Gophers Football – Page 300 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Worth Noting

Posted on June 25, 2012June 28, 2012 by David Shama

NBAdraft.net projects the Wolves taking St. John’s freshman forward-guard Moe Harkless with the No. 18 pick in the first round of Thursday night’s NBA Draft. Harkless, 6-8, averaged 15.5 points per game for the Red Storm and was Big East Rookie of the Year.

The website predicts the Wolves will choose 6-4 senior Temple shooting guard Ramone Moore with the No. 58 pick on the second round. Moore was first team All-Atlantic Conference, leading the Owls in scoring at 17.3 points per game and finishing third in the league. Moore is scheduled to work out for the Wolves today at Target Center.

The draft will be televised on by ESPN and the Wolves are expected to make their selection about 8 p.m. Minneapolis time. The draft begins at 6:30 p.m.

Joel Maturi, who retired as Gophers athletic director earlier this month, is an admirer of Twins general manager Terry Ryan. “Terry Ryan is a great person,” Maturi said. “We’ve had a relationship since I’ve been at Minnesota.”

Twins super prospect Miguel Sano is only hitting .239 for Beloit but the third baseman is tied for the Midwest League lead in home runs with 15 and is third in RBI with 51.

Twins pitcher Anthony Swarzak’s belief in Bigfoot is the subject of a feature in the June-July issue of the Twins magazine sold at Target Field.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said on his 1500 ESPN show yesterday he’s used 10 different starters this season. It has been a situation of “desperation” at times because of injuries and ineffective performance.

Gardenhire said Matt Capps’ sore shoulder could result in the closer going on the disabled list and this morning that development was confirmed. He also said the need to have Joe Mauer’s bat in the lineup may result in limiting Mauer’s catching to three or four games per week.

This Saturday the Twins are giving away Minneapolis Millers pennants to the first 20,000 fans in recognition of the former Triple-A franchise that played at Metropolitan Stadium before the Senators relocated here from Washington, D.C. The Twins will wear Millers uniforms while the Kansas City Royals will be in Kansas City Blues uniforms as part of a “turn back the clock” promotion.

Brad Childress, the former Vikings head coach and now the Browns offensive coordinator, will be 56 on Wednesday.

Former Gophers offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar is the offensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. Ex-Gophers defensive coordinators Ted Roof and Everett Withers are coordinators at Penn State and Ohio State.

Passionate Gophers fans are looking forward to watching redshirt freshman defensive end Thieren Cockran, who admirers think could become one of Minnesota’s best pass rushers in years.

Former Gophers football All-American John Williams, who recently had a kidney transplant, reported on his CaringBridge site on Friday that he’s been cleared to go home and is “feeling pretty good.” https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/johnbjwilliams

The 39^th annual Minnesota High School All-Star Football Game will be played on Saturday at Husky Stadium in St. Cloud starting at 1 p.m. There will be 78 players from 31 conferences selected by the Minnesota Football Coaches Association. Jeff Schlieff (Spring Lake Park) will coach the North while Bill Ihrke (Plainview-Elgin-Millville) coaches the South.

1 comment

Magazines Predict Cellar for U Football

Posted on June 15, 2012June 15, 2012 by David Shama

Two of the first college football magazines on the newsstands predict the Gophers will finish last in the Big Ten’s Legends Division.

Lindy’s Sports College Football Preview offers a couple of cynical views about the Gophers. The publication reports the good news is adults will be able to buy beer at TCF Bank Stadium this year. Not so good is the “Gophers need something in the stands to distract fans from the action on the field.”

Phil Steele’s College 2012 Preview also acknowledges Minnesota’s likelihood of last place in the Legends Division — just like last season — but describes the Gophers as a “much improved squad.” Steele is a workaholic football authority who after studying the Gophers voices this optimism: “Three of my nine sets of power ratings call for the Gophers to achieve bowl eligibility and that gives them a shot at escaping the basement.”

Lindy’s agrees the Gophers, with improved talent and speed, could contend for a “lower tier bowl game.” Neither publication includes any Gophers players among the best in the Big Ten Conference, and both view Indiana — forecast for last place in the Leaders Division — as the only team in the conference worse than Minnesota.

The predictions for the Gophers this summer by national publications like Lindy’s and Steele’s won’t surprise most Minnesota fans. Not after a 3-9 season last year, the same as in 2010.

It’s the long term view that inspires more optimism among Gophers fans. I’ve followed every Gophers football coach going back to Murray Warmath, and other than Lou Holtz none impressed media and fans in their first two years as much as Jerry Kill.

