Golden Gophers – Page 196 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

U Targets Elite Illinois Recruits

Posted on June 1, 2018June 1, 2018 by David Shama

The football Gophers are making an impact in the state of Illinois recruiting players for the class of 2019 and could end up with commitments from two of the top three prospects, according to Ryan Burns from GopherIllustrated.com.

Defensive end Jason Bargy from Momency, Illinois has already verbally committed to Minnesota. Burns said the top three 2019 prospects in Illinois are Bargy, Crystal Lake offensive tackle Trevor Keegan and Quincy running back Jirehl Brock. All three are four-star recruits and Brock is more likely to verbally commit to the Gophers than Keegan, who is considered the No. 1 prospect in the state.

Brock will make an official visit to Minnesota on June 8. Burns wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually chooses Minnesota, although the recruiting authority acknowledges Iowa is the favorite. Brock, Burns said, has made six visits to Iowa City and that could be interpreted two ways. Likely it shows how interested he is in Iowa, but Burns speculates all those trips may indicate doubts—perhaps searching for a reason not to become a Hawkeye.

The Gophers have 10 commitments for the class of 2019, with three players from the state of Illinois already on board. The three are Bargy, three-star defensive back Tyler Nubin from St. Charles, and three-star offensive tackle J.J. Guedet from Washington. Burns said all three are “in the ear” of Brock to become a Gopher.

Historically the state of Illinois hasn’t been a target for Minnesota recruiting, with the Gophers even pulling more players and big-time contributors over the years from Wisconsin and Michigan among nearby states. That’s changed, though, under second-year coach P.J. Fleck who is an Illinois native, played collegiately at Northern Illinois and recognizes the opportunity in his home state where there are annually many top prospects.

Burns said the Gopher shopping list in Illinois includes other players than those referenced above and when the 2019 class is finalized Minnesota could end up with something like five of the top 15 players from the Land of Lincoln. “So not only are they going into the state of Illinois, and getting quality kids, they’re getting the top echelon,” Burns said.

University of Illinois football is sending out “distress signals” and schools like Minnesota, Iowa and Iowa State are among those trying to capitalize on the opportunity to recruit Illinois prep players skeptical about the Illini’s future under head coach Lovie Smith who is 5-19 in his first two years leading the program. The 60-year-old Smith, who took the Illinois job after many years in the NFL, is 2-16 in Big Ten games.

Burns described the 37-year-old Fleck as “much more of a dynamic recruiter” than Smith. “P.J’s enthusiasm just really resonates with 17 and 18 year old kids,” Burns said. “…P.J. is texting these kids, (and) facetiming them—while I don’t necessarily think Lovie is making sure to make an effort to do that on a daily basis.”

Minnesota offensive line coach Brian Callahan has recruiting responsibilities in Illinois and deserves credit along with Fleck for progress the Gophers have made in the state. “That’s a place where Minnesota wanted to go more last year,” Burns said. “They got some quality kids (class of 2018) from there like Elijah Teague, a defensive tackle who I expect to contribute early on. They signed a middle linebacker named Mariano Sori-Marin from there, but they knew that they wanted to get inroads into this 2019 class and I think you’ve seen that.

“Illinois is consistently producing 25, 30 legitimate BCS kids a year. To get not even into June yet, and you’ve already landed three of the top eight from the state of Illinois, I can tell you Lovie Smith and staff are not very happy with P.J. Fleck because these are kids that Illinois thinks they should be keeping (at) home. But P.J. is going in there and winning some pretty important recruiting battles.”

Worth Noting

Among the Gophers’ other recruiting targets is three-star, pro-style quarterback Jacob Clark from Rockwall, Texas. Burns said Clark’s dad visited Minnesota’s campus this week. Burns predicted a college decision by mid-June with the quarterback choosing either Minnesota or California.

June is an international travel month for the University of St. Thomas football team. Coach Glenn Caruso has arranged a 13-day trip to Ireland and Italy including a game in Rome on Saturday against one of Italy’s top Division I teams. NCAA rules allow teams to take an international trip for competition every three years.

The MIAC announced yesterday that St. Thomas has won the Men’s and Women’s All-Sports Competition for the past school year. It’s the 11th consecutive year the Tommies have been No. 1 in overall MIAC competition for both genders.

Customers at St. Paul Saints games are alert for Bill Murray sightings. The comedian and actor doesn’t live in Minnesota but is sometimes spotted at CHS Field watching the team he is part owner of. Mike Veeck, also a Saints owner, said Murray doesn’t have “handlers” and fans “absolutely love him because he is so approachable and they can get autographs. They feel the relationship with him.”

The Twins, 22-30 on the season, aren’t winning close games. Last night they lost 9-8 to the Central Division first place Indians. Minnesota, 6.5 games behind the Indians, has seen 11 of its last 12 games decided by three runs or fewer, and has a 3-8 record in those games.

