Gophers Basketball – Page 159 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ex-Coach: Vikes Put Ego on ‘Shelf’

Posted on October 8, 2012October 8, 2012 by David Shama

Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners the Vikings, who have already won more games than all of last season, are a “team playing for each other.”

Minnesota, 4-1 and tied for first with the Bears in the NFC North, defeated the Titans 30-7 at Mall of America Field yesterday. During consecutive wins over the 49ers, Lions and Titans the Vikings avoided critical errors and giving up big plays, often playing effectively on offense, defense and special teams.

The Vikings are making use of their talent with consistent and steady play. Dalton, the former Vikings assistant coach, credited head coach Leslie Frazier with creating a “culture of success” with his leadership after confronting difficult past challenges including last season’s 3-13 record.

Dalton, who hosts a weekly NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said the Vikings have come together as a team by leaving “the ego on the shelf.” He also said the Vikings could be a playoff club by season’s end.

Vikings center John Sullivan said after the game that Dalton’s evaluation about “team first” is true. Sullivan added that because Frazier is a former NFL player, the coach relates effectively to the Vikings.

“With a playing background, he really knows what he’s talking about in terms of addressing us from a player’s perspective,” Sullivan said. “I think he’s done an outstanding job. We’re 100 percent behind him.”

Worth Noting

Sullivan, talking about second-year quarterback Christian Ponder, who has thrown only two interceptions this season but six touchdown passes: “We have the utmost confidence in him. He’s our leader. He’s our quarterback. I think we’re going to do big things with him at the helm.”

Vikings receiver-runner Percy Harvin had a remarkable first quarter touchdown run of four yards where he combined speed, cutting ability and power. “I am blessed with a lot of ability. That’s my thing. I just try to get in open space, ever since I was younger. If I can get in open space, I feel like I can make things happen. It was a missed tackle by them.”

Harvin was asked what tacklers say who are almost faked out of their shoes: “A couple of them tell me to slow down, that they can’t catch up. I just look at them and laugh and say that’s my job.”

The Vikings’ only loss was in game No. 2 against the Colts. Vikings defensive end Jared Allen believes the defense is different now. “…Something clicked after that loss to the Colts. We were out of body and out of character for what we do but we’ve gotten back to that. A lot of credit goes to coach (Alan) Williams (defensive coordinator) because he was able to recognize that and listen to some of the vets, take ideas in, and hone in what we do.”

Danielle Kalil, sister of Vikings offensive rookie tackle Matt Kalil, sang the National Anthem before yesterday’s game.

Attendance at yesterday’s game was 57,652. Attendance for the Vikings’ first three regular season home games has yet to reach 60,000 at Mall of America Field (capacity about 64,000).

Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf said it’s likely the team will be playing the 2014 and 2015 seasons at TCF Bank Stadium while the new stadium is being built on the Mall of America Field site.

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, attended yesterday’s game and said the Vikings have expressed interest in hosting the Super Bowl in 2018, 2019 or 2020 but no decision has been made about the site for those years.

Tickets for tonight’s Manny’s Celebrity Waiters Night with Chad Greenway and Friends are sold out. The event benefits the Vikings linebacker’s Lead the Way Foundation, helping “critically and chronically ill” children in the metro area. www.chadgreenway.org

Gophers coach Jerry Kill, speaking on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle yesterday, was noncommittal on quarterback MarQueis Gray’s availability for next Saturday’s game with Northwestern. “Not saying he can’t be,” Kill said about Gray who has not played since September 15 because of an injured left ankle and knee. But Kill cautioned about Gray being ready for Northwestern based on what he saw from his former starting quarterback last week.

Here are Sports Headliners’ second Big Ten power rankings of the season: Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

Don Lucia’s Gophers opened their season with a 7-0 exhibition win over Lethbridge Saturday night at Mariucci Arena. The college hockey season begins in the early days of fall and at Minnesota expectations are for the Gophers to be playing in the spring for another national championship.

Lucia, whose Gophers play Michigan State at home on Friday and Saturday night, has won two national titles at Minnesota. He said expectations have always been high at Minnesota during his era but social media has added to the environment.

The Gophers lost in a semi-finals Frozen Four game to Boston College last spring and anything less than an encore appearance in the finals will be a disappointment to many. The Gophers, returning six of their top seven scorers and all six starting defensemen from last season, are joined by Boston College at the top of the early season national rankings.

Lucia, 54, is starting his 14^th season as Gophers head coach. He had health problems a couple years back but told Sports Headliners he’s fine now. How much longer does he want to coach?

Lucia said a “few more” seasons and quipped he doesn’t plan to be another “Red Berenson,” the 72-year-old Michigan coach now beginning his 29^th season in Ann Arbor.

Wally Shaver starts his 20^th season of broadcasting Gophers hockey on the radio next Friday night, calling the game on 1500 ESPN. His father, legendary former North Stars broadcaster Al Shaver, is retired, living on Vancouver Island in his native Canada and turns 85 on October 25.

