Joe Mauer – Page 19 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Mixed Results on Vikings First Rounders

Posted on May 1, 2015May 1, 2015 by David Shama

There’s nothing wrong with being upbeat about the Vikings’ choice of cornerback Trae Waynes with the No. 11 selection in the first round of last night’s NFL Draft. But fans are advised to evaluate the success of the selection in a few years.

The Vikings have made 11 first round selections dating back to 2007, including last night. In addition to Waynes, those selections were for Adrian Peterson (2007), Percy Harvin (2009), Christian Ponder (2011), Matt Kalil (2012), Harrison Smith (2012), Sharrif Floyd (2013), Xavier Rhodes (2013), Cordarrelle Patterson (2013), Anthony Barr (2014) and Teddy Bridgewater (2014).

All 10 of the previous first rounders from past years became starters as rookies. Seven were All-Rookie selections and four made the Pro Bowl. Peterson and Harvin were both NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Peterson was also selected first team Associated Press All-Pro as a running back.

Honors are nice but performance over time is what matters most—individually and contributing to team success.

Peterson will one day be a Hall of Fame running back and was worthy of going even higher in the 2007 draft’s first round than his No. 7 selection. Harvin, despite his superb talents as a slot receiver and runner, became a “headache” specialist with the Vikings—both suffering from head pain and giving it to coaches and management before he was traded to the Seahawks.

Ponder was mostly ineffective and didn’t follow the script to become the quarterback savior. Kalil is supposed to be the team’s franchise left tackle but he’s been inconsistent and sometimes awful. Safety Smith and cornerback Rhodes form half of a talented and promising defensive secondary. Floyd, a defensive tackle, started one game as a rookie and 13 last season, and faces a prove-it season in 2015.

Patterson’s talents—he was All-Pro as a kick returner for 2013 and flashed promise as a receiver—reminds us of Harvin’s skills, but he seems unfocused and perhaps difficult to handle. Barr and Bridgewater teased with their abilities and promise last season as rookies, and left coaches and fans anticipating how much more they can contribute in future years.

The report card is mixed for the 10 players referenced above, and more importantly so are the team results on the field. The Vikings have had losing seasons three of the last four years, making the playoffs once and compiling an overall record of 25-38-1.

That record, of course, isn’t just the responsibility of the 10 first round draft choices. Other players—whether they were later rounds selections or veterans already on the club—are accountable too. Coaches and personnel decision makers are also part of the story. But what would the team record be the last couple years if Ponder had been a franchise quarterback? If Harvin had been All-Pro every year? Or if Patterson was the equal of Harvin in making explosive plays by catching passes and running for extra yardage? And if Kalil was mentioned in the same breath with the league’s best left tackles.

Get the idea? Let’s wait a few years and see what the impact really is of Waynes and past first round draft selections, and how the wins and losses are adding up for the Vikings.

Worth Noting

With their selection of Waynes in the first round last night, the Vikings tied the Bengals (1984-1987) for most NFL first round selections in a four-year period, with eight.

Last Sunday’s first round Game 6 between the Wild and Blues from Xcel Energy Center was the most watched hockey game ever on NBC in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market. Late in the game 53 percent of all television households in this market with TV’s on were tuned to the Wild game.

The Wild will host a Playoff Pep Rally at the IDS Center Crystal Court in downtown Minneapolis today from noon to 1 p.m. The Wild face the Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs tonight in Chicago. Fans are encouraged to wear Wild team colors on Friday and for future playoff game days. Team mascot Nordy will join former Wild captain Wes Walz, 1995 Stanley Cup Champion Tom Chorske, and others on stage at the rally.

Round 2 Rally Towels will be distributed to 500 fans beginning at noon. One lucky fan will win a Zach Parise autographed jersey. Complimentary raffle tickets will be distributed beginning at 11 a.m. There is a limit of one raffle ticket per person and the winner must be present when announced.