This week a friend who is passionate about the Gophers said: ‘If Kill doesn’t become a success coaching the Gophers, I will run naked down the Nicollet Mall.”

If the Gophers don’t lose key players to injuries (hello, MarQueis Gray) they could improve last season’s overall record even if the wins and losses are no better in the Big Ten. Minnesota needs to sweep its nonconference games starting at UNLV on August 30, playing a Rebels program Steele reports has one winning season in the last 17. Then come home nonleague games against New Hampshire, Western Michigan and Syracuse. All winnable, but no cinches.

Last year the Gophers were 2-6 in the Big Ten. On the league schedule are three teams —Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan State— Steele ranks among his 12 national surprise teams for 2012. Then, too, the Gophers must play Michigan, a popular choice to win the Big Ten championship. Minnesota might have to scrap to find two league wins among games against Iowa, Purdue, Northwestern and Illinois.

Looks like a 7-5 season at best, 4-8 at worst.

1 comment

Worth Noting

Posted on June 15, 2012June 15, 2012 by David Shama

Wondering what the football Gophers do best? Well, Lindy’s Sports College Football 2012 Preview has an answer. The publication lists the “Five Best Rivalry Trophies”…and guess what? Minnesota is the only program to appear on the list twice. Here are the top three: Floyd of Rosedale —Iowa vs. Minnesota. The Jeweled Shillelagh — USC vs. Notre Dame. Paul Bunyan’s Axe —Minnesota vs. Wisconsin.

New Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague starts work on Monday and a media photo-op is scheduled for that morning.

Former Cretin-Derham Hall head football coach Rich Kallok, more recently an assistant with the program, said he’s not sure if he will be on the staff this season. Kallok has had three hip replacements and also back problems. Two years ago he coached linebackers for the Raiders.

Raiders senior running back James Onwualu, who verbally committed to Notre Dame, is likely to be a wide receiver with the Irish, said Kallok who recently celebrated his 45^th wedding anniversary with wife Sue.

Will the Timberwolves choose 7-foot North Carolina center Tyler Zeller with the No. 18 pick in the upcoming NBA draft? Jim Dutcher, the former Gophers coach, believes Zeller can play in the NBA for many seasons.

“He’s very competitive and a good low post scorer,” Dutcher told Sports Headliners. “He shoots the turnaround and has some good inside scoring moves.”

Not long ago Nbadraft.net projected Syracuse shooting guard Dion Waiters as the Wolves’ first round selection on June 28. However, Waiters is now predicted to be the No. 11 choice in the draft going to Portland.

The Wolves drafted Syracuse shooting guard Wes Johnson two years ago and he’s been a major disappointment. Dutcher said the Wolves have given Johnson more playing time than he’s earned because he was a No. 1 draft choice. “They’re playing him so they don’t look bad,” Dutcher said.

Former Hopkins star Royce White is projected to be drafted No. 24 by Cleveland. The 6-foot-8 White is likely to be a small forward in the NBA and there are doubts about his outside shooting but Dutcher believes that might not be a problem.

The Twins continue a run against National League teams tonight when the Brewers come to town. Many baseball fans don’t know that when the San Francisco Giants were the New York Giants the National League franchise had intentions of moving to Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Millers were a Giants farm team in the 1950s and the Giants were drawing small crowds in the dilapidated Polo Grounds. The Millers’ new stadium, Metropolitan Stadium, was to become the new home of the Giants but following the 1957 season Brooklyn Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley convinced Giants owner Horace Stoneham to move their franchises to California.

Nationally known Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker’s son Steve passed away this spring at age 52.

The Twins lost their first series since May 25-27 against the Tigers when the Phillies took two of three games from Minnesota this week.

Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe has hit 11 home runs in his last 21 games. Catcher Joe Mauer leads the team in multi-hit games and has four in eight games this month.

Tennis historian and author Jim Holden notes when Forest Lake’s Dusty Boyer won his fourth state Class 2A singles title earlier this month he broke a tie with Rochester legends Dave Healey and Chuck Darley. Boyer defeated Eden Prairie’s Scott Elsass for the championship. Both players are headed to Nebraska to play college tennis. Holden is the author of Tennis in the Northland, a comprehensive history of boys high school tennis in Minnesota.

Finishing among the top 100 Division III schools nationally in the final Learfield Sports Directors Cup standings are St. Thomas at No. 8, Gustavus No. 39, St. Olaf, No. 41 and Concordia, No. 80. The MIAC (with 10) was one of only five conferences in the nation to place 10 or more schools in the standings.

Dave Wright, former Saint Paul Saints media relations director and local author, has been named sports information director at Hamline after filling the position on an interim basis.

1 comment