As he prepped for the 2014 NFL draft, a young Anthony Barr hopped on a plane for a top 30 visit with the Vikings.

A native of Southern California through and through, Barr hadn’t experienced a ton of cold weather. So he didn’t pack the proper attire for the occasion.

“I got off the plane and it’s snowing,” Barr said. “I was like, ‘Oh damn. This is place is different. Hopefully we don’t come here, because I’m not trying to deal with the snow.’”

Naturally, the Vikings selected Barr, a linebacker out of UCLA, in the first round a few weeks later.

“It ended up working out,” Barr said with a smile. “Now I actually love the snow.”

The memories came flooding back for Barr on Monday afternoon at TCO Performance Center as he celebrated his retirement from the NFL.

He proudly reflected on the past decade as he stood at a podium with his fiancée Chelsea and his mother Lori seated in the audience. He also had former teammates Eric Kendricks, Andrew Sendejo and Audie Cole in attendance.

“It was important to me to retire a Viking,” Barr said. “It’s a franchise that changed my life, coming here in May 2014 as, really, a young boy trying to find his way playing a game he has loved his whole life.”

In his time with the Vikings, Barr recorded 496 tackles, 17 1/2 sacks and 44 quarterback hits across 102 games, all while serving as a conduit for former head coach Mike Zimmer regardless of circumstance

“He entrusted me with communicating to the guys,” Barr said. “We had a good line of communication, and that made our relationship really strong.”

Asked about the most memorable moment of his career, Barr immediately pointed to January 2016, reminiscing about how the Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers on the road to clinch the NFC North.

As important as Barr was for the Vikings on the field,  he might have ben even more impactful off the field. He found a home in Minnesota and remains an active member of the community despite the fact that it’s no longer the place he resides.

“I love to inspire the next generation,” Barr said. “It’s something I don’t take lightly.”

Need more proof about how much this place means to him? Just listen to Barr recount his brief reunion from a few years ago when he picked the Vikings over the Philadelphia Eagles after getting a phone call from his agent at the last minute.

“I was getting fitted for a helmet and he called me and I was like, ‘Oh yeah. Let’s go back to Minnesota,’ ” Barr said. “I was about to sign the papers and I went up there and I was like, ‘I’m actually about to head out.’”

As crazy as that story might sound in hindsight, Barr knew at his core that it was the right decision for him.

“It made sense at the time, and it still does,” Barr said. “I’m a Viking, and I feel that in my heart.”

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Bailey Ober admits he was a little surprised when Rocco Baldelli told him, after five innings and only 69 pitches, that his outing was over on Monday afternoon. But with “where their lineup was falling and the way our bullpen was set up, I thought it was the best thing for us to go out there and win the game,” the manager said.

And for a while, it looked like the early hook might pay off.

The Twins rallied in the sixth inning for a pair of runs and tacked on another one in the seventh inning, using a Brooks Lee single to left to break open a tied game.

But in the eighth, consecutive doubles from Brooks Baldwin and Mike Tauchman added up to a pair of runs for Chicago, sinking the Twins in their 6-5 loss to the Chicago White Sox in the series opener at Target Field.

“What else do we really want after a tough start, being able to come back and take the lead in the seventh inning?” Baldelli said. “We just couldn’t hold it off and finish it.”

The Twins (62-75) did come back after falling into a three-run hole early when Colson Montgomery hit a leadoff home run in the second inning to get the White Sox (50-88) on the board in the second inning. A few batters later, Chase Meidroth took Ober deep, as well.

The longball continued to bite Ober, who has now given up 29 of them in 23 starts this season.

“It’s frustrating,” Ober said. “Just mistakes right now are getting hit.”

All told, Ober gave up four runs, but the Twins had some good at-bats throughout the game, chipping away at that deficit.

Byron Buxton’s bases-loaded walk forced in a run in the second inning. He scored later on a wild pitch combined with a throwing error, which brought him home from second, and the center fielder drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning.

Royce Lewis hit another home run, and Lee’s single accounted for the team’s final run of the game.

And yet, the Twins couldn’t hang on, dropping another game to the team with the American League’s worst record after losing two of three to them in August.

“After all that, we had the lead in the seventh inning,” Baldelli said. “We expect to win that game.”

