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NFL Draft: Tough Night for Big Ten

Posted on April 26, 2013April 26, 2013 by David Shama

Covering the NFL Draft from the perspectives of the Big Ten Conference and the Vikings:

The Big Ten almost made history last night after being shutout during the first round of the draft until the Cowboys chose Wisconsin center Travis Frederick with the 31^st and next to last pick. Since 1953 the conference has had at least one player chosen in the first round, according to an online story on Monday by the Omaha–World–Herald. The World–Herald reported that in 29 of the 31 drafts going into last night the Big Ten had at least three players chosen in the first round.

In 2012 Big Ten teams had four players selected in the first round. The SEC had nine players drafted among the 32 picks, including six of the first 15. And last night the SEC had 12 players chosen among the 32 players selected including five of the first 11 picks.

It’s no wonder the SEC, winners of seven consecutive national championships, is known as the king of college football while the Big Ten’s reputation is that of commoners. But it’s not just the SEC that is showing superiority in talent as judged by the NFL. Last year the Big 12 had five players taken in the first round. This year the ACC had six players chosen and the Pac-12 five.

The last time a Gopher was selected in the first round was 2006 — running back Laurence Maroney. During the last 20 years the only other Gopher picked in the first round was cornerback Willie Middlebrooks in 2001.

Big Ten teams struggled in nonconference BCS games last season with the best win — honest — Northwestern’s victory over Vanderbilt. Big Ten schools also lost three games to MAC teams. The conference record in bowl games after last season was 2-5, another in a long list of mediocre (at best) postseason performances. In the final AP national poll the league had only two teams in the top 20, Ohio State (ineligible for a bowl game) at No. 3 and Northwestern, No. 17.

Except for Ohio State — and maybe Michigan — national expectations will be minimal for the Big Ten again next fall. Coach Urban Meyer is building an SEC caliber program at Ohio State but overall the league looks weak. It’s obvious that for now most Big Ten teams aren’t coming up with high impact talent worthy of national rankings and NFL first round draft choices.

But if football fans in Minnesota couldn’t thump their chests last night about the Big Ten, they certainly could strut over the Vikings who came into the draft with two first round picks and finished with three, thanks to a late night trade with the Patriots. Those three draft choices equaled the total of the Vikings’ NFC North rivals, the Lions, Bears and Packers who had one each.

The Vikings might have wanted to trade up for a top 10 selection, perhaps coveting elusive wide receiver Tavon Austin from West Virginia who was chosen at No. 8 by the Rams and might be Percy Harvin II. But instead the Vikings used the Patriots trade to take Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrella Patterson at No. 29 – a player who is raw in route running skills but is an explosive runner as a receiver and kick returner. “You’re talking about a 6-1, 215 pound receiver that runs 4.3, that is electric with the ball in his hands, and what he does after the catch and what he does as a returner,” Vikings’ general manager Rick Spielman said last night.

The Vikings used their selections at No. 23 and No. 25 to choose defensive players, tackle Shariff Floyd from Florida and cornerback Xavier Rhodes of Florida State. Floyd is considered a value pick, a strong inside presence who probably lasted deeper in the first round because so many offensive linemen were chosen before him. “I went through 1,000 scenarios and at (the) 23^rd and 25^th pick I can tell you honestly, he was not in one of those scenarios,” Spielman said about Floyd’s availability to Minnesota.

Mike Mayock’s mock draft Wednesday on NFL.com had Floyd being drafted No. 3 in the first round. “He is the best defensive player in the draft on my board,” Mayock wrote.

Rhodes, like Patterson, may initially be more of a project but his speed and size, 6-1, 210, are prized attributes in an NFL cornerback. The Vikings’ needs going into the draft included replacing depth and quality lost with veteran cornerback Antoine Winfield’s departure for the Seahawks. “Our defensive philosophy is to try to have size and speed because of the cornerbacks we have to face and the type of receivers in this division,” Spielman said.

The prevalent pre-draft speculation about the Vikings selecting Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o didn’t live up to the hype. The Vikings passed on Te’o three times in the first round, preferring other players. Te’o’s controversial past could be part of the reason but so, too, might his so-so speed, and on KFAN Radio last night former Viking Pete Bercich said he didn’t like the linebacker’s “flatline” personality.

Worth Noting

The Vikings will have their three first round draft choices in town today and will hold a news conference this afternoon to introduce them to the media.

