KELLY GORDON: The Minnesota Vikings have finalized their list of 53 players for the upcoming season. Yesterday was the deadline for NFL teams to do that, but their rosters could still change. Joining me with a breakdown of this and other Minnesota sports news are our weekly sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Welcome, guys.

ERIC NELSON: Hey, happy Monday.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Welcome to you.

KELLY GORDON: Yes, happy Monday indeed. So Wally, what were the biggest moves the Vikings made, and how final is this roster, really?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I’ll answer part two of your question first. It’s semifinal. There are going to be some changes. There are going to be some waiver wire pickups, some guys that got cut from other teams, and some of the guys, many of the guys that the Vikings let go yesterday, will end up on their practice squad. I think they have 16 spots on the practice squad so that they can continue along, practice with the team, be alongside the team, and if somebody gets injured or something happens along the way, then they have these guys to reach to.

But insofar as the actual cuts, yes, you are correct. Those were made yesterday. They went from about 90 players down to 53. I don’t think there were any huge surprises. I guess the one player that I was surprised by that got cut was punter Johnny Hekker, who had a lot of success with the Rams when Kevin O’Connell was there. They brought him in. But they’re going to go with rookie Brett Thorson. He will be the punter.

The other big surprise, I think, is the fact that currently– and this goes back to your original statement, Kelly– that they have decided to keep four quarterbacks. So how long will this go? Certainly, if they decide to keep all four, I would guess that Max Brosmer would end up on the practice squad. But that’s the big question right now.

And if they’re keeping four, are they trying to trade one of them? Is JJ McCarthy potentially going to get traded? What’s his trade value? I mean, if the Vikings give up on him already, it gives you an indication of what they’ve seen and what they think. He’s been hurt again. He got hurt in the second preseason game, did not play Friday against Denver, so still a lot of question marks.

But I think that as far as surprises, the biggest surprise is they kept four quarterbacks but may not be a surprise if, in fact, they’re trying to trade one of them. I would guess it would be McCarthy or perhaps Carson Wentz because Kyler Murray is your number one quarterback. So we shall see. But as of right now, that’s the latest.

KELLY GORDON: And like you said, this is all a little– it’s final-ish, like how we would say.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yes, exactly.

KELLY GORDON: And definitely the four quarterback thing, that was the talk in my house this weekend. So, Eric, I understand that the Vikings also lost an iconic player. Quarterback Bob Lee died recently at the age of 81. Can you tell us a little bit about him?

ERIC NELSON: Yeah, some sad news. This happened a couple weeks ago. We lost Bob Lee at age 81. His nickname was The General, Kelly. And he was primarily a backup, but he started one of the most iconic games in Vikings history. You go back to December of 1977, Fran Tarkenton, the legend, was injured.

So Lee and Minnesota marched into the LA Coliseum to play the Rams, who were 10-point favorites to win. Most experts thought Los Angeles would dominate the game because they would be presumably playing in California’s sunshine. It wouldn’t be the frozen turf at the old Met. And let’s not forget, the Rams crushed the Vikings earlier that season 35 to 3.

But sometimes it does rain in Southern California. And the Coliseum field was soaked by a rare rainstorm that turned the playing surface into a quagmire. And every player was a muddy mess. And I can tell you this because I was there as a young kid. I was drenched. But it was one of the most cool experiences I’ve had in my sports career.

Chuck Foreman had a huge game for the Vikings. The Purple People Eaters were very good, as usual. But it was Bob Lee, who was a four-wheel-drive quarterback, completing passes early in the game, and in monsoon-like conditions, and guiding the Vikings to a stunning 14 to 7 playoff win. Certainly, it’s one of the most iconic victories in Purple postseason history. Bob Lee, we will not forget what you did that rainy day in LA.

KELLY GORDON: Wow, legendary. That’s amazing. That’s a great story and how cool that you were there. So let’s switch gears here and talk a little bit about basketball. The Timberwolves made some trade moves. Lynx lost their second game in a row before the FIBA World Cup. So what’s the latest in the pro basketball world, Eric?

ERIC NELSON: We’ll start with the T Wolves. They sent forward Josh Green and some cash to Utah in exchange for Cody Williams and John Konchar. The move is going to give Minnesota some salary cap flexibility. The team can now sign a 15th player. And if you remember, a few days ago, Minnesota also signed free agent Jonathan Kuminga, who had played for Atlanta, and before that, Golden State.

As for the Lynx, yeah, a hiccup again yesterday in Georgia. They lose to the Atlanta Dream 89-81. Angel Reese paced the dream with 15 points and 11 rebounds. That was Reese’s 29th double-double this season. It’s a new WNBA record.

KELLY GORDON: Wow.

ERIC NELSON: Allisha Gray sank six 3 balls for Atlanta, finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Olivia Miles scored 21 points for the Lynx, who, despite losing their second straight game in Minnesota, Kelly, is now 31 and 9 and has the top record in the WNBA. And now, the W hits the pause button. They’re going to take a break for the FIBA World Cup. That runs September 4 through the 13 in Berlin, Germany.

Some of the Lynx players participating in the cup are Napheesa Collier, Team USA, Chloe Bibby, Australia, and Eliska Joklova from Team Czechia. And if you’re wondering about the next WNBA game, New York Liberty at Minnesota Lynx Friday, September 18. And by the way, the Lynx have just four regular season games left before the playoffs.

KELLY GORDON: Wow. This year is just flying by. So let’s talk baseball then. Wally, the Twins are coming off a series against the Chicago White Sox. How did that go?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, the series in general wasn’t great. They lost two out of three. But they had a really good performance from Zeb Matthews yesterday. So they’ll go into tonight’s game with the Detroit Tigers at Target Field on a win– a winning note, I should say. I’m not going to call it a winning streak. It’s one game, but much needed win yesterday. They beat him by a score of 5 to 1.

Zebby was great. He went 8 and 1/3 innings and really looked good. He reached over 100 pitches and finally had to come out in the ninth inning. And pitching a complete game is so rare in baseball these days. It’s not like the old days with Jack Morris pitching into the 10 inning in the World Series. But nonetheless, they win the game. They still find themselves 7 and 1/2 games behind the White Sox in the American League Central. They still find themselves 7 games below 500. So they’ve won 65 and lost 72.

And until you get to the even-Steven mark, until they become a 500 team, I don’t know that you can take them seriously for the postseason. Do they have a chance? Of course they do. They’re only four games out of the last wild card spot. The problem with that, of course, is that there are a number of teams between them and Cleveland who currently holds that last wild card spot. So yes, they have a chance. Is it a very good chance? I would say probably not.

Bad news– Byron Buxton goes back on the injured list, so he will not be returning, at least for another 10 days. And some good news on the flip side of the injury front, Joe Ryan, pitcher Joe Ryan, he’ll make a rehab start, and that will be tomorrow. So hopefully Joe Ryan can pitch for the Twins soon, maybe this coming weekend. And hopefully, Byron Buxton can come back off the list after 10 days.

KELLY GORDON: And when is their next game? This weekend?

WALLY LANGFELLOW: They play tonight. The Twins play tonight. Yeah, they’re at Target Field. They start a four-game series with the Detroit Tigers tonight at Target Field.

KELLY GORDON: Perfect. We will leave it there. Always good to talk to you guys, get the sports latest. Those are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson. Thank you.

WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thank you.