Iowa Wild provides meals for metro students through Tame the Hunger event
DES MOINES, Iowa — WHO 13's Lindsey Burrell sat down with Ben Gislason, voice of the Iowa Wild, and Jennifer Stalder with Des Moines Public Schools SUCCESS program to talk about the Wild's annual Tame the Hunger event.
The charitable endeavor allows Wild fans to brush shoulders with their favorite players while packing meals for metro students and families. The Iowa Wild have packaged more than 271,000 meals since starting the event in 2017.
Fans can sign up for the event through March 14, and the event itself will take place on March 20 at the EMC Expo Center.
To sign up, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
MN Legislature: Xcel Energy Center shut out of bond funding for renovations
For the second year in a row, the Xcel Energy Center came out of the legislative session with nothing — a frustrating shut-out for both the Minnesota Wild and the St. Paul mayor's office. Since at least the fall of 2023, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold have discussed a sweeping remodel of the downtown Xcel Energy Center, the popular home of professional hockey in Minnesota, which also doubles as a celebrated concert hall. Efforts to secure $2 million in planning and pre-design funds from state lawmakers were unsuccessful last year, and a much larger ask this March — about $395 million in state appropriations bonds — drew skepticism from key lawmakers, including state Rep. Maria Isa Perez-Vega, who represents the district. Some lawmakers called the process unwieldly from start to finish, and questioned why the city requested the money in 2023, when a nearly $18 billion state budget surplus loomed large. The surplus is projected to dwindle to a shortfall by 2028-2029. The Xcel Energy Center remodel was the city's priority legislative request, topping an expansive list of proposals that was not approved by the St. Paul City Council until March 26, or more than halfway through the legislative session. Even some supporters called the request large, late and messy. 'All of the above,' said state Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, who chairs the Senate Capital Investment Committee, on Wednesday. 'We had a (projected budget) deficit this year. We just don't have a Legislature right now that is very supportive of sports arenas.' Pappas said she was willing to carry a bill that would extend the city's existing half-cent sales tax — which currently funds St. Paul's Neighborhood STAR and Cultural STAR grant programs, as well as basic maintenance at the X — to pay for some of the proposed arena improvements. To her knowledge, the proposal never found a House sponsor. Perez-Vega, a logical partner, was not on board. 'Their government relations, Craig Leipold, nor Melvin Carter, they never came to me about their sales tax incentive,' said Perez-Vega on Wednesday. 'The first I heard of that was while it was in conference committee through the Senate file that Pappas was carrying. … It was just a little too sloppy. There was no direct communication of how all this would work.' Perez-Vega said Leipold later approached her apologetically, saying he was unaware that she had not been roped into the process. Still, she hopes to see the Wild more present and active in the communities she represents. 'Why don't they bring the Wild into some of these spaces where the youth are, particularly our communities of color?' she said. 'I see the Saints, I see the Twins, I see the Minnesota United. I want these ties.' Meanwhile, competition for bond funds came from water and transportation infrastructure projects, including $16 million to the Metropolitan Council for an inflow and infiltration public infrastructure grant program, and $12 million to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, half of which will support statewide grants aimed at addressing drinking water contamination. 'We had a small, $700 million bonding bill we didn't even know if we were going to get passed. And the governor had big asks,' Pappas said. 'He wanted a new Bureau of Criminal Apprehension building in Mankato. He wanted a new building for State Patrol. … He wanted 45% of the bonding bill to be asset preservation for the state buildings and higher ed.' When Carter and Leipold presented their initial funding ask for the X to the House Capital Investment Committee on March 20, it was little more than a concept plan, as they had yet to secure a bill sponsor. Perez-Vega, who had carried the bill for $2 million in planning and design funds a year earlier, objected at the time to being surprised with such a large request in the 'front yard of my community.' 