Miguel Sano, who hit a game-tying home run in the seventh inning, had three RBI last night—the most he’s had this season.

Cheryl Reeve, the Lynx coach who has led her team to four WNBA titles, was quoted extensively in a May 27 New York Times article while analyzing a Western Conference NBA finals game between the Warriors and Rockets. She is a fan of Golden State forward-center Draymond Green. “There’s just an element to the way he plays,” Reeve told the Times.

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Nanne-Torrey Cooked up Steak Trade

Posted on May 30, 2018May 30, 2018 by David Shama

A Wednesday notes column starting with Lou Nanne’s steak dinner trade for a minor league hockey player.

The former North Stars executive told Sports Headliners about the 1980s steak dinner trade he made with the late Bill Torrey of the Islanders when Minnesota targeted Frank Beaton. Nanne was developing the minor league affiliate roster for Birmingham and Beaton had been a popular player in that city during World Hockey Association days in the 1970s. Nanne thought Beaton, who was Islanders’ property, could boost his South Stars at the box office.

“I signed him,” Nanne said. “Bill calls me and says, ‘You can’t do that. It’s not even July first. He’s not a free agent.’

“I go, ‘If I am going to Birmingham I am getting guys that can help sell tickets. So I already signed him, so I’ll buy you dinner.’ He says, ‘Okay.’ ”

The trade was reported to the NHL office something like this: Beaton to the North Stars for dinner at The Palm in New York. The league office nixed the deal and said the transaction had to be for “future considerations” instead of a steak dinner.

Torrey, though, still got his dinner from Nanne at the famous New York City steakhouse, reportedly costing $360. “Actually it wasn’t $360. It was about $180,” Nanne said.

Torrey died earlier this month after an extraordinary career as an executive who built Stanley Cup teams. He was known as “The Architect.”

“He was one of my closest friends,” Nanne said. “I have to say he was one of the most liked people you’re ever going to see. Extremely smart and very sociable, and a great work ethic, and a great boss. He knew how to work with, how to handle people, and he knew how to build an organization. Bill was one of the best.”

Minnesota native Dana Marshall, an avid sports researcher, points out maybe the success of the first-year NHL expansion Golden Knights isn’t unprecedented as commonly reported. The Minneapolis Lakers, he wrote via email, won the 1948 National Basketball League championship with a new roster after relocating from Detroit as the Gems. The “Cinderella” Vegas team is in the Stanley Cup Finals and leading the Caps 1-0 in the best of seven series.

Sports Headliners has been told gross receipts from ticket sales for home Gophers football increased last season, totaling $11,889,168 after generating $10,744,555 in 2016, according to a University of Minnesota source. In 2015 six of seven home games were sold out, or near sellouts, with gross receipts of $13,396,171.

The Gopher baseball team has two 9-0 pitchers in freshman Patrick Fredrickson and sophomore Brett Schulze. Fredrickson, the Big Ten’s Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, ranks No. 15 in the nation with his 1.78 ERA.

Minnesota is the favorite in the NCAA Tournament’s Minneapolis Regional that starts Friday at Siebert Field and will be televised nationally on the ESPN family of networks.

The Twins start their most important series so far this season tomorrow night at home against the Central Division leading Indians. After next Sunday’s fourth and final series game the Twins could possibly be in first place or far behind in the division race. Going into tonight’s game at Kansas City against the Royals, Minnesota is 4.5 games behind the Indians.

The likely Twins starters in the Cleveland series are Jake Odorizzi, Jose Berrios, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson. The Indians’ probables are Shane Bleber, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, and a fourth pitcher to be determined.

St. Paul Saints owner Mike Veeck talking about what people don’t know about him: “I am a failed musician. For a hobby, I play the guitar. I love to write songs. If you hand me a guitar and give me three words about you, or your loved ones, or your children, or your automobile, I have the ability to write a rhyme. I can rhyme and play.”

Former Gophers basketball player Quincy Lewis is interim director of the M Club that recognizes and serves University of Minnesota letter winners.

Mike Goldammer, the former executive director of the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section, is now in Alabama where he is Director of Tennis for Center Court Tuscaloosa.

The Vikings, going through OTAs now, have one punter (Ryan Quigley) on the roster, but two placekickers in veteran Kai Forbath and rookie Daniel Carlson from Auburn. Forbath, 30, has six years of experience in the NFL and was the Vikings’ kicker last season when in early December he had missed five extra points before being perfect the remainder of the schedule. Carlson, who the Vikings used a fifth round pick to select, was 198-for-198 on extra points in college—although from a shorter distance than in the NFL.

How long does Vikings coach Mike Zimmer see the competition lasting between Forbath and Carlson?

