Gophers Football – Page 210 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins Season Ticket Sales on Rise

Posted on January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 by David Shama

The Twins are ahead of a year ago on new season ticket sales and renewals, which could end at 95 percent. “We’re expecting to see growth in our overall season ticket base for the first time…since we moved into the new ballpark,” Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners. “That’s exciting.”

Season tickets in 2015 were roughly half of the 24,000 the club sold in 2010, the franchise’s first year in Target Field. After a comeback year on the field in 2014, St. Peter is talking about a season ticket total of more than 14,000 in 2016.

New at Target Field this spring will be an extension of protective netting to shield fans in lower level seats from wayward baseballs and bats. St. Peter said the dugouts at Target Field are closer to home plate than any ballpark in major league baseball. Netting will extend from the existing home plate area to behind the dugouts.

“The netting decision impacts a relatively small number of fans,” St. Peter said. “I wouldn’t say that’s a widespread concern (of patrons). It’s a very serious concern for some fans but I would not classify that as a big concern for the overall fanbase. I think it will be viewed ultimately as a positive for the overall fanbase.”

Major League Baseball recommended in December that teams lengthen safety netting in their stadiums to protect fans seated near the field from balls and bats. The initiative will be welcomed by some customers but will annoy those who want a clear view of the field without looking through netting. St. Peter said the change at Target Field will impact “several hundred season ticket accounts.” The netting will be a height of about six to seven feet above dugout level and in place for the club’s home opener on April 11.

St. Peter said netting has been part of the ballpark layout for a long time and has been in place for some of the Twins’ most sought-after seating. “Fans have adapted to it,” he added.

The Twins have a reinvigorated fan base that is optimistic about the club’s winning season in 2015, the first in five years. Part of that enthusiasm will be on display at TwinsFest January 29-31 at Target Field. Tickets are still available for the annual event that allows fans to meet present and past Twins players.

Fans will be introduced to South Korean newcomer Byung Ho Park, the 29-year-old DH the club signed in the offseason. Park is working out with his former South Korean team in Arizona where that club has annually held spring training.

Miguel Sano (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

After Twinsfest, Park will go to the Twins’ training complex in Fort Myers where he will be joined by 2015 rookie slugger sensation Miguel Sano who is transitioning from third base to right field. Twins manager Paul Molitor prefers to try Sano in right field rather than left field because that is a more expansive area to defend at Target Field.

Twins legend Rod Carew, still recovering from a near fatal heart attack last year, may attend TwinsFest. “(He is) getting stronger at home,” St. Peter said. “Still hopes to potentially get to TwinsFest. In addition, Rod is very focused on getting to Fort Myers for spring training.”

Torii Hunter, who retired after last season, will attend the team’s fan festival. The Twins hope he will accept a future role with the club. “I am optimistic Torii will be involved with the Twins over the long-term,” St. Peter said.

Michael Cuddyer, recently retired from the Mets, reportedly remains under contract with that club. St. Peter said his organization may one day want to talk with Cuddyer, a former Twin, about a non-playing role. “Longer-term, by all means, we have interest in Michael Cuddyer ultimately being part of our organization.”

Worth Noting

Bret Bielema, who angered Gophers fans when he was head coach at Wisconsin, will be a headline speaker on Friday, April 1 for the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park. Bielema, now at Arkansas, irked Minnesota coach Tim Brewster and Gopher nation by opting for a late game two-point conversion in the Badgers’ lopsided 41-23 win in 2010.

The annual clinic is attended primarily by Minnesota high school football coaches and last year had a record 1,267 registrations. The Gophers are among the clinic organizers and it was ex-Minnesota coach Jerry Kill (who replaced Brewster in 2010) that helped book Bielema awhile ago as a featured speaker. Kill and Bielema are friends.

Jim Dotseth, one of the clinic administrators, has met Bielema and described him as “amenable” and a regular guy. “I think they (clinic attendees) will be excited about having him speak,” Dotseth said. “He’s a pretty successful coach at the Division I level.”

Bielema defeated the Gophers eight times as Wisconsin’s head coach and led the Badgers to three consecutive Big Ten championships and Rose Bowls. He is rebuilding an Arkansas program that closed last season by winning six of its last seven games including a Liberty Bowl victory. (See the YouTube trailer on “Being Bret Bielema.”)

The MFCA Clinic will be March 31-April 2. Other headline speakers will be head coaches Tracy Claeys from Minnesota, P.J. Fleck of Western Michigan and John Stiegelmeier from South Dakota State. More at mnfootballcoaches.com.

