BYRON BUXTON – Page 10 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins Clarify Buxton 100 Games Target

Posted on June 14, 2022June 14, 2022 by David Shama

Reports this spring left fans with the impression the Twins want to limit star center fielder Byron Buxton to 100 games this year. Derek Falvey told Sports Headliners yesterday there is no “stop light” at 100.

Buxton, a do-it-all talent capable of becoming the American League’s best player, is invaluable to the Twins, but an unusual number of injuries have prevented him from playing 100 games each season dating back to 2018. The club wants to proceed with caution, while maximizing Buxton’s availability to help produce a Central Division title and playoff run.

“We’re not shooting just for 100 games,” said Falvey, the Twins’ baseball operations boss. “I think we’re trying to eclipse what he has yet to eclipse over the last five years. Playing him the way we had in prior years didn’t get us there. We would like to try a more sophisticated way to keep him on the field as much as possible….”

Falvey also said the 28-year-old Buxton is on pace to play in 115 to 120 games. He acknowledged the player who “can put us on his back” and carry the team has low-level inflammation in his right knee. The knee became news in April and Buxton was briefly sidelined. He was also diagnosed with a low-level hip strain this spring.

Falvey indicated Buxton is able to manage his health issues—and no differently than teammates who face challenges. Buxton played a MLB career high 140 games in 2017, his third season with the big league club. This year in 45 games for the 36-27 Twins he has hit a team leading 18 home runs and driven in 32 runs.

Fans grumbled over the weekend that neither Buxton nor shortstop Carlos Correa played in Saturday’s Minnesota’s home game against the Rays. Ticket buyers wanted to see the club’s two marquee players and box office attractions.

“Hey, we want both of those guys out there as much as possible,” Falvey said good-naturedly. “That wasn’t pre-planned or designed by Rocco or me or otherwise.”

The Twins played the Rays Friday night and then Saturday afternoon. Falvey said sometimes in that situation manager Rocco Baldelli will go to players and talk about the possibility of not playing in the afternoon game.

Correa, the All-Star the Twins signed as a free agent during spring training, has missed time with an injury and more recently with COVID. He was absent from 11 games with a right finger contusion and then eight because of COVID, returning to the active roster last Wednesday.

Falvey said there are no lingering health issues with the 27-year-old Correa but it can require time for players to recover their muscle strength after COVID. “We’re trying to bring him back thoughtfully,” Falvey said.

With the pandemic, a shortened spring training and the normal physical demands on players in today’s modern game, teams in Major League Baseball have dealt with a lot of roster disruptions. Among the more serious for the Twins was placing first baseman Miguel Sano on the 60-day Injured List in mid-May following knee surgery.

Falvey departed for Fort Myers yesterday and he will see Sano who is working out with the organization’s minor league players. Falvey said it will be awhile before a return date to the Twins active roster can be determined. “But hopefully he is a boost for us at some point during the course of the end of June and into July.”

NFL Films Visits Dick Jonckowski

NFL Films came to Dick Jonckowski’s home in Shakopee yesterday to relive moments from the famous 1975 Vikings-Cowboys game at Metropolitan Stadium. Jonckowski’s visitors included Drew Pearson who caught the famous “Hail Mary” touchdown pass in the final minute to give the Cowboys a 17-14 fourth quarter win in the NFC title game.

Jonckowski, known best by many Minnesota sports fans as the public address voice of Gophers basketball for decades, was a field usher at the stadium back in the 1970s. A passionate Vikings fan, the colorful Jonckowski had his name on the back of his usher jacket and drew attention throwing behind-the-back passes with the football.

Before the “Hail Mary” pass, the trailing Cowboys, trying to sustain what would be the winning drive, had a fourth and 16 situation. Quarterback Roger Staubach passed to Pearson who picked up 17 yards and a first down. The catch was controversial, though, with many observers insisting Pearson caught the ball out of bounds.

The reception was made near Jonckowski who wasn’t happy about it. “I was frustrated. I just kind of (gave) a sissy kick. I kicked the bottom of Drew Pearson’s shoe which really wasn’t much, but (Dallas coach) Tom Landry’s wife saw it from the stands. After the game was over, she called Pete Rozelle, who was then the commissioner.”

Rozelle phoned Bob Sims who ran the ushering operation and said Jonckowski had to be reprimanded. Sims decided Jonckowski could continue as an usher but not be on the field. He was banned as a field usher for two years.

