Bay Packers this year? They might be the poster team for how warped it is. They have two Thursday home games. Right. They just had one last week against Carolina. They have a Wednesday game. Two Thursday home games. Give me a break. They have, yes, Thanksgiving Eve out in Inglewood against the L.A. Rams, and they play Christmas Day against the Chicago Bears. My goodness. What did the Packers ever do to the league? I don't know. Bring viewers. And that's part of their problem, actually, because there is more of a national following for the Green Bay Packers and this thirst for what they were back in the day and so on and so forth. And they do have a great following. They keep sticking them on national TV, and so the NFL can cash more. But if you're going to a Thursday game and you're a season ticket holder or somebody who just wants to see Lambeau, that's a disruption to your week. Hey, NFL, most of us have to work Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. So you're either taking a vacay day or comp time or whatever. If that's a Monday night or a Sunday game like it should be, it's much different. Green Bay got hosed. Yeah, they did. I hate to say good things about Packers and Aaron Rodgers. My goodness, we better take a break. Is this show airing in Milwaukee? Exactly. All right. Stay tuned. More to come. Yeah, we'll talk some hoops. Pooh Richardson, going to check in with us. 10K takes your NFL ticket. Experience wild rivers. Experience wooded trails. Experience hometown flavor. Experience our charming downtown. Rest. Recharge. Reconnect. Experience River Falls, Wisconsin. Get in the game at St. Croix Casinos in Turtle Lake, Danbury, and Hurdle, Wisconsin, your local destination for sports betting. Check out our sports book at St. Croix Casinos. From football and soccer to hockey and UFC, you can join the nonstop action. You'll find plenty of options to bet on with our cutting-edge play sports kiosks, whether placing live or prop wagers before tuning into the game. That's the book at Turtle Lake, the Red Zone at Danbury, and our sports betting kiosk at Hurdle. Find your fortune at St. Croix Casinos. Clearly matters. Being seen matters more. Nobody cares for eyes more than Pearl. And we are Minnesota Scores 10,000 Takes. We're going to talk some hoops now. Your Minnesota Timberwolves have basically transformed their lineup. They've gone from a team where you had bigs and they did a lot of different things. Now you've got guys out front. LaMelo Ball, obviously they had Anthony Edwards. And a guy who played that position that LaMelo Ball plays is joining us now. Pooh Richardson, an original Timberwolf, their first draft choice back in the day. Poo, thanks for joining us. I'm Obviously, LaMelo Ball is a whole different type of point guard, but this guy can do a lot of things, and he certainly has changed the way that they play basketball. What are your thoughts on what you've seen so far, what he brings to the table that maybe they didn't have in the past? I think he stretches the floor, but the most impressive thing about it with him is that he looks up the floor immediately. He looks to get up off the ball, to share it, and I think that it's contagious because it's making the other guys better, and at the same time, the ball is really moving around, and it's just easy opportunities for everyone on the floor. Early on, do you think Minnesota with Ant and LaMelo might have the most dynamic backcourt in the NBA? I mean, these guys so far are clicking out of the gate. Well, I didn't look at that and come up with that assessment early, but I did see when I watched a few games, I saw that the chemistry was so good between them two, not only between those two, his chemistry of LaMelo stepping into. The Wolves organization has started playing and pushing the ball up the floor, sharing it with everyone, and I just think that he's probably a joy to play with. It looks like those guys are having fun. They're playing good defense, but they look like they're having a lot of fun. When you played the position of point guard, obviously they want you to be able to score, You almost have to be a pass-first guy that is able to score. I think that's the ideal point guard, right? And I think LaMelo is that guy. He obviously had to change what he did because in Charlotte, they needed him to score. So it was a scoring guy who could also make a pass, but I think that they need him the other way around, and that makes for an ideal situation. Your thoughts? Well, yeah, I think it's his wheelhouse. I think through high school, Of course, his legendary high school career here in the California area with his brothers, playing with his brothers. I just think that he loves playing that way. He loves, he don't have to dominate the ball. He can get his own shot. He don't have to force anything. And he just, he just gives the Wolves just a better dynamic of creating without. Without have to overdoing