In 1992 Mark Parrish started high school and dreamed of wearing the baby blues of Bloomington Jefferson. He quickly made an impact and went on to win two states titles before he moved on the college hockey. He was on the fast track to the NHL. Everything is going great until he is traded to the New York Islanders. Life happens and Mark tells us how…

Lea B Olsen was raised in poverty in a blended family in South Minneapolis. She was introduced to sports relatively late in her youth. Lea began her basketball career in her junior year of high school and after only two years, went on to play Division I basketball at the University of Minnesota. After college, she transformed her success on the cou…

Wes Walz was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and this is where he started his tedious road to the NHL. Walz's path exemplifies his commitment to play hockey at the highest level. Whether it was the long bus rides in the snowy tundra of Canada or playing overseas in Switzerland. His journey had many ups and downs but at times it looked like there w…

If you knew nothing about Jason Zucker except that he was a professional athlete, born in Newport Beach, CA, and grew in Las Vegas, Nevada, what sport would you think he played? Maybe he is on the PGA tour? He kind of looks like a baseball player maybe he plays in the MLB? Or maybe he is the Las Vegas version of Spud Webb! Based on where he is from…

At 7 years old Gavin Kaysen saw what the power of food could do. He saw this making cookies with his grandma. Food can make people smile. This started his love for cooking. Playing youth sports helped him for years after he was done. The lesson learned permeates through his business and life. He learned about culture from his Little League coach Pe…

Marcus Foligno was a well-travel youth athlete. Not on his own accord but following his NHL star father. Where his dad played, the family lived. Where his dad coached the family lived. A budding baseball star's final childhood move went from Hershey, PA to the nickel mining town of Sudbury, Ontario where baseball was no longer a reality and hockey …

The Evereve Journey started in a women's dressing room in a San Fransico clothing store. A young mom by the name Megan Tamte felt overwhelmed and alone! This is not how a young mother should feel about her shopping experience. Megan knew that the clothing options for young moms were extremely limited and the experience was miserable for a mom totin…

Mike Carter retired as a St. Paul police officer after 30 years in 2010. Mike loved watching Ryan play hockey. But Ryan didn't get the hockey bug from dad. He got it from friends with whom he grew up and the White Bear Lake Hockey Association. Mike Carter was a linebacker at St. Agnes, coached Ryan as a kid and hoped his son, a quarterback, would f…

WE BELIEVE THAT EVERY ACT OF KINDNESS—NO MATTER HOW BIG OR SMALL—GOES A LONG WAY.” Eric Brust - Co-founder- CEO Johnny pop Armed with a blender, assorted kitchen utensils and Erik’s vision of a “better-for-you” frozen fruit bar, Andrew Sather, Connor Wray, Kilian Wald, and Erik Brust made their way to the basement kitchen of their dorm at St. Olaf …

Hockey tryouts are on us in Minnesota. Blake talks about how he had to process his 8-year old son getting cut from the top team and how this notion of being cut affected him, he was cut from a team as a youth hockey player. This episode talks is a conversation between former professional athletes being cut and how they deal with their kids getting …

Born in Willmer, Minnesota Peter Taunton was the youngest of 7 children. He went from small-town Minnesota to a pioneer in the fitness industry. In 2003, he had a vision: to create an affordable, 24-7, results-driven gym differentiated from the impersonal, expensive big-box experience. Today there are Snap Fitness franchises in 2,500 locations in 2…

Kyle Gibson started his path to the big leagues from the Hoosier state. He loved basketball but he loved baseball more. He has been around baseball his whole life, as his dad was a coach at the high school. Elbow surgery at 15 didn't deter him and he continued to impress scouts throughout his youth career. He was drafted out of high school by the P…

Are you willing to do what it takes to get what you want? The no-brainer answer is YES, ABSOLUTELY! But then why don't you have what you want? Is it because the over time we choose the easy road vs the hard road? There is no easy road to the top in professional sports for an athlete or for a front office position. Getting to the top is hard. Long h…

Jake Odorizzi, starting pitcher for Minnesota Twins, came to Minnesota via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. This wasn't the first time he was traded. The first time was from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Kansas City Royals, and then he went from the Royals to the Rays and finally to the Twins. Each time he was traded he was presented a different set…

Maximilian Kepler-Różyck is a German born baseball player playing Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins. How does the offspring of professional ballet dancers go from Germany to play in the Major Leagues. Corey Koskie dives into that and much more. Do you deal with self doubt? Nobody is immune for the voice of self-doubt. We all question ou…

Corey Koskie played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Milwaukee Brewers. He retired in 2009 while in spring training with the Chicago Cubs. His story has been told many times but Corey tells the detail behind his attempted comeback to the MLB. Corey faced more adversity in 6 weeks than he faced his whole major league career. --- S…

