Gophers Basketball – Page 89 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins to Explore Free Agent Market

Posted on September 12, 2018September 12, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Wednesday notes column on baseball, basketball, football, sports wagering and tennis.

Twins president Dave St. Peter said the club will look at the free agent market this offseason, but that won’t be the main path for improving a team that had Central Division title ambitions last spring but is 12 games under .500 with the schedule ending September 30.

St. Peter said in an interview with Sports Headliners this summer that the roster core in the future will be comprised of players with the club now and in the farm system. He expressed confidence in the personnel already under the franchise’s contractual control.

Although the results and impact weren’t significant from the club’s free agent shopping last winter, St. Peter termed the efforts “aggressive.” He also debunked speculation that for whatever reasons free agents aren’t interested in coming to the state and playing for the Twins.

“I don’t think there is anything that detracts free agents from wanting to come to Minnesota,” St. Peter said. “I think that’s a fallacy. I don’t think it’s accurate. We haven’t played significantly in that space (pursuing free agents) so there really isn’t a lot of track record.

“I can assure you this past offseason we spent a lot of time talking to some very prominent free agents and they were all very willing to come to Minnesota. Normally, it comes down to dollars. That’s ultimately the driver.”

A remarkable half century association with St. Thomas ends next spring when Tommies athletics director Steve Fritz retires. Fritz will end an affiliation of 52 consecutive years with the school that began with being a student-athlete in basketball. He has known various roles at St. Thomas including coaching the men’s basketball team to the 2011 Division III national championship.

St. Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck has his team in the finals of the American Association playoffs against the Kansas City T-Bones. This could be the Saints’ first league playoff championship since 2004. The Kansas City, Kansas based T-Bones were originally the Duluth-Superior Dukes.

Veeck told Sports Headliners yesterday morning he was evacuating his home in Charleston, South Carolina and was headed to Florida because of hurricane Florence.

Before Joe Mauer came to the plate last night with the bases loaded, the Target Field public address system played the theme song from the Rocky movie, “Gonna Fly Now.” Mauer responded with a 416-foot home run to center field and later came out of the dugout for a curtain call. After the sixth inning blast, the Twins went on to defeat the Yankees 10-5, ending an eight game losing streak to New York.

The Vikings’ Mike Zimmer after being asked if he ever feels like he has the wind at his back while coaching in the NFL. “No, I always got the wind in my face. …”

When Mark Coyle was the athletic director at Syracuse he was interested in P.J. Fleck. Coyle was looking for a new head football coach in the fall of 2015 and Fleck was among recommended potential candidates. Fleck was coaching at Western Michigan and Coyle told Sports Headliners that people he trusted suggested contacting the young head coach who was gaining national attention.

Coyle said the two had a brief conversation because Fleck let it be known that coaching in the Big Ten was his dream and he didn’t want to pursue the Syracuse opening that ultimately was filled by Dino Babers. Coyle described the talk as a “really good conversation” and appreciated Fleck’s honesty and career ambitions.

The Broncos’ record was 8-5 in 2015 and then 13-1 the next season. That near undefeated 2016 season certainly got Coyle’s attention and on January 6, 2017 the then 36-year-old Fleck was named Minnesota’s head coach.

If there was a negative about the Gophers’ quality win against Fresno State last Saturday night, it was the home attendance at TCF Bank Stadium. The announced attendance of 38,280 was the lowest for a nonconference game in stadium history. It was also the second smallest crowd since the stadium opened in 2009.

Minnesota had an announced crowd of 41,291 for its first game of the season. That was on a Thursday night instead of a Saturday evening like the Fresno State game. The weekend night figured to pull more customers and so, too, did the opponent because Fresno is much better than New Mexico State who the Gophers opened against on August 30.

The Gophers, 2-0 going into Saturday’s home game against Miami of Ohio, have a number of intriguing freshmen and sophomores. Because Blaise Andries plays in the interior offensive line, he is more difficult to observe than many of the other young players but the redshirt freshman guard from Marshall, Minnesoa has caught Fleck’s attention. The coach refers to the 6-5, 315 pound Andries as someone who is “going to be a really great player.”

