Golden Gophers – Page 224 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Pavin May Surprise in 3M Field

Posted on August 3, 2017August 3, 2017 by David Shama

A Thursday notes column with golf up first:

Ask Hale Irwin who he thinks will win the 3M Championship in Blaine this weekend and you will hear several names. Yes, he likes Bernhard Langer who won the Senior British Open last Sunday in Wales and is among the hottest pro golfers in the world. Corey Pavin is far down the list of senior money winners this year but he finished second in Wales, and Irwin wouldn’t be surprised if Pavin wins the 3M, a regular stop on the PGA Champions Tour. Irwin–with more wins and money earned than anyone else on the senior tour—believes Pavin “is getting his game back after his surgery” and could win his first 3M title.

“I kind of like the gutsiness of a Corey Pavin,” told Sports Headliners today. “He’s the kind of guy that has proven time and time again, ‘I don’t care how far you hit it past me, I am going to beat you.’ That attitude I love.”

Irwin, who isn’t playing in the 3M, predicts competitive play at the TPC Twin Cities course and the field certainly could produce a winner other than Langer or Pavin. “This golf course…is really kind of wide open for the field,”said Irwin who won the 3M three times. “With the rain we’re going to have it’s going to be soft, so go with a longer (hitting) player. Kenny Perry, who won here a couple years ago, that’s another name that jumps out. Scottie McCarron, another long hitter, he’s playing well.”

What does Irwin think of Langer who won the 3M as recently as 2012 and leads the tour this year in earnings? He praised the German player’s work ethic and preparation, and how well he is playing. “I would say that he’s probably playing at the age of 60 as well as he’s played maybe his entire life,” Irwin said.

The Vikings play the first of their four preseason games next week against the Bills in Buffalo. An opening preseason game is a glorified scrimmage, with many obscure players on the field trying to make the roster. It’s a valuable evaluator for coaches and front office authorities but for fans there are few snap judgments worth making.

Dalvin Cook (photo courtesy of Minnesota Vikings)

What does put some zip in next Thursday’s game is the anticipated debut of rookie running back Dalvin Cook. Fans and media have been looking forward to seeing him since the Vikings moved up in last April’s NFL Draft to select the former Florida State All-American who could as become a starter and Adrian Peterson’s replacement.

Back in May, Vikings veteran talent evaluator Scott Studwell was upbeat about Cook’s rookie season. “He’s going to play early and he’s going to play a lot,” Studwell told Sports Headliners. “We’ll see how it all shakes out.”

Cook can run with not only elusiveness but power. Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur said Cook is even making improvement as a pass blocker.

“Yes, he has done a good job,” Shurmur said yesterday. “I don’t see any elements of running back play that he can’t be very good at and pass protection is one of them.”

An email sent Monday by the Vikings to past group customers was offering $30 tickets for the team’s final home preseason game Thursday, August 31 against the Chargers. Stubhub.com listed $11 tickets as of yesterday morning.

A Division III single game football attendance record of 17,535 was set last fall at UW-Whitewater against UW-Oshkosh. St. Thomas and Saint John’s could break that record when the two teams meet for the first time at Target Field on September 23. With the Gophers having a bye, the Tommies and Johnnies will have the spotlight college game in this marketplace.

Lindy’s college football magazine includes both the Tommies (No. 3) and Johnnies (No. 4) in its preseason top 25 Division III poll. This is the first time both programs are listed together in any top five of a Division III poll/ranking.

The Tommies, who are the home and host team, have signed up a presenting sponsor for the September 23 game. Twin-Cities-based Oppidan is a property development firm working in real estate, asset management, brokerage services, construction management and project management.

Steven Richardson, the Gophers squatty defensive tackle who is about 6-feet tall and 300 pounds, is working at lifting his hands up quicker after new defensive coordinator Robb Smith gave him that suggestion. Richardson was third-team All-Big Ten last season as a junior.

Do Smith and his assistants use a more intense coaching style than last year under head coach Tracy Claeys and his aides? “Oh, absolutely,” said Gophers linebacker Blake Cashman. “This coaching staff, they’re all over the place, bringing a lot of energy. It fuels us to get us going, and makes practices a lot of fun.”

