Golden Gophers – Page 262 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Zimmer to Vikes: Remain Blue-Collar

Posted on May 25, 2016May 25, 2016 by David Shama

The Vikings are going through Organized Team Activities at Winter Park this week and head coach Mike Zimmer has a message for the team this spring. The Vikings won their first NFC North title in six years last fall, and the football world is predicting more success in 2016, but today Zimmer cautioned “let’s not try to be someone else.”

Zimmer has stressed work ethic and toughness since he was hired as Vikings head coach after the 2013 season. His first team was 7-9 and often inconsistent in multiple ways including effort. Last fall the Vikings took a major step, earning an 11-5 regular season record and that division title before losing a first-round playoff game to the Seahawks.

Zimmer knows his players hear during the off-season how the team is “going to be good” but the words he spoke today while meeting with the media were to remind everyone the Vikings are expected to play hard and not be their own worst enemy with miscues. “We’re a blue-collar team that works hard and doesn’t make a lot of mistakes,” he said. …

Representatives of multiple organizations, including the Vikings, scored “points” yesterday with a knockout preview of the culinary scene planned for the new U.S. Bank Stadium opening this summer. In a presentation to the media, speakers promoted concepts and offerings that emphasize local partners and quality food.

TV personality Andrew Zimmern said U.S. Bank Stadium is going to “serve the best food” in a facility he predicted will be the “single greatest on the planet.” Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen and his AZC Rotisserie will be on the roster of U.S. Bank Stadium offerings as will Minneapolis-based purveyors such as Ike’s, Revival, and Spoon and Stable.

Michele Kelm-Helgen, chair of the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority, told Sports Headliners pricing hasn’t been determined but predicted it will be similar to food sold at Target Field and Target Center. “It will stay in line (with those facilities),” she predicted.

Interestingly, the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium opening in Atlanta in 2017 has already announced concession prices that will be a hit with Falcons fans. According to a May 23 story on Falcons.com, offerings will include $2 hot dogs, popcorn and bottled water; $3 nachos, peanuts, and pizza; and $5 12-ounce domestic beer. …

The Vikings have about 2,000 seats remaining in their personal seat licenses inventory for the new stadium, team executive Lester Bagley told Sports Headliners. They have sold approximately 47,000 seat licenses.

Single game ticket sales for 2016 begin in mid-June for the 66,200 seat U.S. Bank Stadium. …

The Twins announced today they have selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Buddy Boshers from Triple-A Rochester. Boshers, who was signed by the Twins as a minor league free agent last December, was 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 15 relief appearances for the Red Wings this season.

The Twins have placed outfielder Darin Mastroianni on the 15-day disabled list with a left oblique strain (retro to May 22). The club has transferred left-handed pitcher Glen Perkins to the 60-day disabled list. He was placed on the disabled list April 13 (retro to April 11) with a left posterior shoulder strain. …

It’s still not confirmed whether Apple Valley High School star shooting guard Gary Trent Jr. will return to the program for his senior season. Sources have said Trent and his father have been considering other schools. The goal might be that during 2016-2017 he could be more challenged in practice playing against elite players. National prep power Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada has a reputation for rosters with highly recruited players and has been rumored as a preferred place for Trent.

“It does seem like Trent Jr. and Sr. want to find a situation that works for them but I have no confirmation if they have found it,” Jadee Jones told Sports Headliners.

Jones is an assistant on the Apple Valley varsity and he expects a decision by the Trents in June after school is finished. He said with or without Trent, the Eagles expect to have a strong team next season. “I do think we have what it takes to be competitive in the state tournament,” he said.

Jones is the older brother of Apple Valley point guard Tre Jones and also Tyus Jones who plays the same position for the Timberwolves. Tre will be a junior at Apple Valley next season and is regarded as one of the better point guard prospects in the national class of 2018.

Jadee said Tre has shown progress in his game even since Apple Valley’s season ended in March, and he has added about eight pounds to increase his strength. Tre is now 6-2 and about 175 pounds. Jadee said he sees a “noticeable difference” in his brother’s ball handling and physicality this spring.

Tre, however, is inactive for awhile after breaking the thumb on his right hand. He will wear a cast for almost four more weeks.