Knowledgeable sources still don’t know of a favorite for the Gophers athletic director opening other than interim boss Beth Goetz.

Minnesotans who love to bash the Iowa Hawkeyes might be looking with jealous eyes toward “Baja Minnesota.” The Hawkeye football team won the Big Ten West, played in the Rose Bowl and finished with a 12-2 record. The men’s basketball team is 5-0 in the Big Ten for the first time since the 1996-1997 season. The Hawkeyes are ranked No. 9 nationally in both the A.P. and coaches polls—the highest ranking for the program since November of 2001 when Iowa was No. 7.

Mike Mularkey, the former Vikings tight end named the Tennessee Titans head coach a few days ago, started his coaching career in 1993 as an assistant at Concordia, St. Paul.

It’s a big week for the nationally-ranked MIAC-leading St. Thomas men’s basketball team. Coach John Tauer’s 13-1 Tommies are on a nine game winning streak and play at Carleton on Saturday afternoon—the only team to defeat UST so far. The Tommies’ conference record is 8-1 while Carleton is 7-2, the same record as the St. Olaf team that plays at St. Thomas tonight.

Tyus Jones, two years ago a high school All-American at Apple Valley, hasn’t played in the last eight Timberwolves games, according to stats from ESPN.com. The 2015 first round draft choice was recalled from the NBA Development League on December 22. After coming back to the Wolves, the 19-year-old point guard played in the team’s next seven games. With the Idaho Stampede, Jones averaged 24.7 points and five assists in six games. He is averaging three points and 1.6 assists with the Wolves this season.

Jones’s brother, sophomore point guard Tre Jones from Apple Valley High School, is being recruited hard by Texas Tech and former Gophers coach Tubby Smith.

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Write It Down: Vikings 24, Seahawks 17

Posted on January 8, 2016January 8, 2016 by David Shama

Bob Lurtsema is a sage about the Vikings. Better listen to him when he predicts a win over the Seahawks on Sunday.

Lurtsema, 73, played for the Vikings in their last outdoor playoff game when the temperature at kickoff was about 12 degrees. At Met Stadium on December 26, 1976 the Vikings beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-13 in the NFC Championship game and advanced to the Super Bowl.

This Sunday the 11-5 Vikings play the 10-6 Seattle Seahawks in one of four first round NFL playoff games. With temps around zero forecast for the outdoor game at TCF Bank Stadium, Lurtsema believes the Vikings have a home field advantage, just like they did almost 40 years ago against another West Coast team. The Rams weren’t used to anything like the cold weather they found in Minnesota. Lurtsema said “it was brutal” what the Rams experienced.

Lurtsema predicts a low scoring game this Sunday. The cold is likely to encourage running the football and the passing for both teams could focus on short routes. “It might be 24-17 at the max, Vikings,” Lurtsema said.

Before this season started the Vikings weren’t a popular choice to be in the playoffs. Their regular season record in 2014 was 7-9 (Lurtsema predicted 8-8). Last summer Lurtsema told Sports Headliners the Vikings’ final record in 2015 would be 10-6—and good enough to qualify for the playoffs.

The Seahawks dominated the Vikings last month in Minneapolis, winning 38-7. The lone score for the Vikings came on a Cordarrelle Patterson kickoff return for a touchdown. Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater passed for only 118 yards while Adrian Peterson rushed for just 18 yards.

The Seahawks’ defense and offense are formidable. Their defense gave up an NFL best 17.3 points per game. The offense is led by quarterback Russell Wilson who is one of the league’s most elusive and statistically impressive quarterbacks. In Seattle’s win over the Vikings he completed 21 of 27 passes while throwing three touchdown passes.

The Seahawks have played in the last two Super Bowls and are coming off a 41-7 win over the 13-3 Cardinals last Sunday. “Seattle is close to being the best,” Lurtsema said. “No doubt about it.”

But, according to Lurtsema, the Seahawks won’t be good enough to defeat the Vikings because of the weather, and because Minnesota’s “defense is playing better” than when the two teams last met. The Vikings’ defense gave up only 18.9 points per game this season, fifth best in the NFL, and was stellar last week in a 20-13 win over the Packers.

“We don’t make mental mistakes,” Lurtsema said. “It’s a lot like Bud Grant’s teams.”

Lurtsema raves about head coach Mike Zimmer’s defensive prowess and knows the coach won’t tolerate mistakes by his players, just like Grant for whom Lurtsema played. Lurtsema said avoiding mental errors is particularly crucial in playoff games where one or two mistakes can decide games.

Lurtsema believes Bridgewater and the offense will make enough plays to help Minnesota win. “Teddy will just play so much better,” Lurtsema said.

