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Category: Lynx

Boosters Detail Saving Gopher Tennis

Posted on March 10, 2021March 10, 2021 by David Shama

 

There could be a path for the University of Minnesota men’s tennis program to continue indefinitely, according to information submitted this week to members of the school’s Board of Regents.

Tennis, along with men’s gymnastics and indoor track, are scheduled for elimination later this year to save the athletic department $1 million to $2 million annually. The decision to discontinue the sports was made last fall at the recommendation of president Joan Gabel and athletic director Mark Coyle who said Title IX issues also dictated the extreme action.

The regents voted 7-5 to approve the elimination of the three sports and assist the athletic department budget in coming years. The department is mostly self-supported from revenues generated by three sports, football and men’s basketball and hockey. A budget deficit of $40 million or more has been estimated for the department this school year.

The action to cut programs was met with a storm of controversy and emotion including by members of the tennis boosters group. This month representatives of the Baseline Club informed Coyle and the Board of Regents their findings dispute that Title IX is an issue, and funding can be established to continue the program into perpetuity.

The Baseline Club retained the services of a lawyer with Title IX expertise, according to documents given to the Board of Regents. Nationally known attorney Arthur Bryant concluded that Title IX related issues don’t prevent the tennis program from being reinstated. The University’s Office of Legal Counsel is reviewing Bryant’s findings.

Regarding finances, the booster club stated it has over $1.3 million in pledges to help make the reinstatement of tennis possible. Already in place because of past private funding is a $1.2 million endowment used for scholarships. It’s projected that the $2.5 million total can fund the tennis program for four years. With the impetus of that success, the booster club believes further private funding can solidify the program’s existence indefinitely.

The University will have to determine whether it’s in agreement with the Title-IX issue. There will also be careful scrutiny of financial pledges to determine sources and how donations will be secured. Contrary to what some observers believed last fall, the $1.2 million tennis endowment can’t be transferred to another sports program at the University without the approval of the Baseline Club.

The Baseline Club started in 1979 and has played a leading role in promoting and enhancing tennis including through its financial contribution for construction of the on-campus Baseline Tennis Center.

Budget cuts prompted by the pandemic have caused the elimination of college sports across the country, with tennis among those programs most affected. The University is projected to have 22 men’s and women’s sports for the next school year.

Worth Noting

Give credit to Tom Devine and other volunteers from Friends of Gopher Sports for their persistent lobbying to eliminate state sales tax on Gophers seat licensing, which uses the revenue for scholarships. If legislation is enacted the savings to the athletic department will be about $1 million per year, Devine said.

A bill to make the change had a hearing in the House of Representatives last week and the proposed legislation includes elimination of sales tax on seat licensing at other state schools including UMD and St. Thomas. The bill is co-authored by Representative Mohamud Noor and Senator Greg Clausen. Efforts have been made in the past, too, but volunteers are optimistic about legislative change this year. “I am proud of it,” Devine said about ongoing lobbying.

Sooner or later Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle will go before the University Board of Regents and discuss the men’s basketball coaching situation. The regents meet this week and then don’t have another regularly scheduled gathering until May 13-14.

A source familiar with U policy said Coyle doesn’t need regents’ approval to terminate coaches including Richard Pitino.

Paige Bueckers

Sports Illustrated online points out Hopkins legend Paige Bueckers, now playing for the Connecticut Huskies, could be the first basketball freshman to ever be named women’s college player of the year. She has already been honored this winter as both Big East freshman and player of the year. Former Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore, playing for Connecticut, also earned those honors as a freshman.

NFL Network is providing extensive coverage this month of Pro Days from college campuses including North Dakota State Friday. Bison QB Trey Lance, from Marshall, Minnesota, is showing up among the first 10 selections in 2021 NFL mock drafts.

Condolences to family and friends of Duane Blaska who died at home Monday morning after a lengthy fight with cancer. Duane, 79 and from Anoka, was the heady starting quarterback on the Gophers’ 1962 team that compiled a 6-2-1 record and finished the season ranked No. 10 nationally by both the Associated Press and United Press International. If not for the controversial officiating in a season ending loss to Wisconsin in Madison, Minnesota would have gone to three consecutive Rose Bowls.

“Duane was everybody’s friend—a lovable, admirable soul with a flawless character. Bless his memory,” former teammate Paul Ramseth wrote in an email.

The Minnesota Wild, six wins over .500 with 14 wins and eight losses, is playing impressive enough to deserve a ranking of 11 or 12 among the 31 NHL teams, writes Stan Fischler of the Fischler Report.

