Golden Gophers – Page 384 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Ex-Coach: Vikes Put Ego on ‘Shelf’

Posted on October 8, 2012October 8, 2012 by David Shama

Dean Dalton told Sports Headliners the Vikings, who have already won more games than all of last season, are a “team playing for each other.”

Minnesota, 4-1 and tied for first with the Bears in the NFC North, defeated the Titans 30-7 at Mall of America Field yesterday. During consecutive wins over the 49ers, Lions and Titans the Vikings avoided critical errors and giving up big plays, often playing effectively on offense, defense and special teams.

The Vikings are making use of their talent with consistent and steady play. Dalton, the former Vikings assistant coach, credited head coach Leslie Frazier with creating a “culture of success” with his leadership after confronting difficult past challenges including last season’s 3-13 record.

Dalton, who hosts a weekly NFL show on Sirius Satellite Radio, said the Vikings have come together as a team by leaving “the ego on the shelf.” He also said the Vikings could be a playoff club by season’s end.

Vikings center John Sullivan said after the game that Dalton’s evaluation about “team first” is true. Sullivan added that because Frazier is a former NFL player, the coach relates effectively to the Vikings.

“With a playing background, he really knows what he’s talking about in terms of addressing us from a player’s perspective,” Sullivan said. “I think he’s done an outstanding job. We’re 100 percent behind him.”

Worth Noting

Sullivan, talking about second-year quarterback Christian Ponder, who has thrown only two interceptions this season but six touchdown passes: “We have the utmost confidence in him. He’s our leader. He’s our quarterback. I think we’re going to do big things with him at the helm.”

Vikings receiver-runner Percy Harvin had a remarkable first quarter touchdown run of four yards where he combined speed, cutting ability and power. “I am blessed with a lot of ability. That’s my thing. I just try to get in open space, ever since I was younger. If I can get in open space, I feel like I can make things happen. It was a missed tackle by them.”

Harvin was asked what tacklers say who are almost faked out of their shoes: “A couple of them tell me to slow down, that they can’t catch up. I just look at them and laugh and say that’s my job.”

The Vikings’ only loss was in game No. 2 against the Colts. Vikings defensive end Jared Allen believes the defense is different now. “…Something clicked after that loss to the Colts. We were out of body and out of character for what we do but we’ve gotten back to that. A lot of credit goes to coach (Alan) Williams (defensive coordinator) because he was able to recognize that and listen to some of the vets, take ideas in, and hone in what we do.”

Danielle Kalil, sister of Vikings offensive rookie tackle Matt Kalil, sang the National Anthem before yesterday’s game.

Attendance at yesterday’s game was 57,652. Attendance for the Vikings’ first three regular season home games has yet to reach 60,000 at Mall of America Field (capacity about 64,000).

Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf said it’s likely the team will be playing the 2014 and 2015 seasons at TCF Bank Stadium while the new stadium is being built on the Mall of America Field site.

Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, attended yesterday’s game and said the Vikings have expressed interest in hosting the Super Bowl in 2018, 2019 or 2020 but no decision has been made about the site for those years.

Tickets for tonight’s Manny’s Celebrity Waiters Night with Chad Greenway and Friends are sold out. The event benefits the Vikings linebacker’s Lead the Way Foundation, helping “critically and chronically ill” children in the metro area. www.chadgreenway.org

Gophers coach Jerry Kill, speaking on WCCO Radio’s Sports Huddle yesterday, was noncommittal on quarterback MarQueis Gray’s availability for next Saturday’s game with Northwestern. “Not saying he can’t be,” Kill said about Gray who has not played since September 15 because of an injured left ankle and knee. But Kill cautioned about Gray being ready for Northwestern based on what he saw from his former starting quarterback last week.

Here are Sports Headliners’ second Big Ten power rankings of the season: Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

Don Lucia’s Gophers opened their season with a 7-0 exhibition win over Lethbridge Saturday night at Mariucci Arena. The college hockey season begins in the early days of fall and at Minnesota expectations are for the Gophers to be playing in the spring for another national championship.

Lucia, whose Gophers play Michigan State at home on Friday and Saturday night, has won two national titles at Minnesota. He said expectations have always been high at Minnesota during his era but social media has added to the environment.

The Gophers lost in a semi-finals Frozen Four game to Boston College last spring and anything less than an encore appearance in the finals will be a disappointment to many. The Gophers, returning six of their top seven scorers and all six starting defensemen from last season, are joined by Boston College at the top of the early season national rankings.

Lucia, 54, is starting his 14^th season as Gophers head coach. He had health problems a couple years back but told Sports Headliners he’s fine now. How much longer does he want to coach?