“Somebody told me…if it (the incident) happened today you would probably go to jail,” Jonckowski said. “You know the way the world is, I probably would. Who knows?”

There was animosity between Pearson and Jonckowski prior to the 1975 encounter. “We didn’t like each other way before that. He was pretty cocky,” Jonckowski said. “I just didn’t like his attitude. So one day I yelled at him, ‘You couldn’t carry (NFL Hall of Famer) Charley Taylor’s jock.’ And he came running over to me and was going to pound me, but he let it go.”

After the 1975 run-in, Staubach told Jonckowski Pearson was a good guy and the two should patch things up. They did so before Pearson retired in 1983.

Several years ago Pearson was in town for an autograph appearance. “He remembered me right away and we had kind of a fun time,” Jonckowski said.

Arlene and Dick Jonckowski in their sports memorabilia-filled basement.

Things went well yesterday when Pearson spent about two hours talking with Jonckowski. Both are outgoing and enjoy humor (a Jonckowski calling card with his endless jokes and stories he uses while speaking to groups). Wife Arlene was also interviewed during the nine hours spent by NFL Films at the Jonckowski residence.

Before coming to Minnesota Pearson didn’t know much about his friend’s background. “He wants me to come to Dallas to sign autographs and speak,” Jonckowski said.

The game remains vivid in the minds of Jonckowski, Pearson and thousands of NFL fans, mostly because of its controversial finish. Staubach, who would later describe the play as a “Hail Mary” desperation heave, threw the winning 50-yard touchdown pass to Pearson who appeared to push Vikings’ defender Nate Wright on the play.

But no penalty.

Jonckowski saw the play and that evening newspaper columnist Sid Hartman called him at home to ask if there was a shove by Pearson. Jonckowski said he thought there was. “…Sid slammed the phone down. Didn’t even say thank you. But that’s typical Sid.”

The 1975 Vikings, 12-2 during the regular season, were led by NFL MVP Fran Tarkenton and might have been one of the best teams in franchise history. The team was a Super Bowl favorite but instead saw its playoff march end in bitter disappointment.

Jonckowski didn’t have details yesterday as to how the filming will be used and when it will air.

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Twins Winning But No ‘Cartwheels’ Yet

Posted on May 24, 2022 by David Shama

With a 26-16 record and 4.5 game lead in the American League’s Central Division, the Twins are one of baseball’s surprise teams after completing about 25 percent of the 162-game schedule.

Minnesota has won five straight and is 22-9 since April 21. The Twins, who finished last in the division in 2021, are 14-8 at home and 12-8 on the road. Minnesota is 13-3 against division opponents, 6-5 versus the AL East, 7-6 against the West and 0-2 versus the National League.

Despite early success club president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners recently he’s not going overboard. “It’s a long season. Nobody is doing cartwheels or doing victory dances yet.”

The Twins have dominated division opponents and can build on that now. They swept the Royals in a road series last weekend and play only division games thru June 2, including a home-stand against the Tigers that started last night with a ninth inning win, 5-4. Minnesota had an improbable comeback win in Kansas City Sunday, rallying from a 6-0 deficit for a 7-6 victory. It was the kind of win that is often part of a championship season.

Yes, the Twins’ schedule hasn’t been daunting. The Central Division is no powerhouse, although the White Sox were ranked among baseball’s most talented clubs before the season. The Sox, who the Twins swept in their only series so far, are one of four teams on the Minnesota schedule with a winning record currently. The Twins lost all three games to the Astros, went 0-2 against the Dodgers and won two of three versus the Rays.

Probably most impressive has been the consistent defensive performance. The Twins don’t falter much in the field and beat themselves. With regularity Minnesota fielders make pivotal and sometimes spectacular plays. The stellar defense starts with a middle core at catcher, shortstop, second base and center field. Most rivals can’t match Minnesota’s defensive personnel in that group.

The hitting has been spotty and at times the Twins struggle to score but that has been a problem for most MLB clubs. Speculation about a less lively baseball, the impact of a shortened spring training and unfavorable weather are all subjects offered up to explain the production drought in the majors. Still, the Twins have done more than many clubs with timely hitting and their lineup includes Byron Buxton who is among the league leaders in home runs and Luis Arraez is hitting a nifty .349 with a .876 OPS.