'If this is the number one priority for the city that I love … I'd like to see more effort to deliver this information to my office,' Perez-Vega said at the time, after listing a long line of competing St. Paul priorities, from homelessness to climate concerns, where tax dollars could be spent. In early May, Carter and Leipold presented a new plan to lawmakers. The $769 million remodel of the Xcel Center would be pared down to a $488 million upgrade, freezing proposed improvements to the adjoining RiverCentre convention center complex and the Roy Wilkins Auditorium until an unspecified later date. The funding request to lawmakers dropped from nearly $400 million in state bond funds to $50 million, with the team promising $238 million and any cost overruns. The city and potential partners, such as Ramsey County, would be on the hook for $200 million, though county officials at the time seemed non-committal. Leipold said at the time the goal was to create a 'modern, best-in-class' facility that keeps up with changing tastes of sports fans, with low-cost, lounge-style seating areas and other fresh amenities. Even in the plan's trimmer version, the state's contribution would have helped expand the north wall along Fifth Street to improve the northeast entrance security area, increase disability access, update restroom plumbing and reduce pedestrian congestion. Calling the fate of downtown and the X closely linked, Carter wanted to see public-facing improvements that would better connect the arena to Seventh Street, Rice Park and the Landmark Center, creating a continuous entertainment district. Under the title 'Project Wow,' the Wild attempted to draw the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame from Eveleth, Minn. to downtown St. Paul, an effort that drew mixed reaction from lawmakers. The Xcel Energy Center, which opened in 2000, welcomed a million visitors to Wild and Frost hockey games, concerts, performances and other gatherings in the first three months of this year alone. The arena complex draws more than 2.1 million visitors and $383 million in spending annually, according to the city. Pappas said she had been able to convince the city to stick to asking for appropriations bonds, which lawmakers consider and fund separately from general obligation bonds. In 2012, Gov. Mark Dayton linked funding for construction of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the home of the Minnesota Vikings, to electronic pull-tabs. 'The best path forward for the Xcel is appropriations bonds, with some kind of new funding source to pay off the debt,' Pappas said Wednesday. 'I don't know what that would be.' 'It would have been easier to consider this request in 2023, because we had that big surplus, and we had one-time money,' she added. 'We have a lot of sports arenas that could be coming to the state for money, and I just don't think legislators want to go there.' Concert review: Maynard James Keenan and pals celebrate his 61st birthday at the X Frost championship celebration livens up Xcel Energy Center Evanescence will headline the 93X Family Reunion concert at Xcel Energy Center Rising pop star Benson Boone to kick off his first arena tour in St. Paul St. Paul, MN Wild trim Xcel Center's state request from $400M to $50M
New York Times
5 days ago
- New York Times
Paul Skenes' stats with Pirates are mind-blowing — especially the non-wins
Editor's note: This is a bonus Weird & Wild. To read this week's main W&W column, go here. I've always enjoyed visiting Pittsburgh in the summer. Then again, I'm not Paul Skenes. Maybe you've noticed this, but when the Greatest Pirates Pitching Phenom Ever takes the mound, amazing things happen. It would be cool if winning was one of those things. But hey, don't get greedy! Advertisement Here at Weird and Wild World HQ, we've spent some time looking at this. And maybe it's just us, but we're starting to notice a common theme running through these starts by Skenes, a once-in-a-generation talent, pitching for a team that mostly forces that generation to cover its eyes a lot. It doesn't matter how well Skenes pitches. It doesn't matter how long Skenes pitches. It doesn't matter if he's facing the Mets or the Marlins. It always ends the same. By which I mean you won't be reading many box scores that say: WP — Skenes That's just a fact. But now here come more facts: Over Skenes' past seven starts, he has a 1.77 ERA, he's averaging over six innings a start … and the Pirates are 2-5. Is that even possible? But there's more. Of course there's more. Over Skenes' 13 starts this season, he's leading the National League in bWAR, WHIP, innings pitched, quality starts, opponent average and even (cough, cough) a new-age stat known as Win Probability Added … and the Pirates have still found a way to ignore that 'win probability' stuff and go 5-8 when he pitches. But wait. It gets worse. Would you like to know how much worse? You've come to the right place. They're taking not winning to a whole new level — In his two seasons in the big leagues, Skenes is now up to 21 career starts in which he hasn't gotten a win. Somehow, it doesn't feel like that's his fault. His numbers, just in those non-wins: a 2.59 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Ready for the complete list of everyone in history with that many starts (or more) whose career ERA is that spectacular in their non-wins? (This is since earned runs became an official stat in 1913 — and not counting openers.) It won't take long. Here it comes: Paul Skenes — 2.59 That's a wrap on that list. (Source: Baseball Reference / Katie