Part of Andries’ skillset is his intelligence. Fleck said, “He’s going to be an actuary, right. Remember, I didn’t even know what an actuary even was, and he wants to be that.”

Fleck believes Andries could eventually be moved to tackle. That switch would partially be determined by where he is needed as Minnesota also has promising young offensive linemen like true freshmen Curtis Dunlap Jr. and Daniel Faalale.

Former Gophers football player Kim Royston was named athletics director at Southwest High School in Minneapolis earlier this summer. The city school system might be close to naming a replacement for ex-Gopher basketballer Trent Tucker who resigned last winter as AD for all the public high schools in Minneapolis.

Former Gopher football captain Jim Carter is grateful for all the get well wishes this week after being hospitalized and receiving two angiogram procedures. He suffered a heart attack last Saturday with one of his arteries being 90 percent blocked. Now recovering, he texted yesterday that the response from people “has been humbling and somewhat overwhelming!”

Vikings safety Harrison Smith was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week today. In Minnesota’s opening win against the 49ers Sunday he had eight tackles, one interception and one fumble recovery. Smith could become a finalist for NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Gopher basketball coach Richard Pitino said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” show Sunday he is still waiting word from the NCAA whether Pittsburgh transfer and guard Marcus Carr will be eligible this fall. Carr averaged 10 points and four assists as a freshman last season at Pittsburgh.

Playing tennis added an average of 9.7 years to a person’s life, according to a Danish study reported last week by the Dailymail.com.

Shelley Buck, tribal council president for the Prairie Island Indian Community that owns Treasure Island Resort & Casino, said on a recent segment of TV’s “Behind the Game” that legalized sports betting won’t be as profitable for operators as other forms of gambling already in place. She also said casinos like Treasure Island have the experience and infrastructure to handle sports betting if and when it is approved in Minnesota.

A pro football source predicted to Sports Headliners that the approval of legalized sports betting in Minnesota is only a couple of years off.

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Vikings Kicker Carlson on Spot Thursday

Posted on August 28, 2018August 28, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Tuesday notes column on the Vikings, Gophers and Twins.

No Viking will probably be more closely watched in the team’s Thursday night final preseason game than placekicker Daniel Carlson. The rookie fifth round draft choice missed two field goal attempts in last week’s win against the Seahawks and he prompted the displeasure of coach Mike Zimmer.

Zimmer was upset enough to call for a two-point conversion attempt after a touchdown rather than have Carlson kick the extra point. Carlson’s rough evening against the Seahawks came days after the Vikings released veteran Kai Forbath.

While Zimmer apparently is playing head games with his promising 23-year-old kicker, this might be a moment for a slice (no pun intended) of levity. If the Vikings want to consider options other than Carlson before their September 9 regular season opener against the 49ers, they need look no further than a couple of Purple alums.

Last time we checked, Forbath—the man who struggled to make extra points with Minnesota—was available on the NFL labor market. Blair Walsh, who missed the infamous playoff field goal attempt against the Seahawks in January of 2016, was replaced by Forbath later that year and is also now a free agent.

Retired kicker Ryan Longwell, the third leading scorer in Vikings history, just turned 44 years old this month. The Seahawks employ 40-year-old Sebastian Janikowski, and 45-year-old Adam Vinatieri is still kicking for the Colts. Why not a Longwell comeback even if the Packers, another of his former NFL teams, just inducted him into their Hall of Fame?

Okay, back to reality. Zimmer, burned by kicking failures in past seasons, will turn up the “heat” again on Carlson to determine whether he has a specialist with a long future in Minnesota. Perhaps as soon as Thursday night in Nashville against the Titans.

Kirk Cousins posted on Twitter last Saturday that trying to find parking at the State Fair was such a challenge he had to take a “rain check.” The Vikings quarterback wrote he is still hoping to try a “fried Twinkie.”

The Vikings’ new headquarters and practice facility in Eagan has opened this year with raves from not only the organization and media but also fans of Minnesota’s NFL team who attended training camp. Since the franchise’s inception in 1961, the organization has done business, including its training camps, in various places in the Twin Cities and state.