How does somebody go from play youth sport growing up in California, to playing college tennis, to founding a company that could change the face of medicine. Ping Yeh fought a tough battle with blood cancer and survived. Yeh is cancer-free, but he still deals with side effects from a high-potency regimen of chemotherapy that had almost no positive …

In June of 2011 the Atlanta Braves selected Ryne Harper in 37th-round. On February 2, 2018, Harper signed a minor-league contract with the Minnesota Twins. We have all heard the saying “a cup of coffee in the big leagues”. Ryne Harper, literally, had a cup of coffee in the big leagues with the Seattle Mariners. He was called up for three days and d…

The Foursome has been a part of the Wayzata Community for 80 years. It started as a little shop in Wayzata then grew to five different retail operations at the Wayzata Bay Center . . . men’s clothing, men’s big ‘n tall clothing, women’s clothing, children’s clothing, and men’s/women’s shoes. The Foursome wanted to stay in Wayzata but God had other …

Have you ever sat in the stand and wonder how does one become a first base coach in the major leagues and what the heck does a first base coach do on a major league team. Does he just stand next to first base to collect the batter’s armor? According to Wikipedia "Stationed in designated coaches' boxes near first and third base, they are appropriate…

The path to Major League Baseball isn't always on the diamond. There are other ways to work for a Major League Baseball team. Both paths require hard work, tenacity, and resilience. Dustin Morse has climbed the ranks from an intern with the Chicago Cubs to the Senior Director of Communications at Minnesota Twins. Some will say that he is "lucky" to…

Dr. Heather Bergeson is an accomplished Primary Care Sports & Pediatrics Physician. She is also an athlete and youth sports mom. She has seen the good of youth sports and she has seen the bad. She has treated 1000's of kids for overuse injuries and has had to deal with out of control coaches as a mom. She is doing all this with a long-term, progres…

On Jan. 9, 2018, Maggie Nichols released a statement informing the world that she, too, had been sexually assaulted by former USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar. She also let the world know that she was the one who had been identified only as “Athlete A” in the reports of Nassar’s actions, which he inflicted under the guise of medical treat…

In 2015 Kevin Warren became the first African-Americas chief operating officer of an NFL team. He is a lawyer by education and got his first job in the NFL in 1997 when he was hired by Dick Vermeil in a legal front office position. He earned a super Bowl ring with the Rams in 1999. He became interested in sports at an early age, which he attributes…

With every sport there is a risk for injury. With contact sports the risk increases dramatically. It is every parents greatest fear that when their child gets hit they don't get up. Jack Jablonski’s life changed forever after he was hit during a high school hockey game. The resulting injury left him quadriplegic. In a flash, Jack rose to local and …

Corey Koskie played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers and retired in 2009 while he was in Spring Training with the Chicago Cubs. July 5th, 2006 would be a day that changed Corey Koskie's career path forever. A little fly ball over his head landed him on the disabled list for 2 1/2 years. Corey tells his story of what hap…

Latroy Hawkins had a 21 year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the Minnesota Twins, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays. At the time of his retirement, Hawkins was the only act…

Darrell Thompson became a Minnesotan because of an IBM minority recruited push in the 1970's. His dad was recruited and the Thompson family moved to Rochester. Making friends in a new city is hard enough but it can be even harder when nobody looks like you. Sports helped connect his parents to the community. Sports also helped Darrell Thompson conn…

As a child in the 1950s, Frank White loved to watch his dad, Louis “Pud” White Jr., play baseball with the Twin City Colored Giants. That made an impression on him. The 50's was also a time of segregation in the South but Jim Crow were not in the north. At least they weren't suppose to be but there was still a culture of racism that exist. Frank Wh…

Through his acrobatic catches, booming bat, and contagious smile Torii Hunter captured the hearts of fans everywhere he played; Minnesota, LA, and Detroit. He was a guy that loved playing the game of baseball and his game showed it. Torii was a great teammate that came to play everyday and gave his full effort. To get to the Major Leagues was a bat…

On October 15, 2008, Jeff Dubay was arrested in Maplewood,MN for felony possession of a controlled substance. On October 24, 2008 KFAN terminated Dubay. Jeff Dubay was spinning out of control. Jeff Dubay had the sports geek dream roles. He was a clubhouse guy for the Twins when they won the 1987 and 1991 World Series. He then moved on to a very suc…

Tony Dungy is an Uncommon Man, Uncommon Coach, on a Uncommon path. The son of educators his coaching journey started in the living room of his home under the guidance of his mother and father. How is it possible to win the respect of his players and lead them to the Super Bowl without yelling, and screaming? Can you be successful without compromisi…

Tom Chorske played for the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburg Penguins, New York Islanders, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, and Washington Capitals through his 11 years career in the 90's. After he retired from playing he had to get a job and start the next phase of his life. A majority of players don't have the nest egg we think pro…

Corey Koskie is a former Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cub. He is also the founder of Linklete.com. January's topic is fear on Linklete.com. Being fearless doesn’t mean eliminating fear. Being fearless means knowing how to leverage fear. And to do that, you need to know a few things about what you are dealing wit…