When the first national college hockey rankings come out just before the season begins, coach Don Lucia’s Gophers will be in the top 10—maybe top five. Minnesota will be the highest ranked Big Ten team in a league where newcomer Notre Dame might have been more powerful but was hurt by players turning pro early and Wisconsin is still rebuilding.

The Twin Cities Pro Am basketball league has its playoff championship game at DeLaSale High School tonight starting at 6:30 p.m. with Team Jones playing Errol Carlstrom Playaz.

Saint John’s will be among the favorites to win the men’s MIAC basketball title next season. The Johnnies return all their starters including all-league first teamers David Stokman and Tyler Weiss. Stokman, a guard, and Weiss, a post player, are high percentage shooters.

Stokman led the MIAC in three point field goal percentage last season at 50.3 percent. “He is an incredible shooter, one of the best pure shooters I have seen,” an MIAC follower and college administrator told Sports Headliners via email.

Weiss was second in MIAC field goal percentage, making 59.2 percent of his shots and trailing Bethel junior center Derek Magnuson (62 percent).

Comments Welcome

P.J. Fleck Talks QB, Team Record

Posted on August 1, 2017August 1, 2017 by David Shama

A Tuesday notes column kicking off with Gophers football.

The Gophers start practices today without a No. 1 quarterback but redshirt senior Conor Rhoda and junior Demry Croft are the presumed leading candidates to win the job sometime before Minnesota’s opening game August 31. A quarterback question was the first one asked during a media Q&A session with head coach P.J. Fleck yesterday.

“The quarterback question is one I’m sure you all have on your minds,” Fleck said. “I have it on my mind—I’ll be honest with you—every single day, every single night.

“What I’m looking for is somebody to take ownership of our football team. (Florida State coach) Jimbo Fisher had a question from ACC Media Days, (and said) you have a tough quarterback, you have a tough team.

“We have to find out how tough the quarterbacks are. They both played minimum snaps, the minimum of one game. So you have to put them through rigorous, high-stress, high-pressure—(and also) easy, relaxed, type of situations—all throughout the spectrum to see how they respond to that. Decisive decision-making in everything that they do.”

Fleck won’t put a deadline on naming a quarterback this month. He said “…eventually we have to make a decision and be able to train that quarterback, so he gets a little bit more reps than everybody else.”

The Gophers were 9-4 last season but most media don’t see that many wins for Minnesota this fall. The team not only has uncertainty at quarterback but in the offensive line and other areas including lack of depth at key spots on defense. The program’s strongest unit on either side of the ball is the linebackers.

Fleck isn’t predicting the team’s final record this season. “I think we have 42, 43 lettermen coming back, which makes us one of the least experienced teams in the country,” he said. “We have a new offense, new defense, new special teams, completely new culture, new way of doing things. Twenty-two (injured) guys who (can) have an impact that are out and we still haven’t seen what they can do, or how they implement with our system.

“Those aren’t excuses, those are just facts. We could go 12-0, or 0-12. I’m not worried about the ‘W’ or the ‘L’—what that looks like. I’m worried about this team doing everything they can to become their best and reach their maximum potential.”

Fleck and the staff take a comprehensive approach to educating their players in subjects that go far beyond the fundamentals of football. Those topics range from dating to yoga to Pilates.

True to his energetic style, Fleck stood at a podium when he talked to the media yesterday. Former Gophers head coaches Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys sat at a table as they made remarks and answered questions.

Fans can attend six practices scheduled at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex: August 4, 6 p.m.; August 5, 3:30 p.m.; August 8, 3:30 p.m.; August 11, 4:15 p.m.; August 15, 3:30 p.m.; August 17, 3:30 p.m. (Practice dates, times and locations are subject to change).

Jeff Jones, the 2013 prep Mr. Football in Minnesota and ex-Gopher running back and wide receiver, is headed to Fullerton College, a California community college, according to Giovan Jenkins who was his head coach at Washburn High School. Jenkins told Sports Headliners he spoke to Jones recently about his plan.

Casey O’Brien, son of former Gophers defensive backfield coach and athletic department administrator Dan O’Brien, is a freshman walk-on holder for Minnesota. Casey, who beat cancer twice in his teen years, was a holder and golfer at Cretin-Derham Hall, and won the 2016 Minnesota Football Honors Courage Award.