“I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes. If one guy is way ahead of the other guy then we might make the change sooner, so the other guy gets all the reps.

“One thing you have to be careful a little bit about is there are not 65,000 people screaming (and) doing the Skol chant and all those other things when you’re out there kicking (in OTAs). If they miss a game winner here today, it’s probably not the same (as) if they miss a game winner September 9th (season opener).”

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Look for Miguel Sano Return Friday

Posted on May 24, 2018May 26, 2018 by David Shama

A Thursday notes column that includes medical news:

Sports Headliners is told by a club source Miguel Sano is expected to be available for the Twins tomorrow night in Seattle against the Mariners after being out of the lineup almost a month since being diagnosed with a hamstring strain. He has successfully been on a rehab assignment earlier this week with Minnesota’s Rochester Triple-A team.

There is lingering concern the 6-4, 260-pound Sano needs a more dedicated approach to his conditioning. It’s more than a good guess Twins management is hopeful the 25-year-old third baseman will develop a better conditioning approach to his body.

The Twins, 21-24, have played 45 games this season but Sano has participated in only 20. He is hitting .213 with four doubles, five home runs, 14 RBI and nine walks.

Sano has a history of injuries and weight issues during his professional career. He has never played in more than 116 MLB games in a single season. He has the potential to be among American League leaders in home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage. After joining the Twins in the summer of 2015 he even told Sports Headliners he welcomed a comparison with future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera.

Sano considered the Tigers’ star the best hitter he had seen. “I can be better than Cabrera, I think,” Sano said then.

Sano’s best of two-plus seasons in the big leagues came last year when he hit .264 with 28 homers and 77 RBI, but he is capable of better numbers and is a key to whether the Twins can qualify for the playoffs.

Joe Mauer, who replaced A.J. Pierzynski as the Twins catcher in 2004, is 19 base hits away from passing the now retired Pierzynski on the MLB all-time career hits list. Mauer has 2,025 hits and ranks No. 269, while Pierzynksi is No. 259 with his career total of 2,043.

Pierzynski, who was with the Twins from 1998-2003, was traded to the Giants (along with cash) for Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan. Although it was one of the Twins’ better trades, Pierzynski had an outstanding career with seven other MLB clubs before retiring in 2016.

Cretin-Derham Hall is promoting to its alumni a “CDH Day at Wrigley” on July 1 when the Cubs host the Twins.

Paul Allen didn’t do his KFAN morning show yesterday because of a colonoscopy. Allen, 52, tweeted, “I do not have colon cancer,” and the Vikings’ radio play-by-play man expressed no concern about the procedure’s results.

After hosting the Super Bowl here this year and having a successful experience, it seems likely the NFL will eventually host its annual draft of college players in Minnesota. The league announced yesterday Nashville will be the draft host in 2019, making that the fifth consecutive year the event has been in a different city.

Gophers’ football loyalists are talking five to eight wins on the 12-game schedule this fall. The nonconference schedule with New Mexico State, Fresno and Miami (Ohio) coming to Minneapolis is among the easiest for Big Ten teams. The conference schedule, though, is demanding including only one likely “gimme game”—at Illinois on November 3.

League road games also include Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Sports Headliners is told the Minnesota marching band will perform at the Nebraska game.

Minnesota plays four conference home games: Indiana, Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue.

Who is counting but the Badgers have won 14 consecutive games in the rivalry with Minnesota. Wisconsin figures to be included in numerous preseason national top 10 polls, and might have America’s best offensive line.

John Williams will be honored posthumously June 23 by the African American Legacy Project of Northwest Ohio. He will be inducted into the organization’s Sports Hall of Fame. The Toledo, Ohio native was an All-Big Ten offensive tackle on the Gophers’ 1967 conference championship team and first round draft choice of the Colts who won the Super Bowl with Williams. After football, Williams was a practicing dentist for 34 years in Minneapolis. He was a kind and generous man loved by former teammates and others. He passed away in 2012 and is still missed by family and his many friends.

Canterbury Park will offer more than horse racing on Memorial Day when the Shakopee racetrack entertains with the fifth annual Running of the Bulldogs, plus a lineup of Twin Cities barbeque vendors. There will be 72 bulldogs competing in six heats between live horse races on Monday afternoon. Fans can also vote for their favorite barbeque vendor.

Dave Mona is looking for auction items for the ninth annual Camden’s Concert on August 2 at the Hopkins Center for the Arts. Restaurant dinners, rounds of golf, specialty dinners in homes, wine/spirits and concert tickets are among the ideas for auction items. Suggestions can be sent to: Davemona6328@gmail.com.The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation benefit event is named after Dave and Linda Mona’s grandson Camden. The guest artist in August will be Jimmy Fortune, the former tenor of the Statler Brothers.

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