Tyus is spending the month in Anaheim where training and medical professionals are helping him to improve, Jadee said. Evaluations and training are focused on helping the 20-year-old move better and be more explosive. Jadee said Tyus cancelled off-season leisure travel plans to improve his physical development. …

The Gophers’ opening Big Ten Tournament baseball game in Omaha against Iowa is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. tonight and will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. Regular season champion Minnesota is the No. 1 seed in the tourney, while the Hawkeyes are No. 8.

In Big Ten games the Gophers finished 16-7 and led the conference in hitting with a .304 batting average, and also in home runs with 21. Minnesota was third in team ERA at 2.99. …

Gophers fans can follow the progress of the Athletes Village construction project at NothingShortOfGreatness.com. …

Former Gopher football player Mark Smith and his Presnap Training Academy is now in its eighth year. Counselors include ex-Gophers Lewis Garrison, Rickey Foggie, and Jay Thomas. Academy sessions are at Eastview High School in Apple Valley. More at Presnapfootball.com. …

Minnesota Wild players Erik Haula, Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Nate Prosser, Jared Spurgeon and Jason Zucker will sign autographs tomorrow at the BMO Harris Bank at 5050 France Ave. South in Edina. They will be available from 3 to 4 p.m. to raise money for people affected by the devastating spring wildfires around Fort McMurray in Alberta, Canada.

Starting at 2 p.m. tomorrow, the first 300 fans donating $50 (only cash or credit card) will receive a ticket for one autograph from each of the six players. All proceeds from the event will go to the Red Cross to support those affected by the wildfires.

Spurgeon’s wife, Danielle, is one of thousands impacted by the fires in Alberta. Her parents lost their home to a fire in west Edmonton earlier this month. …

For the ninth consecutive school year the St. Thomas men and women are the MIAC’s All-Sports champions. During 2015-2016, St. Thomas won 15 conference championships—nine women’s titles and six men’s—and finished as the runner-up in three other sports. This is the 30th all-sports championship for the St. Thomas men, and 25th for the women. …

The Lynx, 3-0 this season, play the Mercury, 0-3, in Phoenix tonight in the first of eight televised games by Fox Sports North. Although the Lynx is the defending league champ, WNBA general managers predicted in a poll this month the Mercury will win the 2016 title.

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Kaler, Coyle Reach Out to U Critic

Posted on May 23, 2016May 23, 2016 by David Shama

There has been no more vocal critic of University of Minnesota athletics than Jim Carter, but the former Gophers football captain acknowledged that school president Eric Kaler and new athletic director Mark Coyle have reached out to him.

Carter was unhappy about Kaler not placing him on the search committee to select the athletic director, despite having a landslide number of nominations from friends and contacts. An advocate for excellence, Carter has criticized University administrators for not creating a winning culture, and has been angry with a series of embarrassments in the athletic department including the job performances of departed athletic director Norwood Teague and men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino.

About two weeks ago Kaler announced Coyle as his choice to succeed interim AD Beth Goetz. The day of the announcement, and prior to holding the news conference, Kaler called Carter. “(Kaler) said they hired a superstar,” Carter told Sports Headliners. “Those are his words, and (he) asked me to greet the new man warmly.

“Then a couple days after Coyle got the job he was nice enough to call, which I was impressed with. I would expect it if a guy was good…he would call the people like me that have voiced lots of disagreement with Kaler and with the way the athletic department is being run. …

“So he did reach out to say let’s get together for a cup of coffee. Wanted to introduce himself over the phone. I congratulated him on getting the job, and I would guess that we’ll get together and get a chance to meet in person.”

The Coyle hire has been applauded by fans, media and others. The 47-year-old Iowa native has an impressive background in athletics administration that includes stops at Boise State, Kentucky and Syracuse. He was the AD at both Boise and Syracuse, and while at Kentucky reportedly helped raise more than $140 million. Before going to those schools Coyle worked in the Gophers athletic department with responsibilities that included marketing, licensing and sponsorships.

“I am sure he is a talented guy,” Carter said. “As you know, I was favoring hiring a person not in the (college athletic director) ranks, or working their way up as assistant AD. I would have much preferred an M man (U letter winner) …somebody that has been in (private) business.

“Having said all that, this looks like a good candidate. We’ll see. It’s still early on. What he (Coyle) does with that Pitino thing, I think we’ll know right away.”

Pitino is under intense scrutiny because of off-court incidents involving his players, and a school worst ever Big Ten record last season of 2-16. Before Kaler introduced Coyle at the news conference he spoke about how “profoundly disappointed” he is with the basketball program.

