2013 Minnesota Lynx: The Roar of Redemption

My high school coverage has been transferred to Prep45.com, but our quest for programming remains an imperative. As we begin 2014, we'll take a look back at some memorable features from an eventful 2013. A highlight was the Minnesota Lynx claiming their 2nd WNBA championship, repeating a Finals sweep over the Atlanta Dream to reclaim the throne after many speculators were prepared to discard them as a fleeting fad of yesteryear.

TSB Television had locker room access to the celebration at Duluth, Georgia, and a behind-the-scenes angle of the victory rally in downtown Minneapolis, presented in a documentary format that chronicles the potential birth of a WNBA dynasty.

TSB Television Presents the 4th Annual Minnesota Private and Independent Education Awards

TSB Television helped display the brand new James B. Woulfe Alumni Hall, part of the University of St. Thomas' Anderson Student Center, broadcasting the 4th Annual Minnesota Private and Independent Education Awards.

The awards program is run by the Minnesota Independent School Forum and honors the contributions made by students and staff of the 100 schools who have a membership with the organization.

Watch the program below to hear from special guests like Frank Vascellaro and Amelia Santaniello of WCCO-TV, and Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer, a graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall.

You will also see triumphs and stories of inspiration from the Story Award winners, like Holy Family Catholic student Lucia Contreras, along with profiles of each finalist for the Honor Teacher Awards.

Learn more about MISF by clicking here. DVD copies of this program can be purchased by contacting thesportsbrain@gmail.com
 

TSB Television presents the 8th Annual University of Minnesota MCAE Celebration of Achievement

TSB Television returned to the University of Minnesota campus to share more stories and send off the 2012 graduating class with the 8th Annual Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence Celebration of Achievement.

In this year's version, we dive deeper inside the stories of graduates as they reveal the influence MCAE had in their time at the University of Minnesota. We also go behind-the-scenes with two students who presented the first joint undergraduate speech in event history, as Emmy Her Many Horses and Lolla Mohammed Nur combined their journey.

Keynote address provided by Dr. Verna Cornelia Price - Founder, President and Principal Consultant of J. Cameron & Associates.

Learn more about MCAE by visiting their website here.

2011: The year in Twin Cities sports

2011: The year in Twin Cities sports

TSB Sports presents the Beach Blast Volleyball Tournament

This summer, TSB Sports added volleyball to its repertoire of sports broadcasts by covering the Beach Blast Volleyball Tournament at Lake Phalen in St. Paul, Minnesota. Held on the last day of Greg Cylkowski's All-American Volleyball Camp, our doubleheader featured a girls match with local high school players and a co-ed competition to highlight the athleticism of male players unable to participate at the high school level.

The featured players are Savanna Handevidt, Jon Mueller, Nick Mueller, and Derek Thingvold from Stillwater; Garrett Ahn, Zach Glocke and Chris Kirby from Centennial; Maya Hedstrom, Breaunna Lyell and Hannah Wolf from St. Paul Central; Lydia Anderson, Ciara McKee and Maggie Mueller from White Bear Lake, Annie Ryan from Cretin-Derham Hall and Julia Walfoort from Cambridge-Isanti.

Watch the matches below to learn more about the camp and the talent it molds, along with a public service announcement from St. Paul city lifeguards about pool and weather safety.

All-American Girls vs. Team KDWB (girls match)

Team Love vs. Team KDWB (co-ed match)

WNBA Finals: The atomic bond of Angel McCoughtry

The Atlanta Dream's Angel McCoughtry will rarely shy away from a press opportunity. The leading scorer in the 2011 playoffs, who broke her own record for most points in a WNBA Finals game with 38 in game 2, draws attention and scrutiny from fans for her on-court persona. No matter what criticism is fired at her direction, McCoughtry would not earn a second straight opportunity to win a title without the chemistry she developed with teammates, particularly starting point guard Lindsey Harding. Harding, who was traded to Atlanta prior to the 2011 season, offers a lens rarely seen in press coverage that demonstrates the strong bond between the two. Watch the video to learn more.

 

ALSO
Listen to audio interviews from the Minnesota Lynx following game 2 of the WNBA Finals, where the Lynx defeated the Dream 101-95.

Monica Wright's "emergency power"


Jessica Adair takes playoff center stage

WNBA Finals: Lynx's Whalen and Dream's Miller joined in renewed rivalry

BY MIKE PEDEN

Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen was nine years old when the state took home its last professional sports title in 1991, creating a small but intense rivalry between two markets.

The WNBA was six years away from creation, and Whalen's hometown of Hutchinson, Minnesota was still known for its tie to Little Crow, chief of the Mdewakanton Dakota tribe who led his people in the Dakota War of 1862. He was killed near the city by farmers in 1863.

