Paul Molitor has impressed a lot of observers during his first season as a major league manager. Among the admirers is John Anderson, the Gophers baseball coach, who was a teammate of Molitor’s at the University of Minnesota.
Anderson was asked if Molitor should be the American League Manager of the Year. “I don’t see why not. Look at the turnaround,” Anderson answered. “Look what he’s done with that team.”
A year ago the Twins were 65-87 and 19 games out of first place in the Central Division. All those losses had Minnesota way out of contention for a wild card spot in the playoffs. Today the Twins, whose fans suffered through four consecutive 90-plus loss seasons, are only 1.5 games behind the Rangers in the chase for a playoff spot. Minnesota’s record is 75-71 and the team is in second place in the division, 11 games behind the Royals, with the regular season schedule ending on October 2.
“They’ve had moving parts and changed players…guys coming and going,” Anderson said about the Twins. “It hasn’t gone smoothly and that just tells you his ability to keep them together. They’ve been gritty (in games). They haven’t given up. There haven’t been many bad blowouts, and that’s a testament to his leadership—and of that coaching staff.
“I am not there (at the ballpark with the Twins). I am just watching from (the) outside but I know how difficult it is.”
The American League Manager of the Year Award is voted on by the Baseball Writers Association of America. In the history of the award, two Twins managers have won it—Tom Kelly in 1991 and Ron Gardenhire in 2010.
Molitor, 59, had never managed a professional baseball team when he succeeded Gardenhire after last season. He did have two tenures as a coach with the Twins, working first for Kelly and last year on Gardenhire’s staff. He also coached with the Mariners for one season.
Anderson isn’t at all surprised by Molitor’s success in putting together a staff of coaches, juggling players, and strategizing before, during and after games, and turning the Twins into a competitive team that has restored the faith of fans. “He has the highest baseball IQ of anyone I’ve been around,” Anderson said.
The two men became teammates with the Gophers in 1974 and played three seasons together. “He was a student of the game back then,” Anderson recalled.
Molitor and Anderson played for legendary Gophers coach Dick Siebert. During their freshman year Molitor was a base runner on third base in a game against Texas. He sized up the Longhorns left-handed pitcher and thought he could steal home. He did just that, and when he went into the dugout Siebert asked who told him he could pull that off. Molitor explained he had expressed his confidence about stealing home to the third base coach and been granted approval. “Great, do it again,” Siebert said.
That’s pretty savvy stuff for a freshman but Molitor has always been looking for an edge. He was willing to learn as a young player from wonderful coaches in Siebert and St. Paul American Legion coach Bill Peterson.
Anderson told a story about how former Gopher Dan Wilson marveled at Molitor when the two were together in Seattle with the Mariners. Wilson, a catcher with the Mariners who played 13 years in the big leagues, said it was “unbelievable the things” Molitor observed and analyzed on the baseball field as part of his learning process. “Paul is going to try to be prepared for every situation that comes up,” Anderson praised.
Molitor knows the tendencies of his players and those on other teams. White Sox left-hander Chris Sale is one of the league’s better pitchers but the Twins have hit him hard, while he can be lights out against other clubs. Is that part of the Molitor impact?
Could be because the Minnesota native has been studying everybody and everything about baseball for a long time. A Hall of Famer as a player, Molitor even used down time when he was injured to more intently study players and what was happening on the field, Anderson said.
The Twins have been an overachieving bunch this season, a collection of talent that doesn’t quite seem like it should be playing such meaningful games in September. But the players perform like they trust the manager and know what they’re doing. “He’s a mentor. He’s encouraging,” Anderson said about Molitor. “He’s patient. He’s going to create a winning culture there.”
Unless the Twins do a complete flop between now and season’s end, it looks like they already have the foundation for that culture.
Worth Noting
Adrian Peterson, who had only 10 carries and 31 yards on Monday night against the 49ers, will have more than a dozen supporters sitting in a box and rooting for him at Sunday’s game with the Lions at TCF Bank Stadium. After missing 15 of 16 games last season, the game will be the first for Peterson at the Gophers stadium.
Teammate and defensive end Brian Robison had Peterson singing a few lines from a favorite song yesterday in the team locker room. Robison, who wears jersey No. 96, was interviewing teammates for his “96 Questions” segment on Vikings.com.