Ross Bernstein, the Twin Cities-based sports author and entertaining national speaker, is the latest “Behind the Game” guest with co-hosts Patrick Klinger and Bill Robertson. The program is available for viewing on the “Behind the Game” YouTube Channel and via cable access throughout the state.

Catcher Mitch Garver, a 2019 Twins Silver Slugger winner, is in competition for playing time with Ryan Jeffers after Garver’s off year in 2020.

Comments Welcome

Glen Taylor: Nothing Certain on Sale

Posted on August 17, 2020August 17, 2020 by David Shama

 

In an exclusive interview with Sports Headliners, Timberwolves and Lynx owner Glen Taylor said it’s not definite he will sell the franchises.  Reports earlier this summer had the 79-year-old Mankato billionaire pursuing a sale of his longtime franchises for $1.2 billon.

When asked whether he anticipated a sale soon or not happening for an extended period, he said: “I don’t really know the answer to that right now.  We have opened it up to see if people would be interested. At this point we’re trying to see what value would they put on it, and we haven’t finished that. We’re just getting that information together. …We have some people that said they are interested.”

Although not likely, Taylor said it’s possible a sale of the NBA Timberwolves would not include the WNBA Lynx.  Presently, one company runs the two franchises, with some employees working for both the Wolves and Lynx.

“So that’s the most logical way (of selling),” Taylor said. “If we find a buyer I guess we’ll just have to sit down with that buyer and see what their interest is.  I am open to almost anything.”

Taylor deserves credit for making the Wolves and Lynx fixtures in the state’s sports and entertainment scene.  In the mid-1990’s original Wolves owners Harvey Ratner and Marv Wolfenson nearly completed a deal to relocate the franchise to New Orleans.  Taylor stepped in and saved the franchise for Minnesota, purchasing the team for a reported $90 million.

In 1999 the upstart WNBA was bleeding money as it pioneered opportunities for women on the court and in other basketball positions.  Taylor, a socially conscious entrepreneur, became owner of the Lynx expansion franchise and the team joined the Wolves in playing at Target Center.

“It isn’t like I thought about it (a lot),” Taylor said.  “It just seemed like the right thing to do (women’s pro basketball).

“I am more concerned why more (NBA owners)…why they don’t do it.  There is nothing wrong with taking some of the money you’ve made on the NBA…putting some of it back into the WNBA.  It isn’t going to make anybody broke, or anything like that.”

Taylor said he doesn’t know what the dollar value of the Lynx is, and there are few estimates available about such figures for WNBA franchises.  A $15 to $30 million per team value is a guess but whatever the number it’s a long way from the billions that NBA franchises command.

Glen Taylor

Taylor acknowledged there were years when his franchise lost a “couple million dollars.”  But the Lynx has been one of the WNBA bluebloods, winning four league titles with the most recent in 2017, and the owner said championship years had the franchise making about $1 million.

It’s been satisfying to Taylor watching the success of the Lynx on the court but it’s also been rewarding knowing how the WNBA has created opportunities that didn’t previously exist for women.  The league is a model for girls and young women to consider sports careers not only playing but in other areas such as coaching, administration and training.

NBA teams are now hiring women for key positions including assistant coaching.  Taylor said that’s a role his Lynx head coach, Cheryl Reeve, could fill.  She has coached the Lynx to all its championship success and also excelled in identifying personnel.

Worth Noting

In its August 15 football issue Sports Illustrated predicts the Minnesota Vikings will finish the 2020 season with an 8-8 record, just behind the 9-7 Green Bay Packers in the NFC North Division. In a best case scenario the magazine says Mike Zimmer turns in his best coaching job revamping the secondary, while quarterback Kirk Cousins silences doubters.

Worst case? The heavy load of personnel changes entering the season proves too much to overcome and Cousins doesn’t measure up on an inconsistent team that must label 2020 as a rebuild.

In the same issue S.I. identifies North Dakota State redshirt sophomore quarterback Trey Lance as a potential top 10 NFL draft choice in 2021.  The former Marshall, Minnesota prep player set a Bison passing record for efficiency last season while leading the team in rushing.

Gary Trent Jr., the former Apple Valley star, is a breakout contributor this summer for his surprise Portland Trail Blazers who have qualified for the NBA playoffs that opened this week.  The 21-year-old second season shooting guard has made a big jump in playing time because of his shooting and defense.