Don’t Expect Kill to Replace K-State Coach

Former Gophers football coach Jerry Kill starts his new job as an administrator, assisting with the Kansas State football program in July. As associate athletic director, Kill’s job will be to help the program any way he can including directly for legendary head coach Bill Snyder.

Snyder will be 77 in October. Could Kill some day replace him?

“I don’t want to coach (again),” Kill told Sports Headliners on Friday. “It’s not worth the risk.”

The risk, of course, is Kill’s health including his fight with epilepsy. Health issues prematurely ended his era (2011-2015) as Gophers coach last fall. He rebuilt the Gophers into a respected Big Ten program that had various highlights including taking his 2014 team to its first New Year’s Day Bowl game since 1962.

Asked about Power Five Conference offers to coach elsewhere when he was with Minnesota, Kill said there were “one or two” jobs he could have had. Kill didn’t identify those schools but one might have been Nebraska after coach Bo Pelini was let go following the 2014 season.

Carter is among those who believe Nebraska did have conversations with the Gophers coach. If true, Kill turned down the Cornhuskers out of loyalty to Minnesota. That loyalty remains in place toward new Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys, his assistants and players. Kill refers to them as “my guys” and said it will be a “passion” for him to help the program whenever he can.

Carter knows Kill well and while voicing his own perspective didn’t dismiss the possibility the 54-year-old Kansas native might one day find circumstances different than now and want to coach. “…Kill hasn’t indicated any different to me than he has (said) publicly and to the press. He said the same thing, that he is done coaching.

“It’s my personal opinion that Kill is through and through a head football coach. It would not surprise me to see him coach again, and even at the Power Five Conference level because he is a young man and he’s got a lot of energy. If his health keeps continuing to be good, it would not surprise me to see him be a head coach again.”

These days Kill is enjoying a more relaxed schedule than the nearly 24-7 grind he had as Gophers coach and fundraiser for the athletic department. He pays close attention to his diet and exercise routine. He is even playing golf for the first time in 14 years.

Kill is keeping his office open in Minneapolis for the Chasing Dreams Fund through the Epilepsy Foundation, and will return to Minnesota in a few months to promote a new book about his life. Kill’s daughter Krystal lives in the metro area so there are multiple reasons for him to come up this way. “It’s only a seven hour drive from Manhattan to the Twin Cities,” he said.

Kill will keep a connection to Minnesota, and that’s good news for his many friends and admirers.

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Fans Voice Gopher Basketball Concerns

Posted on May 16, 2016May 16, 2016 by David Shama

There has been so much controversy involving the Gophers’ basketball program during the last 18 months or so that even developments last week aren’t all that surprising. The last several days have been a trying time for coach Richard Pitino’s image—with media headlines last week involving the arrest of Gophers center Reggie Lynch, an Athletic Department audit revealing Pitino spent $175,000 beyond his allocated amount for private jet travel, and public remarks by University president Eric Kaler regarding how “profoundly disappointed” he is in the program.

Pitino, 33, was hired in the spring of 2013 by Norwood Teague, the now departed and infamous Gophers athletic director. Pitino was likely far down the list of preferred candidates because of his youth and inexperience as a head coach. He came to Minnesota after only one season as head coach for Florida International.

In Pitino’s first season of 2013-2014 the Gophers had a respectable 8-10 regular season Big Ten record. Minnesota didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament but did impress by winning five times in the National Invitational Tournament including the championship game in New York. That Gophers team appeared well coached and motivated, and with four returning starters teased fans’ expectations for the 2014-2015 season.

The Gophers flopped, finishing 6-12 in the Big Ten while losing many close games that reflected on players and coaches. More troubling, sophomore guard Daquein McNeil was kicked off the team after allegations of assaulting his girl friend.

McNeil is one of many players who have left Pitino’s program for various reasons. Character issues and questions have been raised about multiple Gophers, including departed players and those still on the roster. Lynch was arrested for suspicion of sexual assault last week and later released from jail, but an investigation is ongoing. This winter three players, including Kevin Dorsey who has now left the program, were suspended for an alleged off-court incident for which no charges were filed.

Observers are left to wonder what kind of individuals Pitino and his staff are recruiting? What kind of judgments are players and coaches making?