López ready

Pablo López walked into the Twins’ clubhouse on Monday fresh off a second trip to Toledo, Ohio, in less than a week.

The starter, out since early June with a teres major strain, admitted he initially was hoping he might just need two rehab outings. He described some disappointment when he was told to go back to Triple-A for one more rehab start.

But after how Sunday’s start went, he said he was glad he did it.

López threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings Sunday, giving up four hits and striking out seven against Triple-A Toledo. Now he expects his next start will be in the major leagues, likely next weekend against the Kansas City Royals.

“I spent so much time prepping for 75 feet, 90 feet, flat grounds, bullpens and now … hopefully in four or five days from now doing it on a big league mound, I’m excited,” López said.

Briefly

The Twins will send Simeon Woods Richardson to the mound on Tuesday in the second game against the White Sox. … Tuesday will mark the Twins’ second Bark at the Park of the season.

Minnesota Twins’ DaShawn Keirsey Jr. leaps to scores on a sacrifice fly hit by Byron Buxton during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Monday, Sept. 1, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn)
Edouard Julien #47 of the Minnesota Twins strikes out against the Chicago White Sox in the fourth inning of the game at Target Field on Sept. 1, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

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There were three new faces in the Twins’ clubhouse on Monday morning, but even more interesting was who was not there.

Come September 1, teams are allowed to expand their rosters from 26 players to 28. The Twins did that, while also optioning top pitching prospect Mick Abel to Triple-A, which is why they had three new players — Noah Davis, Travis Adams and DaShawn Keirsey Jr. — on the roster Monday instead of just two.

The decision to option Abel, whom the Twins acquired as part of the trade for Jhoan Duran in July, comes after he has made two appearances in the big leagues and has been hit hard in both of them, giving up 12 runs (11 earned) in four-plus innings as a Twin.

The Twins had six starters at the major league level — Abel, along with Taj Bradley, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson — with Pablo López’s return on the horizon. Abel, 24, made one start and the second time through, he came on in relief of Bradley. Optioning him to Triple-A will instead allow him to keep on schedule as a starter for the Saints.

“I’d say that’s probably the most important part of it,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Obviously as the manager and Pete (Maki) as the pitching coach, we would love to continue to watch Mick pitch at the big league level. But keeping him in a rotation, keeping him getting regular work, keeping his in-between start work consistent, sending him down and allowing him to do all those things and work on a few key areas of focus I think makes the most sense right now.”

The Twins want him to work on his sweeper while in Triple-A, a relatively new pitch for him. Baldelli also said they want him to get his two-strike plan and execution “more where he wants them to be.”

“He’s got great stuff,” Baldelli said. “I think he’s got a good mind. I think he has talked about pitching and his objectives really well. I think Pete was exceptionally happy with those conversations that he had with him, and we’re going to let him go keep starting.”

As for the new faces in the clubhouse, Adams is in his third stint with the Twins this season. The rookie has a 7.40 earned-run average across 24 1/3 innings and threw a scoreless inning on Monday.

Davis, acquired in a July trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers, pitched in two games for the Twins this summer, giving up five runs across three innings. And Keirsey has spent much of the season with the Twins, serving in a late-game pinch-running and outfield defense role.

“The September call ups … I really like it because it gives you a little extra depth. And it allows you, on the pitching side, being able to add an extra arm just really helps out,” Baldelli said. “It allows you to complete games a little bit differently.”

The Gopher football program’s recruit in the Oklahoma Sooners’ backyard has left the U’s 2026 recruiting class.

Offensive tackle Daniel McMorris of Norman, Okla., backed off his pledge to Minnesota on Monday, he said on X.

“After long talks with my family and God, I’m ready to announce that I will be de-committing from The University of Minnesota,” McMorris wrote. “I would like to personally thank Coach (Brian) Callahan and Coach (P.J.) Fleck for giving me the opportunity to be a Gopher and thank the whole Minnesota staff who recruited me through this process. I’m excited for what’s next. Let everything fall into God’s hands.”

The 3-star prospect will visit the Sooners campus this weekend and then Texas Tech in mid-September, per 247Sports.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, McMorris pledged to Minnesota on June 1, but then reportedly went on visits to Tulsa, Iowa State and Kansas State. He has offers from more than 20 programs.

The Gophers now have 23 commits for next year’s class.

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