The Twins appeared almost desperate for pitching help before the season but overall results from both starters and relievers is exceeding expectations. “Some of our pitchers have had success,” St. Peter said. “Some of our pitchers have had some struggles but we think that there is more depth here.

“And the good news is I think we’re really excited about the young core that we’re developing. Some of those guys are already at the big league level; some are fast approaching the big leagues, whether they be at Double A or St. Paul (Triple A). So we like our chances of having more of a home grown pitching staff. That’s always the goal and I think we’re positioning ourselves for that in 2023 and beyond.”

In 2021 the Twins were coming off a season-shortened 2020 when they won their division. Expectations were high but the Twins finished with a 73-89 record. There was pessimism during the summer the local favorites were headed toward a major rebuild of the roster and could be a losing team in coming seasons.

Dave St. Peter (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

St. Peter, front office leaders Derek Falvey, Thad Levine and manager Rocco Baldelli made an assessment. “We talked openly and honestly about the state of our system,” St. Peter said. “Where our major league team was and where our farm system was, and where we were. Ultimately within the construct of that conversation it was pretty clear that ownership, along with Derek, Thad, Rocco and others, felt like we had a path toward competing in 2022.

“And thus the plan was enacted to re-sign Byron, to sign him to an extension, and try to work over the course of the offseason to put this team in a better position to rebound from a really tough 2021. I know there was a narrative that we were going to rebuild, but that was never the focus internally.”

Worth Noting

Injuries have already forced the Twins to use many players not on the opening day roster. Technology has played a role in contributing both to injuries and their prevention in baseball and other sports. Advancements in training push the human body to extremes not known in the past, while medical diagnostics provides accurate analysis regarding injuries. The result is injuries sidelining players today that wouldn’t have done so decades ago.

With an injury comes caution from the player, his agent and team. “Players are not encouraged to play through injury like I think they once were,” St. Peter said.

Mike Grant talking about his father Bud Grant who turned 95 last Friday: “Everything that has gone on in his life, he remembers every one, and he remembers everything. That’s a real blessing to have that, you know.”

Former University of Minnesota regent Michael Hsu, a leading proponent of monetization for college athletes, attended a Washington D.C. symposium last week featuring three panel discussions. The topics: unionization, Name, Image and Likeness, and a college athletes bill of rights.

The Sack Symposium is named after Allen Sack, a national expert in the college sports culture. Sack was a backup tackle at Notre Dame to former Vikings’ great Alan Page. Sack’s college roommate, former U athletic director Joel Maturi, also attended the symposium.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners he is open to retiring Kevin Garnett’s jersey. Garnett has been critical of Taylor but the owner says the organization is open at anytime to honoring the NBA hall of famer and has extended past invitations. “So we’re leaving that up to him,” Taylor said. “But I would be as nice and helpful to him as I would be (to) anybody. It’s kind of on him right now.”

The Gophers, averaging 2,899 per home date, finished No. 7 in attendance among the nation’s Division I wrestling programs this year, according to figures from the National Wrestling Media Association. Minnesota has been top 10 in attendance since 2002.

Iowa led all programs, averaging a capacity 14,905 in its arena. That’s a record for the Hawkeyes who have been national attendance leaders since 2007, per NWMA.

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Wild Owner Praises “Special Team”

Posted on May 1, 2022 by David Shama

Craig Leipold has owned the Minnesota Wild since 2008. Before that he owned another NHL franchise, the Nashville Predators.

“This is the best team I’ve had in 22 years of owning an NHL (club),” he told Sports Headliners. “It is the full package; very few weaknesses on this team. …It’s a special team and I think special things are going to happen.”

The Wild finished the regular season Friday night with a 53-22-7 record and second place in the Central Division. That’s the franchise’s best record ever. When Leipold owned the Predators they had best seasons of 51 and 49 wins.

The Wild open the playoffs at home Monday night against the St. Louis Blues. Even a casual Wild fan wonders whether this Minnesota team can make a deep playoff run and perhaps win the league’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup. That would be a first for the Wild franchise that started as an expansion franchise in the 2000-2001 season.

“It’s a fine line,” Leipold said. “It takes a lot of luck, let’s be honest. It takes a healthy team. It takes a hot goal tender. It takes very opportunistic goals at the right time. And we have the ability to do all of that.

“We don’t have many weaknesses—and our power play and penalty killing I guess would be the two. But five-on-five we’re in the top of the league. You play five-on-five for 80 to 90 percent of the game so I like our chances.

