Golden Gophers – Page 160 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

National Football Magazine: U ‘Dangerous’

Posted on May 23, 2019May 23, 2019 by David Shama

When it comes to offseason college football predictions, some things never seem to change like forecasts Alabama and Clemson will play for the national championship, or Ohio State will again wear the Big Ten crown. But there is variable and contrary chatter during the winter and spring including about the Golden Gophers program.

In early January Sporting News placed Minnesota No. 25 in a (how could you be earlier?) rankings of America’s best college teams for 2019. This week a few web searches of more recent top 25 national rankings produced no such good news for Gophers fans.

Sporting News’ post-spring practice listing of April 29 had Nebraska No. 25, Northwestern 24th and Wisconsin 21st but didn’t include the Gophers in the rankings. Pro Football Focus and Athlon came out with top 25 rankings Tuesday, but again Goldy was absent.

My research did discover a “nugget” that will please Gopher optimists. Athlon’s college football magazine, now on newsstands, includes an article by algorithm specialist Bill Connelly. He includes Minnesota among six national “Teams on the Rise” after deciphering data such as efficiency, explosiveness, field position, finishing drives and turnovers. He references the Gophers’ lack of consistency last season (Minnesota played in only two of 13 games decided by a touchdown or less) but concludes his write-up with these words: “This team will be dangerous.”

Read most anybody who offers a detailed preview on the Gophers, including Connelly, and be prepared to hear about inconsistency, including at the quarterback position last season. The Gophers played two freshmen there last year, Zack Annexstad and Tanner Morgan. Athlon includes Minnesota in a two-page spread titled “QB Battles” and predicts Annexstad will win the job because he is “the better pure passer.”

Both Athlon and Street & Smith’s college football magazines forecast the Gophers will finish fifth in the Big Ten’s seven-team West Division—perhaps the most unpredictable division in the country. The two publications say Nebraska will win what is expected to be a close race to play for the Big Ten championship against Ohio State from the East Division.

Street & Smith’s predicts Purdue will finish second in the West, while Athlon has the Boilermakers sixth behind Minnesota. S&M sees Iowa finishing sixth, while Athlon projects the Hawkeyes placing second in the Big Ten. (More evidence of how crystal balling varies and changes during the offseason.)

The Gophers, after an awful early season Big Ten performance, closed fast in 2018 by impressively winning two of their final three league games. Then they soundly defeated (34-10) a capable Georgia Tech team in the Quick Lane Bowl to finish 7-6 overall, 3-6 in conference games.

Among the most inexperienced teams in the country last year, the Gophers are loaded with key returnees on both offense and defense. There is also more talent to work with than Minnesota coaches have been accustomed to having. The quality of the finish last season is countered, though, by the poor performance earlier in the season, and the contrasting results have forced college football authorities to be a bit inconsistent and cautious in their outlooks about the Gophers.

Both magazines have Minnesota senior wide receiver Tyler Johnson on their regionally produced covers. S&M tabs JD Spielman, the Eden Prairie alum, former lacrosse player, and speedy receiver and returner for Nebraska, as the Big Ten’s best athlete. Athlon includes the Gophers’ Carter Coughlin, another Eden Prairie alum, on the line of its third-team All-American defense.

Worth Noting

Golden Gophers coach P.J. Fleck likes to recruit players with ties to the program like Coughlin whose dad and grandfather played for Minnesota. Maybe he will take a look at Gracen Bell, a tight end at Lee’s Summit North in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. He is the grandson of legendary Gophers lineman Bobby Bell, a two-time All-American and perhaps the greatest player in University of Minnesota history.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Texans defensive end J.J. Watt are drawing praise this month for commencement speeches at their alma maters, Michigan State and Wisconsin respectively.

If new Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas wants the inside word on Ricky Rubio, he can probably get it from Jazz boss Dennis Lindsey. Rosas and Lindsey worked together with the Rockets before being hired to work for the Wolves and Jazz respectively.