Minneapolis attorney Marshall Tanick, writing an August 7 article on Hometownsource.com, recalled the Vikings once looked at a site in Golden Valley before choosing Eden Prairie and developing Winter Park where the team made its football headquarters for more than three decades before moving to Eagan.

“In the late 1970s, the Vikings were looking for a new consolidated business operations and practice site,” Tanick wrote. “By then, it had outgrown its meager corporate facility on France Avenue in Edina and sought to build its own indoor field in order to shed its nomadic ways of practicing at different venues around the Twin Cities with no dedicated practice facility.

“The campus of what was then Golden Valley High School, immediately east of Highway 100 to the north of Glenwood Avenue, became available. The school district had closed due to declining enrollment, merging in 1981 with the Hopkins District. The Vikings closely eyed the facility for its business offices, along with its already existing adjacent football field, which could be converted easily into a covered site.”

The Vikings, though, couldn’t close a deal with Golden Valley authorities. Instead, they moved on to Eden Prairie and left behind their practice facility at Midway Stadium in St. Paul. As for the Golden Valley site, it became and still remains the home of Breck High School.

The New Mexico State team the Gophers open against at TCF Bank Stadium on Thursday night looked awful offensively in its August 25 game with Wyoming. The Aggies had one first down in the first half on their way to a 29-7 loss to Wyoming, a team with an outstanding defense.

Although the Aggies were coming off their first bowl game last season since 1960, there were lots of empty seats for their home game in Las Cruces. Yet some tickets were priced as low as $3 each.

The Minnesota Athletic Department has been selling tickets starting at $1 for Lindsay Whalen’s first game as Gopher women’s basketball coach on November 9 against New Hampshire.

The Gophers have 113 players on their roster and 60 of them—or 53.1 percent—are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen. Those are the highest numbers in the country among major college football programs.

Minnesota’s roster of four quarterbacks consists of one true freshman and three redshirt freshmen. The Gophers are the least experienced team in the country at quarterback.

Zack Annexstad wil start Thursday night, the first time the Gophers have begun the season with a true freshman quarterback since Tim Salem in 1980. Salem completed 13 of 16 passes and threw one touchdown pass in Minnesota’s 38-14 over Ohio.

It looks like Gophers special team headliners will include kickoff returner Rodney Smith, punt returner Antoine Winfield Jr., placekicker Emmitt Carpenter and punter Jacob Herbers.

Punting could be a concern for Minnesota. The now departed Ryan Santoso punted 66 times last season, while Herbers punted once. Head coach P.J. Fleck said SMU transfer Alex Melvin will also have opportunities in games.

The Gophers were No. 1 nationally in both fewest total penalties and yards penalized last season. The year before Minnesota ranked 91st in fewest penalty yards and 86th in yards penalized.

Barry Mayer, who is a former running back for the Gophers and three-year letter winner from 1968-70, is a certified paid trainer with the Positive Coaching Alliance in Minnesota. The organization provides various resources, including workshops, to help youth and high school athletes enjoy positive experiences in athletics. PCA’s motto is “Making Better Athletes Better People.”

Mayer’s son Adam was a wide receiver for the Gophers in 2015 and 2016. After lettering in 2016, he gave up football because of chronic hamstring injuries but is still in school and plans to graduate from Minnesota next spring with a degree in business.

“…When Adam told me he was thinking about stepping away from football, he knew it was going to disappoint me,” Barry said in an email. “I told him that sports are a means to an end, never the end in itself. My goal for him participating was to gain and understand the many life lessons sports offers and carry those on into one’s adult life. I truly believed he had done that, and apparently it was time to move on to his life’s next chapter. I couldn’t be more proud of the young man he is becoming.”

The Twins were a Wild Card team last year and expectations this spring were they could qualify for the postseason in 2018. Instead, the Twins are a good bet to finish under .500 and not even come close to earning a Central Division title, or Wild Card entry.