The Twin Cities Pro Am basketball league has four teams remaining in the playoffs. Tonight’s games at DeLaSalle High School include Team Jones against Diggs Team starting at 5:45 p.m. The Team Jones roster features Jones brothers Tyus, Tre and Jadee. Finer Way Inc. plays EC Playaz at 7 p.m.

Gophers sophomore forward Michael Hurt will play overseas this month on a amateur team for legendary coach Larry Brown. Hurt will be one of 12 players, mostly from Power Five conferences, who will play for the East Coast Team against squads from Japan, Mexico, Senegal and Venezuela in Madrid, Spain. The American team will have games against those countries on August 8, 9, 10 and 11.

The Twins acquired relief pitcher Gabriel Moya from the Diamondbacks last week and he could be a name to watch for in 2018. Twins president Dave St. Peter told Sports Headliners Moya is expected to go with the big league club to spring training, with an opportunity to make the team.

At the time of the trade, Moya had pitched in 34 games for Double-A Jackson, with a 4-1 record and 0.82 ERA. He was 17-for-17 in save opportunities. With the Twins Double-A Chattanooga team he is 1-0, pitching 2.1 innings and allowing one hit and no runs.

The Twins gave up minor league catcher John Ryan Murphy who had been a disappointment offensively since the Twins acquired him from the Yankees in 2015 for centerfielder Aaron Hicks. Murphy is exceptional defensively.

VSAauctions.com is offering sports memorabilia including a Ted Harris-signed early 1970s era North Stars jersey, and a team signed 1980 U.S. Olympic jersey.

The late Herb Brooks, who coached that Olympic team to the gold medal and won three national titles leading the Gophers, would have turned 80 this Saturday.

The “Breakfast with Leroy” group will have former Gophers All-American basketball player and now Minneapolis Director of Athletics Trent Tucker as its speaker September 9 at the Bloomington Knights of Columbus, 1114 American Blvd. West. The public is welcome, with more information available by contacting Pat Rickert at 612-861-3981.

The local Wood Bat Little League Baseball Tournament is August 3-6 and will raise funds to assist youth baseball in Benin, a small and impoverished nation in West Africa. More at Baseballinbenin.org.

Comments Welcome

Mauer Future Looks Unsure Past 2018

Posted on July 30, 2017July 30, 2017 by David Shama

A Sunday notes column leading off with the Twins:

Joe Mauer’s $184 million, eight-year contract with the Twins ends after next season. What happens then?

“I think Joe has a big say in that in terms of what his interest is in playing beyond the 2018 season,” Twins president Dave St. Peter said. “I don’t think Joe is there yet (on a decision)—at least I haven’t seen that back from him yet.

“But we’ll sit down at the appropriate time. I would guess it would be at the end of the 2018 season. Joe will assess where he’s at, where his family is at. A dialogue with Joe and/or his representatives will take place at the appropriate time.”

Mauer will be 35 when next season ends. The Minnesota native and sports legend has fought through a lot of physical challenges including at least one concussion. How much more stress does he want to put on his body? The guess here is that Mauer, a dedicated family man with a wife and two young children, will end his career and retire as a Twin—the only pro baseball organization he’s ever played for.

Mauer is among the team’s leading hitters for average (.280) and has been clutch this season driving in runners in scoring position. But his production as a hitter is considerably less than earlier in his career when hitting over .300 was routine and his name was among the first to be considered for an American League batting title.

St. Peter referred to Mauer as a “huge asset” for the organization, including because of his high character. The Twins’ boss also praised Mauer’s timely hitting this season and for putting himself “in contention for a Gold Glove at first base.”

The Twins don’t work on contracts with players during the season so there’s no reason to expect discussion of a new deal with Mauer to receive attention until after the 2018 season. If Mauer were willing to accept a lesser role (part-time starter, for example) and drastic reduction in salary, it seems likely the Twins would invite him to compete for a roster spot in 2019.

The MLB trading deadline is tomorrow. Regarding a trade, St. Peter told Sports Headliners on Friday, “I expect on some level the Twins will participate.”

This morning the Twins announced they have acquired two minor league prospects from the Yankees, left-handed pitcher Dietrich Enns and right-handed pitcher Zack Littell, in exchange for veteran left-handed pitcher Jamie García and cash considerations.

