Author: David Shama

Kicker Ryan Longwell said on KFAN earlier this week that only five people knew about the fake field goal play leading to a Vikings touchdown against Carolina last Sunday.  The five, including Longwell, were holder Chris Kluwe, receiver Rich Owens,  special teams coach Paul Ferraro and head coach Brad Childress. 

Injured rookie quarterback Tarvaris Jackson showed his athleticism and scrambling ability during pre-season.  Still, he knows if has an opportunity to play during the regular season he must run out of necessity, not by command, and stay aware to “just be safe and get down.” 

Purdue coach Joe Tiller talking about Gopher senior quarterback Bryan Cupito’s improvement since his sophomore season:  “What’s changed in a three year period is he makes them (the Gophers) much more potent offensively because of his abilities.  He is really the forgotten guy (among quarterbacks) in the league (Big Ten Conference).  He is the biggest improvement that has occurred at Minnesota.” 

Gopher coach Glen Mason said on WCCO radio earlier this week that Joel Monroe, who has consistently kicked the ball into the end zone on kickoffs, is the “most improved” player on the team.  

Former Vikings radio play-by-play announcer Joe McConnell is on an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons as Purdue’s football radio voice, according to the Boilermakers’ Web site.  McConnell has been experiencing double vision. 

Local business executive and former Gopher tennis coach Jerry Noyce, appointed earlier this year to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, is serving on a subcommittee to encourage corporate America’s workers to exercise more. 

Ellis Park Race Track in Henderson, Kentucky will host Claiming Crown in 2007 but the well-known national horse racing event returns to Canterbury Park in 2008.

Many head coaches in the NFL and major college football are in first year assignments.  They have had years of experience as assistants but now they have to lead their teams. Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant was asked to recall important experiences or lessons from his first season as boss of the Vikings in 1967.  His responses may surprise you. 

Grant said many people think so much of coaching is X’s and O’s. “That’s not it at all,” he explained.  “Coaching is evaluations and observations. (It’s) getting the right players in the right places and the right positions and providing the right defenses and offenses for those people to be productive. 

“You can’t start with the system and then get the players for the system. You start with the players and get the system for the players.  I think one of the most important things young coaches forget is that it is not what you provide but it’s what the players provide.  I will guarantee you that if you don’t have the better players you are not going to win.  I don’t care how good of a coach you are.   

“Coaching is really over rated.  Maybe a better term is that you are a manager.  You manage the people you have.  You don’t try to coach something that is not there.” 

Grant’s son Mike has coached powerhouse teams at Eden Prairie High School for years and has won four state championships.  As a youngster he watched his father coach including in training camp.  “What I learned from him was more how to deal with people and handle people,” Mike said. 

The younger Grant said players want to be individuals and it’s a “battle” making them into a team.  He said his father had a way of “defusing problems.”

Michael Cuddyer has emerged this season as a hitter who provides some of the power and run production the Twins have been missing for years.  His development as a home run hitter and RBI man batting in the clean up position has been a nice fit with Joe Mauer hitting in front of him and Justin Morneau behind.   

While Mauer makes a run at the American League batting title and Morneau draws some nods as a league MVP candidate for his home run and RBI production, Cuddyer has made his own contributions.  Sandwiched between the two left handed hitters, the right handed hitting Cuddyer has joined the 20 home run and 100 RBI club this season.  It’s a group few Twins have gained membership to in recent seasons. 

In the last 10 seasons the Twins have been without a hitter with more than 30 home runs, and three times the club leader didn’t even hit 20.  During the past 10 seasons the team RBI leader reached 100 or more only three times, and three times the leader had less than 80 RBI. 

Earlier this week Cuddyer had 22 home runs and 100 RBI, Morneau 33 homers and 123 RBI, and Torii Hunter 26 home runs and 84 RBI.   The last time the Twins had two hitters with 100 RBI or more in the same season was 1977 when Larry Hisle and Rod Carew did it.

Cuddyer, 27, came into 2006 wondering what awaited him.  In the previous two seasons he had hit .263 and had 12 home runs each year with RBI totals of 45 and 42.  In 2005 he had 93 starts at third base, 18 in the outfield, six at second base and three at first base. 

This season Cuddyer has become the team’s right fielder and take’s “pride” in being the cleanup hitter.  In the minor leagues he had been a middle of the batting order run producer and the Twins had been hoping for similar production.  “This year everything has kind of come together and I have produced the way I know I was capable of producing,” Cuddyer said.