Sharp) Advertisement But here's even more perspective: Only one pitcher in history is even within half a run of that: Hoyt Wilhelm (who spent most of his career as a reliever), at 2.99. And the next closest active starter — Jacob deGrom — has an ERA in those games nearly a full run higher (at 3.54). So there's that. But also … Crazy Eights — Skenes has made three career starts of eight innings or longer. His ERA in those starts is 1.48. His record in those starts is … what else? … 0-3. The record of all other MLB starters over the past two seasons, in starts of eight innings or longer: How about 86-5! And just for fun … how about we throw in a few more tidbits where those came from? These are just in games he hasn't won: • Four non-wins this season in starts of five innings or longer, with no more than three hits allowed. That would be — shockingly, I know — the most of any pitcher in baseball. • Nine non-wins, in his career, in starts of five innings or longer, with no more than one run allowed. That's tied for (yep) the most in baseball in that span. • Ten non-wins, in his career, in starts of five innings or longer, with no more than one earned run allowed. That's tied for most in the NL, and it's one behind Yusei Kikuchi for most in baseball. All of this is happening at the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers, in real life, to one of the special talents we've seen pass through our sport in this century. To everyone in Pittsburgh, we can only say: Sorry! And just seven weeks until Steelers training camp! GO DEEPER Pirates don't want to trade Paul Skenes. But they'd have to weigh these 5 prospect packages GO DEEPER Rosenthal: Would the Pirates trade Paul Skenes? A fascinating but unlikely idea for now
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Yahoo
Minnesota Wild Youngster Is Going To Be Well-Paid This Summer -- But It Shouldn't Be By The Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have their own collection of restricted free agent players to deal with this summer -- most notably, defenseman Bowen Byram and left winger J.J. Peterka -- and although the Sabres have more than enough salary cap space to make a splash ($23.2 million, as per Puck Pedia), one looming RFA who is getting a lot of attention of late is one they should absolutely steer clear of. We're talking about Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi. The 23-year-old Austrian had a solid season for Minnesota this year, setting new personal bests in goals (24), assists (36) and points (60), but there's a reason why his name has cropped up in media speculation: when the Wild had to put their best lineup together for their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Vegas Golden Knights, Rossi was relegated to the fourth line, averaging only 11:08 of ice time. Rossi did post two goals and three points in six playoff games, but the prevailing sentiment is that he's going to be parting ways with the Wild either via trade, offer-sheet, or both. Given that Rossi made a relatively-modest $863,334 this season, he's bound to get a considerable raise on his next deal. But why should the Sabres -- not exactly the most physically-imposing team in the NHL -- want to add a 5-foot-9 forward to the mix? Besides, Buffalo has its share of youngsters, and giving up the type of assets the Wild would want (a first-round draft pick and a decent prospect) does not seem to be a wise move for the Sabres. No one is saying Rossi isn't talented. He's not close to his prime yet, and a 30-goal year certainly isn't out of the question for him in the future. But considering where the Sabres are in their competitve development, adding a youngster who couldn't be a meaningful part of an up-and-coming Wild team isn't a move that many legitimate playoff teams would make, at least in the short-term. The Sabres need someone with more experience than Rossi can offer right now. They don't need to surrender picks and prospects when they've got youngsters in-house who should get a longer look at the NHL level. Let some other team take a chance on Rossi, as Buffalo doesn't need to take that risk at the moment. Here's Why Oilers' Clutch Player Needs To Be A Free-Agent Target For Sabres In their current playoff push, the Edmonton Oilers have received contributions from throughout the lineup. But one player -- albeit a currently-injured player -- is someone the Buffalo Sabres ought to be targeting when he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Sabres did have success with another Austrian native -- former star winger Thomas Vanek -- but in this case, they should be leaving well enough alone and focusing their efforts on acquiring a more proven commodity than Rossi. He's going to be well-compensated by one team or another this summer, but Rossi almost assuredly won't be coming to Buffalo. The risk/reward of adding someone who, for all we know, could take a backward or lateral step this coming season just doesn't make sense for the Sabres. So put away those Buffalo jerseys with 'Rossi' on the nameplate. He's not going to be a Sabre, and that's not a bad thing for where Buffalo is in its development.