Lucia said a “few more” seasons and quipped he doesn’t plan to be another “Red Berenson,” the 72-year-old Michigan coach now beginning his 29^th season in Ann Arbor.

Wally Shaver starts his 20^th season of broadcasting Gophers hockey on the radio next Friday night, calling the game on 1500 ESPN. His father, legendary former North Stars broadcaster Al Shaver, is retired, living on Vancouver Island in his native Canada and turns 85 on October 25.

Various reports have Apple Valley High School junior point guard Tyus Jones visiting Duke’s Midnight Madness practice on Friday. Meanwhile the Gopher men’s and women’s teams will have their own version of Midnight Madness on Friday at Williams Arena with fans able to watch skills competitions like a dunk contest and team scrimmages. Admission is free and the arena opens at 7 p.m. A trip for two is being given away to watch the Gopher men in their late November basketball tournament in the Bahamas.

Fergus Falls High School football coach Richard Risbrudt now has 201 career wins. In 35 seasons as a head coach Risbrudt’s record is 201-144.

The new release “Trouble with the Curve,” starring Clint Eastwood, is one of the better baseball movies ever made, although not on the level of “Moneyball,” the story of Oakland baseball boss Billy Beane operating on a cheapskate budget running the A’s.

The new movie, “42,” about baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson, debuts next April but is already being promoted in theatres and a film trailer is on YouTube.

Comments Welcome

Don’t ‘Anticipate’ Gray for Northwestern

Posted on October 3, 2012October 3, 2012 by David Shama

Reporting on Gophers football, Timberwolves, Vikings, Wild and Twins:

Gophers’ football coach Jerry Kill, talking about the injured MarQueis Gray, said on Monday he doesn’t “anticipate” his senior quarterback playing against Northwestern a week from Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Gray has a high ankle sprain and sprained left knee suffered in the Western Michigan game on September 15. “It’s just taken awhile to heal up,” Kill told Sports Headliners.

Even if Gray can surprise and be ready to play, strategically it’s to the Gophers’ advantage if they can make Northwestern (5-0) prepare for two different quarterback styles. Gray is an improved passer but running is his strength while sophomore Max Shortell, his replacement, is a capable passer and lumbering runner.

OhioState is the Big Ten’s best team. If Gray is healthy and able to play, the Gophers (4-1) are better by the nose of a football than Iowa, the team that defeated Minnesota last Saturday. Here are Sports Headliners’ first Big Ten power rankings of the season: Ohio State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Penn State, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana.

The Timberwolves opened training camp yesterday without Rick Rubio taking part in drills because of his left knee rehabilitation. Rubio, who was injured on March 9 of last season, “created a belief” the Wolves could beat anybody, according to coach Rick Adelman.

The Wolves, who had a 21-20 record on March 9, won only five of their final 25 games after Rubio’s season ended. Adelman said on Monday he was “shocked” at how the team stumbled without the 21-year-old rookie point guard.

Rubio’s teammates learned not only how good of a playmaker the flashy Spaniard is but also saw his competitiveness and all around skills. Wolves’ reserve point guard J.J. Barea said Rubio is so competitive he wouldn’t even back down from “Michael Jordan.”

Adelman said Rubio’s absence from the lineup was felt defensively. Rubio was among NBA leaders in steals when injured.

No one is predicting exactly when Rubio will be able to fully practice and play in games. He said Monday he’s starting to shoot the basketball but doesn’t jump when he shoots.

Meanwhile, the Wolves have shaken up their roster adding several new players, including veterans and former NBA All-Stars Andrei Kirilenko and Brandon Roy, who have been on winning teams elsewhere. Adelman is looking for a new attitude among the Wolves who he said “didn’t hurt enough” last season after losses.

Forward Kevin Love, back from helping the U.S. win an Olympic gold medal, said some teammates last season had a date circled in the spring but it wasn’t the start of the playoffs. Instead, the anticipated date was the season’s end and vacation.

The Wolves, who finished 26-40 last season and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season, are thinking post-season now as they start training camp. They know the assignment will be much easier when Rubio is healthy and playing again.

Vikings’ punter Chris Kluwe communicates with former teammate and placekicker Ryan Longwell via email and text. Kluwe said Longwell remains interested in a pro golf career and wants to become comfortable in front of TV cameras. “He told me it’s completely different when you’re actually playing in front of cameras as opposed to when it’s just you out on the course,” Kluwe said. “I think he’s just trying to get used to that and we’ll see if he goes and tries that for real.”