The new Capital Club featuring local sports figures as speakers meets on selected mornings at Town & Country Club in St. Paul. Gophers football coach Jerry Kill will speak next Tuesday. For more information contact, Patrick Klinger, patrickklinger@klingercompany.com.

Patrick Talty, the SMG executive working on attracting events to the new Minneapolis Vikings stadium, said a bid will be submitted by the end of May to host the college football national championship game. The downtown facility, opening in 2016, might be the site of the game in 2018, 2019 or 2020.

Among other attractions, the stadium could also host the WWE’s WrestleMania. Talty said the economic impact for a city having the event can be $100 million.

Condolences to family and friends of Verne Gagne who died earlier this week at age 89. Gagne played football for the Gophers and was a two-time NCAA wrestling champion. As a pro wrestling champion and promoter, he made the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association a household phrase in this marketplace. His zest for life and entertaining will long be remembered by Minnesotans.

Gagne impacted the development and livelihoods of many athletes who made careers out of pro wrestling. Among them is former Gophers football player Jim Brunzell who became part of the famous “High Flyers” tag team along with Gagne’s son Greg Gagne. “Verne played a major part of my early wrestling career,” Brunzell wrote via e-mail. “He trained me, booked me, and enabled me to learn my trade from some of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. …

“He was a tremendous competitor, no matter what the activity—wrestling, racquetball, or tennis. He’d just as soon knock your teeth out, than lose! He loved the outdoors, fishing and hunting, and probably would have preferred to live in the early Wild West! He loved his family, and the University of Minnesota, and was truly a modern day icon!”

A sold out crowd of more than 800 is expected Sunday when The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame hosts its 8th Annual Minnesota Football Honors event at the Hilton Minneapolis. See the April 16 issue of Sports Headliners for a listing of individuals being honored.

Twins marketers like this year’s home schedule that has the club playing 48 dates at Target Field between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

New Twins manager Paul Molitor told Sports Headliners the first month of the season and 22 games played isn’t a large enough sampling to know what he’s got for a team including decisions on who deserves to stay on the roster. “I think probably 30-40 games is a little better gauge…so let’s see how it plays out a little bit longer.”

Molitor said on Wednesday morning first baseman Joe Mauer is achieving more “quality at bats” than anyone else on his roster. Mauer, who entered this year with a career batting average of .319, hit just .277 last season. Molitor wouldn’t predict what Mauer’s average will be this season, but as of today he is at .318. Mauer is hitting .366 in his last 10 games, while driving in 12 runs in the past 14 games. “I do have confidence he’s going to have a good year,” Molitor said. “I am just not going to put a number on it.”

Jessie Aney, who won the MSHSL girls singles tennis title as an eight grader in 2011, has joined the Rochester Century High School boys team. Now a junior in eligibility, she is ranked No. 8 among Class AA players in the state by the boys tennis coaches association. A senior academically, Aney will be attending North Carolina on a tennis scholarship next fall.

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Coach to Watch: Twins Neil Allen

Posted on April 8, 2015April 8, 2015 by David Shama

The Twins opened their 162-game regular season Monday at Detroit and among the storylines to follow in 2015 will be the impact of new pitching coach Neil Allen from the Rays organization. If the Twins are going to improve on last season’s 70-92 record, the step forward has to start with pitching.

Last season opponents hit .280 against the Twins, the highest batting average yielded by any team in Major League Baseball. The club’s 4.57 ERA was second only to the Rockies’ 4.84. Allen, 56, has never been a major league pitching coach but he comes from an organization renowned for developing pitchers and having success. Despite a miniscule payroll, the Rays have consistently been among baseball’s best pitching teams. Last season the Rays held opposing batters to a .234 batting average, third best among the 30 teams in MLB.

