Aaron and John talk about joining the world of video podcasts, Byron Buxton putting on a show in an otherwise struggling Twins lineup, Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien being passed over as Royce Lewis' replacement, and Joe Ryan holding the rotation together.

Aaron and John talk about Bailey Ober's struggles adding to the Twins rotation's mounting problems, Byron Buxton doing it all, trading Jorge Alcala to the Red Sox, and claiming Joey Wentz off waivers.

Two veteran reporters from The Hill—Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin—drop by the pod to discuss their new book, Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America, which dropped this past April via Island Press. You'll learn about the accidental origins of PFAS chemicals, their consumer-facing ubiquity, and the massive health risk they p…

Aaron and John talk about the Twins losing Pablo López for 8-12 weeks and how they'll replace him in the rotation, the increasingly difficult situation surrounding Royce Lewis' prolonged struggles, Travis Adams joining the bullpen to soak up innings, and Justin Ishbia (finally) agreeing to buy the White Sox.…

Aaron and John talk about the impending returns of Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner for a Twins lineup that needs plenty of help, why Carson McCusker didn't get much of a chance to do anything, the MVPs of the first third of the season, and introducing a new furry co-host.

It's a Very Special Episode of RacketCast! No guests this week. Instead, three of Racket's four co-owner/editors—Jay Boller, Em Cassel, and Keith Harris—will share the origin story of our local news, arts, and culture publication, which'll turn four this summer. All it takes? Four laid-off schmucks with a combined $4,000, plenty of Covid-era unempl…

Aaron and John talk about Carlos Correa rejoining the Twins' lineup, the possibility of Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner also returning soon, how Kody Clemens has hit his way into a bigger role, and the pitching staff's ability to carry the team no matter what the bats are doing.

Aaron and John talk about the Twins climbing out of an early hole with a double-digit winning streak for the second straight season, the decision to remove Simeon Woods Richardson from the rotation, the scary Byron Buxton-Carlos Correa collision, and the relievers rounding into form alongside the thriving starters.…

The horror Davis Moturi and his wife, Caroline, experienced after moving into a cute white house on Grand Avenue in south Minneapolis has been well-documented. Moturi, a 34-year-old Black man, quickly realized his neighbor, 54-year-old white man John Sawchak, was determined to make his life hell. Beginning in 2023, Sawchak's seemingly endless assau…

Last fall Racket surveyed 44 Minnesota brewing pros and found that 63.6% believe the industry is in a positive place—not bad! Last month Racket highlighted Axios reporting that showed a 10.8% boost in Minnesota craft brewery production last year—nice! But David Berg, the longtime brewmaster at August Schell Brewing Co., isn't convinced by those typ…

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' all-too familiar series in Cleveland, good pitching going to waste because of a weak lineup, Royce Lewis nearing a return, waiting for the real Carlos Correa to show, and what happens at the trade deadline if they keep losing.

A fresh RacketCast ep, out one day early due to Wolves Fever gripping the state. Is it unwise to keep calling our listeners "dummies"? Perhaps, but that's what we did with our Twins preview pod, and we're doing it again for this Timberwolves explainer featuring the great podcaster Dane Moore. Dane joined us Wednesday afternoon from L.A., where hour…

Aaron and John talk about Luke Keaschall's great first week with the Twins, the nearing return of Royce Lewis, what's wrong with Carlos Correa's swing, how Willi Castro's injury was handled, and leaning into Ryan Jeffers.

We're still figuring out what types of conversations y'all wanna hear on RacketCast, and our first experiment with a newsier, shorter installment was a certified hit. So here's another bonus ep along those lines: our chat with veteran state Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville) about whether Minnesota should ban billboards. Marty's eye-catching new bill …

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' mounting injuries, the arrival of top-100 prospect Luke Keaschall, why Carlos Correa's wrist could explain a lot, what to make of Griffin Jax's struggles, and highlighting Harrison Bader's defense.

Twin Cities burger freaks: This is the episode for you. The proprietors of two elite food trucks—Angry Line Cook (Jesse Hedman and Mona Negasi) and Burger Daddies (Nikki and Brian Podgorski)—dropped by our studio for a long conversation about cheeseburgers, building your business from scratch, and life in the trenches of the food industry. (FYI: Wh…

Aaron and John talk about the Twins desperately needing to stop digging a deeper hole, Pablo López's injury throwing the rotation into flux, why the lineup's biggest names are dragging it down the most, and Rocco Baldelli's job status being in question.