A hockey source told Sports Headliners the Wild’s Niklas Backstrom, Mikko Koivu and Matt Cullen could decide to play hockey out of the country if the NHL labor dispute isn’t resolved. The source said if the players sign contracts to play elsewhere there will be escape clauses allowing a return to the Wild after the collective bargaining agreement is settled between the NHL and league players.

The NHL regular season schedule was to begin next week but with the players locked out it could be December 1 or later before teams return to the ice. “There’s no super urgency now” to settle the lockout, the source said.

But paychecks for NHL players were to begin next week, and continue every two weeks. Missing those checks after three pay periods will create urgency for a settlement, in the opinion of the source.

He also said the Wild’s AHL affiliate team, the Houston Aeros, may play one or more games at Xcel Energy Center. Such a move could be part of a strategy by the Wild to keep hockey in front of the public. Fantasy camps, hospital visits and other activities might be part of a plan, too.

Mike Trout, who is certain to be the American League Rookie of the Year and is a contender for league MVP, was drafted by the Angels in 2009 after 21 other clubs passed on him including the Twins. Trout’s dad, Jeff, was a Twins minor league player and so, too, was Greg Morhardt, the Angels scout that signed Mike.

Morhardt was more excited about Mike than a lot of other baseball people, according to an article in Sports Illustrated’s August 27 issue. Among the Angels’ decision- makers who approved drafting Trout was scouting director Eddie Bane, the former Twins pitcher.

When the regular season ends today, the Angels center fielder will have completed a year when he established himself as one of baseball’s best players at age 21. His skills in hitting for average and power, fielding his position and base running prompted Sports Illustrated to compare him with Mickey Mantle. Among Trout’s rookie stats are a .324 batting average (second best in theAL), .397 on-base percentage (third in the league), .561 slugging percentage (third) and a MLB leading 49 stolen bases.

The Twins finish their season in Toronto today. Wouldn’t it be interesting if the club made an off-season trade with the Blue Jays, acquiring pitching and sending Canadian native Justin Morneau to Toronto?

The Twins and four other major league clubs provide players to the Peoria team that begins play in the Arizona Fall League on October 9. Seven Twins organization players are expected to participate: pitchers Kyle Gibson, Logan Darnell, Caleb Thielbar, and Michael Tonkin, and position players Evan Bigley, Chris Herrmann and Nate Roberts, according to Twins minor league operations executive Jim Rantz.

Comments Welcome

Iowa Rivalry Absorbs U Players

Posted on September 28, 2012September 28, 2012 by David Shama

There’s no mistaking the awareness of Gophers football players about their annual game against Iowa.

This week the “pig” visited the Gophers’ locker room. Before the season the Gophers players talked about the team’s rivalries including, of course, the fight tomorrow in Iowa City for the bronze “pig”—Floyd of Rosedale.

In the lobby of Minnesota’s football complex this week there was a scoreboard image showing a 12-0 score. Underneath the score was this statement: “The last time we went to Iowa City.” In 2009 the Hawkeyes won 12-0 at home. The Gophers have won two straight against Iowa, but both games were in Minneapolis.

In Iowa City starting at 11 a.m. tomorrow the two teams resume a travelling trophy game dating back to 1935. It can be argued this is among the most famous trophy games in college football.

Floyd of Rosedale originated to encourage civility between the schools and their fans. No one has been killed over the years but strong feelings remain between the two border states.

University of Minnesota students were chanting “We hate Iowa!” weeks ago. The statement has characterized the identity of student fans in recent years and certainly is something the Gophers’ players are aware of.

“There’s a lot of animosity between the two schools,” said John Rabe. The Gophers’ senior tight end is an Iowa native and growing up in that state certainly gives him perspective on the “We hateIowa!” chant. “That just shows how much it (the game) means to these people and us.”

Rabe expects to make his new hometown fans happy by late tomorrow afternoon. “We’re gonna get this win. I feel confident that we will.”

The Gophers, 4-0 in nonconference games, still haven’t made believers out of the odds-makers. Iowa, 2-2, is about a touchdown favorite, and Gophers coach Jerry Kill said for his team to win turnovers will have to be avoided.

Minnesota had no turnovers in a 17-10 win against Syracuse last week, despite starting a sophomore quarterback. Max Shortell, making only his third career start, had no interceptions or fumbles. “We can’t turn the ball over (at Iowa),” Kill told Sports Headliners.

Iowa has started the season slow, often playing poorly, particularly on offense but Kill said “we’re gonna get their best” tomorrow. He’s followed Iowa under coach Kirk Ferentz for years. “Iowa has a pattern of improving as the season progresses,” Kill said.