it. He don't have to be ball dominant to create. Has there been a basketball family? You mentioned the balls out there in SoCal, Chino Hills, east of Los Angeles. It was all the brothers and then the father who became his own brand. Has there ever been anything like the Balls growing up and marketing themselves? I can't say I've ever seen that before. You know, I've seen some basketball families, the Holidays, which is very close to Drew Holiday and his family, and his brothers and his sister played, everyone played. But I never saw, you know, nothing along that line. By the way, is he out there? Is LeVar out there? Yeah. Is LeVar out there in Minnesota? Tell LeVar, get out of my town. I don't. Um, who the, the Timberwolves also brought in Jonathan Kuminga, who had a noteworthy career, uh, with the Warriors. Um, in your estimation, what does this guy bring to the table from Minnesota? Well, I think he, he's the X factor. He, he, uh, he's the guy that we, we seen throughout the years, flashes of him, him being brilliant. And then we've seen some days where he wasn't so and I just think that this is the first time he's facing a situation where he's accountable every night in the night in the night out. And I think he's he's going to step up to the challenge. He's a talent, man. He really is a talent. And what I like about him, he can play two, three, four, and maybe some five at times. So I just think that he's a – because his athleticism and he has enough skill to really get his shot off. And I like what he brings to the table. That's the X factor. If he can stay healthy and play well, the Wolves can really go far. Yeah, and this is a young, energetic, probably acrobatic team with LaMelo and Ant out there on the floor. They did lose leadership in Mike Conley. Do they have anyone that you think, Pooh, is it now time for Ant not only to be the superstar and put on the show, but also be the leader on the floor and in the room? Who's going to do that? Who's going to replace Mike Conley? Well, I think no one can replace Mike and his leadership and his steadiness and his wisdom. But I just think a collective of Ant and LaMelo, because they are the guys that everyone's going to look up to or look at. I think it's time for Ant. I think he's ready for that next step, you know, as far as being the leader and being a guy that's all about the right thing to do. And I just think that he's going to be it's going to be all right. It's his time. It's his time. All right, if you had to pick one thing that you think that this Wolves team is going to need to avoid other than injuries, but what are they going to need to do to be a championship caliber team, a team that can make a run not just to the Western Conference Finals, but to the NBA Finals and potentially to win it all? Do they have what it takes, and what is that X factor to you? I think they have what it takes. I think when it comes down to the playoffs time and you get into the really good teams, that you're going to have to get a little bit more of the interior, a little bit more of the interior play as far as offense. You know, you don't have to get 20 points, but you have to get at least 12 to 16 a night in the interior because it's going to create more space for Ant and more space for LaMelo. And Jay Daniels is playing well. He plays. Every position almost. So, I mean, they have what it takes, but you got to get a little bit more from the interior. Yeah. You can't just shoot threes all the time and depend on those going in, right? No, well, you know, team's going to start playing you in the playoffs for that and you have to go downhill, which I think is really in the wheelhouse of LaMelo and the wheelhouse of Ant. You know, Ant loves to attack. He doesn't, Ant can go through the whole game without taking the three. He will go to that basket. He's fearless when it comes to that. And I think that, I think LaMelo's been a little bit underestimated because he can get to the basket as well. It's just the fact that he shoots the ball from a tremendous distance and he can really fill it up. But he likes going downhill and creating. How hungry do you think Ant is? Western Conference Finals twice, round two last year, but he's never been on the big stage. He hasn't gotten that ring like Cat now has in New York or SGA, OKC, and some of these other guys, Giannis with Milwaukee. Is that a big motivator? Hey, I got to get there. Yeah, I think Ant is, he's hungry, and I think he's... He's proven and he's shown that he can perform on the highest level. And I just think that, you know, he's waiting on this opportunity. And I think his opportunity is now, you know, and having LaMelo. And then he gives you two guys who can actually get their own shot in the clutch moments of a game. I think that in the past, you know, Ant had to be ball dominant. And also shot dominant. You don't have to be that in this case. Now you have two guys who can actually get