Neal: Amid so much uncertainty, Twins just need to win

The Twins, for a change, were right. They informed fans last fall that it would take right up to Opening Day to finalize their broadcast plans for the 2025 season.

Sure enough, a press release was circulated roughly seven hours before the scheduled first pitch on Thursday, detailing how Twins baseball could be viewed this season.

The good thing is that an aggravating offseason for fans has finally ended. Opening week couldn’t have come soon enough for a franchise that has botched the last two offseasons.

It’s up to the players to become the organization’s public relations agents and settle down a disgruntled fan base that has absorbed the following decisions: A decrease in payroll following a successful 2023 season; no warning about Diamond Sports going bankrupt and upending broadcast plans during the 2024 season; announcing that payroll would be flat going into 2025 (before allowing a couple low-impact moves right before camp opened).

And the Pohlad family announced following last season that it was exploring a sale of the team. That has become a mini-soap opera, with prospective owner Justin Ishbia pivoting to increase his stake in the White Sox and with recent news that the family turned down a $1.5 billion offer from a consortium.

The same week, Forbes magazine released its annual franchise valuations. The Twins? $1.5 billion. I’m not sure how the sale price for the Pohlads could be much higher when it was also reported that the club is carrying over $400 million in debt. Debt assumed by the purchaser can be negotiated. And a source says the consortium that was turned down — which includes a prominent Minnesota businessman — still feels it has a chance to make a deal. So stay tuned.

Even things the Twins can’t control have added to the dark cloud hovering over them. Someone hit the wrong button at MLB productions and played a Cleveland Guardians promotional video before the Twins-Cardinals opener. And social media jumped on a Fanatics ad in which a model in a Twins jersey was wearing a Guardians cap. Why are the Twins and Guardians getting confused? One team went to the postseason last year. The other did not.

Thank goodness the games are here. The Twins need a positive start to the season to settle down frustrated fans desiring change. The best PR campaign for the club is through winning games and retaking the AL Central. And the potential positive vibes brought on through winning is not being ignored by those in uniform.

The roster is strong enough to win the AL Central. With the ownership’s status up in the air, winning won’t solve every problem the Twins are facing.

But winning will give the people what they want, for a change.

The Gophers men’s basketball program is transitioning from Ben Johnson to Niko Medved, along with a pledge from athletic director Mark Coyle to make the program more competitive in the name, image and likeness arena.

I urge Gophers athletics to also look after the women’s program as well. Unlike the men, they have earned it.

Dawn Plitzuweit has the program heading in the right direction, navigating around an injury to Mara Braun to finish 20-11 during the regular season. On Monday, they will face Florida in the semifinals of the WBIT.

The Gators are led in scoring by freshman Liv McGill, a former Hopkins star. She’s one of many Minnesotans impacting women’s college basketball nationwide. Several others can be mentioned without me getting to the name Paige Bueckers.

The Gophers could field an NCAA contender by keeping more of their top prep players in state. And NIL can help achieve that.

One reason the NFC North offseason was expected to be compelling was that the Vikings and Bears looked to be battling over the same offensive linemen.

Chicago didn’t wait once the NFL new year began, trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson while signing the top center on the market in Drew Dalman.

The Vikings’ big move was to raid the Colts. They signed guard Will Fries, who is graded highly by Pro Football Focus and is in position to be a staple of their offensive line for several years. And the Vikings finally moved on from undersized center Garrett Bradbury and on to Ryan Kelly, a former Pro Bowl player and a veteran of handling new quarterbacks.

The Bears’ additions were splashier, but the Bears offensive line also needed more improvement. The Vikings are adding to a group with two very good tackles. Overall, the Vikings should have the better five-man front.

• At least two Colorado State players will transfer to Minnesota and follow Nedved here.

• The Twins will finish 88-74 and contend for the AL Central title. That means they will have an unexpected run of good health. Of course, they promptly enter Busch Stadium and lose their first two games.