Fast forward 128 years, where Whalen watched the Minnesota Twins kill championship dreams of the Atlanta Braves in the World Series at her best friend's house. Minnesota fans vividly remember the seven-game series, touted by then-commissioner Fay Vincent as the best in Major League Baseball. Arguing against that notion is hard to this day, with five games decided by one run, four games decided in the final at-bat and three games going into extra innings.

Whalen's memories include seeing thousands of white homer-hankies touted by Twins fans on the CBS broadcasts, and a taunt used against the Braves with a play on their city's name.

"Give Atlanta Mylanta, make them upset," she said.

Atlanta Dream guard Coco Miller was wishing for the Twins to do just that on the Braves. The Rochester native was 13 years old when the two teams met in the World Series.

"I came to the parade and missed school for that. It was a big thing for the state of Minnesota," she said.

To this day, Whalen gets chills recalling Kirby Puckett's heroics in game six, where the late Twins Hall of Fame center fielder robbed an extra base hit from Ron Gant against the Plexiglass barrier in the top of the third inning. Puckett would later deliver a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 11th to win game six, immortalized by CBS play-by-play man Jack Buck with the line, "And we'll see you tomorrow night!"

"Every Minnesotan still gets chills with that. He lifted the whole state on his back," Whalen said.

Game seven is no less chilling for Twins fans, with St. Paul native Jack Morris pitching 10 shutout innings, rebuffing several attempts from manager Tom Kelly to remove him from the mound. Morris' stubborn demeanor would be vindicated in the bottom of the 10th, when pinch-hitter Gene Larkin scored Dan Gladden on a bloop single to seal a 1-0 victory and a World Series title.

"I remember wanting to go to the Metrodome for the celebration, but we had school," Whalen said. "I still have my homer hanky somewhere."

"My parents were watching TV and I just heard them screaming, because they're big fans too. It was fun to be a part of all that," Miller said.

Retribution for Atlanta would come in the 1998 NFC playoffs, when the Falcons visited the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome in the NFC Conference Championship on Jan. 17, 1999. The Vikings were heavy Super Bowl favorites with their NFL-best 15-1 regular season record, whose vast pool of talent included rookie wide receiver Randy Moss, fan favorite Cris Carter, veteran quarterback Randall Cunningham and defensive stalwart John Randle, a Hall of Fame inductee.

The Falcons were playing both the upset and sentimental cards, even with a 14-2 record that year. Head coach Dan Reeves had recovered enough from quadruple bypass surgery to assume the helm throughout Atlanta's post-season.

The Falcons stayed the course against the Vikings, and capitalized when Vikings kicker Gary Anderson missed a 38-yard field goal with 2:07 left in the fourth quarter that would have virtually ensured victory. On Atlanta's next possession, Terence Mathis caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Chris Chandler to tie the score at 27, and Minnesota head coach Dennis Green had Cunningham take a knee with his team deep in their own territory in the closing seconds, opting to win in overtime than risk a costly turnover.

Green's strategy ultimately failed, as Falcons kicker Morten Andersen nailed a 38-yard field goal with 3:08 remaining in overtime, giving the Falcons their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.

"That's my worst sports day ever," Whalen said. "I was at my aunt and uncle's (house) in Grand Forks. I was at a recruiting visit in North Dakota and I made my mom stay for the whole game."

Just as Green's decision haunted Vikings fans, Whalen's choice left a ghoulish mark.

"We ended up getting stuck in a snowstorm at Fargo, had to stay in a hotel that night. We didn't get any sleep. We had to drive the next day, in freezing cold temperatures, back to Hutchinson. I was sick for a week because I was so upset about the way it went down. That was our year," she said.

Miller was a sophomore at the University of Georgia during the memorable Falcons-Vikings meeting. Despite leaving the North Star State for the land of peaches, Miller stayed true to the Vikings' purple and gold colors.

"No matter what state I live in, I'm always going to be a Vikings fan. It's never good to see them lose," she said.

Whalen is glad to continue a series laden with historic moments, with her Lynx etching a marker following their 88-74 victory in game 1 of the WNBA Finals. 15,258 fans waving white pom-poms watched Rebekkah Brunson contribute 26 points and 11 rebounds while fighting a chest cold, while Taj McWilliams-Franklin got eight points and 10 rebounds despite suffering a stomach flu.

"We've done everything we can all season to get here, and we're going to do everything we can to bring it home," Whalen said.

With Dream center Erika de Souza back after helping her Brazilian team win an Olympic qualifying tournament in Colombia, Miller is confident about tilting the "rubber match" in Atlanta's favor despite her Minnesota origins.

"Now that I'm on the opposite side, hopefully Atlanta will prevail this time," Miller said.

Should the Lynx miss a game-clinching field goal and get a final possession to attempt a victory in the closing seconds of regulation, Whalen and her teammates will take no knees.

"We're going to play to win, baby. It's the only way to go," she said.

