Category: Lindsay Whalen

When it comes to college football bragging rights in Minnesota, the honors go to Division II and III teams.  Minnesota-Duluth, national champion two of the last three years, is rated No. 1 in the country in preseason rankings like D2Football.com. St. Cloud is No. 13 in the D2Football.com rankings.

Minnesota-Duluth coach Bob Nielson has turned plenty of heads with his work.  His best players include junior offensive lineman Garth Heikkinen from Duluth Central High School.  He’s a popular choice for preseason first team All-American.  The Bulldogs open their season at Augustana (ranked No. 9 by D2Football.com) on Saturday.

MIAC powers St. Thomas, Bethel and Saint John’s have all received at least one top 10 national preseason ranking.  The Tommies have been ranked fourth by The Sporting News, No. 5 by D3football.com and seventh by Lindy’s Sports. The Royals were ranked No. 4 by Lindy’s Sports, seventh by D3football.com and No. 15 by The Sporting News.  The Johnnies were No. 9 in The Sporting News poll and No. 25 in the D3football.com poll.

In the preseason MIAC coaches poll, St. Thomas is the favorite to win the conference championship.  The Tommies received six of nine first place votes while the Royals had two and the Johnnies one.  Among the league’s outstanding players is St. Thomas wide receiver and returner Fritz Waldvogel, a former MIAC Offensive Player of the Year, who could be a first team Division III All-American.

The Lynx, who have won the first Western Conference championship in franchise history, are awaiting official playoff dates from the WNBA.  The club has four regular season games remaining including a home game against New York Friday night and the season finale in Phoenix on September 11.

A WNBA source told Sports Headliners the Western Conference best of three games semifinals may start on Thursday, September 15 and end on Tuesday, September 20 at the latest.  The WNBA finals are likely to begin on September 22.  The Lynx will have home court advantage in the Western Conference playoffs and possibly in the finals.

Minnesota’s talented roster includes players like Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen who have been on winning NCAA, WNBA and Olympic teams.  Moore will be Rookie of the Year, while Whalen and teammate Seimone Augustus are league MVP candidates.

Although the franchise has lost money for several seasons, the WNBA source said the Lynx revenue sources, including ticket sales and corporate revenues, have “dramatically increased” and the club is “nearing profitability.”

Twins starting pitchers finished the club’s 2-9 homestand on Sunday with a 7.04 ERA.

Ben Revere, with 25 stolen bases, is chasing the Twins record for most stolen bases by a rookie, 31 by Luis Rivas in 2001.

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Minnesota Lynx chief operating officer Conrad Smith arrived home at 10 p.m. last Monday night with a smile on his face.  During a whirlwind day the Lynx had drafted three-time college player of the year Maya Moore and the response from fans and media was extraordinary for the local WNBA franchise that often goes unnoticed.

The Lynx sold over 150 new season tickets within 30 hours.  Not only was Moore draft coverage prominent on the local news, ESPN was here, too.  The Lynx even arranged for an airplane to fly over downtown on Tuesday night with a banner that said: “Welcome Maya Moore.  Season starts June 5.”

The buzz was energizing and rewarding for Smith, who last May was diagnosed with a brain tumor about the size of a quarter.  Instead of being exhausted last Monday night he was excited, anticipating a “great season” ahead starting later this spring, and grateful for being “healthy.”

He had surgery on June 11 last year to remove the tumor and remains realistic about his health.  “I continue to be treated for cancer and get scans every two months,” he said.  “The last one was clean.  It (the cancer) may never come back, or it may in a month or two years.  Maybe in a different place.”

Smith receives chemotherapy by taking night-time pills 10 days per month on a 28 day cycle.  “I still have all the energy I had before (the tumor),” he said.  “I am typically in the office at 7 or 7:30 a.m.  I work 50 to 60 hours a week.”

He represented the Lynx in the WNBA draft lottery last fall.  His presence was good luck for the franchise that was 13-21 last year and has been known for losing records and not qualifying for the playoffs.

“Things have been kind of tough here,” Smith said. “It’s like starting brand new (now). Like starting a race all over and knowing you have some of the best runners in the race.”

In last week’s WNBA draft the Lynx also acquired Xavier forward Amber Harris with the fourth pick in the first round.  The rookies join a talented roster that includes former Gophers superstar guard Lindsay Whalen and high scoring guard-forward Seimone Augustus.