Allen, who joined the Tampa Bay organization in November of 2006, was the Rays Triple A coach at Durham last season. He wasn’t going to be promoted to the top job with the Rays because Jim Hickey is so revered. An informal poll last year of baseball authorities by the Boston Globe ranked Hickey as the No. 1 pitching coach in the majors.

Allen knows the Rays’ curriculum for pitchers that includes emphasis on throwing changeups to keep batters off balance. The Rays are big too on the importance of getting ahead of batters in the strike count, according to a lengthy April 1, 2013 Sports Illustrated article titled “The Rays Way.” That story talked about the organization’s success, too, in addressing the mental approach to pitching. Twins fans will learn this season how much of the Rays’ success can come north to Minneapolis.

Twins president Dave St. Peter was aware of Allen and the Rays’ reputation before Minnesota hired its new pitching coach last fall. “We were very impressed with Neil’s work and have great admiration for the Tampa Bay organization’s development of pitching,” he told Sports Headliners. “Beyond his ability to teach, his enthusiasm and passion are impressive.”

St. Peter cautions, though, instruction can only contribute so much to success on the field. “I am a believer that managers and coaches can have some impact but at the end of the day it’s up to the players (and their talents),” he said.

Allen replaces longtime Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson. St. Peter pointed out that Phil Hughes, who was so impressive in his debut season with the Twins last year, gives credit to Anderson for helping him experience a turnaround year and win 16 games.

St. Peter said he isn’t aware of Anderson working in baseball at this time. The former coach under ex-Twins manager Ron Gardenhire is living in Florida.

Worth Noting

The Gophers spring football game at TCF Bank Stadium starts at 3 p.m. on Saturday and admission is free. After the game fans can meet players and coaches and receive autographs. Coach Jerry Kill is expected to run an offense versus defense scrimmage on Saturday. The spring game will be telecast live on the Big Ten Network.

The Twins home opener next Monday against the Royals is sold out but tickets remain for the franchise’s other 80 dates at Target Field. “I always say I worry less about the home opener and more about the other 80,” Dave St. Peter said.

The Twins president also said 2015 season tickets will total between 13,000 and 14,000 after being at about 17,000 last year.

Joe Nathan, now 40, didn’t get much of an endorsement from an anonymous scout in Sports Illustrated’s March 30 preview of MLB teams including the Tigers. “Nathan is real hittable right now,” the scout said about the former Twins’ closer. “You lose your fastball when you get older, there’s not anything you can do about it. Now he can’t get away with the same pitches in the same area because he doesn’t have the velocity he used to.”

The Twins, who lost their opening regular season game on Monday to the Tigers, are winless in their last seven openers. The Tigers stole three bases and hit two home runs in the 4-0 win. Nathan, who was booed by Tigers fans in spring training, earned a ninth inning save.

Joe Mauer, who struck out a career high 96 times last season while batting .277, fanned once on Monday. The Twins first baseman, who turns 32 on April 19, had one hit—a ground ball up the middle—in four at bats.

Former Twins pitcher and now team TV analyst Bert Blyleven turned 64 on Monday.

The Gophers are recruiting Menomonie High School shortstop Terrin Vavra, the son of Twins bench coach Joe Vavra. Terrin’s brothers Tanner and Trey were drafted by the Twins in 2013 and 2014 and are in the organization’s minor league system.

How much do the struggling Gophers miss not having the Metrodome available for baseball? Well, eight of the first nine weekends the Gophers have been on the road. That doesn’t change this weekend with Minnesota playing at Nebraska Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Gophers, 10-17 in nonconference games and 2-7 in the Big Ten, have postponed today’s home nonleague game against St. Thomas.

Steve and Dorothy Erban’s Stillwater-based Creative Charters has openings for its annual Kentucky Derby Experience. The seven day, six night trip package to Kentucky includes farm tours, a visit to the Churchill Downs backside and box seats to the May 2 Kentucky Derby in Louisville. The Erbans are thoroughbred horse breeders. Steve is a former thoroughbred trainer. More about the Derby trip at Creativecharter.com.

