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

Worth Noting

Posted on July 9, 2012July 9, 2012 by David Shama

Lou Nanne told Sports Headliners the Wild’s acquisition of free agents Zach Parise and Ryan Suter last week will likely make the team “12 to 15 points better” next season.

The Wild had 81 points last season and missed the playoffs. An additional dozen or more points would have pushed the club ahead of teams who qualified.

“Each player is in the top 10 in the league,” said Nanne, the former Minnesota North Stars player and executive. “Suter played more minutes than any player in the league last year. Parise is the hardest worker in the league.”

The Wild will introduce Parise and Suter, both 27, at a news conference today. Parise, a forward, accounted for 69 points last season playing for New Jersey. He scored 30 or more goals in five of the last six seasons and brings badly needed offense to the Wild. Suter, a defenseman, had career highs in points, 46, and power play points, 25, last season with Nashville. He was third among defensemen in power play points and 10^th in scoring.

Nanne said no NHL team has ever executed a one-two signing at the same time with so much star power as the Wild accomplished last week. The signings set off euphoria among hard core fans and excited casual followers of a franchise that has seen season ticket sales decline.

But not now with fans buying over 1,500 new full season tickets and Nanne predicting the Wild could approach sellouts for every game next season gate receipts, corporate revenues and TV ratings will be headed upward. “This is a move (signing Parise and Suter) they needed to make,” Nanne said.

Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is 71 but team president Chris Wright told Sports Headliners he doesn’t believe the Mankato billionaire is aggressively shopping the team. However, Wright believes Taylor is “willing to entertain people who might want to have this franchise long term.”

The priority consideration, Wright said, is keeping the team in Minneapolis. “The Minnesota Lynx and Minnesota Timberwolves are Glen Taylor’s legacy in this market,” Wright said. “Over a longer period of time he wants to make sure that it’s in place. …”

The Wolves, 26-40 last season, haven’t finished over .500 since 2005 when the club was 44-38. Wright said there’s a “real drive in the organization” to win next season. “The goal is absolutely to make the playoffs next year,” he said.

Taylor has owned the team since 1995 and wants to win an NBA championship after seeing his 2011 Lynx become WNBA champs. Admired coach Rick Adelman is 66 and has never coached an NBA champion. Adelman impressed in his first season here during 2011-2012 and so, too, did young stars Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

“The great thing is that they (Rubio and Love) really like each other,” Wright said. “They work hard with each other. They’re the backbone of our franchise right now.”

Love is an ESPY candidate for “Best NBA Player.” Fans can vote online until 10:59 p.m. tonight Minneapolis time. www.espn.com/espys

Joe Mauer’s grandfather Jake and about 20 other relatives and friends were scheduled to board a bus this morning at Mauer Chevrolet in Inver Grove Heights and ride to Kansas City for tomorrow night’s All-Star game. The Twins catcher will be a reserve for the American League all-stars.

Jake told Sports Headliners his grandson will pay for the bus and take care of the group’s lodging in Kansas City. The group buses home on Wednesday.

The Vikings have a database of 18,000 email contacts used for advocating support to build the new downtown football stadium approved this spring. The Vikings will use their contact list in the fall prior to November elections for House and Senate seats in the state legislature, reminding stadium supporters who did and didn’t vote for the new facility expected to open in 2016.

Steve LaCroix, the Vikings vice president of sales and marketing, has an unusual challenge in the years ahead. Because the Vikings aren’t expected to occupy their new stadium for four more years, the club will play all or part of future seasons at not only Mall of America Field but also TCF Bank Stadium. That’s a lot of variables involving individuals and corporate partners LaCroix and staff will sort through.

Vikings cornerback Marcus Sherels, 5-10, has struggled to gain weight during his football career including with the Gophers. He was up to 177 pounds late last month, according to his brother Mike who will help coach the Gophers linebackers next season.

Jim Marshall, the retired Gophers athletic trainer, turned 82 last Tuesday. For many years Marshall assisted legendary Gophers trainer Lloyd “Snapper” Stein who retired in 1975. On this date 37 years ago Minnesota governor Wendell Anderson declared Lloyd “Snapper” Stein Day in the state. (Source: June 1975 University of Minnesota Alumni News).

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Put the Lynx near Your Heart

Posted on May 2, 2012May 2, 2012 by David Shama

If you only reserve your money and emotions for winning teams, then invest in the Lynx. That’s the advice of Sports Headliners after contemplating likeability rankings of the major local pro sports franchises along with the Gophers.

Season outlooks for Minnesota teams are often dreary as real estate values. The April start by the Twins is the latest evidence of our “Losers Club,” but as we look toward the next 12 months we aren’t without hope.

Here are Sports Headliners’ rankings as to who is most and least likely to make us happy:

Love those Lynx. The 2011 WNBA champs brought the first pro title to town since the 1991 World Series Twins. The Lynx opened training camp last Sunday and have their star players returning, including three who will play for Team USA in the Olympics. Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen are winners, and that’s what these rankings are all about. No guarantees but it will be no surprise at all if the Lynx win the WNBA title again.

The hockey Gophers played in the NCAA semifinals where they lost to eventual national champ Boston College. Minnesota goalie Kent Patterson had a great season but is a senior and will have to be replaced. If the Gophers don’t see young talents like Nick Bjugstad leave for the pros during the off-season, or somehow experience other important personnel losses, Minnesota might be even better next winter than last. The Gophers could certainly start the season ranked among the top college hockey teams in the country.