The 2013 version of the NFL’s top 100 players debuts Saturday night at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time on the NFL Network. The initial show will reveal players 91-100 with the series continuing until June 27 when the top 10 are identified. The 100 list was determined by a vote of league players.

Approximately 100 University of St. Thomas football players and coaches will spend Saturday volunteering for a home building project as part of Habitat for Humanity, Twin Cities. The group will work at 652 Sims Avenue in St. Paul.

Coach Glenn Caruso will present a check to the organization for $10,000, part of his award for being named the 2012 Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year for NCAA Division III — the third year in a row he received the award.

After last night’s 2-1 loss to the Rangers at Target Field, the Twins have lost seven of their last nine games against Texas. Twins’ catcher Joe Mauer threw out his fourth attempted base stealer of the season last night. The Twins have allowed only three stolen bases, the fewest in the majors this season.

The Twins, 9-9, have scored one run or less three times this season. Their only run last night came on Josh Willingham’s third home run of the season. He has hit 24 career home runs at Target Field, tying him with Jim Thome for the club record.

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Mauer Turns 30 with Critics & Admirers

Posted on April 19, 2013April 19, 2013 by David Shama

Joe Mauer’s 30^th birthday is today. A cynic might suggest the Twins’ catcher will receive more well wishes from across the country than here in Minnesota.

“He’s under appreciated in his own market,” said Dave Mona, co-host of WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle. “Talk shows rip on him all the time.”

The rant over Mauer is about his $23 million salary, minimal home run production and the losing ways of his team. In 2009 his future with the Twins was uncertain until he signed a contract that puts him among a half dozen or so of the best paid players in major league baseball.

Mauer’s critics argue the hometown hero makes the list of baseball’s best paid players but he isn’t a top five player. Some baseball authorities wouldn’t even grant Mauer No. 1 status among catchers, preferring the Giants’ Buster Posey or the Cardinals’ Yadier Molina.

But how is it fair to blame Mauer for having leverage with the Twins back in 2009 to command one of baseball’s richest contracts? “I do believe the Twins had to sign him to a large contract because they were moving into a new ballpark and needed the fan base to be on board that they were going to build a winner,” said a sports marketing authority who spoke anonymously.

In two of their three seasons at Target Field the Twins have finished last in the Central Division. While injuries sidelined Mauer for much of the disastrous 2011 season (99 losses), he came back last year to play in 147 games and the team still lost almost 100 games. Mauer doesn’t deserve blame for a franchise whose front office let the talent pool dry up, led by a pitching staff that nosedived to among the worst in baseball.

Home runs? The casual fan looks at the 6-5, 230-pound Mauer and wonders why has he hit only 22 home runs during the last three seasons, including just 10 last year in 545 at bats. “I know people want more home runs and I think he could do it,” said Gophers’ assistant baseball coach Rob Fornasiere. “But that’s not who he is.”

Fornasiere said that in over 30 years of high school recruiting in Minnesota Mauer is the best player he’s seen, and the former Cretin-Derham Hall three-sport star has the same beautiful batting swing he had as a sophomore. “From a mechanical standpoint he’s just so consistent,” Fornasiere said.

Mauer has been in birthday celebration mode this week. After consecutive four hit games on Monday and Tuesday nights, he is on a nine game hitting streak — .462 average with two home runs and seven RBI. The hitting party has raised his batting average for the season to .386.

This week Mauer looks like the hitter who batted .365 in 2009, whacking balls up the middle, finding the gaps in the outfield, and sending balls into the left field corner. His batting average that season was the highest ever for a major league catcher. He led the American League in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage — something no catcher had ever done before in MLB history.

Mauer has three batting titles since his big league career began in 2004. He won the AL MVP Award in 2009. Coming into this season he had the highest batting average in the major leagues since 2006 (.328) and his on-base percentage of .411 was fourth best.

For those who study baseball, Mauer’s prowess hitting the ball is even more remarkable because of the position he plays. Catching is the most physically demanding position on the field. It’s a punishing job squatting behind the plate, subjecting legs to constant stress while hands, fingers and other body parts are targets for foul tips.

Mauer has always liked being back of the plate, helping to dictate the game. His knowledge about opposing hitters helps get the most out of the Twins’ pitching staff, and his strong throwing arm is a deterrent to base runners.