Rubio is a free agent who the Wolves traded to the Jazz in 2017 and it seems possible he could end up back in Minneapolis. His name is being conjectured with multiple NBA destinations, and the Wolves might like to replace the point guard he was traded for, Jeff Teague.

It doesn’t hurt the fan popularity of the successful Gophers softball team that 10 of the 14 players on the roster are Minnesota natives. Among the Minnesotans is pitcher Sydney Smith, who joined the Gophers after transferring from LSU, Minnesota’s opponent starting Friday at 4 p.m. in Minneapolis for a NCAA Super Regional matchup. Smith, who while pitching at Maple Grove High School was 54-1, figures to offer some insights to her coaches about the Tigers who will be in a town for the best of three series.

All-session chair backs for the Super Regional at Sage Cowles Stadium are priced at $40, with bench seating at $35 and $30. Standing room is also $30. ESPN2 televises Friday’s game.

Ex-Pioneer Press sportswriter Gregg Wong and former Washburn High School three-sports star Gerry Clark play in the Tzatskees band Saturday night June 1 at the Eagles Club in southeast Minneapolis.

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U at 858 New Football Season Tickets

Posted on May 21, 2019 by David Shama

With more than three months until the University of Minnesota’s first 2019 home football game, it’s uncertain whether the sale of public season tickets will surpass last year’s total of 21,663.

Based on a request made by Sports Headliners, the University reported 20,297 season tickets had been sold as of May 13. Included in the total are 858 new sales. Two years ago the U sold 817 new season tickets through May 1.

The Golden Gophers’ impressive 2019 late season results on the field has prompted some increased interest in the program. Playing against four quality opponents, Minnesota went 3-1 while averaging 31.5 points per game and giving up 14.75 points. Among the wins was the program’s first since 2003 over Wisconsin. U marketers have used the reclaiming of Paul Bunyan’s Axe as a centerpiece in promoting the team during the offseason.

The U also reported that 89.73 percent of last year’s season tickets have been renewed. Tickets have been available for renewal since late November of last year.

Interest in Gophers football has declined since popular and successful head coach Jerry Kill resigned during the 2015 season. The Gophers sold 27,885 public season tickets in 2015, a year when Kill resigned after seven games because of health issues. He was succeeded by defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys who was fired after the team’s surprising bowl win in December of 2016. The public season ticket totals in 2016 and 2017 were 22,785 and 22,131 respectively.

Head coach P.J. Fleck arrived in Minneapolis in January of 2017 gushing with enthusiasm and bubbling with expectations including one day winning Big Ten championships. So far he has an overall record of 12-13 and is 5-13 in conference games, but optimism is higher now for a successful season than at any time since 2015. Minnesota is getting hyped this spring as a possible top 25 team nationally and a serious contender to win the Big Ten West.

A step forward with an elite 2019 season will juice future ticket sales and that’s a high priority for athletic director Mark Coyle. Football is the big cheese in producing revenue in the 23-sports athletic department, with men’s basketball and men’s hockey the only other sports that are profitable at the U. Even Fleck isn’t immune to department revenue concerns with the coach saying this spring his program had to reduce its budget by five percent.

There are seven home games this season starting with the August 29 opener against South Dakota State. Marquee games will be against Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin. A season ticket, of course, guarantees the same seat location for all seven games, with prices ranging from $249 to $1,500. All but two of the eight season ticket locations in TCF Bank Stadium require a per seat contribution, in addition to the ticket price. A monthly payment option is offered to buyers.

Despite a flexible selling approach by the U, there are many challenges in season ticket sales. Team performance over the years has often been disappointing and Fleck’s personality resonates with some followers but not others. Game parking and traffic near the stadium is a common consumer complaint. Those facts discourage some fans from investing a lot of money and time in the purchase of season tickets and attending games.

