JOTTINGS

• Pro Football Focus wrote recently that the Vikings' Trae Waynes was the NFL's best cornerback when it came to stopping the run. Waynes stopped 4.7 percent of runs faced, but the four corners who stopped a higher percentage played slot cornerback. "This revelation outlines just how successful [Waynes], primarily an outside cornerback, was at defending the run in 2017," PFF wrote.

• Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey on 30th-round pick Seth Halvorsen, the Heritage Christian standout pitcher who chose college over signing: "He's a talented young man and we're excited about following him moving forward. It's likely he ends up at Missouri, but he's someone that we'll definitely be keeping an eye on."

• Infielder Royce Lewis continues to climb up Baseball America's list of the top 100 prospects. The updated midseason rankings have him at No. 12 after starting the year at No. 15. The Twins' top draft choice in 2017 is dominating Class A Cedar Rapids as a 19-year-old.

• Former Gophers forward Rick Rickert announced his retirement, after 15 seasons of professional basketball. He spent his final seven years playing in Japan, including the past two for the Ibaraki Robots. "This may be the end of my playing career but certainly not the end of our time in Japan," he told the Japan Times.

• Besides Vikings games, other events remaining at U.S. Bank Stadium this year include the X Games on July 19-22; the Tottenham Hotspur-A.C. Milan soccer game on July 31; and concerts for Jay-Z and Beyoncé on Aug. 8, Taylor Swift on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 and Ed Sheeran on Oct. 20. Yet to be announced is when the Gophers men's basketball team will play Oklahoma State.

• This year marked the fourth time the Gophers baseball team was eliminated by the eventual College World Series champion. Oregon State joined Louisiana State in 2009, Cal State-Fullerton in 2004 and Stanford in 1987.