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' ugly start to the season, why the narratives can't help but tie back to last year's collapse, Byron Buxton's health providing one of the rare reasons for optimism, and why the starting rotation is an unexpected question mark.

What's going on up there in Duluth? Plenty of stuff worth trying out ahead of your demise, that's for sure. Duluth News Tribune reporter Jay Gabler chronicled the exact number in his new book, 100 Things to Do In Duluth Before You Die. Jay, who you might remember from his time at 89.3 the Current, hopped on the pod to discuss the Zenith City's must…

Late Tuesday, Gov. Tim Walz surprised around 40,000 state workers by announcing a mandatory 50% return-to-office policy for employees who live within 75 miles of their main work location. “This policy change supports the economic vitality of office districts like downtown St. Paul, bringing foot traffic back to businesses and public spaces,” the go…

Aaron and John discuss Royce Lewis' latest injury and run through their over-under picks for the American League, including their final Minnesota Twins predictions.

In the early '00s Aaron Gleeman's U of M journalism professors suspected he was chronically hungover. In reality, the young blogger was chronically exhausted from writing about baseball literally all night long. That set Gleeman on a path that includes Aaron's Baseball Blog (cute!), NBC Sports, Baseball Prospectus, and, since 2019, the Athletic, wh…

Aaron and John talk about Twins camp ramping up less than two weeks before Opening Day, Zebby Matthews' standout spring and why the rotation could be the team's biggest strength, Brock Stewart's steady post-surgery progress, moving goalposts for the sale of the team, and 15 minutes with Phil Miller.

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' pitching depth being tested early by injuries, the bullpen door opening for Louie Varland and maybe Eiberson Castellano, projections showing clear strengths and weaknesses for this roster, and Brock Stewart returning from surgery with his raw stuff intact.

Voters elected Mary Moriarty as Hennepin County's top prosecutor in 2022, which, given the sweeping sociopolitical changes since, feels like 1,000 years ago. Just over two full years into the job, how has Moriarty's progressive vision of restorative justice unfolded while Minneapolis remains under a national microscope? We asked the first openly LG…

Aaron and John talk about billionaire Justin Ishbia pulling out of talks to buy the Twins and pivoting to the White Sox, Dave St. Peter officially stepping down as team president, good news on Brock Stewart, DaShawn Keirsey trying to impress, and the domino effects of ABS challenges.

Aaron and John talk about the early Twins tidbits from spring training involving Ty France, Jose Miranda, Brock Stewart, Louie Varland, Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Chris Paddack, Harrison Bader, and more.

A terrestrial radio DJ... on a podcast?! Believe it: We've got Dave Ryan, the 101.3 KDWB morning show host since 1993, on the pod to talk pranks, legacy, the evolving nature of Top 40 radio, and the ill-fated Booty Cruises. (Our conversation cold-opens with him dealing with a Colorado exterminator—how can you cut tape that good?) Be sure read Rache…

Aaron and John talk about the Twins signing Harrison Bader and Danny Coulombe just before the start of spring training, which roster battles to watch during camp, why adding anyone else might mean trading away someone like Willi Castro, and the latest details on the new TV setup.

We've got a double-header for ya, folks. In the leadoff spot: Keith and Jay discuss Poised to Pop, Racket's annual predictions for the year's most exciting new local music acts. (It is very different from Picked to Click, thank you very much!) Hear Keith's scouting reports, then dive into some of the best rock, jazz, techno, rap, etc. sounds curren…

Did you know the Star Tribune recently launched its very first episodic, narratively driven podcast series, Ghost of a Chance? Over six episodes, reporter Eric Roper and producer Melissa Townsend explore the lives Harry and Clementine Robinson, a Black Minneapolis family who owned Roper's south Minneapolis home in the early 20th century. "The Robin…

Aaron and John host Twins Daily's 2025 Winter Meltdown and interview Minnesota Twins players Ryan Jeffers and Simeon Woods Richardson, and Twins TV play-by-play announcer Cory Provus.

Mitch Hedberg conceived his jokes with a deliberate eye toward timelessness. The Minnesota-launched comedy great’s widow, Lynn Shawcroft, confirmed as much during a 2013 episode of WTF with Marc Maron. And for about 15 years, the timeless comedy of Hedberg—surreal one-liners, musings, and wordplay delivered in his unmistakable stoner drawl—attracte…

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' lack of offseason activity, rumblings of the Pohlads moving closer to selling the team, the local broadcast plans for 2025, trading for former top prospect Diego Cartaya, and parsing quotes about the payroll.