Spoken like a career baseball man, Fornasiere said good baseball teams are built on quality position players in the middle of the field starting with the catcher. “There’s not a team that wouldn’t take him (Mauer),” Fornasiere said.

If critics don’t like Mauer, then Fornasiere probably has it right when he said, “You’re dealing with other people’s expectations.” Those who admire Mauer have their own expectations about him including one day seeing him inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame.

“He’s already done things no other catcher in the history of baseball has done,” said Mona.

And Mauer is only 30 years old.

Worth Noting

A ceremony Sunday at Siebert Field will recognize Gophers’ baseball coach John Anderson for his 500^th career Big Ten win last weekend at Northwestern, according to assistant Minnesota coach Rob Fornasiere. Anderson, who started coaching the Gophers in 1982, is the all-time winningest Big Ten baseball coach — 87 wins ahead of retired Ohio State coach Bob Todd and 205 more than ex-Minnesota coaching legend Dick Siebert. Fornasiere said that since the fall of 1981 there have been 37 head baseball coaches in the Big Ten.

The Gophers play a series against Michigan State at Siebert Field this weekend including Sunday’s game starting at 1:05 p.m. Fornasiere said the Spartans’ leadoff hitter and center fielder is freshman Cam Gibson who is batting .297. He is the son of Kirk Gibson, the Diamondbacks’ manager and former major league star.

The Gophers, 23-13 overall and 7-2 in conference games, are tied for first place with Michigan in the Big Ten standings. Minnesota pitcher Tom Windle, 5-2 with a 1.35 ERA, leads the conference in strikeouts with 57 in 60 innings.

New Minneapolis public schools athletic director Trent Tucker has known Gophers’ basketball coach Richard Pitino since Pitino was five years old. Former Henry football coach Jim Dotseth said Tucker attended a meeting of retired city coaches on Wednesday and Tucker remembered young Pitino from his days playing for the Knicks and coach Rick Pitino, Richard’s father.

I don’t know by how much, but the odds of the Gophers convincing DeLaSalle junior Reid Travis to attend Minnesota went up when Pitino hired former Islanders’ star Ben Johnson as an assistant coach.

But not so sure about Minnesota’s chances for landing Apple Valley point guard Tyus Jones and Cooper shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, both juniors. Elite prep players often want to know how their college experiences can help them earn a roster spot in the NBA. Pitino, at 30 years old, can’t talk about any players he sent to the next level as a head coach. Tough competition against power coaches like Kentucky’s John Calipari and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski.

In a somewhat surprising prediction, Dane Brugler from Cbssports.com has quarterback Ryan Nassib from Syracuse going No.8 to the Bills in his NFL mock draft. The Gophers beat Nassib and the Orange 17-10 last year at TCF Bank Stadium. None of Brugler’s other colleagues have Nassib being selected in the first round of their mock picks.

Former Star Tribune Vikings writer Don Banks posted his mock draft for SI.com with Minnesota selecting Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant at No. 23 in the first round and Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o at No 25.

In a mock NBA draft, NBAdraftnet.com projects the Timberwolves choosing shooting guards Shabazz Muhammad (UCLA) and Tim Hardaway, Jr. (Michigan) with the No. 9 and 25 picks in the first round. The projections also include former Gophers Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe going to Dallas and Utah with the No. 43 and 44 picks.

In a comparison worthy of shoot-first former Gopher Kris Humphries, Muhammad had 27 assists in 32 games for the Bruins last season.

Former Saint John’s national championship coach John Gagliardi and his son Jim Gagliardi will speak Tuesday evening at the MVP event at Trinity Lutheran Church in Stillwater. Together they helped coach the Johnnies to the 2003 Division III national title. MVP stands for men, value, purpose. MVP gatherings celebrate sports with food, fellowship and inspiration. More information is available at Trinitylc.org.

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Movie 42 Stirs Minnesota Connections

Posted on April 15, 2013April 15, 2013 by David Shama

A baseball fan who looks hard enough at the new movie 42 can find connections to Minneapolis-St. Paul.

42 is the story of a courageous African American, Jackie Robinson, who broke major league baseball’s color barrier in 1947 while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Robinson’s impact on society includes today’s tribute from MLB when every player in the American and National leagues will wear uniform No. 42 including at Target Field where tonight the Twins play the Angels. Today is Jackie Robinson Day, recognizing the April 15, 1947 arrival of Robinson in the big leagues.