Kill admires Ferentz who coached in the pros before taking over at Iowa and has earned a reputation of being among the better college coaches. Ferentz and staff are known for their teaching abilities. “They run as good a practice as anyone,” Kill said.

Football & Other Notes:

Ferentz, 57, is in his 14^th season at Iowa, the most seasons of any current Big Ten head coach. Second in seniority are Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema, 42, and Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, 37.

Gophers’ quarterback MarQueis Gray, injured in the Western Michigan game, was walking cautiously on his high ankle sprain this week and isn’t expected to play against Iowa.

Iowa beat the Gophers 55-0 in 2008. Gophers’ defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman wasn’t on the team then but the Minneapolis native remembers hearing about the game and was asked if it was embarrassing. “I mean it would embarrass anybody. I am pretty sure no team would want to lose by that much. …”

Big Ten Network football analyst Chris Martin talking about the Gophers before last Saturday’s win over Syracuse: “They (the Gophers) can beat Iowa.”

Kill, in his second season at Minnesota, was asked where he’s at in building the program: “…I think very similar to where we were at Southern Illinois. I think we were 1‑10 the first year, and we weren’t very good, and next year we got better and we won four games that year. And I don’t do so much with wins and losses, but I think we’re certainly better than we were a year ago.

“We’ll find out how much better over the next eight weeks and how much they’re going to improve. If we stay the same, results won’t be very good. We’ve gotta continue to make progress. …”

Lester Bagley said last week the odds are about 50-50 the new Vikings stadium will have a “retractable feature.” That doesn’t necessarily mean a retractable roof. Bagley, a Vikings’ stadium executive, said odds of a moving roof are less than 50-50 because of budget limitations.

The new downtown stadium may have a retractable feature like a large window at one end of the facility. Bagley said until the design of the stadium is finalized it won’t be known if there is sufficient money to have a retractable roof but he didn’t express much likelihood the Vikings, state or city of Minneapolis will go beyond the $975 million budget.

“$477 million (from the Vikings). It’s the third largest (NFL) team contribution in history (for a stadium),” Bagley said. “I don’t see the public coming up with more money either. I am not sure that’s an option.

“I guess never say never, but we’re gonna try to design and build and stay on time and at budget which is $975 million. …We are confident in getting a great facility for $975 but that’s the budget. There’s no discussion about any more money.”

Bagley said the stadium will seat 65,000 but can be expandable to 73,000 for a Super Bowl. The Vikings have informed the NFL they want to host the 2018 Super Bowl. A decision on the host city for that year will be made in 2014, according to Bagley.

The Vikings are studying personal seat licensing for a portion of the new stadium. Such licensing means fans pay a fee beyond the price of tickets for a specific seat location. Bagley said the 49ers expect to generate more than $300 million from licensing in their new Santa Clara facility but the Upper Midwest market can’t be expected to approach that kind of figure.

A longtime Vikings season ticket holder said to resell his tickets this year he accepted less than $100 each for his face value $128 per game tickets. He said the team’s 3-13 record last season and this year’s unusually late (December) NFC North home games against Chicago and Green Bay diminished value. He’s holding on to his tickets, though, and expecting a sharp increase in value when the new stadium opens.

The Vikings, 2-1, play at Detroit, 1-2, on Sunday in the first NFC North game of the season for either team. The Vikings won’t play another division game until November 11 when Detroit comes here.

The Vikings’ Percy Harvin leads the NFL with 27 receptions. That’s the most catches by a Viking in the first three games of a season since 1997 when Cris Carter had 23 receptions.

An MIAC game to follow tomorrow is at Augsburg between the 3-0 Auggies and 3-0 Bethel. The Royals lead the MIAC in scoring both on offense (43.0 per game) and defense (7.0 per game). The Auggies may have the most dynamic newcomer in the conference in freshman quarterback Ayrton Scott, named the MIAC’s Offensive Player-of-the-Week each of the last two weeks.

North Woods football coach John Jirik won his 100^th high school game last week. North Woods High School opened in 2011 combining students from the Cook and Orr communities.

Gophers’ baseball coach John Anderson said his team will open its new on-campus outdoor baseball stadium on April 5, 2013 against Ohio State. Minnesota will play 17 home games before then in the Metrodome and has 17 scheduled outdoors. He hopes the Gophers can use the dome in the spring if weather prevents home games from being played outside.

Twins’ utility infielder Alexi Casilla, who is hitting .233 this season, has a lifetime average of .571 against Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia who won his 14^th game of the year on Wednesday against Minnesota. Casilla had two hits in three at bats in the game. His career average of .571 is the highest of any hitter against Sabathia with at least 15 at bats. Casilla has 21 at bats.

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