Enns, 26, was 1-1 with a 2.29 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. Enns is on the Twins’ 40-man roster and will report to Triple-A Rochester.

Littell, 21, was 14-1 with a 1.87 ERA in 20 appearances (18 starts) between Single-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton this season. Littell will report to Double-A Chattanooga.

Garcia, 31, made one start for the Twins since being acquired from Atlanta July 24, earning a win a couple of days ago against the Athletics after pitching 6.2 innings. The trade of the established starter to the Yankees will be seen by many Twins fans as an indication the front office is unsure about staying in the race for the postseason and is taking a build-for-the-future approach. Minnesota has lost seven of its last 10 games, has a 50-52 record and is seven games out of first place in the AL Central Division.

Among reasons the Twins are playing under .500 baseball and fading in pursuit of winning at least half their games this season is their record against MLB’s better teams. The Twins were swept last week in a three-game interleague series against the National League West Division leading Dodgers. The Twins are 0-6 against the AL West leading Astros, 2-5 versus the AL East second place Red Sox and 5-8 against the first place Indians—Minnesota’s rival in the AL Central.

That’s a combined 7-22 against three of the better teams in baseball. In their losses to the Red Sox and Astros, the Twins were out-scored 47-13 and 22-7. Overall, the Twins have shown a lot of improvement after last season’s 59-102 record.

Eden Prairie’s football team starts practice August 14 and coach Mike Grant told Sports Headliners Gophers recruit Benny Sapp III is the best cornerback in the state. Sapp, a Florida transfer and son of former Viking defensive back Benny Sapp, has never played in a varsity game because of injuries but Grant has seen enough of the Eagles senior to rave about him.

“Most importantly, he’s just a great kid,” Grant said. “If he couldn’t play a lick, we would like to have him.”

Grant will also use Sapp, who has verbally committed to the Gophers, at receiver and as a return man. “He has tremendous speed and great hands,” Grant said.

Grant wants to get Sapp as “many touches” in games as possible. That was the mission two years ago with explosive running back and return man J.D. Spielman, a breakaway threat now on scholarship at Nebraska. “He (Sapp) is probably as fast as Spielman, or faster,” Grant said.

Another Eagle with Gopher ties is junior quarterback Cole Kramer, the grandson of former U football player and athletic director Tom Moe. Grant refers to Kramer as a “top five quarterback” in the state. A starter last season, Kramer has added weight and muscle.

“He could go on a college team right now and throw with them (other quarterbacks),” Grant said. “His arm is that strong.”

Grant, who has been coaching at Eden Prairie since 1992, isn’t willing to call Kramer his best ever quarterback because he hasn’t won a state title. That might change this fall, though, because Grant likes the talent and work ethic of his team, despite having only five returnees on offense and three on defense.

Grant’s father, legendary former Vikings coach Bud Grant, has been hosting annual garage sales. Mike said three years ago was supposed to be the final one but they keep coming including last spring’s which ended a day before Bud’s 90th birthday. Mike predicted “still going strong at 91” could be the theme of next year’s sale.

The lines were long this year, partially because Grant was selling a bobblehead depicting him wearing a Vikings cap and jacket, holding a duck, and accompanied by his hunting dog Boom. Mike is suggesting a double-bobblehead for next year with Grant and his longtime friend Sid Hartman. Grant could be dressed in a red check hunting shirt, with Hartman in a suit and holding a microphone. “That would be perfect,” Mike said.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer talking about where he expects to play 38-year-old Terence Newman: “Terence is a corner. That is where he is going to play, and if we need him at nickel or safety or some other spot then we will do that, but he’s a corner.”

Zimmer on free-agent acquisition Riley Reiff who is expected to start at left tackle on offense: “…I really like his demeanor. He’s going to try and hurt you, if he can hurt you. I think that’s going to bode well for us as we move forward.”

John Kundla, who died earlier this month at age 101, received a lot of praise for coaching the Minneapolis Lakers to five pro championships, but he didn’t receive enough credit for providing playing opportunities for African-Americans at the University of Minnesota. When Kundla coached the Gophers in the mid-1960s he started three African-Americans, Archie Clark, Lou Hudson and Don Yates. That was a first at Minnesota and unusual in major college basketball where prejudice was part of sports and American society.

1 comment