Worth Noting

Lurtsema is a believer in Bridgewater and brought up a game earlier this season when the Vikings quarterback saw the opposing team had 12 players on the field.

“That is a tremendous plus for a quarterback to have that type of awareness,” Lurtsema said. “That type of peripheral vision where he can actually tell, have everybody on the opposing defense accounted for (is impressive).”

The game on Sunday in Minneapolis will be televised nationally by NBC, with Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya reporting. Collinsworth played in the second coldest temp ever recorded for an NFL game when his Bengals won the 1981 AFC Championship game against the Chargers. The temperature at kickoff in Cincinnati was -9 degrees (-59 degrees windchill). The famous 1967 “Ice Bowl” in Green Bay between the Packers and Cowboys had an NFL record low temp of -13.

The Twins will sort through their centerfield options in spring training because it’s uncertain 22-year-old Byron Buxton can win the position. Former Twins centerfielder Denard Span was a free agent until he signed this week with the Giants. He was probably too old and expensive for Minnesota management to consider. Span’s 32nd birthday is next month and while he has hit over .300 the last two seasons he had injuries in 2015.

Span was traded to the Nationals in 2012 for pitching prospect Alex Meyer who never has seized a prominent role with the Twins. Meyer, who turned 26 last Sunday, seems most likely to have a relief role if he makes the club.

No doubt a lot of Gophers boosters want to see the University of Minnesota explore job options with Jerry Kill. The popular ex-football coach will likely finalize his next career plans in the coming months.

New offensive coordinator Jay Johnson and offensive line coach Bart Miller will be introduced to the media today by Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys.

The Gophers, who have never won the Big Ten West Division title, could be a dark horse pick next fall but certainly not a favorite. Iowa, the 2015 West Division champ, returns seven players on offense and eight on defense.

Penn State has only been playing men’s major college hockey since 2012 but the Nittany Lions are No. 14 in the USCHO.com national poll. PSU, with a 12-3-3 record hosts the Gophers, 8-9-0, tonight and tomorrow afternoon for Big Ten Conference games. The Gophers aren’t in the USCHO.com poll of top 20 teams but St. Cloud State is No. 4, Minnesota State No. 18 and Minnesota Duluth No. 19. The Gophers lead the Big Ten standings with a 3-1 record while PSU is 2-0.

The Golden Gophers women’s basketball team had a special game last evening in a 106-75 win over the Illini. Rachel Banham scored 39 points and set a program 3-point record as Minnesota won at Illinois for the first time in six years. Banham made 10 of her 15 3-point attempts and her 39 points tied a career high. Minnesota (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) tied the conference team record for 3-point field goals by converting 19. Coach Marlene Stollings‘ team made 50 percent of its field goal attempts, including 19 of 39 3-pointers (48.7 percent). Minnesota’s point total was its second-highest ever in a conference game.

Wednesday night’s Timberwolves-Nuggets score was more like what NBA teams produced in the 1950s before the league instituted the 24-second shot clock. The two teams combined for just 21 fourth quarter points in the Nuggets’ 78-74 win at Target Center. It was the seventh Wolves game in franchise history in which neither team reached 80 points, and the first since 2006.

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Kill: “Great” Gophers Team in 2016

Posted on December 30, 2015 by David Shama

In a telephone interview with Sports Headliners on Monday night Jerry Kill predicted the Golden Gophers will have a great football team in 2016. Kill also said he doesn’t regret resigning last fall as the University of Minnesota’s football coach and has no intention of being a head coach again. He is undecided about future career plans but isn’t interested in becoming the University’s athletic director.

Kill spoke from Detroit after the Gophers won the Quick Lane Bowl 21-14—the program’s first postseason victory since 2004. Kill, Minnesota’s honorary captain for the game, watched from the sidelines with his former players and assistant coaches.

“It pretty much closes out my career with the Gophers, being on the sideline, getting the first bowl win with the guys, and the seniors,” Kill said. “It was a good moment.”

The victory over Central Michigan pushed Minnesota’s final record to 6-7 and stopped a streak of seven consecutive bowl losses. It was an uplifting end to a tumultuous year that saw Kill abruptly resign in late October for health reasons while his team worked its way through an abnormal number of injuries and a schedule that matched the Gophers against six teams who won nine games or more in 2015.

Kill’s first season as Gophers coach was 2011 and he predicted early on it would take time to rebuild a program that had won only 11 of its last 14 games and become a Big Ten bottom feeder. “I always said six and seven (years into the program) will be good, as long as the kids work hard,” Kill told Sports Headliners.

