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Will Reichard ‘has done an unbelievable job’ for the Minnesota Vikings

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Will Reichard ‘has done an unbelievable job’ for the Minnesota Vikings


The Minnesota Vikings waived John Parker Romo on July 29, leaving rookie Will Reichard as the only kicker on their training-camp roster. But the former Hoover High School and Alabama standout said he tried not to let the change in status affect his preparation for the 2024 NFL season.

“I’m not really thinking about that too much, to be honest with you,” Reichard said on Aug. 3. “I’m just trying to put my best foot forward and trying to find the best version of myself every day I come out here and trying to get 1 percent better every single day. Wherever that takes me, it sort of takes me. I’m just trying to find a way to be the best version of myself.”

Vikings special-team coordinator Matt Daniels said Minnesota had not intended to conclude its kicking competition so early in the preseason. But a need in the secondary led the Vikings to sign former Oxford High School standout Bobby McCain, and Minnesota waived Romo to create a roster spot for him.

“That was an unfortunate situation,” Daniels said. “We really, really wanted to continue to see John Parker Romo. I thought he was doing a great job. And, you know, Will did, too, because when he first came in here, he understood to know what he was up against. Like, the job just wasn’t going to just be given to him because he was a draft pick. He truly wanted to earn the right of his teammates, the respect of his teammates, and win the job. And we got to a point, obviously, where there were some roster changes that needed to happen. As a result, we kind of had to make that move.

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“But Will has done an unbelievable job since he’s gotten here.”

Greg Joseph handled the Vikings’ kicking duties during the previous three seasons. In 2023, Joseph made 24-of-30 field-goal attempts and 36-of-38 extra-point tries. In March, he signed with the Green Bay Packers as a free agent.

Romo signed with Minnesota on March 13. The All-XFL kicker for the San Antonio Brahmas in 2023, he’s also been on the rosters of the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears without appearing in an NFL regular-season game.

Reichard joined Minnesota in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on April 27. In five seasons with the Crimson Tide, Reichard made 84-of-100 field-goal attempts and 295-of-297 extra-point tries as he scored an NCAA-record 547 points.

“He’s steady Eddie,” Daniels said of Reichard. “He’s a guy that really maintains a good, neutral mindset, and you truly never know when he’s in a good mood or when he’s in a bad mood. He can go perfect on a day, and he’s still just even keel. And it’s like, you know, ‘That was a good day.’ And he’ll tell you, like, ‘On a scale of 1 to 10, that was a 5.’ And it’s like, ‘Damn, you went perfect, and you hit every ball and went all the way back to 60.’ And he’s like, ‘No, that wasn’t good enough.’ And so he has expectations, and he has high standards for himself, and that’s really what you appreciate.

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“And we’ve gone into discussions now that he is our kicker on what his season goals look like and what training-camp goals look like. And I have an idea of what it looks like. And he’s kind of telling me, like, ‘That’s not good enough.’ And, you know, I appreciate that. I really appreciate the edginess that he has and the mindset that he has. And that’s the reason why we drafted him is because of that mindset.”

Reichard said “a lot of kicking is mental.”

“A lot of people have ability, but it’s about what’s up here that really counts,” Reichard said while pointing to his head. “So just making sure that’s sharp.”

Reichard will get his first opportunity to kick in a Minnesota uniform in the Vikings’ preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders at 3 p.m. CDT Saturday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. NFL Network will televise the game.

“I think this is a great spot,” Reichard said. “Obviously landed myself in a great, great group of guys. … Everyone in the building has been awesome, so super glad I ended up here, for sure.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.





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Minnesota cannabis store owners lament testing backlog: “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved”

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Minnesota cannabis store owners lament testing backlog: “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved”


One of five cannabis testing sites in Minnesota is shutting down, citing exorbitant costs as the reason.

William Drexler is moving product he has around as he waits patiently for more. He says customers who come into Grey Area, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, are looking for adult-use items, which he says are being held up by a backlog in testing.

“We haven’t had problems with drinks or edibles yet, but for the adult-use products that where we’ve seen the delays, like your pre-rolls, your flowers, we haven’t even gotten pens in yet,” Drexler said.

He says getting cannabis products in his store has been an issue since he got his license to sell them a few months ago.

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“I’ve heard pretty much from every vendor that it’s testing that we are waiting on. That’s been the normal thing to hear, and week by week they may say, ‘it’s next week,’ and that can delay into the following week. So at this point I don’t think many of them are giving a date,” he said.

He anticipates getting those products will take even longer now that one of the testing sites is no longer testing.

In a statement, Legends Technical Services said, “under the current regulatory framework, we do not foresee an ability to continue to meet our client expectations in an economically viable manner. “

“We’ve already seen testing delays from the get go, so vendors aren’t really giving us time frames because they are probably hearing different time frames themselves,” Drexler said. “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved.”

For now, Drexler contacts growers to see how long before his shelves are in full bloom.

