Lynx – Page 28 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Colabello Delivers Big Bang for a Buck

Posted on April 9, 2014April 9, 2014 by David Shama

Talk about a return on investment. Chris Colabello is co-leader in the American League in RBI with 11 while the Twins are paying him $505,000 this season, almost the lowest salary on the team.

Twins pitcher Kyle Gibson at $502,000 and catcher Josmil Pinto, $500,000, have lower salaries, according to a March 31 USA Today listing of major league opening day player salaries for all 30 teams. Over a 162-game schedule Colabello is paid $3,117 per game. Contrast that with Joe Mauer’s $141,976 based on his $23 million annual salary. Mauer has no RBI so far and is hitting .250.

Although the Twins have only played seven games, Colabello’s impact is evident. His 11 RBI (tied with the White Sox’s Jose Abreu) are five better than Kurt Suzuki who is second on the team. Colabello is hitting .370 with one home run and a team best slugging percentage of .630.

Prior to Monday’s home opener against the A’s came news he had been named AL Player of the Week with outfielder Josh Hamilton who earns $17 million with the Angels. Colabello made the honor look good by singling in the first inning and making a diving catch in right field during the second inning, his initial outfield start of the season. He is expected to play some outfield and first base with the Twins but his primary role is likely to be designated hitter.

The baseball world agreed before the season the Twins would be offensive- challenged this season. But the Twins, 3-4 so far, have averaged over five runs per game and their total of 37 is fourth best in the American League. If Colabello can produce 15 to 20 home runs, 80 or more RBI and hit over .280 this season, the Twins will be much more likely to improve their runs scored over last year when they had the third fewest in the AL.

Perhaps life begins after age 29. The 30-year-old journeyman (Colabello will be 31 in October) went to spring training not even knowing if he would make the Twins’ roster. Last December he turned down a $1 million offer to play for South Korea’s LG Lions.

That is just part of Colabello’s strange baseball story. The Massachusetts native played seven seasons in the Canadian-American Association before being signed by the Twins in February of 2012 and gaining the opportunity to move up from the depths of low level independent league professional baseball.

Playing for the Twins’ Class AA New Britain team in 2012, Colabello hit .284 with 19 home runs and 98 RBI. He was runner-up for Eastern League MVP.

Last season playing in 89 games for Class AAA Rochester, Colabello won the International League’s MVP award hitting .354 with 24 home runs and 76 RBI. He was also the league’s Rookie of the Year.

Part of 2013 was spent with the Twins and the hitting numbers were dramatically different than in the minors. Colabello hit .194 with seven home runs and 17 RBI in 55 games.

The 6-foot-4, 218 pound Colabello, whose father Lou played for Italy in the 1984 Olympics, has changed his batting stance this season, moving closer to the plate, and appears to have shortened his right-handed swing while sending hits to the opposite field. He looks confident and swings assertively while not being overly aggressive.

Batting cleanup for the Twins is a long way from independent league baseball three years ago. The Twins found a bargain.

Worth Noting

Graham Woodward has been released from his basketball scholarship at Penn State and will transfer to another school, according to a story this morning on the website of the Centre Daily News located in State College, Pennsylvania. Woodward, the former Edina High School guard, played as a freshman for Penn State this past season.

Gophers women’s basketball fans will expect to be entertained by the coaching style of Marlene Stollings. As head coach at VCU last season, Stollings’ team set school records with a 75.8 points per game average and 235 three-point field goals. The Rams scored 90 or more points five times and twice scored a school-record 112 points. Stollings met the media yesterday when she was introduced as the Gophers new coach.

Two of the Gophers’ highest profile women’s sports are hockey and volleyball. Both head coaches, Brad Frost and Hugh McCutcheon, are males. Perhaps the presence of those two influenced hiring a female to be the next women’s basketball coach, thereby providing more gender balance in the athletic department.

Admirers of former Gopher and NBA player Jim Petersen, now an assistant coach with the WNBA champion Lynx, might wonder if he had interest in the women’s opening at Minnesota. Petersen, a former McDonald’s prep All-American at St. Louis Park, not only has coaching and playing experience but his visibility in the state has remained high as the Timberwolves TV color analyst.

Among the changes the Wild might make this offseason is adding former Gopher Thomas Vanek to the roster, according to a hockey source who spoke to Sports Headliners on condition of anonymity. Vanek is a potential 30-plus goal scorer and while he is a high priced talent his addition to the Wild payroll could be balanced by letting Dany Heatley go, the source said. Both earn similar annual salaries.

Vanek, who has played with three teams this season, has scored 27 goals and would boost the Wild’s scoring. He will be an unrestricted free agent during the offseason.

The Wild will make the playoffs for a second consecutive season. The source said if the Wild fail to impress in the postseason a change in head coaches is possible with Mike Yeo losing his job.