It's the first RacketCast episode of 2025! Before '24 ended, we reviewed the year in music, bozos, politics, and movies, though we didn't have time to bite off a biggie: food 'n' drink. So, for this ep, we recruited two great dining writer/reporters—James Norton (Heavy Table) and Justine Jones (formerly of Eater Twin Cities)—to hashbrown out the ye…

Aaron and John talk about Max Kepler, Carlos Santana, and Caleb Thielbar officially leaving the Twins as free agents, how Mickey Gasper and Mike Ford could fit into the lineup plans, why giving up on Jovani Morán seems odd, and starting a cricket podcast.

Did you that co-owner/editor Keith Harris is the only regularly published movie critic in all of Minnesota? Sounds wild, but we believe it to be true! As such, movies are a big part of the equation over here, though we've never addressed them via the podcast medium. To remedy that, we enlisted a silver-screen freak you know and love: Racket super-c…

A special bonus episode of our biweekly RacketCast? Believe it. Happy Lizz Winstead Day! Minnesota comedy great Lizz Winstead is a legend of lefty media, having co-created Comedy Central's Daily Show as well as Air America Radio. Every holiday season, Winstead returns home for a show that recaps the year that was. And folks? Good god... what a year…

Aaron and John talk about the billionaire brothers, Justin and Mat Ishbia, being interested in buying the Twins from the Pohlads, trade speculation swirling around Carlos Correa, and the pros and cons of Rule 5 pick Eiberson Castellano.

Aaron and John talk about the changes to the Twins' coaching staff, what to expect from the Winter Meetings, why MLB's early offseason moves have been surprising, and cheap free agent fits for the Twins that might still be too expensive.

What were the biggest, strangest, buzziest, most important, least important, and/or riffiest Minneapolis politics stories of 2024? Glad you asked! Because that's more or less what we posed to John Edwards, Taylor Dahlin, and Jason Garcia of Wedge Live!, a collection of folks who pay as close attention to such matters as anyone in town. They teed up…

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' surprising front office shakeup involving Dave St. Peter, Derek Falvey, and Jeremy Zoll, why the timing is odd with the team up for sale, Carlos Correa trade speculation, Rule 5 protection decisions and scouting reports on beat writers.

A sincere and gratitude-stuffed "gobble, gobble" to all our RacketCast listeners ahead of this, the final episode before Thanksgiving. As such, we're talkin' turkey—local folks deserving of our unenviable "Biggest MN Turkeys of 2024" designation, that is. (How did we possibly come up with this idea?) Em, Keith, and Jay go around the horn, picking t…

A special bonus episode of our biweekly RacketCast? Believe it! When Minnesota Public Radio's Cathy Wurzer reached out about the new TPT documentary she's co-executive producing, Broadcast Wars, we figured: hey, nice opportunity to run a Q&A about the doc, which explores the pioneering and often cutthroat world of Twin Cities TV news from the 1950s…

In this edition of RacketCast, get to know Racket’s first-ever Picked to Click winner: Papa Mbye! A terrific new album, Parcelles 16, helped vault the Senegal-born, Minneapolis-based musician to the top of the poll, and deservedly so. The music he makes—drawing from rap, electronic music, and indie rock—would have been unthinkable when the original…

Aaron and John talk about the Twins' biggest offseason needs, Alex Kirilloff's shocking retirement, assumptions about payroll, 40-man roster housecleaning, Carlos Santana's first Gold Glove at age 38, and finish with a Patreon show clip with the Star-Tribune's Bobby Nightengale talking about which players are most likely to be traded.…

Aaron and John talk about the Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series matchup, the Twins hiring Matt Borgschulte as their new (old) hitting coach, the team MVP debate and other end-of-season awards, reviewing our over/under picks, and a clip from our chat with Phil Miller of the Star Tribune.

There's no disputing it: This is the spookiest episode in RacketCast history. First up, we've got Dan Suitor, winner of last year's skyway-themed flash-fiction horror contest, doing a bone-chilling reading of his spooktacular winning story, Skyway Hungers. Then Em and Jay chitchat about their gun bingo and bigfoot conference stories (what a website…

Aaron and John discuss the Minnesota Twins being for sale and announcing a new TV deal for 2025.

Depending on who ask, St. Paul educator/social media star Mandi Jung is either "the fun teacher" who cares deeply for her middle school students (that's according to HBO's John Oliver). Or she's the "anti-capitalist teacher [who] promotes anarchy" (that's according to Fox News). We absolutely loved chatting with Jung, who regularly shares her funny…