Twins president Dave St. Peter, who often talks about playing “meaningful games” late in the season, was asked if expectations were too high for his club. “I think we had realistic expectations based on what took place last season. Second half of last season we were the best team offensively in the American League, one of the better teams offensively in baseball. Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t play out that way. We never really had our entire lineup on the field. …”

The suspension for about three months of shortstop Jorge Polanco and serious injuries to other frontline players impacted the club. Players have also underperformed. St. Peter, though, likes the “young core” of players on the roster and is optimistic about the talent in the club’s farm system.

The great Ted Williams, who played for the minor league Minneapolis Millers before his MLB career with the Red Sox, would be 100 years old tomorrow if still alive.

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All Get a Say in U ‘Barn’ Changes

Posted on August 13, 2018August 13, 2018 by David Shama

Williams Arena is 90 years old. It’s one of the most storied basketball venues in America and a huge part of this state’s sports history. The building’s raised playing floor is unique and a focal point of the arena that opened in 1928.

The new look (photo courtesy Minnesota athletic communications)

As of this summer that floor has a new look with a gray-white paint job. Included in changes is floor signage more prominently referring to “The Barn,” the building’s nickname.

The floor has gone through various looks in the past, and the change now is dramatic. A half century ago the oak floor had a simple gold-like look, with signage limited to a block M in the center jump circle. More recently the floor has been a mix of gold (aged yellow?) and maroon, with the former having the emphasis.

The old look (photo courtesy Minnesota athletic communications)

The new coloring’s intent is to provide a “barn replica” appearance, according to Athletic Department spokesman Jake Ricker. Gone is the maroon border that contrasted sharply with the gold.

I am warming to the barn look but don’t time me with a stopwatch. Judging by photos, the change appears to create a lighter atmosphere in the arena. However, there is so much history and tradition to Williams Arena that my preference would be the simple oak colored floor of decades ago. To me, that appearance best honors the historic venue on University Avenue.

I never have liked references to “The Barn.” The building was named after the great Gopher football coach Dr. Henry Williams. Let’s honor Doc. We’re not rubes with eighth grade educations that play basketball in a barn. Students dressed as barnyard animals? Puh-leeze, not classy.

The Williams Arena floor needed renovation this year because of wear and tear. A bunch of folks at the U came up with and approved the design for the floor. It will probably be another seven to 10 years before renovation will be discussed again.

Ricker said although few fans have seen the floor yet, positive responses out-number negative. I reached out to more than 20 readers of my column for their take on the new look and “The Barn” nickname. They came back with varied views and emotions, with some reviewers saying they want to reserve final judgment until they can evaluate in person (thumbs up).

Here are many of the responses received by Sports Headliners (edited for brevity and clarity):

Jim Dutcher, former Gophers coach whose 1982 team won the Big Ten: “Anything they can ever do to update the building, I am all for it. If that includes the floor, go for it. …’The Barn’ is an affectionate term, not a derogatory term at all. For better or worse, people love ‘The Barn.’ “

George Dahl, a Gopher basketball fan since the early 1960s: “How long do you think a white floor at ‘The Barn’ will last before they spend more to redo it appropriately and maintain tradition? Whose idea was it? Terrible!”

Steve Hunegs, a season ticket holder since 1971: “I love the look. Reminds me of the simpler appearance of the (coach Bill) Musselman years (1970s). Of course the success of the basketball teams will enhance the look of the arena (even more). I have never cared for the nickname ‘The Barn.’ Dr. Williams was a great figure of Minnesota sports history and Williams Arena bears a certain historic power.”

Former Gopher and past season ticket holder Larry Overskei: “The color of the floor is much too light in color. A nice light oak would be preferred. Fans do not want to squint when watching a game. Creativity is sometimes overdone. Let’s just play basketball.”

Sam Sigelman, a Gopher season ticket holder: “Although I will miss the varnished dark maroon, I am open to the change and can’t wait to see the floor in person. While the nickname ‘The Barn’ emblazoned on the floor may be tacky to some, this is a much better outcome than the previous athletic director envisioned. I recall Mr. (Norwood) Teague openly discussing a new arena for men’s and women’s basketball. Considering this alternative, we should all embrace the new floor.”

