Author: David Shama

Why come and coach here?  Kill likes challenges and believes Minnesota has the resources to have a special college football program.  Previous challenges on his resume include Southern Illinois where there was once talk of abandoning the football program but Kill went 50-14 there his last five seasons and now the school has a new stadium.

Minnesota can be successful, too, and Kill scoffs at the pessimism surrounding the program.  It’s his job to find solutions to problems, not reinforce excuses.  Rather than problems, Kill prefers to hear about the school’s strong academic offerings, renovated campus, huge alumni base, vibrant local business community, educated workforce, quality of life reputation in Minneapolis-St. Paul, state-of-the-art football stadium and the recruiting advantages of being the only Division I football program in the state.

To be successful Kill said the state must embrace his program.  Part of his mantra is that if everyone ─ from the football office to the president’s office, from the Minneapolis business community to the small town coffee shop ─ believes Gophers football is important than it will be a winner.  What’s emphasized produces results.

Kill believes the fans will respond.  He won’t buy into the notion that the Vikings own the football marketplace here and that the Gophers can’t develop a passionate following.

“That’s our fault,” he said.  “Everybody blames the Vikings, that we’ve lost fans.  Let me tell you. …Fans are frustrated because the team (Gophers) is not winning.

“We gotta put a good product on the field.  That’s our job and (my) responsibility as a coach.  I think if we put a good product on the field I think we’ll get the support.

“We can’t blame all the things why we can’t be successful.  We gotta find a way to be successful.  We gotta find a way to get the people excited about college football.  We can’t use a pro town all the time as an excuse.

“That’s like the weather.  What the hell?  Am I gonna talk to God to make sunshine 365 days a year so we can recruit better?  Embrace what you have.  …”

Kill said winning won’t happen “overnight” and he hopes fans will be patient.  He and his staff face challenges in not only recruiting better players, but also keeping players in school.  He said some players have “dug themselves a hole academically.”

Kill doesn’t want to see young men lose the promise of a college degree and the future that can help ensure.  But there’s more involved, too.  He and other college coaches are accountable to the NCAA to ensure academic progress and success by their players, or face possible sanctions that can include reduction in scholarships.

With a new emphasis on academics in the football department, Kill plans on seeing a lot of impressive results in the future.  On Friday he found a silver lining to the subject of academics when he talked about five of his players who were recently recognized as Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar Athletes, Kim Royston, Ryan Orton, Chase Haviland, Aaron Hill and Adam Lueck. That means they achieved a 3.7 GPA or higher during the previous academic year.

Kill is looking for what he defines as the “best players,” not necessarily the best athletes.  Players with character who want to be at Minnesota.  Young men who can be coached, compete hard on every play, are team focused, and attend class.

Kill refers to such individuals as “A” players.  He knows he has some on the roster now and wants more.  And he’s looking for “A” performances from himself, his assistants, support personnel and others involved with Gophers football.  People with not only knowledge and ability, but also a passion for what they do and an “A+” work ethic that perhaps rivals Kill who routinely works from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The Gophers will open practice on August 8 and play their first game at Southern California on September 3.  As Kill prepares for his first season at Minnesota he knows he’s the ringmaster inside the U football tent but he doesn’t plan to be alone.

“My job right now is to lead by example,” he said.  “If I am going home at 4:30 in the afternoon, then I am letting the state down.  Frankly, when I took the job I told Rebecca (his wife), we’re gonna have to marry this baby because we got a lot of work to do.

“People this year, they’re going to get after me.  I understand that.  They’re going to say, ‘Well, shoot, they’re the same old (Gophers).  When you’re frustrated that’s how you react.

“You know what, I got a thick skin.  I know if we can stay on course, if we do what we need to do, it’s going to eventually happen because it’s happened everywhere else.  But without the support of the people, and the support of the people at the top, and the changes we’re going to have to make (it won’t happen).

“I am not going to cheat the school.  If they don’t want to do it, then I ain’t gonna be here.  I came here because I believe we’re going to change this thing.  I believe people are going to buy into what we’re trying to do.”

Eddie Rosario is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week after hitting five home runs and driving in 12 runs from June 25-July 1 for Elizabethton in the Appalachian League.  Rosario is an intriguing part of the Twins’ organization outfield depth, a story to follow regarding how that talent might impact personnel decisions in the weeks, months and years to come.

Rosario, 20, was a fourth round draft choice last year and he’s one of five worth watching center fielders in the organization.  The others are Denard Span and Ben Revere with the big league club, and Joe Benson at New Britain and Aaron Hicks with Fort Myers.  All five are young and fast, with Span the oldest of the group at 27.

Rosario, Benson and Hicks are among the franchise’s better prospects, although none of them has yet to play a season in Triple A baseball.  Revere, 23, replaced Span last month when the Twins’ regular center fielder went on the disabled list.

Revere wasn’t even on the roster at the start of the season but he’s impressed so much he might become more valuable than Span, a four year Twins veteran with a .289 career batting average who has been an okay center fielder.  Revere’s speed is superior and he can be a highlight maker in the field.

Revere puts extraordinary pressure on infielders when he’s batting, using his speed to contest throws to first base.  In the outfield he seems to have better range than Span and moves back on fly balls more effectively.

Revere was AL co-rookie of the month for June with Oakland’s Jemile Weeks.  In 25 games, Revere batted .294 with four doubles, one triple, nine RBI, 14 runs scored and seven stolen bases.

Revere is hitting .279 with 11 stolen bases in 47 games.  His performance at the plate, in the field and on the bases makes for speculation that Span might move to the head of the line among Twins to be traded soon, or after the season.

Span has proven his worth as a lead off man and fielder.  Other clubs could be interested, particularly if they’re not worried about the concussion that has been a past problem.

The Twins are intrigued with speed but an outfield that included both Revere and Span, along with light hitting middle infielders Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka, would give the lineup a foursome producing something like 16 home runs annually.  Moving Span in a deal that brought pitching or power hitting might be appealing to the club’s decision makers.