The Wild, who play tomorrow night at home against the Blues, have finished the road schedule for the season at 17-17-7. The Wild earned points in seven of its last eight road games (5-1-2) and earned 26 points in the last 20 away games (11-5-4). As of yesterday morning, only the Bruins and the Avs had better road records than the Wild since the start of 2014.

After outstanding seasons by the winter teams, including three men’s titles and two women’s, St. Thomas is in first place in the MIAC All-Sports standings for both genders. St. Olaf is in second place in the men’s standings while Saint Benedict is second among women.

KARE TV’s Randy Shaver will speak at the May 8 CORES luncheon at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. Shaver was a sportscaster at the station for almost 30 years before becoming a KARE weeknight news anchor. A booster of high school sports, he started the “Prep Sports Extra” in 1984 and has coached football at Benilde-St. Margaret’s. He is a Hodgkin’s survivor, and the Randy Shaver Cancer Research & Community Fund has raised almost $5,000,000 for cancer research and patient aid in Minnesota.

CORES is an acronym for coaches, officials, reporters, educators and sports fans. Reservations for the lunch and program can be made by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotsethj@comcast.net.

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A.P., Whalen Lead State-Ties to ESPYS

Posted on July 8, 2013July 9, 2013 by David Shama

Vikings and other notes:

Minnesota sports fans can consider themselves stakeholders in voting for the 2013 Excellence in Sports Yearly Awards (ESPYS) winners. The ESPN sponsored awards program will accept votes from fans until 8 p.m. on July 17 in 35 categories including three in which Adrian Peterson is a nominee.

The Vikings’ superstar runner, who almost broke the NFL record last season for most rushing yards in a single season, is a candidate for Male Athlete of the Year. His competition is baseball’s Miguel Cabrera, basketball’s LeBron James and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. Peterson is also in the running for Best NFL Player along with Calvin Johnson, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt. In the Best Comeback category Peterson’s rivals are Manning and Buster Posey and Mariano Rivera from baseball.

Former Gopher and Hutchinson High School star Lindsay Whalen, now with the Lynx, is one of five candidates for WNBA Player of the Year. The others are Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry and Candace Parker.

Hermantown native Drew LeBlanc, who won the 2013 Hobey Baker Award playing for St. Cloud State, is a candidate for Best Male College Athlete along with wrestling’s Kyle Dake, basketball’s Trey Burke and football’s Johnny Manziel.

Ben Revere, traded by the Twins during the last offseason, is a nominee in the Best Play category for his famous diving catch made this spring for the Phillies against the Reds in Cincinnati.

Peterson was voted the NFL’s best player in results announced earlier this summer on the NFL Network. He is the first non-quarterback to be ranked No. 1 in voting by league players to determine the NFL’s top 100. Other Vikings on the list are defensive end Jared Allen at No. 60 and linebacker Chad Greenway, No. 70.

Peterson, who had a bad allergic reaction to shrimp last summer during training camp, now carries “two EpiPens with him at all times should he have another attack,” according to a June 24 story by Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. EpiPens are used to treat severe allergic reactions.

It’s hardly an NFL secret the Vikings need considerable improvement in their vertical passing game to have a better offense in 2013 than in 2012. Wide receivers coach George Stewart told Sports Headliners the team has the “weapons” to create more long pass plays. “We have some young men that are capable of being very successful,” Stewart said.

Stewart’s personnel includes Steven Burton, Greg Childs, Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, Jerome Simpson, Joe Webb and Jarius Wright. Stewart, who has been with the Vikings since 2007, offered comments about each of the following receivers:

Stewart said Burton has impressed with his work ethic. “Steven Burton is a young man that has earned his way on our football team. He’s working hard every day. He’s better than what a lot of people give him credit for and he will help us down the road.”

Childs is trying to recover from two knee injuries last year and hopes to eventually resume his NFL career. “He is a very inspirational young man to work as hard as he works.”

Jennings, who joined the Vikings this offseason after being a major contributor with the Packers for years, was praised by Stewart for his professionalism and football IQ. “He brings a wealth of knowledge. Excellent player.”

Patterson, a 2013 No. 1 draft choice, is 22 years old but has played only one season of major college football. “He’s exceptionally gifted and will help this football team this year.”

Stewart said Simpson was slowed by a foot injury last season but he has the speed to impress Vikings fans. “He’s a young man, if he’s healthy (he) will help us in the vertical game, but (he) also has been a good leader.”

Webb, the former quarterback trying to transition into a wide receiver, has drawn a lot of media attention this offseason. “His work is still in front of him but he’s working every day to get better.”

Wright starts his second NFL season in 2013 and is a willing student with talent. “Jarius Wright is a consummate pro in everything you ask him to do. Extremely athletic, extremely gifted, great hands…he’s a pro.”

Gophers freshman football players are on campus. Soon after their arrival Gophers coach Jerry Kill and his wife Rebecca visited players in their dorm rooms to make them feel welcome at Minnesota.

Rick Beeson and Dean Johnson, the new chair and vice chair of the University of Minnesota Board of Regents, are both Gophers fans. Regent Dave Larson is also a major supporter of Gophers athletics.

