Minnesota

Twins sale highlights stability after near contraction. So why did the North Stars fail?

Published

1 year ago

November 9, 2024

Twins sale highlights stability after near contraction. So why did the North Stars fail?

How the North Stars failed

FOX 9 interviewed fans, media members and former team employees about the North Stars’ financial struggles as part of an upcoming documentary about the franchise leaving Minnesota.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – The Minnesota Twins could now sell for $1.5 billion less than 25 years after they were nearly contracted out of baseball altogether. The North Stars also nearly folded in the 1980s. But after changes in ownership, the team failed to find stability in Minnesota before relocating to Texas. Why did one franchise thrive while the other died?

Backstory

The Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas, Texas, in 1993 after a dispute over stadium financing.

The move stunned fans who still resent former owner Norm Green.

Green was initially credited with saving the franchise when he took control in 1990.

Like the Twins, the franchise had nearly folded.

Similar struggles

The North Stars survived thanks to a merger with the Cleveland Barons in 1978.

“That was a circus because, OK, the North Stars were crap, Cleveland was crap so you just put more crap together,” said FOX 9 Sports Director Jim Rich.

“You got a bag of nothing and another bag of nothing, and you put them together, and now you have two bags of nothing,” said Tom Reid who played for the Stars prior to the merger.

Similar success

The Twins and North Stars both appeared to rally.

After near contraction, the Twins advanced to the American League Championship Series in 2002 and won the next three division titles.

The North Stars went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1981, just three years after the merger.

The Twins’ string of success ultimately led to stability, culminating with the opening of Target Field in 2010.

The North Stars took another nosedive.

Owners need deep pockets

In the 1980s, owners George and Gordon Gund were on the verge of moving the franchise to San Jose after failing to secure funding for renovations to the Met Center.

Lou Nanne, a former North Stars player and executive, negotiated a deal that essentially split the franchise in two. It allowed the Gunds to take over an expansion team in the Bay Area and left the North Stars for Minnesota.

“Worked out a deal with them where we could keep half a team and the Gunds could go to San Jose, and we could move on from there and, hopefully, thinking we could make things work,” Nanne said in an interview for the upcoming documentary on FOX 9.

After two more ownership changes, Norm Green took control of the franchise in 1990 and the team again found success after nearly disappearing.

The North Stars advanced to the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals and Green was hailed as a savior.

But John Blackshaw, former General Counsel for the North Stars, said Green didn’t have deep enough pockets to truly stabilize the franchise.

“He was very overleveraged,” Blackshaw said.

Green bought the North Stars after building a portfolio in Canada centered around shopping malls.

“I think he was getting pressure on his real estate investments in Canada,” Nanne added.

Everything is bigger in Texas

Green moved the franchise to Texas just three years after buying it.

But that too failed to stabilize the team’s financial footing.

Less than two years after relocating the franchise, Green sold the Dallas Stars in 1995 for $84 million to Tom Hicks, who also owned the Texas Rangers.

The deal allowed Green to wipe out more than $70 million in debt, according to press reports at the time.

The Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup in 1999. Green was later inducted into the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame.

In Minnesota, his name still invokes derisive chants.

Blaming the owners

The Pohlad family, which has owned the Minnesota Twins since 1984, also became the target of angry chants by the end of last season.

Fans demanded the family sell the team after cutting payroll and failing to make trades before the team fell apart and out of playoff contention.

Published

2 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Iran conflict: 250 Minnesota National Guard member serving in Middle East

(FOX 9) – The Minnesota National Guard tells FOX 9 there are currently 250 guard members on regularly scheduled deployment at the United States Central Command areas of responsibility as the United States leads strikes in Iran.

Guardsman in Middle East

What we know:

The Minnesota National Guard says the deployed airmen and soldiers are serving from Duluth’s 148th Fighter Wing, the Marshall-based 1-151 Artillery, and the Stillwater-based 34th Military Police Company.

What they’re saying:

“While their missions and duty locations vary, all are grateful for the strong support of those back home,” writes Army Maj. Andrea Tsuchiya, State Public Affairs Officer for the Minnesota National Guard.

What we don’t know:

The guard did not disclose the exact bases or countries where the soldiers and airmen are serving.

CENTCOM covers 21 countries including: Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

Pres. Trump says Iran operations likely to last 4 to 5 weeks

Big picture view:

In his first public remarks since the launch of the attack on Iran, President Trump said he expected operations to last four to five weeks, but he was prepared “to go far longer than that.”

The president also laid out his objective for the mission: to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, to “annihilate” their navy, to ensure the country doesn’t obtain a nuclear weapon and that the regime “cannot continue to arm, fund and direct terrorist armies outside of their borders.”

WorldMinnesotaPolitics

Source link

Minnesota

U.S.-Israeli strikes spark dueling rallies in Twin Cities

Published

14 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

U.S.-Israeli strikes spark dueling rallies in Twin Cities

Iranians in Minnesota react to Khamenei death

Iranians in the Twin Cities gathered in downtown Minneapolis on Sunday to celebrate major developments in the Middle East following the death of Supreme Leader Khamenei. While many Iranian-Americans expressed hope for regime change, anti-war protesters also took to the streets to condemn the military strikes, with some members of Minnesota’s DFL delegation calling the operation “unlawful” and “illegal.”

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Iranians in the Twin Cities gathered in downtown Minneapolis Sunday to celebrate major developments in the Middle East. Anti-war protesters also took the streets of Minneapolis Saturday.

Plus, Jewish communities say they are on high alert over concerns of potential retaliatory acts in major cities across the U.S.

‘Massive moment’

What we know:

Following a joint U.S. and Israeli military operation in Iran, Khamenei was killed in an attack, Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday.

What they’re saying:

Iranian community groups rallied at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street on Sunday to express hope for regime change.

Dozens of Iranian-Americans said they are celebrating the news.

“We are here to support Iranian people. Today, everybody is happy, very happy,” said Beheshteh Zargaran, an Iranian-American.

“Killed Khamenei, which was the supreme leader, and hopefully they will continue this action and help Iranians finally topple the Islamic regime,” said Faraz Samavat, an Iranian-American.

“That means a lot. We are fighting for almost half a century to destroy this cruel regime against people of Iran,” said Ali Mohammad, an Iranian-American.

Iranians in MN celebrate strikes by Pres. Trump

Iranians in the Twin Cities are gathering in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate major developments in the Middle East following a joint U.S. and Israeli military operation. Community groups rallied at Nicollet Mall and 11th Street to express hope for regime change after news that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in Saturday’s airstrikes.

The other side:

Protesters also took to the streets in the Twin Cities over the weekend condemning the strikes.

Some people are criticizing the military operation including members of Minnesota’s DFL delegation. Congresswoman Betty McCollum called the strikes “unlawful” and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar called the war “illegal and unjustified.”

Heightened security:

Jewish communities in Minnesota say they are also on high alert following security guidance across the country to prevent potential retaliatory violence.

“A heightened sense of vigilance making sure that everybody is aware of their surroundings and that all of the protective measures are in place,” said Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

There are currently no known specific threats against local Jewish communities.

WorldDonald J. TrumpPoliticsMinneapolisReligion

Source link

Minnesota

Here’s how much snow parts of Minnesota got on Saturday, Feb. 28

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Here’s how much snow parts of Minnesota got on Saturday, Feb. 28

article

Storm reports in from Minnesota on Saturday, Feb. 28.

LANESBORO, Minn. (FOX 9) – Impressive snow totals were reported in parts of Minnesota after a narrow band of heavy snowfall worked its way across the state.