Tom Klas, a fan for more than 45 years: “From the photos, it appears that the coloring of the lettering (on the floor) doesn’t match. ‘The Barn’ looks to be maroon. However, the balance of the lettering on the floor looks like it’s red. …And how is washed-out gray better than the traditional golden hue that is the coloring of the majority of basketball floors? To sum it up in two words: It stinks.”

Bob Klas Jr., Tom’s brother and a season ticket holder since 1973: “I wouldn’t miss Williams Arena if it were gone. I’m not one who is particularly nostalgic about its history, but unless and until it’s replaced, I think fans should embrace its uniqueness. So calling it ‘The Barn’ is fine with me.”

Pete Najarian, Gopher fan and former U football linebacker: “The new floor is beautiful. But…in my opinion we have pushed away from tradition on too many levels at the best school in the country.”

John Ferril, whose family were season ticket holders for nearly 30 years: “I like the name ‘The Barn.’ It gives it character. I like arenas and stadiums to have nicknames that are more reflective of the people, location, team and sponsors. Names like the ‘The Swamp,’ ‘The Shark Tank,’ ‘The Vault’ and my favorite, ‘The Igloo.’ As far as the new floor…it will take some getting used to. The white looks like a sheet of ice, like a hockey game can break out at any moment. Should be interesting to see in person for the first time, but quite honestly, the reality is that I don’t care what the floor looks like, just what the team on the floor looks like!”

Blake Hoffarber, former Gopher and now season ticket holder: “I think it looks pretty good. I like the fact that they put in ‘The Barn’ (lettering). I think that is what gives it character and what a lot of us fans know it as. I still wish the floor was raised as high as it used to be before my senior year, but it’s still one of the best places to play in the Big Ten!”

An anonymous Gopher season ticket holder since 1976: “My first reaction was not positive, looks like Mariucci Arena. I want to reserve judgment until I see it in person. I always thought the former floor was one of the best in the Big Ten. Maybe they should have had a fan survey to get a consensus before just coming up with such a drastic change. I haven’t talked to anyone who has had a positive reaction.”

Denny Schulstad, former season ticket holder: “There are modern professional stadiums and venues in other colleges, but none are as historic or mean as much as Williams Arena. I well remember the state basketball tournaments played there with people almost hanging off the rafters. The improvements made there have made it much more comfortable while still being historic. Yes, keep the name (‘The Barn’) and put it on the floor. We love it!”

Mark Lundgren, whose family has had season tickets for more than 50 years: “I’m not a fan of the light color, maybe it’s the lighting on the photos. I do embrace the history of the building and like ‘The Barn’ script (lettering). I also think it would have been better to keep the maroon band around the court. I’ll withhold judgment (about the floor) until I’m able to see it in person. More concerned with the team’s play than the floor!”

Bill Robertson, sports marketing expert and WCHA commissioner: “I like the new look overall. ‘The Barn’ is an iconic landmark on the University of Minnesota campus and that term resonates with the rich history of Gopher basketball. I applaud the move by Minnesota athletics in including floor lettering with the words ‘The Barn,’ as new traditions will be helpful in building a robust fanbase and generating more interest in the program overall.”

Tim Kelley, a Gopher fan for more than 30 years: “I like the new floor. I want the U to keep Williams Arena, but the U needs to find ways to update it. I’m guessing a new floor was an inexpensive way to update the arena. I’m fine with the U referring to the arena as ‘The Barn’—that’s the way most people refer to the arena.”

Mike Wilkinson, a Gopher fan since the 1950s: “I’m okay with the new look and ‘The Barn,’ which is a moniker that has been around for several decades and even has recognition outside of Minnesota.”

Adam Katz: “I think ‘The Barn’ concept while charming, hurts recruiting. The Twin Cities…is a destination to build a life after graduation as it is a center for Fortune 500 companies.”

Pete Hoffman: “I saw the new lighter floor on the news and it looks good. I think the goal was to brighten up the place. The U either needs to torch the place, or learn to embrace its age and history as an asset. Kind of like Wrigley (Field) and Fenway (Park).”

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