Author: David Shama

Sports Illustrated and Sporting News magazine are making identical predictions for the Gophers.  In last week’s issues both national publications have Minnesota finishing with a 7-5 overall record, 4-4 in the Big Ten Conference.

That won’t deliver yet on coach Tim Brewster’s mantra since day one of becoming Big Ten champs but such records figure to impress for a couple reasons.  First, with 11 potentially challenging opponents and only one “cupcake” (South Dakota State), the Gophers’ schedule could be among the more difficult in the country, certainly the most formidable for the local school in a long time.  Second, the Gophers haven’t won four conference games since 2005.

Sporting News predicts Ohio State will win (big surprise!) the Big Ten with Penn State finishing second.  Michigan State and Iowa will tie for third, followed by Illinois, and then the Gophers and Michigan, with identical overall and conference records, will tie for fifth.  Sports Illustrated has the same schools ahead of the Gophers but predicts a three way tie for fourth place between Northwestern, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Gophers haven’t played in a January bowl game since 1962 but they will change that in 2010, according to S.I.  The publication predicts a Papajohns.com Bowl match- up in Birmingham between Minnesota and Cincinnati on January 2.  If Sporting News is correct the Gophers will be in Tempe, Arizona for the Insight Bowl and a game against Missouri.  (Last year in the Insight Bowl the Gophers lost to Kansas).

Gophers’ wide receiver Eric Decker and cornerback Traye Simmons are selections by Sporting News for its All-Big Ten offensive and defensive teams.  Both made the publication’s best of the Big Ten list, Decker for his hands, Simmons for man-to-man coverage.

The Gophers open their schedule at Syracuse on September 5 and the Orange are a consensus pick by both publications to finish last in the Big East.  Air Force, which helps open TCF Bank Stadium here on September 12, will be a .500 team, according to S.I. while Sporting News doesn’t predict a record.  California, at TCF on September 19, is ranked No. 21 in the country by Sporting News and both publications see a big year for the Golden Bears.

In the preseason USA Today Coaches’ Poll, nine of the 11 Big Ten schools received at least one vote and two schools rank among the top 10. The Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC are the only conferences to feature multiple top-10 teams.  Ohio State ranks No. 6, Penn State 8 and Iowa 21 in the 25 team listing.  Michigan Sate, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan and the Gophers received at least one vote in the poll.

Within nine months Minneapolis will have two new outdoor stadiums, TCF Bank Stadium and Target Field, and it’s possible both will host winter hockey games in the near future.  Speculation is TCF Bank Stadium could be the site for a game involving the Gophers, while the Wild might host an NHL game at Target Field.

Timberwolves president Chris Wright told Sports Headliners that both new president of basketball operations David Kahn and new coach Kurt Rambis are “incredible assets” to the franchise’s business operation.  He said during Kahn’s first 30 days on the job earlier this year he attended 20 breakfasts and 15 lunches with “our stakeholders,” season ticket holders, sponsors and others who support the Wolves.  Kahn and Rambis (named coach last week) have impressed with their intelligence and forthrightness.

Wolves’ CEO Rob Moor said Kahn talks daily with Ricky Rubio’s agent, Dan Fegan.  Moor said he’s heard that the reception Rubio’s representatives are receiving from companies regarding potential endorsement deals is positive.  Endorsement money is seen as potentially helping to buy out Rubio’s contract with his Spanish team and allowing him to join the Wolves.

Cory Joseph, the prep guard from Las Vegas, has been in Minneapolis this summer visiting brother and Gopher Devoe Joseph.  Joseph, who will be a senior next season, has been pursued aggressively by Louisville and other elite basketball schools, according to https://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/demling/labels/Cory%20Joseph.html .

Former Wild goalie Manny Fernandez, 34, who played last season with Boston, remains an unsigned free agent.  Last season he played in only 28 games.

Despite the success of past major tournaments like this month’s PGA Championship and also the 3M Championship for senior players, an annual PGA tournament might find support hard to come by here.  The PGA’s biggest names like Tiger Woods don’t play in some of the PGA tournaments so an annual event wouldn’t have nearly the star power of past PGA and U.S. Opens at Hazeltine National Golf Club.

Friends and family are concerned and wishing the best for long time prep football coach and advocate Don Swanson who has cancer.  https://www.mshsca.org/Football/.

Jockey Scott Stevens, who got career win No. 4,000 while riding recently at Canterbury Park, has a long history of success at the Shakopee race track.  Stevens was second at Canterbury in wins 20 years ago, then had three straight years as the track’s top winner among jockeys.

For the sixth consecutive season, the Concordia University- St. Paul women’s volleyball team has been picked by NSIC coaches to win the league championship. Winners of the 2007 and 2008 NCAA titles, the Golden Bears received all 13 of the possible first place votes (coaches can’t vote for their own team). The Golden Bears return All-American senior and setter Maggie McNamara, the coaches’ choice for Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Ron Gardenhire is in his eighth year managing the Twins but 2009, at this stage of the season with 45 games remaining, is the most frustrating, according to remarks he made yesterday morning on his KSTP radio show.

“Well, I think right now it is because Andy (pitching coach Rick Anderson) and I are scratching our heads trying to figure out consistency with the starting pitching,” he said.  “It’s been hit and miss.  You’re going with expectations.  Sometimes they work out and sometimes they don’t.

“But the great thing about it is that.. we have a chance (to win the division).  We’re still within striking distance. …We could make a run and have some fun and that’s what we’re just clinging to. …There’s still an opportunity here for us to catch some people if we could just figure out some way to pitch.”

The Twins are five games under .500 with a 56-61 record.  The team has struggled to play .500 or better all season and to find a lengthy winning streak.   All the starting pitchers have been inconsistent and two, Glen Perkins and Kevin Slowey, who were in the five man rotation earlier in the year are not pitching now because of injuries.

Gardenhire said the record should be over .500 right but the Twins didn’t do the things that would have won games to put the team in that position.  “I think there’s a run in this team,” he said.  “We just gotta get the pitching and some consistency…”

The Twins are six games behind first place Detroit in the Central Division.  After yesterday’s 7-4 loss to Cleveland, the Twins have lost five consecutive series and two straight at home.  Starting pitcher Scott Baker threw a two hit shutout Friday night but on Saturday rookie starter Anthony Swarzak went only four innings and yesterday Nick Blackburn couldn’t make his way through three innings.  Blackburn has pitched a combined four innings in his last two starts and given up 12 hits and 12 earned runs (27.00 ERA).