Then, too, potential customers, whether serious or casual followers of the program, know that in a 50,805 seat capacity TCF Bank Stadium there will be single game ticket availability. And another option is to watch all games at home on HDTV and avoid the expense and hassle of going to campus.

The Gophers also have a challenge with the weather for about half of their home season. At the Purdue game last November, temps were frigid and the actual turnstile count at TCF Bank Stadium was 14,950. Rain, snow, wind and cold are problematic for ticket sales at Minnesota’s outdoor stadium. For almost 30 years fans were weather-proofed inside the Metrodome. Now the Gophers don’t offer that comfort, while their football ticket selling rival, the Vikings, play indoors at a stadium within walking distance of the U’s West Bank.

Part of the anticipation in moving from the Metrodome to TCF Bank Stadium was that student support at games would be strong at the on-campus facility. But annual totals for student season ticket sales have been mixed and sometimes less than best totals at the dome. Instead of pushing on an allotment of 10,000, student season sales last year were 4,730.

There might not be anything like the on-campus atmosphere of college football to many adult and student fans but there are not enough right now in a marketplace overwhelmed with sports and entertainment options. Box office rivals to Gophers football include the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild and Loons.

College football administrators are concerned about attendance nationally. Cbssports.com reported in a March article (citing preliminary numbers) that in 2018 attendance was the lowest in 22 years. The average college football attendance last season was 41,856 for the 129 FBS programs. Minnesota averaged 37,914 in announced attendance, reportedly the lowest figure since 1992.

Schools are looking at options to enhance revenues including sale of alcohol. With alcohol being sold at TCF Bank Stadium since 2012, the Gophers are already ahead of many programs with that fan amenity.

As for 2019, there is still a lot of ticket selling time remaining for Gophers promoters. Season ticket sales are ongoing, and June 24 mini-plans and group sales begin. Single game tickets–excluding Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin—are available for purchase starting July 15. Single game tickets for all games go on sale August 12.

Here is a bright note to end on: Minnesota has won 15 of its last 21 games at home.

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GM Levine Says Twins Can Play Better

Posted on May 19, 2019May 19, 2019 by David Shama

The Minnesota Twins finished last season with a disappointing record of 78-84 after playing in the postseason in 2017. During the past offseason, front office decision makers Derek Falvey and Thad Levine reshaped the club’s roster, and shook up the managerial and coaching leadership.

The performance so far of the hometown team has been stunning.

The Twins have key personnel who were on the roster last season, but three quarters of the usual infield lineup and multiple pitchers, particularly in the bullpen, are newcomers. Collectively, along with manager Rocco Baldelli and his staff, they have made the Twins’ performance one of the success stories in big league baseball this spring. As of this morning the Twins had compiled the second best record in MLB at 30-15 and a .667 winning percentage, just behind the 31-15 Astros.

Minnesota is 5.5 games ahead of second place Cleveland in the Central Division. The Twins have been in first place since April 21. In March-April their record was 17-10 versus 9-15 in 2018. So far in May the Twins are 13-5 (compared with 13-15 for that entire month a year ago), and the club is on a five-game winning streak including an 18-4 win over the Mariners last night in Seattle when Minnesota led 10-0 after three innings behind five home runs.

Consistency? The team is 15-8 at home and 15-7 on the road. The Twins have a winning record against opponents from the AL Central, East and West divisions.

Before the season started there were plenty of predictors who thought the Twins were a division contender, with the most optimistic hinting Minnesota might play something like 18 games over .500 and finish with a 90-72 record. However, that was an extreme outlook, and now the team is already 15 games over .500 with slightly more than 25 percent of the schedule having been played.

No one should crown the Twins the best club in the majors yet, but this does look like a coming out party where Minnesota just might be among baseball’s royalty by season’s end. Everyone likes what they have seen including Levine, the club’s impressive and intellectual general manager. He admits to the team exceeding expectations.

“I think when you look at the record we have, it’s hard not to say that this is a little bit further along than what we expected,” Levine told Sports Headliners Wednesday. “But when you look at the performance of the team, I think there is another level this team can reach. So in saying that, I don’t think this is necessarily that far exceeding expectations.

“I think (before the season) we thought very highly of this group of individuals and certainly what they could do collectively. I think the best baseball this team has is ahead of them, not behind them. … I think the future is very bright for the Minnesota Twins.”

Levine clearly likes the potential of his team, but dreams can get derailed by injuries and last week the Twins put two of their more productive offensive players on the 10-day disabled list. Catcher Mitch Garver is off to the best start of his MLB career with nine home runs but now is on the DL. DH Nelson Cruz, who joined the Twins last offseason, went on the DL having hit more home runs than anyone in the big leagues since 2014. His bat and leadership have helped fuel a long ball trend that seems likely to result in a franchise season record of more than 225 home runs this season.

Miguel Sano (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

The Twins are also counting on their stingy pitching—four starters have won four games or more and five core relievers have ERA’s at 2.00 or less— and depth of positional players to keep them winning. Miguel Sano, as recently as two years ago viewed as the slugging centerpiece of the team, just rejoined the Twins after missing the first 40 games. Sano can play third base, first base and DH. He is part of a versatile and mostly under age 30 roster that includes players who can man multiple infield and outfield positions. They have performed well at bat and also with team defense. The club’s fielding percentage is among the better ones in baseball at .985.

Worth Noting

Twins home attendance will be surging between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with club president Dave St. Peter telling Sports Headliners: “…I think you’re going to see huge crowds here at the ballpark night after night.”

It looks like Vikings first round draft choice Garrett Bradbury will take over as the team’s starting center. Pat Elflein will move to guard. “He (Elflein) is a much better guard than center,” former Viking Pete Bercich told the CORES lunch group earlier this month.

Bercich, a radio gameday analyst for the Vikings, also said veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph is “not a very good blocker.” Rudolph could see his starting position go to rookie Irv Smith Jr. if he is traded or cut from the roster because of salary cap challenges.

Bercich played at Notre Dame for legendary (and flamboyant) coach Lou Holtz. Bercich said Holtz needed a strawberry shake at halftime of Notre Dame games “so he could get his sugar.”

Word is when Holtz coached the Golden Gophers he also ordered milkshakes during games.

CORES emcee and well-known public address announcer Dick Jonckowski ordered the printing of another 500 copies of his 2018 book It’s All About Me, Dick Jonckowski: A Minnesota Treasure.

Former Gophers football coach Jerry Kill, now athletic director at Southern Illinois, has landed the largest corporate naming rights agreement in school history. The 10-year deal will offer up to $10 million in the renaming of SIU Arena to the Banterra Center (Banterra Bank).

The Golden Gophers softball team can win the Minneapolis Regional today and continue to impress in the NCAA Tournament. So far this weekend Amber Fiser has pitched 15 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run, while striking out 20 and walking three batters.

WCCO Radio Sports Huddle co-host Dave Mona, along with his wife Linda Mona, are promoting their 10th and final Camden’s Concert. Popular country western singer and song writer Suzy Bogguss will entertain. Tickets are on sale now for the July 16th event at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. More at Hopkinsartscenter.com. Money raised from the concert helps research to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.

The annual Karl-Anthony Towns ProCamp will be July 18 and 19 at Providence Academy in Plymouth. The camp is open to boys and girls of all skill levels in grades 1-12. Participants will learn fundamentals and interact with the Minnesota Timberwolves star center, according to a team news release.

Former Gophers golfer and New York Times best selling author Harvey Mackay quotes this Arabic proverb in his syndicated newspaper column last week: “Write the wrongs that are done to you in sand, but write the good things that happen to you on a piece of marble. Let go of all emotions such as resentment and retaliation, which diminish you, and hold onto the emotions, such as gratitude and joy, which increase you.”

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