their shots off without any help from others. So they can beat one or a double team. So now you have two guys that can do that, open up the floor for you. So it'll make this a very interesting season, especially in the West. Yeah, no question. Well, thanks, Poop. Appreciate your perspective and your time. And it's a long NBA season, so I'm sure we'll be checking in with you again next time. Yeah, man. Good luck. Good luck, man. And go Wolves, man. Go Wolves. I'm really proud of them, man. They're looking good right now. But like you said, long season and it's early. Let's stay healthy. How about that? Yeah, exactly. See you, Pooh. All right. All right. See you guys. He is Pooh Richardson, the original Timberwolf, with us here on Minnesota Scores 10,000 Takes. We'll be back with more right after this. Time out. Stay with us. This was a great idea. You were right. Yes, you heard correctly, Denise. The three most beautiful words in the English language. Print them out. Hang them on your fridge. Get one of those planes that spells out words in the sky. Let everyone see you were right. This is your moment. Savor every second. Stop by any one of Freddy's six Minnesota locations. Finding the ideal place to stay is important for business travelers. Lakeville, Minnesota is conveniently located off I-35, just south of the Twin Cities with a variety of hotel choices. Lakeville offers convenient amenities such as shopping, walking trails, golf, and more. Our unique meeting spaces, historic downtown, live music, and over 60 dining options are sure to impress. Book your next stay in Lakeville and experience convenience, comfort, and quality. Find your perfect hotel at visitlakeville.org. I've been meaning to give you these for many years. I think that... It isn't just about vision. It's about care. Nobody cares for eyes more than Pearl. We are Minnesota Scores 10,000 takes and baseball season finally in the rearview mirror. Tampa and Milwaukee in the World Series. And of course, you had Cleveland and the Dodgers in the ALCS and NLCS. And the question is... When will we see Major League Baseball again? And it's hard to know because a lockout is looming or a strike or a combination thereof. And that's coming soon to a theater near you. So, look, you had three of the four teams, Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Tampa. Their salaries didn't add up to what the Dodgers were paid this past season. So, If Milwaukee and Tampa get to the World Series, is that an argument for the players to say, hey, you know, we don't need a salary cap. You had two teams with low payrolls making it to the World Series, and three of the four in the National and American League Championship Series were low-scoring or low-payroll teams. I think it is. And, you know, my L.A. Dodgers, you know, they got steamrolled by Milwaukee. Four games to nothing, NLCS. Kudos to the Brewers. They outplayed them in every phase of the game. But there are some conspiracy theorists out there who are saying, well, the Dodgers, you know, they kind of took a break this year to let Milwaukee get in to face Tampa Bay. So you had the smallest market in MLB is Milwaukee. Tampa Bay doesn't spend a lot of money, low payroll every year. So that makes it look like the players can say, see, you don't need the salary. Don't know if I buy that or not. But I will say, if you're a Minnesota Twins fan, And you watch the Rays, and you watch the Brewers, and you saw those payrolls that are not Dodger-like or Yankee-like, and you have to say what's not happening here in Minnesota. Well, I know the Brewers and the Rays develop very well. They draft very well. They make good decisions. And when they make a trade, usually it pans out. So the Twins got to get better at that. The Twins could be where the Brewers or Rays are, but they have to hit home runs in development and things like that. The Twins don't have to look any further than their own division because Cleveland was in the ALCS and they took Tampa to six games and they spent basically nothing. I think their payroll was $90 million. They were either the lowest or second lowest in all of baseball. So the Twins have some reckoning to do with themselves in figuring out why aren't we getting to that level and it hasn't happened for a while now. I mean, you know, they knocked off. What, did they knock off Houston? Who did they beat in the first round? They knocked off Toronto and then lost to Houston a few years ago. But that's been it. There's been a dearth here. There's nothing going on baseball-wise in the postseason for the Minnesota Twins for many, many years. Obviously, they haven't gone to the World Series since 91, so it's not great. And I did talk to a prominent front office person with the Twins the other day. And he told me, we were talking about the looming lockout. He says, you know, really, it's absurd. There's enough money to go around. The pie is big enough. You can split it up