Rookie offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings, a fourth round 2015 draft choice, didn’t figure to be a starter in the Vikings opening game but had to because regular right tackle Phil Loadholt is injured. Clemmings gives himself a letter grade of C for his debut performance on Monday night.
Clemmings, 6-foot-5, was an all-state high school basketball player in New Jersey. Clemmings said he had serious “hops” and probably could have dunked the ball on an 11-foot high basket.
The Vikings first round draft choice, cornerback Trae Waynes, didn’t play in the secondary during the opening game and apparently hasn’t shown the coaches he is ready to help defend. Head coach Mike Zimmer was asked what the rookie has to do for playing time? “Cover guys better,” Zimmer replied.
Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace joking about how he used to have three cell phones but now only two: “That’s when I was really important.”
Junior Gophers slot receiver Drew Wolitarsky has dropped his weight from 230 as a freshman to 215. He’s Minnesota’s leading receiver with 161 yards after having 106 total yards in 2014. He credits being faster with helping him improve. “A lot leaner, a lot less body fat percentage—about eight percent now,” he said.
The 6-foot-3 Wolitarksky, who reduced his body fat from 12 percent to eight in one year, caught the second touchdown pass of his career against Colorado State last week with a 38-yard reception.
Gophers quarterback Mitch Leidner said about 50 percent of the play calls last week in the win over Colorado State were his. Although plays come from the coaches, the quarterback can make changes in the system.
Leidner, a redshirt junior, is in his fourth year at the University of Minnesota. He will graduate in December with a degree in kinesiology. He is planning grad school work in sports management.
Leidner is unsure about career plans. Asked about going into media work, Leidner wasn’t enthusiastic and would prefer living in a “cabin in Alaska.”
The former Lakeville South quarterback is aware of media and fan criticism, but coach Jerry Kill has given him perspective about it. “He tells me all the time when you win the game, everybody loves the quarterback and the head coach. When you lose, everyone hates you.”
The Gophers defense ranks ninth among Big Ten teams in points allowed per game at 21.5, and 10th in total defense yielding 381.5 yards. Those stats are misleading because the Gophers have played nonconference games against national title contender TCU and Colorado State, a team with a 10-3 record last year. Both programs have reputations for high scoring offenses. “We’ve got a really, really good defense,” Kill said.
Four of the most respected coaches in Hamline University history will be recognized at halftime in tomorrow’s Gustavus-Hamline football game. Banners of recognition will be displayed on the north wall of Klas Field for Kent Stahly (track/field, cross country), Dick Tressel (football), Dick Mulkern (football, track/field) and current cross country/track/field coach Paul Schmaedeke.
The Wild begin practice today and a hockey source told Sports Headliners the team’s early season storyline will be how goalie Devan Dubnyk performs. Dubnyk was the team’s most important player last winter after being acquired in a trade, and he led the Wild into the playoffs. The 29-year-old goalie had an unexpected career season and was rewarded with a new six-year contract during the offseason, but there’s no guarantee he will excel this fall and winter at the same level. If not, the source asked, what is the alternate plan for high performance in goal? Reserve Darcy Kuemper wasn’t able to establish himself last season.
The Gophers basketball team will finish 12th among 14 teams in the Big Ten and not even be invited to the NIT, according to Athlon Sports College Basketball Magazine. “The problem for Minnesota is that the Big Ten is loaded with a bunch of good teams—several great ones,” the magazine said in its analysis section about the Gophers.
Big Ten teams in the magazine’s national top 25 are No. 4 Maryland, No. 12 Michigan State, No. 16 Purdue, No. 17 Indiana, No. 19 Wisconsin and No. 22 Michigan. Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina are ranked first, second and third in the country.
Gophers basketball coach Richard Pitino turned 33 years old on Wednesday.
The Lynx, who won the WNBA championship in 2011 and 2013, hope to start another title run tonight. Minnesota opens the Western Conference semifinals playoffs against Los Angeles in an 8 p.m. game at Target Center. The Lynx have 127 regular season wins over the last five seasons, ranking second in WNBA history (Los Angeles – 130, 2000-2004). During the 2015 regular season the Lynx finished first in the Western Conference with a 22-12 record while Los Angeles was 14-20.
Timberwolves 2015 first round draft choice Tyus Jones is providing 500 complimentary tickets for tonight’s game.