Read any psychology text, and you're likely to find references to gender roles and the idea that "restricting emotions is a staple of traditional masculinity," as psychologyofmen.org describes it.

It's not to say what's right or wrong because everyone grieves and processes in their own way. But I will say it has been refreshing to me in the midst of this difficult time to find multiple examples of local male sports figures freely showing their emotions.

The most notable examples — though by no means a full list: Jerry Kill, Milt Newton, Karl-Anthony Towns and Kevin Garnett.

have a listen What motivational tactic will Mike Zimmer use this week? We tackle that and more on the Access Vikings podcast. Subscribe on iTunes.

still a mess The Dusty Baker hiring was just the latest dysfunctional process for the Nationals, writes Bob Nightengale at usatoday.com.