Seven former Twins were selected on Saturday for the MLB All-Star Game on July 16 in New York: Jesse Crain (injured), Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Gomez, J. J. Hardy, Torii Hunter, Joe Nathan and David Ortiz. The present Twins major league roster has no personnel that came here in return for those seven players.

The MIAC website has moved to a new URL, MIACathletics.com. The site offers an updated appearance and several new features.

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Thursday Task Next for Vikings

Posted on October 22, 2012October 22, 2012 by David Shama

The Vikings will learn in three days if they can continue the NFL trend this season of the home team winning on Thursday nights. In six previous Thursday night games, only the Giants have won on the road—decisively defeating the Panthers 36-7 in Charlotte.

God didn’t create pro football players to play a game on three days rest but the marketing focused NFL and a passionate American public say “bring it on.” One league game is scheduled for each of 13 Thursday nights, causing the shortest of all off periods for players who also find themselves playing on Sundays and Mondays.

The Vikings (5-2) play the Bucs (2-4) on Thursday night this week at Mall of America Field in a game nationally televised on the NFL Network. The Vikings defeated the Cardinals 21-14 yesterday while the Bucs lost to the Saints, 35-28.

Both the Vikings and Tampa Bay will have the same amount of time to rest and prepare for the game but the Bucs will travel on Wednesday and that’s not like being at home. “It does help not having to travel,” Vikings center John Sullivan said. “Definitely it will afford you more time to rest. You won’t spend the day before the game on a plane, travelling on a bus. …It’s part of home field advantage.”

Players are routinely sore after games (not to mention injuries) and competing after only three days off can be a particular challenge for veterans like Jared Allen, the Vikings 30-year-old defensive end. He’s concerned about the NFL commitment to Thursday night games, a schedule that was expanded in 2012 from eight to 13 games.

”…Heck, I have been in the training room more this year trying to stay healthy than I have in my entire life. So for me it’s a concern just because you know how your body naturally progresses,” he said.

“…It’s just one of those things. You pray to the good Lord you stay healthy, and you try to do extra cold tubs. Do extra things (and) try to get the soreness out. But it’s not like…(one) team is coming off another Thursday (having more rest), so everybody is in the same boat. So you go out and you make it happen.”

Notes from yesterday’s win over the Cardinals:

The Vikings defense had seven sacks, led by defensive ends Brian Robison (three) and Jared Allen (two). Defensive tackle Kevin Williams and cornerback Antoine Winfield had one each.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 153 yards, the 29^th game he’s run for more than 100 yards in his Vikings career. That ties him for the franchise record with Robert Smith who needed eight seasons to reach the total while Peterson is halfway through his sixth year.

Vikings coach Leslie Frazier after being asked how his offense had so much success running against the Cardinals: “You know, we may see these guys again, so I will not be divulging that info.”

The Vikings made only two first downs in the second half and no offensive touchdowns. Quarterback Christian Ponder completed eight of 17 passes for 58 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions in four quarters. In the last two games Ponder has been intercepted four times and fumbled once.

“I’m trying to do too many things,” Ponder said. “I’m getting out of the pocket and trying to force it to happen. I have to be a lot smarter and make better decisions for sure.”

Yesterday’s attendance of 61,068 was the first time in four regular season home games that the Vikings have drawn more than 60,000 fans.

Former Cretin-Derham Hall receiver Michael Floyd caught one pass for seven yards playing part-time for the Cardinals yesterday. He made available “30-plus tickets” to friends and family to attend the game. Asked to evaluate his rookie season so far, Floyd said: “It’s been all right. It’s just hard taking a loss at home.”

Taylor: Lynx to Make Money

Lynx owner Glen Taylor told Sports Headliners his WNBA franchise will make a “six- figure profit” this year. Most women’s pro basketball franchises have historically lost money, although the Lynx, who won the league championship last year, did make a profit in 2011, too.

The Lynx won’t repeat as WNBA champions this year. The Fever defeated the Lynx last night to win the WNBA Finals series, three games to one.

Taylor has owned the Lynx since the franchise’s first season in 1999. He couldn’t remember whether he paid a fee to acquire the expansion franchise, or simply agreed to operate the club knowing it was unlikely to be profitable. “I did not pay much, if I did pay anything,” he said last week. “It did require like a million dollars to set it up.”

Taylor said the success of the Lynx has “meant a lot” to him. “It’s made me feel proud and I am glad we stuck with it,” he.

Taylor said his Timberwolves are budgeted to lose money “one year more.” When the budget processes are completed for both the Wolves and Lynx, playoff revenues aren’t included because qualifying for post-season play is uncertain.

The Timberwolves open their regular season on November 2 at home against the Kings. Team president Chris Wright said as of late last week about 5,000 tickets remained for the game. The Wolves have sold approximately 2,000 new season tickets and have a total of 10,000—about 2,000 more than a year ago.

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