“Half the team is made up of all-stars and Olympians,” Smith said.  “There is an incredible buzz.”

But it’s Moore who will receive much of the attention when the Lynx report to camp on May 15.  She will be seen by some as a savior for a franchise that once sold 6,000 season tickets but had 2,400 in 2010, the club’s 12^th year of operation.

Moore’s most recent honor came late last week when she won the 2011 Honda Sports Award in basketball, recognizing her as the nation’s top collegiate female player. The 6-foot guard won the Honda-Broderick Cup last year as the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and could receive that honor in 2011.

Moore, from Jefferson City, Missouri, led Connecticut to four Final Four appearances, two national titles and a 150-4 record during her college career.  She is the fourth-leading scorer in NCAA history, with 3,036 points.  A three-time WBCA Wade Trophy honoree and four-time WBCA State Farm First Team All-American, she won the Naismith Trophy, the Associated Press Player of the Year Award and the USBWA Player of the Year Award in 2009 and 2011.

The first opportunity for fans to see Moore will be on May 24 when the Lynx play Indiana at Concordia University-St. Paul in a pre-season game starting at noon.  Not surprisingly, the Lynx are already selling tickets for the game.

The Lynx’s regular season home opener will be June 5 at Target Center against Los Angeles. Tickets can be purchased in various ways including at www.lynxbasketball.com.

Smith said on Friday the Lynx have sold 175 new season tickets and renewals were going well.  No doubt he was smiling and energized.

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Finding a “hot goalie” is one of the oldest mantras in hockey, but Minnesota’s Kent Patterson will be a key to the second part of the league season.  Alex Kangas, who was the starter, will probably receive playing time from Lucia but a Gophers source said he believes Patterson will continue as the regular goalie.

The source said freshman defenseman Mark Alt “is going to be a very good player” and will play in the NHL.

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported earlier this week that Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr. and the Cardinals have started talks regarding a contract extension that would pay him $40 to 60 million.  The All-Pro wide receiver’s present contract expires after next season.  https://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6005077

Fitzgerald’s father, Larry Sr., who is well known around town for sportswriting and commentary, is proud of his son who after playing with a Cardinals Super Bowl team in 2009 was part of a 5-11 club last season.  “I think the 2010 season was the toughest year of Larry’s career,” Fitzgerald wrote in an email to Sports Headliners.  “…He’s helped change the culture of one of the NFL’s original franchises…he’s the face of the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals had four quarterbacks play in 2010, but he proved he’s one of the top players in the NFL again (with) 90 receptions, 1,137 yards, six touchdowns-facing double coverage and he blocks like a tight end in the running game. He’s only 27 years old (and) he is a winner. The youngest ever to (achieve) 600 career receptions and 8,000 yards.”

It was a year ago today that the Lynx acquired Lindsay Whalen along with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2010 WNBA Draft (Monica Wright) from Connecticut in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick (Tina Charles) and Renee Montgomery.

Although the Lynx had a disappointing 2010 record, 13-21, Whalen energized the fan base (average home attendance was 7,622, the best in years) and she produced on the court.  Whalen finished second among WNBA point guards in scoring at 12.6 points per game.  She was first in rebounds per game, 4.0, and third in assists per game, 5.6. She earned her third trip to the league All-Star game in 2010.

Two Minnesotans were announced as Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year winners on Monday.  Bob Nielson won the Division II Coach of the Year award for leading the University of Minnesota Duluth to the school’s second national championship in three years last December.  St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso won the Division III award after the Tommies earned their first conference championship in 20 years and compiled a 12-1 record.

St. Thomas senior Josh Ostrue is the 2010 winner of the Rimington Award as Division III football’s top offensive center.  He also won the award in 2008.  He’s the first St. Thomas football player — and first conference offensive lineman in 44 years — to be voted a three-time All-American.

A must read book for baseball fans is Jane Leavy’s “The Last Boy Mickey Mantle.”  It is extraordinarily written and researched.  Leavy, who also wrote an authoritative biography on Sandy Koufax, quotes baseball numbers whiz Bill James as saying Mantle at his peak years was superior to Willie Mays, “not a close or difficult decision.”

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