In 2018 Dani Cameranesi was part of U.S Olympic History. The USA Women's Olympic Hockey Team won a gold medal for the 2nd time in history. The 1st time was 20 years ago. To become an Olympic champion requires resilience and grit. Dani had to learn that through her youth, high school career, and college career. Playing hockey with the boys at a youn…

According to University of Minnesota yearbooks, approximately 30 women tried out for the first-ever Gopher Women’s hockey team in 1918. Fast forward 60 years, there is very little organized girls hockey. Girls just didn’t play hockey. They figure skated and if they wanted to play something like hockey they chased a ring around the ice and played ri…

Mark Manney was born in Morris, Minnesota and after his family moved to Bemidji, Minnesota he played his first organized hockey game at age 13. He was a multi-sport athlete that choose to play hockey in high school in Moorhead, Minnesota. His high school hockey career was good enough to get an opportunity at the Air Force Academy. Life in the milit…

Rob Stauber has had a lot of success in his life and a lot of adversity. He is a lifelong learner. He was the first goalie in history to win the Hobey Baker Award, played in the NHL, and has had a successful transition to a post-career life as the founder of Stauber GoalCrease. He becomes the head coach of the women's hockey team. The last time the…

Anybody that follows Minnesota High School sports knows that the event of the year is the hockey state tournament that is held at the Xcel Energy Center. More than 100,000 people will go through the gates and the state final is played in front of a sold-out crowd. If that doesn’t impress you the 2017 state championship had online viewers from 37 co…

How the heck do you become a Major League Ump? Do you wake up one day and just show up or is there a process to get there? Well, there is a process and it is a GRIND. To get to the top of any field you have to put in your time and be really good at what you do. Tim Tschida was really good at what he did. He became a full time Americal League Ump in…

Corey A. Wulf, MD, provides specialty care in Orthopedic Sports Medicine at Twin Cities Orthopedics. Before this, he was a multisport athlete in Lennox, South Dakota. Playing youth sports doesn't mean that you are going to "go pro" and make millions of dollars playing in front of sold-out crowds. Yeah, that can be pretty cool, but the reality for a…

* Louis Vincent "Lou" Nanne born on June 2, 1941 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His nickname, "Sweet Lou from the Soo," stems from his native town in Sault Ste. Marie Ontario where he played his minor pro hockey with the Esposito brothers. Lou Nanne’s mom wanted Lou to be a dentist and that was the plan until he ended up at the University of Minneso…

It is not easy to be a youth hockey player in the US in the 80’s. There are few teams ,the travel is crazy, and it is expensive. The path to the NHL is hard. It is even harder when you get cut from your bantam travel team, you have no interest from any professional teams while in college, and you have only played defense your whole career. Blake Sl…

As a Canadian growing up in New Westminister, British Colombia Justin loved hockey. But he also played every sport he could; ball hockey, golf, basketball, volleyball, and baseball. He loved hockey growing up but he had to make a choice, hockey or baseball. How do you choose between the sports you love with one of them being the pride of your count…

Chad Greenway was raised on a hog and crop farm in Mt. Vernon, S.D., where he played 9-man high school football and had 26 kids in his class. Greenway learned the rigors of farm life. Summer seemed the worst season. At 5 a.m. it was wake up to help load pigs, or walk bean fields. Chad Greenway earned a scholarship from the University of Iowa and th…

Joe Mauer was a high school All-American in every sport he played. Being the youngest of 3 boys he did his best to keep up with his older brothers. He was living his dream of playing baseball for his childhood team, the Minnesota Twins. Listen to Joe tell his stories about growing up in St.Paul, his path to the Big Leagues, and dealing with the inj…

It is Sept 15, 2012, and the players have been locked out by the NHL because of the labor dispute between the NHL and the NHLPA. Some players go to Europe to play and others stay back. Mark talks about the turmoil between the players during the lockout. After dealing with that Mark signs with his hometown team the Minnesota Wild and then a few seas…

Steve's tenacity, resilience, and grit have paid off in high school and junior hockey. Now the fun starts. Steve talks about what it was like getting recruited, playing for Team USA, and being drafted by the LA Kings. Anybody that doesn't know Steve Johnson story can say he is "lucky". Luck doesn't make you a starting defenseman for the Gophers aft…

As a youth athlete, Steve Johnson loves to compete. He loves sports and plays baseball, hockey, and soccer. He wants to win. As he is getting to high school age he starts to lean more towards hockey. He is small and he is playing a physical sport at a physical position. He doesn't let that stop him and learns at every stage of the way. He gets his …

Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities, Major League Baseball's RBI program is having an impact on young inner-city men's lives. Ron Hayward is on dialysis 9 hours a night hoping for a donor and coaching at-risk youth. He tells his story of being raised on the streets of Jersey City, getting drafted by the Cincinnati Reds, deciding to go to college,…