into pieces to make the players happy, the owners happy, and, you know, solve all your woes. So shame on Major League Baseball if they get to the point where they miss games or even spring training next season. We're a long ways from that. The rhetoric will ratchet up. Hopefully they can calm down, figure it out. Let's have baseball. Yeah. Millionaires and billionaires fighting it out. We shall see. All right. We're not millionaires or billionaires, but we will be back with takes of the day. We are Minnesota scores 10,000 takes. Stay with us. Seeing clearly matters. Being seen matters more. Nobody cares for eyes more than Pearl. Life moves pretty fast, but not at Freddy's. When that first bite hits, you can't help but slow down. The secret to quality time is just quality and time. That's Freddy's. Mom, what's wrong with them? That's called quality time. Don't stare. Stop by any one of Freddy's six Minnesota locations. Get in the game at St. Croix Casinos in Turtle Lake, Danbury, and Hurdle, Wisconsin, your local destination for sports betting. Check out our sports book at St. Croix Casinos. From football and soccer to hockey and UFC, you can join the nonstop action. You'll find plenty of options to bet on with our cutting-edge play sports kiosks. Whether placing live or prop wagers before tuning into the game, that's the book at Turtle Lake, the Red Zone at Danbury, and our sports betting kiosk at Hurdle. Find your fortune at St. Croix Casinos. Finding the ideal place to stay is important for business travelers. Lakeville, Minnesota is conveniently located off I-35, just south of the Twin Cities with a variety of hotel choices. Lakeville offers convenient amenities such as shopping, walking trails, golf, and more. Our unique meeting spaces, historic downtown, live music, and over 60 dining options are sure to impress. Book your next stay in Lakeville and experience convenience, comfort, and quality. Find your perfect hotel at visitlakeville.org. Wally and Eric from 10,000 Takes here in the Land of Lakes. And if you want sports of all sorts, check us out. We cover all the bases, all the teams in the great state of Minnesota. Vikings, Twins, Wild, Gophers, Timberwolves, Loons, you name it, we do it. Late night, Saturday night on Fox 9 Plus and on the Fox local app. Take takes on television as we wrap up yet another episode. Big shout out to the viewers in the Twin Ports, the Twin Cities, and Med City. Yes. They want to know what your mood is. Takes of the day. Angry, grumpy, cranky, giddy, happy, salty. What are you today? Well, as you know, we are in the throes of the high school football playoff season. State quarterfinals are just around the corner. Well, about a week and a half, two weeks ago, they held in class 6A. A viewing show, a selection show. They took the 32 teams in Class 6A and put them into a 32-team neat bracket, and they play down, and the final two teams will, of course, play at U.S. Bank Stadium in Prep Bowl this year. I keep asking this question over and over and over again. I'm going to ask the Board of Governors of the Minnesota State High School League, why can't you figure this out for basketball? Please, you need to do this. There were all eyes on that show, that selection show, when they put out the pairings for the Class 6A tournament. It's a perfect 32-team setup. Do it for hoops, both boys and girls. Get it done. The kids deserve it. The fans deserve it. And if you don't vote that in soon, you deserve to be thrown out on that board. Uh-oh. Yes. Mood Meter says. Oh, yeah, demanding diva, just as I suspect. Well. Knuckleheads, get it done. All right, fair enough. My take of the day with the Buffalo Bills coming to Minneapolis on Monday for ABC's Monday Night Football. I just want to give a shout-out to the Bills organization. They opened up their brand-new Highmark Stadium this year. $2.2 billion was the tab. I know there have been some issues with sight lines and things like that, but don't get that ironed out. The main thing I want to say is Buffalo. Thank you for not putting a roof on your venue. And thank you for having natural grass. The Buffalo Bills know who they are. They're a northern team. They're a cold weather team. They're a four-wheel drive football team. They thrive in the elements. They love the snow. Buffalo doesn't care about Final Fours. Even if they got one with a dome, it would be one and done. They were never going to get a Super Bowl anyways. Buffalo did the right thing. By playing football in the elements, unlike your city of Cleveland and what Chicago wants to do and what Nashville's going to do, Buffalo, you have my respect. And praise. So thank you, Bills. And we'll see how they fare against the Vikings inside. Indoor football, baby. The house of noise. Josh Allen won't know what to do. Yeah, the Vikings are built being indoors. They are. Definitely. All right. Thanks so much for tuning us in. We are 10K Takes, your sports day.