Before Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and was sidelined, the Wolves were approaching unprecedented recent popularity. Injuries later hit other teammates and the team’s collapse was as attention demanding as the wonderful start to the season led by Rubio and star forward Kevin Love. What’s next for this franchise isn’t easy to answer. Rubio might not be the same player next season as last, and the complementary pieces to Rubio and Love aren’t in place yet.

The Gophers basketball team looks good on paper. We’ll wait and see how they look on the court in February before moving them higher in the rankings. Academics, off-court behavior issues and injuries have wrecked past Tubby Smith teams. Like their predecessors, this Gophers team will not be deep in talent but Minnesota does have three exceptional starters in forwards Rodney Williams and Trevor Mbakwe, and point guard Andre Hollins. Pray for good fortune.

Jerry Kill has more admirers than any coach or manager I can remember who won just 25 percent of his games in a first season. Maybe all these admirers know something. I think they do. Kill’s second year team could win half its games and earn a bowl game invitation. More important, the Gophers just might look pretty good even in games they play against the better teams in the Big Ten. Put your money and emotions on Kill’s Gophers in 2014 and 2015.

The Wild has off-season personnel acquisition intentions like the Wolves. The franchise had a fast start under first year coach Mike Yeo who looks like the right guy on the bench for this team. But the Wild faded miserably during the season and missed the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season. Too many injuries and too few goals. This is a franchise that has shown it can draw fans, but not win many games. We’re waiting.

Maybe it’s the optimism of the off-season and the glitz of last week’s NFL draft, but we’re nudging the Vikings ahead of the Twins in the rankings. Yeah, the 3-13 record of last season will be remembered for a long time but this club has some playmakers. Like they say, on a lot of Sunday afternoons running back Adrian Peterson or wide receiver Percy Harvin can be worth the price of admission. And don’t you just feel better about yourself when Jared Allen does his calf-roping celebration after another franchise record sack? Come on downtown to see the Vikes before they head west. (Just kidding. I think).

It’s not all bad news about the Twins. I am still smiling after that acrobatic double play turned last week by shortstop Jamey Carroll and second baseman Trevor Plouffe against the Red Sox. New left fielder Josh Willingham can even hit balls over the fence at anti-home run Target Field. So far the starting pitching is probably the worst in the franchise’s 51 season history but there’s a way around that. The Sports Headliners method is to watch the half innings when the Twins bat. When the Twins pitchers are throwing, tune in the Golf Channel. Both your mood and golf swing will improve.

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Worth Noting

Posted on April 30, 2012April 30, 2012 by David Shama

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman had the final word on college draft choices during the NFL draft last weekend, a change from recent years when authority was shared. Spielman is a self-described “perfectionist” but presents an easy going personality to the media who like him.

In addition to the 10 players drafted, Spielman plans to sign “10-13 college free agents.”

With the drafting of USC left tackle Matt Kalil, the Vikings offensive line is set except for right guard. The starter there might be Brandon Fusco from Slippery Rock University who the Vikings drafted in the sixth round last year. He’s a player Spielman is “very, very excited about” after seeing Fusco play limited minutes last season and following his overall development.

The Big Ten Conference didn’t have a player chosen in the first round of the NFL draft until the Lions took Iowa offensive tackle Riley Reiff at No. 23. Three other Big Ten players were later drafted in the first round (32 total players). National champion Alabama had three players taken in the first round and the Southeastern Conference had nine chosen, including four of the first 10 selected.

If the Twins continue losing games and paying customers, club revenues will decline and possibly create more interest among the front office to use Target Field as the site for outdoor hockey games and other events.

Carl Pavano has only one win but he’s been the workhorse among the team’s starters. He has thrown six-plus innings or more in his five starts and has a staff high 33 innings pitched.

Word is the NCAA had one or more observers at the Nike elite basketball tournament in Eagan earlier this month that attracted some of the best prep players and college coaches in the country. NCAA rules include having coaches segregated from fans and not engage in media interviews. Coaches at the tourney included Jim Boeheim, Bob Huggins, Tom Izzo, Mike Krzyzewski and Bo Ryan.

Former Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett tied the Lakers Metta World Peace as the second “dirtiest” player in the NBA, according to results of a league players’ poll published in the April 30 issue of Sports Illustrated. The Clippers Reggie Evans was No. 1.

The Lynx opened training camp yesterday without several players who are still playing overseas. Included are Seimone Augustus, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen who will also miss camp time from May 11-13 to practice with the USA Basketball team. They are among 11 players named to the final USA roster.

The Gophers play their farewell baseball game at 41-year-old Siebert Field tomorrow night starting at 6:35 p.m. The ceremonial first pitch prior to the game against St. Thomas will feature Marilyn Siebert, daughter of legendary coach Dick Siebert, former coach George Thomas and former Gophers Paul Molitor and Terry Steinbach. During each half inning every decade of Gophers baseball dating back to the 1940s will be honored on the field. While the Gophers are playing their games this season at the Metrodome, Minnesota is planning a new on-campus stadium to replace Siebert Field. All tickets for tomorrow night’s game are general admission.

Jason Verdugo, 37, officially begins work as Hamline’s athletic director tomorrow succeeding Bob Beeman who is moving to Texas. Verdugo will give up his Hamline baseball coaching job at season’s end.

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