The second annual Taste Fore The Tour raised $131,000 to support Volunteers Enlisted to Assist People, the Twin Cities’ largest food pantry. VEAP has experienced a 10-fold increase in demand due to COVID-19 but the promotion raised enough funds to provide 400,000 meals for local families.  Donations are welcome through August 31, at TasteForeTheTour.com.

Comments Welcome

Kaepernick Speculation Includes Here

Posted on June 4, 2020June 4, 2020 by David Shama

 

A return to the NFL by quarterback Colin Kaepernick is being speculated on during these times of demands for social justice across the country. Kaepernick, 32 and a national civil rights advocate, last played in the NFL in 2016 but has seen his name connected to a comeback this week.

It’s been suggested in the media that among several teams where Kaepernick could fit are the Minnesota Vikings. Kaepernick played six seasons in the NFL with the 49ers, mostly as a starter. The 6-4, 230-pound Kapernick established himself not only as a passer but had 13 rushing touchdowns including one for 90 yards. He may still have enough skills and experience to help as a backup quarterback.

Symbolically, his presence in a Vikings uniform would be welcomed by some fans and residents in Minneapolis where George Floyd was tragically killed by a city police officer. In recent days Kaepernick tweeted about helping to fund legal defense for those in Minneapolis he termed “freedom fighters.”

Why has no team put Kaepernick back to work for years? A former NFL executive, speaking with anonymity, told Sports Headliners there has been no collusion among franchises to boycott Kapernick who drew both national criticism and praise for kneeling during national anthems at games in 2016. The source said NFL owners are too smart to set themselves up for lawsuits involving such collusion.

Teams want to win games and it’s possible there have been some near misses in signing Kaepernick the last few seasons. Contract details, including guarantees and dollar amounts, may have gone unresolved. A breaking point in a decision, the former executive said, could have been if a team had another option with a player comparable to Kaepernick and decided the controversial QB was too much of a media and locker room distraction to sign.

Vikings’ backup quarterback Sean Mannion has a resume with five seasons in the NFL but has only two career starts. Vikings’ decision makers may believe Mannion’s age, 28, and skills are a better fit for their system. But, then again, in these uncertain times the prediction business is more uncertain than ever.

Worth Noting

Maya Moore, another athlete known for her reputation regarding social justice, remains on the Minnesota Lynx official roster with the status of “suspended” for the 2020 season. Moore, who turns 31 June 11 and voluntarily missed last season, would be welcomed back to the organization but has chosen for now to continue her activism.

The 14-player Lynx roster returns seven players from 2019: Lexie Brown, Bridget Carleton, Karima Christmas-Kelly, reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Napheesa Collier, Damiris Dantas, Sylvia Fowles, and Odyssey Sims.

Esteemed Sports Illustrated writer Peter King on Tuesday listed the Vikings No. 11 in his NFL power rankings. That placed Minnesota ahead of NFC North Division rivals including Green Bay at No. 12. He ranks Chicago No. 17 and Detroit No. 26.

King is more optimistic about the 2020 Vikings than some prognosticators who believe the team has lost too much talent on defense and offense. He likes No. 1 draft choice and WR Justin Jefferson, thinks Dalvin Cook could win a rushing title and expresses concern about the defensive line stopping the run.

StubHub yesterday listed tickets starting at $10 and $12 for the Vikings’ two exhibition games in Minneapolis, but the beginning price for the September 13 home opener against Green Bay was in the $150 range.

Gophers’ offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. has a 66-year-old father who is the new head football coach at Faith Lutheran High School in Nevada. Mike Sr. was once head coach at UNLV.

Dick Jonckowski

Dick Jonckowski, the former Golden Gophers baseball public address announcer, asked coach John Anderson to be a pallbearer at his funeral. “The Polish Eagle,” 76, is healthy but is making last arrangements. Anderson told him it would be an honor.

Happy birthday today to Dave Mona, the WCCO Radio sports personality.

A hospitality industry authority predicts up to half of existing metro area restaurants will fold because of the lengthy closure forced by the state government’s concern with COVID-19.

NBAdraft.net predicts the Timberwolves at No. 3 in the draft order will choose point guard LaMelo Ball with their first round selection in the 2020 draft. While the website predicted yesterday Ball will be an early lottery pick by the Wolves, former Gopher Daniel Oturu will just miss that status as the 15th selection in the first round by Phoenix.

The first 14 players are lottery picks and earlier this year the website had Oturu projected as a top 10 selection. Slipping from No. 10 to 15 would probably cost Oturu about $900,000 in his first season salary. Basketball.realgm.com puts the salaries at about $3.8 million and $2.7 million respectively.

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