Various reports have Apple Valley High School junior point guard Tyus Jones visiting Duke’s Midnight Madness practice on Friday. Meanwhile the Gopher men’s and women’s teams will have their own version of Midnight Madness on Friday at Williams Arena with fans able to watch skills competitions like a dunk contest and team scrimmages. Admission is free and the arena opens at 7 p.m. A trip for two is being given away to watch the Gopher men in their late November basketball tournament in the Bahamas.

Fergus Falls High School football coach Richard Risbrudt now has 201 career wins. In 35 seasons as a head coach Risbrudt’s record is 201-144.

The new release “Trouble with the Curve,” starring Clint Eastwood, is one of the better baseball movies ever made, although not on the level of “Moneyball,” the story of Oakland baseball boss Billy Beane operating on a cheapskate budget running the A’s.

The new movie, “42,” about baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, debuts next April but is already being promoted in theatres and a film trailer is on YouTube.

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Worth Noting

Posted on July 13, 2012July 13, 2012 by David Shama

Zach Parise was eight years old when the North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993 but he has memories of the NHL franchise that includes his dad, J.P. Parise, among its alums. “We always loved going to the games,” Zach said.

He described meeting North Stars legends Neal Broten and Mike Modano as the “highlight of a lifetime.”

Ryan Suter said he doesn’t set personal goals but the objective before each season is to have his team win the Stanley Cup. “I think that the better your team does, the more success you have personally. My goals, I think, are just trying to be the best leader I can be. Helping young players – obviously contributing on and off the ice as much as I can. …”

Suter, age 27 and with a 13-year contract, talking about playing at 40: “I hope so. I hope I am still healthy. I would love to be able to play. “

If the Minnesota hot weather continues into August when the Gophers begin preparations for their August 30 game in Las Vegas it will be a plus for conditioning. Summer temperatures in Las Vegas can exceed 110 during the day, although the Gophers-UNLV game will be played at night.

Memorials and donations can be made to a donor’s choice of several organizations in memory of former Gophers football player John Williams. For information about those organizations visit his CaringBridge website, https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnbjwilliams

Discussions between the Gophers and basketball coach Tubby Smith regarding a contract extension have been ongoing since at least spring of last year. At this point it will be no surprise if a deal is reached, or if Smith continues with his present contract that has two years remaining.

The basketball staff’s recruiting prowess will be tested during the next two years because of coveted state prep prospects Tyus Jones, Reid Travis, Rashad Vaughn and Kyle Washington.

NBA referee and Minnesota native Ken Mauer Jr. will be the speaker on Thursday, September 13 at the C.O.R.E.S. luncheon in Bloomington. Anyone interested in more information can email Jim Dotseth at dotsethj@comcast.net. C.O.R.E.S. is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans.

The Timberwolves have a minicamp roster of players competing this week to be on the team that plays a five-game schedule starting next Monday in Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League. Players trying out include Luke Sikma, son of Wolves assistant coach Jack Sikma, and Coby Karl, son of Nuggets head coach George Karl.

Five-time All-Star Camilo Pascual, who pitched for both the old Washington Senators and the Twins, will be inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame tomorrow night during a pre-game infield ceremony at Target Field prior to Minnesota’s game against Oakland. Pascual might have had the best curve ball ever thrown by a Twins pitcher.

The Kansas City Star reported online Sunday that the biggest economic impact for the city of Kansas City in hosting this week’s MLB All-Star game is media exposure worth $75 million (33 million viewers in 217 countries). Minneapolis may host the 2014 game.

Sports Headliners is told Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church on Prior Avenue in St. Paul will be the site of the Joe Mauer–Maddie Bisanz wedding on Saturday, December 1, and security will be tight.

Internet speculation includes talk various clubs want to acquire former Twins starter Matt Garza, now with the Cubs.

The Vikings, like other NFL teams, have to be concerned about fans who prefer watching games via high-definition television. With a new stadium to fill in 2016 and beyond, look for the Vikings to factor this into marketing decisions including ticket pricing and the game day experience downtown.

Mike Freeman, writing on July 10 for cbssports.com, said 39 Vikings have been arrested by law enforcement officials since 2000, the most in the NFL. The latest was Adrian Peterson’s arrest in Houston several days ago. Freeman also wrote the Vikings have “10 arrests since the start of 2011.”

The St. Thomas football team is ranked No. 4 nationally in the Lindy’s Sports Magazine Division III preseason poll. The Tommies are ranked No. 7 in the USA Today top 10 poll. Last year St. Thomas became the first team in MIAC history to complete back-to-back 10-0 regular seasons and lost to eventual national champion UW-Whitewater in the NCAA Division III semifinals. Saint John’s and Bethel join UST in the Lindy’s Top 25 Poll at No. 14 and No. 15.