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“These companies here, it’s the same story kind of from them when we contact them. ‘Hey, we need more product. We’re hoping for new [product] soon, but it’s coming out of testing soon,’” he said.

WCCO has reached out to Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management for comment on the backlog.



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Jack Leiter’s struggles at home give Minnesota Twins a pitching edge in American League clash

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Jack Leiter’s struggles at home give Minnesota Twins a pitching edge in American League clash


Every year, I feel like I end up locking on certain pitchers and teams and bet them more than others. It almost never is intentional; usually, I find a team or player I like, we win with them consistently, and I ride the horse until it is time to get off. That’s a bit of how I feel with both the Twins and Rangers who battle in this one.

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I have said that the Chicago White Sox are the biggest surprise in all of baseball, but the Minnesota Twins might be willing to make a strong argument about it. This was a year that the Twins were supposed to be garbage and be more likely to trade people away (like they did last year) than they would be looking to make a move for the club. I can’t say it is entirely due to Byron Buxton, one of the names floated in trade rumors last year and in the offseason, but he is having a great campaign and has the Twins just five games below .500.

Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 21, 2022. (David Berding/Getty Images)

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One of the other guys that you can attribute the success of this year to is today’s starter, Joe Ryan. If the Twins do decide to take Ryan to the market, he will have many suitors and should bring back a big haul. Ryan has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has been slightly worse on the road than at home, but it hasn’t been a significant issue. He was great in May, posting a 1.73 ERA, but June has seen him make three starts and allow eight earned runs, including four homers. Rangers hitters have struggled significantly against him, hitting just .143 against him.

The Texas Rangers are still in the mix for the American League West division. Before you say, “Well, yeah, it’s only the middle of June.” I bring this up because they are just two games back of the Mariners, and the Rangers really haven’t played all that well this season. I think there is a lot of potential for this team to add a bat, and he could make a major difference. If they added Buxton, for example, the Rangers might be the favorite to win the division given how everyone else is playing.

Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter delivers a pitch to the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on May 31, 2026. (Jim Cowsert/Imagn Images)

I’m not trying to discuss hypothetical trades, though. The pitching staff might be enough to carry them to a Wild Card or division title anyway. Today’s starter, Jack Leiter, isn’t the best on the roster, but he’s been good. Leiter is 3-6 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. At home, he has been okay, going 2-2 with a 4.14 ERA. He has allowed four or more earned runs in seven of his 14 outings. Twins hitters are batting .417 against Leiter in just 12 at-bats, with Buxton going 2-for-2 with a double, a homer and three RBIs.

I think it probably makes sense to play Buxton to get 2+ bases here today. I get that he probably did all of this damage to Leiter in one game, but it is still worth seeing if he can get it done. He is having a good season, and Leiter isn’t a guy who is going to make you nervous very often about throwing zeroes.

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Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins jogs off the field after the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 15, 2025. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

I also think we probably should play the game overall. I think the Twins are the correct side in this game. There are a lot of times that I’d back the Rangers, as I think they have the better overall team, but in this one, the pitching mismatch is too strong. Give me the Ryan-led Twins, through five, on the moneyline.

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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024 

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End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum packs big history into small-town Minnesota

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End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum packs big history into small-town Minnesota


City parks are all across Minnesota. But a town in Murray County has one that’s gone off its rails.

Currie, Minnesota, is truly small-town America. The population hovers at just over 200. But on the northern outskirts, you’ll happen upon a place with plenty of bells and whistles: End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.

“It’s like a little village from way back when. You have your church. You’ve got a school,” said visitor Larry Diedrich.

You’ve also got railroad relics, up and down the tracks.

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“1901 was when the first line was put in here,” said Jake Halverson, site manager for End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.

Halverson said Currie was once a thriving railroad town. In fact, it was the end of the line for steam engines heading west. If you wanted to go east, Currie was your gateway to the rest of the world. The first stop was Bigham Lake.

“From Bigham Lake they could go to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Chicago, from Chicago to New York,” said Halverson.

But by mid-century the last train had left the station. No sooner did that happen than teenagers from the local 4H club began to clean up the abandoned turntable.

The platform was used to turn 400,000-pound steam engines around when they hit the end of the line. Thanks to the 4Hers, it still works today.

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The club also bought the train depot for $1 from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company and moved it closer to the turntable.

“That is really the beginning of maybe bringing more attention to the history of the railroad here,” said Halverson.

It’s history that comes in all shapes and sizes, including a model railroad that’s a replica of a time that was.

“It was built to look like what Currie was 100 years ago,” said Halverson.

Much of what you see at the park and museum is original, including a 125-year-old water tower that was moved to the site from Walnut Grove.

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The caboose nearby originally came from South Dakota. The locomotive once ran in Georgia.

The rail business may have left Currie, but the love for trains never did. It’s a chance to celebrate big history in a small town.

“Wherever there have been trains, there have been people who are fascinated by them,” said Halverson. “I think this is an opportunity for individuals to learn about not only this part of Minnesota but to know where this part of Minnesota fits in with the rest of the world.”

The End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.

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