“The first round against the St. Louis Blues is going to be a really good series. If you’re a hockey fan, you’re going to want to watch these two teams play.”

A developing worry since Leipold spoke to Sports Headliners is Friday night’s injury to forward Marcus Foligno. He left the game against the Colorado Avalanche after being kneed in the first period. Part of a shutdown line, his potential absence in the playoffs would be a setback for Minnesota.

Leipold watched his team practice late last week and he saw energized players enjoying themselves, not a group worn down by the grind of the 82-game regular season. “You can tell, they’re just having a great time.”

Leipold hired general manager Bill Guerin in August of 2019. He has renovated the roster and installed former assistant coach Dean Evason as head coach. Guerin, who came from the Pittsburgh Penguins as assistant GM, has shown a discerning eye for both evaluating player talent and character.

Guerin has earned the owner’s trust and confidence in making moves like adding defenseman Dmitri Kulikov last summer. The 31-year-old veteran’s experience and skills were a welcome addition to the roster, and presumably, too, is the Russian’s fit in the locker room where he joined countryman Kirill Kaprizov, last season’s NHL Rookie of the Year.

“Billy knows he’s got the green light to do any of those kinds of deals,” Leipold said. “He doesn’t need my approval for that. He’ll just do that deal. …I was very happy to get a player like Kulikov on our team.”

There is something else about Guerin that impresses Leipold a lot and it’s the GM’s will to win. “He wants to win a Stanley Cup where he is the general manager. Where this is his team. …It’s great to have a GM and a leader in that department that is driven that way.”

Kaprizov led the team in regular season goals, assists and points. He is in the first season of a five-year deal. Kevin Fiala was second in goals and points, and the Wild face a salary cap crunch trying to re-sign the restricted free agent in the off season. “I can tell you when we look at players we want to sign next year, Kevin Fiala is on top of the list,” Leipold said.

The owner can’t be sure he and Guerin will be able to retain Fiala. “If we were unencumbered by a cap system, we would spend whatever it takes to get him. But we live in a salary cap world and Kevin has played himself into a very good contract for next year, and we’ll see where it goes.”

The Wild and other NHL teams went through the worst of financial times at the height of the pandemic when fans weren’t allowed to attend games. Now the Wild are playing before sellout crowds and that’s significant in the NHL where gate receipts are vital to the bottom line.

Leipold said all the home playoff games will be sellouts and his expectation is the same for the 2022-2023 season. “The fans are spectacular. They see in this team a special team as well.”

Worth Noting

Anyone remember a Gopher player performing a song at halftime of a U spring football game? That’s what happened yesterday when sixth-year tight end Sam Pickerign sang on the field while a TV audience watched on the Big Ten Network.

Head coach P.J. Fleck also used his creativity showcasing wide receiver Michael Brown-Stephens who was targeted for numerous passes and also lined up in the backfield while his high school brother, Anthony Brown, watched from the sidelines. Brown is a four-star receiving prospect from Springfield, Ohio who has shown considerable interest in Minnesota.

Brown-Stephens was one of three spring game MVP’s along with defensive back Miles Fleming and kicker Matthew Trickett.

The maroon and gold defenses impressed in the intra-squad game, with defensive line redshirt freshman Austin Booker and Western Kentucky transfer cornerback Beanie Bishop among the standouts.

Byron Buxton apparently likes the month of April. Although the Twins center fielder missed some games with injuries, including yesterday, he played enough to lead the team in home runs and RBI (11). His six homers rank near the top among MLB leaders.

Buxton’s April a year ago was spectacular when he won the American League Player of the Month award. He hit .426, with eight home runs and 14 RBI. He scored 15 runs, with a .466 on-base percentage, an .897 slugging percentage and a 1.363 OPS. He set Twins records for March/April in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS. His OPS broke a Twins record for any month, surpassing Joe Mauer’s 1.338.

Hall of Fame-bound Tony Oliva has signed a partnership agreement with Dan Stoltz and locally based SPIRE Credit Union. Oliva will appear in TV commercials and other promotions for SPIRE.

The baseball Gophers will host Nebraska next weekend for a three-game series at Siebert Field. On Saturday Minnesota will honor past teams including the 1960 Big Ten and NCAA championship team. The Gophers also won national titles in 1956 and 1964. No Big Ten baseball team has won the NCAA championship since 1966.

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