Suzy Bogguss, a recent guest on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion radio program, will perform at the third annual Camden’s Concert on Wednesday, July 25 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Camden’s Concert is named after Dave and Linda Mona’s 4½-year-old grandson Camden Mona, and the event raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

A silent auction on July 25 will include footballs signed by Jerry Kill, Percy Harvin and John Carlson, plus an Adrian Peterson autographed jersey. Tickets are available by calling the Hopkins Center for the Arts, 952-979-1111, or via the organization’s website. www.hopkinsartscenter.com/

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Worth Noting

Posted on July 11, 2012July 11, 2012 by David Shama

Gophers football coach Jerry Kill will take quarterback MarQueis Gray, offensive lineman Ed Olson and linebacker Keanon Cooper to Chicago later this month for the Big Ten Football Media Days.

Congratulations to former Gophers wide receiver Sam Richter who is the author of Take the Cold Out of Cold Calling. Richter won the Sales Book of the Year Award from the American Association of Inside Sales Professionals.

Former Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi told Sports Headliners he favors a new basketball practice facility as a separate project from a new or renovated Williams Arena. Maturi’s position is the Gophers will need a modern practice facility when 84-year-old Williams Arena is torn down or renovated while playing home games at another building such as Target Center.

“I’ve said for five years Williams Arena has to be addressed,” Maturi said.

That assignment now will be for new University of Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague. Maturi hopes to see an elevated floor be part of a new or renovated arena.

The University is spending $90,000 to ensure that the Williams Arena roof will bear the weight of the new scoreboard that will be in place for next season.

The funeral for former Gophers All-American offensive tackle John Williams will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday at Speak the Word International Church in Golden Valley. A wake will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday at Estes Funeral Chapel in north Minneapolis. John passed away on Sunday in Minneapolis.

Al Nuness just finished his Gophers basketball playing career in the spring of 1969 when coach Bill Fitch asked him to help recruit Corky Taylor, a high school prospect in Detroit. Nuness and others paid tribute to Corky last week at the Plymouth Covenant Church in Plymouth. Corky, 60, died in late June from lung cancer.

Nuness, who described the 6-9 Taylor as a “big teddy bear with a great smile,” told Sports Headliners how he learned more about his friend at the funeral. “He was very private to begin with. He was deeply religious,” Nuness said. “It showed in the way his funeral was handled. It was very moving.”

Former Gophers teammates from Corky’s 1972 Big Ten championship team attending the funeral included Ron Behagen, Jim Brewer and also Clyde Turner who gave a eulogy. Gophers from other eras included Walter Bond, Willie Burton, Nate Tubbs and Trent Tucker.

Nuness acknowledged that Taylor’s name will long be associated with the 1972 Gophers- Ohio State brawl. Taylor was a major participant in the fight between the two teams. “That was totally out of character for Corky what happened,” Nuness said.

The Gophers will host the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four next March 22 and 24 at Ridder Arena. The Gophers are defending national champions. There have been 12 NCAA women’s champions over the years and all the titles have been won by three schools – UMD (five), Wisconsin (four) and Minnesota (three).

The Minnesota Wild Development Camp that started earlier this week at Xcel Energy Center includes free scrimmages open to the public tomorrow night starting at 7 p.m. and on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m. Among the prospects participating are Makael Granlund, the talented 20-year-old center from Finland who is likely to make the Wild roster next season. Trying out also is Will Merchant, a senior forward at Eagan High School last season. Record development camp crowds of 5,000 are possible.

Wild owner Craig Leipold said on Monday the organization’s “great” prospects was a factor in the willingness of free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to sign with his franchise. He also said the Wild has sold “almost” 2,000 new season tickets since the signings of Parise and Suter was announced last week.

Leipold indicated a winning Wild team can have a domino effect on the franchise for the building of a new practice facility across from Xcel Energy Center and for helping secure the NHL Winter Classic for the Twin Cities.

How often does a grandfather catch his grandson in an official baseball game? Tink Larson isn’t sure of the answer but he was the catcher for grandson Clint Larson in a town baseball game last month. Playing for the Waseca Braves, 20-year-old Clint was throwing to 70-year-old Tink.

“It just so happened this particular night that we were ahead so it was a good time to have him pitch and me catch since no one feels that there has ever been a grandfather that has caught his grandson,” Tink wrote in an email. “…Most people that age have long been retired and most couldn’t still catch. He (Clint) had two strikeouts and a comebacker to the mound so it was a pretty easy inning.

“When I was 60 I caught my son Mike, who was close to 40, in an amateur state tournament game at Miesville. That was in 2002. I also caught an inning in the state amateur tournament in 2003 at Northfield. …”

Eight MIAC football players have been selected as preseason Division III All-Americans by Beyond Sports Network. St. Thomas offensive lineman Curtis James and Saint John’s defensive back Bobby Fischer are first team picks.

Tommies defensive lineman Riley Dombeck and defensive back Chinni Oji are on the second team while St. Thomas linebacker Harry Pitera and punter Garrett Maloney are third teamers. Also on the third team is Bethel offensive lineman Josh Wolfe and Concordia offensive lineman Tom Knowlton.

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