ALSO

Click play below to listen to a one-on-one with Lynx guard Monica Wright prior to game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

TSB Sports at the WNBA Finals

As TSB Sports prepares to cover game 1 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx, we visited a few practices to report as much coverage as possible during the week-long buildup. More stories and interviews will be published as the Finals progresses, but you can energize your excitement by watching our assortment of video interviews. Just click the link for the person you want to see below.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve

Minnesota Lynx center Taj McWilliams-Franklin

Atlanta Dream guard/forward Iziane Castro Marques

Atlanta Dream guard Lindsey Harding

Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry

LosLynx fans greet Finals-bound Minnesota

BY MIKE PEDEN

Whoever earns the right to play the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals will be greeted with a challenge they rarely got in the first 12 seasons of Minnesota's existence.

The Lynx established their position as heavy favorites with a 103-86 win over the Phoenix Mercury Sunday afternoon, securing a two-game sweep and their first Finals appearance in franchise history. Six of Minnesota's eight players who saw floor time scored in double-figures Sunday in a series where Minnesota never went south of fifty percent in the two box scores.

Following their Western Conference championship celebration, the team boarded a return-flight and arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport around 1:45 a.m. Monday.

37 fans and a sprinkling of reporters traded sleep for jubilee, bringing signs, cameras and vocal cords to greet the first Minnesota professional sports team to qualify for a championship round since the 1991 Minnesota Twins.

Watch the video below to see Minnesota's reaction and to hear a word from season ticket holder Carol Berg and marketing manager Megan Luebke.

Western Conference Finals: Defending a sweep

BY MIKE PEDEN

By no means are the Minnesota Lynx believing they can waltz any way they can with the Phoenix Mercury for game two of the Western Conference Finals Sunday at Phoenix's US Airways Center.

Minnesota can advance to the WNBA Finals with a win Sunday afternoon, but they are aware of how rapidly Phoenix can tilt the balance via the perimeter or pushing the tempo with perennial scoring champion Diana Taurasi, who is averaging 19.5 points per game this post-season.

"Phoenix at home is a deadly combination. Phoenix is like a cobra. You have to go in to game two thinking you're down 0-1," said Lynx center Taj McWilliams-Franklin, who scored 14 points in Minnesota's 95-67 win Thursday night. "They're going to throw everything: kitchen sink, shoes, Corey Gaines (Phoenix head coach). We have to be prepared for whatever they bring us."

While the Mercury were the only team to beat the Lynx twice this season, two Lynx victories in the regular season series came on the road, including a 96-90 win to close out the year.

"They're going to be real upset. If you can't get intense, excited and motivated for this, they've got bigger problems," said Lynx reserve Candice Wiggins, who scored 14 points off the bench in game one.

Scouting the Lynx in the Western Conference Finals is astronomically different than the tentative, jittery exhibition that nearly led to a first-round sweep at the hands of San Antonio. Minnesota rekindled its fluid offensive production after taking scoring pressure off point guard Lindsay Whalen, allowing her to focus on setting up her teammates. She has only eight points in the last two games, but the remaining Lynx starters have scored at least 13 points or more in that span, earning two blowout victories.

To illustrate, Phoenix never got closer than six points in the second half of game one. Their three-point and field goal shooting fell flat for a team considered the bastion of both aspects (Phoenix made 20 percent of their three-pointers and 68 percent of their free throws). As usual, the Lynx dominated the Mercury on rebounds, getting 42 against the Mercury's 26. Had the Lynx not suffered ball control issues early, they could have sealed a victory long before the fourth quarter started.

"We forced the ball out a little bit further, making every shot difficult," said Lynx guard Seimone Augustus.

Minnesota remains mindful of Phoenix's offensive style, as any opponent would when facing the WNBA's top-scoring team. However, the concerns proved to be secret blessings for the Lynx in game one. University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma, making a guest appearance for ESPN as a color commentator, believed the Mercury's up-tempo game did not create scenarios for the Lynx to make defensive mistakes on their own.

Another factor favoring Minnesota is emotional stability. While Taurasi's outburst after fouling out in game three of the Western Conference semifinal round at Seattle has faded, Phoenix head coach Corey Gaines was charged a technical foul only 3:14 into game one of the Western Conference Finals. Mercury forward Candice Dupree was called for technical fouls in two consecutive games, earning them in the final game of the Seattle series and in game one of the Minnesota series with 9:00 left in the fourth quarter. Adding to the irony was Dupree's ESPN interview stressing the need to keep Mercury emotions from boiling that aired in the Seattle series.

"From a Dupree standpoint, it's important to keep her out of the transition game. She is such a great rim runner," said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve after game one.

Of course, Phoenix's upset win over Seattle on the road will keep Minnesota's team in check while providing Corey Gaines' team confidence that one clunker does not define a playoff series.

"Augustus hit some great shots. We have got to limit her touches when we're in Phoenix," said Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner.