Golden Gophers – Page 188 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Vikings Leaders Discuss Social Issues

Posted on August 24, 2018August 24, 2018 by David Shama

Enjoy a Friday notes column.

The Vikings organization continues to have discussions involving players, coaches, the front office and ownership regarding social issues. The talks are a response to the highly publicized past protests by NFL players in various cities who have spoken out about social justice in America.

The Vikings are one of the few NFL teams that haven’t experienced players protesting at games, including so far this preseason. An open dialogue within the organization is reflective of what’s been described as a “good culture” in the locker-room. The Vikings discussions involving various parties have been referred to as a “player-driven initiative.”

Last year the Vikings players, coaches and management locked arms on the field before a home game at U.S. Bank Stadium to show solidarity following criticism of NFL national anthem protests by president Donald Trump. Head coach Mike Zimmer has said it’s important to show respect for the American flag and stand for the national anthem.

An announcement by the Vikings could come soon regarding the outcome of the discussions by the group.

The NFL and the players’ union are presently in a “standstill agreement” situation where the two sides are trying to finalize a gameday policy regarding protests. The clock is ticking with the NFL regular season schedule starting early next month.

Ironically, the Vikings’ first regular season game is against the 49ers, the former team of quarterback Colin Kaepernick. It was Kaepernick that first put protesting in the national spotlight two years ago when the media reported him kneeling on the field prior to a 49ers’ preseason game.

The Vikings play their third preseason game tonight at home against the Seahawks. It will be a major surprise if there are any on-field protests by Minnesota players.

The NFL’s 256 game, 17-week schedule begins on Thursday night September 6 with a single game—the Eagles hosting the Falcons in Philadelphia. The Vikings are interested in playing a showcase Thursday night game at U.S. Bank Stadium in future years.

The organization also has ongoing interest in hosting the NFL Draft. Host cities for the 2022-2025 drafts have yet to be determined. The popularity and events associated with the draft would necessitate the use of two locations, U.S. Bank Stadium and the club’s training site and headquarters in Eagan.

Because the Vikings hosted the Super Bowl this year, league politics might minimize chances of holding the draft here any time soon. Green Bay, for example, is one of the many northern NFL cities that will never host a Super Bowl so the league might some day choose to award the draft to the Packers.

Although it won’t be any time soon, the Vikings and Minneapolis officials remain interested in bringing the college football national championship game to U.S. Bank Stadium.

Vikings rookie kicker Daniel Carlson, 23, said he will study his 40-year-old Seahawks kicking rival Sebastian Janikowski in warm-ups tonight. Carlson won the Vikings kicking job this week. “It really wasn’t until my second year in college that I even thought about it (an NFL career),” Carlson told Sports Headliners.

Carlson’s younger brother Anders is succeeding him as Auburn’s kicker this season. The Vikings have a bye in early November and Daniel hopes to be in Athens, Georgia on November 10 to watch his brother play against Georgia.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins celebrated his 30th birthday last weekend with a visit to a local Portillo’s. He’s been a fan of Portillo’s for awhile and has multiple menu favorites. “The chocolate cake shake is hard to beat,” he said.

Local sports author Jim Bruton has signed a contract with Triumph Books to write a hardcover book on Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer. The book will cover Bremer’s 35-plus seasons with the Twins and be released in the spring of 2020.

Twins third baseman Miguel Sano has experienced a difficult season, although he is sometimes playing better since returning from the minor leagues in late July. Sano is perceived as not being disciplined enough with his weight and conditioning but Twins president Dave St. Peter pointed out the 25-year-old power hitter had offseason leg surgery that made it more difficult for him to train.

Sano appeared to be struggling physically and mentally when the Twins dispatched him in June to a recovery program in Florida. St. Peter sees improvement. “I think we all believe that he has an opportunity to be one of the elite players in our game, and he’s showing signs of progressing in a positive direction,” St. Peter said.

St. Peter believes the last weeks of the season will be an important time for Sano to stay healthy and be at his best. “I think that’s a really important thing for fans to watch over the course of the last six weeks,” St. Peter said.

St. Peter also said he expects Sano to arrive in shape and ready for spring training next winter.

The Twins promotional department might consider a stocking cap giveaway for next year’s opening series at Target Field. The Twins start the 2019 regular season at home on March 28, 30 and 31 against the Indians. The recorded high temps in Minneapolis on those dates this year were 52, 43 and 35 degrees, per accuweather.com.

College football coaches have said forever teams make the most improvement between the first and second games on their schedules. Minnesota opens at home against New Mexico State next Thursday but the Aggies have their first game tomorrow night (Saturday) in Las Cruces against Wyoming (ESPN 2).

Former Gopher defensive back Ray Buford, Jr. now plays for the Aggies.

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle is friends with Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari but told Sports Headliners there are no plans for Minnesota to schedule the Wildcats. When Coyle was AD at Boise State the Broncos did play a game in Lexington.

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Mauer Puts Off Possible New Deal

Posted on August 22, 2018August 22, 2018 by David Shama

Questions have hovered over Joe Mauer’s future this summer as the Twins’ 35-year-old first baseman plays out the final season of his contract.

Does Mauer want to continue his now 15-year major league career with his hometown Twins? Might he prefer another team with more potential to earn its way into the 2019 postseason?

Does he even want to play beyond this season? Will he choose retirement?

Do the Twins want Mauer on their roster in 2019?

The answer to the last question is yes. Club president Dave St. Peter made it clear how much the front office values the Minnesota native during an interview with Sports Headliners on Monday. “I think if Joe Mauer wants to play—and we expect him to make that decision sometime in the early part of the offseason—I would expect Joe Mauer would be back with the Twins. But Joe Mauer has indicated that he would prefer that dialogue to take place in the offseason. We are fully supportive of that. We’ll have that dialogue at the appropriate time.”

The Twins made Mauer the first pick in the first round of the 2001 MLB Draft after a legendary athletic career at St. Paul’s Cretin-Derham Hall High School. He has played his entire professional baseball career in the Twins organization.

Mauer is finishing the last season of his eight-year, $184 million contract. With a career history of injuries, a young family and all the money he could ever need, he might decide to retire.

The flip side? Mauer is still able to play major league baseball better than many of his peers. The desire to continue competing on the field may still be in place during the months ahead.

St. Peter describes it as “speculation” as to what Mauer will decide regarding his career this fall. What St. Peter does believe is not having Mauer in a Twins uniform would be a significant loss to the franchise.

“You lose a very good player, somebody who is still playing at a high level,” St. Peter said. “Still taking great at bats. Still one of the more difficult guys to get out with runners in scoring position late in the game.

“He (also) turned himself into a Gold Glove caliber first baseman. So you lose a lot. That’s not to be taken lightly in terms of that decision and how it impacts your baseball team. …”

Before switching over to first base in 2014, Mauer could be mentioned in the same breath with baseball’s greatest catchers ever. He is the only MLB catcher to win three batting titles and the only one ever among American Leaguers. He won the 2009 American League MVP Award and also received three consecutive Gold Glove awards for his work behind the plate.

“This is a player that our young players look up to,” St. Peter said. “He leads in I’d say a very quiet, very steady manner inside of our clubhouse. I think he leads by example. I think he models the type of behavior in terms of preparation that you want your young players to mimic…to learn from.”

Mauer has been hitting better of late, batting about .300 in recent games and knocking two home runs over the fence. Will how he finishes the season impact the decision on his playing future?

“If he were to get hurt, I think that could have some impact,” St. Peter said. “I think Joe is healthy today. He feels good. Assuming that remains the case, I really don’t know the on field stuff is going to have a huge impact. Joe knows he can still play. He’s demonstrated that. I expect him to have a strong final six weeks.”

Worth Noting

St. Peter didn’t offer details yet but expect the Twins to make offseason improvements to Target Field as has become their custom.

Augsburg baseball alum and Minneapolis native Mike Gallagher is in his second year as a radio play-by-play announcer for the Elizabethton Twins. The Johnson City (Tenn.) Press had an online story last Friday featuring Gallagher and another Minnesotan, Andy Fisher from Hutchinson who is a Minnesota-Crookston graduate. Fisher is a statistical data caster for the Twins minor league team in Elizabethton, Tenn. Data casters enter all the information from a game into a computer so viewers can follow developments on the Internet.

The Big Ten Network TV football crew including Gerry DiNardo and former Gophers coach Glen Mason attended Minnesota’s practice last Thursday. DiNardo said on the show devoted to analyzing the Gophers that redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan and true freshman Zack Annexstad look like better quarterbacks to him than last year’s twosome of Demry Croft and Conor Rhoda.

Mason likes the throwing accuracy of Morgan and Annexstad, who has been named Minnesota’s starter for the opening game August 30 against New Mexico State. “If I was going to say a negative thing about it, I am not sure if they have got the strong enough arm to throw the deep ball,” Mason said on BTN.

The offensive line lacked numbers and quality last season. Mason sees improvement in both areas. “They’ve got some big dudes in there now. Now they’re young. B-i-g doesn’t spell good but…in time they’re going to be good offensive linemen.”

Mason still lives in the Minneapolis area and said he is asked “all the time” how the Gophers, 2-7 in the Big Ten last year, are going to be in 2018. He answers “average at best” and said that’s a good thing because the roster of players is so young and inexperienced. “Down the road they’ve got hope here,” Mason said.

Annexstad is a walk-on and sure to earn a scholarship next year if he becomes a key contributor to Minnesota’s success this fall.

The Gophers may have about 6,200 University of Minnesota freshmen using free tickets for the opener August 30 at TCF Bank Stadium. Freshmen are annually given free tickets as an introduction to Gophers football.

Jim Brunzell, the former Golden Gopher football player and one-time partner with Greg Gagne of The High Flyers wrestling tag team, recalls this directive from Minnesota football coach Murray Warmath: “Brunzell, you can jump like a kangaroo but your blocking will kill us!”