Pitino’s team last season had a 2-16 Big Ten record, the worst in school history. Certainly Gophers fans are entitled to expect better results from someone who is paid $1.6 million annually. He is also a coach who leveraged a $400,000 raise after the disappointing 2014-2015 season. That raise happened under Teague’s watch who also put in place a $7.1 million buyout in Pitino’s contract last summer. The buyout amount decreases over time and is currently at $5.7 million.

The University is accountable for such foolish contract maneuverings. But public expectations of school leaders have been minimal in the face of actions that include the hiring of Teague, careless spending in the basketball program including an overseas trip publicized in Sports Illustrated, and double-booking TCF Bank Stadium for a football camp and Drum Corps International event on the same day. Expectations, though, were raised by last week’s hiring of Mark Coyle as the new Gophers athletic director. Coyle has extensive and accomplished work in college athletics including with the Gophers years ago.

Last week I emailed about 20 passionate Gophers basketball fans to gauge their concerns. I asked the following two questions:

What is your assessment of the men’s basketball program?

What, if anything, should the Athletic Department and the President’s office do right now about the program?

The first response came from someone who decades ago provided corporate support to the program. Still a follower of the program, his frustration was obvious in his brief response: “A ‘basketball program’ does not exist. President and AD should renegotiate Pitino buyout, (and) then do it.”

Another email responder also described his emotions. “I’m embarrassed by the basketball program and ashamed to discuss it with friends from other states. I never thought this could happen to the University of Minnesota. Even when the football team had several terrible seasons we weren’t embarrassed by the behavior of the team members.

“The basketball team has the lowest GPA of any Gopher sport and way too many scandals. …Obviously, Kaler should never have approved a $7 million buyout that was negotiated by a failure of an athletic director. This is a disgrace and I’m ashamed of my beloved University.”

Brad Ernst has been a season ticket holder since 1978 and he, too, wants Pitino gone now. “(The) team seems clueless about how to play and act. Staff seems clueless about what to teach and whom to recruit. …I would like someone from the Athletic Department to call me, and try and convince me why I should entertain renewing my season tickets.”

Ernst’s friend John Wagenaar read the comments above and responded this way: “I don’t for one minute think Pitino can clean up his huge mess, and (he) will only contribute to it as time goes on. Cut your losses and blame it all on that…(former) AD you hired. I think the players have very little respect, affection or loyalty for their coach.”

Gophers fan Tom Klas recognizes the realities of the current program but took a supportive position on the coach. “Richard Pitino appears to be a good person, and he may know the mechanics of basketball very well, but he hasn’t established himself as being someone who can find those individuals who are capable of being standout basketball players who can behave well and face the rigor of university level academics.

“He is in that…position of having to find individuals who are mature and who can play basketball at the top level of Division I competition, while simultaneously making the basketball program competitive again. Should he be allowed to continue to coach? Absolutely.”

Former Gophers basketball player Larry Overskei, who believes the program is in a state of “shambles,” was a season ticket holder for almost 40 years. He gave up his tickets awhile back because of frustrations with the loyalty (donor) program and seat locations. “We have better coaches at the high school level in Minnesota than Richard Pitino. …In all fairness…he is in over his head. Our Athletic Department performed a huge disservice to our loyal fans and the fans of the state of Minnesota. We are told to be patient. Patience when we cannot even beat South Dakota and the likes.”

Another former Gopher player asked that his name not be used but he too wrote a critical response. He believes Pitino’s communications need improvement. “His pure coaching skills may be adequate but the way he interacts with people leaves much to be desired. First, he doesn’t seem to have empathy for his players. If you watch a Michigan State game you see a mutual admiration, and respect between players and coach (Tom Izzo). We do not have that.

“Next, all successful big time coaches have an excellent rapport with their alumni and booster clubs. Richard couldn’t find 15 minutes to greet our past players at last year’s alumni lunch, and hasn’t been to any similar events I have attended. The Golden Dunkers (booster) group, which is made up of businessmen and past players, has supported and interacted with every coach I know of since for sure 1970. Richard has not been to one meeting, nor sent an ambassador from the team as far as I know.”

There were other email responses, too, including one that suggested the failures of the basketball program are symptomatic of the University’s wish to de-emphasize athletics. I am not sure about that, but I do know there is a crisis in public confidence about basketball in Dinkytown. My in-box supports that view.

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