The schedule next season doesn’t include 2015 national powers Michigan, Ohio State and TCU. The mix of a favorable schedule, along with more talented, experienced and healthier Gophers players, has Kill feeling optimistic. “They’ll have a great team,” he said.

Kill’s successor, Tracy Claeys, will have many returnees but none more important than quarterback Mitch Leidner who was the Quick Lane Bowl MVP. A senior in 2016, Leidner has become Minnesota’s best quarterback since Adam Weber in 2010 and he has silenced some critics. Criticism directed at Leidner last season and in 2014 was sometimes mean-spirited and a source of frustration for Kill.

“He’ll have a great year (2016),” Kill said. “Everybody has questioned him since the day I stuck by him. He keeps getting better and better. He’s a tough sucker.”

Kill was a godsend for the Gophers’ football program. His 2013 and 2014 teams each won eight games. The 2014 group was 5-3 in the Big Ten, the program’s best conference record since 2003. That team also played in Minnesota’s first New Year’s Day bowl game since 1962.

Kill also turned around a failing academic situation at Minnesota where players were battling to stay eligible. The team’s improved academic work was a factor in Minnesota being invited to the Quick Lane Bowl, despite having a 5-7 regular season record. The off-field behavior of players also improved dramatically under the leadership of Kill and his staff who demanded good citizenship.

Now former defensive coordinator Claeys and a group of assistants that Kill put in place are beneficiaries of what looks like a bright future for Gophers football. Asked whether he has any regrets about resigning, Kill said, “No, not one. I did the right thing for the players. I did the right thing for the coaches.

“Sometimes I had to do a lot at the University of Minnesota—a lot more than people really know. If I could just coach the game (teach players) it would have been a lot easier but I had to do a lot of other things and it caught up with me.

“Now I don’t have to put a band-aid on it (improving his health). I can get it taken care of the next three to six months. I’ve been in the (Florida) sunshine walking…doing all the things my wife (Rebecca) wants me to do, and we’ll see what happens.”

Kill, 54, has a history of health problems including epilepsy. He was exhausted when he resigned as coach and had suffered recent seizures. As Minnesota’s coach his success on the field, along with his authentic and caring personality, made him the face of the athletic department—even the University—but it all came with a steep price. He pushed himself beyond the physical limits most people can endure, working long days 12 months a year not only for the football program, but also the athletic department where he was a key fundraiser for the school’s ambitious $166 million Athletes Village project.

Kill now is intent on improving and maintaining his health. “I will never be a head coach again,” he said. “I don’t want any part of it. I actually was offered a job to coach again at a smaller level, and no way I am going to do that. I might be a consultant, or I hope I can get on a bowl committee or selection committee. I will stay close to football. …I just don’t know how much. The main thing I am focused on is getting better and (focusing on) my family. That’s the most important thing to me.”

Kill said he has yet to discuss any future role working for the University but is open to discussions. The athletic director position, however, doesn’t attract him for a couple of reasons. After working 16 hours a day or more as football coach, he thinks the AD job at Minnesota will require at least that much daily dedication and that’s not the direction he is headed. Then, too, Kill wouldn’t be comfortable with a potential conflict of interest overseeing a football program he was so close to. “I am not real fired up about being the athletic director,” Kill said. “I don’t think that’s a good thing for Minnesota.”

Kill and his wife will vacate their downtown Minneapolis residence next month and move back to the family lake home in Illinois. Eventually Kill wants to find something for the next chapter of his life he can do with passion. He is already considering some offers but didn’t provide details. “I’ve got a lot of options, more options than I ever thought I would have,” Kill said. “I just have to pick what I want to do and what my body is going to allow me to do.”

Kill is planning to have discussions about going on the national speakers’ circuit, and he will write a book with local author Jim Bruton. The manuscript will talk about his career, values and “health situations.” The book will probably be out by next September and be marketed to business and football people, and those who suffer from epilepsy.

That project and no doubt other activities will bring Kill back to Minnesota, even though this won’t be his permanent home. Minnesotans will remember this remarkable leader who not only did so much for the University, but along with his wife reached out to assist causes and people in the larger community.

Kill is appreciative of how so many Minnesotans supported him. “We’re grateful for our time (here),” he said.

He would have loved to be around for a great run of Gophers football in 2016 and beyond, but he knows he made the right decision walking away. He gave everything he had to the Gophers and when he couldn’t give anymore he wasn’t going to take a paycheck for anything less than his best effort.

“I’ve lived a great life and I’ve had a great career, over 32 years,” Kill said. “I fired myself, I guess.”

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