It will be interesting to see how the Gophers volleyball team, ranked No. 4 nationally in a preseason poll, draws in its Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Target Center Friday and Saturday. Minnesota was 28-6 last season and has 12 returnees including three All-Americans—Alexis Hart, Stephanie Samedy and Samantha Seliger-Swenson.

The Gophers’ home matches at Maturi Pavilion were a popular ticket last season. Multiple matches at the Pav are likely sellouts this season including against Nebraska, Penn State and Wisconsin. In the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s preseason poll Nebraska is No. 2, Penn State No. 6 and Wisconsin No. 9.

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QB Cole Kramer to Enroll Early at U

Posted on August 20, 2018August 20, 2018 by David Shama

Quarterback Cole Kramer told Sports Headliners he has the academic credits to graduate early from Eden Prairie High School and he has finalized plans to start classes in January at the University of Minnesota.

Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant learned of the news last week. “Well, I think it’s a good idea for a quarterback to do it,” Grant said. “Him and I have talked about trying to do that, and get in there early. Then he goes through a spring practice, and that’s beneficial.”

Cole will be able to sign paper work for his scholarship in December, along with other high school football players throughout the country. He was the first player in Minnesota’s 2019 football recruiting class to verbally commit.

Cole drew interest from Iowa and Michigan State before committing to the Golden Gophers. Is there a possibility he will flip his verbal commitment and not attend Minnesota? What circumstances could cause that to happen?

“Nothing. I am committed fully to the Gophers, and that’s where my heart is and that’s where I will stay,” Cole said.

What if the Gophers had a dreadful record in 2018? “I don’t care what will happen (with the record) this year,” Cole said. “I love the coaches. I love everything that they’re doing. They’re going in the right place (direction). With what coach (P.J.) Fleck did with Western Michigan, how he went from a poor season all the way to 13-0, I totally believe we can do that, too.”

Other schools have backed away from pursuing the Eden Prairie senior who is “100 percent” on Minnesota. “They (other schools) kind of know I am set in stone with the Gophers,” Cole said.

Cole has “always known” he wanted Minnesota. He sees the U as the whole package for him—his hometown school, with an “unbelievable coach” in Fleck, a program moving upward and one that is showcasing new facilities. And, of course, there are his family ties with the Gophers and the impact the U had on their lives.

Grandfather Tom Moe played end for the Gophers and was team MVP in 1959. He also was an outstanding hitter on the 1960 national championship Minnesota baseball team. He became a prominent attorney in Minneapolis and was named interim athletic director at his alma mater from 1999-2002.

Tom’s son Mike Moe was a quarterback for the Gophers in the 1980s. Tom’s daughter Jennie played tennis at the U from 1989-1992 and made all-conference. Her husband, Bob Coughlin, played football for Minnesota from 1986-1990. The two are the parents of Carter Coughlin, Minnesota’s starting defensive end from Eden Prairie who is a cousin of Cole.

Tom’s daughter Jackie and her husband Steve are the parents of Cole. Jackie, like her sister Jennie, was a great tennis player at Edina High School and went on to play collegiately at Texas where she was an All-American and part of the 1993 national championship team.

“I think Fleck made a great decision (recruiting Cole) with the pedigree and the history of that family, the Moe family,” Grant said. “…I’ve known the Moe family for 40 years, and they’ve been nothing but champions and winners. So it was a great decision to bring another of the Moe clan in under the Gopher umbrella.”

Cole has been Eden Prairie’s starting quarterback since the third game of his sophomore season. “I don’t think he has any weaknesses,” Grant said. “He’s got a great arm. He’s a very, very good athlete.

“What you see now is the command and leadership of the huddle. When he was a sophomore, he wasn’t the leader of our team and even last year there were seniors that probably were (more of) the leaders. …”

Although Cole has thrown about 250 career passes, none have been intercepted. He said Grant calls the plays and he trusts his coach’s judgment. He credited Grant for avoiding interceptions.

Cole is 6-foot-1 and about 190 pounds. He has worked since last season to become stronger. He is considered a “dual-threat” quarterback and he has 4.6 time in the 40- yard dash. He is ranked as a three-star QB by 247Sports and along with Jacob Clark from Texas is one of two quarterbacks who have verbally committed to the Gophers for 2019.

Grant has won 11 state titles at Eden Prairie. Part of the success formula has been great quarterbacks, including Jason Kapsner who went on to Michigan. Can Cole be the best Eagles QB to play for Grant?

“I don’t know but the standard is pretty high,” the coach said. “You can’t even claim to be the best unless you’ve won two state titles and been back-to-back undefeated.”

Well, Cole’s Eagles lost the state title game in 2016 but they won it last year with an unbeaten team, 13-0. Cole said he is “super excited” to get a second straight 6A state championship.

Making this fall even sweeter could be throwing passes to his brother Cade, just a sophomore who is trying to establish a roster spot. Cole offered a promising scouting report.

“He’s probably got the best hands I’ve ever thrown to, no matter what level it is. I’ve rarely seen him drop a pass.”

Wouldn’t that be something if the two brothers shared success this fall and then in a couple of years had some big moments together in Dinkytown? We already know Cole is going to arrive there in just a few months.

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