The schedule for Round One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is expected to be announced on Sunday. Last night the Wild clinched a playoff spot for a franchise record third consecutive season.

St. Thomas senior goalie Drew Fielding was named the Sid Watson Memorial winner as Division III men’s hockey National Player of the Year. Fielding’s 52 career wins are the most in the MIAC during the last 12 years, and his 19 career shutouts are third most in Division III history.

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Twins Hire of Paul Molitor Makes History

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014 by David Shama

There’s plenty to note about Paul Molitor being hired as Twins manager including historical ties to the Gophers.

The Twins announced today they will introduce Molitor as their new manager tomorrow. He has agreed to a three-year contract that will run through 2017, and he becomes the first former Gopher to lead the Twins.

Also, for the first time ever there are now five former Gophers leading teams in MLB, the NBA, NFL and NHL. Flip Saunders and Kevin McHale, basketball teammates with the Gophers, are the head coaches for the Timberwolves and Rockets in the NBA. Former Gophers quarterback Marc Trestman is head coach of the NFL’s Bears. Ex-Gophers defenseman Todd Richards, who once coached the Wild, is head coach of the NHL’s Blue Jackets. All five U alums attended the University of Minnesota in the 1970s and 1980s.

Molitor, a former Gophers All-American shortstop, was considered the favorite for the Twins manager job since Ron Gardenhire was let go in late September. Molitor’s hiring will put smiles on the faces of most Twins fans but his presence in the dugout probably won’t sell a lot of tickets unless the club puts an end to its dismal performance on the field.

Molitor is considered one of baseball’s smartest men. He can talk for hours about a single subject like base running. He reportedly can sit in a dugout and predict what pitch will be thrown next. He has been a Twins coach and before that minor league instructor with the Twins while drawing praise from players for his advice.

What Molitor may have had to convince Twins hiring authorities about is his willingness to get after players and motivate them. Will he travel during the offseason to check in with pitcher Ricky Nolasco who was a major disappointment in 2014 after signing a big contract with the Twins? Would he be bold enough to drop Joe Mauer down in the batting order if deserved?

Managers do make a major impact—if they are the right ones like Billy Martin who in 1969 shook up the Twins and made a big difference in performance. Joe Maddon is probably baseball’s best manager of the current era and his name came up during the Twins’ search but he signed on with the Cubs after leaving the Rays. Maddon’s hire would have made a stir here.

Molitor, 58, has never managed before so it’s appropriate to wonder what kind of job he will do. Part of his success will be tied to the staff he assembles. Will former Brewers teammate Robin Yount, a Hall of Famer like Molitor, be on the staff? The names of Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris and Frank Viola have been mentioned as possible pitching coaches.

Molitor has waited a long time for a manager’s job, and making things sweeter is the Edina resident will do it in his hometown. He will pump new life into the Twins organization but in the long run neither he nor the Twins will maximize success without better players. But that’s for another day, not tomorrow.

Worth Noting

Everson Griffen was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October and yesterday he led the Vikings linemen in tackles and came up with a sack for the fifth consecutive game when Minnesota defeated the Redskins at TCF Bank Stadium.

Griffen, who only started one game during the previous four seasons, is having a breakout year. Asked if he wants to see the season end with All-Pro recognition, the Vikings defensive end said, “I am trying, man.”

Griffen added that team wins are most important and success by the Vikings can only support individual awards. He leads all NFC players in sacks with nine and is second in the league to the Chiefs’ Justin Houston who has 12.

By coming up with a sack yesterday, he now has seven in the last five games. He also had five solo tackles in the 29-26 win over the Redskins including an important first half tackle on third and one when he chased down Washington running back Roy Helu, Jr. for a loss.

Griffen had an NFC-best six sacks in a four-game period in October. He was the only player in the conference with at least one sack in four games. He also led all NFC defensive linemen with 20 total tackles (16 solo) in October.

