The Wild had an excuse for its early exit from the NHL playoffs, even though owner Craig Leipold used it as the impetus to get rid of General Manager Chuck Fletcher after nine seasons.
Leipold could have gotten away with retaining Fletcher by pointing to the absence of Ryan Suter and then Zach Parise for what turned into a one-sided, five-game elimination in the first round by the Winnipeg Jets.
The Timberwolves had an excuse for their early exit from the NBA playoffs, even though the public was howling over what it decided was a lack of leadership from coach Tom Thibodeau and of commitment from forward Andrew Wiggins.
Owner Glen Taylor groused slightly over the five-game mismatch vs. Houston, while also pointing out that the 17-game absence of new star Jimmy Butler was a probable cause for the fall to eighth place in the Western Conference and the no-chance matchup with the Rockets.
The Twins are starting to the get their excuses in order after hitting a wall only one month into a season of expectations. There's the self-inflicted blow from Jorge Polanco being suspended for steroids, and there's Ervin Santana's slow recovery from finger surgery, and now there's the double whammy of migraines followed by a broken toe for center fielder Byron Buxton.
Those excuses hardly explain the collapse of the pitching staff during a swoon of nine losses in 10 games, but they are nonetheless excuses.
The one team among the big four in Minnesota's professional sports that has no excuses available at this moment is the National Football League franchise now headquartered in Eagan. That could change before the Vikings' 2018 season opener on Sept. 9 vs. San Francisco, since important injuries are always a threat in football, but at this moment …
The superb signing of Kirk Cousins has changed everything. There are no questions at quarterback for the first time since Brett Favre in 2009. And with a durable, top seven or eight QB to go with dynamic weapons and a fully manned (and improved with Sheldon Richardson) No. 1 defense, the Vikings' situation for the season ahead is clear: