Author: David Shama

The Wolves’ Kevin Love lives near Gophers’ athletic director Joel Maturi and coach Tubby Smith, and Love has attended a couple of basketball games at Williams Arena.

Wolves guard-forward Mike Miller might be the No. 1 advocate of ball movement among NBA players.  “When we’re moving the ball we’re a lot better team,” he said.  “We can compete with anybody when we move the ball.  When we keep the ball on one side of the floor and (are) stagnant, we’re easy to guard and it takes away from our offense, and our defense really.”

With Miller his unselfishness and focus on passing can almost seem selfish because he’s an outstanding shooter and scorer.  “Yeah, I’ll try to get more aggressive but at the same time it’s working,” he said.  “We’re winning games now so I am not going to change anything up right now.  I think I am going to continue playing the way I am playing.  If there are games I need to be more aggressive, I will be more aggressive. …”

Happy birthday to Wolves’ center Mark Madsen who is 33 today.

Larry Fitzgerald, Sr. was asked what his son, Larry, Jr., thinks about his Arizona team being a playoff underdog again.  The senior Fitzgerald said he never talks to junior “about negatives.”  The Cardinals are about a touchdown underdog to Pittsburgh in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The elder Fitzgerald, who offers sports commentary locally in print, radio and TV, is believed to be the only media person in Super Bowl history to have a son playing in the game.

KFAN’s Paul Allen told Sports Headliners he thinks the Steelers may win the game by about eight points.  He also said Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt has a reputation for trick plays and that could be part of the game plan.

Minneapolis, which hosted the 1992 Super Bowl, is likely to have another some day if a new Vikings’ stadium is approved.

Offensive right tackle Ryan Cook is probably the most likely Vikings starter to be replaced in 2009.

The 2009 and 2010 home Gopher football schedules have the best fan appeal of any within memory.  In 2009 the schedule includes Air Force, California, Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan State.  The next season brings Southern California, Ohio State and Penn State to town.

The Minnesota chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame is seeking nominations for two awards, the distinguished Minnesotan and the courage award.  The first award recognizes “an outstanding person who has maintained a lifetime of interest in the game and who, over a long period of time, has exhibited enviable leadership qualities, strong character, and made a significant contribution to the betterment of football in Minnesota.”  The courage award “is given to an individual that has demonstrated the will to persevere through adversity, displaying strength and determination.”  Nominations can be e-mailed to:sean@nffmn.org

Local author Ross Bernstein said he is working on a Gopher football book that will be given away to fans at the opening game in TCF Bank Stadium on September 12.  The book will be a history about Gophers football and available for sale later this year.  Bernstein’s other projects include a book coming out this spring on former Gopher and St. Louis Park native Marc Trestman whose pro and college coaching experiences include leading Montreal to the Canadian Football League’s Grey Cup game last year. More on Bernstein at www.bernsteinbooks.com

Interest continues in establishing the Metro Millers baseball franchise to play in the Northern League and be based in Burnsville.

Volleyball will be played tomorrow night at Target Center with local interest in Nicole Branagh, a University of Minnesota alum and former Olympian.  The AVP Johnsonville Hot Winter Nights Tour is billed as the most prominent national touring Pro Beach Volleyball series.

Minnesota’s most treasured coach, John Gagliardi of Saint John’s, started coaching college football in 1949 at Carroll College in Montana.  Since then he’s won more games than any college coach ever but he doesn’t pay much attention to his wins (461 total), number of years coaching at Carroll and Saint John’s (60 this year), or other numbers including his age (82).  He’s a live in the moment guy.

“I have spent my whole life with 18 to 22 year olds,” Gagliardi told Sports Headliners.  “I can’t wait to get to work each day.”

Gagliardi (Guh-lahr-dee) was presented the prestigious Amos Alonzo Stagg award by the American Football Coaches Association earlier this month. The award, which honors those “whose services have been outstanding in the advancement of the best interests of football,” is the highest honor given to football coaches by their peers.

Often quoted locally and sometimes nationally, including for his quips, Gagliardi has been at Saint John’s for 56 years.  In the January 26 issue of Sports Illustrated, he said: “The monks give me a lifetime contract. But if we start losing games, they can give me the last sacraments and declare me dead.”

Talking by telephone last week, Gagliardi answered questions for Sports Headliners and what follows are his answers (edited for brevity).

Question: You recently attended the American Football Coaches Association  convention and for the first time met Penn State coach Joe Paterno, another 82-year-old Italian coaching legend.  You and Paterno were called up on stage to meet each other.  What was that like?

Answer: Gee, Joe acted like we were long lost friends.  It was wonderful the way he treated me.  He said, “Oh, boy, I’ve been wanting to meet you.”  I didn’t even know if he had even heard of me to be honest with you.  He’s sure got a good set of hair.  I am practically bald.

Question: It’s been 60 years since you entered college coaching. Will you coach another decade or more?

Answer: (Laughs).  That’s a line I always use, you know.  I have to face reality.  There’s no way I can coach for another one, well, maybe two more decades. I would like to coach as long as I can.  I’ve been attending too many funerals to be honest with you.  It can’t go forever, unfortunately.

Question: Any secrets to your longevity as far as how you take care of yourself? What do you eat and drink? I know years ago coaches were expected to drink at social gatherings.

Answer:  Nothing special.  There are certain things that I like.  If you ask me what I prefer, right up on the top of the list (is) my good Italian spaghetti.  Those days (years ago) you couldn’t say give me a nonalcoholic drink. That wasn’t acceptable.  I used to have to dump a lot of my drinks in the nearest flower pot.

Question:  What do you think has kept you going all these years?

Answer: I don’t look much at the past very far, or the future very far.  I just kind of live every day and that’s it.  That’s the way I function.   My day is filled all the time.  It’s wonderful.

Question:  Doesn’t sound like you’re much of a worrier?

Answer: I am concerned about the next game and always worried that anybody can beat us.  I’ve been through it a lot (though).  As I always say, “Ah, we’ve been through this back in 1902.”

In 24 months Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster has had three defensive coordinators and two offensive coordinators.  Earlier this month came the announcements that Jedd Fisch will be the new offensive coordinator and Kevin Cosgrove joins the staff as co-defensive coordinator with Ronnie Lee who was the defensive backfield coach last season.

For various reasons previous coordinators have left but Brewster sees less change going forward. “I don’t see anybody going (leaving) soon,” he told Sports Headliners.

Brewster said Fisch has a two year contract while Cosgrove and Lee have one year contracts.  Fisch, 32, was an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos until head coach Mike Shanahan was fired earlier this winter.

Brewster said Indianapolis All-Pro quarterback Peyton Manning was “recruiting” Fisch to help coach the Colts’ offense before he accepted the Gophers’ job.  Brewster also said Shanahan and Brian Billick, another head coach who Fisch has worked for, told him they would hire Fisch again.

“Jedd made a commitment to me,” Brewster said.  “He wants to put his print on this program.”

Cosgrove didn’t coach last season after previous defensive coordinator positions at Nebraska and also Wisconsin where he was part of three Big Ten championship teams.  Brewster said Cosgrove “wanted to be here in the worst way.”

Cosgrove will lead the Gophers’ defensive planning but Lee will help formulate it, according to Brewster.  Cosgrove will make the defensive calls in the games.