After nine games, Griffen already has more sacks than his previous season-best of eight in 2013. He can be sure All-Pro selectors are noticing.

Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has only been sacked three times in the last two games. In the two games before that Bridgewater was sacked 13 times as the Vikings lost games to the Lions and Bills.

Bridgewater has now helped the offense in three fourth quarter wins including yesterday. “I feel like Teddy is growing up and I feel like the rest of us are growing up,” Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said on KFAN Radio after the game. “We just gotta be more efficient in everything we do.”

Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen, who made the team’s roster this season after being on the practice squad in 2013, has been speaking to school groups. The former Detroit Lakes High School player’s message is: “Anything is attainable.”

The Vikings have a reorganized wide receiver group that also includes Jarius Wright who in 16 games last season had 434 reception yards. This season in nine games Wright is second on the team with 315. What’s changed? “A lot of it is my confidence and their confidence in me,” he told Sports Headliners.

Did you know the Gophers’ total of six alums on NFL opening day rosters was tied with Indiana for fewest in the Big Ten Conference? The leaders were Ohio State with 33, Wisconsin 32, Michigan 25 and Penn State 25. The six Gophers were Eric Decker, MarQueis Gray, Ra’Shede Hageman, Marcus Sherels, Matt Spaeth and Brock Vereen.

Despite a bye in the schedule last Saturday and extra week of rest, it’s a good guess injured Gophers Alex Keith (defensive end), Ben Lauer (offensive tackle) and Drew Wolitarsky (tight end) will not be ready for Iowa Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.

Dick Jonckowski starts his 29th season as Gophers basketball public announcer on Thursday night when Minnesota plays UMD in an exhibition game at Williams Arena. Jonckowski, who experienced health problems during the offseason, is one of only two public address announcers in Williams Arena history. Julie Perlt did the PA work for 58 seasons.

UMD lost an exhibition game on Saturday to Notre Dame, 88-71. Brett Ervin, the senior center from Eden Prairie High School, led the Bulldogs with 29 points.

Lindy’s College Basketball magazine predicts the Gophers will finish fourth in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin, Ohio State and Nebraska. Gophers guard Andre Hollins is a second team all-conference pick.

The magazine has former Robbinsdale Cooper guard Rashad Vaughn on its Mountain West Conference first team. Lindy’s also lists the UNLV guard as the league’s “No. 1 signing coup” and top NBA prospect.

Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic has been susceptible to ankle and foot problems during his NBA career. He told Sports Headliners he applies ice for 12 to 15 minutes after each game. His total minutes per game this season are likely to seldom exceed 30, as coach Flip Saunders tries to limit the pounding on the veteran center’s feet and ankles. Through the first three games of the season he is averaging 30.3 minutes.

Former Minneapolis Marshall-University High School basketball coach Ed Prohofsky has been friends with Saunders for many years and is assisting the Wolves this season as a consultant. Prohofsky attends home games but doesn’t travel with the team. He began his coaching career in the military in 1957 and later had a 53-game winning streak at Marshall-U High. When Saunders coached at Golden Valley Lutheran College for the 1980-81 season, Prohofsky was an assistant coach.

The Wild, off to a 7-3 start, knows about home ice advantage. Minnesota, 5-0 at Xcel Energy Center so far, is the only Western Conference team yet to lose at home. The Wild finished 3-0 at home during preseason, 5-1 at Xcel Energy Center during the 2014 playoffs and 26-10-5 during the 2013-14 season. The Wild hosts the Penguins tomorrow night.

Bethel football coach Steve Johnson will speak at the November 13 CORES luncheon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. Bethel, 7-1 overall and 6-0 in the MIAC, is the only undefeated team in the league. Johnson is in his 26th season at Bethel and six times he has been honored as MIAC Coach of the Year. CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations (by November 10) for the lunch and program can be made by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

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