Robinson, played by Chadwick Boseman in the film, endured a tsunami of racial insults from fans, players and managers in his early years with the Dodgers. In the movie Phillies’ manager Ben Chapman delivers a verbal assault that is the most painful scene to watch. The harassment’s intent is to have Robinson quit the Dodgers and the barrage is so ugly it almost makes the 28-year-old rookie first baseman implode.

Although some of Robinson’s teammates didn’t want him to be a Dodger, others came to his defense. Eddie Stanky confronts Chapman in 42, showing passion and a colorful vocabulary while protecting Robinson. Stanky, whose nickname was the “Brat,” played for several major league teams before becoming manager of the 1956 Minneapolis Millers.

The man Robinson replaced as the Dodgers’ first baseman was Howie Schultz, a St. Paul native. Schultz, who attended Central High School and Hamline, played four seasons for the Dodgers prior to 1947 with his best year coming in 1944 hitting 11 home runs with 83 RBI in 138 games, according to Baseball-reference.com.

Back in the 1940s the Dodgers had affiliations with Triple-A farm teams in St. Paul, and Montreal where Robinson played in 1946. There’s a scene in 42 in which St. Paul is written on a blackboard in the office of Dodgers’ general manager Branch Rickey. The Saints’ roster in 1948 included African American catcher Roy Campanella who also played for the Dodgers that same year.

In 42 Rickey, portrayed by Harrison Ford, is looking for a pioneer to break the color barrier and considers Campenella but dismisses the easy going catcher in favor of the ultra competitive Robinson. But both players became Hall of Famers including Campanella who played in 35 games for the Saints in 1948, according to Baseball-Reference.com.

Rickey’s motivations for enduring the wrath of the segregated south and some of his major league brethren for breaking the color barrier was part personal and part business. In the movie Rickey talks about how years before he had failed a black baseball player, but he also makes it clear that bringing Robinson to Brooklyn is about attracting more African-American fans to Ebbets Field.

The Dodgers’ desire to make more money eventually resulted in a failed new ballpark initiative in Brooklyn and relocation of the franchise to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. At the same time the Dodgers convinced the New York Giants to move to San Francisco so that two teams could play on the West Coast (making schedules more efficient) and also continue their storied rivalry. The relocations changed the history of baseball in Minnesota.

The Giants had been in high level discussions about moving to Minneapolis before Dodgers’ owner Walter O’Malley convinced them to move west. The Giants had operated the Triple-A Millers for years, played exhibition games here to test the baseball market and even had purchased land that potentially could have been the site of a major league park.

Instead of acquiring the Giants, this area waited until 1960 when the American League Washington Senators moved here for the 1961 season and became the Minnesota Twins.

Worth Noting

Yesterday’s Twins-Mets game, not played because of rain, is the first Target Field postponement of the season and will now be played on Monday, August 19 in Minneapolis. Right-hander Kevin Correia, scheduled to start yesterday for the Twins, will pitch against the Angels tonight.

After losing games to the Mets on Friday and Saturday at Target Field, the Twins are now 157-127 in interleague games. The Twins’ next game against a National League team is a week from tonight in Minneapolis with the Marlins.

Gophers’ baseball coach John Anderson earned his 500^th career Big Ten Conference win yesterday when Minnesota defeated Northwestern 7-1.

Parker Executive Search based in Atlanta has been paid “more than $295,000” by the University of Minnesota since 2007 to assist with searches involving Tim Brewster, Tubby Smith, Jerry Kill and Norwood Teague, according to the April 8 issue of Sports Illustrated. The story is about the role of search firms with college sports programs including their fees for identifying potential coaches and athletic directors.

Draft authority Todd McShay said on ESPN last Thursday the Vikings may draft Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o at No. 23 in the first round and California wide receiver Kennan Allen at No. 25. McShay said four wide receivers might be taken during the first round of the NFL draft April 25 including West Virginia’s Tavon Austin, a 5-9, 170-pound Percy Harvin like player who could be the first chosen.

Injured Timberwolves’ forward Kevin Love reportedly earns $13,668,750 in salary but has played in only 18 games this season. That works out to $759,375 per game.

For the first time in league history, the WNBA draft will be televised in primetime. The first round begins at 7 p.m. CDT tonight and will be telecast by ESPN2. The second and third rounds (starting at 8 p.m.) will be aired on NBATV and ESPNU. The Lynx have the No. 12 pick in the first round, two second round selections and a third round choice.

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